Previously on John From Cheviot: the hospital's evil attorney came gunning for Dr. Smith; Palaka got sick; Linc and Tina joined forces to trick that smart-ass kid from Saved By The Bell; and some guy we've hardly seen up until now wanted to set up a website for Shaun, triggering an argument and eventual reconciliation between Butchie and Shaun. And that well-coiffed fellow who thrilled us all with those pretty words a few episodes back? He didn't have much to say this week, except to tell Cass that "Shaun will soon be gone." Perhaps he was speaking metaphorically.

Credits. C'mon and slow it down, stretch it out, pad it up, JFC.

Hey, Butchie's out in the water. That's two weeks in a row now where we've begun with extensive, beautifully-shot scenes of someone doing things with a surfboard that most of us can only dream of. Keep this up, Milch, and we're likely to get spoiled. Only this time, Butchie's not alone -- there's another guy out there about his age and definitely about his skill level. Mysterious Stranger will do something as Butchie watches, and then Butchie will try to do something equally spectacular as Mysterious Stranger watches. It's like an aquatic version of Annie Get Your Gun: Any curl you can shoot, I can shoot better/I can surf any wave better than you/No, you can't/Yes, I can/No, you can't/Yes, I can/No, you can't/Yes, I can, Yes I caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

But the surf duet between Annie Oakley and Frank Butler Butchie and Mysterious Stranger is interrupted by Kai and Shaun, who drive up in Kai's Jeep. They notice Butchie's crappy old van, as well as the much slicker-looking truck parked next to it. Kai observes that the truck belongs to Sonny Mac. Sonny Mac, the fictional surfer we've never heard of before? Apparently. Anyhow, Kai decides that she and Shaun will go surf elsewhere, just in case Butchie would prefer his son and his special lady not witness his throwdown with the Sonny Mac. "In case he gets dusted?" Shaun asks. "Shoot-out in I.B. Like in Fiji twelve years ago." "What the fuck do you know about Fiji twelve years ago?" Kai rightly asks. "I know more than I let on," says Shaun cryptically. Careful, kid -- there's only room for one riddle-spewing idiot savant in this town, and that job has been filled.