CBS’s Superior Donuts has had its fair share of race-baiting, anti-police bias, and other clearly questionable opinions over the past season. This week’s episode gave viewers a quick grab bag of several questionable, off-putting, and just plain wrong moments for the whole family.
On the May 1st episode “Art for Art’s Sake,” Franco (Jermaine Flowers), after some encouragement from Arthur (Judd Hirsch), plans to host an art show to convince art gallery host Eliza (Suzanne Cryer) to showcase his work. That’s the basic gist of the story, and it all seems to go downhill after this first scene featuring a Black Jesus and a “build-a-wall” joke.
Maya: It's amazing. What do you call it?
Franco: Well, I call it, uh, Black Jesus Riding a Skateboard Battles Satan on a Pony.
Arthur: So, where's Satan?
Franco: Be right back!
Randy: Is it weird that I'm attracted to Jesus?
James: Is it weird that I am?
Franco: All right. (Whoops) Make way for Satan! Make way for the Prince of Darkness!
Tush: Wow. How'd you get my ex-wife to pose for that?
Maya: These are really good, Franco. You're like a legit artist.
Franco: Oh. Thanks, Maya. I just felt it was time to graduate from tagging walls. Though, I'm gonna miss the cops chasing me off those highway overpasses.
Randy: Aw... I'm sure we'll find something else to arrest you for.
Arthur: Those paintings are terrific. You ever think of trying to sell them?
Franco: Where?
James: Well, someone just opened a gallery down the street.
Maya: You know, gallery owners are always looking for up-and-coming artists. And you've got a real voice. You should show them your stuff.
Franco: Oh. Thanks, Maya. I'll drop by after work.
Fawz: Hello! What's going on? I'm trapped!
Franco: Oh.
Fawz: The walls are supposed to keep the good ones like me in, not out. I should have voted for the woman.
If you think that’s a pretty low standard for a half-hour, just wait. There’s more! When trying to convince Eliza to come to the Superior Donuts art show, Randy (Katey Segal) and James (Darien Sills-Evans) come across a less-than-considerate depiction of the police which understandably leads to a brief confrontation with the unusually (or, let's be honest, usual for a liberal) sensitive host.
Randy: Look, uh, Franco is really talented, and it would really mean a lot to him if you'd stop by.
Eliza: I'm sorry, I'm just too busy.
Randy: Yeah, you know, he just needs a break. Wouldn't it be great if you could be the one to lift him out of obscurity? The one, to, uh... What's going on here?
Eliza: Oh, yes. It's called Two Pigs, One Badge.
Randy: You know, the police have been getting a really bad rap lately, and stuff like this is not helping things.
Eliza: Yes, but art is meant to provoke a conversation, and I think this is a conversation well worth having.
Randy: Mm-hmm. Well, you are having a conversation with a cop.
Eliza: Are you threatening me?
James: Uh, hey, Randy, did you check out this giant Jenga?
Randy: You snooty jackasses are all alike. You scoff at law enforcement until the day you need it.
Eliza: Okay, I am filming this. I'm filming this!
Randy: And I am filming you, for being anti-cop.
James: Okay, now, everybody just stay cool. Nobody do anything stupid. Randy, you go now. Just move quietly. No, no. Back it up, back it up. You got that door open? All right.
I suppose I can at least appreciate the show for offering someone bothered by the awful depiction of police in recent media. Then again, the fact that there is a work designed to insult cops and the only defense comes from a cop does not give me a high opinion of these people. But who doesn’t like a snooty jackass being called out once in a while?
But wait, there’s even more! Maya (Anna Baryshnikov) is ultimately the one to convince Eliza to look at Franco’s art after agreeing to go on a date with the woman noting, “I'm in grad school, I should try some stuff.” That’s right, same-sex relationships are now just things an average twenty-something should try, and I’m not sure I can ever get used to that.
The whole episode finally closes on Fawz (Maz Jobrani) agreeing to purchase one of Franco’s pieces after noting how artists’ works go up in value after dying and mocking Franco’s higher chances of death “being black and living in Chicago.” What a pleasant thing to close the show on for the night.
Whew, I did not think you could stick that many issues into one half-hour. Superior Donuts is definitely one in the books for me for all the wrong reasons.
