In his introduction, author, raconteur and show creator Eric Jonrosh (Will Ferrell) warns the audience about The Spoils Before Dying’s penultimate episode, “The Trip Trap”: “Things get weird tonight,” he says. “But you can handle it.” No truer words have been spoken since…last night’s installment. However, it’s not just the episode that gets freaky; Jonrosh himself has a few things to get off his chest, including admitting to doing a lot of “suspect substances” from South American Indians while writing the novel on which the miniseries is based, and that he possibly might have killed someone he loved, too. But NBD, right? Channeling his inner Orson Welles, Ferrell’s deadpan intros have been a highlight of each episode.
“The Trip Trap” lives up to its name—it follows Rock (Michael Kenneth Williams) as he comes down from a drugging by some nefarious types. Rock then trips through a third of the episode, with the audience subject to both highs and lows (aka good and bad jokes). Williams, who’s best known for his work on The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, isn’t known for his comedic talent, but in this series, he doesn’t need it. His uber-seriousness and straight-faced sincerity only accentuates the humor of his scene partners like Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Haley Joel Osment even more.
Before Rock’s story continues, there’s a Reefer Madness-like PSA on the dangers of hallucinogens starring Jimmy Fallon. Though he introduces himself as “Detective Kenneth Bluntly,” watch closely as the onscreen titles read “Keith Bluntly / Television Actor.” Spoils always has fun with both subtle and not-so-subtle humor.
In his compromised state, Rock meets up with Lloyd the bartender (Tim Robbins) who looks like Doc Brown from Back to the Future for a groovy conversation about nothing of consequence; the episode then segues into a ballet sequence with Delores (Wiig) that’s reminiscent of the out-of-nowhere Cyd Charisse-Gene Kelly ballet interlude in Singin’ in the Rain. He also runs into dead Fresno (Rudolph) who reminds him that his is an artist and not to do a strings album. We wish that Rudolph had more to do, either dead or alive, in the show, but her character only has limited screen time.
The cops are running out of patience with Rock, but he convinces them that he’s being framed and asks for a few more hours to track down the people who drugged him. Here’s where “The Trip Trap” goes on its wild ride: Rock learns that he has to track down a modern sculpture that belonged to Adolf Hitler and that Wilbur Stygamian eventually acquired. He goes home to Delores for help, who has the best line of the episode when she sees him: “Rock, you’re hurt! Let me make you some eggs.” It makes no sense, it’s completely ridiculous, but coming from Wiig is completely hilarious.