With the Animation Domination block, on break, due to the Easter holiday, which explains why there are no new Bob’s Burgers this week. Hence, the ending of last week’s review and what I said the review before on what to do to get into the content for y’all to enjoy. Can you blame a guy for trying? Well, this is one of the things that was mentioned in that said review since the review of “Mr. Lonely Farts” when giving a brief shoutout to one of the episodes from the show that aired that week, being “Pride and Prejudance Adventure”. Now with seven episodes now out of the way before the two-week hiatus, which explains why I only did the Bob’s Burgers live tweet/blogging session last weekend as the only player in town, I think it’s a good time to bring up what I think about The Great North so far now that we’re at the midway point of the season. Might as well get down to business with this very piece, this is my revisiting of The Great North so far in the season.
So going back to my first thoughts piece on the show back in January when “Sexi Moose Adventure” aired, most people thought it was going to be somewhat similar to the likes of Bob’s Burgers. Mostly with the family dynamic, the character style, the writers of the show, being the Molyneux sisters, with Bouchard having some influence over it, much a grin to Central Park, a show that he co-created. Though let’s compare apples to oranges, or rather, compare Bob’s Burgers and The Great North, because I know that everyone would be sick and tired of hearing about it, but while the comparison is still there with the style of the characters, unlike Bob’s Burgers, and this is now to the point where we compare each show’s first season, Season 1 of The Great North have exceeded expectations. Prove the doubters wrong with some episodes, mostly the two that I’ll be talking about the most later on in the article, when it comes to comparing The Great North and Bob’s Burgers when it comes to its first season, The Great North have the burger fandom beat in having a better first season.
Now, don’t get me wrong. While the first season of Bob’s Burgers can be...it has a slow start to the show that later went on to become a big hit to millions upon millions. So do most shows when they started off from their starting point. Sure, there are some episodes that I enjoyed from the season, mostly with “Spaghetti Western and Meatballs”...may throw in others like “Sacred Cow”, “Burger War”, and...let’s say “Art Crawl”, just to name a few from that season. But the rest have some issues of their own, some to garner some controversy with certain scenes. 2011, a different time. With some people when the show first aired thinking that it won’t last long and would fall into the abyss where shows that lasted for a season go. I heard it’s a dark place. Great wings, but terrible service.
While The Great North, with only seven episodes now out of the way, with the upcoming eighth episode of the season coming in on Sunday regarding Moon and a yeti, there are some episodes in the series so far that I’ve enjoyed. Of course, the first episode of the show, “Sexi Moose Adventure” was enjoyable to kick off the series despite that the network advertises it as a “special preview”. That and also other episodes like “Feast of the Not People”, “Avocado Barter”, “Pride and Prejudance”, maybe throw in “Romantic Meat-Based” into the mix with both “Curl Interrupted” and “Period Piece” being somewhat hit and miss. But unlike Bob’s Burgers with its first season, while it’s still the first season with only seven episodes down and with this season being only 12 episodes with a second season picked up before the show even aired, it’s showing some promise with how it was being handled when it comes to the writing, direction, humor, execution, and this is coming from a pair of veterans on Bob’s Burgers who worked on the show. So at least they know what they’re doing with their own show.
Some of the dynamics on the show I enjoyed on the show, despite that most of the time being Beef and Judy, I mean, nothing wrong with the whole father/daughter dynamic, moving on from that little fallout with Beef and Kathleen. Sure, there are also other dynamics on the show like Wolf and Honeybee, Wolf and Moon, Ham and Beef, though the dynamic I’ve somewhat enjoyed the most throughout the show so far is none other than the brother/sister duo in Judy and Ham. Their dynamic was explored in “Feast of the Not People Adventure” with them being born nine months apart and looking out for each other. And when Ham came to the family that he was chosen to be the town’s “cake lady” for the upcoming festival, you have Judy, after her and the rest of the Tobin family being left in the dark for the first act of the episode, thinking that Ham was suspicious about something. That “something” ends up being him being named the cake lady, which Ham thinks that it’s embarrassing and also a difficult task for one person to do with the entire town of Lone Moose looking down at him like he’s going to be responsible for what happened to the cake. Was about to turn in the whisk and possibly let the town down, but of course, here comes Judy to step in and help her brother out in making the cake, just in time for the festival. Despite the broken down car in the middle of the road on their way to the event.
