REVIEW: Trailer Park Boys – Season 11 (2017)

TRAILER PARK BOYS – Season 11 (2017 Netflix)

Thank you Netflix for saving the Trailer Park Boys.  It hasn’t been smooth sailing, but ever since the Boys returned to Sunnyvale with the excellent Season 8 (remember Orangie?), the show has continued unhindered by cast defections.  Season 11 is the first without Lucy Decoutere (Lucy) and Jonathan Torrens (J-Roc).  After already losing such favourites as Trevor (Mike Jackson) and Ray (Barrie Dunn), I can understand why some fans may have said enough’s enough.  Every show has its peak.  For some that would be the first three seasons of Trailer Park Boys.  For others, we have rolled with the changes.  Not all fans were unanimous in the acceptance of newer characters such as Col. Dancer, Don/Donna, and Candy.  For this season, those characters have been dropped.  The core park residents are now Ricky, Julian and Bubbles accompanied by Randy, Lahey, Sarah, Cory, Jacob and Trinity.  Little baby Motel is around, as is Barb Lahey.

Continuing a storyline from Season 10, Julian has vanished.  Bubbles is doing well now, having gone legit selling his own brand of organic pizza sauce.  It’s a hit, and a restaurant owner is willing to pay wholesale.  He has the whole park working together growing vegetables, contributing to the well-being of Sunnyvale and its residents.  All is well, but Bubbles does miss Julian.  Jim Lahey is sober and supervising, having truly changed this time.  He and Randy are planning to get married, while Randy is vying to get on the police force.  The absence of Lucy and J-Roc is explained satisfactorily.

When Ricky and Bubbles (now mobile with his own little truck) discover that Julian is now a lobster fisherman (or is he?) living in a shipping container, they go to confront him.  Ultimately, Julian’s return brings what it always does:  crime back into the park.  Snoop Dogg calls and wants weed, and lots of it.  Julian decides to hijack Bubbles’ pizza sauce business and convert it to a grow op.  As usual, Bubbles is driven near to the breaking point as the stress builds.

In Season 10, there was a revelation that Lahey may in fact be Ricky’s real father.  This is fully addressed in Season 11, via a lightsaber dual (hockey sticks and brooms subbing in for laser swords) and dialogue taken directly from The Empire Strikes Back.  Director Bobby Farrelly (Bobby fucking Farrelly!) must be given credit for the perfect Star Wars homage in Episode 4, “Darth Lahey”, right down to the action beats.  Brilliant stuff — a highpoint episode for this show.

There are cameos by celebrities and past characters. Look for Susan Kent from 22 Minutes, and NHLer Nathan MacKinnon, first overall draft pick and rookie of the year.  A few old adversaries have returned as well, to cause problems for our three lovable idiots.  Speaking of idiots, Ricky and Julian manage to bring the stupidly to new levels, but simultaneously, Ricky has a Yoda-like ability to trick cops.    Meanwhile, they have also managed to keep up with modern technology.  Cell phones, cameras and GPS now figure into the plots.  There are references to the Walking Dead and changing times.  This manages to keep the series feeling fresh.

After 11 seasons, it is understood that a show rarely hits the highs it once did.  Season 11 is a worthy effort; not in the Top Five, but certainly good enough at this point.

4/5 stars

 

57 comments

    1. I didn’t miss J Roc and I especially didn’t miss Lucy. Their absences has zero impact on my enjoyment. Just get into it and laugh at Darth Lahey. And also the flight of the bumblebee…

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      1. Spoiler alert. ;)

        Yeah. Lucy I didn’t care about. I always thought JRoc was awesome though. His rapper lingo always cracked me up, however he got less funny as the years went on and even he said it was time.

        Flight of the bumblecocksucker???

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  5. I think I’ve said this before, but I’ve never watched this. I considered it, but by the time I thought I’d give it a go I found the amount of seasons daunting!

    Glad it still delivers for those who have been with it a while, though. Nothing worse than a show hitting a point where it starts to ruin the whole thing.

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      1. I’ll add it to the ever growing Netflix list. I still have some Jessica Jones and Luke Cage to watch (not to mention Iron Fist having started and Better Call Saul being due in a few days!)

