Well, I wasn’t expecting to find this much nobility in a ginger bully. It’s almost like A CHRISTMAS STORY adding a whole other vignette to show how that Farkus kid with the coonskin hat was actually a swell guy all along. And while we’re piling the far-away pop culture comparisons on, I have the damnedst suspicion that these kids’ weaselly teacher is modeled after Charlie’s twitish one from WILLY WONKA. It’s not too far-fetched. Media wasn’t as saturated back when this show was made.
You know, I’ll normally criticize a show for taking too leisurely a pace with its plot, and then also think aloud about the plus and minuses of doing a mega-story arc instead of a series of told-in-ones. I think this joint’s struck a healthy balance between the two so far. We’ve taken a little break from the after-life world building to devout a little time to fleshing out one of the supporting characters (who’s clearly going to play larger roll later if these promo images are any indication.) It doesn’t advance the greater story that far along, but the key difference here is that it gives us a short with a neat beginning, middle and end. Character development without an interminable amount of talking heads - - just the way I prefer it.
The DENNIS THE MENACE comparisons are certainly stronger here as the coals get stoked in these kids’ feud with their teachers and parents. I suppose it’s a little funny that I’m finding this angle so appealing since I was hardly a troublemaker in high school. Class clown? Maybe a little, but I never had this kind of outright antagonism. I suppose it’s the same truth that Mike Judge offered for Beavis and Butthead’s appeal - - polite, well-behaved students aren’t terribly interesting to watch.
See my thoughts on the previous episode here.
Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE. Order them on Amazon here & here. Follow him on Twitter: @tompinchuk
