Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.16 “Mrs. Murray”

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Malibu CA, which aired in Syndication in 1998 and 1999. The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Murray gets married!

Episode 1.16 “Mrs. Murray”

(DIr by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on February 7th, 1999)

It may seem strange to review an episode of Malibu, CA on Halloween but this episode does feature Murray dressed up as Elvis so I guess that’s kind of Halloween-y.

Why is Murray dressed as Elvis? That’s what he decides to wear to his wedding, which is being held in the restaurant for some reason. Murray is marrying Amber (Anastasia Horne), who is only interested in Murray because of his money. (At one point, Amber’s friend refers to Murray as being the “mayor of Freak City.” No, Murray was mayor of Malibu …. remember?) Murray will receive a billion-dollar trust fund as soon as he gets married. Jason and Scott try to warn Murray about Amber so, at his wedding, Murray announces that he will not accept a dime of money from his trust fund. Amber quickly leaves the restaurant and Murray starts to sing “I feel so lonely I could die.”

Poor Murray!

While it’s tempting to praise Scott and Jason for looking out for Murray, I’ve seen enough episodes to know that Scott and Jason were probably just concerned that Amber would take all of Murray’s money before they could get a chance to cheat him out of it. Scott and Jason have certainly never had any problem with the idea of taking Murray’s money before. I’d probably be trusting of their motives if not for the fact that they embezzled money from Murray’s campaign just a few episodes ago.

Meanwhile, Tracy tries her hand at becoming a hairstylist, which leads to Sam and Stads looking like this:

Hey, just in time for Halloween! Are we sure this isn’t a holiday episode? It originally aired on February 7th, 1999 so …. nope. It’s just a coincidence that the episode I’m reviewing on Halloween happened to feature a lot of costumes.

This episode was essentially just a re-do of the Saved by The Bell episode with Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce, with the main difference being that Brandon Brooks is a bit more likable as Murray than Dustin Diamond was as Screech. On a personal note, I have to say that, as someone who has big boobs and is proud of it, I kind of resent that that every similarly endowed woman on Malibu, CA is portrayed as being either an airhead (Tracy) or a golddigger (Amber). For a show set on the beach, this show certainly does seem to take issue with those of us who actually look good in a bikini.

(Personally, I think Tracy should marry Murray and start digging into the trust fund….)

Oh well. I could complain more but it’s time for me to get ready to hand out candy. Happy Halloween!

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.15 “Love on the ‘Net”

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, a guest star from Hang Time comes to Malibu, CA!

Episode 1.15 “Love on the ‘Net”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on January 31st, 1999)

Scott is meeting women though a new and weird method that is called the — let me see, I wrote down the term just so I would get it right — the Internet. Jason, who hasn’t had any luck getting a date since he broke up with Stads, says that only “geeks and weirdos” spend any time on this Internet thing. He thinks his brother is crazy for making a date with a girl who met online. But when Jason sees the picture that Jocelyn sends Scott, he changes his mind.

Being a sociopath, Jason switches out the photo of Jocelyn with a picture of a female body builder. He tells Scott that he should stand Jocelyn up and Scott agrees. Jason then meets Jocelyn (played by Daniella Deutscher, who previously played Julie Connor on Hang Time) and claims that he’s Scott.

Seriously, Jason is the absolute worst. Scott, to his credit, at least feels bad about standing up Jocelyn. He’s still a jerk but at least Scott is capable of feeling guilt. Jason, on the other hand….

Eventually, Scott discovers what Jason is doing. Scott pretends to be Jason and tells Jocelyn that his brother loves doing extreme things …. like skydiving! Soon, all three of them are in an airplane. When a terrified Jason admits that he’s not actually Scott and then a cocky Scott explains that he’s not actually Jason, Jocelyn says that she would rather jump out of a plane than be with either of them. And then she does just that. Hopefully, she remembered to put on her parachute.

Jason and Scott apologize to each other for being jerks. Then, they fall out of the plane because this is a Peter Engel sitcom and you can bet that, in the Engelverse, there’s no way anyone’s going to go up on a plane without falling out of it. Unfortunately, both Jason and Scott remembered their parachutes.

