Buried Pleasure
Encyclopedia
"Buried Pleasure" is the thirteenth episode of the first season
of The Cleveland Show
it aired on February 14, 2010. It was the last episode to feature Nia Long
as Roberta.
In this episode, Cleveland sets Holt up on a date.
. Eventually, the authorities exhume the burial site and find Holt's sex doll
, whom he has named "Kimi." Holt explains that he finally stood up to his mother and sent her on a vacation." During his mother's absence, Holt explains, he realized that he needs a human companion in his life and that the sex doll was no longer suitable.
Cleveland decides to set Holt up with a co-worker named Jane, a seemingly congenial cat-loving redhead. Her good-natured personality is a cover for her actual character: that of a violent sadist. She quickly controls the relationship, punching Holt whenever he doesn't satisfy her or says the wrong thing. Attempts by Cleveland and the rest of the gang to stand up to Jane are unsuccessful, in part because she's a skilled hand-to-hand combatent, but mostly because the guys has a strong sense of chivalry that makes them to refuse to attack a women even in self-defense, leaving them powerless to stop Jane while she mercilessly beats the men up. She doesn't count on Donna willing to stand up for the guys and both quickly get into a violent catfight
, and as the guys cheer her on, Donna eventually gains the upper hand until Arianna and Kendra join in. As a result, Jane is quickly beaten up to submission and forced to leave the town.
Holt is ultimately reunited with Kimi; Lester explains that he had purchased the sex doll at police auction for $18 — far less than the $7,000 Holt originally paid. In a parody of the climatic scene in An Officer and a Gentleman
, Holt carries Kimi away to go home as "Up Where We Belong
" plays in the background.
Meanwhile, Rallo wins a fish from shoot three basketball hoops at Stoolfest. When he brings the fish home, he leaves it next to a pile of snacks and drinks, before going to fill its fishbowl. Unfortunately, Cleveland Jr. accidentally drinks it. Considering it to be similar to pregnancy, Junior and Rallo anticipate the "birth" of Rallo’s pet fish. Unfortunately, when Junior gives "birth", they find out that the fish was gruesomely mutilated by Junior's stomach acid.
of 2.3/6. The A.V. Club
graded the episode a C+, stating "I did like Holt carrying around his booster seat on his back, and the final moments with all of the gang standing up for him were fine. But the main reason I liked this episode better than some of the others was because of the B-plot, where Cleveland, Jr., swallowed Rallo's new goldfish and ended up wandering into one of the weirder pregnancy plotlines I've ever seen. Seeing Rallo try to play the supportive father to Cleveland Jr.'s overly emotional mother was very funny, and even though the story took a while to get going, it renewed whatever small hopes I had for this show".
The conservative Parents Television Council
, a frequent critic
of The Cleveland Show and other Seth McFarlane-produced shows, named "Buried Pleasure" its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week ending April 30, 2010, due to the sexually explicit plot. The review was based on a repeat broadcast, which aired April 25. The review also drew comparisons to other networks' attempts to revive the Family Hour along with their programs, to the families depicted in the McFarlane-produced The Cleveland Show, Family Guy
and American Dad!
The Cleveland Show (season 1)
The Complete Season 1 of The Cleveland Show, an American Animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane, began airing on September 27, 2009 and ended after 21 episodes on May 23, 2010...
of The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
it aired on February 14, 2010. It was the last episode to feature Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
as Roberta.
In this episode, Cleveland sets Holt up on a date.
Plot
Cleveland's neighbor, Holt Rickter, misses Stoolfest, a town festival, so he can go shopping with his overbearing mother. When Holt calls to express his frustration, Cleveland advises him to stand up to his mother and live his own life. Later, Donna jumps to conclusions when he sees Holt strangling what appears to be his mother, then stuff a body into his Chrysler CrossfireChrysler Crossfire
The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive sports car marketed by Chrysler as both coupé and roadster and was built for Chrysler by Karmann of Germany.-Design:...
