C&C - Smiling Friends Season 2 Talkback [5/12-6/23]

[Space Cadet]

Ratings:

2.04: 284,000(0.16 P18-49)

Highest ratings of the season so far.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

I don't think I can tolerate this show for giving Doug Walker credibility, especially since fans of the creators have constantly harrassed Linkara over an obscure comic he regrets making.

Eh by that logic you really shouldn't have EVER been able to tolerate the show because one of the creators Zack Hadel has insulted and jabbed at Lewis Lovhaug/Linkara even BEFORE Smiling Friends came out for "The Lightbringer" in like several OneyPlays videos. It's nothing malicious because quite frankly Zack and the Oneyplays team aren't directly involved in any Channel Awesome drama so just joke about it. And honestly as much as I am still a fan of many former Channel Awesome contributors like Linkara... I'm also a fan of Nostalgia Critic as well and don't directly ban anyone in my mind due to that drama but rather if I like their content or not. I get some won't or can't have that opinion but it's not something that directly gets to me which I think is the attitude the team have thus why Walker is in the latest episode.

Speaking of that, finally time for my thoughts so far on this season.

"Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)" - You know it's weird that the more I think about it, the more this episode is overall probably my least favorite. And that's only because of the whole Charlie/James subplot. And really most of it works; I do really love the idea of showing someone actually using the Smiling Friends organization to troll and mess with the employees that they have to tolerate because it's their job, and the resolution of him stabbing the gaming president and even the ending tag that he did actually like Charlie were good but... I think it's more that he is presented as this legit threat. I mean in a lot of the episode the cast are threatened and even killed but it's usually either done in such a cartoony out there way it's hard to really connect with as serious and rather you laugh at it, as shown in the over top lunacy of the main plot. But when James talks about how maybe the only thing that will make him smile is if he kills Charlie.. that's not really funny that's just messed up and does take me out of the episode.

The rest though really is great. I said in the X-Men 97 talkback that as much as I love that series, stuff like "Motendo" has problems because it feels like the team working on it aren't real gamers and are still going off more cliches of what gaming culture is. However this is clearly made by people who know that specific era and are able to really make fun of it by showing what it is and embracing it. Gwimbly really does feel like a classic late 90's platform star and I do love the idea of Pim trying to help the guy get his own game (and Alan tagging along just to get rid of him... more on Alan later) and how that ultimately ends up. Like so many classic bits here from Gwimbly's iconic catchphrase and mentioning Gwimbly gun to what happened to his supporting cast to the Smash Brothers esque fighter he ended up as. I also really dig how the villain here is this obvious gross example of how actual game producers are now. Seriously the line "It's MY IP to sit on and do nothing with" feels so especially cutting most shows that reference gaming culture really don't grasp but this one does so well. If it were just the Gwimbly stuff this would easily be my favorite but again due to James being such a real threat you feel more bad for Charlie then laugh at what happens it does knock it down a few pegs for me.

"Mr. President" - I'm not going to claim to be a major OneyPlays fans who knows all of their in jokes and references and bits and watched all of their playthroughs, but I have seen enough to really love the Donald Trump Impression Zach Hadel does and part of me wonders since they were doing a whole election episode they should have leaned into that but... Smiling Friends is supposed to be it's own world with it's own figures that yeah will obviously mention the real world and have parallels but isn't supposed to be even with the politics one to one. Plus I do enjoy their takes on the candidates here. Jimble being this pathetic gross idiot who tries to mean well but clearly has no clue what he's doing who really should have just sat on a beach and only had a chance thanks to being seen as a "safer" candidate is really great and though it takes at least a couple of listens to really hear all of what he's saying he has a lot of funny bits especially talking about being the "lamb president" or being done seemingly caring what everyone else has to say about him. I also hope that we do see very occasionally Mr. Frog pop in as president now on this show. I mean has to be better then how they handled Curtis in Rick and Morty and just the idea this psychotic is going around as leader of the free world I find really amusing. I also really like how this shows Charlie as someone not wanting to be controversial at all by not wanting to get involved in politics yet almost has a major hand at swaying the election due to just how much he knows on Mr. Frog or yeah the reveal that Glip was the last vote. Hell even the Boss's muttering to himself which mostly would be seen as old ended on such a solid joke it really balanced out. This is probably at least compared to the first season teh most normal ep of the four so far but still was really good and a great way to "properly" launch the second season.

