Coming in dead last, is “In Ren We Trust.” This has always been the most forgettable episode of the entire series for some reason, in my opinion. I always forget that it exists. I only remember, like.. 2 scenes from it. As I sit here watching it for my series re-watch, it almost feels like I’m viewing a never before seen episode because that’s how much I do not remember it. (I actually kinda like that it feels so fresh, though. I’d die for never before seen episodes of this show.) I feel like I always forget about it because this episode marks the height of the show’s ridiculousness. Beans is walking through Lawrence Jr. High with a pooping pony. Principal Wexler interrogates Louis with the help of a hillbilly bluegrass band. It’s… A lot.
The gang finds a briefcase in the bushes at Lawrence Jr. High filled with $4,412 dollars. Louis, Twitty, Tom, Monique, and Ruby are super excited and plan on dividing it between them. But, Ren is all “That’s a lot of money.. We need to turn it in!” She’s on her way to do the right thing, but then turns around and uses the money to buy a $4,000 pair of non-returnable lizard skin pants?!?!?!
I mean, really?! I don’t think so.
The only word I can really describe this episode with is “flat.” Its attempts at comedic moments kind of fail, unfortunately. Which is super rare when it comes to this show. They use gags like, “You have dollar signs in your eyes! No, you seriously do!” …and Louis literally has dollar signs in his eyes. I mean.. the show has pulled similar stuff before, but it just falls flat for me here and feels like a cheap laugh.
The episode starts with Tom, Louis, and Twitty playing with a boomerang outside of the school. I’m confused as to whether or not this is a school day or if they’re all just hanging around the school for no reason, haha. It’s not really clear. I’m assuming that school just let out. Louis throws the boomerang and it gets lost in the bushes. They go to look for it, but find the $4,412-filled briefcase instead!
Also, can I just say… Ren’s outfits starting around the second half of Season 3 are really annoying and seem too old and business-like for her. She wears a lot of distracting patterns, as well. I know that she’s kinda going for a mature, studious look 90% of the time, but she’s 15!!! There are other options. This dress and pocketbook she’s wearing make her look like a 40 year old office worker. Look at her in comparison to Monique! Not feeling it.
Anyway. They take the money home, count it, and all say what they plan on doing with their share. But, of course that’s when Ren disagrees and says they really need to turn it in. (I agree. That amount of money sitting in one of those top secret looking briefcases… Too suspicious!)
The next day before school, she sees a pair of $4,000 lizard skin pants on display in the window of some fancy store called “Just Live A Little!” They’re kind of ugly, but actually do look funky on her. After being persuaded by the salesclerk, she buys them. Wow.
Since Ren is the most trustworthy and responsible student at school, (and Principal Wexler’s assistant) Wexler brings her to his office and introduces her to Father O'Neil and Little Timmy. He explains that they just so happened to misplace a large sum of money on the school’s property, and that it belongs to their charity. Yeah. Ren’s feeling remorseful now.
Okay but.. Really, though?! Little Timmy (Bob, from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) is covered in dirt like a chimney sweep. What a stereotypical depiction of a “poor child,” lol.I’m sure the people involved with this “charity” are good people and would’ve found somewhere for him to wash up immediately. But, I guess this charity is using him for the sympathy angle. Nice.
Ren goes to Louis, of all people, and tells him she spent the money and is going to be in huge trouble. But, Wexler and the search team he hired suspect Louis probably had something to do with it and take him in for interrogation.
Louis won’t spill the beans. So, Wexler is like “I’m sorry it’s come to this…” And brings in backup: A hillbilly bluegrass band that tortures Louis with their music until he can’t take it anymore. I’m serious.
Louis cracks and says that Ren has the money.
Monique and Ruby are in the bathroom talking about how gorgeous Ren’s pants are and how they want pairs of their own. And, Tawny interjects like “Well they better be gorgeous because they cost $4k.” So, now Monique and Ruby figure out that Ren spent all the money.
Everyone’s ganging up on Ren now.. So she starts running (physically) from her responsibilities!!! She’s actually trying to get away with buying the pants. This would never happen. The excuse for her buying the pants is that she just wanted to "live a little” and was tired of always doing the right thing. Uh, okay. But, this is NOT the sort of thing she would ever take a risk on. She runs until they corner her.
She apologizes and they forgive her until she says the pants are nonrefundable.
Then everything suddenly starts to rewind like an old VHS tape - All the way back to when Ren was debating whether or not she should buy the pants. Turns out the whole thing was just a vision she had! I did not remember that twist at all. HAHA, ONE MORE THING I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT. She didn’t buy the pants, and she did turn the money in after all. See? I knew Ren would never.
This one is so weird. It’s the second to last episode of the series, which isn’t exactly a promising sign of the direction the show might have been heading if it continued. I guess none of the events actually happening for real redeems it a little bit. But, the way they stretched this vision into an entire episode is unredeemable, honestly. (Not to mention there’s no way Ren could’ve had a vision that long and detailed within a 10 second span max, haha.) This comes across as nothing more than a filler episode. Some filler episodes are good! This one, not so much.
Also, Beans really did bring that pooping pony to Lawrence! That wasn’t part of the vision. So, yeah. Just bizarre. Too much.
When a duchess named Lady Jane comes to visit Sacramento as a foreign exchange student, the Stevens take her in for the week. Ren promises to show her all that America has to offer! Which by Ren-standards, is code for a boring as all hell historical tour of the city. Meanwhile, our main plot follows Louis and Twitty. They’re on a mission to chow down a freaking giant burger called The King Sloppy. If you’re able to eat the entire thing in 30 minutes, you get it for free – and your picture on the restaurants’ wall of fame. So, they concoct a scheme which includes a character “Mike Hegeman” who they both dress up as, hoping to get away with taking sneaky turns eating the burger. Spoiler: They don’t.
Donnie is coaching The Dingoes – a pretty hopeless elementary school basketball team. Louis ends up becoming Donnie’s assistant coach after accidentally getting through to the kids in a way Donnie couldn’t. He lets it go to his head as usual and completely takes over. Elsewhere, Ren and Bobby become “official” and she starts wearing his letterman jacket. The only problem is that he’s too nervous to kiss, and awkwardly high fives her instead. The episode opens with Donnie coaching The Dingoes. By the end of the first sequence, you get the sense that these kids have no idea what they’re doing. One is eating a jelly donut while he plays. And another, Carlos, refuses to accept that they’re playing basketball and acts like they’re playing soccer (i.e. playing using his feet, knees, and head). I can’t. There’s no way in hell any of these children would make it onto a school basketball team by trying out… But, maybe elementary school is just extra PC like that. Ya know, letting anyone
Donnie makes a “celebrity” guest visit back to Lawrence Jr. High to be enshrined in the Wombat Hall of Fame. Louis starts to feel extra inadequate, so he rigs Donnie’s pommel horse with the motor from a mechanical bull. While demonstrating one of his winning gymnastic routines, Donnie goes flying off the pommel horse and gets a back injury that could cost him his college football scholarship. For this episode’s B-plot, Beans plays pranks on Ren.
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