Unlike "Border," I found it hard to get into the show-within-a-show plot of "Little Italy." Basically, Benjamin is investigating a story about a treasure of New York's Little Italy that's in danger of being pushed out: Little Little Italy. Literally, it's a tiny Italy, with miniature people, miniature bicycles with miniature loaves of bread in the miniature baskets. Benjamin interviews the people about their history, falls in love with a miniature woman who gives him a miniature hand (or…blow?) job, and inadvertently sparks a turf war with the leader of the regular sized Little Italy mafia.
Then, when the war is over—Little Little Italy villagers getting stomped upon while Benjamin looks on from a doll-sized window, unable to help—Benjamin walks out and joins the rest of his crew. They've just been sitting there waiting, oblivious to the saga that unfolded before our eyes. Benjamin, shell-shocked, quietly drives away.
The whole "anti-climactic ending to an extremely climactic scene" sketch comedy trope is best used sparingly. It's purposely defeatist, and works best when the weirdness and stakes of everything preceding are both extremely high. A lot of that build, though, was lost in Jon Benjamin's dry sense of humor and (on occasion) flat delivery. On a scale of one to 10, he hovers around a four or five the entire sketch. Thus the ending feels unsatisfying, and it sucks a lot of the energy out of "Little Italy."
Of course, Benjamin is pretty low energy in every sketch, but it works when it's called for. In another great piece of gonzo footage (like last week's "You Can't Shoot Here!"), Benjamin hits the streets of Brooklyn to take people's pulse on the gay marriage issue. But he makes it extremely difficult for them to respond. He goes into a movie theater, waiting until the film starts before asking his question to the patrons. He stops an old man on the street, but takes a call during the interview. A New York bus driver refuses to speak to him because, of course, he's driving the bus. It's a joy to watch the reactions of people who, in the absolute least likely of situations, find themselves face-to-face with an incredibly direct, incredibly deadpan guy with a microphone.
Actually, now that I think about it, there really weren't that many sketches in "Little Italy." There's something at the beginning about a guy who was mangled in a horrible farm equipment accident, and Benjamin interviews the guy who originally interviewed the victim; then Benjamin tries to talk to the shredded-face guy, passes out, and later gives his own interview to the original interviewer. (Deep, man.) In another quick burst of a segment, Jon Benjamin instructs old people on the use of computers. The majority of "Little Italy" is devoted to the "Little Italy" bits. Benjamin was originally worried about the show feeling too monotonous, so he added the breakdown sketch elements, where one of the stories unfolds and gets Benjamin directly involved. But "Little Italy" has way too much Little Little Italy stuff (essentially a simple payoff for some wordplay) and not enough to temper it.
The show is still finding its footing, though, so I'm able to overlook the messier parts of the bit and enjoy the core concept of the show. Where else would the mobster genre be stretched so thin as to include a tiny (and it turns out, underage) woman pleasuring Jon Benjamin? Nowhere. Jon Benjamin Has A Van is a risky endeavor, playing on unsettling sketch tropes and the whims of a guy who has pretty far out comedic ideas. Much like any comedic world, the longer you spend in it, the more enjoyable it becomes, and "Little Italy" is a less effective detour down a strong sketch road.
Producer Rob Shutterman's life is changed forever after a prank leaves him stranded in Mexico, and Jon makes a shocking discovery when interviewing infamous drug kingpin El Manta Blanca.06/14/2011
Full Ep
21:29
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E2
Little Italy
Jon discusses marriage equality with the people of New York and reports on the growing tensions between the city's Little Italy and Little Little Italy neighborhoods.
06/15/2011
Full Ep
21:24
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E3
Star Door
The van enters a portal to another dimension during an interview with an Area 51 scientist, and Jon is on trial on the distant planet Guan for an unfortunate accident.
06/22/2011
Full Ep
21:14
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E4
Breakdown
When Jon's van breaks down while he's reporting on a bizarre cosplay event for wealthy people, Nathan is kidnapped by a truck driver and held for ransom.
06/29/2011
Full Ep
21:19
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E5
Road Rage
Jon experiences strange side effects when he's bitten by two strangers following a series of road rage incidents.
07/06/2011
Full Ep
21:29
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E6
Suicide
Jon visits the city with the highest suicide rates in the nation and unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a murder investigation.
07/13/2011
Full Ep
20:59
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E7
Van Scheme
When the crew wakes up late, Jon concocts a plan to get out of going to work, but his lies quickly spiral out of control.
07/20/2011
Full Ep
21:14
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E8
The Curse
When Jon runs a woman over with his van, her vengeful husband puts a hex on him to ruin his show.
07/27/2011
Full Ep
21:00
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E9
House on the Lake
While Jon examines the struggle of Broadway funding, the van gets towed away in Times Square, and producer Dave reveals that his latest business investment has gone awry.
08/03/2011
Full Ep
21:29
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Jon Benjamin Has a Van
S1 • E10
Smoking
Jon picks up smoking after interviewing a religious group with a unique take on Jesus Christ's habits and probes cult leader Rocco Janson about his Armageddon claims.
08/10/2011
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