Recap: SON OF ZORN gets A Taste of Zypheria

Season 1, episode 5: “A Taste of Zypheria”
Written by Dan Mintz
Directed by Bill Benz

[All photos courtesy Fox Broadcasting Co.]

We start with Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) playing Mine Sweeper at work when his co-worker Todd (Mark Proksch) shows him a sitcom with a Zypherian based character. It’s an insulting stereotype and this angers Zorn. Later, Zorn learns that Alan ( Johnny Pemberton) doesn’t know and doesn’t care about his Zypherian heritage. As a present, Zorn gives Alan an enchanted Zypherian belt that will turn him to stone if he takes it off.

At school, Alan is trying to impress Layla (Clara Mamet). But before he can get off on a date with her, Zorn grabs him from school and takes him to learn about Zypherian culture.

Edie (Cheryl Hines) is being annoyed by the neighbors’ talking gnome. Zorn tells Edie to just smash it and be done with it. Edie decides to be more diplomatic about it and just send them a letter.

Later, Edie goes over to see them, they tell her no…until she tells them that Zorn is Craig. Looking at Zorn, they tell her they will remove the gnome. She then uses this to get more concessions from them.

Craig (Tim Medows) suggests to Zorn that he bring Zypheria to Alan.

Alan apologizes to Layla for seemingly ditching her and invites her over for a movie. When they get to Zorn’s apartment they find that Zorn has redecorated it to be more Zypherian. Zorn then teaches them more about Zypherian life.

This lesson doesn’t go well and just embarrasses Alan. Layla thinks it was a sweet idea and that Alan shouldn’t have gotten angry at his dad.

Edie comes home to find the gnome back on the neighbor’s lawn as well as a lot more chimes and things. Craig ruined Edie’s ruse by revealing himself to be Edie’s husband, not Zorn.

Edie stops Alan from taking the enchanted belt off and sets him straight about Zypherian culture and what his dad has gone through just to be with him.

Todd apologizes to Zorn for demeaning his culture and takes him out to a Zypherian restaurant.

Later, Alan apologizes to Zorn about not appreciating his heritage. So together they are able to take the belt off of Alan.

Edie talks with the neighbors and apologizes for lying. They accept the apology, but not before they demean Zypheria.

So Edie goes home, gets out her Zypherian hammer and smashes the gnome.

Analysis:

An episode about hurtful stereotypes. That’s it. That’s all I have to say….but I think my editor wants more (right, Jason?)

Okay. This episode covers the fact that Alan just wants to be a normal American teenager. He really doesn’t care to know about his Zypherian heritage (where apparently everything wants to kill you, including your belt). He just wants to get the girl. We don’t learn a lot about Zypheria in this episode. Your belt will turn you to stone if you take it off, they have some sort of technology (Zorn had a little robot behind him in his apartment), and normal people outside Zypheria just think of them as backward barbarians.

In the end, Edie explains to her son that Zorn gave up a lot to come to America to be with him. He pretty much sacrificed the world that he loves more than anything to have this relationship.

In the “B” story, Edie is kind of at war with her neighbors over how they decorate their yard, especially their talking lawn gnome. I agree with Edie, that would drive me up the wall, too. At first, she tries a nice approach, then uses subterfuge until actual Craig ruins it for her. Just goes to show that lying is never the answer. A heavy Zypherian Battle Hammer is. One of the best moments of the episode is when she crushes that annoying gnome into little bits.

Son of Zorn is doing alright ratings wise. It seems to be holding steady at between 3.5 and 4 million viewers. It’s a much better fit for the line-up then Brooklyn Nine-Nine was in that spot.

Next week, we get to see more of Zypherian technology as Zorn uses Mecha-Zorn, his robotic doppelganger. To get out of work, will hijinks ensue? Of course.

 

Son of Zorn airs Sunday at 8:30/7:30 Central on Fox. It can also be found on Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu and Fox.com. For more information, visit the official website.