"Dilbert: The Complete Series" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Bob's Burgers, Community, Family Guy, American Dad, Parks And Recreation, Bates Motel, Hannibal, The Following, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge.
Upcoming reviews include The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Frozen, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Samurai Jack: Season 1, Samurai Jack: Season 2, and Arrested Development: The Three Original Seasons.
Bob's Burgers "I Get A Psy-chic Out Of You"
Like many Linda episodes, this was pretty annoying. I was aggravated after seeing this. That's alls I gots to say. *1/2.
Community "Basic Story"
Good GOD, NBC, could you have possibly oversold that marriage proposal any more? NBC needs an intervention at this point.
This was a pretty great episode but I have a feeling that this year's finale may be the most definite yet. I personally think the show WILL be renewed for a final 13 episode season, but I'm guessing at this point in the production the writers didn't think so. It's easy to see why. The ratings are down this year, and the show hasn't been getting much promotion. But the reason I DO think it's coming back is because NBC literally has almost nothing else. It and Parks and Recreation are almost their last comedies. It would be near impossible to build or rebuild a comedy block without a show that has been on the air awhile. The fact that NBC has had SUCH a bad track record with recent comedies will save it. Hold me to that prediction.
Speaking of interventions, Abed totally needs one at this point. I am seriously concerned about his mental health. Without Troy, his behavior is less quirky and more alarming.
I loved the tag with Duncan and Hickey. I hope Hickey is made a regular next season. And if I'm dreaming, Duncan too.
REALLY looking forward to seeing how they'll resolve this next week. ****.
Family Guy "Herpe The Love Sore"
I think the lesson here is that Brian has no redeeming qualities. He literally gave a baby herpes. On purpose. Why am I supposed to be glad he was brought back to life again?
Loved the Behind the Music with the Electric Mayhem though as well as Bryan Cranston Sneezes. The last one was especially great. Cranston has been SUCH a great friend to the Sethverse. I bet he woulda done Dads had Seth asked. **.
American Dad "Honey, I'm Homeland"
The Stan and Hayley stuff was great, but I'm knocking two entire stars off for the Steve and Roger stuff. That was totally gross and beyond all bounds of decency. Ick. ***.
Parks And Recreation "Flu Season 2"
Okay, Criag is now my favorite character on the show. It is easy to see why Donna respects and is frightened by him so much. He needs to be made a series regular next year. He is SO great.
I LOVED Donna subsidizing April sabotaging the wine tasting. I loved the delighted look on Retta's face as Aubrey Plaza was escorted out by security. That was genuine love. You can't fake that.
My one complaint is not minor: why did they HAVE to buy back the joke of Andy guessing Leslie was pregnant? Really, I thought that was a very cool and insightful character moment, and the writers wrecked it for a joke at Andy's expense. He doesn't ALWAYS have to be stupid, writers. They took a really cool thing and totally bought it back.
Ron's reactions to Ron were pretty great. Because he DIDN'T react. Normally you'd think a guy who is SO diametrically opposed to Ron in philosophy would merit some indignation, but Ron Swanson couldn't even BOTHER to care about this guy. He was not worth any spent effort. I've said before that Ron Swanson is a very weird character. He is also very awesome.
Great episode! Yay Baby Leslie! *****.
Bates Motel "Plunge"
I loved this episode for two scenes: Norma warning Cody not to let Norman drink for medical reasons and Norman reaming Cody over endangering Emma. The scene with Norma and Cody was interesting because Norma did NOT have to divulge that information to Cody, and gave her an insight into Norman that she wouldn't normally have unless she was seriously concerned for his safety. That Cody foolishly proceded to ignore that warning shows the recklessness of the character.
Don't get me wrong. I do not share Norma's negative opinion of Cody or think she is bad for Norman. But she doesn't seem to take other people's warnings about other people's weaknesses very seriously. She's young, thinks she'll live forever, and that everyone else will too. I do not think Norman overreacted to her pressuring Emma to take the plunge at all. I actually think it was pretty cool. It was the first time we saw Norman get angry where he was in complete control of the situation. Every other time we've seen him get mad, he's always nearly driven insane by the experience. But after telling Cody off he proceded to give Emm the attention she needed. I wish Norman was able to do this more often. He would be an unstoppable force if he was.
As for Norman accidentally killing her father. My biggest question is whether or not she'll be upset with him. The previews hint that she won't be but I sort of want to see the fall-out for myself. I was VERY surprised she wasn't mad at all after the fact at Norman publicly embarrassing her like that. I think it showed that she had enough insight about herself to realize that she deserved that tongue-lashing. But I am sort of interested to hear her thoughts as to why she will or will not blame Norman for killing her father.
I think Norman WILL be mad at Emma next week. Which totally sucks because she WAS right to tell Norma, and Norma WAS right to interrupt the driving test, but I'd understand why he'd feel that way.
I really want to see next week. I have a feeling this would be an excellent series to binge-watch. ****1/2.
Hannibal "Yakimono"
Hannibal totally got Chilton. Oh man, I think if Will still wasn't sniffing after him he'd be getting away with it.
I have a hard time believing Jack would be this stupid. Will specifically said the evidence would drive then away from Hannibal and Chilton was a perfect patsy. The miserable and pathetic look on Chilton's face after he was caught was NOT the expression of a guilty man.
I cannot wait to see how they get Hannibal. This is gonna be good. ****.
The Following "Betrayal"
Every single character on this show has a glaring, near-fatal fault and Mandy's has always been that she is a terrible judge of character. She would still be alive if she had gone to Ryan, instead of that creep Lily. She probably wouldn't have even had to give up Joe's location.
Speaking of bad judgment, can you believe Claire was dumb enough to fall for Ryan's trick? The writers really don't want me to think much of her.
And finally, Tom Cavanaugh as the fire and brimstone preacher. I'm noticed a tendency of life and death dramas and horror films to try and cast previously cuddly actors in roles they are completely unsuited for. Law and Order SVU and every single Stephen King miniseries ever are the biggest culprits of this. Cavanaugh as a hardcore fundamentalist is absolutely ludicrous. I had an easier time buying Martin Short as a psychic/rapist on SVU. Total miscast.
I didn't think much of the episode either. And I had really been looking forward to it. **1/2.