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        1. I am going to actually beg you to watch the episode now. It’s 22 minutes and you get to see Alex Lifeson in a bath robe tied up in duct tape. I mean…what else do you need.

          Better Call Saul has arrived here. Time to catch up! I am way behind.

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        2. Right. You’ve done it now. I’ll get that watched as soon as the internet is up and running.

          Better Caul Saul has been pretty ace so far, Mike.

          Liked by 1 person

        4. Stranger Things is marvellous, huh? I’m planning on a rewatch before the second season arrives.

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  6. I just watched the season and I did enjoy it. I wasn’t feeling it a few episodes in but it got much funnier.

    My guess is Sam will be the next to go. He added zero to the enjoyment for me. He used to be a lot greasier and more caveman like.

    Also, Randy. Lose the greasy ‘stache dude.
    The cops taking selfies with him was pretty funny.

    It seems the show has gotten feelings now. I noticed a bunch of characters not wanting to be teased. The insults used to flow left and right.

    Also. The kids swearing was funny. I had to rewind that little maf(miss u J Roc, nome sayin’) at the arena swearing a few times. Kind of hard to believe in 2017 they got away with it though.

    I agree on your 4/5. It started out as a 2 but rose up to a 4.

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    1. My biggest laugh was when the littlest kid says “He even taught us how to fuckin’ harvest!”

      I loved the Randy-Stache. Loved it. Thought it was absolutely hilarious. I’m sure it’ll be gone next season.

      I think this season did get the feels. It made sense though with the plot. Little baby Moe and Lahey…honestly I really got the feels too. I’ll tell you man, John Dunsworth SOLD that Lahey performance. It was note-perfect. What a talented motherfucker. And did you notice, he directed an episode?

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      1. I might have told you this but John Dunsworth came into my work once.
        I paged him to my department as Mr. Lahey.
        He walked in full on, pissed up Lahey character and we went back and forth with Trailer Park Boys lingo for about 20 minutes.

        BEST WORKDAY EVERRRRRR!!!!!

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        1. You DID tell me that, and it is awesome.

          I really like John Dunsworth. If you ever see interviews with him, he’s incredible. And I’ll assume that as long as John Dunsworth wants to be Lahey (which seems like forever) then Sarah Dunsworth will also stick around. I know she does behind the scenes work on the show.

          If you check the credits, Cory Bowles also directed an episode.

          Liked by 1 person

        2. I like when John Dunsworth describes an average day in his life.
          He goes to Timmies or the hardware store or the bank and always gets a barrage of “Fuck you Lahey”.

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        3. I got to yell out a “Fuck You Lahey” once at the Centre In The Square when the boys were there. It got a lot.of laughs.
          Such a stuffy place most nights.

          Plus Sam was selling pictures in the parking lot and I got to yell out “Fick you Sam you greasy caveman.”

          It was a funny night.

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  8. Just finished end of ep 4.
    Lets just say: its true–the force is strong w/season 11. Pleasantly surprised so far! Ricky and Bubbles in particular supply plenty of fresh laugh-out-loud moments and the actors behind them are in excellent form. Personally I was glad Julien was MIA for a while–that character needed some breathing room and perspective. I love a mellow, sober Lahey. It makes anticipating relapse that much more fun. And as for Motel? I shudder to think of what that poor child-actor’s verbal repertoire is going to sound like in a few years! (LOL)

    *sigh* trailerpark boys–I try to avert my eyes from those Canuk MFers but simply cannot.

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    1. Hey Leeah! Thanks for this awesome comment. I agree fully with everything. The mellow Lahey was a nice change of pace. And yes the poor child that plays Motel is going to have a colourful verbage.

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  9. So glad they took it back to the park. Fuck the Europe shit with just the boys. Feeling blessed for a new season, but two criticisms: 1. Thank god the supporting cast is back, but other than Lahey and Randy, they aren’t used enough. 2. Smith and Wells have lost their characters. Ricky is angry and desperate ALL the time. Too one dimensional. Bubbles has become Smith in a Bubbles costume with an occasional “who’s got your belly” thrown in.

