Well, this is not looking good for the future of the show. If you’re looking for some glimmer of hope that maybe the network executives would change their minds about all of this... yeah, we might not be getting it. And if there’s a term in all of this regarding everything that is going on as of late, when it comes to the future of The Great North... how does the saying go? Oh yeah, they hit the Pentagon.
With the recent announcement of one of the FOX shows that were on the bubble, Alert and The Cleaning Lady, getting the axe... the writing is pretty much on the mother flipping wall, and it’s expected that The Great North might be coming to an end by the end of this summer. Or the end of this month, according to some articles... I don’t know why y’all haven’t even bothered to give the show a shot. I mean, watch, the moment the announcement becomes official, which I’m guessing it’s soon the moment the review is published is when the news becomes official since the network started fucking the show over since during or after the Hollywood strikes back in 2023 with 2024 is when the plan is in full effect, just doing it in secret... I may have to call y’all hypocrites. I may have to call y’all hypocrites for not supporting the show while it’s on the air and have to wait until the call is made to do just that.
I mean, yeah, at least we got five seasons out of this, and that should be enough, even though we would be falling short of reaching the 100-episode milestone now that we’re less than... I guess 8-9 episodes left in the season and possibly the series if 20th Television doesn’t let the show have the shopping option, and could easily be picked up by Hulu, and then have to wait a year in 2027 or 2028, if the writers and actors get another deal done by mid-2026 to avoid another strike, and probably a longer one than what we saw in 2007 and 2023, it sucks that we’re heading that way as if we felt powerless because no one wants to give a shit or watched only a couple of episodes before saying, “Nah, I don’t think it’s for me” and dipped. We’re doing the best we can here to give the support it can where on Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, BlueSky, or any other social media sites and apps, trying to add an amount of pressure to the network to keep the show going on the air or at least have it move to streaming since it looks like it’s doing better there than on TV, take a look at the final season of The Legend of Korra as an example after being pulled from the air in 2014.
The network fumbled. Or I guess we fumbled. Either party fumbled, except the business executives, who fumbled the most. Because at the end of the day, it’s a business. As long as the show makes money, which I don’t see any merch being promoted unless it’s from Toddland or the Hulu merch store, which, spoiler alert, it doesn’t, at the end of the day, it’s a business. It sucks, but that’s how capitalism works. I’ve been a Bob’s Burgers fan since late 2013, going into early 2014 during its fourth season. Not during its humble beginnings, which, some would say, Seasons 2-4 would be the best way to give the show a try, even though you usually start with Season 1. I watched Central Park from start to finish since its humble beginnings in 2020 during the pandemic. Ditto for The Great North, a year later in 2021. It sucks that one show is gone (though the Season 3 finale of Central Park does feel like a series finale) and the other is expected to end with the announcement coming out probably by the time this review is near completion or the moment it gets published, a lot of uncertainty other than that it’s about to be GGs. It just sucks because I like both of those shows and gave them a shot and just wished they do more but... once again, at the end of the day, they’re a business.
Let’s hope 20th Television allows The Great North an option to shop somewhere, probably be put on streaming, primarily Hulu, unless Adult Swim or Comedy Central has a say in this, and if this is the end... at least give it a proper conclusion. At least give it a proper conclusion or do that if we do get a Season 6 or maybe a movie, not in theaters, but as a streaming exclusive, then, fine. But in the end of the day, we’re not going to stop showing support for the show. We’re not going to stop watching it because we can rewatch it all the way to the beginning. And until FOX gives the green light to let someone else take the show once the word becomes official, to quote Ernie Johnson after the news that TNT will not be showing the NBA next season and after ABC/ESPN picks it up, “Let’s enjoy this. They can’t get rid of us.” That being said, let’s enjoy it while we still can.
In this latest installment of The Great North, Beef decides to take up the leisure of stunt fishing after losing his spark in the interest that he enjoys the most in going fishing as Dirt, following the sudden announcement of wanting to join the group of stunt fishers, decides to host a competition with the rest of the family on who will be taking over in his place in the fourteenth episode of Season 5 of The Great North, titled “Reservoir Dad Adventure”.
