Review:
The Cleveland Show: Episode Sixteen

116: The Brown Knight

‘I hope I look good enough to rob, but not good enough to rape!’ – Cleveland Brown

It’s been a while since an episode tried to shed some light on Donna’s character, so this week’s tale of love and life in Stoolbend, Virginia, attempts to take another peek beneath the surface.

When Donna tells Cleveland off for buying a ‘Blizzard of Bucks’ game cabinet, the guys persuade him to take a stand for himself. While she relents to him owning the machine, Donna refuses to dial down her aggressive nature, an attitude that leads to her confronting a mugger and getting Cleveland shot in the struggle.

Meanwhile, Rallo finds Roberta’s used sanitary towels and believes his sister is dying. Naturally, Roberta chooses to exploit her sibling’s loving sympathy for personal gain.

It’s a curious episode, this one. While it is totally packed to the rafters with plot twists, character turns and fresh ideas, most of the material on offer here feels strangely underdeveloped.

The episode begins by examining Donna both at work and at home and teases a change for her character. It even goes so far as to see her turn completely and act like a submissive fifties-style housewife. Sadly, even though the setup is complete, the focus then reverts back to Cleveland and his battle to reclaim his masculinity.

It’s an utterly bizarre and downright unfathomable plot twist that doesn’t continue the thread that’s been laid down, or even advance the emotional development of the characters. Why go to all the trouble of establishing Donna and forcing her to try and change if that’s not what the episode is about? After all, once she’s become a fifties housewife, there’s only one joke made about it – a sexist joke, naturally – and she’s only seen in the guise twice before it disappears forever.