Vice Principals Season 2 Episode 9: The Union of the Wizard & the Warrior Review

If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.

Synopsis: The school year comes to a startling end. (HBO)

Writers: Danny McBride, John Carcieri, and Jeff Fradley

Director: David Gordon Green

Rating: TV-MA

Running Time: 30mins

Not only was this the season finale, it was also the series finale. After only 2 seasons and 18 episodes, this may come as a surprise to some but with other shows diminishing in quality while trying to stretch things out after they’ve run their course has been commonplace in today’s society. What is nice here is that the series has succeeded in telling a full story while leaving the possibility for further stories which is fine either way.

It’s the end of the school year and after losing the principal’s job at the end of the last episode, Russell is still lurking from a distance. He decided to go to Dr. Brown’s new private school (it was nice to see her again) to apologize for what he did but she did not want anything to do with him. He wanted her help to clear his name, however, all she did was laugh in his face.

At a faculty lunch, Abbott made a scene again. When he was still principal, Russell had paid for a tiger for graduation. Gamby didn’t want the tiger but kept it after Russell had spent a lot of money on it. Its trainer was inept so of course something was going to happen.

Despite Gamby getting everything he wanted, he still couldn’t get over what Russell did to him. Earlier this season, it was revealed that Russell shot gamby but did he really? It was much to obvious of a conclusion to be true. Russell had denied it ever since and he was determined to find his real shooter and he was convinced that it was Abbott. She later admitted to shooting him once he confronted Gamby and Abbott who showed up at Gamby’s house while wearing a wedding dress and wanting to marry him.

Abbott then pulled out a gun and shot Russell but before she went to shoot Gamby, he convinced her not to, leading her to a trap that he fell into himself. After she gave up when running out of bullets and left to go after Snodgrass, Russell, who wasn’t dead saved him. Abbott then confronted Snodgrass in the washroom and they fought until Snodgrass knocked her out briefly before she let the tiger out who ate its trainer.

Snodgrass locked Abbott in the tiger’s cage but with a tiger loose in the cafeteria, Gamby addressed the ongoing graduation before ordering an evacuation. What was funny was his explanation of what happened, pretty much describing the events of this past season so far. When Russell and Dayshawn checked up on the tiger, Abbott released it from the cage. Russell tried to talk it down, however, it just bit his hand.

Gamby went back to Russell where Russell gave his goodbyes. Once the tiger returned, Gamby scared it off and saved Russell. We then got a flashforward to three months later where Gamby was dropping Janelle off at North Jackson but Gamby no longer worked there as he became the principal of a nearby middle school. When he arrived at his new school, Gamby laid down the law to his vice principal. Meanwhile, Russell had become the regional manager of a clothing store and he was laying down the law as well. Snodgrass had become an author whose book, inspired by Gamby and Russell was called The Union of the Wizard & the Warrior. After Gamby had attended her book reading, he and Snodgrass were eating at a food court and he saw Russell and they simply looked at one another and smiled.

Overall, this was a great episode and a fitting end to the series. Not only did they have to deal with a tiger but also an unhinged Abbott. They did so in typical Gamby and Russell fashion with some funny moments along the way. Ultimately, a show which started off with two ridiculous and unlikable characters ended with each getting redemption in a real, satisfying, and often funny way.

Score: 9/10

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