When it comes to life, especially when it comes to the things we do like hobbies or a job, there comes a time when you are enjoying things and looking at the up and up one day, and then the next, you somehow start to feel depleted. Disinterested. Tuckered out as if you feel like you may have lost a spark in your life when doing what you’re doing. You could say that it feels like something coming out of the mid-life crisis playbook, and even though that seems to be the case, it can happen at any age. Especially with young and middle-aged adults. Take the Bob’s Burgers episode “Sexy Dance Healing” for example, when Bob lost his spark when he struggled to come up with the burger of the day, and he got that back by the end of the episode. And all that took was him falling to injury and having to deal with rehabilitation that nearly made him lose his interest in running the restaurant.
Not with Beef on this latest installment of The Great North, where he had his spark turned off and needs something to make him energized if he wants to continue to do what he loves best, which is fishing. And picking up the leisure sport of stunt fishing would be the way to go and having to adapt to the lifestyle. All while hoping to reclaim that spark that he lost, and that is what we’re about to embark on in this episode. Believe me, I know, you could say that it might be the burnout talking, and while all of this is sort of true, there’s a big difference in all of that. I mean, treat this shit like it’s a candle. With loss of spark, you just need a little fuel to continue what you’re doing. Whereas burnout, the candle needs to be remade. It applies to all job professions. Whether it’s fishermen like Beef, a co-owner of a burger restaurant like Bob, or any job profession you can think of. Hell, content creators often go through that, and it’s always important to take care of your body and your mental health. Quite fitting that this episode came out in June, which is considered Men’s Mental Health Month. But yeah, take care of your mentals, especially with what is going on as of late... y’all got to take care of yourselves to the fullest. But that being said, might as well dive our way into the episode and break it all down, this is “Reservoir Dad Adventure”.
The episode starts with a dream in Beef’s conscience with Beef working at an office job in the middle of the open waters, with him having to virtually fish from the comfort of his office cubicle, catching the fish before sending it back through a tube once Londra comes in to see what Beef is doing. Telling her that he hasn’t hit his fishing quota after catching one from the comfort of his seat. Which ultimately causes his boss, through the intercom, to call Beef to see him in his office.
His boss ends up being a talking fish, and no, it’s not Klaus Heisler from American Dad, that feels like a small jab at American Dad coming back to the network starting next season, with him noticing that Beef hasn’t done enough since increasing his quota. As if he is telling Beef that he may have lost his spark for the one thing he loves the best, next to his family, of course, that is fishing. Beef tells his boss in his dream, which later turns into a nightmare, that the increased quota is killing his enjoyment, even though he likes to do what he does best, which is to fish. Of course, the dream did end up turning into a nightmare for him with his fish boss going for the “Don’t forget, you’re stuck here forever” like something coming out of an Amazon workhouse or... I get what is going on with the working conditions in Japan, where it’s all work and little rest that is a freaking horror story over there. Especially when working at an office job, just to make ends meet.
And that is pretty much the idea for Beef in this week’s episode. Him having to succumb to losing his spark. And you see this in the montage with him feeling bored when doing his job, the next morning, when doing the usual fishing job to put dinner on the table. And no, the dream or nightmare he had at the start of the episode isn’t like Bob’s nightmare of working at an office job in the Bob’s Burgers episode “Moody Foodie” because that was in result of getting a bad review. This one is mostly giving us a clear indication that Beef has lost his spark for fishing. He’s not feeling any joy out of what he is doing, that considered a hobby and a job, and it feels like what is doing recently, especially after having that dream of his, is sucking the joy out of it.
And it does happen to most people when taking up hobbies that later turn into a job, especially for anyone who is a content creator or an artist, where you are riding the high of what you’re doing and enjoying the experience before you start to feel like you’re starting to lose interest because of how much it’s taking up in your life. And it’s quite different from burnout if you haven’t read the introduction, when noting the difference between a loss of spark and suffering burnout. Especially when Wolf and Honeybee notice something is off regarding Beef, but Beef has to tell them not to worry about what he is going through because he doesn’t want to have the family to be concerned for his well-being. So, Wolf and Honeybee leave the boat for the day, leaving Beef alone to do what he was doing before being interrupted by loud noises in the background that cause him to head out to see what is going on.
Which he does to see what is going on in the open waters that got his attention. And the same goes for Chief Edna when seeing the disturbance that is taking place. Revealing to be a couple of reckless boaters doing a little something called stunt fishing. So, we pretty much got a crowd of college kids, got it. Treating this shit like it’s Spring Break out in Cabo. So, what is stunt fishing, you may ask? Well, according to Chief Edna, it’s like fishing, but they take it to the extreme. They do their own stunts when doing fishing, and instead of using their hands, it’s their mouths. Think of Jackass... where the only danger would be praying that you don’t either drown or bash your head on the boat railing or a nearby rock. And the two people who are running the show are named Limes and Lemmons, who are tube riders and boob flashers if you want to describe what Edna is describing. Aside from them, you also have a couple of fodder characters who are a magician, a parasailer, and someone who uses his bare hands to catch fish. It sounds dumb if you’re a normal fisherperson who takes fishing seriously, but if you’re Beef, who is now in desperate need of getting his spark back, it looks like that little leisure sport piqued his interest and wants to try it out for himself.
