Prime Minister (Flight of the Conchords)
| "Prime Minister" | |
|---|---|
| Flight of the Conchords episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. |
Season 2 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | James Bobin |
| Written by |
James Bobin Jemaine Clement Bret McKenzie |
| Production code | 207 |
| Original air date | March 1, 2009 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Patton Oswalt as Elton John Impersonator | |
| Episode chronology | |
"Prime Minister" is the seventh episode of the second season of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. This episode first aired in the United States on March 1, 2009.
Plot synopsis
Foiled by the White House, Murray arranges a presidential meeting for the visiting Prime Minister of New Zealand; a tribute gig ends with Jemaine getting mixed up with an Art Garfunkel fanatic (played by Mary Lynn Rajskub).
Plot
The episode commences with a flurry of activity at the New York New Zealand Consulate over the impending arrival of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Murray also announces that he has arranged a gig for Bret and Jemaine as Simon and Garfunkel impersonators. The pair object to playing other people's music, which Murray comments is better than theirs; they sell out for $50 each. It transitions to a nightclub where they perform an out of sync "Scarborough Fair (Canticle)". Mel appears confused and dismayed at this, but they grab the attention of an Art Garfunkel fanatic (Mary Lynn Rajskub). At the after party Jemaine gets asked out by the fan.
The following day the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Brian, arrives and Murray has Jemaine and Bret give him a cultural tour of New York City. The subsequent tour of New York only shows them at the Pawn Shop discussing what reality is as per the movie The Matrix, the movie having only just come out in New Zealand (a decade after its USA release). Both Dave and Brian believe the Matrix exists and that déjà vu is evidence of a glitch in it.
Jemaine goes on his dinner date with the Fanatic Fan who objects to Jemaine being Jemaine. Jemaine returns in his Art Garfunkel costume and is seduced by her. She tells him not to speak, or sing, and keeps the lights very dark. It cuts out the song "Demon Woman" in the music video style of Judas Priest.
Murray, Bret and Brian take the White House Tour in Washington, D.C., but are denied entry to see the president. The second song entitled "Oh, Dance, Baby" is performed by Bret in a Korean karaoke style.
Brian chews out Murray for his failure to set up a presidential meeting, but accepts Murray's formal apology. This leads to a party planning discussion with the original Prime Ministerial BBQ becoming a rooftop fondue party. Murray hires an Obama impersonator (Louis Ortiz) to attend, which is a success in fooling the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister spots two Elton John impersonators sneaking off together, believes this to be a glitch in the Matrix and runs to jump off the roof of the building.
Meanwhile, at the Fanatic Fan's house Jemaine is trying to break up with her. He is saved by the real Art Garfunkel. Whilst walking along the street Jemaine notices Mel and Doug, who is dressed in a Bret costume, making out in a parked car. The episode ends with Jemaine catching Bret performing Paul Simon's 1980's solo work accompanied by several men wearing traditional African garb (a la Ladysmith Black Mambazo).
Songs
Demon Woman
Bret and Jemaine perform a song about Karen's psychotic behavior while wearing flashy shirts and skeleton costumes. This musical number is a spoof of the song "Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard.
Oh, Dance, Baby(오 그대여 춤추자)
Bret sings a Korean song about love in the form of karaoke. The video is a parody of the music videos produced specifically for karaokes; in this case, Bret sings in front of a karaoke screen with Engrish lyric subtitles and images of scenery (and Jemaine on a carousel) run in the background.
The song was originally a Mandarin song called "往事只能回味 (Wang Shi Zhi Neng Hui Wei)", composed by Taiwanese musician 刘家昌 (Liu Jia-Chang).