The Shabbat Dinner – As the third episode of Knuckles begins, Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) surprises his mom, Wendy (Stockard Channing), by returning home. Wade isn’t happy to see his sister, Wanda (Edi Patterson), who is wearing her FBI uniform. They argue for a while as Wanda tells Wade what she’s doing there. Wendy wants to know if Wade’s girlfriend is Jewish. She’s not expecting to meet someone like Knuckles (Idris Elba). She collapses briefly. Once they come inside, Knuckles and Wade promise they won’t be there long. Wanda checks Knuckles for weapons. They’re invited to dinner. Wade thinks they should get out of there because every Whipple family Shabbat dinner has been nothing but deceit, betrayal, and violence.

Wendy asks if Knuckles is Jewish. Wade is surprised his mom made his favorite foods even though from the most obscure Jewish holidays. Knuckles admires their tiny hats. Wendy begins talking about Shabbat and how it’s a day of rest. Wade and Wanda continue arguing during dinner. Wendy asks about Knuckles’s family. He says his people were killed by a race of giant owls. Wendy says their tribe has been through some tough times too. She says Knuckles is basically Jewish. Knuckles likes the food. Wanda asks Wade how he got involved with the alien. He tells her he’s been working with a secret global law enforcement agency called GUN. Wanda refuses to believe him.

She claims she knows someone from GUN although she likely does not. Meanwhile, Knuckles tells Wendy about the Master Emerald. She gets tired of hearing Wanda and Wade fight. Knuckles learns that Wendy used to be an instructor of Krav Maga which is an Israeli self-defense. Wanda gets upset and stabs Wade in the arm with a fork. Wendy tells Wade to leave her like that schmuck. Wade reminds her that he was his father. Knuckles ends up being alone with Wendy. A bounty hunter calls someone and tells them to round up the guys because they have an easy catch. Knuckles checks on Wade in his room. He notices a poster for “Pistol” Pete Whipple. Knuckles asks if they’re going to Reno to confront and dethrone his father.

Wade pretends not to know his father is going to be at the bowling tournament. They listen to a CD Wade made a long time ago. Wade tells Knuckles about his dad leaving and how they used to visit the bowling alley together. Knuckles notices Wade’s cutout of Zap from American Gladiators. He has a lot of questions, but Wade is in a hurry to get rid of him. Knuckles returns to Wendy and the religious babble continues. Wendy talks about being alone even when her children are around. They watch Pretty Woman. The bounty hunters approach the residence that night. Before long, they burst inside and try to find Wade. One bounty hunter is attacked by Wade who does very little damage.

Knuckles arrives and takes care of the bounty hunter, but severely damages the home. Wanda thinks the bounty hunter is a joke until he tries to attack her. Knuckles saves her as well. Wendy is approached by two bounty hunters. She and Knuckles take care of them. Wendy is happy her family came together to protect one another.

 

Knuckles Review

The first two episodes of Knuckles were watchable although nothing spectacular. The third was easily the worst episode of the series so far. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the episode was such a waste of time and added nothing to the story. Instead, it spent way too much time going into the fundamentals of Judaism.

This might be suitable for educational material in a religious school, but Knuckles is supposed to be a humorous show for children. Not to mention, the back-and-forth between Wade and Wanda was straight-up obnoxious. Wade is already difficult to take. Amplifying that character with the addition of Wanda was clearly not a good idea.

This episode scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of Knuckles can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Discuss this show and others at the Reel Mockery Forum.