While this is going on, Tracy gets a role on Baywatch and follows around Stads in order to learn how to be a lifeguard. Stads gets annoyed when Tacy gets credit for saving a hot wealthy guy who invites Tracy to his yacht. Stads says that Tracy is a bad actress and a bad lifeguard. “And you’re a bad friend!” Tracy replies.

YOU TELL HER, TRACY! Seriously, Stads was really annoying in this episode.

This episode was dumb but it does have value as a time capsule from the age when the Internet was still viewed as being something exotic and new. Any 90s kid will smile at the sight of Scott’s bulky computer. As for this episode’s guest star, Daniella Deutscher is far more likable here than she ever was on Hang Time. She told both Jason and Scott to go to Hell so that makes her a winner in my book!

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.14 “Murray For Mayor”

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Dennis Haskins guest stars!

Episode 1.14 “Murray for Mayor”

(DIr by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on January 24th, 1999)

Upset that his favorite tree stump has been slated to be destroyed to make room for a new road, Murray decides to run for mayor of Malibu. When they discover that Murray’s father has given him a check for $20,000, Scott and Jason declare themselves to be Murray’s campaign managers.

Being two sociopaths, Jason and Scott proceed to spend the money on things for themselves. It doesn’t matter, though. Murray soon finds himself rising in the polls.

Who is Murray’s opponent? It’s none other than Dennis Haskins, of Saved By The Ball fame! Haskins plays himself in this episode, offering up a bunch of vacuous plans and slogans while continually having to explain to people that Mr. Belding was just a character that he played on television. When Haskins learns that Scott and Jason have been using the money on things like a new television, he informs them that he will report them to the campaign board unless Murray loses.

Being two sociopaths, Jason and Scott try to sabotage Murray’s campaign by telling Murray to make increasingly outrageous promises. But it doesn’t matter …. Murray wins the election!

Yay! Jason and Scott are going to prison! The show’s over!

No, not quite. After making sure that his stump will be saved, Murray resigns as mayor. Dennis Haskins announces that he’ll be running to replace Murray and, for some reason, this means that he’s dropping his investigation into Jason and Scott’s financial activities. I don’t think that’s the way it works but whatever.

Meanwhile, Tracy is learning how to be a magician. She accidentally handcuffs herself to Stads, totally ruining Stads’s date with some random guy. Luckily, Tracy later handcuffs herself to the same guy and convinces him to give Stads a second chance.

(Where would mediocre sitcoms be without aspiring magicians and handcuffs?)

This episode was actually not as bad as it probably sounds. Casting Dennis Haskins as himself and then having him spend the entire episode angrily saying that he’s tired of talking about Screech was actually kind of clever and probably a good reflection of what was actually happing in Haskins’s life at the time. With its story of a washed-up celeb running for political office, this episode actually felt a bit prophetic. (Just a few months before this episode aired, Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota.) Just as Ben Savage had to spend his entire congressional run dealing with questions about why he no longer talks to the cast of Boy Meets World, Dennis Haskins finds his entire campaign defined by one role.

In the end, this episode predicts our cynical future. Murray is elected despite being an idiot. How often does that happen nowadays?

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.13 “Mom Returns”

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Jason and Scott’s mom returns to America and quickly decides to leave again.

Episode 1.13 “Mom Returns”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on January 17th, 1999)

With their Dad stuck in San Diego on his birthday, Jason and Scott decide to throw a wild party at the house. The music is loud. The house is crowded. Murray jumps off the second floor balcony. The police show up and start dancing. Oddly enough, Stads shows up and there’s absolutely no awkwardness between her and Jason, despite the fact that they just broke up.

Everything is going great until Michele (Carol Huston) shows up.

Michele is Jason and Scott’s mother, the one who sent them to Malibu so that she could take a job in Saudi Arabia. She’s returned home and Jason and Scott panic that she’s going to order them to return to New York. When they overhear Michele talking to their Dad about getting married again, Jason and Scott are convinced that their parents are getting back together.

