The Surreal Life Aquatic
Since its premiere in 2001, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim animation block has rescued a handful of failed animated shows from pop culture oblivion and generated its own share of wildly popular original shows that have been turning into wildly popular DVD sets. And this time, its the fourth and final season of Sealab: 2021a re-cobbling of the short-lived, 1970s cartoon Sealab: 2020in which the inhabitants of an underwater environmental station from the original program have all gone insane. Conventional television writing wisdom pretty much says that a show like this could never have made it for four seasons, but everything goes out the window when you eliminate continuity, restrictions and any semblance of reality.
Created by 7030 Productions, each 15-minute episode blends some new animation with original stock footage, giving it that cheap, homemade feel that Adult Swim is known forapparently, adults dont really care about quality. But what they lack in budget and production values, they make up for in characterization and scripts. If you need helppointers, whateverjust hit Muktuk or me up on our cellie, a random Eskimo says helpfully to Quinn, a Sealab crew member, during an assisted whale suicide protest. Or you can text us, yknow we have over 400 emoticons for snow, he adds.
Marco meets a long lost child he once conceived with a shark, pretty boy Derek Stormy Waters sneaks out during a disaster, leaving the rest of the crew to be burned alive (yes, burned) and White Debbienot to be confused with Black Debbieplays voice of reason when her male companions ignore the ocean suddenly running dry. The cast bicker, screw and fight their way through each episode; some are sated, one-upped, injured, maimed, even killed from time to time, but nothing ever sticks. Apparently, adults also like violent humor, fearless sexism and ham-fisted racial remarks as well.
Despite all of its undersea escapades, Sealab doesnt have much going on under the surface, but if the show isnt taking itself very seriously, than you shouldn't either. When its as ridiculous as this, sometimes its OK to spend a little time in the shallow end.