Monkeys in Space

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My Name Is Earl episode

"Monkeys in Space"

Episode no.:	14
Prod. code:	1AJL13
Airdate:	January 26, 2006
Writer(s):	Greg Garcia
Director:	Marc Buckland
Guest star(s)	Tim DeKay as Hank Lange, Daniele O'Loughlin as Nurse, Michael Hagiwara as Orderly, E.J. Callahan as Uncle Charlie, George Sharperson as Inmate, Donna Hardy as Hank's Grandma, Booth Colman as Scientist, Tracy Ashton as Didi, Geoffrey Gould as Lab Tech Darren

"Monkeys in Space" is an episode of the American sitcom My Name Is Earl.

1 Synopsis
2 Quotes
- 2.1 What you can say in the media
3 The List
4 Trivia
5 Songs

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Randy (Ethan Suplee) doesn't have an income any more since Earl (Jason Lee) started working on The List, and Randy decides that since he's almost 30 he needs to get a job to "find his purpose in life."

Joy (Jaime Pressly) shows Earl an article in The Chronicle with the headline "Jackass Tries to Rob a Liquor Store with a Crossbow". We're shown the newspaper photo of Earl's friend Hank Lange (Tim DeKay) being escorted by police, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his left arm where he's supposed to have somehow shot himself. They agree 20 years is a long time to go to prison, but as Joy observes, "At least he'll get to spend some quality time with his Daddy."

Earl realizes that since Hank is being sent to the penitentiary on Friday, he really needs to take care of #18, "Told an inappropriate story at Hank Lange's birthday party", in the next few days or else he'll have to wait the 20 years to be able to try to cross it off. In a flashback we're shown how the drunken Earl tells a story about Hank and a stripper at Steve Coco's bachelor party — a story entirely inappropriate for the family members celebrating Hank's birthday. Earl and Randy visit Hank in prison, Earl agrees that, to make up for the bad day he gave Hank, Earl will give him a good day with 1) a visit from Grandma (who can't drive), 2) a copy of that same day's Gibtown Journal for Grandma to read to him (Hank's uncle subscribes by mail), and 3) some fresh donuts from Yummy's.

Randy starts looking for a job, and tries selling cleaning supplies door to door. His first customer is Joy, who tricks Randy into demonstrating that the cleaner he's selling will do all the windows in her trailer, then won't buy his products because she says they get most of their cleaning supplies from the bathroom of the filling station down the street.

Earl tries to get the newspaper from Hank's uncle, and to get it from the mailbox he has to haul Hank's uncle in his wheelchair down the stairs from his fourth-floor apartment to get to the mailbox to get the Journal, then haul him back up again. By the time Earl finishes and is ready to leave with the newspaper, it's 11:46. Prison visiting hours are over in fourteen minutes, so Earl resolves to start earlier the next day.

Tuesday, Earl sets his alarm for 8:00 in the morning. He finishes with the uncle in the wheelchair to get the Journal then heads to Yummy's. He finds Didi (the one-legged girl of #86) working the counter there and of course she won't sell to Earl. Earl hangs around outside for two hours asking other customers to buy donuts for him, but nobody will go in for him. Finally, he calls Yummy's from a phone booth to get Didi away from the counter, then runs into the store, grabs a box of donuts and leaves money on the counter. Journal and Yummy's donuts in hand, he jumps into the car, but it's 11:58 and visiting hours are over in two minutes.

Meanwhile, Randy has given up on selling cleaning products and is trying being a hospital assistant. He's asked to do a surgery prep, but when he finds out the shaving he's supposed to do is for a vasectomy, he's out of there. Next, he decides to try what an ad calls "the ever-changing landscape of cosmetic testing."

Wednesday, Earl starts at 7:00 a.m. He gets the Journal from the uncle, goes to Yummy's and calls Didi and grabs donuts and leaves money, then goes to pick up Hank's grandma. It takes Earl an hour to find a parking spot, and when he looks at his watch it's 11:59, and visiting hours are over in one minute.

Randy gets some unknown orange powder blown in his face, and he's blinded. The staff there tell him to go home, and please remember to call them just as soon as he gets his sight back. Talking it over with Earl back at their motel room, Randy resigns himself to taking the job as busboy at the Crab Shack.

Earl starts at 6:00 am on Thursday. He gets the paper, grabs the Yummy donuts, finds a parking space, and picks up grandma. By the way, the staff tells Earl, you have to put these drops in her eyes every ten minutes, and she hates it. Earl starts to drive to the prison, but has to pull over to wrestle grandma to get the drops in, and by the time it's all done, it's already 11:58, and visiting hours are over in two minutes.

Randy is getting into the swing of being a busboy, and is thinking maybe his purpose in life is "to make things less crowded and less gross." Randy has Friday off and asks Earl if he can go with him the next day.

Friday is Earl's last opportunity to get it right, so he gets up at 5:00. He gets the newspaper, which with Randy's help lifting the uncle's wheelchair goes far faster. They go to get the donuts, which is easy because Randy goes in to buy them-- no distraction needed. They go to pick up grandma and since Randy stays in the car, they don't have to drive around forever for a parking spot. And since Earl can drive while Randy handles grandma's eye drops, they get to the prison at 6:30 a.m. With Randy's help, it's taken only 90 minutes to do what it took Earl four hours to do the day before. Earl decides Randy's purpose in life is to help him with The List, and Earl "hires" Randy for that job.

We're left to presume the task is completed. All the requirements have been met and they're not out of time, but we are not explicitly shown the scratching off of #18.

This episode has no closing segment with Randy and Earl talking in bed while the credits run.

[edit] Quotes

[edit] What you can say in the media

When Joy shows Earl a newspaper article with the headline "Jackass Tries to Rob a Liquor Store with a Crossbow", Earl is surprised and says, "Wow, I didn't think you could say jackass in the newspaper." Joy observes, "World's changing, Earl. You'd be surprised at what those asswipes in the media are allowed to get away with. There's a picture of the stupid douchebag at the bottom. Shot himself in the arm."

[edit] The List

Main article: The List (My Name Is Earl)

Item	Number	Source	Status
Told an inappropriate story at Hank Lange's birthday party	18	1.14	Completed after Earl gives Hank Lange one good day to make up for the bad day.

[edit] Trivia

Earl's bank robber friend's name is "Hank Lange". The episode's credits show the Unit Production Manager to be Henry Lange Jr.
The liquor store owner's name is "Greg Garcia", same as the show's creator.