Especially once we get to the nighttime hours, with Beef sleeping once more. Once again, working at an office cubicle after being told that he’ll be stuck there for the rest of his life by his boss of a giant, talking fish, where the windows by his station shatter to the ground. And we have Limes and Lemmons now entering Beef’s dream as if they’re liberating him from his office job. Asking him to get out of his job and join them in the open waters. Inviting him to be a part of the new kind of fishing, as if it’s his head talking to Beef in his sleep, to take a break from his job and start getting used to the new experience. And that is exactly what Beef is planning on doing, going into the next scene, once he wakes up, once again, and probably should’ve brought this up, sweat induced upon waking up. Other than that, going into the next scene, the next morning, with Beef placing a note to tell the rest of the family that he might not be coming back unless he finds his spark, which is God knows how long, so an episode until he does so, placing his mug to serve as a paperweight...
Which leads us to the next scene, with Beef now coming across the group of stunt fishers, with him now deciding, since overnight, to join their ranks after suffering through him losing his spark when doing the one thing he loves the best. And he wants to join because of the experience that he wants after seeing what he saw yesterday. Wanting to try something new in his life, that I’m sure that it’s not the mid-crisis talking for someone who’s middle-aged like Beef wanting to give a taste of stunt fishing. And that should be enough for the two ringleaders of the group, Limes and Lemmons, to spot Beef from outside of their boat decides to take him in as we close out the first act of the episode.
And now, going into the second act of the episode, Beef is now on the boat and being questioned by Limes and Lemmons about his affiliation and his reason for why he wants to join them to try out stunt fishing as they turned off the radio about the news of an ongoing string of robberies of various aquariums, especially the one in neighboring Whippleton that the authorities are currently going after but so far, they have no leads. You could say that it feels like it’s nothing important about that, but uh... hang on tight with that, because that’s going to be latched on to for later in the episode. And if you saw the episode, if you know, you know who the people are responsible for the heist. So, for now, Beef wants to join their ranks because he lost his spark in fishing and wants to try something new so that he can reignite said spark. Especially when taking fishing seriously like it’s a job, even though it is. But Limes and Lemmons think that Beef should dial it back because usually, when it comes to fishing, it’s supposed to be for leisure. A time to relax and not taken for something that should tire the crap out of you when trying to make ends meet. And that is exactly what they’re planning on doing to Beef once they finally let him in to be a part of the experience. Once they decide to make him over, before truly getting into the experience.
We go back to the Tobin household, and right away, they get the message from the note that Beef wrote to the family that he will not be coming back until his spark comes back. Honeybee thinks that it’s a good idea for him to do that because he does feel depleted at the start of the episode, with her and Wolf noticing something is off about Beef that feels like, until it just became a reality, that he lost his spark, and he needs to have it back. Hence, the note that reads that he has to do this on his own and has to tell everyone, on a piece of paper rather than telling them face to face, that they have to read. And with Beef out of the house, temporarily, of course, they need someone to lead the family in the meantime. And it ends up turning into a small argument over who will be reigning over everyone in the house. Moon called dibs, only to be shot down by Judy because he’s the youngest at 10 years old. Judy nominates herself to lead the pack, and I guess that gets shot down. Leading Ham to think that Beef is still around when saying who will be taking the spot for a limited time, only to talk to an empty chair, like he’s Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair, if y’all remember that moment.
Normally, it would be Wolf and Honeybee who would be calling the shots because they’re the oldest and should at least be capable of taking care of everyone with Beef out of the house, even if it’s for a short time since he is only out so that he can get out of his funk. But if history teaches us from what happened in “Great Bus of Choir Adventure”, it took a Hail Mary after having to debate which style of parenting works best for Wolf and Honeybee in the event they were to have kids. And besides, this would normally have Wolf and Honeybee to call the shots to be in charge of the family, but with Aunt Dirt now a part of the main cast, she would be the one being in charge since she is the oldest... also, the scariest.
