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.
The general conceit is simple: Rhett tells Link about his father's tendency to tuck his shirt into his underwear as to instill him with confidence, so the two decide to try it out. The episode basically just unfolds as we see how far this newfound confidence takes them and it works pretty well. Yes, it kind of does take the mad-libs approach to comedy that I'm not the most fond of, but you can tell that there was a lot of thought put into the proceedings, however farfetched they became. Rhett's extended space cadet monologue, for instance, isn't particularly relevant to too much of what was happening, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Ultimately, they decide to set out for boba, though that means that they'd have to cross the aptly-named Scary Alley, prompting our very first song for the series:
The Song: So Dang Dark"So Dang Dark" is probably one of the show's more catchy earworms, demonstrating Rhett and Link's immense capabilities of comedic heightening. It reminds me a lot of "Have You Ever," one of their most underrated songs: it starts out a bit weird but still pretty normal before quickly becoming more and more ridiculous. They aren't afraid of dark so much as that which they can't see, ranging from a sudden level change to a blank canvas ("Where do I even start?" / "And is it even worth the risk?" / "Who am I? / Should I go back to law school?"). Even if I do think the accompanying video wasn't the greatest (I would've much preferred just seeing the moments of Rhett and Link in the scenarios rather than the aimless dancing), the song was at least catchy enough and showed the duo's comedic sensibilities perfectly. Ultimately, I'm just a sucker for absurdist humor, and seeing Rhett complain of his home value depreciating due to fracking is downright inspired.
With the song out of the way, the two tuck it for the boba and head in, walking strangely as to try to scare off potential attackers though simultaneously looking like they're high on bath salts and prompting a security guard to try to stop them. I actually really liked the 'bath salts' joke because it was so unexpected coming from the two. They tend not to play around with too much dark humor, so I thought it was a pleasant surprise, especially considering that the joke landed as intended.
Ultimately, Link ends up tased, but the security guard soon comes to his senses and realizes the pair, profusely apologizing and taking them out for boba. As it turns out, he's an old high school friend who moved out to LA to pursue his dreams of becoming a real magician (we'll get to that plot-point later). He tells the two that they should attend one of his shows, but Link realizes that his phone disappeared. Heading back to the alley to try to find it proves fruitless, and after some playful, on-the-nose foreshadowing, the twist ending kicks in with a robot hand grabbing Link's phone when Rhett tries calling it.That's where the only issue of the episode lay: it doesn't offer too much in terms of the overarching plot of the series, though that's an issue we'll be seeing a lot more of later, so I'm not going to beleaguer the point too much right now. I can at least understand why they sought to avoid it for the pilot from a marketing standpoint: this episode was released free on Youtube Red to coax viewers in without spoiling what the show's plot actually is, so the twist ending attempts to pique the viewer's interest. Even so, I'm just going to clarify right now that the actual plot never becomes the main focus of the show so much as the antics that Rhett and Link get into, so it's not like "Tucked Up" isn't representative of the series.
Notes and Quotes:-The "real-life glasses" bit was a nice little non-sequitor. The show tends to rely on them a lot, but this one didn't set out to be some grand notion so much as a side-comment, which I appreciated.
-Special shout-out to Crabtree Valley Mall! As a North Carolinian, I can proudly say that I have been to the Sbarro at the food court, though it's now a Luciano Family Pizzeria. Like, the reference doesn't mean too much, but it's nice to see that Rhett and Link are never too far from their roots.
-I think that Rhett wore the point down of Link losing his phone as the perfect plot device a bit too much, but I liked how blatantly unsubtle the whole thing was. There's a difference between trying to make a subtle meta joke and bombing and beating the crap out of the fourth wall, so I thought it was effective even if it did try too hard to an extent.
-Special shout-out to Rhett and Link subtly un-tucking after hearing that the survey of the tuck's perceived confidence boost to be a fraud. It's nicely downplayed, especially given the pair's tendency to overact.
-"I'm not a good pole climber - I don't have pole-climbing arms. I have napkin-dabbing arms."
-"Yeah, that's not true." "Then what kind of shapes were you walking in?"
-"In honor of your dedication to NASA space program, with this bold commitment to exploring the far reaches of our galaxy and beyond, which is suffering significantly thanks to cuts in federal funding and the increased privatization of space travel by the likes of Elon Musk, who, despite dubious personality traits and a weird name, does seem to be genuinely interested in the pursuit of science - despite all that, I award you with this pin that, when placed on your lapel, or... breast area if there is no lapel... officially makes you a space camper."
Grade: A. I'm giving it an "A" because it did everything it set out to do. Don't get me wrong, it's not fine art, but it never set out to be. It's just a goofy little adventure. Further, it's nice to see that Rhett and Link clearly put thought into it and you can tell that they sought to make it the best thing that they could - there wasn't any creative compromise for the sake of trying to appease something more mainstream while, in the process, lessening appeal for both sides. (Relative to a Buddy System-tied rating scale, too, the episode is a perfect execution of Rhett and Link's vision.)The big saving grace of the show is, allow me to reiterate, that it doesn't take itself seriously it willingly pokes fun at itself. It knows that it's not some lavish production, which is good! Rhett and Link are the kind of people who know what they are capable of doing and don't try to elevate beyond that to something artificial: in other words, we got was the two in their finest form and it was great to watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment