“My Name Is Earl”: Inmate 28301-016

The one-hour Season 3 premiere of My Name Is Earl, “My Name Is Inmate 28301-016, Parts 1 & 2,” finds Earl doing the time for Joy’s crime. Earl’s not fitting in with the prison cliques, but he finds Sonny (Remember him? The beer-tag guy?), who helps him stay invisible (mostly by hiding behind fat guys) and safe in the slammer. Earl also finds Glenn, a Camden Scout he once duped into breaking into a house, in prison. Earl realizes he led Glenn to a life of crime, and that he can cross Glenn off his list by helping him earn his scout honor sash. Earl calls on favors from the other inmates, and eventually gets Glenn his badges. Glenn gets paroled, and goes on to live like a Camden Scout instead of a thug.

Randy’s having a hard time getting by without Earl, but Joy agrees to take care of him as a favor to Earl. After coddling Randy, Joy discovers it’s best to show him tough love and let him learn on his own. But in the end, Randy still can’t live without his brother, and he steals a car so he can go to prison, too.

Stuff We Learned:

When deciding on a dinner selection, always have what the puppet’s having.

The Civil War ain’t over. It’s only halftime.

“Balancing the checkbook” now has a whole new meaning.

In prison, shivs can be made from almost anything, including the dreaded Tighty Whitey Mighty Fighty made from underwear.

Bear from BJ and the Bear is named after legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant.

Scout masters make up most of the prison population.

Clothes you find in the gutter might be free, but they’re probably not disease-free.

Wisdom From Randy: “I don’t look where I’m going. It’s kind of my thing.”

Crab Man Chronicles: A low-key episode for Darnell. No unusual departures from character or witness protection program revelations. It was nice to see him playing some Berzerker again, though. I hope that game gets put up on the wall.

2 Comments

  1. The scout master revelation produced the biggest laugh from yours truly.

    And did you catch who played hardened thug, Glen? That’s Eli (the mentally handicapped student) from a couple of episodes of “Freaks and Geeks,” almost unrecognizable now.

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About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.