And even though Dirt wants to be in charge so she can have the power to do what she wants, and wants to tell them what to do, she doesn’t want to deal with the responsibility that comes with the idea of being in charge of the house because she doesn’t want people to rely on her to make the decisions. Though her as the debate coach a few episodes ago, speaks otherwise. But Dirt doesn’t want to be in charge of the house even though she wants to, because of the power she can have on the family, and instead of her taking charge, she decides to shake things up a bit by letting any one of the Tobins to take the fill-in role while Beef is away. Turning this into a competition for the rest of the Tobins to see who will be the best fit to take up the Beef role, and so it begins... as soon as the family leaves the living room and finds a costume for them to wear that would make them look like they’re ready for the job. Nothing wrong with a little dress for success when having to compete for the top spot, even if it’s for a short while until Beef gets his spark back. And speaking of Beef...
He’s getting his first taste of stunt fishing, with him getting through the trials. Giving Beef a presentation that he is about to embark on his journey to get his spark back. Lemmons gives him a presentation to show what he should be doing when trying out the new form of fishing. By having to jump into the water from the highest point of the boat and has to quickly catch the fish with your mouth before coming out. Think of it as if you’re at the Fall festival or Halloween party, and you see an apple bobbing station where you have to dive your head into a barrel or bucket, and instead of using your arm, it’s your mouth that you have to use to get the apples. That is exactly what Lemmons is showing to Beef on what he should do once he gets called up to give it a try for the first time. Something that should make him feel excited once his turn is up... but not right now.
Because we get back to the Tobin household with everyone donning costumes and is ready to be inspected by Dirt, who is holding a paintball gun and ready to shoot at anyone on sight. Actually, no. She read a book back in her hiding days about leadership, and one of the passages in that book says that the reader should have a weapon on standby and shoot at anyone who steps out of line. Seems excessive, but this is Dirt we’re talking here, who is running the show. And she has to make sure things go right with who will be taking the mantle from Beef, even if it’s for a short while. So, we have the Tobins in dressing up in different costumes to make them look like they’re the captain type when it comes to who will lead the family while Beef is away. Judy dresses up as Captain Sully, you know, the guy who had to land the plane in the Hudson River after the plane experienced some issues. Of course, the uniform has to be from when she and the rest of the family and Jerry had to dress up during the snowstorm last season. Honeybee dressed up as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Moon is dressing up as the Cap’n Crunch mascot. Wolf as... Beef, because, of course, he would. Like Gene loving and glazing Linda, him being a mommy boy and all, Wolf just loves and glazes the crap out of Beef and him having to dress up like him, donning the jacket and beard, pretty much proves it. And then we get to Ham...
What the fuck are we doing with him this season? What the fuck are we doing? And I say that because we rarely have him around this season, and the episodes he has this season alone would be over his relationship, rather, his post-relationship, since his breakup with Crispin, that he was given the background treatment. And since then, since then, he nearly got attacked by a hating ass beaver, had trouble getting on the ice rink as part of the bet between Moon and Judy, being gaslighted for a bit for missing the previous dinner at a French restaurant because of a sudden medical emergency, and oh yeah, having to fall in the dumps after finding out that your ex-boyfriend, it does feel like this season is treating Ham dirty if you think about it. Shades of... well, I guess the only example that I can think of would be Season 11 of Bob’s Burgers with Gene. That’s the only example that I can think of regarding Ham this season. So, back to the topic at hand, Ham’s the only one who isn’t dressed up as a captain because he’s wearing a caftan, which is him mishearing the two words as if he’s dyslexic when having the two words mixed up, with Ham saying that while he did have the words mixed up, this was the only opportunity to rock the robe as if he dressed up as a leader alright, a cult leader to be exact, but Ham only did it because no one gave him a compliment and the competition, while it feels like it was intentional at best, was the perfect time to wear the garb. At least Dirt was the first to give Ham some compliments for wearing the garb, especially when having to do a twirl.
Checking up on Beef, and now it’s time for him to give stunt fishing a shot, as he is now donning a swimsuit. Preparing to follow Lemmons’ example of how she did when she dove into the water and had to catch a fish with her mouth. And that is exactly what Beef is planning on doing once he dives into the water, if he can reel in one with his mouth. Of course, he fell short of doing that. But it is his first try at performing stunt fishing. We’re still in the second act of the episode, so it’s pretty much too early for Beef to successfully catch one fish with his mouth. It’s only a matter of time before Beef finally gets one in the water with his mouth. Lots of time. This thing takes a week to perfect it.
