Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Sanctuary

"Hello? Uh, I think my roommate's a serial killer?... Yes, I can hold... Sí, I can hold in Spanish."

Whereas "To Kill a Robot" worked fantastically in blazing its own trail and creating a wild yet continuous narrative, "Sanctuary" works incredibly differently - in knowing the predictability of its reveal, it instead exerts all of its effort on all of the beats of the episode. The destination, for the most part, is obvious: the road that we take to get there, graciously, is not.

The plot is simple - Rhett reveals that there is, in fact, a third roommate, a mysterious figure named Glenn that keeps to himself. Link, however, decides to break the lack of communication and meet the fellow, but when the pair stumble into his room, Link finds... a few warning signs. While Rhett, acting naively in the face of Link's concern, suspects nothing of the jars full of insects, the well in the middle of the room - "Maybe he's filling in a well," - or a cryptic ransom note on someone (or, as it turns out, something) named Timmy, Link pieces together that they're sharing rent with a murderer. Obviously, we can presume that Glenn isn't actually a serial killer, but at the same time, I don't think anyone could easily reach the conclusion that he was a turtle-whispering clown, and that's where the episode gets to be the most fun.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: To Kill a Robot

"People with exceptional talents like me will be the confidants of our robot overlords. More average people like yourself will spend their days in hamster wheels helping to power the cybertronic society we all helped create."

Season 2 of Buddy System has to be the most promising second season I've seen in a while. Instead of picking up after the events of its incredible first season, knowing that their little story arc has met its graceful conclusion, Rhett and Link have decided to create an almost completely different product, now finding them in an alternate universe where they were never friends in the first place. Whereas the first season was built on testing their friendship, this season has shifted gears entirely. Now, it's about building one up.

In spite of that massive shake-up, though, one of the most interesting things about their new set-up is that, in spite of missing that crucial bond, Rhett and Link's characters are otherwise unchanged. Even down to their mannerisms, like Rhett snapping his finger at Link while shutting his front door (shown before in "Super Special Secret Bike") are delicately preserved, alongside the broader jokes like Link being obsessed with tedious, mind-numbing occupations (a jab considering the creativity of their oeuvre); the combination of both the obvious and the sly paints a nicely-complete portrait of our protagonists.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Kill the Naughty Boy

"Rhettypoo is being a very naughty boy." "I didn't call him 'Rhettypoo.'" "Don't call the naughty boy Rhettypoo."

(Timing constraints didn't work out too well for me posting these, so if you want to read the last two reviews before diving into this one of "Soul Seachin'" and "Another We," CLICK HERE. It helps support my self-esteem greatly.)

I'm gonna be honest: in deciding to discuss Buddy System, aside from being a way for me to take a breather from more intense shows and support Rhett and Link as a fellow North Carolinian, part of the reason was that I watched the series six months ago, but for some reason failed to watch the finale. With Season 2 returning, I thought this would thus be a nice way to get myself back into the mindset and finally knock it off of the list, and y'know what? It was a delightful idea, iffy reception notwithstanding.

First of all, "Kill the Naughty Boy" shows how well-developed Aimee's character is. We haven't seen her as much more than a comic villain throughout the series, and while she never emerges as particularly sympathetic, we finally get to see her with backbone, and we get to see how her mind is really working. She's not simply heinous so much as she's wildly misguided and infatuated with the fantasy of that thrupple/threeple with Rhett and Link, even being willing to kill off Rhett nonchalantly for refusing to abide. In addition, having her repeatedly find means to show off her products and otherwise discuss them, with the other characters repeatedly praising them (and her excitedly accepting that praise), added a nice wrinkle to keep proceedings from becoming too intense.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Soul Searchin' / Another We

"I belonged to Rhett's grandfather. He rode me like the wind, until he died, right there in front of Rhett." What?" "That's right, I killed him. OKAY, LET'S GO, LINK!"

"Soul Searchin'" is an interesting episode to discuss considering it's the most hated installment in the show's first season, and I can see why - it's Buddy System at its most detached, and nothing that happens in it matters at all or really ties into anything. (That which it does manage to introduce, for the record, is immediately thrown out/murdered in "Another We," at least.) But I think that's why it works - it's just eleven goofy minutes of Rhett and Link and nobody else.

