Mission Impossible: Get Shorty

The Roadies pull off the mother of all dognapping capers for the "Make A Wish" Foundation (of all organizations).

Analysis

To be honest, "MI: GS" is one of those episodes where you have to set your brain to "off" for the 30 minute duration, otherwise your cynical side will rip it to shreds. Seriously, if I were to evaluate this episode based on inconsistencies and continuity slips alone, then it would've gotten slapped with a 1 at most! However, the premise itself makes it a rather enjoyable half hour.

How often do we get the opportunity to see our intrepid troopers dupe the inept Real Worlders into buying any bogus gimmick in order to sweep the rug right from under them? Well not too often, given the fact that our last RR prank was four years ago. And whenever our two cast "interact" it's usually on a level playing field: a la, The Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Aqua Games, etc.

Here, the Roadies must somehow gain access to the Belfort Mansion without the use of illegal tactics such as breaking and entering. Once inside, they have to swipe the Roomies' Robomutt "Shorty" and replace it with a nice little treat; then finally snap acouple hostage photos and mail them to the Belfort Estate ASAP. So how do they expect to pull this heist off? Funny you should ask...

As it turns out, the Roadies are actually given a combo mission where they also have to fulfill a 15 year old boy's (Sloan from The "Make A Wish" Foundation) fantasy to appear on Road Rules. Thankfully Sloan and TMAWF turned out to be a beneficial ally, because James and Laterrian's half-baked, idiotic ideals would've gotten them shot by the Belfort rent-A-cop for sure!

So with the help of Sloan's mom, Anne and the director of the local MAWF, Roseanne, Bumpkin and M'saada are able to lure the clueless Roomies out of the mansion for a on-the-house meal coupled with a get-to-know-you session. Meanwhile, Tweetle Dumb and Tweetle Dee sneak in through a back door, which Bumpkin previously unlocked while scoping the joint. Once inside, they quickly find and sack Robomutt, but then they apparently decide to take a tour of the house as well; cuz before they know it the Roomies & Co. are pulling up to the front gate--or so it would appear!

Now assuming that James and Laterrian entered the house as soon as the Roomies left... and assuming that the restaurant our parties dinned at was a good several blocks away (not to mention: sitting down, ordering--then eating their brunch while conversing, nevermind the return trip) you'd think our boys would have the run of the house, yet there're barely able to scale the back wall in a frantic attempt to avoid getting caught in the act by the Roomies--OR, so it would appear!

Here's what REALLY happened: James and Laterrian entered the house shortly after the Roomies left. They sacked the Robomutt (even though it or the sack was nowhere in sight when our boys attempted to scale the wall), then bolted out of there a good 20 min (at least) before the Roomies returned. But of course with B-M's nature to overhype stuff to the fullest, they had to screw with the time line just to give James and Laterrian's little caper abit of suspense!

So after they made off with the Robomutt, the Roadies were assigned to take acouple hostage photos: one in front of the famous Cake Mansion, and the other with Mike the Tiger at the New Orleans's Zoo. But unfortunately, the gang arrived "after hours" and Mike was in no mood for a photo shoot. So thinking quickly, Kickback Kathy suggested that they pose with LSU's mascot, Mike the Tiger instead--beacuse the rules didn't state whether Mike had to be a real tiger or not.

Meanwhile, back at the Belfort Estate (keep in mind that this was several hours after the aforementioned brunch--breakin) Doogie Houser M.C, FINALLY realizing that something is missing other than his brain mumbles, "Where Shorty go? Here Shorty, Shorty, Shorty..."--and you know it's bad editing when a previously unnamed character is finally given a name on a different series! *Kylic shakes his head*

Eventually, DM: MC stumbles upon a little black box in Shorty's doghouse with a little note that read, "Fair trade ya think?" Inside he finds a CD-Rom; so he summons the other males in the house to come check it out. Prodigy, RW's sponsor cousin to RR's Hojo's gets another shameful plug when the guys gather around the cp to watch the annoying Roadgimmck spout some ransom demands. For their part, the guys don't quite know what to make of it: DH: MC, Preppie, and David all share a blank astonished look, as if to ask, "Who, What, and WHY???" However, Danny can't seem to slap that engraved silly smile of his face, so I really can't describe his reaction.

Soon, word reaches the women folk, and Melissa (the most annoying Real World cast member in history) sets her overactive, camera hungry, irritating attitude in full gear, "Is this some Road Rules bulls***? Cuz I don't wanna play!" Then the Roomies make a sappy plea at their 777--whatever P.A studio for Shorty's safe and speedy return. Ha! As if! If Bumpkin's closing comments were any indication, the Roomies are going to have to get off their marshmallow rumps and get down and dirty, cuz the Roadies aren't gonna give up Robomutt without a "Face off"--hmmm, in Zimbabwe perhaps? Stay tuned...

Through out this whole charade Sloan remained the central figure who ended up getting two wishes for the price of one. Not a bad deal if you ask me!

P.S:

• Of course you've got to ask, "Why in the hell are the troopers in New Orleans so soon?" Are you telling me that the producers couldn't find anything for the kids to do within the 1,500 mile distance between Utah and Louisiana? Bullcrap! Oh, I just loved how they opened the episode with the troopers hanging out in the Shasta while sporting Mardi Gras necklaces (!?!) Gee, I'd loved to have seen the kids at Mardi Gras! Stupid Brainless Moronic Peeps just passed up a perfect opportunity for some interesting character development! And while I'm ranting on editing room floor material...

• Look closely during the Roadies' drive up to The "Make A Wish" Foundation, and you'll noticed that the Shasta's horns are missing! In fact, the incident where the Roadies got into a physical fight with a bunch of frat boys, who stole the horns as a prank (how ironic eh? The troopers are in town to pull a prank after just getting pranked themselves) was first reported here on February 02. So why B-M chose to leave out this relevant plot element is beyond my comprehension. But I sure as heck will like to see how the tricky-finger editors manage to conceal this plot hole for the remainder of the trip!

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