[yasr_overall_rating]
Danny McBride and Walton Goggins star as Neal Gamby and Lee Russell, a pair of ambitious administrators waged in an epic power struggle to become school principal.
HBO sent me a review copy of “Vice Principals” last year on DVD and I absolutely loved it. I got Danny McBride and Walton Goggins’ hilarious but, at times, schizophrenic sense of humor, which worried me. A lot. One minute you’re laughing riotously, the next, you’re having to stop yourself from doing so because, after much deliberation, you realize that the events which caused you to laugh, were not actually funny, they were serious. Sometimes, deadly. And that kind of humor is very rare on TV these days. You either get it or you don’t. I got it. And loved it. And I was bummed when Danny McBride announced that season two of “Vice Principals” would also be its last but I get it, sometimes, it’s best to quit while you’re on top, instead of going out with a whimper and thankfully, the ending is left wide open for possible future returns by all involved.
Danny McBride plays Neal Gamby and Walton Goggins plays Lee Russell, both of whom are the vice principals at North Jackson High. The two men hate each other and when the school’s current principal, Mr. Wells (Bill Murray), announces his retirement, both Gamby and Russell both assume that they will take the much-coveted position. To their surprise and dismay, the position is handed to outsider Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hebert Gregory), who states she wants to keep them both on as vice principals. As each man tries to one-up the other, trying their hardest to kiss Belinda’s ass in the hopes that the other will be fired, they both come to the realization that they don’t need to suck up to her, instead, they team up and together and work their sleazy magic and by the end of the first season, they succeed, holding enough blackmail evidence over her that she resigns. Until the school board decides on a replacement, Gamby and Russell become interim principals but when Gamby leaves to check on a burning car in the school parking lot, he is shot by a masked gunman and left for dead.
Season two opens with Gamby recovering from his near-fatal injuries and feeling sorry for himself. Milking it for all its worth, Russell, who is now principal, sees through his game and gets him back on his feet, telling him he needs his old friend back at the school, whipping everyone into shape. He reluctantly returns and in no time, he is back to his usual, abrasive, foul-mouthed self. When not at school, Gamby is deadset on discovering his shooter’s identity, working from a pool of suspects, most of the faculty at the school, including former principal, Dr. Belinda Brown. Just when Gamby has figured out who the culprit was, his keen powers of observation fall apart and he is back to square one. After blowing off his beautiful girlfriend and fellow teacher, Amanda Snodgrass (Georgia King) after his shooting, he hooks up with his old flame, Jen Abbott (Edi Patterson), a Spanish teacher at the school and one who is a little unhinged. While accompanying his daughter Janelle (Maya G. Love) and two of her friends on spring break, he brings Russell along with him but makes a shocking discovery on the trip. When the shooter’s identity becomes clear to Gamby, he takes matters into his own hands and the outcome will have repercussions for years to come.
I was actually sad as “Vice Principals” drew to a close. It usually takes a few seasons for a TV series to find its audience and for them to be able to connect with the characters and the storylines and just as the show ended, I found myself wanting it to continue. I began to like the multitude of characters, some absolutely batshit crazy but they fit in with the overall story arc. Danny McBride and Walton Goggins are perfect. They are complete opposites, McBride’s refined but quick-to-anger Gamby against Goggins’ flamboyant, manic-depressive, and while they are initially unlikable, the show cleverly allows them a few quiet moments so you can see that they are real human beings, hiding behind a tough exterior. The entire cast shines throughout, giving us glimpses into each of their lives, no matter how small it might be and there aren’t very many TV shows on right now that can say that. There are some moments that are so maniacal and unhinged, it makes you wonder if the writers were smoking dope when they came up with the scenarios but honestly, as weird as it might sound, the show wouldn’t have worked without them. “Vice Principals” is not for everybody, you’ll either like it or hate it, there really isn’t any middle ground but you won’t know until you try. And I say try.
Available on DVD April 10th