You can tell it's the sort of episode that the duo would be most excited about doing - "Soul Searchin'" is full-length, but doesn't utilize anybody in the supporting cast, or even anybody else at all. It's just them messing around and trying on new characters, and as a result, it feels almost like a return to their comedic sketch roots.

First of all, though, it should go without saying that "Tough Decisions" is easily the most on-point song from the entire season; if anything, the episode might've simply been created to accommodate for the song. The entire premise borders on the nihilistic - regardless of whatever decisions you make in a life, a whale is gonna die (as well as any odd variety of endangered wildlife or yourself), and assisting in the song's message is its presentation - here, Rhett and Link act as teachers in a dingy classroom using a projector, shot through sped-up footage. For such a simple premise, its execution is shockingly elaborate and a spectacle to watch, let alone that the song is as catchy as they come.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Rolling On Turds / The Magic is Real

"Why don't you go smack a ball into someone's net with your little stick?" "And why don't you go skate uphill 'cuz, it's, hard..."

Buddy System is interesting in that, in spite of having an overarching narrative, it never feels like it does. There's only a few episodes that really buckle down on telling the show's story, and even then, it's always second to some zany adventure; the story thus forms a nice undercurrent to connect the duo's adventures together while allowing them to inhibit their own little space.

Basically, Rhett and Link know their strengths, and they know better; that's why episodes like "Rolling On Turds" work so well.

In fact, it's very vaguely rooted in the show's narrative at all. What it boils down to is a display of the direct results of Link's phone being missing and the sheer damage it can cause, in this case with the two being torn apart into separate rollerskating and rollerblading cults and forced against one another through any wide variety of turd analogies.

It's hilariously extreme and absurd, which the episode immediately points out by jump-cutting from Rhett's initial reluctance to him pledging his undying allegiance to the art of rollerskating, getting branded, and drinking the blood of the fallen. Link, meanwhile, can barely stumble through an area code, and the leader of his group gives up on the rest of the ceremony - another fun character dichotomy, mind you.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Super Special Secret Bike / You Ding, I Ding

"Wait, did you have your phone in there?" "Yeah, I took some pictures of your bike." "Ah, send me those. I have a scrapbook... for the bike."

For the record, since Buddy System is coming back incredibly soon, I'll try to double up on reviews leading up to Season 2's release date before covering the final episode in a standalone article. It's not an ideal system, but it'll have to do. Now, at the expense of a segue because it's 2:30 AM and I'm tired:

"Super Special Secret Bike" is incredibly simple but incredibly hilarious. The episode finds Rhett and Link reenacting Link's day to try to figure out the exact moment that Link lost his phone - it's a minimal set-up that finds our two protagonists weeding through a characteristically bizarre day, all while providing commentary throughout on each individual event in recreating every event as quixotically and accurately as the duo can manage.

What makes it so enjoyable is that it's sort of a look at Link's character's day-to-day existence - we get a look at his confused psyche that, among other things, welcomes robed strangers with promises of holistic benefits and shares photos of child actors who look like the national parks they currently work at. In other words, it's an opportunity for Rhett and Link to cram in as many conversational non sequitors as possible with a nice bit of cohesion; all that the episode requires is that each segment offers slightly more insight, and the result is incredibly smooth and simultaneously all over the place in the best way possible.

Rhett and Link's Buddy System Review: Tucked Up

Alright, so... why am I talking about Buddy System?

Well, the obvious reason is that Season 2 is just around the corner, and while I'm cautiously optimistic, I'm optimistic nonetheless. Plain and simple, there's no better time to be looking back. I think the main reason, though, is the fact that nobody else has really taken it upon themselves to meaningfully discuss it. That's not to say that it's a particularly deep show with complexities that need to be called out or anything, but it at least warrants some level of appraisal as opposed to silence.

