John from Cincinnati

Episode Overview: Linc Stark does some sneaky corporate maneuvering to avoid being pushed out of his business.  Butchie and Shaun hang ten together.  Palaka is seriously injured.  John takes the day off.


After last week's John from Cincinnati shenanigans, it's officially pointless to try to understand the deeper meaning of the show.  Just go along for the ride and pray that David Milch has some grand conclusion five episodes from now, because the likelihood of a second season is not looking good.

John (Austin Nichols) lets a sleeping Cass know that yesterday was "a three-ring circus."  Anyone who saw the last episode won't disagree.  He then informs her he'll be spending the day with his "Father" who does things "big and huge."  His Father must be hanging out with Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), because John vanishes for the majority of the episode, and this marks the second straight episode with no sign of the Yost patriarch.

Butchie (Brian Van Holt) gets a visit from nerdy Dwayne, who we met last episode, webmaster of the official Yost site, which is exploding due to Shaun's recent miracle.  Great, another oddball to join this show's freak show of an ensemble.  They find Shaun, smoking weed behind the store, and he's completely uninterested.

Shaun goes to visit Bill (Ed O'Neil) and says he wishes Zippy the Resurrection Bird didn't kiss him, bringing him back to life.  Butchie comes over, and he shares a tender moment with his son.  They decide to go surfing together.

Evil corporate goon Linc Stark (Luke Perry) is holding a business meeting with some associates.  The intricacies of corporate sponsorship are proved not as interesting as religious magic.  Linc gets all self-righteous about doing his own thing and not following other business trends,  It turns out he's not just mean to the Yosts, but also to his own employees.

His VP gets some dirt on Linc from Shaun's porn star mom as blackmail to get Linc booted from the company.  In an amusing twist, Linc had Tina record the meeting as well, in which the VP offers a bribe, and Linc skates away with a $65 million buyout.  He and Tina take a stroll down the boardwalk, holding hands.

Palaka shows up at the store, shaking and babbling incoherently.  His newest tattoo is causing complications, and he's taken to the motel where Dr. Smith (Garret Dillahunt) treats him and Barry (Matt Winston) tends to him.  Palaka's illness-induced dialogue is slightly less comprehensible than John's which is saying a lot.  Freddie naturally blames himself for breaking his associate's hand.  By episode's end, Palaka seems to be doing well again.

Cissy (Rebecca DeMornay) spends her time talking with Attorney Dickstein (Willie Garson) about papers to sign from the hospital, indemnifying them from prosecution and laying all the blame on Dr. Smith.

John ends the episode with another bout of astral projection, checking in on how everyone's doing.  He goes surfing with Butchie and Shaun, though his most dire warning is too Cass: "Shaun will soon be gone."  We were already promised that back at the star of the season.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of HBO)