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey "Hiding In The Light"
I probably would not have stuck with this enjoyable series had Neil DeGrasse Tyson not been such an excellent host. Carl Sagan was rightly venerated as a brilliant scientist, but as a TV personality? He was a total drip. I never sat still for the original Cosmos and I doubt I could have. Sagan was a little bit boring, and I hate to point it out, a little bit physically unattractive. Tyson is charismatic, magnetic, has a soothing voice, and is frankly, more than a little bit fine. I may be a heterosexual, but I am just as drawn to attractive males as every other person on the planet. I don't have to be sexually attracted to someone to not want to take my eyes off them.
The visuals and graphics with the colors were great this episode too. I think book burnings are probably the most evil non-violent act you can do, although as the episode pointed out, the first one led to a LOT of violence. People actually died horribly over this nonsense,
I was also impressed to learn the role Islam played in the sciences and Europe's eventual enlightment. I think it is totally fair to point out today that Islam is currently both rigid and regressive, but I realize now that it wasn't always. I can't tell if that bums me out or not. Usually people getting more conservative as time goes on is a bad thing, but this also tells me it is possible for the pendelum to swing the other way too. Then again, we've been hearing the same thing about Christianity for decades too, and religious progressives haven't exactly delivered on making liberalism mainstream in the Church. We, as a world, have FAR to go.
Fascinating episode. And it is because of Tyson I'm still watching this. ****.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge "Assembly Inspired"
That was a great episode! I'm betting the judges would have eliminated Russ had Josh not bowed out in a stunning development. Jeff was more resposible for the worst aspects of that creature, but Russ has been a nightmare from Week 1. We kind of excused him because he was stuck with the completely untalented Tina twice, but you could tell by the way he worked with the always friendly Jeff that he is not a good collaborator. It wasn't just Tina.
That was quite a shocking ending. *****.
Dilbert: The Complete Series
I was shocked when UPN canceled Dilbert. I didn't really watch the show, but I thought stopping it was the craziest thing they could have done. Other than Star Trek, they had NO other recognizable franchises on the air. This was in the days before Buffy and Veronica Mars. How could you possibly cancel the show with the second best brand recognition of your entire line-up?
After seeing all 30 episodes, I can safely say UPN was right to do it. Because the show is sour as sin.
The producers of The Simpsons used to always get asked when they were going to do an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, so once they put together a test audience, and ran a bunch of those shorts one right after another for a half-hour. Everybody in the test group left after five minutes of the gut-splattering violence. That's what it is like sitting through Dilbert. Dilbert shouldn't have gotten a second season. Heck, it shouldn't have even made it past Pilot stage.
I have always loathed the comic strip, but I had assumed that they would have opened up the world a bit more on a TV show, and not completely indulge in the nihilism and misanthropy of the comic strip. That is not the case. But instead of getting a 30 second dose of cynicism in the morning, you have to sit through 22 minutes of it. And there are 30 episodes on the set. This set was frankly, a bit of a chore to get through.
I cannot overstate how much I loathe the character of Dilbert. Office workers have inexplicably latched on to this complete shell of a man as a sympathetic figure suffering through what all office workers and engineers suffer through. Dilbert is NOT that. You want a punching bag you can relate and root for, Charlie Brown is your guy. Charlie Brown TRIES. And he gets right back up when he falls. And he's still standing. And when the chips are down, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts actually care about him.
Nobody in Dilbert likes anybody else, and everyone is completely out for themselves. The writers would have the audience believe that Dilbert is the show's moral center, but he's really not. He's like Family Guy's Brian Griffin, except Brian is written as insufferable on purpose, while the writers of this show are asking me to find Dilbert's wishywashyness noble. Dilbert will go on with these high minded, badly written platitudes, but when push comes to shove, he NEVER winds up doing the right thing. He always takes the path of least resistance, and in almost every instance, the problem could have been cleared up right away had he sacked up and taken an actual stand. But that would require an effort on his part that would discomfort him. And Dilbert (the series') moral seems to be that the best way to get back at The Man is to be lazy and bad at your job. Seriously. Scott Adams seems to be a total narcissist and people looking up to Dilbert as some relatable, working class hero, are seeing something in the character than isn't there.
And the show hates EVERYTHING. There is nothing the series is for. Every single thing in life supposedly sucks. Seth MacFarlane gets rightly slammed for seemingly hating every single thing in pop culture, but Dilbert hates every single thing in existance. It actually has an episode devoted to the idea that charity is bad. Seriously. CHARITY. Had this series last longer, watching more of it would have been bad forr my mental health. And Dilbert, The Series, never offers up solutions to problems, but merely points them out, and thinks that's enough. Its entire moral is that you shouldn't care enough about any problem to want to change it, and whenever you try it is hopeless, so don't bother. Even South Park and Family Guy at their darkest, are usually able to come up with positive morals, whether I ultimately agree with them or not. Dilbert is that annoying emo teen always pointing out the faults in others without realizing that maybe he himself is the one who is the problem. Dilbert is an exercise in the mental and moral gutter.
The animation is actrocious too. That should go without saying since the artwork in the strip is so bad, but there it is. Besides all of the character designs being badly designed for animation, the animation isn't even consistant. Characters will change sizes and body types from scene to scene due to laziness on the show's producer's parts. Say what you will about Bob's Burgers. It's animation is CONSISTANT and that makes it easier on the eyes than the ugly characters would otherwise. Dilbert's actual animation is just as bad as the designs.
The only thing to recommend about the series is the amazing title sequence. The fact that the theme and opening animation is so memorable is probably why I saw the series in hindsight with a bit of rose-colored glasses. The animaton in the rest of the series does NOT live up to it.
I'm glad I paid less than ten dollars for this set from Mill Creek. Had I spent 30 or 40 on it like it probably was when Sony first released it, I would have been furious. Season One Overall: 0. Season Two Overall: **. Series Overall: *.
The Name:
I have seen better cartoon pilots (Futurama), and I have seen worse (Family Guy). But I will not deny the episode culminating in that acorn joke was VERY funny. Comedy works best when it's built upon. Wish I could say the Chicken Man joke had better pay-off. ***.
