When we last left our Shahs they had been kidnapped by a samurai sword fighter, forced into a 1996 Winnabego, and driven to the wilderness by an inept driver…ok most of this is true, because if you remember correctly the crew has gone camping to try and repair their divide and maybe confront GG’s alcohol problem. Will it work? Let’s delve in!
The episode opens with the Shahs cooking an elaborate meal and MJ screaming out for corkscrew from inside the camper for 5 minutes. There is very limited time to run errands for MJ because as it turns out this is the perfect time for Mike and GG to have a heart to heart. GG says it is time for them to rid themselves of their issues and Mike agrees. Asa suggests that they throw this into the fire, ok fine, but only if that leopard caftan can go with it.
Now that the gang is getting along it is time for a classic Reza prank. Reza has printed out google map directions to an abortion clinic in Mexico, a positive pregnancy test, and some pesos and thrown them in MJ’s purse. He calls over Mike to review the contents and since Mike has been subject to Reza’s pranks since 89 he doesn’t buy it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth seeing if Shervin will believe them. The call in Shervin who take the whole thing almost seriously and worries about MJ’s desperate search for a corkscrew, aka she is drinking while pregnant. I had many questions about this and they mostly go back to the props of this prank, for starters what is with this group and google maps? The power of the Shahs is keeping desktop printers alive and well! Also, how in god’s name did Reza get a positive pregnancy test? Did he hang out in front of a Babies R Us and beg some woman to pee on a stick for him? Anyway, Shervin lightly confronts MJ but soon realizes the joke is on him, and whoever Reza tricked into giving him a pee sample. MJ doesn’t seem to fazed by this whole thing, it is amazing what a lifetime of living with Vida will lead you to tolerate.
Now that Reza has lightly embarrassed MJ by attempting to convince members of the group that she was headed south of the border for a $25 abortion it is time to really go after her. You see it turns out Reza is still upset that MJ isn’t more supportive of the flash mob wedding. We all know I am on MJ’s side here, last week she told us she liked baked beans and I was like hell yes, this week we are reminded of her dislike for the flash mob wedding, this little one doesn’t always get it right but when she does she is on point. Anyway the conversation takes a turn for the awkward when GG plops down having drank all the alcohol that that corkscrew was capable of opening and tries to start a fight with MJ. Because GG is barely coherent it doesn’t go well but she does say you do you, about 6 times and raises the roof for a solid 12 seconds. Asa decides she has had just about enough of GG’s attempt at a 90’s dance move and sticks her into her tent to go to bed.
The pranks never end because now Shervin and Mike are up blindfolding everyone throwing them into the camper and telling them they are head down south of the border…jk they open up their tents and shoot them with water guns. The most questionable part of this is that Reza was sleeping in his clothing, and not just his clothing, that second skin blue shirt, there is no way that is remotely comfortable. Meanwhile he has his liquid poo ready for aim and squirts it all over the place. All of their tents get knocked over and I’m sure that these people are a joy to camp next to. Wait correction, all of the tents are knocked over except for GG’s, no one is going to poke that bear with a prank at 1am.
The next day Asa explains that she has set up a ropes course for the gang to participate in, she knows this might be challenging for GG with her arthritis, cut to GG soaking her hands in a giant bowl of salt water to easy her joints. I mean last time I checked she was having stitches removed by a parrot head in a cafe, but sure, this should be great. On the drive to the ropes course Mike complains a bit about his marriage and how it is not going so well. As previously noted I’m not sure Mike truly understood the concept of marriage until he actually was married and Mozika the wedding photographer let him borrow his leather bound dictionary to look up the meaning of the world.