REVIEW: New season of ‘Duck Dynasty’ not exactly a driving success
A&E Networks gave The Christian Chronicle a sneak peak at one of the episodes from Season 2 of “Duck Dynasty,” which premieres at 10 p.m. Eastern Oct. 10.
The hit series is based on the real-life Robertson family, members of the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, La. Family patriarch Phil Robertson, an elder of the church, invented and patented a duck call that brought the family millions and created their Duck Commander/Buck Commander empire.
After 15 episodes of duck calling, turkey luring, frog chasing, beaver dam exploding and skeet shooting (using golf balls instead of skeets), Season 2 offers a coming-of-age tale.
“Driving Miss Sadie” opens with Phil Robertson’s son, Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson, teaching his daughter to parallel park between a saw horse and a trash can in the warehouse parking lot. It’s no easy task for Sadie, who skids and swerves in her father’s giant truck.
The rest of the Duck Commander crew — including Willie’s brother, Jase Robertson, and Uncle Si — watches from the loading dock (yes, the same loading dock they flooded to make a “research pond” in Season 1.)
“I’ve been driving here my whole life,” Jase Roberston says. “I’ve never parallel parked.”
Meanwhile, Willie’s son, John Luke, visits his grandparents — Phil Robertson and Miss Kay — and asks to borrow the family boat. He wants to take his girlfriend, Emily, fishing on the lake, to “y’know, show her the ropes.”
“Reelin’ back the years,” Phil says, “y’know, when I came up with the old scheme … me and my girlfriend are fixin’ to go fishin’, the last thing I had on my mind was fishin’.”
Phil agrees to let the young couple take the boat, provided he comes along as chaperone.
On the lake, the elder Robertson dispenses wisdom to the young couple, including “never touch her below the neck until you sign the dotted line.”
If that weren’t enough to turn poor Emily beet red, his discussion of sexually transmitted diseases does the trick. “Better a good day’s catch of fish than a lifetime of crabs,” Phil says.
Once they return to dry land, Phil continues to give dating advice as he guts a giant catfish. In the kitchen, Miss Kay joins in as she teaches Emily how to cook. Despite the humiliation, the young lady is all smiles, and actually seems to enjoy the “double date.” As for John Luke? Not so much.
Things don’t go a lot better for Sadie, who gets a lesson in driving (and Vietnam) from Uncle Si. The takeaway is “pedestrians had better watch out.” Then Jase Robertson lets her go careening through the woods in an all-terrain vehicle, which she promptly plants in a ditch. Perhaps the driving test should wait, she and her parents conclude.
Clearly, the producers saw what worked in Season 1 and capitalize on it here. The episode has a slower feel than its predecessors, with lots of time for the main characters to react to the situations — often with befuddlement and consternation — as they face the fact that their children are growing up.
By focusing on the youngest generation of Robinsons, the episode replaces a lot of its characteristic humor with teen angst, and hints that there might be a bit of a “sophomore slump” for the series. But there still are plenty of laughs — including non-sequiturs by Duck Commander employee Godwin about a hamster ball and Uncle Si’s discussion of trash day.
The episode ends, as many of them do, with Phil offering a prayer over steaming plates of the forest’s bounty — catfish, in this case — and asking God to guide the lives of his grandchildren. The love and concern the parents — and grandparents — have for the children is genuine.
Though much of the family’s faith ends up on the cutting room floor, it’s these little glimpses that let us know the Robertsons are more than a bunch of beards.
The hit series is based on the real-life Robertson family, members of the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ in West Monroe, La. Family patriarch Phil Robertson, an elder of the church, invented and patented a duck call that brought the family millions and created their Duck Commander/Buck Commander empire.
After 15 episodes of duck calling, turkey luring, frog chasing, beaver dam exploding and skeet shooting (using golf balls instead of skeets), Season 2 offers a coming-of-age tale.
“Driving Miss Sadie” opens with Phil Robertson’s son, Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson, teaching his daughter to parallel park between a saw horse and a trash can in the warehouse parking lot. It’s no easy task for Sadie, who skids and swerves in her father’s giant truck.
The rest of the Duck Commander crew — including Willie’s brother, Jase Robertson, and Uncle Si — watches from the loading dock (yes, the same loading dock they flooded to make a “research pond” in Season 1.)
“I’ve been driving here my whole life,” Jase Roberston says. “I’ve never parallel parked.”
Meanwhile, Willie’s son, John Luke, visits his grandparents — Phil Robertson and Miss Kay — and asks to borrow the family boat. He wants to take his girlfriend, Emily, fishing on the lake, to “y’know, show her the ropes.”
“Reelin’ back the years,” Phil says, “y’know, when I came up with the old scheme … me and my girlfriend are fixin’ to go fishin’, the last thing I had on my mind was fishin’.”
Phil agrees to let the young couple take the boat, provided he comes along as chaperone.
On the lake, the elder Robertson dispenses wisdom to the young couple, including “never touch her below the neck until you sign the dotted line.”
If that weren’t enough to turn poor Emily beet red, his discussion of sexually transmitted diseases does the trick. “Better a good day’s catch of fish than a lifetime of crabs,” Phil says.
Once they return to dry land, Phil continues to give dating advice as he guts a giant catfish. In the kitchen, Miss Kay joins in as she teaches Emily how to cook. Despite the humiliation, the young lady is all smiles, and actually seems to enjoy the “double date.” As for John Luke? Not so much.
Things don’t go a lot better for Sadie, who gets a lesson in driving (and Vietnam) from Uncle Si. The takeaway is “pedestrians had better watch out.” Then Jase Robertson lets her go careening through the woods in an all-terrain vehicle, which she promptly plants in a ditch. Perhaps the driving test should wait, she and her parents conclude.
Clearly, the producers saw what worked in Season 1 and capitalize on it here. The episode has a slower feel than its predecessors, with lots of time for the main characters to react to the situations — often with befuddlement and consternation — as they face the fact that their children are growing up.
By focusing on the youngest generation of Robinsons, the episode replaces a lot of its characteristic humor with teen angst, and hints that there might be a bit of a “sophomore slump” for the series. But there still are plenty of laughs — including non-sequiturs by Duck Commander employee Godwin about a hamster ball and Uncle Si’s discussion of trash day.
The episode ends, as many of them do, with Phil offering a prayer over steaming plates of the forest’s bounty — catfish, in this case — and asking God to guide the lives of his grandchildren. The love and concern the parents — and grandparents — have for the children is genuine.
Though much of the family’s faith ends up on the cutting room floor, it’s these little glimpses that let us know the Robertsons are more than a bunch of beards.
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FeedbackI appreciate the Christian Spirit as well as family values. It’s great to see all the personalities and hearing all the subtle jokes of all the Robertson family. I’m afraid while in Vietnam, if I came across Uncle Si
I might need to call for a chopper out of there! I hope Duck Dynasty has many more years; just don’t go Hollywood. God Bless You All.Tony PayneHarvestMenifee, California
U.S.A.December, 10 2012I thought this would be another Hollywoodized so called reality show with really stupid rich women without any moral compass–the kind of women who bring shame to all women. Thank goodness you put Jesus back into TV!! I love the family matriarch. This show takes me back to my beginnings when Daddy hunted game for us and my Mom cooked it better than any TV CHEF. My Daddy gathered the pigeons that lived in our Church’s steeple. I think some rich people call this squab now. Since Daddy is gone that delicious food is gone too.JaniceChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsMount Airy, North Carolina
United States of AmericaDecember, 9 2012I do believe you missed on this review. I believe they 100 percent more popular than before!PatMy ownRound Hill, VA
USADecember, 5 2012
United States