[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he second season of “Drunk History” got off to a great start last week and tonight’s episode will surely give fans plenty of more reasons to laugh and learn about the history of New York City.
Paul Scheer as Col. Henry Ludington
“New York City”
July 8, 2014 Photo Credit: Comedy Central
First we learn the story of the Statue of Liberty and it’s creator Frederic Bartholdi. Not only do we learn that the United States didn’t originally want the Statue of Liberty, but we also are informed that play dough doesn’t taste very good. The interactions the intoxicated narrators have with host Derek Waters not only provide comedic relief, but it really does help give the show its true personality. As the story wraps up, we learn that if it wasn’t for the efforts of published Joseph Pulitzer, the Statue of Liberty might never have made it to New York City.
Next is the story of Sybil Ludington, who at the age of 16 rode a horse twice as far as Paul Revere did to warn members of her father’s militia that the British were coming. Sybil’s father is portrayed by Paul Scheer who is famous for his role on FX’s show “The League.” Although her ride is much less famous than Revere’s, it’s in no way less historically significant. With her help, she was able to gather approximately 400 militia members who were able to help fight the English troops. Her valiant efforts might be lost in a lot of history books, but she was thanked personally by George Washington.
The final story of the episode was of Nellie Bly, the journalist who pretended to be crazy in order to be institutionalized in the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island. Once she was able to get committed to the asylum, she documented all of the abuse, mistreatment and misdiagnosing of the patients. After 10 days, she was released from the asylum when Pulitzer informed the workers that Bly was not crazy after all. Once her story was published, it led to many changes in mental health and increased spending for research and maintenance of their facilities.
“Drunk History” not only delivered more laughs in the second episode, but they continue to actually do a good job of telling some of the lesser-known figures in American history. It’s the perfect balance of entertainment and information, so it comes as no surprise that the show is loved by so many fans.
I have high hopes for next week’s episode, which is all about American music. If it’s anything like the stories they did with Jack Black portraying Elvis Presley in the past, it could very well end up being one of my favorites.
