That “Jon†is one lucky sonofabitch, huh?
No matter how bumbling, irresponsible and susceptible to graft he is with his money, he always seems to acquire more. First he becomes the custodian of his late ex-wife’s $5 million life insurance policy, only to end up forking most of it over to the Wang Chos, who bleed him for almost every penny in exchange for protection. Then there was the time he inherited $3 million from a guy he met on a park bench, even though he pissed away a good chunk giving it to a meth head posing as the mother of his fake illegitimate child.
And now in “Jon Done Gone Nuts,†we have “Jon†inheriting $10 million from a Girls Gone Wild-type smut peddler. Jim Daniels, the creator of “Ladies Done Gone Nuts,†has footage of “Jon†pulling up his ski mask on tape — the result of too many body shots after a night on the town — and initially refuses “Jon’s†request to destroy it. But Daniels has a change of heart, erases the tape, and wills his entire estate to “Jon†in a video testimonial before shooting himself in the head. “Jon†naively believes Daniels bequeathed him the money after being so moved by one of “Jon’s†impassioned “not cool, dude†speeches. You could see why, because those three words can be so very persuasive, but it probably had more to do with Qi-Qang holding a gun to Daniels’ head off-camera and demanding that he give all of his money to “Jon.â€
As viewers, we are fortunate that “Jon†has become an eccentric millionaire because there’s no limit to the number of absurdly stupid, yet somehow clever contraptions he’ll spend his money on.
That’s really been one the themes of Season 3: what dumb thing can “Jon†buy next? And I use the word dumb there with the utmost respect. Because these props and their associated sight gags are truly inspired. Delocated creator Jon Glaser must have a blast coming up with them and finding a way to weave them into the plot. And you got to respect the verisimilitude the show goes for by making sure “Jon†has the money to buy things like a $1 million bulletproof man-sized hamster ball that he starts travelling inside for protection. The writers don’t need to establish continuity, but they go the extra mile. It’s a nice touch.
And strangely enough, even though Delocated is a comedy, the sight gags provide some levity for the show’s more sinister plots.
In “Jon Done Gone Nuts,†“Jon,†shows up in his bulletproof hamster ball to a drug deal he facilitates between the Mirminskys and Wang Cho in an attempt to broker a truce between the rival gangs. However, the FBI raids the deal based on information provided by Mirminsky toady Mishka, who went to the feds after overhearing Yvgeny and Sergei’s plot to kill him.
In glorious fashion, we’re treated to a slow-motion montage – an obvious nod to Goodfellas – of everyone, including “Jon,†getting arrested and hauled off to prison. The montage even had cheesy guitar music evoking “Layla.â€
So we’re left off with “Jon†in prison, his life coach, The Glaze, having full access to all his money, and the Mirminsky family in disarray.
Can’t wait to see where they take it from here.