The Competition:
It is very hard for me to sympathize with Dilbert when he is such a cowardly doormat and makes everything he touches worse. If the series is trying to tell us that what happened in this episode is the universe's fault and Dilbert was the victim, I disagree with that assessment. Strongly. Why in God's name didn't he turn in Dogbert immediately instead of allowing himself to get fired? His misplaced loyalty to Dogbert strikes me about as realisitc as Harry, Ron, and Hermione always covering for that oaf Hagrid in the Harry Potter books, even when Hagrid could have cleared up the matter himself like an adult, but chose instead to hang his so-called child friends out to dry. Harry Potter is probably worse because selfishness is not actually SUPPOSED to be a virtue in the Potterverse, and that is the default setting of everyone in the Dilbertverse, but stuff like that is why I strongly dislike the comic strip. *1/2.
The Prototype:
Painfully unfunny and frankly, a bit boring. The series didn't get off to a good start. Here we get a good glimpse at Scott Adams' misogynistic streak. That guy's headspace is decidedly unpleasant. *.
The Takeover:
This was the episode that I decided I didn't like the series. I hated the comic strip, but I thought I'd give the cartoon a shot. If anything, it's even worse. Reading that three panel strip of self-destructive cynicism for 30 seconds a day is bad enough. Try sitting through 22 minutes of it. And they made 30 episodes. Dilbert is the kind of comedy that LOVES to point out faults in everything, without ever offering any solutions of their own. Scott Adams treats the business world with the same kind of jaded view Seth MacFarlane reserves for celebrities. And Dilbert seems to have none of Family Guy's redeeming values. Because as mean as their celebrities slams are, there ARE other things to recommend about Family Guy. Outside of the phenomenal title sequence there is NOTHING that can be said the same of Dilbert. 0.
Testing:
Dear Scott Adams, I've heard rumors that this show is supposed to be a comedy. Is this true? I exaggerate, but if this WERE the first episode of the show I'd seen, I'd have trouble identifying it as a comedy. I didn't laugh at a single thing. Personally? I don't automatically find characters who loathe each other and treat one another terribly for 22 minutes funny, but then, I'm not a sociopath. Me and Scott Adams travel in VERY different circles. 0.
Elbonian Trip:
The Elbonian/Cold War gags are as dated as the Thembrian/Cold War gags on TaleSpin, i.e. they were already dated when this first aired. And in this case, they were ten years more dated than TaleSpin. Painfully unfunny. *1/2.
Tower Of Babel:
Is the episode trying to say Dilbert is rebelling at the end by dancing in his underwear? That he's a cheeky underdog we should root for? No. Sorry. Not buying it. Dilbert is, and always has been, a part of the problem. Why so many office drones identify with this wimp is beyond me. He is the LAST person somebody should want to look up to. **.
Little People:
I am shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you that an ignorant butthole like Scott Adams is a creationist. What does not surprise me, is that like all rightwing morons, Adams cannot argue his position rationally, and must resort to strawman arguments and debunked talking points. I swear, this 'wipe is one drunk driving arrest away from turning into Bruce Tinsley. 0.
The Knack:
There were three things I didn't like and one thing I did. First the bad stuff. I know this will sound like sacrilege, but I'm betting when he worked as an engineer, Scott Adams was very bad at his job. All this talk of "The Knack" and management viruses makes it sound like the producers think engineering competence is decided by divinity, and that technical prowess is faith-based. Personally, I think that goes against everything science stands for, and leads me to believe Adams just THOUGHT he possessed some "knack" that he actually didn't. To be fair to Adams, this faith-based version of science was also the same moral as the animated version of Frankenweenie, so I suppose I can't hold it TOO much against this episode, if I didn't hold it that much against that movie. Second bad thing: this "Blackout" scenario predates Eric Kripke's Revolution by over a decade. That's cool right? I don't know how that show made this idea so high-concept and interesting, and this episode made the same thing sound so boring. I know it's just a comedy, and didn't really delve deeply into the premise, but it still bugs a little. Third bad thing: seeing Alice in that get up made me realize that the character designs for Dilbert, as bad as they always were in the comic strip, are a thousand times worse put to animation. Even the worst designed Family Guy character (Chris Griffin) always animated better in the early episodes of that show than the best designed character of Dilbert (The Boss) ever did. It is quite atrocious to look at. Now to the good thing: it occured in the last thirty seconds of the episode, but I'm still gonna count it: Dilbert complaining about how Nutrition Facts on food boxes never take into count weight variations. That's always bugged me too. *1/2.
Y2K:
Yeah, this episode failed to live up to "Life's A Glitch, Then You Die", "Hillennium", or "Da Boom". And considering this is the only one of the cartoons of that era to deal exclusively with engineering and computers, that seems all kinds of wrong. Remember what I said about this show being badly animated? Look at that "Yellow Brick Road" parody. I have seen better animated sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show. Even shows with bad character designs like Bob's Burgers can get away with it if the animation itself is consistant. The animation here is all over the map and people are randomly changing sizes and body types. It's nuts. *.
Charity:
Let the record show that Scott Adams is opposed to charity and helping others. That's always been the subtext to Dilbert, but I'm impressed (and more than a little sickened) that he pretty much outright admitted it. He even takes a shot at the Girl Scouts here, for Heaven's sakes! I think Adams must kick puppies, drink kitten blood, and urinate on Mister Roger's grave in his spare time. The guy is more than a little bit loathesome. 0.
Holiday:
I actually think opposing Secretary's Day is a WEIRD thing to have a pet peeve over. It is such an unimportant and meaningless thing, but the producers for some reason felt strongly enough about it to center an episode around it. A thing like that would MAYBE comprise a couple of jokes in a Simpsons episode (think Love Day). Instead the producers here obsess over it and expect the audience to as well. Crazy stuff. *.
The Infomercial:
That was totally not terrible. Although I gotta say, I'm REALLY glad they made the whole thing a dream sequence at the end. Because there was some SERIOUSLY shoddy science going on, and as a purported sci-fi fan and engineer, I'm surprised something this hackneyed got past Scott Adams. Dream sequence was the way to go. My favorite joke was when Dilbert ordered the thing in the bar that the bartender had touched least, and the bartender replied "Two soaps, it is." ***1/2.