Also, to Buddy System's credit, it's a pretty decent show. It's always scary to see Youtubers trying to create something larger (which is why every attempt at making a movie has been a complete, almost insulting failure to the industry), but Rhett and Link are the kind of people who are fully aware of their strongsuits and limitations. The show is basically just them being themselves, however exaggerated, and while that does lead to some issues, it's at least something distinctive and fresh.

If anything, Buddy System feels almost like an extended version of their more respectable, non-GMM content. They're inventive people, which is something I feel is wasted so frequently on GMM in favor of streamlined content - Buddy System is at least an optimistic little glimmer that shows that they've still got it. Youtube's a monster as the most successful begin to play it safe in favor of making more money, but Buddy System was never too glaring as to show that. It felt more like a passion project which, in a sense, it was. This is essentially the culmination of the duo's work on Youtube, and it works.

That being said, the show's not all perfect, and we will get to some of the problematic areas soon enough. "Tucked Up," on the other hand, is a well-crafted little narrative, however light, with a lot of delightful quirks.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Monster Bash

"It was a great party! I mean yeah, sure, some monsters got trapped in a closet, and Mina probably traumatized some people, and we got busted by the cops and I... am not helping at all, right now."

What a way to leave the audience grasping for more, Star vs. Even in terms of the standards of a midseason finale, "Monster Bash" was a mass deposit of so much new information, yet at the same time, as based on revelations as it was, this was an episode deeply invested in the characters. Not just Miss Heinous, henceforth to be known as Meteora, but everyone, to varying degrees.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Night Life / Deep Dive

"Now focus on my watch." "Hey, that's my watch!" "Dude, this is about Star, get over yourself."
Well, the last two episodes made for a nice break, because now we're back into full-blown narrative mode, and we haven't been going this strong through it since "Battle for Mewni."

There's a lot to try to extrapolate from "Night Life" and "Deep Dive" - they expertly fill in all of the questions left by "Sweet Dreams" while simultaneously allowing us to advance further as we're approaching the  midseason finale.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Death Peck / Ponymonium

"STOP YELLING!" "YELLING FEELS GOOD RIGHT NOW!"
Here's a fair warning for today's pair of reviews: "Ponymonium" is gon' get thrown around a bit. But first (flawless segue):

The premise of "Death Peck" defies easy explanation as to really do it justice, but I'll try anyway. Star, Marco, and Pony Head are off trying to get one final signature for their Petition of Friendship between Mewmins and monsters from Rich Pigeon, but problems arise in the fact that, uh, he's a pigeon. Marco thus tries to grab his talon and force a signature out, but accidentally breaks it in the process, launching an episode-long chase sequence against a flock of thousands of incensed birds.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Sweet Dreams / Lava Lake Beach

"Leave her alone, man! She's going through some stuff!" "We all are! Everyone's in a constant state of falling apart! EXISTENTIAL WAR CRYYYY!"
"Sweet Dreams" and "Lava Lake Beach," however drastically different in their focus, both take the interesting position of showing Star's increasing independence, and consequently, the effect that plays on Marco - the former explores it more on Star's end, while the latter explores it on Marco's. Honestly, I'm in full support of this advancement - after Season 2 went down so hard on Star, I'm happy to see the show mirroring that with Marco - but the means with which it explores the hardship on Marco's end are a bit... less than perfect.

First of all, though: "Sweet Dreams" is one of those episodes that relishes in its ambiguity. We're both subjected to so much and given so little to fully comprehend, but the episode wields that to its advantage.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Princess Turdina / Starfari

"HOW'D YOU KNOW ABOUT RODRIGO?!"
So... this was quite the interesting set of episode in tackling two relatively heavier themes - one, the overarching Princess Marco sub-plot, and the other the constant conflict between Mewnians' perceptions of monsters - but neither episode quite sticks the landing. That's not to say there's nothing to like about either episode, because they expand greatly upon that which the show has been consistently vague in addressing, but neither episode feels as satisfactory as they should because neither truly finds a resolution.

