Review: Uncle Grandpa ‘Locked Out!’

Spoilers Below

Good morning! It’s time for my Uncle Grandpa review. Okay, I’m going to come clean with you guys. I’ve never watched this show, and I always thought it looked really idiotic. Don’t get me wrong, idiotic is usually A-OK with me, but you have to draw the line somewhere. I thought Uncle Grandpa would be where I drew mine. Was I proven wrong? Did I finish the episode with less brain cells than I started with? Let’s get into it, shall we?

So, right off the bat, this guy is endearingly stupid. He asks his fanny pack, aka Belly Bag, what Uncle Grandpa has in store for them. Belly Bag has to remind him that he’s Uncle Grandpa. Then I meet some other cast members, like Mr. Gus and Pizza Steve. I had a vague knowledge of the characters on the show from the commercials, and the first time I saw Pizza Steve I remember thinking to myself, “That pizza dude is probably awesome.” Well, I was spot on. Like the AT&T commercials say, it’s not complicated. Pizza is awesome, so a talking pizza wearing sunglasses is sure to be a hit. He won me over when he said he invented the hand hug, and elephants. They’re still trying to figure out what they’re doing tonight, and Pizza Steve reminds everyone that Uncle Grandpa set them up on mystery dates. Mr. Gus points out that if they’re all out on mystery dates, then no one will be there to look after the RV. Uncle Grandpa makes some adjustments to his two thousand year old barbarian club security system, and they’re all set for a night on the town. When one problem is solved, another is very abruptly introduced. Mr. Gus, who’s seemingly the voice of reason of the crew, asks if they’re all there, then who’s driving? Just after he says that, the RV crashes.

Uncle Grandpa uses the unscheduled stop as an opportunity to help a child realize his dreams. Mr. Gus reminds him to be back before their mystery dates. Day turns into night, and a werewolf approaches the RV. Just as I thought things had gone from bad to worse for the gang, the werewolf shape-shifted into Uncle Grandpa, and I let out a Dr. Evil “riiight.” He returns to the RV only to find himself locked out, and the gang is nowhere to be seen. He quickly realizes that he has to break the door down, but in order to do so without destroying the entire RV, he has to back up all the way to the moon. The door still doesn’t break, but Uncle Grandpa succeeds in making Mr. Gus and Pizza Steve think someone is trying to break in. Mr. Gus steps outside armed with a spoon and flanked by the very frightened Pizza Steve. When they realize it was just Uncle Grandpa, he tries to tell them what happened, but when he goes inside to demonstrate, he winds up locking himself in and initiating the self-destruct sequence on the RV. Now things have actually gone from bad to worse.

They try to call Uncle Grandpa for help, but he’s trapped inside. Mr. Gus tries anyway, but Pizza Steve tells him he’s doing it wrong and breaks out a saxophone. He plays some jazzy tunes, and suddenly a second Uncle Grandpa appears. We now have the original Uncle Grandpa locked inside the RV, and another Uncle Grandpa who seems to have all the answers. Are you keeping up? Don’t worry about me; I’m doing this via DVR.

Uncle Grandpa 2 tells them that they have to disarm the security system, so Mr. Gus and Pizza Steve ask if they have to enter a bypass code or cut a red wire. Uncle Grandpa 2 says no; that they have to cut off its arms. Pizza Steve looks at the RV all confused and asks, “What arms?” Suddenly, the RV sprouts a nearly a dozen arms; each of a different species. Uncle Grandpa 2 says that when the self-destruct sequence is activated, the RV destroys itself and everything around it.

After a lackluster battle sequence featuring the one missing character from tonight’s episode, Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, the gang realizes that they still have time for their mystery dates. When we cut to the restaurant, it seems as though they’ve been waiting for a while. They come to the conclusion that all their mystery dates stood them up, which appalls Pizza Steve; who’s never had to experience this. All of a sudden, another group comes in, and they’re all copies of the group that was waiting. Uncle Grandpa 2 says, “Sorry, I got locked out.” At first, the gang is completely freaked out by the idea of being set up with themselves, but then they all get excited. Belly Bag says, “Oh, this is perfect! Nobody loves us more than ourselves! You’re the best, Uncle Grandpas.” It was a fittingly strange ending to a strange show.

So, I’m pretty sure my brain cells are still at the same count. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s nice to know that Uncle Grandpa isn’t a dunce all the time; sometimes he steps up and gets things done in his own quirky way. For me, his crew makes the show; especially Pizza Steve. I think the plot of this episode didn’t allow for much to really happen, so I’m interested to see what other kind of shenanigans they get into. I didn’t love it, but I certainly didn’t hate it either.