I’d never seen this show, though I’d heard of it. However, it comes from some of the writers of Bob’s Burgers, so it’s no surprise that it’s up my alley. One episode was definitely enough to make me want to see more.
At the center of the show is the Tobin family, who live in a cabin in Alaska. In this episode, patriarch Beef takes his youngest son Moon on a “Tobin retreat,” a ritual rite of passage for any member of the family at the age of 10. Moon is a wilderness expert and is excited about the trip, but things don’t quite go as planned. This leaves adult son Wolf and his girlfriend/wife(?) Honeybee to watch teenagers Ham and Judy while Beef is gone. They too are excited for the challenge, and they both read a different parenting book to try out different parenting styles on the teens. But again, nothing goes as planned.
I immediately liked this show. Even though it has a good number of characters and I showed up three seasons deep, it didn’t take me long to know who was who and to get a feel for each one. The humor is reminiscent of Bob’s Burgers, letting the characters’ individual eccentricities guide the dialogue and then dropping them into slightly absurd situations.
Everything about the Tobin retreat is great. I won’t spoil how it defies Moon’s expectations, but it’s fun. Here are a few choice lines to show Moon’s excitement going into the excursion:
· “Guess I’ll take one last poop in a real toilet before we go. But I’m gonna use leaves to wipe, just to get me in the mood.”
· “Dad, before we land, let me run you through the order in which I would like you to amputate my toes in the event of frostbite.”
Meanwhile, back at the house, Wolf and Honeybee’s dueling parenting strategies are fun. While Honeybee stuffs pillows into the shoulders of a blazer (because she doesn’t have any with shoulder pads) to take on a strict “momager” role, Wolf loads up on candy to dole out as part of his happy-go-lucky “palenting” technique. “My pockets are absolutely filled with goodies right now,” he cheerfully announces. “I’m like a piñata!”
The voice cast is a who’s who of funny people. Nick Offerman plays Beef, and it’s most certainly a very Nick Offerman role. For his kids, we’ve got Will Forte as Wolf, Paul Rust as Ham (the only main actor I wasn’t familiar with, but it looks like he’s popped up in a number of comedies I’ve watched, both animated and live action,) Jenny Slate as Judy, and Aparna Nancherla as Moon. We also get brief appearances from Kelvin Yu (Master of None) and Tuc Watkins (though he doesn’t share any scenes with Andrew Rannells.)
Rannells guest stars in the Wolf/Honeybee side of the story. When an “adult show choir’s” bus crashes in front of the cabin, Wolf and Honeybee suddenly have a gaggle of singing seniors to look after while they wait for AAA. Once more, they meet the challenge with gusto, but they get more than they bargained for with it. Rannells plays Rocky Ritz, the self-declared leader of the group. The main trouble is that Rocky’s sister Jackie has claimed the same position, and they argue over control.
This role isn’t anything special, but it’s fun and Rannells plays it well—and given the nature of the character, we get a bit of singing from him too! After the show choir sings their introductions to the Tobins, Wolf sings back. Rocky assures him, “Don’t worry about upstaging us, ‘cause you were very flat. Just kidding—but you were very flat.” And when he tells everyone to change into their show outfits for a rehearsal, Honeybee looks at their matching red-sequined garb and asks, “Those aren’t your show outfits?” Rannells’s delivery is delightfully matter-of-fact as he snaps back, “Oh no, sweetheart, we’d never sing in our bus clothes.”
Recommend?
In General – Definitely. I thought this was a great episode and I’m planning to watch more.
Andrew Rannells – I think so. Rannells is fun here, and he displays his usual talent for meshing well with the particular humor of the show he’s on.
Warnings
Lots of discussion of killing animals, some drinking, sexual references, and thematic elements.
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