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    1. Can’t say I agree with you on Europe…what wasn’t to like? I’m sitting at home one day on my Netflix when a whole new series popped up! Weekend plans solved. Seeing the Boys out of the park and in other countries was different and so much fun. A lot of people assumed it was “season 11”. They had no idea it was just a little extra. I’d rather have two Trailer Park Boys series than one, especially since I’m paying for my Netflix the same price one way or another.

      About the characters, I’d have to watch again. I didn’t notice. Of course Ricky had a lot to be angry about.

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        6. Good luck.

          I laughed the other day when Good Enough came on the radio.

          My wife asked me why I laughed and I told her the dj hates Sammy.

          However, he doesn’t. Just when Sammy is in VH.

          I ptefer Dave but like Sammy too.
          Just once I wish Craig would play a Van Hagar song.

          By the way. I am loving the Party Dog’s new playlist

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        7. I know. I have really been getting on his case about cutting off the good Van Hagar tracks. But I don’t think that helps, I think that just eggs him on!

          Yeah Party Dog is really throwing in some great tunes. You probably noticed a couple new Rush ones in there. Analog Kid, Manhattan Project.

          Liked by 1 person

        9. Rush and Lebrain FTW.

          I have been on his case since day one (along with every other program director before him) to play Dio.

          Party Dog is delivering again. I know the played it before but stopped for a long time. I think due to corporate, but Dio is back baby. Yeahhhh!!

          Party Dog will chat with me if I call in for a real long time. I think he enjoys a person with a misical brain, or better a musical Lebrain.

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  11. This is a reply to Guido666 above. Respectfully I do not concur with the role reversal or the lapse in character continuity in Smith and Well’s performances. I think the fact that Bubbles has become the “light” in the midst of the chaos adds poignant contrast. He provides a fucked variation to the classic straight man role, ironically enough, and engenders empathy. This allows Ricky to vent more than ever, which stands to reason at this critical-mass juncture in the story. It’s hilarious to see him unravel.

    Bubbles has scarcely dialed back one iota of his sass and spunk, and letting his intelligence and moxie shine is a smart call. I love the fact that he stands up to Julian a bit more too. Needless to say Julian is the median, like an anchor, reminiscent of a 40s film noir character –unabashedly “dark”.

    They each represent archetypes that resonate w/diff personality types and I’m not embarrassed to say, I love long-suffering dummy Ricky and his botched clichés and stoned truisms.
    I’m addicted to this show because of Ricky’s childlike honesty and pot-fueled creative unapologetic lies. He “maintains” for as long as possible until he breaks and it never seems contrived or unwarrented. Let’s not forget his cool finesse when handling the Keystone bumblers.

    The reason this story has staying power is BECAUSE of character-evolution.
    The timing and writing of this show is spot-on… and these clowns are…DECENT! In my not-so-humble opinion ;)
    (but now I’m just Fangirling…)

    Dunsworth will go dwn in history as the greatest comedic drunk since Chaplin! <3

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    1. Hey Leeah!

      Dunsworth really is a lot more talented than people give him credit for. There is a reason he’s so beloved by fandom. It’s a tricky act to be the villain that people love to hate. Lots have tried and failed. Not John Dunsworth. And people really do love the guy.

      Thanks for the awesome comment. It’s great to see fans put so much thought and analysis into it.

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  12. I thought this​ season was gonna be cringe worthy and I almost didn’t watch it. But “a liquor Captain never abandons a sinking sh¡t ship Randy”… I’m glad I stayed with the sh¡t ship lol.

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  13. and thank YOU Mike for the keen synopsis and friendly feedback.
    KUTGW. Rock n feckin Roll, bud !

    (Can’t reply directly undr ppl’s comments cuz when prompted 2 create a WordPress acct, it’s not recognizing my email as valid. Oh well!)

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    1. Ack! Sorry about that. I wish I was more tech-y and knew how to fix that. WordPress has its issues (on the user side as well as the reader side).

      If you get the chance, please check out the other TPB reviews here! I’ve done every season of the show, all the movies, and (I think) all the Netflix specials (I think).

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  14. P.s.
    no hard sell here on Dunsworth’s talent…I saw the frickin genius instantly dude! But yeah. & he makes a good gateway intro for ppl unschooled in TPB surreal wackiness.

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