Written by Megan LaBruna
Football is finally back, and what better way to usher in the season than with the FXX premiere of the final season of The League? Last season saw the gang down at Ted’s beach house celebrating Andre’s (Paul Scheer) victory as champion, winning not only the beach house, but the coveted “Shiva”. Unfortunately, as is the case with almost every high point in Andre’s life, there isn’t much time to celebrate winning when the beach house and the “Shiva” burn to the ground thanks to fireworks gone awry. Now, instead of being a prize, the beach house is a burden with Andre owing $150,000 in damages. A deficit he may be able to unload at the end of this season if he is able to avoid becoming the “Sacko”.
Yes as terrible a punishment it is to be the “Sacko” or as of last season, the “Ruxin”, the stakes have now been raised by adding a debt of $150,000 to whoever comes in last for this upcoming season. Knowing some of the stunts, long cons and shady trade deals that have gone on in the past, I can only imagine what absurdities the writers have in store for viewers this final season. We’ve already seen a cameo from the first season, with Pete’s (Mark Duplass) ex-wife Meegan (Leslie Bibb) returning as Andre’s new girlfriend. Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly, she’s dating Andre and seems to legitimately like him. Again, like most things in Andre’s life, I don’t see this ending well.
The final season premier did not disappoint with their cameos; the first of which included Marshawn Lynch, running back for the Seattle Seahawks. He and Taco (Jon LaJoie) entertainingly recreate Seahawks’ unfortunate final play choice during this year’s Super Bowl. Taco and Marshawn talk through the idea to throw a beer to Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) instead of simply running it over to him. Not to worry Seahawks’ fans, they also reference “Deflate-gate” during the reveal of the league’s new “Shiva” trophy options. Arizona Cardinals fans saw both defensive end Calais Campbell and safety, Tyrann Mathieu aka the “honey badger” share some screen time and jabs against Andre which spawns Pete’s revelation of his relationship with Meegan.
With the draft taking place in Chicago this year, where the show is based, The League of course got in on that action. Jenny (Katie Aselton) won the chance to announce the Bears 3rd round draft pick with Jim McMahon through a fan promotional contest. Despite Kevin’s attempts to ask his wife to lovingly gift her opportunity to him for his birthday, Jenny is determined to be the one to make the announcement. Kevin and Ruxin (Nick Kroll) still manage to get in on the ground floor of the draft after a random runner for the Seahawks becomes an unfortunate casualty of Pete and Andre’s fight. Kevin swoops in to save the day by answering the call from Seahawk’s GM John Schneider and manages to help secure their trade for Tyler Lockett. Ruxin, as usual, is no help whatsoever; yet still makes his presence known.
This isn’t the first time Taco’s been the “Sacko”, but it is the first time they’re really pranking him. But the real prank is on them, because every punishment they create for Taco backfires as he continually enjoys the punishments. One of the things I love about The League is their ability to bring references from past seasons back around. One of the punishments included Taco having to get a real job. He put on his best suit, which to normal people means an actual suit. Not to Taco, he put on the Mr. McGibblit’s costume from the first season. I died laughing at the subtle addition of the tie to attempt to class up his “suit” for potential job opportunities.
Another thing I enjoy about The League is their ability to turn NFL headlines into weekly satire that blends perfectly into their storyline. Their references are usually pretty on point with what is currently occurring in the world of football. Dare I say The League makes football season even more entertaining than just watching the NFL season by itself? While that is merely my own opinion, I can promise you many fans of the popular FXX show are suffering from both the thrill and impending final ending of The League. With season seven being the last, there’s definitely a “no holds barred” mentality. Not that this show has ever been known to be reserved! While I’m not sure who is going to be crowned the final league winner or the unfortunate “sacko”, I am pretty confident that I foresee an absurd amount of cameos in this final season and I look forward to every single one of them.
Rating: 7/10
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