Review Blark and Son “Return of Fletch”

Some tables have turned, or flipped, or perhaps crushed.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Son thanks the door gods when a ring of the Blark household’s doorbell steals Blark away from a solo acapella songwriting session in Son’s doorway. Who has come to call? Blark’s longtime friend from his Army days, Fletcher Murphy (Donald Faison), who greets his host with a swift kick to, well, you can guess.

Son comes armed with a pool noodle to investigate the situation in the living room, but Blark explains that Fletcher is a welcome guest, and he may have to leave Son alone for a bit to catch up with him. Son, excited by the prospect of freedom for a few hours, retreats to his room to enjoy his uninterrupted peace and quiet.

Fletcher and Blark spend time together in the kitchen, reminiscing about old rivalries with one another, and horse playing. Son, who earlier relished in the thought of being free from interference by his father, is now bothered by the lack of interruptions and becomes jealous.

Justin Roiland’s character Junior serves as a best friend stand-in for Dad, and Son brings him over to attempt to send Blarke into one of his signature jealousy fits. However, their little act only serves to disturb the carpet, so Blark and Fletcher keep carrying on.

It’s Fletcher who finally realizes that Son may be a bit jealous, and he comes to see him in his room. Fletcher explains that though he and Blark have a great deal of history, there is no stronger bond between a child and their parent. All seems to be well, as Son agrees to let Fletcher stay for a while.

Our Take

This episode completely reverses the usual dynamic between Blark and Son, and the result is as funny as it is relatable. The jokes in this episode were a bit more PG-13, which made for plenty of laugh out loud moments. The introduction of a new character was done extremely well, we learn something new about Fletcher up until the credits.

We see another dimension of Blark, and learn more about his Army past. His extreme nature and competitiveness now have a justification and an origin. His rivalry with Fletcher is well over-the-top, but their friendship is endearing.

Seeing this new side of Son is an interesting turn of events in his character development. From the pool noodle threats to the failed attempt to out-do Fletcher’s friendship with Junior, we’re shown Son’s hijinks can be comparable to his father’s when he’s placed in his shoes.

Fletcher and Son have a conversation about Fletcher staying, and Son agrees. Does this mean we will see more of Fletcher in future episodes? Has the competition for Blark’s affection been settled, or will it be an ongoing battle? Most importantly, what will Regina think?

Overall, this was another solid installment of this relatable, sitcom-style short.

Score
7.0/10