Ruby Reborn

I know I've been a bit slow, but I'm finally getting this done.

As previously mentioned here, I was going to start reviewing a Canadian Television Show, Corner Gas. The first episode of the show is titled Ruby Reborn.

This is the first episode of the series. Lacey Burrows had recently moving into town after inheriting the coffee shop from her Aunt Ruby. Lacey's been spending the last several weeks making changes, such as repainting the walls. For the record, the color was Desert Rose.....not pink, according to Lacey anyway.

What kind of name is Lacey, anyway?

Lacey has to put up with some rather idiotic stuff, including the local paper (The Howler) claiming "Woman Destroys Local Landmark"......something along those lines. The Howler is known for being so inaccurate, "woman" is the only word that's accurate.....which is good for the Howler.

Since this is the first episode, we learn different things about each character. Fortunately, we're talking about simple character traits. It helps that Corner Gas was intended as a light hearted show.

Anywho, the coffee shop is attached to Corner Gas. Corner Gas is owned & operated by Brent Leroy, who took over the business a year earlier from Oscar. In this episode, Brent has decided to do video rentals at the store, stating that people would have to drive to Wullerton (*spit*) if they wanted to rent videos.

Once Oscar learns of this, he flips out, accusing Brent of turning Corner Gas into a movie house.....and doing a bad Ed Sullivan impression. Oscar makes references to Brent trying to turn the station into a circus as well.

Emma Leroy finally convinces him to rent a video before making a fool of himself. Brent convinces Oscar to rent Jaws, leaving Wanda to question if this is a good idea, stating "he's wound tight enough as it is." Brent makes states that Oscar doesn't even know own a VCR. Why they were renting VHS was really beyond me, as DVDs were already more commonly used anyway. I'm probably over thinking this, so I'll move on.

Meanwhile, Davis and Karen end up in an argument over who's Car 1. This is one of the few episodes where two squad cars are used. Davis keeps insisting that he's always Car 1, despite Karen's car actually having a 1 on it.

When they aren't squabbling over car numbers, Davis convinces Lacey to brew some coffee. Hank claims the coffee at Corner Gas tastes like it's been filtered through a wig. Once Lacey agrees to brew a fresh batch, Davis informs Karen (running radar at the "surveillance bush") that good coffee is being made.

In a big hurry to get that fresh coffee, Karen has lights & sirens on. When using the radar, she clocked a bird "doing 40".

Once Lacey's done remodeling, Hank complains that the place looks like a gay bar. Being clueless, Oscar asks "Who's gay?" Hank ends up boycotting The Ruby because of a variety of small changes made (paint color, table clothes, salt & pepper shakers). At the end of the episode, Brent becomes ticked when he finds out the chili cheese dogs were removed from the menu, as that was his favorite food order.

During a scene at the local bar, Brent & Lacey manage to give Oscar a load of crap involving his rental of Jaws, convincing him that the shark has a sword fight with the sheriff before going back to its home planet. Oscar also thinks he needs a variety of tools to help him hook the VCR to the TV. When Emma shows him how to do it (Oscar thinks she's gonna blow it up), he's convinced she did something wrong when he doesn't see the sword fight.

At one point, Wanda & Hank suggest to Lacey that "egging" The Howler is a perfectly acceptable response to the misinformation they're spreading about her. They go so far as suggesting a few melons as well because "they make a good splat".


Since I'm not used to reviewing anything, this review is going to be lousy. I realize that and I apologize for that.

Overall, I find this to be a good start for the series. Characters were established. Storylines were kept basic. Simple humor was involved. To a certain degree, I can relate to the show. Some of the aspects of the show could relate to my life, at least to the point that I've seen a lot of real life humor from idiotic moments.

Corner Gas doesn't work on a huge budget, by any means. Doesn't seem to hurt the show one bit. For me, having great production or elaborate sets really wasn't necessary. Since the show was based in small town Canada, simplicity was key. No need for a huge budget on anything.

I find that whether you live in Canada or America, many of us could relate to the show to one degree or another. This is especially true if you've ever lived in a smaller community. A lot of small town traits are played up on in the show.

Where I found it refreshing is that Corner Gas catered more to those who understood small town living. I find that so many shows today show aspects of large city living, forgetting that many viewers still live in rural areas.

If you appreciate a more simplistic approach to TV viewing, Corner Gas is worth watching.