Of course, this being a Peter Engel-produced show, it’s all a big misunderstanding. Michele is getting married again but she’s marrying a guy that she met in Saudi Arabia. In fact, she’s planning on spending another year in Saudi Arabia. I guess she likes not being allowed to drive and having to cover herself from head to toe while living in the middle of the desert. Still, when Jason and Scott start wearing suits and behaving like perfect angels in an attempt to convince their mom to let them stay in Malibu, their Dad decides to play a trick on them and basically allows them to believe that he and Michele are getting back together….

Wow, what a fucking asshole.

Seriously, it’s rare that I curse but this is one of the worst things that I’ve ever seen a television father do. I’m a child of divorce. I know exactly how it feels to fool yourself into thinking that your parents are going to get back together. That’s not something joke about.

Their father also jokes about sending his sons to Saudi Arabia. He even gives them some keffiyehs to wear. The audience laughs. Today, of course, Scott and Jason would just look like a typical Ivy Leaguer.

Anyway, after this episode, I understand why Michele got a divorce and couldn’t wait to get away from the kids. She probably could have escaped to a less misogynistic country but I guess she was desperate.

While all of this was going on, Sam and Stads competed to see who could raise the most money for charity. Stads really got over Sam kissing her boyfriend quickly! Both of them recruit Tracy to help them raise money. Tracy walks around the beach in a bikini and says, “Who wants to give me money?” It works.

This was a dumb episode.

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.12 “The Big Storm”

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, a mudslide changes everything …. kind of.

Episode 1.12 “The Big Storm”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on January 10th, 1999)

Stads and Jason are coming up on their big, six-month anniversary! Stads wants to celebrate at a volleyball tournament. Jason wants to celebrate at the “Puff Daddy” concert. You can really tell how old this show is by the fact that 1) they’re still calling him “Puff Daddy” and 2) they’re taking seriously the idea of wanting to see him in concert.

With Stads annoyed that Jason never seems to want to do anything that she wants to do, Jason turns to Sam for advice. Sam says that Jason should drive into Beverly Hills and buy a necklace that Stads wants. Sam even accompanies Jason on the drive. Awww! What a good freind.

But then — oh no! — a storm hits. Jason and Sam end up getting trapped in their car by a mudslide. Trapped together, Jason and Sam share a kiss. Its a big moment that would have been bigger if it made any sense. Seriously, until that moment, Sam had never shown any interest in Jason whatsoever. But now, suddenly, they’re kissing and preparing to die together. I understand that it’s probably mudslide panic but still, it just feels as if it comes out of nowhere.

Fortunately, Jason and Sam are rescued by the lifeguards (including Stads). Jason and Sam agree not to tell Stads about the kiss. Jason also gives Stads the necklace (Awwww! It’s a nice necklace!) and then suggests that, instead of seeing Puff Daddy, they just have a romantic dinner. Stads agrees.

Unfortunately, at dinner, Stads says that she knows what happened in the car. Jason says the kiss didn’t mean anything, just to discover that Stads was just referring to Jason and Sam talking in general. Stads gives Jason back his necklace and then dumps him. Good for Stads, she deserves better!

This is one of those storylines that would have worked better if I actually cared about any of the characters on the show but, for the most part, everyone is so shallow that it’s hard to really get worked up when they get trapped in a mudslide. As well, it would have helped if Sam had ever previously shown any interest in Jason. As well, while Jason did have a crush on Sam when the show began, that didn’t seem to last long. Two people who produce absolutely no romantic sparks shared a kiss. It didn’t really do much for me.

As often happens with this show, the B-plots were better than the main plot, largely because Brandon Brooks and Priscilla Inga Taylor were both willing to full embrace the absurdity of their characters. After Peter told Murray to stop talking so much, Murray resorted to typing his words out on his laptop and having a computerized voice repeat them. That made me laugh. Meanwhile, Tracy — who is now dating Kip, the dumb lifeguard from the previous episode — explored her artistic side by getting a camera and taking pictures of a shirtless Scott wearing an Abraham Lincoln beard. It was weird enough to be funny.

Anyway, Stads has escaped Jason …. for now. Run, Stads, run!

