Vice Principals: “Circles” Review

‘Vice Principals’ does great work this week with a renewed Belinda back in control and a defeated VP team.

“A Hairy, Mustached P***y!”

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

“Circles” delivered another consecutive winner of an episode for Vice Principals. The best thing this episode had going for it was the exploration of Gamby and Russell’s relationship, one that could mirror a romantic high school couple. In the latter’s context, this was a story of a man breaking up with his fellow man and fighting, literally, to get him back.

This episode was skewed in Russell’s direction, opening with the main conflict being a loud, beefy, racist, sexist (need I go on?) neighbor with the tendency to blast metal at late hours of the night named Jackie. This whole redemption journey Russell goes on made for some great character development. We got a small glimpse back in Episode 2 of Russell’s miserable home life, but with his demeanor showing so much confidence, we hardly touch on humanizing him. This episode showed us his struggles and kept the laughs coming in tandem.

Gamby played the sad boyfriend who was just broken up with type, and he also had his own challenges in Belinda to deal with. After last week’s Homecoming win over rival school Percival, Belinda’s back with the “don’t f**k with me, Gamby” attitude she owned back in the first episode. With her control over gamby being at an all-time high, this led to some laugh out loud moments with Gamby behaving like a child. I love that this show will have other characters acknowledge side remarks. In other shows I’ve seen these remarks said, warrant a laugh and move on. Here, these one-offs get a laughable amount of attention, as when Gamby slams the wall and breaks a pencil in a threatening way, both of which Belinda responds to.

This rediscovered confidence in Belinda is what tore Gamby and Russell apart. If you weren’t convinced that the maturity level of our two vice principals were in the child range, the fact that Russell found a new “boyfriend” in Seychelles and paraded around with him proves this. I love that Dayshawn blatantly asked Gamby, “Are you f**king Mr. Russell?” Dayshawn continues to make be laugh with every scene he’s in.

The story of Russell’s lude neighbor Jackie and his split with Gamby had one solution: violence. In a bout of fed up-pedness, Russell unleashed a savage attack of soda cans in a pillowcase on Jackie’s radio. This resulted in a beat down for Russell, but the situation was saved by Gamby fighting for his man. This resolution was an excellent one, with Russell looking like the hero for once to his wife Christine and Mi-Cha.

THE BREAKDOWN

This tale of boyfriend and boyfriend and the building up and tearing down of confidence was a fun one. The notorious “The Field Trip” episode was a misstep that is quickly being forgotten thanks to the run of great episodes Vice Principals is putting out here. I’m glad to have Day 1 Belinda back, and it seems that the duo of Gamby and Russell is growing stronger and funnier with each episode.

How did you like Russell in this episode? How did you like Gamby in this episode? Tweet me @NerdDot or us @YouNerded.

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