"A Allan Adventure" - Due to the structure of the first season really needing to establish Charlie and Pim as the main characters, we really only got glimpses of the other main employees of the business really only getting a focus in about one episode or so. And as off beat as the Boss seemed despite being nice to those under him or Glep's oddity (though yeah due to him being unable to talk our standard language kind of makes him what South park would call a "prop character" it's hard to really do major story line focuses with) I think Alan was the one that seemed like he would be the most fun to do a deep dive on. The fact he went on this ridiculous adventure in the pilot just to get his "precious piece of cheese" was funny and still showed range that yeah I'm glad season 2 has been expanding on having him in most episodes either as part of the adventure (sans "Mr. President") along for some of the ride or yeah as shown here giving the starring focus. I like too due to this following what Alan would do (who seems to be the guy around the office maintaining and getting supplies as Charlie and Pim go out and try to make people smile and... yeah still don't know what Glep does which is probably the point) it is structured a fair bit differently going from place to place especially when the paperclips are stolen and it's just a mad dash involving helicopter crashes and going through a big foot's cave and avoiding being shot at by skeletal pirates. And honestly I really love the idea that of all people to be screwing over Alan it was just his land lord putting together this insane plan just so he'll be forced to spend time doing drugs and playing video games with him. It's the perfect mix of ridnonkously silly but not in an overly winking way either and yeah the anti climax of just disarming the bomb and the guy seemingly dying and Alan getting a stupid toy from the boss that Charlie takes is a great way to end this. Again really building up the guy as a unique presence you want to follow on this sort of mad cap adventure that even where you know it's all going still holds up. Sometimes in a comedy if you know the twist of where it's going the whole joke sort of falls apart but still does here with just how it was pitched so well done team.

"Erm, The Boss Finds Love?" - Okay as someone who totally hates and just gets creeped out by horror, the original Halloween episode from season one is one of my least favorite from that era. Because quite frankly it did too good a job at actually being able to have some proper creeping horror that yeah I do appreciate an american cartoon actually replicating (as even adult TV cartoons have to still space out jokes that cuts into horror) but doesn't make it really fun to rewatch sans the opening and ending. So this does a better job at being entetaining throughout as sans the first jumpscare with Brittany's face it doesn't really go for horror as the more Brittany's on screen the more kind of whiny yet humorous her character is. I just love the idea of this evil demon who actually does suck out men's souls still being super sensitive to whenever SHE'S insulted and pretty much kills herself due to Charlie calling her out on her horrendous actions and not liking her. And it was established well in the first part of the episode where the Smiling Friends final job was complimenting her so again well done there. I also really liked the runner of Jambo selling Charlie this fake knife and despite Charlie claiming he's "fifth smiling friend material" (missed opportunity for a joke: Pim should have been "what about Shmormus" and Smoru just appearing doing his dance before disappearing) the guy just cuts and runs with Charlie's money. As well as the Boss controlling a fourth of hell and yeah the cameos and jokes mentioned in my other post. Plus with Alan there I get a better sense of banter between the smiling friends then just with Charlie and Pim so again hitting well on all angles.


So yeah this season has been really strong so far and hope the other half continue in that direction.

 

[CNFan1995]

Episode 5
Brother's Egg

After some of the Boss's usual tomfoolery, Pim and Charlie are tasked with helping a mad scientist with an egg dilemma.​

 

[Nobodyman]

This remake of 2001 is really strange. And that's saying something.

Jared Fogle? ......Oh boy.

Phew! Thank God.

The Boss gave them "The Face".

Well, he's a mad scientist, but at least he's not a pedophile.

Nothing worse than an obnoxious roommate.

Oh, he's his brother. Half-brother, maybe.

Spanish Charlie and Pim!

Is audio mixing really off for anyone else?

Occupational hazard right there.

Well, that intervention could've gone better.

He created life! Without sex!

Even Charlie can't handle the show that he's part of.

Next time: ALIENS! ...And a theremin.

 

[JMTV]

Another great episode as always. Doug and Daneil really cracked me up.

 

[Daikun]

Is audio mixing really off for anyone else?

I think there might be an issue with the TV broadcast.

I remember over a year ago when I was watching an episode of Hamster & Gretel on TV and how the audio mixing was muffled compared to its online upload. I wonder if that's the same case here. Let's wait and see it on AS.com or Max to see if the issue is fixed.

EDIT: The AS.com version is no better.

Interestingly, the preview clip that was uploaded to AS' YouTube channel a few days ago sounds a lot better. I'm not sure what happened. The clip below is the way it SHOULD sound, yet for some reason, the music in the broadcast version is too loud.


Let's hope the Max upload fixes this tomorrow.