Retro Television Review: Malibu CA 1.11 “Malibu Holiday”

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, an actress runs away with Scott.

Episode 1.11 “Malibu Holiday”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on December 20th, 1998)

Desperate to escape the paparazzi, world-famous movie star Jessie Sinclair (Ragan Wallake) ducks into the restaurant where Scott works. (Does this place have a name? I assume it does but I can’t remember it to save my life.) Even after Jessie dyes her blonde hair brown, Scott still recognizes her. However, he also promises not to let anyone know who she is. Touched by Scott’s kindness (and seriously, when has Scott ever been this nice before?). Jessie spends the weekend with him.

Meanwhile, Jason and Stads want to make a quick $5,000 by taking a picture of Jessie for the tabloids. While pretending not to know who Jessie actually is, they secretly snap a picture of Jessie with Scott. However, when the publisher of the tabloid starts to press Jason and Stads for information on Scott, Jason and Stads realize that Jessie deserves her privacy.

It’s too late, though. The paparazzi are on to Scott and Jessie. At first, Jessie accuses Scott of selling her out but, eventually, Stads and Jason admit that they were the ones who took the picture. That night, Jessie and Scott hang out at the beach before Jessie announces that she has to leave to go shoot another movie. After Jessie leaves, Scott admits to Jason that his heart is breaking.

Awwwww!

This would be an okay episode if not for the fact that it reminded me way too much of that episode of Saved By The Bell where Zach made a bet that he could get a kiss from pop star Stevie. Little did Zach suspect that Stevie was actually Miss Bliss’s houseguest, Colleen McMurphy. Seriously, are there any episodes of Malibu CA that don’t feel as if they were recycled from leftover bits of Saved By The Bell, California Dreams, and Hang Time? With each episode, it gets more and more difficult to ignore this show’s total lack of originality.

As for the b-plots, Tracy (who, as played by Priscilla Inga Taylor, is the only consistently amusing character on Malibu CA) hopes to be cast as a screaming girl in Jessie’s film. Meanwhile, Murray takes it upon himself to screen all of Sam’s potential boyfriends because, as he explains it, Sam has terrible taste in men. Considering that Sam dated Scott for two episodes, Murray has a point.

It’s kind of interesting how, when this show started, both Scott and Jason were supposed to be in love with Sam. Now, Scott is dating random guest stars, Jason is dating Stads, and Sam rarely gets much to do on the show. If anything Gina May (who played Sam) had more chemistry with Brandon Brooks (who played Murray) than she did with either of the show’s stars. It’s just funny how things develop.

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.10 “The Costume Party”

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Summer forever! Hey, who wants to go to a costume party on the beach? Like, seriously, why would you even do that?

Episode 1.10 “The Costume Party”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on December 13th, 1998)

Well, this is sure stupid.

This week, Jason once again proves himself to be the world’s worst boyfriend by getting jealous just because Stads is working with a totally hot lifeguard named Kip (Taso Papadikis). Jason fears that Stads will dump him for Kip, just because Kip happens to be better-looking and a lot more athletic than Jason.

Scott proves himself to be the world’s worst brother by suggesting that Jason flirt with Tracy in order to make Stads jealous. Jason does so, not knowing that Stads has absolutely no romantic interest at all in Kip because Kip’s dumb. Stads, however, doesn’t know that Jason is just flirting with Tracy to make her jealous and she starts to get insecure about their relationship. Stads, being a doormat, doesn’t realize that a decent boyfriend wouldn’t be flirting with another girl right in front of her in the first place.

Sam proves herself to be the world’s worst friend by suggesting that Stads make Scott jealous by flirting with Kip. Stads flirts with Kip. Jason responds by continuing to flirt with Tracy. Eventually, Scott and Sam realize that they’ve royally screwed things up but it’s too late. Jason and Stads have already broken up.

Luckily, there’s a costume party on the pier! Because seriously, who wouldn’t want to go a hot beach in a suffocating costume? Thinking that Stads is dressed as an astronaut and that Jason is dressed as a gorilla, Scott dressed up like a gorilla and pretends to be Jason. What he and Sam don’t know is that Stads and Jason switched costumes. So, when Scott tries to give a romantic note to who he thinks is Stads, he actually gives it to Jason.

