Kidding season 2, ep. 6 recap: The Death of Fil

Episode 206 of Showtime’s “Kidding,” a death gets pinned on Jeff for his show.

Previously on Kidding, many of the “Mr. Pickles Puppet Time” puppets were lost to Scott (Bernard White), who claimed a 50/50 share in the creative properties of his ex-wife, Deirdre “Didi” Perera (Catherine Keener).

Also, Jeff (Jim Carrey) finalized his divorce with Jill (Judy Greer) on his children’s show, as a unique special episode designed to address the topic of divorce. Episode 6 shows Jeff’s spectacular episode backfiring spectacularly.

To a large degree, this episode demonstrates how people can assign way too much importance to fictional characters and word choice.  At times it can even prove deadly, even if it can create celebrities who we regard as national treasures.  Of course, the episode also examines how, yes, real-life developments do shape fictional characters.

Kidding: Another death in the Pickle family

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Kidding has established that Jeff essentially has a mini-empire, including variations on Mr. Pickles Puppet Time over the globe. When one of these alternate Jeffs, Ginoo Pickles (GlennThomas Cruz), gets murdered by his government for saying “Divorce is for the best,” Jeff’s recent episode comes under some bizarre scrutiny.

Jeff sits with journalist Lesley Stahl to discuss Ginoo’s death in the Philippines. Jeff says he does not regret the episode, adding that “Homes don’t break, they change.”

At one point, Stahl asks, “Do you feel responsible for the death of Fil…” *drinks water* “…Filipino Pickles.” Of course, this pause makes Jeff think of the death of his son, Phil (Cole Allen, who also plays the other twin son, Will).

Fibonacci numbers?

Many little details play out in the episode. Jeff’s father and former manager, Seb (Frank Langella), is upset after seeing actor Stacy Keach in an ad with Snagglehorse, the former Mr. Pickles character. Jeff also receives a death threat for breaking up a marriage with his divorce episode.

This is, of course, another example of people blaming entertainment/educational programming for others’ real-life decisions. This is a pretty heavy theme for this episode, actually, and it’s taken to drastic proportions.

On the lighter side, Jeff and Pete (Justin Kirk) discuss entering dogs into the dog show circuit. Jeff also supports him marrying Jill, and the three of them get along fine as Jill gives Jeff his passports for Ginoo’s funeral. We also see that Will is still at least somewhat in a relationship with Havana (Jenna Z. Alvarez), and Havana gets in a fun little argument with Cassidy (Julitta Scheel) after Havana refers to Skittles as “Skitties.”

Will, however, has a revelation when Cassidy reveals there are 6,765 Skittles in the vase. This number is featured on the signature box of his magic book. So is the “10946” address of the formerly blind kid who received Phil’s eyes. Will has come to believe that these numbers contain the secret to time travel and that he might be able to go back and fix his mom and dad’s relationship. Will tells his high school buddies this and it’s concluded that these are “Fibonacci numbers.”

Burial at sea

For better or worse, Jeff decides to take Will along for Ginoo’s burial at seas. In the helicopter, Jeff tells Will that he might inherit the Mr. Pickles dynasty. However, when they arrive on the ship, it is quickly clear that all is not well for the Pickles performers. All of the alternate Pickles seem angry at Jeff, or like they have lost their Pickle pride.

They blame Jeff for the death, and all appear to be ready to quit. Booze also becomes an issue. When they step away from the encroaching insanity. Will tells his dad that he’s not the one who killed Fili-Pickles. Will does have another Fibonacci moment, though, when he sees the number “4181” on a buoy out of the porthole window.

It should also be mentioned that Didi and Seb are on board, and neither stay out of trouble. Didi is accused of “gluing” again, although she says it’s sunscreen. She’s even criticized for getting a divorce because it sapped them of beloved puppet characters.

Meanwhile, Seb seduces Smorgas Gurka (Charlotta Mohlin) away from New Pickles-san (Arnold Chun), who was already angry with Didi for — as he puts it — “raping” his brother (Louis Ozawa Changchien), although Kidding made their dalliances look consensual.

In addition to all this, Will is back to hating Jeff when it becomes clear he cannot undo his mom and dad’s divorce, magically or otherwise. Then again, Kidding has had moments that blurred the lines between fiction and reality, so who knows?

What are your thoughts on Kidding? Let us know in the comments!