The Cleveland Show, "Pins, Spins and Fins… (Shark Story Cut For Time)"

Precocious children are the norm on television, particularly sitcoms, particularly ANIMATED sitcoms. Thus, it's always refreshing when people treat Rallo like the annoying, self-involved jerk that he - like all six year olds - really is.

In the main plot of this episode, Rallo gets a taste of bowling success and becomes an insufferably bad winner. This is funny enough, but the pivot point of the story arc, in which Donna takes him down with a musical number called "Kids Suck At Everything," had me snorting with laughter.

It wouldn't be as funny if Donna hadn't allowed Rallo to win in the first place, because she's a good mom, but she's willing to whip that rug out from underneath him if his ego gets too big - again, because she's a good mom. Donna's patience is a very finite commodity in the Cleveland Show world, which I think makes her one of the most well-rounded characters in contemporary animation, as well as totally relatable. And it plays perfectly against her first husband's utter indifference to the kids.

This plot also spun off some funny side bits, like the clinically insane bowling attendant. And Cleveland Jr.'s drawing of himself weeping beside his mother's grave, which Donna has taped to the refrigerator apparently without reflection or comment.

In the B plot, Cleveland and his bros try to get the spark back in their friendship. There are some good laughs in the amusement park, although I thought the centrifuge ride wore out its welcome by the end.

I particularly want to commend this episode's animation chops for two things:

1. The physics of Rallo's attempted rescue: The moment when the perspective shifts from Rallo (who sees his father spinning around the rope hanging in the middle of the ride) to Cleveland (who sees the rope holding steady before him, albeit spinning madly) is sublime.

2. The shot of all four of the guys on the therapist's couch: There is a wonderful specificity to the way that Tim the Bear has his arms awkwardly hunched forward. Particularly for those of us larger folks familiar with the problem of cramped seating.

Image copyright The Cleveland Show/20th Century FOX Television