We open this episode with Jay being light on food and clean laundry. So he does what any thirty something film critic would do, go to his parents to mooch. He couldn't have come at a worst time, as Eleanor is trying to force Margo to be a debutante like she was. And where they've had Eleanor be somewhat cruel in the past, she is written to almost irredeemable here. Margo is against being a debutante, but Eleanor ultimately forces her by threatening to shoot her beloved horse. Yes, despite it going against everything Margo stands for, she's forced upon it due to an act of cruelty that even I wouldn't have expected from this show.
In hindsight, maybe it would have been better if she died in the last episode.
For our B-Plot of the episode, Jay's show is being put under pressure thanks to Humphrey the Hippo being on at the same time slot. A casual reminder that this is still 1994 and the Barney boom and backlash were both under way. Growing up in the peak Barney era, and as someone who watched it (I was a wuss kid, don't judge me), this does stir up good memories of classic PBS. Square One TV, Carmen San Diego, Lamb Chop's Play-A-Long. *sniff* Good times. But back on track, as Duke is concerned with Humphrey's success and tries to get Jay to compete. But, as you'd expect, Jay is way too smart for his own good. Jay later confronts Humphrey, saying America's children are the future, and not a way to make a quick buck. Which promptly leads to Jay getting beaten up by Humphrey's young fans.
But that's not the only thing for Jay to do this episode as since she doesn't want to go with any inbred blue bloods to the debutante ball, Margo picks Jay as her date. The ball goes down pretty well as Jay hits it off with a woman, who turns out to be the actress inside the Humphrey costume, so that little issue dies down fast. Margo, having enough of everything, tells everyone off about how this whole thing is just a waste of money. In the end, she dances with the limo driver who is actually a bartender, jay sleeps with Humphrey the Hippo, and Franklin forgot to turn the oven off.
Happy ending?
A great episode for its gags, but A Little Deb Will Do Ya does suffer from some severe pacing issues. Honestly, you could have cut the Humphrey stuff and not lost anything at all. There's also some really risque humor for 1994 (Margo choosing virgin white for everything but the gloves). Speaking of Margo, I really wish they gave her character more focus than what she got. She is the one being forced to do something because an animal she cares about might die. But besides Jay, her horse was about to get shot too. I dunno, it's good she gets her chance to tell them off, but I do feel it's way too rushed and doesn't feel as satisfying. And Eleanor not getting any comeuppance for this feels a bit underwhelming as well. Maybe it's nitpicking (Hell, I know it is), but it does sour what is still a fun episode.
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