The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Takeover Spirit
The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 5, “Takeover Spirit,” gives us a fun guest turn from the legendary Patti LaBelle as Bill’s mother. It’s a delightful, lighthearted affair that offers the consistently excellent Saycon Sengbloh a chance to shine.
“Takeover Spirit” follows the same trend as “One Small Step” in that the uber-talented vocalist guest star doesn’t sing — at least not at a volume we can hear. While it’s an odd choice, perhaps the writers wished to throw audiences for a loop by not having LaBelle or Tituss Burgess sing.
MOTHER WILLIAMS: With that said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the tragedy that happened here on Sunday, and that tragedy was how terrible you sounded. It’s a wonder more people didn’t drop dead from that embarrassing performance.
Besides, Sengbloh’s ethereal, stunning voice takes center stage in a way it hasn’t before. If you don’t feel the Holy Spirit’s presence prior to watching “Takeover Spirit,” you will by the episode’s end.
While “Takeover Spirit” is a glorious showcase for Sengbloh’s vocals, it’s also an opportunity for LaBelle to put her comedic chops on display. Her timing is as sharp and tight as the main cast, and watching her play up the comedy against Sengbloh’s “straight man” persona is a damn treat.
Season 2 Episode 5 of The Wonder Years proves how strong this series can be when both narrative plots are consistently solid. They feed each other in a beautifully symbiotic way, creating one cohesive episodic arc instead of feeling like two separate episodes.
LILLIAN [singing]: Jesus is on the main line.
KIM: Mama, you’ve been at it for over an hour. Maybe let Jesus off the main line.
Dean’s experimentation with an Ouija board in an episode focusing heavily on church culture is a fun choice. Elisha Williams and Laura Kariuki share a hilarious and all-too-relatable sibling dynamic. The show is at its best when it leans into those family relationships, and this is a prime example of when it works well.
Richard Gant returns in “Takeover Spirit” as the amusing Granddaddy Clisby. Even though we only get a taste of it, the outing shows us the hysterical bond between Clisby and Mother Williams and how they interact. Here’s hoping the series invites LaBelle back for more marital antics with Gant’s Clisby.
Overall, “Takeover Spirit” is a dependable entry in The Wonder Years universe, punctuated by entertaining guest performances (particularly LaBelle), two laugh-inducing storylines, and out-of-the-world vocals by Saycon Sengbloh. Seriously. We need her to sing in every episode.
It’s an easygoing, fluffy half-hour of escapism.
Stray Observations:
- It’s a tragedy of the grandest proportions that we didn’t get a duet with Patti LaBelle and Saycon Sengbloh. Imagine those harmonies. It would’ve been a stunning performance.
- When experimenting with an Ouija board, there’s almost always that one friend who likes to pretend the pointer moves of its own accord, even though they’re moving it purposely.
- As someone incessantly anxious and in a near-constant state of self-guilt, I, too, would blame myself for Mrs. Henderson’s death if I was in Dean’s shoes. That poor kid.
- We’ve all met at least one person with a “takeover spirit.” Sometimes, it’s contagious.
What did you think of this episode of The Wonder Years? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Wonder Years airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.