his volume presents 13 episodes of the hit cartoon from the Adult Swim neighborhood of the Cartoon Network. Four of the episodes feature on-screen commentary from the assorted creators of the series. Other extras include a karaoke sing-along with the original tune from "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary," answering-machine messages by the characters suitable for your use, a gallery of conceptual sketches, network promo spots and three deleted scenes.
"Frat Aliens" finds the trio of Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad hosting two interplanetary visitors who manage to combine the obnoxious party-hearty attitude of fraternity jocks with some truly monstrous alien traits. When one of the bros is marooned by his bud, the trio of Earth dwellers have a definite problem on their stubby little hands. Can a high-tech toilet lead to carnage? It can when the device is provided by Frylock to next-door neighbor Carl. In "Total Recarl," the head of the hapless human becomes detached from the rest of him and goes through several increasingly dire reattachments. Carl suffers more indignities in "Kidney Car," when his muscle car is stolen by Shake and wrecked. But the car's horrible condition does not prevent Meatwad from coveting it, with typically bad results.
Deep-frying a whole cow takes an incredible amount of hot oil. Disposing of this liquid requires Shake and Carl to pay a visit to the nearby woods. But the sentient trees take offense at this cavalier desecration, leading to "Revenge of the Trees." It's never occurred to Frylock that his Cloning Machine could be used for counterfeiting. When Shake is inspired to use it thus in "The Cloning," the parable about money being the root of all evil is explicated. Beneath the home of our heroes lies a cavern full of skulls. And there sits the malignant hoagie known as "The Broodwich." Eat it at your peril! What could spoil Thanksgiving for our boys? How about the arrival of a robot turkey from the future, the Turkatron, who wants to rescue their dinner? "The Dressing" goes on to reveal why taco pie is a better holiday meal.
An episode simply entitled "The" has Frylock moving out in disgust. But condo living proves so boring that he soon wants to return. Too bad his ex-roommates have turned the house into a styrofoam-burning hellhole. If a large talking cube ever lands on your lawn and proclaims itself to be the "Wisdom Cube," source of all knowledge, run fast. It's really an interplanetary prankster intent on abusing your hospitality, according to "The Cubing." If all the "villains" who have ever tormented our heroes assembled in a conclave such as that seen in "The Last One," surely our friends would be in for a major butt-whomping. Unless they could convince the bad guys they had moved to Honolulu.
Poor bald Carl! All he wanted was a nice wig. But he got an evil, possessed hairpiece that soon led to his Bozo-fication, as narrated in "The Clowning." Can Master Shake's new heavy-art-metal song replace the traditional "Happy Birthday"? With the right rock star promoting it—no way! Check out the guest appearance by Ozzy Osbourne's pal Zakk Wylde in "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary." Finally, "The Shaving" reveals that an onion-with-spider-legs named Willie Nelson is a monster who has been living in the boys' attic for ages. But Willie needs lessons in monstering, which Master Shake is all too eager to provide.
Sharper writing, dumber jokes
I found this installment of the gonzo series to be even more appealing than previous compilations. Not only is the writing sharper, but the larder full of impossibly stupid situations, loony non-sequiturs, horrific demises and touching emotional bonding is stocked even more copiously.
OK, you say, I agree about the first three items listed above. But emotional bonding? Yes, it's here in an undeniable, omnipresent subtext. Despite the ways in which the characters abuse each other, they all need and yearn for each other in order to be complete. Consider just the single episode titled "The." When Frylock abandons his partners in a huff, he thinks his life is going to be transformed into paradise. But of course he sinks into boredom and loneliness. Meanwhile, Meatwad and Shake—aka Id and Ego—without Frylock's Superego to guide them, have descended into barbarism. Only as a gestalt can they function.
And what about poor abused Carl? He proclaims his hatred and disdain for his neighbors. But why has he never thought simply to move away? (And don't say it's because the creators don't want him to.) His otherwise humdrum life is enlivened by the Three Stooges next door. (Frylock is Moe, Shake is Curly, and Meatwad is Larry.) Even the villains, such as the hilarious Atari Mooninites Ignignokt and Err, return again and again to visit, because something about our heroes complements them.
This, I think, is the real subterranean attraction of the show. Everyone's a loser and insane, but somehow together they can function and support each other, even if chaos is the result.
I am also reminded of a classic comic strip, namely Walt Kelly's Pogo. Here too, everyone (except Pogo) was a self-centered misfit, and a similar kind of wordplay and surreal logic ruled. But however much fighting went on, however many misunderstandings occurred, the swamp creatures formed an indissoluble community.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: It's all about the love.