The Gift:
Talk about dated! A critique of mall walking! Take that, 1990's society! I still cannot get over how much UPN hyped Jeri Ryan's cameo back in the day. But it was actually a big buttload of nuthin'. Props to the episode for finally giving us a REASONABLY satisfying ending for the first time ever. Although the continuity nerd in me wonders how Dilbert cannot have seen his father since he was a child, and not know where in the mall he was, when JUST last season his mother noted he had walked into an All You Can Eat Buffet years ago and never left. ***.
The Shroud Of Wally:
I cannot believe a show where the main character is an engineer is so profoundly anti-science. To be fair, this episode is anti-religion too. In fact, this entire series is pretty much anti-everything. It's a bit draining to get through 30 episodes of that, to be honest. Best joke was Dogbert noting that if only the good die young then he was immortal. It's funny because its true. *1/2.
Art:
The irony of Scott Adams taking on the modern art world is so rich it has to be fattening. I know the show is anti-everything, but this particular cartoon being against high art is like William Hung talking smack about Whitney Houston. Jebus. It's not all bad. I liked the Five Families of Art joke, especially the idea that the modern artist was represented by an accountant. And that delivery guy's reaction to reading the Pointy Haired Boss's real name just guaranteed that they could NEVER possibly come up with a name to live up to that gag. **1/2.
The Trial:
I'm usually not aboard with the idea that people in prison have it too easy, but they certainly got a lot of mileage out of the premise. My favorite bits were Dilbert realizing his cell was bigger and swankier than his cubicle, and Dibert running the prison gang like an office manager. The second scenario came up with some nicely twisted gags. ***1/2.
The Dupey:
A mess. Aside from the fact that pretty much every animated comedy has tread this ground before, the episode totally falls apart in the last act. And, as usual, the episode gets a scientific fact wrong: it states that there are no advantages to a species being cute. Since watching Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey I know there IS such a thing as "artificial selection". Cuteness helps certain breeds of dog become more desirable to man, thereby increasing their chance of survival. Thank you for this useless fact, Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Best gag in the episode was Loud Howard sneezing somebody's skin off. Twice. *1/2.
The Security Guard:
All right. The best joke was at the beginning with Dilbert and Dogbert defining what "dead meat" actually is. And this is the first episode since the Pilot to build a running gag all throughout the episode to give us a funny closing joke. I really do not understand why this show hasn't been doing this more. **.
The Merger:
I should hate this episode more than I actually do. I hate it, but I don't HATE hate it. It is 22 minutes of dourness and people treating each other horribly. And yet, it isn't ALL bad. The dialogue is unusually punchy for this show, I loved the stuff with the Garbageman, and I thought the runner with Wally and Alice comparing Wally's laziness with the Women's Suffrage Movement was well-timed. I hated all of season one due to its cruelty, but I might not have hated it QUITE so much had its actual quality been better. This episode proves it. *1/2.
Hunger:
This episode was all over the map. I couldn't tell what the moral was trying to be. With Scott Adams, that's not necessarily a bad thing though. **.
The Off-Site Meeting:
Way too much gross-out humor. Although I am impressed how Dogbert Get Things Done. The only bigger asset to have on your side is Captain Picard. It is a crying shame Dogbert is evil. He could really be useful if he wanted to be. *1/2.
The Assistant:
This episode was boring and unfunny. Classic Dilbert. *.
The Return:
I'll admit this got a couple of laughs out of me (like Dogbert hanging up on Dilbert immediately after Dilbert said his life depended on him) but I honestly do not know how the writers expect me to sympathize with Dilbert's suffering when he is so dirt-stupid. Saying that the idea that using a credit card online is more dangerous than using one in person is ridiculous, is the kind of idiotic blathering someone like Micheal Scott or Peggy Hill would opine. Oh, and Jerry Seinfeld is in this. Big whoop. His eponymus sitcom is just as overrated as the comic strip this show is based on. *1/2.
The Virtual Employee:
You know, I might have given this episode a positive review had they not used the "R-Word" as an insult. I was pretty much scowling for the rest of the episode. **.
Pregnancy:
Pretty much non-stop sexism. And the interesting cliffhanger was completely bought back in the next episode. **1/2.
The Delivery:
Bad thing: this show should NOT be using celebrities playing themselves. Dilbert's art style is so simple that when you try to make a character look like an actual person, you wind up making it so detailed that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the artwork. Good thing: I loved the Superman reference at the end especially since it was dedicated to Seigel and Shuster. ***. Two-Part Average: **1/2.
Company Picnic:
This episode had the best example of celebrity voice casting I have ever heard. The sexy marketing woman Dilbert falls for was played by... Camryn Manhein! Seriously! How awesome is that? Believe it or not Manhiem's voice has always been incredibly sexy and this is the first instance of seen of ANY cartoon using a voice in a manner completely different than how the celebrity is usually cast. Professional VO's come in all body types and sizes but whenever a celebrity does a guest shot or a cameo, they ALWAYS play to type. I'm a bit stunned than such an anti-feminist show as Dilbert was the first (and so far only) cartoon to do this. ****.
The Fact:
I steadily lost interest as the episode went on but I was VERY impressed with the teaser. For the first time ever Dogbert and Dilbert's philosophical conversation was interesting. I found the idea that being too busy to do the scientific research yourself, after you claim to only believe things that are scientifically proven, being the same thing as being gullible, is probably true. It's an anti-science stance, of course, but it sort of hints around the edges about the eternal argument as to whether man truly has free will, or if they come to their opinions merely by parroting others. This didn't go as deep as that, but that question has always made me stop and think. I also guffawed at Wally's Ventriloquist line. And I'm betting Dilbert's creator attends book signing events with a rubber stamp that say "Scott Adams made eye contact with me." ***.
Ethics:
I loathed this episode. I was about to sort of rethink my idea of Dilbert never doing the right thing until the episode itself at the end said that Dilbert did the wrong thing. The idea that free and open voting for everybody is a bad idea is obscene to me. Let's just have our betters decide these things for us, shall we? We are obviously too emotional and stupid to do it on our own. About the only idea I agreed with in the episode was that smoking is incredibly unattractive. I'm with Dilbert, I don't care if a woman is a 10, and perfect in every single other way, if she has a cigarette in her mouth, that is a total turn-off. But the anti-smoking message totally did NOT redeem the anti-Democratic message. 1/2.
