| "The Chicken and the Pear" | |
|---|---|
| Series Santa Clarita Diet Season 3, Episode 4 | |
| |
| Air date | March 29th, 2019 |
| Writers | Aaron Brownstein; Simon Ganz |
| Director | Rebecca Asher |
| Producers | Victor Fresco; Tracy Katsky; Aaron Kaplan; Drew Barrymore; Chris Miller; Ember Truesdell; Timothy Olyphant; Clay Graham; Michael A. Ross; Nancy Juvonen; Ben Smith; Jimmy Simons; Aaron Brownstein; Simon Ganz; Caitlin Meares; Lisa Iannone; Sue Mutter |
| Starring | Drew Barrymore; Timothy Olyphant; Liv Hewson; Skyler Gisondo |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Belle and Sebastian Protect the Head" |
Next "A Specific Form of Recklessness" |
"The Chicken and the Pear" is the sixth episode of season three of the comedy series Santa Clarita Diet and the twenty-sixth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Rebecca Asher with a script written by Aaron Brownstein and Simon Ganz. All episodes from this season premiered on Netflix on Friday, March 29th, 2019.
Synopsis[]
Oh, look. It's Tommy.
Joel Hammond is sitting on the couch looking at his phone. He is uptight that Ron Ruffin has been posting a lot on social media telling the world that he is now one of the "undead". Sheila comes downstairs and tells Joel that she is punishing Abby for her participation in bombing the frakking site by taking away her cell phone. She further seeks to impart parental guidance upon her by taking her to meet Jean as part of Sheila's Meals on Wheels volunteer work.
Soon after, Tommy shows up and knocks on their door. Joel tells him that he is not going to give him is his crossbow back. Tommy says that he is not here for that (though in truth, he is). Joel lets him in, and Tommy tells him that he has quit the Knights of Serbia and is now looking to get a job at a bird shop. He would really like to use Joel as a reference despite the fact that he just tried to kill his wife. He sweetens the deal by offering to get him a profane parrot at a discounted price ($200). Tommy then gives Joel a USB drive, which contains all of the information that he has collected on Sheila. If the Knights were to ever get their hands on this info, Sheila would be in great danger.
"When I was little, you said I could grow up to be anything I wanted, and I want to be someone who gets to use this sweet-ass knife!"
This exchange sparks an idea in Joel's mind. If he were to take Tommy's place as a member of the Knights of Serbia, then he would be able to shield Sheila from any scrutiny. Tommy leaves him his zombie-killing arsenal, a manuscript on the order's history, and an application form. He tells this idea to Sheila who thinks it is a great plan.
Sheila takes Abby to go see Jean. Jean appears cordial at first, but then begins mocking Abby. Sheila tells her that she can say what she wants to her, but leave Abby alone. Sheila then tries to pry open a stuck window to allow some fresh air in (while also threatening to throw Jean out of it) when Jean suddenly begins clutching her chest. She instructs Sheila and Abby to get her pills, but she has over a dozen pill bottles laying about. When Sheila asks her which pills, Jean tells her "The round ones!"
Meanwhile, Joel enlists Eric's aide in helping him audition for membership in the Knights of Serbia. He needs to videotape himself performing the Trials of the Ancients. The first trial is to dig a murder hole. While researching further, Joel takes a moment to tell Eric how disappointed he is in him for failing to discourage Abby from bombing the frakking site. Eric is crestfallen and consumed by guilt. Suddenly, Joel gets an idea. Steering the conversation back to his Ron Ruffin problem, he tries to get a bead on Ron's location through his social media contacts.
Back at Jean's, Sheila and Abby manage to find the correct round pills and Jean's condition stabilizes. Jean then mentions her daughter Annabelle who is pregnant and living in London. She then reveals that her she hasn't much time left, and will not be alive to see her grandchild - something she wants to do more than anything in the world. Sheila suddenly gets an idea.
At the Hammond residence, Joel and Eric are in the backyard going through the Trials of the Ancients. Eric works the video camera while Joel executes a tumble followed by hurling a dagger into a tree. Their next trial is called The Beast With Two Fronts, which involves strapping each of them together back to back, and moving about the yard in a defensive pattern while holding axes. The next trial involves shoving a pear into the opening of an uncooked chicken with great speed. Joel cannot figure out the purpose of this test, but Eric comes up with an allegorical explanation, which Joel promptly ignores. After shoving the pear into the chicken, Joel and Eric go back into the house. Joel apologizes to Eric for making him feel bad. Eric instantly inflates and acts as if Joel and he are now dude-bros. Perusing the Knights of Serbia application, Eric solemnly tells Joel that his first born must swear and oath to continue their father's work, should he ever fall in battle. This would mean Abby would have to become a Knight of Serbia, which Joel does not want.
Sheila and Abby return home. Joel receives a message from one of Ron's contacts - a man named Morgan. Morgan indicates that Ron has been with him at his place all day. Joel and Sheila make plans to pay Morgan a visit. They go to Morgan's house, and he is a very polite host. However, Ron is not there. Morgan tells them that he stepped out real quick, but should have been back by now. Morgan excuses himself to get something from the kitchen and asks if he can get them anything, to which Joel quickly replies, "Cookies". Once he is outside their field of vision, Morgan begins laying plastic wrap all over the kitchen floor. He is planning something nefarious. While Morgan is preparing his kill-kitchen, Joel tells Sheila about the caveat in the Knights of Serbia membership requiring Abby to swear an oath to take up the mantle.