Of course, there’s also “Pride and Prejudance Adventure” regarding them and Crispin, but we’ll get to that later on, but besides that, it’s a dynamic that I enjoyed on the show so far when it comes to the Tobin family. Though we haven’t seen any dynamic between either one of them and Moon. Hopefully, that would be touched upon later on in the series...before the season ends in May. Maybe do that. Four episodes left in the season, so putting it out there in the suggestion box.
Okay, so I’m boring out the details regarding...well...everything that I’ve said about the show so far with my thoughts, so let’s get to what y’all were waiting for unless you scrolled down just to get to the two episodes that I’m going to talk about that I’ve enjoyed the most out of the seven that just aired throughout the mid-to-late Winter to early Spring timeframe of the year. Starting off with “Avocado Barter Adventure”.
Before “Pride and Prejudance Adventure” came into play and take the series by storm, there was this episode regarding a few things. Mostly with the character history and answering some questions regarding Wolf and Honeybee’s relationship with some fans wondering how these two met and how and why Honeybee moved to Alaska to live with the Tobin family? Well, we got that where at one end of the spectrum, you have Honeybee being interviewed by Judy for her school paper on her life in Fresno and the steps leading up to her meeting Wolf and moving in with him and the rest of the family. And the other with Wolf and Moon heading out to get avocados for his and Honeybee’s anniversary but somewhat keep getting hit with some roadblocks. Oh yeah, and there’s also the third plot with Ham and Beef setting things up for the party in what they’re trying to make the event all about Wolf and Honeybee’s favorite movie, “Shrek”, but don’t know anything and trying to improvise.
So, let’s bring up Honeybee. When the show first began, you have some new viewers when being introduced to the series questioning Honeybee’s origins and life and how she met Wolf...well, before I think one of the Molyneux sisters revealed that the two met through online dating, and it was revealed to Judy when being interviewed that she held from the town of Fresno, California and she was living the life like if she owns it. Her getting into the world of entrepreneurship and nothing can ever ruin that...until you meet the Shaw family, who owns a decor shop and wanted Honeybee to be the heir of the business and even arranged a date for her as some sort of partnership for business to thrive. Much a grin to King Henry VII wanting an alliance with Spain by having Henry VIII’s brother be groomed to marry the daughter of a Spanish royal. Except that Henry’s brother, Arthur, died before the marriage and Henry VIII becomes the husband for her...think we all know where this is going but isn’t a world history class lesson.
But unlike that, Honeybee is not amused with what her parents were doing and even her supposed date doesn’t want this arranged relationship to ever happen in being the byproduct of this little potential partnership. That of course, led to her first meeting Wolf over at a forum for all Shrek fans to interact and find out that talking about the lovable green ogre who lives in a swamp while Smash Mouth’s “All Star” plays in the freaking background isn’t the only thing those two talked about as they talked about all things movies throughout each scene of the episode as both her and Wolf message each other on the phone...up until he brings up the idea of wanting her to consider moving to Alaska.
Though, gotta admit on her imagining what life for her in Alaska would look like with her throwing the snow with a snowman, sorry, snow ogre that resembles Shrek, in the background like she’s Elsa, rather, the winter version of Fiona, that was something. Though the moment where you have Honeybee’s supposed date that was arranged by her parents begin to propose to her, that’s where she said that enough is enough. That she’s done living in Fresno, not to mention that little talk with her not-a-date about wanting things their way when it comes to their lively hoods and also not wanting to be the byproducts of their parents’ businesses. And thus, you have Honeybee declaring to move out of Fresno and head out to Alaska to move in with Wolf and the Tobins. Meeting at a cafe in Vancouver and the rest becomes history.
And you gotta give Wolf some credit in trying his hardest to impress Honeybee for their anniversary party by getting the avocados but keeps up falling short when he got a box that he believed it was the fruit he was looking for, but instead got a box full of pears and possibly got screwed over by the owner of that boat full of stuff. Here comes Moon to save the day by going to his friend Henry and telling Wolf about the whole barter trade, where you can trade in stuff that the person needed for the thing that you want. It’s like trading cards you have in your decks when growing up, being the likes of Pokémon or Yu-gi-oh cards, only it’s with actual stuff. And also Henry telling him that he has an uncle in Anchorage who can give him the avocados, just needed a bike seat to get the pair.