As you can probably guess, this leads to Jason and Scott holding each other tight and dancing while the audience whoops it up. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the exact same joke was used on Saved By The Bell and a host of other Peter Engel-produced sitcoms. In the Engelverse, there’s apparently nothing funnier than two guys dancing together.

This was a pretty dumb episode but, surprisingly enough, Murray’s antics did make me laugh this week. Having forgotten the security code to his house, Murray moves in with the Collins family. First, he’s a slob. Then, he’s a neat freak. In the end, he dresses up like the Silver Surfer and runs around the costume party. It was silly but Brandon Brooks really went all-out in the role and, for once, the character’s weirdness made me smile.

Otherwise, this was all pretty dumb. Seriouisly, Stads …. you deserve better!

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.9 “Murray Wear”

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Jason and Scott do something stupid!

Episode 1.9 “Murray Wear”

(DIr by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on December 6th, 1998)

Peter gives Jason and Scott the responsibility of ordering supplies for the restaurant. Jason and Scott get distracted by a bunch of models who stop by for a bite to eat and, as a result, they order too much of everything and end up costing Peter a lot of money. It’s tempting to say that this is another example of Jason and Scott being idiots (and it is) but this also an example of Peter being an even bigger idiot for giving them any responsibility to begin with.

Peter wants to be paid back for the money that his son wasted and he threatens to take the money from their paychecks unless they can pay him back in some other way. Jason and Scott rent out time on the community access channel and attempt to do their own home shopping network. No one’s interested in buying their kitchen supplies but when Murray wanders on set wearing a paint-splatted, plastic coat, the phones start ringing.

Realizing that everyone wants their own version of Murray’s coat, the boys start up Murraywear and produce their own commercial. When a buyer from Bloomingdale’s calls and says she’s thinking about stocking Murraywear in the store, Jason and Scott decide it’s time to have a fashion show on the beach….

Of course, if Jason and Scott have the money to 1) produce a television show, 2) produce a commercial, 3) buy ad space, and 4) put on a fashion show, why don’t they have the money to pay back their father?

It turns out that Murraywear has one fatal flaw. The paint wipes off very easily. A sudden rainstorm leaves everyone at the fashion show wearing only a transparent coat and their underwear. Everyone freaks out. It’s about as racy as a Peter Engel show can get, which is to say that it’s not racy at all and everyone is wearing boring underwear.

Meanwhile, Tracy dates a British snob who is, of course, named Ian (John Paul Saurine). When Ian and his parents talk about how Malibu is beneath them, Peter reminds them that they lost the Revolutionary War and Tracy realizes that she loves the beach too much to be with someone who hates it. Good for her!

What a stupid episode. I mean, it could have been worse. I actually did like Murray’s paint-splotched coat and I would have ordered one for myself. But still, Jason and Scott are just too unlikable and, quite frankly, too stupid to really be compelling protagonists. One could imagine the casts of California Dreams or even Hang Time pulling this episode off but it’s impossible to care about whether or not Jason and Scott get in trouble. Seriously, they need to head back to New York.

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.8 “Two ‘Man’ Bowling”

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ugh. I guess it’s time to get back to this stupid show.

Episode 1.8 “Two ‘Man’ Bowling”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on November 29th, 1998)

The local bowling alley has got a tournament coming up. The grand prize is a jet ski! Woo hoo! Jason Collins really wants to win that jet ski and defeat Louie (Jose Urbina). In fact, Jason even bets all of Scott’s tip money that he’ll be able to win the tournament. (Why Scott’s tip money? Because Louie spots the jar on the counter at the restaurant and assumes that it’s Jason’s tip money. God, this show is freaking stupid.) It’s a good thing that Jason is dating Stads, the best bowler in Malibu.

Except …. IT’S A TWO MAN BOWLING TOURNAMENT! NO WOMEN ALLOWED!

