The cold open of “Kegel the Elf” was brilliant, with Jenny and Kevin sending an e-Christmas card far smugger than any in print. The matching sweaters just added to the superiority on their faces. The tables are turned when they discover that their 6 year-old daughter Ellie (played by the daughter of Dave Foley) has picked up some of their bad habits, especially their colorful vocabulary. There is nothing like a kid with a speech impediment saying, “That’s bullcwap!” and “Stop busting my bwalls” to get you in the holiday spirit. We don’t get to hear her say it, but I loved that she wanted classmates to “take a ride on her suck stick.” But the most memorable swearing actually came from Kevin, in his post- playoff loss to Ruxin, that exploded into an onslaught of rage and bleeping. Smashing Taco’s egg nativity and telling his daughter that Santa is fake just added to the lowest moment in that man’s life.
Speaking of Jenny (played perfectly by Katie Aselton), she has become one of my favorite characters on the show. She’s a cool, smart woman who knows football. I’m not obsessed with football like she is, but I can totally relate to loving traditionally guy stuff. Which is why I was thrilled when she joined the league, and why I was rooting for her to beat Ruxin … also because I hate Ruxin (Nick Knoll).
Poor, poor Andre. This has definitely not been his year. That being said, the rest of the league naming his curse “drAIDS” made me laugh in a “I know I shouldn’t be laughing” sort of way. His desperate clinging to the Dre/Shidre/Shiva at least lets us know that the guy’s 2011 can’t be worse than 2010.
You can understand my disappointment when Ruxin ultimately won the Shiva Bowl. I didn’t expect the writers to let Jenny win her first season in the league, but Ruxin is just such a constant jerk! I knew that his victory would be tainted by something — that something being the Shiva being thrown off the roof and hitting some poor guy’s car. But even after getting arrested, Ruxin savored the win and it was pretty gross. I mean, he described how this was his long-time sexual fantasy, down to the five of them watching him and Andre wearing his stupidest hat. The unexpected and ominous solar eclipse that followed was a sign of only dark things to come for season 3. I look forward to it.
Clacked by Katie Schenkel 
on Dec 10, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Great review. But one small correction. You list these as episodes 18 and 19 at the top when they’re episodes 12 and 13. I personally thought the penultimate epsisode was superior to the season finale, mainly because it involved less of Ruxin being a gigantic douche. (What’s his redeeming quality anyway? Everyone else has something that’s less than terrible about them, or we can feel sorry for them in some way, but Ruxin’s rich, has a hot wife, and is generally a terrible person.) The solar eclipse was a bit weird at the end as well. Usually The League has ridiculously improbable and/or never going to happen in real life happenings, but not truly unnatural things. (That’s usually saved for Community.)
I think I know what happened: they’re the 18th and 19th in the series as a whole. I’ll have the editors change it. But thanks for the positive feedback!
Hands down, a terrific show and incredibly funny. This and 30 Rock are the best comedies on the air at the moment.