Summary
“The Last Supper” might have served its last seafood order when a corporate chain rolls into town, leaving the fate of Greenpoint in the hands of Jenny and the eccentric townsfolk.
What sets Bless the Harts apart as a sitcom is how it represents the ordinary blue-collar values of a Southern small town, which makes “The Last Supper” an especially fitting episode since it’s about capitalism bulldozing the homegrown mom-and-pop businesses of the South — and Greenpoint is next on its agenda. Here, capitalism is represented by Lord Lobster, another religious-themed seafood joint that’s being built on the Highway 311 Bypass which has already decimated the small-town of Delk, as explained by cowboy newcomer Richard Pyunst, whose role in the episode is mostly to explain how that surname is pronounced and then break the fourth wall at the end.
But the Greenpoint citizenry is petrified of what Richard describes as “the plague of corporate sprawl”, and Lord Lobster’s latest ad only makes them worry more. According to Randy, “it’s the end of times, babies.” Jenny proposes a counter-commercial for The Last Supper showcasing the people, tradition, and homegrown Southern charm of Greenpoint, and Richard endorses the idea, suggesting that Mayor Webb puts her in charge of its creation. He agrees and puts all of the town’s remaining money on the matter.
Wayne, of course, also wants to help out by using his community theatre connections. His commercial idea is a Wild West theme fronted by local theatre legend Ian David Cole who would fire shrimp into people’s mouths and declare, “You just witnessed the good, the bad, and the yummy.” The problem with that idea is that Ian David Cole is depressed and suicidal, which Wayne assures Jenny won’t be a problem but obviously will be. There’s a bit more focus that comes with “The Last Supper” folding the B-plot into the A-plot that works out for the better.
Violet, meanwhile, a budding documentarian, is filming Jenny’s creative process, which will become important later. Naturally, all the townsfolk want a role in the commercial and Jenny doesn’t have the heart — aha! — to tell them no, even when Betty arrives in a catsuit that Violet had to “help her pour herself into.” The first takes are a calamity. Louise is only worried about attracting squatters to the parking lot and is more concerned with inadvertently advertising a towing company as a threat rather than The Last Supper itself. Brenda arrives incredibly sunburnt and high on Tylenol. Wayne keeps dropping by with periodic updates on Ian David Cole’s suicide attempt, and when he does finally arrive, he starts drunkenly firing a real gun all over the place.
It’s a disaster, and in her frustration, Jenny goes to vent in the back office, where she doesn’t realize that the mic is on. After hearing her calling everyone various varieties of butts, everyone leaves, leaving Jenny to stew in her regret. It’s Violet who brings her around by showing her footage that she captured of the Greenpoint locals earnestly discussing how much they love the town and Jenny herself — when they’re not performing for the camera, they’re able to say what they really feel. Jenny is able to deliver a televised apology during which she thanks every person in Greenpoint for being so special. They all return to take part in what was a surprisingly touching little moment, all things considered.
As it turns out, and as Richard explains to us in a closing narration, the commercial was garbage and didn’t really work, but the Lord Lobster never opened anyway — turns out its CEO was a pedophile. Sounds about right to me.
Thanks for reading our recap of Bless the Harts season 2, episode 2, “The Last Supper”. For more recaps, reviews, and original features covering the world of entertainment, why not follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page?