DVD Menu: Terrible, but I payed ten bucks to Mill Creek. What did I expect? *.
Upcoming reviews include The Wolverine: Extended Edition, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Frozen, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Samurai Jack: Season 1, Samurai Jack: Season 2, and Arrested Development: The Three Original Seasons.
Bob's Burgers "I Get A Psy-chic Out Of You"
Like many Linda episodes, this was pretty annoying. I was aggravated after seeing this. That's alls I gots to say. *1/2.
Community "Basic Story"
Good GOD, NBC, could you have possibly oversold that marriage proposal any more? NBC needs an intervention at this point.
This was a pretty great episode but I have a feeling that this year's finale may be the most definite yet. I personally think the show WILL be renewed for a final 13 episode season, but I'm guessing at this point in the production the writers didn't think so. It's easy to see why. The ratings are down this year, and the show hasn't been getting much promotion. But the reason I DO think it's coming back is because NBC literally has almost nothing else. It and Parks and Recreation are almost their last comedies. It would be near impossible to build or rebuild a comedy block without a show that has been on the air awhile. The fact that NBC has had SUCH a bad track record with recent comedies will save it. Hold me to that prediction.
Speaking of interventions, Abed totally needs one at this point. I am seriously concerned about his mental health. Without Troy, his behavior is less quirky and more alarming.
I loved the tag with Duncan and Hickey. I hope Hickey is made a regular next season. And if I'm dreaming, Duncan too.
REALLY looking forward to seeing how they'll resolve this next week. ****.
Family Guy "Herpe The Love Sore"
I think the lesson here is that Brian has no redeeming qualities. He literally gave a baby herpes. On purpose. Why am I supposed to be glad he was brought back to life again?
Loved the Behind the Music with the Electric Mayhem though as well as Bryan Cranston Sneezes. The last one was especially great. Cranston has been SUCH a great friend to the Sethverse. I bet he woulda done Dads had Seth asked. **.
American Dad "Honey, I'm Homeland"
The Stan and Hayley stuff was great, but I'm knocking two entire stars off for the Steve and Roger stuff. That was totally gross and beyond all bounds of decency. Ick. ***.
Parks And Recreation "Flu Season 2"
Okay, Criag is now my favorite character on the show. It is easy to see why Donna respects and is frightened by him so much. He needs to be made a series regular next year. He is SO great.
I LOVED Donna subsidizing April sabotaging the wine tasting. I loved the delighted look on Retta's face as Aubrey Plaza was escorted out by security. That was genuine love. You can't fake that.
My one complaint is not minor: why did they HAVE to buy back the joke of Andy guessing Leslie was pregnant? Really, I thought that was a very cool and insightful character moment, and the writers wrecked it for a joke at Andy's expense. He doesn't ALWAYS have to be stupid, writers. They took a really cool thing and totally bought it back.
Ron's reactions to Ron were pretty great. Because he DIDN'T react. Normally you'd think a guy who is SO diametrically opposed to Ron in philosophy would merit some indignation, but Ron Swanson couldn't even BOTHER to care about this guy. He was not worth any spent effort. I've said before that Ron Swanson is a very weird character. He is also very awesome.
Great episode! Yay Baby Leslie! *****.
Bates Motel "Plunge"
I loved this episode for two scenes: Norma warning Cody not to let Norman drink for medical reasons and Norman reaming Cody over endangering Emma. The scene with Norma and Cody was interesting because Norma did NOT have to divulge that information to Cody, and gave her an insight into Norman that she wouldn't normally have unless she was seriously concerned for his safety. That Cody foolishly proceded to ignore that warning shows the recklessness of the character.
Don't get me wrong. I do not share Norma's negative opinion of Cody or think she is bad for Norman. But she doesn't seem to take other people's warnings about other people's weaknesses very seriously. She's young, thinks she'll live forever, and that everyone else will too. I do not think Norman overreacted to her pressuring Emma to take the plunge at all. I actually think it was pretty cool. It was the first time we saw Norman get angry where he was in complete control of the situation. Every other time we've seen him get mad, he's always nearly driven insane by the experience. But after telling Cody off he proceded to give Emm the attention she needed. I wish Norman was able to do this more often. He would be an unstoppable force if he was.
As for Norman accidentally killing her father. My biggest question is whether or not she'll be upset with him. The previews hint that she won't be but I sort of want to see the fall-out for myself. I was VERY surprised she wasn't mad at all after the fact at Norman publicly embarrassing her like that. I think it showed that she had enough insight about herself to realize that she deserved that tongue-lashing. But I am sort of interested to hear her thoughts as to why she will or will not blame Norman for killing her father.
I think Norman WILL be mad at Emma next week. Which totally sucks because she WAS right to tell Norma, and Norma WAS right to interrupt the driving test, but I'd understand why he'd feel that way.
I really want to see next week. I have a feeling this would be an excellent series to binge-watch. ****1/2.
Hannibal "Yakimono"
Hannibal totally got Chilton. Oh man, I think if Will still wasn't sniffing after him he'd be getting away with it.
I have a hard time believing Jack would be this stupid. Will specifically said the evidence would drive then away from Hannibal and Chilton was a perfect patsy. The miserable and pathetic look on Chilton's face after he was caught was NOT the expression of a guilty man.
I cannot wait to see how they get Hannibal. This is gonna be good. ****.
The Following "Betrayal"
Every single character on this show has a glaring, near-fatal fault and Mandy's has always been that she is a terrible judge of character. She would still be alive if she had gone to Ryan, instead of that creep Lily. She probably wouldn't have even had to give up Joe's location.
Speaking of bad judgment, can you believe Claire was dumb enough to fall for Ryan's trick? The writers really don't want me to think much of her.
And finally, Tom Cavanaugh as the fire and brimstone preacher. I'm noticed a tendency of life and death dramas and horror films to try and cast previously cuddly actors in roles they are completely unsuited for. Law and Order SVU and every single Stephen King miniseries ever are the biggest culprits of this. Cavanaugh as a hardcore fundamentalist is absolutely ludicrous. I had an easier time buying Martin Short as a psychic/rapist on SVU. Total miscast.
I didn't think much of the episode either. And I had really been looking forward to it. **1/2.