EDIT #2: The Smiling Friends Twitter account assures us that the Max version will be fixed.

 

[Yojimbo]

Brother stuff. Yeah.

The Boss's face being stuck. lol.

 

[Space Cadet]

Ratings:

2.05: 195,000(0.09 P18-49)

Big drop from the previous week.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"Brother's Egg" - Admittedly on my first watch of this one I wasn't really feeling it. I think it came because of Doug's turnaround coming from when at his construction job another brother's fued was laid out and... you know kind of a mini tangent in itself but at this point I do feel just being sort of self referencial on "oh how concidental and poetic" these kind of moments are even in jokes on themselves are pretty played out. Granted like I get it's suppose to be funny that's what convinces Doug with how still out of nowhere is but it still even if laying a hat on it is lazily moving one part of the plot forward without real proper progression because honestly joke progression on such a done bit on it's own isn't very entertaining. I mean for as sort of real as some of the arguments and points are to have that be the "yeah Doug wants to give his brother one more shot" feels like sort of an ass pull and not really in the funny way and yeah does sink some of the episode for me.

Admittedly though on rewatch that isn't nearly as much of a problem because quite frankly that's only a small part and the rest of it is really good. Admittedly I haven't really seen any of Joel Haver's work before this but checking it out his sort of rotoscoped animated motion is really funny and having him portray the brother of this obviously cliche evil brother is really funny. I was also debating on "this does go a bit back to basics of the Smiling Friends formula having Pim and Charlie talk to this guys instead of working as an assistant" but again after a couple more off formula it does feel good to go more to the point of the show and yeah the whole homoculus egg actually hatching and that starting the fight leads to this really good meta joke of Charlie admitting how stressful the world is and how it gets to them. Add to it the really amusing bits of the messed up show from the beginning and end and Mr. Boss's prank with Jerid Fogel (which yeah even knowing this episode was about Psychotic did really get me in how it was framed and Charlie and Pim's silence realizing who they had to help was great and you know "as you know" is used by someone as a way of taunting/mocking someone else that can be funny) and the talk with Pscyhotic and Charlie in the restaurant ("How? How would that have worked in anyway?!" is easily one of Charlie's best lines) and even the bit of Pscyhotic understanding the two speaking Spanish again is still amusing. Admittedly probably still one of the weaker episodes of the season for that one scene not really working but eh if most of the rest is still funny a smaller scene not hitting won't take away that much from an ep if you realize how much the rest carries it.

 

[CNFan1995]

Episode 6
Charlie, Pim, and Bill vs. the Alien

A thirty-four-year-old man named Pim sets out to save his mother on Mars after she is abducted by Martians.​

 

[Nobodyman]

Hanging out in a cornfield with a bunch of weirdos. I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

This guy kinda sounds like Peter Griffin.

I think Duncan's just here for the food.

Well, this is proving to be an eventful night.

Poor Bill.

Oh great. They're the "to serve man" kind of aliens.

Luckily it's also Saturday in Galactic Central Time.

Oh great. They're the "party all the time" kind of aliens.

Oh great. They're the "genocide for the lulz" kind of aliens.

Well, at least Charlie and Pim aren't mass murderers.

Busted!

I guess people are jerks no matter where you are in the universe.

The Earth is flat! Terry Pratchett was right!

 

[Golden Geek]

A CD holder in the ass or genocide. Some people just have really bad luck of the draw.

 

[JMTV]

OMG, this episode is so funny. I love it.

 

[Space Cadet]

Ratings:

2.06: 172,000(0.08 P18-49)

Another drop this week.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"Charlie, Pim And Bill Vs The Alien" - You know we've seen a lot of really odd and out there Adult Swim shows with these super strange random scenarios where seems like anything is possible and out there, but yet for some reason it always surprises me just how out there this show can be. And I think that's because due to how at it's core the main characters are really very grounded and relatable and just regular guys that putting them in these elevated stories does create and interesting new spin. I mean I could easily see a bit in Aqua Teen or Robot Chicken or heck even Rick and Morty involving "being taken by aliens but then there are other aliens on top of that who just want to party with you and having to get back" but it just feels like a more out there and wonky idea because of the world this show builds up. And honestly as this was the episode that had that animatic leak showing the first 3 minutes right up to the aliens taking them I was looking forward to seeing what absurdity would come from that and what resulted lived up to that. I think it also helps that unlike James in the Gwimbly episode as jerkish and scary as the aliens can be here especially threatening Pim and Charlie with "we will torture you forever if you don't blow up this planet" the fact they were yanking them and Charlie could just yell back to them honestly helped that scene play out better. Like I totally buy that at the point of Charlie just snapping at the aliens and calling them out for being lame and helped mix the perfect sense of esclation yet uncomfortability for that particular moment.