. Eventually, the authorities exhume the burial site and find Holt's sex doll
Sex doll
A sex doll is a type of sex toy in the size and shape of a sexual partner for aid in masturbation....
, whom he has named "Kimi." Holt explains that he finally stood up to his mother and sent her on a vacation." During his mother's absence, Holt explains, he realized that he needs a human companion in his life and that the sex doll was no longer suitable.
Cleveland decides to set Holt up with a co-worker named Jane, a seemingly congenial cat-loving redhead. Her good-natured personality is a cover for her actual character: that of a violent sadist. She quickly controls the relationship, punching Holt whenever he doesn't satisfy her or says the wrong thing. Attempts by Cleveland and the rest of the gang to stand up to Jane are unsuccessful, in part because she's a skilled hand-to-hand combatent, but mostly because the guys has a strong sense of chivalry that makes them to refuse to attack a women even in self-defense, leaving them powerless to stop Jane while she mercilessly beats the men up. She doesn't count on Donna willing to stand up for the guys and both quickly get into a violent catfight
Catfight
Catfight is a term for an altercation between two women, typically involving scratching, slapping, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding as opposed to punching or wrestling . However, the term is not exclusively used to indicate a fight between women, and many formal definitions do not invoke gender...
, and as the guys cheer her on, Donna eventually gains the upper hand until Arianna and Kendra join in. As a result, Jane is quickly beaten up to submission and forced to leave the town.
Holt is ultimately reunited with Kimi; Lester explains that he had purchased the sex doll at police auction for $18 — far less than the $7,000 Holt originally paid. In a parody of the climatic scene in An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
, Holt carries Kimi away to go home as "Up Where We Belong
Up Where We Belong
"Up Where We Belong" is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings, it was performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.-Charts and awards:...
" plays in the background.
Meanwhile, Rallo wins a fish from shoot three basketball hoops at Stoolfest. When he brings the fish home, he leaves it next to a pile of snacks and drinks, before going to fill its fishbowl. Unfortunately, Cleveland Jr. accidentally drinks it. Considering it to be similar to pregnancy, Junior and Rallo anticipate the "birth" of Rallo’s pet fish. Unfortunately, when Junior gives "birth", they find out that the fish was gruesomely mutilated by Junior's stomach acid.
Cultural references
- The title is a play on the phrase "buried treasure".
- The scene where Donna and Cleveland witness Holt supposedly murdering his mother is a reference to Rear WindowRear WindowRear Window is a 1954 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes and based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder"...
. - The end with Holt carrying Kimi is a parody of An Officer and a GentlemanAn Officer and a GentlemanA Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
, complete with "Up Where We BelongUp Where We Belong"Up Where We Belong" is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings, it was performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.-Charts and awards:...
" by Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
. - The game Wii Sports was being played and the Wilhelm screamWilhelm screamThe Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games...
was heard. - The music playing while the wives beat up Jane is "Bad Reputation" by Joan JettJoan JettJoan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
.
Reception
The episode was viewed by 4.85 million viewers coming fourth on "Animation Domination" with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 2.3/6. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
graded the episode a C+, stating "I did like Holt carrying around his booster seat on his back, and the final moments with all of the gang standing up for him were fine. But the main reason I liked this episode better than some of the others was because of the B-plot, where Cleveland, Jr., swallowed Rallo's new goldfish and ended up wandering into one of the weirder pregnancy plotlines I've ever seen. Seeing Rallo try to play the supportive father to Cleveland Jr.'s overly emotional mother was very funny, and even though the story took a while to get going, it renewed whatever small hopes I had for this show".
The conservative Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a frequent critic
Criticism of Family Guy
The American animated sitcom Family Guy has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission....
of The Cleveland Show and other Seth McFarlane-produced shows, named "Buried Pleasure" its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week ending April 30, 2010, due to the sexually explicit plot. The review was based on a repeat broadcast, which aired April 25. The review also drew comparisons to other networks' attempts to revive the Family Hour along with their programs, to the families depicted in the McFarlane-produced The Cleveland Show, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...