The Last Man on Earth - M.U.B.A.R. - Review

The apocalyptic comedy The Last Man on Earth is back on FOX to keep us entertained this Fall. Will Fore's show came back strong, mostly thanks to the presence of Kristen Wiig's character in this episode.

Written by Rich Blomquist and John Solomon, "M.U.B.A.R." picks up right where season 3 left us. Tandy (Will Forte), Carol (Kristen Schaal) and co. are on a yacht, running away from the nuclear devastation that is upon the United States, and also from Pat (Mark Boone Junior), the crazy guy that has been trying to kill them for a while now. But as Pat is ready to shoot everyone, Pamela (Kristen Wiig) shows up and saves the day (a.k.a. she kills him). The show then very briefly introduces another character, Admiral Roy, played by Jack Black who dies almost as fast as he appeared on screen. It's a fun little appearance from Black, in the same style as when Jon Hamm showed up and immediately died in season 3. It would actually be interesting to see if bringing in a guest star for one minute of screen time is something the show is just going to keep on doing.

Once the rush of witnessing two deaths is gone, the crew gathers around for an impromptu funeral. After tossing Admiral Roy overboard with the help of Todd (Mel Rodriguez), Tandy proceeds to decapitate Pat. Indeed, since Pat seemed to keep coming back from the dead over and over, it seems like removing his head is a good way to make sure he is gone once and for all. In the tradition of the show, the scene is both awkward and funny to watch, especially as it takes Tandy a lot of tries before he achieves the decapitation.

The problem when you decide to set off to Mexico on a yacht is that you need somebody to navigate said yacht. Unfortunately, no one on board actually knows what they are doing. Melissa (January Jones) took the helm but ends up hitting something. Gail (Mary Steenburgen) intervenes and proceeds to anchor the boat but fails miserably. The following day, the two ladies realize they lost track of land and have no idea where they are now. To avoid pregnant Carol to freak out, Gail and Melissa keep quiet and try to find a solution. In and of itself, this storyline is not particularly hilarious but it serves the purpose of setting up Pamela's story for this beginning of the season.

Pamela's arrival in the group quickly sets off Carol's jealousy. Noticing that Pamela is laughing at all of Tandy's jokes (which no one ever does), Carol gets mad about this stranger being "all over" her

man. She talks to the others about it and underlines that she does not trust Pamela and wants her gone. Everyone agrees and it is decided that once they reach land, they will ditch Pamela. The thing is, Pamela overheard that conversation and decides to make a plan of her own. At the end of "M.U.B.A.R." the group finds land and decides to go check it out. However Pamela has another idea: she knocks out Tandy, kidnaps him and literally pushes the others away on a lifeboat as she steals she yacht. The rest of the group makes it to the island while Carol is in distress over her husband's abduction. But the thing is, Tandy isn't too thrilled about it either!

Next week on The Last Man on Earth, we should see Tandy trying to escape from Pamela, or something along those lines. This first episode of season 4 was a pretty solid one, combining the strength of the show with the refreshing presence of Kristen Wiig. Her character really brings something extra to the show and even if she is only scheduled to be in about three episodes this season, it will help make this new batch of The Last Man on Earth quite entertaining.

What about you, what did you think of "M.U.B.A.R."?