First, as this is labeled as a comedy, I must say that the laughs are definately there in quality and quantity. Along with long lasting smiles punctuated with smirks. All the jokes hits and Orlando Bloom is having a blast lampooning himself. Since this is Ricky Gervais, the cringe factor is as high as ever as people disrespect each other and put their feet in their mouth like there is no tomorrow.
But I didn't expect that much drama. The ever present sad clown archetype has just gotten more concrete. And the producer vs. creator drama felt authentic.
Where the genius resides is that comedy, cringe and deep sadness just flow together in a coherent and well balanced manner, vibrating with the strongest message I discerned from Ricky's work this far.
He delivers his punchline again and again, arrives backstage, removes his funny glasses and you can tell he feels used and dirty and my eyes are getting wet as I type. That's how powerful that is.

The point was very clear, quite loud and altogether very funny. It was refreshing to witness Seth McFarlane and his writers stick it to the man and unequivocally insult the FCC. I smile just trying to imagine all the stuff they must've written that didn't make it to get all that dirt through.
It all worked well this time, but dirty can be even funnier in small doses and although this episode was great, I hope they got that out of their systems for a while.
Also: Best. Opening. Ever. Some may argue the Bin Laden blooper may seem a bit overlong, but its delivery was so perfect I felt it went on with ease. The following massive Naked Gun reference would have generated a standing ovation had I been a complete audience. Great jokes were numerous through the whole episode and quickly made me forget those that may have fell flat (or just missed keeping in mind I'm French-Canadian and not familiar with a lot of America's television history.)

While this episode had its good bits, I felt it didn't hold up as well as the precedent ones. The best aspect of the storyline would be that Earl at last decides to make something up for something wrong he did to Joy (which is hinted will happen again sometimes). However, most of the convoluted path he follows makes less sense than it did before. Or maybe it's only the adding up of unlikely twists and plain silly details but it just didn't feel right this time.
I can only take so much wackiness. I was busy digesting the fact that a mother-daughter lawnmower-sponsored beauty pageant was taking place that I had to accept that an adult could enter it a the last minute with an urn containing cigarette ash and butts. Then I was expected to believe that said contestants could win the pageant while an unregarded Earl was left spinning on stage with a throwing knife in his leg.

Except maybe for Joy, this episodes succeed at making the most unlikable character sympathetic. You see a looser criminal meet a psychopathic dangerous ex-con as well as his fanatic mother and the result is funny, yet ultimately endearing. I'm glad it's not only plain feel-good stuff and that there is till plenty of reprehensible acts and gratuitous crime involved in the flashbacks.
All in all I enjoy the direction the show is taking so far: A couple of over-the-top humour elements didn't hurt at all, namely the oversized bible bashing and the crossbow segment. And I liked how Crabman is neutral and cool.
However I hope Earl will have to struggle a little bit more in the future to overcome his bad traits and will meet less resiliant antagonists because so far, he had it a bit easy.