‘Vice Principals’ episode 7 review: Weird but wonderful

“Vice Principals” was not a show that we had a huge reason to love immediately going in, given that we were never a regular viewer of “Eastbound & Down” and had no idea precisely what Danny McBride was going to bring to the table here.

Despite a rocky first couple of episodes, what we’ve ended up finding is one of the silliest shows on the air, but one that does still have its fair share of poignant moments. It makes us care about the characters and what happens to them.

Take, for example, Neal Gamby, who may be a petty jerk but he’s our petty jerk. Take, for example, him basically disowning his daughter after she told him that she didn’t want him at the racetrack. He took that as that she never wanted him around. Then, the moment she hurt herself on a race, he rushed over to her bedside at lightning speed … or at least after causing an accident in the parking lot. His heart is in the right place … and apparently, his heart is also with Amanda Snodgrass. A few weeks ago, we had no idea how this would have worked, but we’re starting to get the idea. He has opened up to her in a way that he hasn’t anyone else (though he did have a nice scene with Belinda), and she appreciates the way in which he supports her.

Still, you know there’s a good chance Neal’s history is going to come back to bite him, especially with his secret book of Amanda facts that he didn’t even need.

You can argue the same will come back to haunt Lee Russell given that he had a serious child predator moment tonight while with Belinda’s kids. All it could take is them rattling to her to end his job and possibly his career. His story was very funny, provided that you don’t think about the fact that his secret-hunting was such a big risk and that it’s a wonder the kids didn’t smell like pot later.

If the story’s good enough, we’re willing to sweat the small stuff … so we are here. This show is deservedly keeping the title of Comedy of the Summer. Let’s hope it stays that way over its final installments for some time. Grade: A-.