Like seriously, what the Hell? Both Stads and Sam are outraged by the blatant sexism but Jason is more worried about that jet ski and his brother’s tip money. He recruits Scott to be his partner but then Scott sprains his wrist when it gets caught in a dollhouse that has been refurbished into a big mouse trap because there’s a mouse loose at the restaurant and…. God, this show is freaking stupid.

Anyway, Stads puts on a fake beard and wears a loose flannel shirt and speaks in a deep voice and pretends to be a guy named Earl. Jason and “Earl” win the tournament but Melody (Marissa Jaret Winokur) develops a crush on Earl and asks him on a date. Because Melody’s father own the bowling alley, Stads has to go on the date or else Jason won’t win his jet ski. Huh?

Since Stads is not a total sociopath, she reveals the truth to Melody at the awards tournament. (Actually, the truth comes out because Jason accidentally pulls off Stads’s wig but Stads was planning on coming clear regardless.) At first, it appears that Jason and Stads are going to be disqualified but then the owner of the bowling alley decides to change the rules after the tournament has ended and, as a result, Jason and Scott win a jet ski and hey, maybe Stads will get to ride it as well.

(Seriously, Stads …. YOU CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER!)

Meanwhile, there’s a mouse loose in the restaurant and instead of following health code regulations and closing the place down, Peter says that Murray and Sam have a day to catch it before he calls in the exterminator. It’s dumb but I have to admit that I did kind of smile at Murray, Sam, and Tracy’s enthusiasm when it came to hunting the mouse. They were enjoyably silly.

For the most part, though, this was a pretty freaking stupid episode that felt as if it was pieced together with plotlines and jokes that were left over from Saved By The Bell and California Dreams. As I’ve said before, this show wouldn’t be so bad if Jason and Scott weren’t total jerks but they are. One guy with a smirk is intriguing but two guys with a smirk feels like a threat. I hope their jet ski sinks.

Retro Television Review: Malibu, CA 1.7 “Scott’s Old Girlfriend”

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Is this a good episode of Malibu, CA? Read on to find out!

Episode 1.7 “Scott’s Old Girlfriend”

(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on November 22nd, 1998)

Scott and Sam’s relationship is going strong. They’re even planning on spending the weekend in Catalina together. But then Scott’s girlfriend from New York, Megan (Tsianina Joelson), comes to California for a series of dance auditions. Scott swears that he broke up with Megan before leaving New York but it turns out that seeing, “See ya,” is not the best or clearest way to break up with someone. Megan still thinks that she’s dating Scott.

Instead of telling Megan and Sam the truth, Scott attempts to keep them from learning about each other. Why? Because Scott is a character in a Peter Engel-produced sitcom and the guys in these shows always did the stupidest possible things. Scott’s attempt to lie to both of his girlfriends ends in failure and Sam dumps him.

We’re back in familiar territory with this episode. Once again, for 20 minutes, we see that Scott Collins is the worst person who has ever lived. The show attempts to make Scott likable by having him regularly break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience but smirking while bragging about lying to not one but two girlfriends does not exactly make one likable. His brother Jason is a bit less annoying than usual in this episode but he still helps Scott in his attempted deception so, even if he’s not as much of a sociopath as Scott, Jason’s still a bit of a wimp. (In many ways, being wimpy is even worse than being evil.) It’s actually very satisfying when Sam dumps Scott because it’s exactly what an actual human being would do in this situation. In fact, it’s so satisfying that it actually makes this episode a smidgen better than the ones that came before it.

There is a B-plot but it’s not as annoying as usual. Stads helps Murray train for a surfing contest, which Murray wins even though he’s torn between his love of surfing and his newly found love for Traycee. Stads encourages Murray to break up with Traycee so he can concentrate on surfing and, continuing the show’s theme of people behaving in a semi-realistic way, she feels guilty about it afterwards. But Traycee quickly gets back together with her ex and Murray is excited to have a surfing trophy. And you know what? Good for him. Murray started out as a kind of annoying character but, compared to Scott and Jason, he’s a prince.

Was this a good episode? Well, no, not really. Due to just how unlikable the show’s two main characters are, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a good episode of Malibu CA. But it wasn’t quite as bad as the ones that came before it.