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey "Hiding In The Light"
I probably would not have stuck with this enjoyable series had Neil DeGrasse Tyson not been such an excellent host. Carl Sagan was rightly venerated as a brilliant scientist, but as a TV personality? He was a total drip. I never sat still for the original Cosmos and I doubt I could have. Sagan was a little bit boring, and I hate to point it out, a little bit physically unattractive. Tyson is charismatic, magnetic, has a soothing voice, and is frankly, more than a little bit fine. I may be a heterosexual, but I am just as drawn to attractive males as every other person on the planet. I don't have to be sexually attracted to someone to not want to take my eyes off them.
The visuals and graphics with the colors were great this episode too. I think book burnings are probably the most evil non-violent act you can do, although as the episode pointed out, the first one led to a LOT of violence. People actually died horribly over this nonsense,
I was also impressed to learn the role Islam played in the sciences and Europe's eventual enlightment. I think it is totally fair to point out today that Islam is currently both rigid and regressive, but I realize now that it wasn't always. I can't tell if that bums me out or not. Usually people getting more conservative as time goes on is a bad thing, but this also tells me it is possible for the pendelum to swing the other way too. Then again, we've been hearing the same thing about Christianity for decades too, and religious progressives haven't exactly delivered on making liberalism mainstream in the Church. We, as a world, have FAR to go.
Fascinating episode. And it is because of Tyson I'm still watching this. ****.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge "Assembly Inspired"
That was a great episode! I'm betting the judges would have eliminated Russ had Josh not bowed out in a stunning development. Jeff was more resposible for the worst aspects of that creature, but Russ has been a nightmare from Week 1. We kind of excused him because he was stuck with the completely untalented Tina twice, but you could tell by the way he worked with the always friendly Jeff that he is not a good collaborator. It wasn't just Tina.
That was quite a shocking ending. *****.
Dilbert: The Complete Series
I was shocked when UPN canceled Dilbert. I didn't really watch the show, but I thought stopping it was the craziest thing they could have done. Other than Star Trek, they had NO other recognizable franchises on the air. This was in the days before Buffy and Veronica Mars. How could you possibly cancel the show with the second best brand recognition of your entire line-up?
After seeing all 30 episodes, I can safely say UPN was right to do it. Because the show is sour as sin.
The producers of The Simpsons used to always get asked when they were going to do an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, so once they put together a test audience, and ran a bunch of those shorts one right after another for a half-hour. Everybody in the test group left after five minutes of the gut-splattering violence. That's what it is like sitting through Dilbert. Dilbert shouldn't have gotten a second season. Heck, it shouldn't have even made it past Pilot stage.
I have always loathed the comic strip, but I had assumed that they would have opened up the world a bit more on a TV show, and not completely indulge in the nihilism and misanthropy of the comic strip. That is not the case. But instead of getting a 30 second dose of cynicism in the morning, you have to sit through 22 minutes of it. And there are 30 episodes on the set. This set was frankly, a bit of a chore to get through.
I cannot overstate how much I loathe the character of Dilbert. Office workers have inexplicably latched on to this complete shell of a man as a sympathetic figure suffering through what all office workers and engineers suffer through. Dilbert is NOT that. You want a punching bag you can relate and root for, Charlie Brown is your guy. Charlie Brown TRIES. And he gets right back up when he falls. And he's still standing. And when the chips are down, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts actually care about him.
Nobody in Dilbert likes anybody else, and everyone is completely out for themselves. The writers would have the audience believe that Dilbert is the show's moral center, but he's really not. He's like Family Guy's Brian Griffin, except Brian is written as insufferable on purpose, while the writers of this show are asking me to find Dilbert's wishywashyness noble. Dilbert will go on with these high minded, badly written platitudes, but when push comes to shove, he NEVER winds up doing the right thing. He always takes the path of least resistance, and in almost every instance, the problem could have been cleared up right away had he sacked up and taken an actual stand. But that would require an effort on his part that would discomfort him. And Dilbert (the series') moral seems to be that the best way to get back at The Man is to be lazy and bad at your job. Seriously. Scott Adams seems to be a total narcissist and people looking up to Dilbert as some relatable, working class hero, are seeing something in the character than isn't there.
And the show hates EVERYTHING. There is nothing the series is for. Every single thing in life supposedly sucks. Seth MacFarlane gets rightly slammed for seemingly hating every single thing in pop culture, but Dilbert hates every single thing in existance. It actually has an episode devoted to the idea that charity is bad. Seriously. CHARITY. Had this series last longer, watching more of it would have been bad forr my mental health. And Dilbert, The Series, never offers up solutions to problems, but merely points them out, and thinks that's enough. Its entire moral is that you shouldn't care enough about any problem to want to change it, and whenever you try it is hopeless, so don't bother. Even South Park and Family Guy at their darkest, are usually able to come up with positive morals, whether I ultimately agree with them or not. Dilbert is that annoying emo teen always pointing out the faults in others without realizing that maybe he himself is the one who is the problem. Dilbert is an exercise in the mental and moral gutter.
The animation is actrocious too. That should go without saying since the artwork in the strip is so bad, but there it is. Besides all of the character designs being badly designed for animation, the animation isn't even consistant. Characters will change sizes and body types from scene to scene due to laziness on the show's producer's parts. Say what you will about Bob's Burgers. It's animation is CONSISTANT and that makes it easier on the eyes than the ugly characters would otherwise. Dilbert's actual animation is just as bad as the designs.
The only thing to recommend about the series is the amazing title sequence. The fact that the theme and opening animation is so memorable is probably why I saw the series in hindsight with a bit of rose-colored glasses. The animaton in the rest of the series does NOT live up to it.
I'm glad I paid less than ten dollars for this set from Mill Creek. Had I spent 30 or 40 on it like it probably was when Sony first released it, I would have been furious. Season One Overall: 0. Season Two Overall: **. Series Overall: *.
The Name:
I have seen better cartoon pilots (Futurama), and I have seen worse (Family Guy). But I will not deny the episode culminating in that acorn joke was VERY funny. Comedy works best when it's built upon. Wish I could say the Chicken Man joke had better pay-off. ***.