Once that was done with the bike seat now under their possession, they still need one thing to get to Anchorage. And that of course, a lift to the town. Enter, Wolf’s ex-girlfriend, who finally got her license and decided to fly both Wolf and Moon to Anchorage. The ride to and from Anchorage to Lone Moose feels a bit awkward when taking a seaplane ride with your ex-girlfriend taking the pilot’s seat. Other than that, Wolf got what he wanted in the form of the box of avocados...except that the avocados aren’t even fresh and instead, feels all mushy and sorta rotten like it was kept in the backroom for weeks, if not, months after the delivery was made. But ends up taking it and feels like his relationship is pretty much over with, but once they’d head back home to prepare for the party with Wolf taking Honeybee to a closet, which he thinks it’s a panic room, telling her that he tried his best to make things perfect for the anniversary party, but Honeybee doesn’t mind as she doesn’t mind if the event should be perfect or not as long as she is happy to be Wolf. Not to mention how hard Wolf goes through the lengths to get the avocados. So I like it. It was an interesting episode when it comes to discovering through Honeybee’s life in the past with her living in Fresno, how her parents try to go all Henry VII with putting up an arranged relationship just to further business and profit, and not to mention how both her and Wolf meet and decided to head off to Alaska to move in with the Tobins. So that’s something along with Wolf trying his hardest to make the event perfect with the whole barter thing with Moon’s help.
Oh yeah, and there’s also the Ham and Beef thing in trying to make the party into a Shrek-themed event...in which they haven’t seen the movie. I mean, Ham did but dozed off in the beginning stages of the film during a sleepover. But again, Honeybee doesn’t budge and neither does Wolf. Give props to that.
Then we get to “Pride and Prejudance Adventure” and this episode...this pretty much sold the show to everyone who hasn’t watched it and this episode is it. And boy, it was a wild ride from start to finish from Beef’s brother visiting with Beef wanting to connect with his brother, both Wolf and Honeybee wanting to pitch their invention which feels like a bit of filler attached to that subplot, but of course, the big one when it comes to the episode...and that is the school dance and the LGBT theme.
You have Judy being all optimistic about the upcoming school dance, the Thomas Wintersbone dance, which...think of the Sally Hawkins dance, only the guys have to shiver outside in the freezing cold, and their dates have to invite them into the building. And of course, back in my first thoughts piece of the show back in January, almost drew comparisons with Judy and Tina when it comes to their dream crushes. With Tina, it’s with Jimmy Jr on Bob’s Burgers. And for The Great North, it’s Judy with Crispin. Or so we thought in this episode when Ham came by at the mall and ready to pick up Judy from her job and arrive at the smoothie shop where Crispin works.
That’s where we now noticed who Crispin may have eyes on. And it’s NOT Judy. It’s Ham who Crispin started falling in love with. And Ham has similar feelings for the guy as the episode pans out from being invited into the Tobin household to the classroom to the lunchroom and even during gym period where they locked eyes onto each other. While it was enjoyable for Ham and Crispin to getting along well, Judy however, seems to be in denial. Not seeing the writing on the wall as the night of the dance arrived.
Of course, not going to forget the fact that when Moon took off his bear suit to dress up to go to the dance, not gonna lie, motherfucker looks like Coconut Head. The motherfucker gave me Coconut Head vibes without the suit. Down goes the people who think that he would be like Louise when it comes to animal clothing. I mean, with Louise, her bunny ears pretty much serve as a security blanket. Moon, not so much and this episode reveals that. Still looks weird without though.
But other than that, Judy didn’t read the writing on the wall on what’s going on with Ham and Crispin until she comes out of the girls’ room and noticed the two guys having a time of their lives dancing on the dance floor and coming in clutch for a kiss. Which upsets Judy to now finally see the writing in the wall regarding Ham and Crispin and head out to the hall, only to get a reality check from her imagination courtesy of Thomas Wintersbone himself.
