Raising Hope is now officially my favorite new series of this past TV season. Like all good season finales, this episode left the audience wanting more, while also tying together and advancing many season-long plot arcs. I’ve noted before how impressed I am with Raising Hope’s stable of recurring characters, and many of them play great roles in making this episode a success.
For example, during the opening voiceover, we get a sequence of guests arriving at the Chance home. Recurring characters like Cousin Mike* (Skylar Stone) and Jimmy’s friends Javier (Ray Santiago) and Marcus (Jermaine Williams) appear. We also get a subtle visual joke: Barney (Gregg Binkley) arrives sheepishly with an empty 4-pack carton, while Sabrina (Shannon Woodward) and Frank (Todd Giebenhain) each bring in two bottles.
Another great sight gag was Burt’s shirt in the start of the flashback: “I’d Rather Be In Virginia,” indeed.
