Great Job, Indeed!

andy-wright-1

There's no accounting for taste, and this show you'll either love to bits, or be stuck forever in "WTF" mode. I do sympathize with the WTF crowd, truly, but honestly I don't understand the level of vitriol. Let's all just admit to differences in taste, eh? The fact is, this show is exactly the way the creators want it. I don't in general like to condescend to non-fans by saying "you just don't get it". But truly, this is the one thing you should "get" before you criticize the show: It is what it is, and it's not too complicated. It's all right there in front of you.

Beyond that, it's all up to personal aesthetics. You don't like it? Fine! Me? I love it! I can't get enough of it! It makes me laugh my ass off every single time. I don't always know how to articulate what it is about it, but it just dovetails perfectly with my (and my friends') sense of humor. There's a through-line of sarcasm from beginning to end. Sarcasm not just with individual comments or ideas, but with the structure of "sketch" comedy shows in general, and a vast array of kitschy cultural threads.

Shoot, I crack up just seeing the faces Tim and Eric pull when they're grinning idiotically into the camera for long awkward stretches. That's another good word: awkward. There's a lot of awkward stuff in this show, and that's part of its bread and butter! For that reason, it rings more truthful than most shows on TV, despite its flagrant surreality.

Also, in my opinion, its vibe is a perfect complement to a lot of existing Adult Swim shows: Sealab 2021, Space Ghost, Venture Brothers, Morel Orel, Futurama, Family Guy, Frisky Dingo, Squidbillies, 12 oz mouse, etc etc etc. It more than fits the bill in that great pantheon, no matter how "animated" it is in the conventional sense. Another way I like to look at this particular show is: internet photo-shopped / you-tubed / flash-animated humor brought to your living room! In summary: Pure heroine! I'll be first in line when the inevitable (I hope) DVD box set comes out!

score 10/10

andy-wright-1 7 May 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1651643/