Stop! Hammer-Knife time!
Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Morgan tries to bait Sheila and Joel into his kitchen rather than answer it, which they find strange. To allay suspicion, Morgan says "fine", and answers the door. It is Abby, holding a box of cupcakes. She is acting strange, and is clearly trying to communicate to her parents through coded language. She tells them that Joel was sent a text from one of Ron's friends indicating that he had been at a skate park all day and was never at Morgan's house.
Realizing, that he can no longer keep up this ruse, Morgan cracks his neck and says that he is "Sick of being polite", and karate kicks Sheila across the coffee table. They realize now that Morgan is one of the undead. Joel jumps in front of Sheila armed with his trusty hammer-knife, but misses his mark and stabs Morgan in the shoulder. As they struggle, Joel grabs a lemon from a nearby table and shoves it into Morgan's mouth, preventing him from biting him. Joel now understands the lesson of the chicken and the pear. Abby, armed with a tri-bladed spring-loaded knife from Tommy's arsenal, comes up behind Morgan and stabs him in the head. Morgan falls to the floor dead and it becomes clear that he was a zombie intent on murdering and eating Joel and Sheila. Abby tells them that Eric told her about the Knights of Serbia clause in the application and that she wants to become a zombie-killer too. Joel and Sheila are not happy about this.
They all note a bite mark on Morgan's arm, indicating that Ron had spread the infection to Morgan, but question as to why he did not eat him. It becomes clear that Ron intends on spreading the infection to as many people as he can so he can create more zombies. Joel and Sheila realize that they need to stop Ron Ruffin, to which Abby replies, "Yeah, we do!" Joel and Sheila shout at her in unison, "You're not going to be a Knight of Serbia!"
Cast[]
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Drew Barrymore | Sheila Hammond |
| Timothy Olyphant | Joel Hammond |
| Liv Hewson | Abby Hammond |
| Skyler Gisondo | Eric Bemis |
Guest Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Linda Lavin | Jean |
| Ethan Suplee | Tommy |
| Malcolm Barrett | Morgan |
Co-Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Deuce Basco | Kid |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Santa Clarita Diet was created by Victor Fresco.
- This is the only episode of Santa Clarita Diet directed by Rebecca Asher.
- This is the third episode of Santa Clarita Diet written and/or co-written by Aaron Brownstein, who also serves as an executive story editor on the series. It is his only episode from season three. He previously co-wrote the "Pasión" episode from season two along with Simon Ganz.
- This is the third episode of Santa Clarita Diet written and/or co-written by Simon Ganz, who also serves as a story editor on the series. It is his only episode from season three. He previously co-wrote the "Pasión" episode from season two along with Aaron Brownstein.
Allusions[]
- The title of this episode is taken from one of the Trials of the Ancients, which is a test of speed and dexterity involving shoving a pear into the orifice of an uncooked chicken.
- The song that plays during Joel and Eric's training montage is "Burning Heart" by the rock group Survivor. Released as a single in 1985, it is best known for its inclusion on the Rocky IV official soundtrack album. In the movie, the song was played during one of Rocky Balboa's training montages.
- Joel Hammond took Tommy's crossbow away from him in "Belle and Sebastian Protect the Head".
- Joel Hammond grouses when he receives a text alert indicating that he did not get tickets to Hamilton. Officially known as Hamilton: An American Musical, this is an award-winning Broadway stage musical as well accompanying book that was directed by, written by and stars Lin-Manuel Miranda and chronicles the life of American statesman Alexander Hamilton as seen through the immigrant experience.
Quotes[]
- Abby Hammond: : Did you get through all the trials?
- Eric Bemis: Yeah. You wanna see some footage of your dad falling backwards into his own murder-hole?
- Abby Hammond: : I've been home for fifteen seconds. Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?!?
....
- Jean: She's got some mouth on her, your mother.
- Abby Hammond: It's the teeth you really have to worry about.
....
- Jean: Why'd she drag you over here? You being punished for something?
- Sheila Hammond: Not at all. I'm just trying to teach Abby how rewarding it can be to help others.
- Jean: Oh, isn't that great? I love being a prop in other people's lives.
....
- Sheila Hammond: How'd it go with you guys?
- Joel Hammond: Mostly okay.
- Eric Bemis: Joel touched me.
- Sheila Hammond: Excuse me?
- Eric Bemis: OK, I realize how that could be misinterpreted. I consented.
- Joel Hammond: It's not getting better.
- Eric Bemis: I mean we had a productive day and then a nice talk which was capped with a paternal side-hug.
...
- Abby Hammond: When I was little, you said I could grow up to be anything I wanted, and I want to be someone who gets to use this sweet-ass knife!
See also[]
External Links[]
- "The Chicken and the Pear" at IMDB
- "The Chicken and the Pear" at Trakt TV
- "The Chicken and the Pear" at TV Maze
- "The Chicken and the Pear" at Themoviedb.org
- "The Chicken and the Pear" at the Santa Clarita Wiki
Keywords[]
Axe | California | Dagger | Flail | Hammer | Head injury | Knife | Knights of Serbia | Profanity | Santa Clarita | Stabbing | Zombies