Hot in Cleveland: Crashing a Funeral

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode practically had me in stitches. I just found it to be really funny, and an excellent example of what this show's ensemble can do. Elka just kept proving how knowledgeable she is with what's popular these days, which always makes me laugh. The ladies demonstrate how far they're willing to go to help their friends (climbing INTO a coffin to undress a corpse?!?!), and that's touching. Victoria flat-out stealing an old magazine, keeping it even after she's been discovered, then throwing it out at the end really encapsulated her personality, I think. And, the girls' focus on themselves and how important it is to have the right look manages to come through yet again, as they push the limit on what they'll do to get back a beloved (and apparently very flattering) dress. And that's before you even look at the "detective work" going on, Joy's ongoing sadness for her non-anniversary, and the ruse of pretending to know the deceased! Top-notch all around.

Hot in Cleveland "Funeral Crashers" (S03E03): Melanie's dry cleaner lost her favorite, "magic" dress. The day isn't going so well for Joy, either... it's the anniversary of the day she was left at the altar. In what seems like only minutes, the dry cleaner calls back Melanie to let her know where the dress ended up. But, it seems that the woman who received it has passed away, and the funeral is in mere hours. [that all seemed to go WAY too smoothly to actually be a real-life scenario!] Elka suggests that they crash the funeral... she wants to go to meet men! Plus, when Victoria reads the woman's obituary, she learns that she may be able to obtain a long-lost copy of the Soap Opera Digest issue where she was on the cover. Joy doesn't want to be alone, so she decides to go too... mostly since crying at a funeral is socially acceptable, so nobody will ask her what's wrong. [this makes me laugh pretty hard.] Elka jokes that it's also okay to cry in public at Browns games, too. [hahaha.]

Rules for crashing a funeral: 1) if you're about to be caught, say that you're overcome with emotion and walk away. [seems a bit obvious, but okay.] 2) specific details make your lies more believable. [this goes for everywhere, yo!] 3) pick an alias close to your real name so it's easy to remember. [meh. I like Phoebe's rule on this better from Friends - just go with the same fake every time.] Joy is immediately approached and makes up a lie about having known the woman from a collectors' convention, but has to pull out rule #1 to save herself. [the fact that it was both a coin and a Hummel convention seemed a bit fictional, LoL.] Elka talks to some guys and runs into Roy, the waiter. [I LOVE that he makes an appearance!] He tells her that he thinks it was a murder, hoping to get Elka's insight into what might have happened. Meanwhile, Melanie and Joy realize that the deceased is wearing the magic dress!

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Melanie undresses to switch clothes with the woman, and has Joy climb into the coffin to take off the dress. Victoria barges in, having found her magazine, then locks the door. Victoria keeps reading her old interview aloud and there's a funny Just Shoot Me joke. Someone else comes in to pay his respects, and Joy manages to hide in the bottom half of the coffin for a few minutes. The gentleman, Dan, has come to say that he's regretted breaking their engagement for the past 50 years. Well, Joy reveals herself when she speaks, saying that she won't forgive him. But, after he explains, she accepts the apology. [surprising! I didn't see her relenting on this...]

While all of this is going on, Elka and Roy dig in the backyard to find a possible syringe that he saw being buried the night that she died. Then, they go looking for the will, and Elka cracks a computer password. [I love that they're pulling out every move from crime television shows. and that they make it look so easy, haha.]

The guests all file into the room housing the coffin, and since Victoria is spotted with the magazine, she's asked to be the first person to say a few words. But, it's quickly realized that she never knew the woman after all. [hahaha!] Elka finds out that Roy made up the murder thing to get her to himself. [sneaky, sneaky!]

Back at the house, Joy decides that it's time to move on, and throws out her old bouquet. Victoria talks about moving on as well, and tosses the magazine. [I just sit here shaking my head... she goes through all that trouble to not even keep the memento? If she doesn't like what she said in the article, why not just tear off the cover to save? I also get really tired of the jokes about how the ladies are only like 40.] There is a suggestion that maybe they could dig up the body to get the dress.... but Elka won't let the ladies borrow her shovel. [hmmmm... wonder if this will come up again later...?]