Very Bad Things is the 1st episode of Season 2 of My Name Is Earl, and the 25th episode overall. When Joy and Darnell get into an argument over her surprise birthday, Earl jumps at the opportunity to cross off #183 on his list, "never took Joy's side". Meanwhile, Joy runs into various problems after trying to return a television set she recently purchased.
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.
Darnell tries to get the cabinet into the trailer
Earl decides to make up for #183 on the List: "Never took Joy's side", whilst she is having an argument with Darnell. He remembers back to always taking the side of other people over Joy, such a woman with large breasts, Randy, and even a crab which Joy cracked incorrectly. Earl decides to support Joy, who is demanding that Darnell throw her a surprise party for her birthday. With Earl's prompting, Darnell agrees to throw the party. Joy's phone rings, and Earl recalls the story of how Joy saw a television cabinet with automatic doors on a commercial and decided she wanted one. After saving up enough money, she soon discovered that it did not fit in the trailer, and so decided to take it back. When the Bargain Bag store saw she had spit gum in the recipt which took off half the item number, so they could't take it back, and Darnell decided to leave it outside the trailer, along with moving the couch out there. However, when it begain to rain a flaw was shown in Joy's plan. She took it back to the store and said that one way or another she would get her $3000 back. As she left, Joy saw a Bargain Bag truck, which she stole as a means of getting her money back.
Joy's surprise party
She contacted Jasper, who Joy was speaking on the phone to in the present. However, Jasper refused to buy a truck that was so clearly stolen. His wife, Tatiana, asked Joy to show her the truck as she would buy it with money she stole from Jasper. However, as they stopped off at Joy's trailer she was shocked to see the surprise birthday party that Darnell and Earl had arranged. Tatiana was scared, and ran away, causing Joy to leave the party in anger. Earl went to talk to her, and learnt about the stolen truck. She said that Earl had to help her sell the truck, as it was part of karma to deal with right versus wrong. He eventually agreed to do so. As they painted the truck to disguise the "Bargain Bag" logo, Earl asked what was in the back, as there may be $3000 worth of stuff in there. As he opened it to look, they discovered that there was a man inside, locked in by Joy.
Earl and Randy take the man back to the truck after Joy knocks him out
Earl tried to find a way to let the man out without him seeing Earl or Joy. They stood on the top of the truck and, adopting a British accent, Earl instructed the man to run away from the truck without looking back, as well as putting his shirt over his eyes as a blindfold. The man did so, but ran into a tree in the forest where the truck was parked, knocking himself out. They put him back in the back of the truck and drove to a hospital. However, they ran out of gas before reaching it and Earl went to fetch some gas whilst Joy guarded the truck. As he returned, he found Randy at the truck, who followed them there from the forest. Earl and Randy saw Joy chasing after the man in the area to the side of the road, as he had somehow escaped from the van. Joy clobbered him around the head with a crowbar, knocking him to the ground. As Randy took the man to the truck, Earl and Joy filled it up with gas. However, the truck set off, and Earl realized that Randy had put the man in the front, not the back, allowing him to drive away. They all ran to the El Camino and began to pursue him.
Whilst they followed him, Earl, Joy and Randy thought about what they could do with the man once he ran out of gas. Earl soon discovered that the only thing he could do would be to stop chasing the man; things had got so out of hand everything would be simpler if the chase was over. Joy tried to run after the truck once Earl stopped driving, but to no avail. Earl thinks the man did not manage to see Joy because he was so scared during the ordeal, but apparently he did, and she was charged with grand theft auto, kidnapping and assault, which would have been Earl's second guess.
Notes[]
Joy steals the Bargain Bag truck
Flashbacks[]
- Earl supports the side of a woman with large breasts, Randy and a crab which Joy cracked incorrectly.
- The story of why Joy steals the Bargain Bag truck is shown.
- Joy gets tired of waiting for Earl to come back with some food from the gas station, and decides to go into the back of the truck to get some snacks she saw. However, the man in the back tricks her so he can escape.
List[]
- Introduced and crossed off in this episode:
- -#183 Never took Joy's side.
Featured music[]
- "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils
- "Take the Money and Run" by Steve Miller Band
- "The Lollipop Guild" (from The Wizard of Oz) by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, sung by Ethan Suplee
- "Midnight Rider" by Gregg Allman
- "Hush" by Deep Purple
Memorable quotes[]
- Earl Hickey: Randy, how'd you find us?
- Randy Hickey: Well, I went to the woods and you weren't there but I got the note you left.
- Earl Hickey: I didn't leave a note.
- Randy Hickey: I know Earl, I was being sarcastic. You should have left me a note. You don't have to add it to your list or anything but it would have been nice.
- Joy Turner: Do I look stupid enough to steal a truck with a man in the back of it?
- Earl Hickey: (narration) Turns out Joy was that stupid.
- Randy Hickey: (Talking about the grafitti) It's perfect, Earl.
- Earl Hickey: Yeah, it really is. I just don't know if it's a good idea to paint your name in six foot letters on the side of a stolen truck.
- Randy Hickey: I'm gonna go into town and get some more white paint to cover it up.
- Earl Hickey: Good idea
- Randy Hickey: If the cops come while I'm gone, tip it on it's side.
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[]
- J. Lamont Pope as Jasper
- Josh Wolf as Josh
Guest starring[]
- Jessica Cauffiel as Tatiana
- Harry Karp as Clerk
 < Season 1
|
My Name is Earl Season 2 | Season 3 >
| ||||||
| #01 | Very Bad Things | #07 | Mailbox | #13 | Buried Treasure | #19 | Harassed a Reporter | |
| #02 | Jump for Joy | #08 | Robbed a Stoner Blind | #14 | Kept a Guy Locked in a Truck | #20 | Two Balls, Two Strikes | |
| #03 | Sticks & Stones | #09 | Born a Gamblin' Man | #15 | Foreign Exchange Student | #21 | GED | |
| #04 | Larceny of a Kitty Cat | #10 | South of the Border, Part Uno | #16 | B.L.O.W. | #22 | Get a Real Job | |
| #05 | Van Hickey | #11 | South of the Border, Part Dos | #17 | The Birthday Party | #23 | The Trial | |
| #06 | Made a Lady Think I Was God | #12 | Our 'Cops' Is On! | #18 | Guess Who's Coming Out of Joy | |||