There's not a single content creator I will ever have more enthusiasm for than Olan Rogers. He's everything the universe needs right now; charismatic, engaging, and hysterical, and his penchant for story-telling and manic comedic instincts are unrivaled. Sufficed to say, I'm proud to see someone like him, who works his butt off to make people laugh, finally got his due in something that he's always wanted to do: create television. And, for the most part, it works.
Now, as a self-important idiot standing on my humble soapbox, I have specific issues that I want to tackle, but as a disclaimer: I do think Final Space is good, and I do believe in its potential. Early episodes, after all, will always struggle a bit when you put into consideration how much they have to do–establishing the characters, setting the tone, and creating the universe of the show is a pretty tall order.
The first two episodes weren't rough, but they did have rough patches. However, I want to make the distinction that I think Final Space is reparable, so bear with me for a little while.
The first thing we should discuss is Gary, the show's protagonist. In watching Final Space with a friend, I found the general response to be polarizing to say the least: they couldn't get in with the groove of it. And I don't blame them: Gary is a character built on Olan's manic energy, and while I can appreciate what it brings, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He's the necessary comic relief of the show, with an otherwise predominantly straight-laced cast, and while he does provide some much-needed contrast, there are times when it becomes excessive. "Chapter One," for instance, faced a couple of issues in placing Gary, unrivaled, front-and-center, because there wasn't anybody contrasting with him enough to provide a sounding board he could play off of (at least not until the second half). When leaned on too much, it creates a tonal dissonance with the show, and at times, both episodes got a little disorienting because of it.However, Final Space more nimbly addresses this in "Chapter Two," taking the form of his dynamic with Avocato, a
The rest of the cast works equally well. The inarguable showstealer is Lord Commander, who emerges as a legitimate threat, and he's a beacon of hope for what the future of the show holds, offering an intimidating, unfazed counter to Gary's antics. HUE, the voice over Gary's ship, offers some delightfully understated deadpan (courtesy of Tom Kenny), too, and though he doesn't waver Gary as much as Lord Commander, there's a similar (albeit delicate) sadism to his role that makes him particularly compelling. The rest of the cast still needs some time to properly find its way into the spotlight; KVN is a definitive Fred Armisen character in need of more integration, and Quinn is perhaps the most mysterious and unreadable of all, though I find solace in how promising she is.Now let's talk about the meat of the show itself. I liked it.
As I said earlier, there's something particularly daunting about the first episodes because of how much they have to do, but "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two" do a great job of establishing a tone. There's immediately something distinct about it. Final Space, interestingly enough, is a very dramatic show, but Gary, being the odd one out, helps mediate this. At once, the show is never too heavy nor does it bank too much on Gary's looseness, so when everything aligns, Final Space is particularly phenomenal. However, the fact that it has to balance these two extremes puts it in a very precarious position that risks being loose, and we see cracks of it here and there. While not destructive, they do create a dissonance that can get tedious at times. I'm looking especially at the detour where Gary traumatizes a family of aliens; while that scene seems to be warranting a lot of enthusiasm, it exemplifies my issues pretty adroitly.
The nitty-gritty of the show, though, more than makes up for this, especially in the sheer excellence of the periphery. There's always an undercurrent of intensity that energizes everything on-screen, and it's quietly the show's greatest assets: even when what's happening on-screen isn't intense, there's always something laying dormant that threatens the lunacy. I'd like to especially point out the introductory segments as highlights, with Gary floating aimlessly in space, on the verge of death, talking to HUE. We don't know how this ties in, but there's something curiously engaging about it. It feels... real, almost. And the show uses it as a means of getting us right into the mindset of what's going to unfold on-screen. (The sheer cinematic range of the show, too, is an exhilarating compliment.)I think what I'm trying to say is that "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two" weren't tight, but that doesn't mean they weren't good. As it stands, though, Final Space is on the verge of greatness, even if it's not quite all the way there.
FINAL GRADE: B-/B for "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two" respectively. Final Space isn't perfect, but we shouldn't expect it to be: this is all foundational material that serves to demonstrate the show's capacity without nosediving straight into it. The seeds have been planted, and I'm excited to watch them grow.And Olan, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that you have my complete respect. As somebody interested in comedy writing myself, I consider your content and where it's gotten you to be downright inspirational! And when I talk about issues I have with the show, my intention is not to attack it at all; everything has merit, and everything has flaws, and I think it's important that they be addressed. For what it's worth, though, you're doing a great job, and I can't wait to watch the show unfold over the next few months.
What a good terms to describe it: "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't" I totally agree with that, it's hard to balance a dramatic storyline with silly jokes but there's definitely a stretch line where they can merge.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion some jokes are so conventional, like Gary silly-ness, HUE's deadpan humor and other times it can become awkward like the arm scene, when Avocado killed the other bounty hunter and yes, the traumatized family, those are moments that last too long or don't blend at all with the dramatism of the show becoming just obnoxious. Maybe is it because show's tone in the first place that made the jokes fell short? but I still see it working defining better the frame of the jokes, the character roles and creating more chemistry between them. Focusing on Gary alone and jokes about his boredoom in it's spare time is a no go.
There's a thing that annoyed me and it's that they started the episodes like the end of the series with the imminent death of the protagonist when we know it isn't going to happen. Though something that I liked was how the simple way of Gary befriending Avocado or saving cake seemed insignificant at first ended being more meaningful later on. It's hard to get the groove of the show, because while not being fully a comedy isn't a space drama who would shock us with it's realism.
PS: Queen seems to be the only mature member with good sense that's going to lead Gary and Avocado and help them to avoid Lord Commander.
I neglected to respond to it, but it seems like those issues have been pretty much resolved on your end! The series does admittedly start off a bit slow, but I think that's part of wanting to establish the show rather a bit more lightly so it can sweep you over as it progresses. Sort of like a stealth move.
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