Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 2 Episode 15 Episode 39

In Season 2, Episode 15 of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, titled Episode 39, the host covers a variety of topics in his signature satirical and biting style.

The episode opens with an insightful segment on the underfunding of state lotteries, which, despite being incredibly profitable, provide a minimal amount of funding for education and other important public services. Oliver investigates how state governments often fail to allocate lottery funds as promised, using California as an example, and highlights the dire consequences of this for schools and other public institutions.

In the next segment, Oliver turns his attention to the 2015 presidential race, examining the massive sums of money being poured into political campaigns by a few wealthy and influential donors. He takes issue with the fact that these donors are often able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence over the candidates they support, and calls for more rigorous campaign finance laws to level the playing field.

The third segment of the episode tackles the seemingly obscure issue of patent trolls, which are companies that buy up obscure or weak patents in order to profit from lawsuits against larger companies. Oliver explains how patent trolls are essentially legal extortionists, and how their tactics have become a major problem for innovation and small businesses in the United States.

The final segment of the episode takes a more lighthearted turn, as Oliver examines the recent trend of people wearing butt plugs in public, which he sees as a reflection of an increasingly open and sex-positive society. He talks to a number of individuals who enjoy using butt plugs, and even commissions a song about the topic, which becomes an instant viral hit.

Throughout the episode, Oliver's trademark wit and humor are on full display, as are his deep insights into some of the most pressing issues of our time. Whether he's exposing the flaws in our political system or celebrating the joys of sexual exploration, Oliver never fails to entertain and enlighten his viewers.