Review:
The Cleveland Show: Episode Ten

110 – Field of Streams

‘This security footage should answer all your questions. Unless your questions are of a sexual nature, in which case you should speak to your parents or a priest.’ – Wally Farquhare

Every time it seems that this show has found its footing, it reverts completely and delivers something woefully substandard. How very odd.

This week, Cleveland and Terry reminisce about their glory days at high school – drinking beer, bullying Wally Farquhare and chatting about how Cleveland was so good at baseball that the school retired his number after he graduated. This leads to Cleveland visiting his old school only to discover to his horror that Wally Farquhare – now the Principal – has diverted funds from the baseball team to the math club.

Naturally, Hot Brown #9 doesn’t take it lying down and so he and Terry manage to raise over a hundred thousand dollars together to get the baseball team back. This leads to a disappointingly predictable plot development where Cleveland wants his son to play for the team, but to nobody’s shock, Junior is too fat and preoccupied with nature to be any good on the field.

It’s a bizarre episode on many fronts – firstly, this is the only time Wally and Cleveland have ever had any interactions together, despite an apparent backstory and Wally appearing in the opening titles under ‘old friends’. Secondly, Cleveland actually comes across as a massive jerk throughout the episode, constantly pressuring his son to take up his far too precious mantle and belittling Junior when he inevitably fails to live up to expectations.

Cleveland Junior, meanwhile, is more sympathetic here than he has ever been before (which is saying quite a lot, really) and this is the first time you’ve ever been forced to ponder just how messed up an adult he will be after being raised by a guy like Cleveland.