The Competition:
It is very hard for me to sympathize with Dilbert when he is such a cowardly doormat and makes everything he touches worse. If the series is trying to tell us that what happened in this episode is the universe's fault and Dilbert was the victim, I disagree with that assessment. Strongly. Why in God's name didn't he turn in Dogbert immediately instead of allowing himself to get fired? His misplaced loyalty to Dogbert strikes me about as realisitc as Harry, Ron, and Hermione always covering for that oaf Hagrid in the Harry Potter books, even when Hagrid could have cleared up the matter himself like an adult, but chose instead to hang his so-called child friends out to dry. Harry Potter is probably worse because selfishness is not actually SUPPOSED to be a virtue in the Potterverse, and that is the default setting of everyone in the Dilbertverse, but stuff like that is why I strongly dislike the comic strip. *1/2.
The Prototype:
Painfully unfunny and frankly, a bit boring. The series didn't get off to a good start. Here we get a good glimpse at Scott Adams' misogynistic streak. That guy's headspace is decidedly unpleasant. *.
The Takeover:
This was the episode that I decided I didn't like the series. I hated the comic strip, but I thought I'd give the cartoon a shot. If anything, it's even worse. Reading that three panel strip of self-destructive cynicism for 30 seconds a day is bad enough. Try sitting through 22 minutes of it. And they made 30 episodes. Dilbert is the kind of comedy that LOVES to point out faults in everything, without ever offering any solutions of their own. Scott Adams treats the business world with the same kind of jaded view Seth MacFarlane reserves for celebrities. And Dilbert seems to have none of Family Guy's redeeming values. Because as mean as their celebrities slams are, there ARE other things to recommend about Family Guy. Outside of the phenomenal title sequence there is NOTHING that can be said the same of Dilbert. 0.
Testing:
Dear Scott Adams, I've heard rumors that this show is supposed to be a comedy. Is this true? I exaggerate, but if this WERE the first episode of the show I'd seen, I'd have trouble identifying it as a comedy. I didn't laugh at a single thing. Personally? I don't automatically find characters who loathe each other and treat one another terribly for 22 minutes funny, but then, I'm not a sociopath. Me and Scott Adams travel in VERY different circles. 0.
Elbonian Trip:
The Elbonian/Cold War gags are as dated as the Thembrian/Cold War gags on TaleSpin, i.e. they were already dated when this first aired. And in this case, they were ten years more dated than TaleSpin. Painfully unfunny. *1/2.
Tower Of Babel:
Is the episode trying to say Dilbert is rebelling at the end by dancing in his underwear? That he's a cheeky underdog we should root for? No. Sorry. Not buying it. Dilbert is, and always has been, a part of the problem. Why so many office drones identify with this wimp is beyond me. He is the LAST person somebody should want to look up to. **.
Little People:
I am shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you that an ignorant butthole like Scott Adams is a creationist. What does not surprise me, is that like all rightwing morons, Adams cannot argue his position rationally, and must resort to strawman arguments and debunked talking points. I swear, this 'wipe is one drunk driving arrest away from turning into Bruce Tinsley. 0.
The Knack:
There were three things I didn't like and one thing I did. First the bad stuff. I know this will sound like sacrilege, but I'm betting when he worked as an engineer, Scott Adams was very bad at his job. All this talk of "The Knack" and management viruses makes it sound like the producers think engineering competence is decided by divinity, and that technical prowess is faith-based. Personally, I think that goes against everything science stands for, and leads me to believe Adams just THOUGHT he possessed some "knack" that he actually didn't. To be fair to Adams, this faith-based version of science was also the same moral as the animated version of Frankenweenie, so I suppose I can't hold it TOO much against this episode, if I didn't hold it that much against that movie. Second bad thing: this "Blackout" scenario predates Eric Kripke's Revolution by over a decade. That's cool right? I don't know how that show made this idea so high-concept and interesting, and this episode made the same thing sound so boring. I know it's just a comedy, and didn't really delve deeply into the premise, but it still bugs a little. Third bad thing: seeing Alice in that get up made me realize that the character designs for Dilbert, as bad as they always were in the comic strip, are a thousand times worse put to animation. Even the worst designed Family Guy character (Chris Griffin) always animated better in the early episodes of that show than the best designed character of Dilbert (The Boss) ever did. It is quite atrocious to look at. Now to the good thing: it occured in the last thirty seconds of the episode, but I'm still gonna count it: Dilbert complaining about how Nutrition Facts on food boxes never take into count weight variations. That's always bugged me too. *1/2.
Y2K:
Yeah, this episode failed to live up to "Life's A Glitch, Then You Die", "Hillennium", or "Da Boom". And considering this is the only one of the cartoons of that era to deal exclusively with engineering and computers, that seems all kinds of wrong. Remember what I said about this show being badly animated? Look at that "Yellow Brick Road" parody. I have seen better animated sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show. Even shows with bad character designs like Bob's Burgers can get away with it if the animation itself is consistant. The animation here is all over the map and people are randomly changing sizes and body types. It's nuts. *.
Charity:
Let the record show that Scott Adams is opposed to charity and helping others. That's always been the subtext to Dilbert, but I'm impressed (and more than a little sickened) that he pretty much outright admitted it. He even takes a shot at the Girl Scouts here, for Heaven's sakes! I think Adams must kick puppies, drink kitten blood, and urinate on Mister Roger's grave in his spare time. The guy is more than a little bit loathesome. 0.
Holiday:
I actually think opposing Secretary's Day is a WEIRD thing to have a pet peeve over. It is such an unimportant and meaningless thing, but the producers for some reason felt strongly enough about it to center an episode around it. A thing like that would MAYBE comprise a couple of jokes in a Simpsons episode (think Love Day). Instead the producers here obsess over it and expect the audience to as well. Crazy stuff. *.
The Infomercial:
That was totally not terrible. Although I gotta say, I'm REALLY glad they made the whole thing a dream sequence at the end. Because there was some SERIOUSLY shoddy science going on, and as a purported sci-fi fan and engineer, I'm surprised something this hackneyed got past Scott Adams. Dream sequence was the way to go. My favorite joke was when Dilbert ordered the thing in the bar that the bartender had touched least, and the bartender replied "Two soaps, it is." ***1/2.
