“My Name Is Earl” Recap: My Name Is Alias

Earl and Randy miss Joy and Darnell, who are hidden away under witness protection. While Earl is getting sentimental over a photo of him with Darnell and his family, there’s a knock on the door, and it’s someone (Danny Glover) looking for Darnell. Suddenly Earl and Randy find themselves handcuffed to a suitcase bomb, and it’s going to go off in five minutes. After failed attempts to break free, they pretty much figure they’re going to be blown to pieces. But the bomb is fake, and the man reveals himself to be Darnell’s dad, Thomas. He’s a special agent for a covert government spy agency, and he wants to find Darnell to make amends for being a bad father.

At a young age, Darnell was recruited into his father’s agency, and was trained to do secret ops and assassinations. But when he refused to assassinate a 9-year-old ruler of a foreign country, Darnell turned rogue and exposed the agency’s operations, nearly bringing it down. After that, Darnell had to enter the witness protection program.

Earl and Randy go to Joy’s house to try and verify the story, but Thomas traces them. He says that the agency is willing to forgive Darnell’s past indiscretions if he helps in one final big mission. Darnell agrees, but Thomas has trust issues, and just to be sure Darnell goes through with it, he’s going to have to take Earl along on the mission. To make sure he doesn’t see anything he’s not supposed to, Earl gets knocked out by an anesthetic injection … 45 times. Earl wakes up enough to see that Darnell and his dad have foiled a terrorist anthrax bomb plot overseas. With the mission accomplished, Earl, Darnell and his dad are taking a helicopter flight home. But the chopper’s engine fails and there are only two parachutes. Earl gets the first one. Thomas gives the second parachute to Darnell, and father and son make amends. They share a hug, and Darnell jumps out of the helicopter with his dad in his arms.

Earl and Darnell return to the trailer park, and Crab Man can once again go back to his life with Joy and his family without having to be someone he’s not.

What We Learned

There’s about to be a Donkey Kong kill screen in the game tent, if you’re interested.

Wisdom From Randy: Earl has a real nice smile and can play “Wipe Out” on his stomach.

Crab Man Chronicles: Darnell’s secret backstory has been told, and a lot of the character’s mystique might be gone now. Do they write him differently now? Does he stay Darnell Turner or does he go back to Harry Monroe?

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.