The Bounty Hunter is the twenty-first episode of Season 1 of My Name Is Earl. #145, "Ditched Jessie to Marry Joy" is next on the list when Jessie, Earl's ex-girlfriend, returns to town seeking revenge. Earl must protect Joy in a lakeside retreat while Randy fights not to reveal their location to Jessie.
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.
Joy ran into Earl's Motel room just as he and Randy were playing a game, and informed him that Jessie was back. Back in 1999 Earl was in a semi-serious relationship with Jessie, and they appeared to be getting along great. However, after getting drunk and marrying Joy, he messed up his relationship with Jessie, leading Joy to punching her when she got angry at Earl for leaving her.
Jessie trains to get Joy with her new golden front teeth
Back in the present, Jessie, who worked as a bounty hunter, heard that Joy had not paid for several parking tickets, and decided to go after her. She trained hard to get tough enough so she would not be humiliated again. After training, she went to the trailer park and found out where Joy lived. However, she heard Jessie coming and fled to Earl's Motel room. Jesse managed to track Joy down to Earl's room, and so Joy and Earl went out the bathroom window to an old RV they used to use as a vacation home when they were married, it turned out to be inhabited by a homeless man, whom they persuaded to leave. Meanwhile, Jessie broke into the Motel room and Randy ended up telling her where Earl and Joy had gone after she tortured him. Randy called and told them what happened, and Earl said he would take Joy to a Motel for the night. She told him that he had done enough, and explained that in fact he had not run away with her and left Jessie; she had stolen him from her. She crossed Jessie off his List, saying it was her fault, not his.
Joy and Earl hug in the forest
Joy decided to turn herself in, and apologized to Earl for everything bad she had done to him. Earl said it was OK because they had a lot of good times, and they shared a hug. As they left the forest they were confronted by Jessie, determined to knock Joy's teeth out as Joy had done to her. However, when they began to fight Joy came out victorious, stealing Jessie's two gold plated front teeth. Jessie tried apply the skills she learned on Joy, but was greatly outmatched by Joy. Joy hits Jessie several times using a combination of hair-pulling and punches, until the vengeful bounty hunter is knocked out. Impressed by Joy's fighting skills, Earl asks his ex-wife where she learned how to fight like that. Joy tell him, "I watch a lot of Springer." Joy then picks up the golden teeth, tells Earl to melt them down and bail her out of jail, and they drove away. Jessie wakes up noticing her two front teeth are missing again and starts doing pushups for her next fight.
Notes[]
- Nadine Velazquez does not appear in this episode as Catalina Aruca.
- After Joy knocks Jessie's gold teeth out, Jessie falls to the ground. She opens her mouth and you can briefly see the actress' real teeth behind the prosthetic.
- When Earl gives Joy his boots, he has a hole in his right sock. In the next scene, when Earl and Joy are outside, the hole is gone.
- The music featured at the beginning of Jessie and Joy's fight was similar to "La resa dei conti" by Ennio Morricone. It can be heard during the famous five minute stand-off in Sergio Leone's 1965 spaghetti western film "For A Few Dollars More."
Flashbacks[]
Jesse gets knocked out by Joy!
- In 1999, Earl began to date a woman named Jessie, but got drunk after three weeks of their relationship and married Joy. Jessie tracked Earl down, and when she questioned why he had got married, Joy became irratated when she was being called whore by Jessie and punched Jessie, knocking out her teeth.
- Randy admits to where Joy and Earl went to Jessie.
- Earl and Joy's wedding is retold; however this time it is revealed that Joy manipulated Earl into marrying her.
List[]
- Introduced and crossed off in this episode
- - #145 Ditched Jessie to marry Joy.
Featured music[]
- "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider (Jessie's workout montage)
- "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (Joy's cell phone)
- "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock (Earl's liquored up; dark-haired gal flirts with Randy)
- "La Resa Dei Conti" by Ennio Morricone (Jessie's suburban blocks off the El Camino)
- "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas (Jessie and Joy fight)
- "Night of the Slunk" by Buckethead (outro of TV aired episode, omitted from DVD version)
Memorable quotes[]
- Eark Hickey: (voiceover) As important as it is for me to cross things off my list, it’s also important to take time out to enjoy the finer things in life. Like jumping a tiny motorcycle over my brother’s head.
- Earl Hickey: (voiceover) Me and Jessie had a good thing going. And it was all happening pretty fast, but not as fast as it happened later that night with Joy. In just seven hours I went from having a semi-serious three week girlfriend, to being the husband of a pregnant woman whose name I kept forgetting. I thought about calling Jessie to talk to her and tell her what I had done. But then I realised that I’d have to talk to her and tell her what I had done.
- Darnell Turner: I like that Wonderbug. I wish we had a car that flew.
- Joy Turner: I wish we had a car we didn’t have to start with a spoon.
- Darnell Turner: Seems a shame to waste your wish on something that small.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Jason Lee as Earl Hickey
- Ethan Suplee as Randy Hickey
- Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner
- Eddie Steeples as Darnell Turner
Guest starring[]
- Juliette Lewis as Jesse
- Don Swayze as Bail Bonds Man
- Dog The Bounty Hunter as himself
- Dana Cuomo as Bobbi
- Tiffany Haddish as Robin
- Joon Lee as Instructor
- Maxie J. Santillan Jr. as Sparky aka the Gay Homeless Guy
- Jackson Bond Jr. as Man
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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 | |