And honestly for an episode super just focused on Pim and Charlie without any of the other leads on this adventure I do feel the focus worked. Having it start out with those other alien watchers with one being more laid back the other being this out there troll and the third just... loving scarfing down animal cookies was funny and I really dig the idea "oh yeah Bill just got taken and dissected but then these other aliens abducted the first." I think the only joke I didn't really like in retrospect was Charlie saying to Pim as they were explaining what was going on "yeah I could have told you that." Again one of those "this is exposition/oubvious foreshadowing phrasing as a joke" that doesn't work for me but the rest of the bits did from the party to having to blow up the planet to the actual GOOD exposition joke "I've known you for seven years and never thought I'd say this but... let me drive this alien ship out to get back to earth" talking about the cool alien game and yeah the whammy reveal that the earth in this universe IS flat and under a dome. Again because of how wonky yet realistic this world seems they can pull those sort of off jokes like that and have them totally land so yeah another solid ep. Not the best of the season as I think the first half was really cooking but still good and looking forward to the last two of the season.

 

[CNFan1995]

Episode 7
The Magical Red Jewel AKA Tyler Gets Fired

The Boss and Pim fight for their lives in a mysterious world called Spamtopia. Meanwhile, Charlie confronts Allan over something serious.​

 

[Nobodyman]

Tyler?! No! Not Tyler!

Well, that quickly takes care of both aspects of the title.

Uh, I thought we established both Charlie and Pim speak fluent Spanish?

Episode 1 callback!

Well...this is gonna be difficult to explain.

Spamtopia looks like fun.

Yeah, no one likes the word "manifesto".

Oh, "Spamish".

Well, at least Glep is doing something.

Death by bisection. Truly an advanced culture.

That's what you would call an overcorrection.

I guess Spamtopia just wasn't meant to last.

They die, come back to life, and metamorphosize so fast.

Tyler's gonna create music. He'll be Tyler, the Creator.

Was that Dana Snyder in the preview?

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

"The Magical Red Jewel AKA Tyler Gets Fired" - Now a lot of shows honestly like this fail for me when they stray TOO random and pointless and just keep piling on insanity one after the other and go so far into kookiness it stops being funny. Smiling Friends is good at ensuring that doesn't happen with how grounded the characters are but what works too is that in the stories as well there is always a solid throughline that only breaks either very sporadically at a couple of points but then veers on track or just a bit in the ending but never to an obnoxious point. For instance actually having the pen pal that Pim learned Spamish from being the eyeball ruler of the town and Pim actually making the guy feel better about himself saving him and the boss. Like yeah it results in the very funny "the leader bans all rule and thus everything goes absolutely insane they barely drive away in time" but again there is still a sense of weird logic to how that was set up and paid off where it made enough sense without being totally predictable. Same with Jason actually dying but the jewel that the boss got reviving it. Granted I think Adventure Time "Red Starved" did a similar joke but this one got to expand on it with the thing actually dying and then coming back spreading pollen everywhere to lead to a funny ending. Like yeah again this is still an insane series but it's not just the characters that ground it but also the stories having enough internal logic for it to feel like there's a point in the A to B without distracting from how wild things get.


And you know just a lot of great jokes. Really naming them all would feel pointless as most of them made me laugh but eh don't have anything else to say so... Tyler just being a random live action guy we also see in the end credits, Charlie bringing up Alan biting him and Alan forgetting that ( I do like how it is clear from this episode the two sort of need someone more positive like Pim to generally hang around because it seems like they really can't hang together regularly), the silly little "don't look in the eye" spam song and the mosquito sucking on the eye as they were trying to make the deal, Glip dressing up as Jason (I think Charlie telling Glip "oh also he suckles on Mr. Boss so you're going to have to put up with that the rest of your life" is probably the funniest line of the epiosde) and Pim and Alan's fight and then Charlie questioning the boss's manifesto. So yeah really solid zany ep that I really dug honestly though the last two eps were pretty good this one is on the same level of the first half of the season I was really digging so yeah if the finale can match this quality that will be another great smiling friends season... granted this show only has seasons that are like four half hour equivalent but hey quality of quantity right?

 

[JMTV]

Another great episode as always. Can't wait to see the Season 2 finale.

 

[Yojimbo]

Spamtopia sure was... something.

Glep has been low-key hilarious this season.

Pim and Boss panicking about the waitress at the end was the best.