The Gift:
Talk about dated! A critique of mall walking! Take that, 1990's society! I still cannot get over how much UPN hyped Jeri Ryan's cameo back in the day. But it was actually a big buttload of nuthin'. Props to the episode for finally giving us a REASONABLY satisfying ending for the first time ever. Although the continuity nerd in me wonders how Dilbert cannot have seen his father since he was a child, and not know where in the mall he was, when JUST last season his mother noted he had walked into an All You Can Eat Buffet years ago and never left. ***.
The Shroud Of Wally:
I cannot believe a show where the main character is an engineer is so profoundly anti-science. To be fair, this episode is anti-religion too. In fact, this entire series is pretty much anti-everything. It's a bit draining to get through 30 episodes of that, to be honest. Best joke was Dogbert noting that if only the good die young then he was immortal. It's funny because its true. *1/2.
Art:
The irony of Scott Adams taking on the modern art world is so rich it has to be fattening. I know the show is anti-everything, but this particular cartoon being against high art is like William Hung talking smack about Whitney Houston. Jebus. It's not all bad. I liked the Five Families of Art joke, especially the idea that the modern artist was represented by an accountant. And that delivery guy's reaction to reading the Pointy Haired Boss's real name just guaranteed that they could NEVER possibly come up with a name to live up to that gag. **1/2.
The Trial:
I'm usually not aboard with the idea that people in prison have it too easy, but they certainly got a lot of mileage out of the premise. My favorite bits were Dilbert realizing his cell was bigger and swankier than his cubicle, and Dibert running the prison gang like an office manager. The second scenario came up with some nicely twisted gags. ***1/2.
The Dupey:
A mess. Aside from the fact that pretty much every animated comedy has tread this ground before, the episode totally falls apart in the last act. And, as usual, the episode gets a scientific fact wrong: it states that there are no advantages to a species being cute. Since watching Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey I know there IS such a thing as "artificial selection". Cuteness helps certain breeds of dog become more desirable to man, thereby increasing their chance of survival. Thank you for this useless fact, Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Best gag in the episode was Loud Howard sneezing somebody's skin off. Twice. *1/2.
The Security Guard:
All right. The best joke was at the beginning with Dilbert and Dogbert defining what "dead meat" actually is. And this is the first episode since the Pilot to build a running gag all throughout the episode to give us a funny closing joke. I really do not understand why this show hasn't been doing this more. **.
The Merger:
I should hate this episode more than I actually do. I hate it, but I don't HATE hate it. It is 22 minutes of dourness and people treating each other horribly. And yet, it isn't ALL bad. The dialogue is unusually punchy for this show, I loved the stuff with the Garbageman, and I thought the runner with Wally and Alice comparing Wally's laziness with the Women's Suffrage Movement was well-timed. I hated all of season one due to its cruelty, but I might not have hated it QUITE so much had its actual quality been better. This episode proves it. *1/2.
Hunger:
This episode was all over the map. I couldn't tell what the moral was trying to be. With Scott Adams, that's not necessarily a bad thing though. **.
The Off-Site Meeting:
Way too much gross-out humor. Although I am impressed how Dogbert Get Things Done. The only bigger asset to have on your side is Captain Picard. It is a crying shame Dogbert is evil. He could really be useful if he wanted to be. *1/2.
The Assistant:
This episode was boring and unfunny. Classic Dilbert. *.
The Return:
I'll admit this got a couple of laughs out of me (like Dogbert hanging up on Dilbert immediately after Dilbert said his life depended on him) but I honestly do not know how the writers expect me to sympathize with Dilbert's suffering when he is so dirt-stupid. Saying that the idea that using a credit card online is more dangerous than using one in person is ridiculous, is the kind of idiotic blathering someone like Micheal Scott or Peggy Hill would opine. Oh, and Jerry Seinfeld is in this. Big whoop. His eponymus sitcom is just as overrated as the comic strip this show is based on. *1/2.
The Virtual Employee:
You know, I might have given this episode a positive review had they not used the "R-Word" as an insult. I was pretty much scowling for the rest of the episode. **.
Pregnancy:
Pretty much non-stop sexism. And the interesting cliffhanger was completely bought back in the next episode. **1/2.
The Delivery:
Bad thing: this show should NOT be using celebrities playing themselves. Dilbert's art style is so simple that when you try to make a character look like an actual person, you wind up making it so detailed that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the artwork. Good thing: I loved the Superman reference at the end especially since it was dedicated to Seigel and Shuster. ***. Two-Part Average: **1/2.
Company Picnic:
This episode had the best example of celebrity voice casting I have ever heard. The sexy marketing woman Dilbert falls for was played by... Camryn Manhein! Seriously! How awesome is that? Believe it or not Manhiem's voice has always been incredibly sexy and this is the first instance of seen of ANY cartoon using a voice in a manner completely different than how the celebrity is usually cast. Professional VO's come in all body types and sizes but whenever a celebrity does a guest shot or a cameo, they ALWAYS play to type. I'm a bit stunned than such an anti-feminist show as Dilbert was the first (and so far only) cartoon to do this. ****.
The Fact:
I steadily lost interest as the episode went on but I was VERY impressed with the teaser. For the first time ever Dogbert and Dilbert's philosophical conversation was interesting. I found the idea that being too busy to do the scientific research yourself, after you claim to only believe things that are scientifically proven, being the same thing as being gullible, is probably true. It's an anti-science stance, of course, but it sort of hints around the edges about the eternal argument as to whether man truly has free will, or if they come to their opinions merely by parroting others. This didn't go as deep as that, but that question has always made me stop and think. I also guffawed at Wally's Ventriloquist line. And I'm betting Dilbert's creator attends book signing events with a rubber stamp that say "Scott Adams made eye contact with me." ***.
Ethics:
I loathed this episode. I was about to sort of rethink my idea of Dilbert never doing the right thing until the episode itself at the end said that Dilbert did the wrong thing. The idea that free and open voting for everybody is a bad idea is obscene to me. Let's just have our betters decide these things for us, shall we? We are obviously too emotional and stupid to do it on our own. About the only idea I agreed with in the episode was that smoking is incredibly unattractive. I'm with Dilbert, I don't care if a woman is a 10, and perfect in every single other way, if she has a cigarette in her mouth, that is a total turn-off. But the anti-smoking message totally did NOT redeem the anti-Democratic message. 1/2.
DVD Menu: Terrible, but I payed ten bucks to Mill Creek. What did I expect? *.