Barn Burner is the eleventh episode of Season 1 of My Name Is Earl. When trying to enroll her children into the Right Choice Ranch for troubled youth, Joy is denied enrollment because of a barn burning incident at the hands of a younger Earl. Earl, Randy and Catalina travel to the camp to make amends for the barn burning by building a pen for the camp's ostrich.
Episode guide[]
- You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things then wonders why his life sucks? Well, that was me. Every time something good happened to me something bad was always waiting around the corner. Karma. That's when I realised I had to change. So I made a list of everything bad I've ever done and, one by one, I'm going to make up for all my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better person; my name is Earl.
While Joy complained to Darnell about their children, Earl overheard that they were not let into the Right Choice Ranch, a place that Earl and Randy stayed at as children. Earl remembers burning down a barn there, #164, and decides that Earl Jr. and Dodge should not have to pay for his mistakes. Realising that Joy's children, who were still legally known as Hickeys, were not being allowed into the Ranch because of him, Earl decided to do something about it and set off for the Ranch. Earl had to trick Randy into coming with him, as he had a fear of birds.
When they arrived, the Ranch owner was surprised to see Earl, saying that he had been telling everyone that he was dead and there was a legend about him as the boy who chose the "wrong choice" at the "Right Choice Ranch". Earl wanted to help to make up for his mistake, and the Ranch owner said that he could build a fence for the ostrich that they had at the farm. With Catalina's help Earl finished soon, and the Ranch called Joy and told her that Dodge and Earl Jr. could go to the Ranch.
As Earl watched the children playing a game, and saw how Randy was enjoying it, he realised that Earl was the one who caused Randy to have a bad life, instead of turning out better from the time in the Ranch. He told Randy that he was going to put him on the List, but Randy said he shouldn't. They argued, leading to Earl recieving a nail through his hand from the nail gun. Earl told Randy karma had done it, and he should add himself to the List. However, Randy said it was he who burnt down the barn, not Earl. He revealed what had happened and an angered Earl gave Randy the List and said that they both had to cross things off because Randy was partly responsible for everything bad Earl had done since the summer of 1982 when they attended the Ranch.
Randy began to cross things off Earl's List, from stealing a birdbath from the back of a pickup truck to sleeping with a man's wife. Randy approached Earl with something he could not do on the List; #98 Told Dodge and Earl Jr. we would have a father son day at Mystery Fun Land and didn't take them. Earl said that he would have taken them if he had not been kicked out of camp, but Randy said he could not get them because only one of their legal guardians was allowed to do so. Earl agreed to do it as long as Randy did something while he was gone, and they picked out #53 Put used gum under almost every table I've ever sat at.
Earl headed over to Mystery Fun Land, while Randy went around underneith the tables at Joy's trailer to remove the gum. Earl arrived at Fun Land but found that it had been torn down. Earl said he did not know to make it up to the boys, but they said that they forgave him for not taking them, and told him that he could cross them off the List. Earl realised that he should do the same for Randy, and went back and told him that he was forgiven.
Notes[]
- When Catalina insults Joy in Spanish, the translation is: "I want to take this moment to thank our Latino audience for watching. And for those of you who can understand me but who are not Latino, I want to commend you for learning a second language."
- When Randy says "Poopie Trim" while sleeping it's an allusion to the film Mallrats Starring Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee. Willam(Suplee) is staring at 3D Magic Eye poster and Brodie(Lee) startles him, Willam utters "Poopie Trim". (See Memorable quotes).
- The building Earl is watching being imploded on the TV is the Hotel King Cotton from Memphis,TN that was imploded on April 29, 1984. 20th Century Fox was there and originally filmed it for a scene in the pilot show for a new (at the time) ABC series called "Crazy Dan Gatlin."
Flashback[]
- Earl is enrolled in the Right Choice Ranch, but acts undisciplined.
- Randy burns down the Barn.
- The owners of the Ranch try several times to find a better slogan, but always seem to fail.
List[]
- Introduced in this episode
- - Unnumbered list item 3 - Took donuts from a bank where I was not a customer.
- - Unnumbered list item 4 - Stole a birdbath out of a pickup truck.
- - Unnumbered list item 5 - Had an affair with Sherry and Linda.
- - #98 Told Dodge and Earl Jr. we would have a father son day at Mystery Fun Land and didn't take them. (crossed off)
- - #53 Put used gum under almost every table I've ever sat at.
- - #164 Burned down a barn at the Right Choice Ranch.
- - #188 Slept with Linda. (unclear if this is the real title)
Featured music[]
- "Give it Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
- "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC
Memorable quotes[]
- Randy: Stupid Carson Daly...
- Earl: Wakey Wakey, Hands off snakey.
- Randy: What are you doing?
- Earl: Time to get up, got to get started on your list. I chose the first one, Took donuts from a bank where I was not a customer.
- Randy: Do I have to go now?
- Earl: Randy, people don't want their donuts in the afternoon.
- Randy: Oh Sure they would... Put gravy on 'em... Or meat inside... With that smart frog from return of the jedi on my back... (snoring)
- Earl: Randy, wake up!.
- Randy: Poopie trim.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Jason Lee as Earl Hickey
- Ethan Suplee as Randy Hickey
- Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner
- Nadine Velazquez as Catalina
- Eddie Steeples as Darnell Turner
Recurring[]
- Noah Crawford as Young Earl
- Louis T. Moyle as Dodge
- Trey Carlisle as Earl Jr.
- Abdoulaye N'Gom as Nescobar-A-Lop-Lop
- Ryan Armstrong as Young Randy
Guest starring[]
- John Ducey as Camp Counselor
- Jeremy Slate as Bud
- Christopher Grey as Married Man
- Cesar Flores as Hector
My Name is Earl Season 1 | Season 2 > | |||||||
#00 Bad Karma | ||||||||
#01 | Pilot | #07 | Stole Beer from a Golfer | #13 | Stole P's HD Cart | #19 | Y2K | |
#02 | Quit Smoking | #08 | Joy's Wedding | #14 | Monkeys in Space | #20 | Boogeyman | |
#03 | Randy's Touchdown | #09 | Cost Dad the Election | #15 | Something to Live For | #21 | The Bounty Hunter | |
#04 | Faked My Own Death | #10 | White Lie Christmas | #16 | The Professor | #22 | Stole a Badge | |
#05 | Teacher Earl | #11 | Barn Burner | #17 | Didn't Pay Taxes | #23 | BB | |
#06 | Broke Joy's Fancy Figurine | #12 | O Karma, Where Art Thou? | #18 | Dad's Car | #24 | Number One |