Considering, further, that the common theme the two episodes share (I'd argue) is a sense of hypocrisy, the show's inability to truly redeem upon the pratfalls it examines is a bit frustrating.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Lint Catcher / Trial by Squire

"'Ooooh, hey Star, I just showed up out of NOWHERE. Why don't you give me a job to do?' Okay, Marco, here's a job. 'NooOOo, not that job, another job.'"

After all of the narrative-driven heaviness of the past few episodes, perhaps it's a nice blessing that "Lint Catcher" and "Trial by Squire," despite bearing some significance, felt straight out of Season 1. People can rag on that season all they want, but it bore an enjoyable lightness while establishing the role of Star and Marco within the show, allowing us to slowly familiarize ourselves with them and how they bounce off of one another.

This set of episodes works in the same way; just as Star and Marco's introduction in Season 1 meant they needed ample room to slowly figure themselves out, their current reunion means that the show will have to do the same thing again. Things are a-changing on Star vs., and with romantic investment seeming far more repressed here, the show's clearly trying to build a new framework for the pair's dynamic.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Demoncism / Sophomore Slump

"Wow, he didn't even say goodbye. Not even a little claw wave or something." "Dude. It's a lobster." "Oh."

What I'm trying to emphasize the most in these reviews, beyond just the episodes themselves, is their interconnectivity and how the two play off of some common theme; of all shows, Star vs. would know to pair them up for a reason. The connection between "Demoncism" and "Sophomore Slump," though, is a bit less obvious and gearing towards the long run; on one hand, Star's practically moving on, and on the other, Marco's coming back around.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Club Snubbed / Stranger Danger

"Sunglasses at night. Classy."
Oh boy, two episodes that operate under the pretenses that I'm able to read into the least: the art of assumption and reading into what we're presented. Both episodes banked on leaving the audience to read into whatever subtext it gives us, and thus, the show leans on us to form some resolving conjecture. It's an interesting tactic, and an effective one for telling a gripping narrative, but the pairing of "Club Snubbed" and "Stranger Danger" serves to remind us that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil Review: Scent of a Hoodie / Rest in Pudding

"No, this is me. Totes nor-mal."
Hey. It's been a minute.

I doubt any of y'all remember me, but a while back, I wrote up a little review of the entirety of Season 1 per that "Community Watching" event that happened a few months back. Everybody over at the subreddit liked it, so I thought, great! I'll just write one for Season 2 while I'm at it! That... didn't quite work out; turns out it's a bit hard to condense all of that into something that wasn't a complete eyesore to read.

But I'm back, and I'm trying it over again. But episodically. I don't know how long I'll actually be doing this - as of right now, I'm pretty much just cracking down on my weaknesses as a reviewer by exploring a show more driven by an ongoing narrative. (I usually stick to The Amazing World of Gumball, but I might as well expand a bit.)

First, though, a little disclaimer: on top of, y'know, being new to reviewing this type of show, I'm also very much known for being a bit meticulous when it comes to the show's mechanics. With that being said, I value the underlying notions of the show's plot and the ease with which the show conducts itself more than the plots, so don't come here expecting a synopsis so much as just... a mess of thoughts. What a selling point.

That was a long intro, let's just get to the episodes.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The List

"I always thought I would go to college. Instead, I majored in shopping with coupons with a minor in tension headaches."
The last episode of Season 5... not one by choice, mind you, so much as a mistake on CN's part in regards to the episodes leaking, though their airing schedule isn't particularly great either... but still. It's like how "The Ollie" got leaked; we can't let that affect how we perceive the episode, even if it is a little tempting.

That doesn't mean "The List" is a disappointment by any means; it's probably one of the most straightforward and enjoyable episodes in the backhalf of the show's fifth season.

What makes it such a successful episode is its sheer simplicity, and how that allows for the show to contain, in 11 minutes, a near-all-encompassing array of great gags. Episodes like "The Compilation" exist wholly to do the same general idea, but the narrative tying into the jokes itself is crucial to such an episode's execution, and "The List" was such a creatively-freeing idea that it allowed the show to make whatever jokes it wanted - among them being holistic medicine, the illogic of charity marathons, and a journey across the world online - without ever interrupting the flow of the episode.