So the dance itself...the original premise of the dance shows a man back in the pioneer days named Thomas Wintersbone who had dreams who ended up becoming a schoolteacher and ends up falling for a woman who happened to be a groundskeeper, but her father objects to the idea of him falling for his daughter and decided to consider that a challenge by heading out to the open wilderness to survive for a month. Go all Man vs Wild minus the camera crew following around. But not before promising his flame, Ruby, that once he returns and survives the wilderness, that they’ll live in separate cabins...only to fail the challenge by not knowing how to survive and ending up...well...dead. Resulting in Ruby getting her heart broken and live the rest of her life with her best friend...is what the fake news media have told everyone about the idea of the dance because apparently, according to Thomas Wintersbone himself, via Judy’s imagination, that didn’t actually happen. Everything you know about the origin of the dance was a lie.
What actually happened is that both Thomas and Ruby aren’t actually lovers. What has happened is that Ruby does have the hots for someone, but it’s not Thomas. It was her best friend, Anne. And let’s just say, they’re really good friends to the point where they locked lips on each oth...they’re lesbians. Ruby and Anne are lesbians according to Thomas Wintersbone. And both Thomas and Ruby agreed to wed each other because...well, it’s the olden times. And back in the day, same-sex relations were considered a big no-no to the point where you could be persecuted, just to be happy being around someone who is of the same sex. And that still exists to this very day in certain countries around the world due to religious bullshit reasons. Hell, some states here in the US also don’t follow anything positive when it comes to the LGBT community, especially in the South, despite that same-sex marriage became legal nationwide back in 2015 through the Supreme Court. But back in the day, it’s straight-up tribalism to a tee to the point where both Thomas and Ruby have their relationship with their lovers of the same sex being hidden into secrecy. That’s the real story of what happened with Thomas Wintersbone and everything about what happened leading up to the dance is nothing more than...well...a lie.
That of course, gives Judy a reality check by pulling a fire alarm, which has the dance to hit the pause button and tell the school that everything they know about the story of Thomas Wintersbone is more than a façade and tells everyone the real truth about what happened with him and Ruby, and of course, Judy decided to be supportive and let’s go of her crushing on Crispin and let Ham take the wheel in the S.S. Cienfuegos and he’d be the one to invite Crispin in. Which is nice. I really enjoyed that as well as the episode as a whole with the main plot being the massive highlight for everyone with a school dance and focuses on the LGBT theme around one of the main characters of the show.
Kinda like with last year when The Owl House did that with “Enchanting Grom Fright” and of course, having both Luz and Amity taking center stage. Because that episode has a school dance and focuses on things related to the LGBT community, mostly with Amity’s letter that she kept in secret from Luz, who revealed after defeating the being known as Grom and tackled their deep and darkest fear, was the girl who Amity want to ask to go to the dance with but fearing that she could get rejected by her. At least with “Pride and Prejudance Adventure”, it didn’t include a monster that hoists your deepest fear used against you. And the real monster happened to be that some people being fucking idiots over who can or cannot date with whoever they want regardless of gender. But yeah, “Pride and Prejudance Adventure”...that was a wild roller coaster ride to endure that pretty much sold the show to the people who haven’t watched the show.
But other than that, the series is going strong, sure, there are some episodes that were iffy...pretty much hit and miss for some, especially with the recent episode being “Period Piece Adventure”, which almost feels like a rehash to “Art Crawl” with an episode in Season 1 that focuses on art that happened to be led by a character who is voiced by Megan Mullally and made by the Molyneux sisters. Though the most hit-and-miss episode for this season so far...yeah, that title goes to “Curl Interrupted Adventure”. We all have that moment where we ended up becoming competitive. We’re pretty much bitches up to this point. The life and times of being an Aries.
Besides all of that, that’ll be it for this little piece regarding The Great North, sorry that this came out this late. Unless y’all didn’t know, that I’m no longer living in the apartment. Recently moved to a house up north of town...in what is pretty much a floodplain, so uh...may God have mercy on my soul. Follow me over on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram for behind-the-scenes stuff and updates on what to come up next. Not to mention, the Battle of the Week Voting Tournament that is ongoing and also the live blogs/tweets over on Tumblr and Twitter as both seasons of The Great North and Bob’s Burgers are about to come to a close. And of course, y’all know the drill by now...
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