We’re about to enter the montage portion of the episode to bypass the second act of the episode before getting to the halfway point of it, starting with the Tobins as we check back at them. And the first challenge for them to kick off the competition would be to do the stuff Beef would do once Dirt pulls out a list of the chores that Beef would do every day. And it’s quite the list they have to do that is meant for one person, like Beef, to perform. It’s a freaking laundry list of chores. A list that feels like a group of people should do, like... hundreds of people, rather than having one person do the job themselves. Which I feel like whoever the next president, come 2029, is going to have a difficult time cleaning everything up. But it’s a long list for each Tobin, and if they want to win the competition, they've got to be like Beef and do each chore. One for each family member to do the work.
Whether it’s Wolf and Moon prepping the meals, Judy scraping the windows, Honeybee, Moon, and Ham fixing the fishing net, or Wolf having to chop every log for the fireplace, it’s a pretty extensive list for Beef to do when he’s not out fishing. I mean, you have to give the guy something for someone who had to hold down the fort since Kathleen’s departure and while Kathleen was around doing God knows whatever the fuck she was doing, he had been doing this on his lonesome when having to take care of four kids was impressive. Especially when going through the montage of the episode, where we have everyone doing 137 items on the list. You read that correctly, 137 items on the chore list for Beef to do. But that has to do the trick before getting ready for the big test for everyone when competing in Dirt’s little challenge on who will be replacing Beef for a short while, and that would be the fishing once everyone got their fishing gear ready to go... just, not right now because it’s late. 10:00 to be exact, so Dirt will have to play nice for once and decide to let everyone get some sleep so they can report to the boat in the morning to do the job.
And we’re staying with the montage of how Beef is doing as he has to undergo training to perfect his form if he wants to dive again to get a fish in his mouth when trying to get his spark back. And he’s doing the best he can throughout the montage, and he is quickly adapting to the lifestyle as the week progresses, while at the same time, his family is doing some work in their bid to take over as the temporary family leader. I did say that Beef is quickly adapting to the lifestyle when getting some training because the montage did show Beef trying out different methods of stunt fishing, from tube fishing to parasailing to hoping to find the right fish like the one with him pulling an octopus, yes, there are octopuses in Alaska, it seems that Beef is quickly starting to enjoy the lifestyle. Not saying that she’s slowly or quickly losing his train of thought, as if he’s starting to lose his love of fishing. That’s not the point. This isn’t like with Bob in “Sexy Dance Healing” where Bob was in a similar state after losing his spark because he nearly lost his passion for cooking in that episode, up until the end of that episode. It’s nothing like that with Beef because his love for fishing is still there. Just that he had to kick it up a notch and try something new, even if it’s for a short time, until he gets his groove back.
This leads us to the end of the montage, encompassing the final few scenes of the first half of the episode, as the radio once again informs listeners about the ongoing investigation into the robbery at the Whippleton Aquarium, before being turned off. And yeah, nothing shady is going on with Limes and Lemmons at all since turning off the radio when bringing up updates about the ongoing investigation. Especially since allowing Beef into their group as if they may have found their target for something nefarious and shady. I’m sure nothing is shady about the two women, and especially the group in general, as if they’re a pair of thieves looting aquariums for a living. Though things were about to get rowdy, well, they’re already rowdy, but things were about to get dangerous after one of their own became too rowdy that he threw a bottle into the bonfire, a bottle of Zima to be exact, which they don’t make anymore, almost putting him on blast before having to brushing things off. Nearly got put on blast for throwing a bottle of a discontinued drink, that he was coming close to having to sleep with the fishes.
Onto the last scene of the first half of the episode, after that little would-be squabble, and this is where things get weird. And I mean WEIRD, though, as advertised by the Molyneuxs from an interview leading up to this season. Limes and Lemmons decide to walk up to Beef after turning the radio off with the news, and decide to make things a little “interesting” between them and Beef as if they’re attempting to sweet talk him into doing something something for them to something that may or may not be shady for Beef’s liking going into the second half of the episode. Though, if you think about it, if Beef and Carissa were to continue dating going into this season, then sure, it would be incredibly weird just to see Limes and Lemmons having to go for a triple-double with them kissing Beef, at the same time, to be exact. But since Beef and Carissa are no longer together, I guess this is fine for Beef, as if his wanting to get back into his fishing groove would almost mean him potentially wanting to get back to the dating groove as well. Didn’t expect Beef to be a freak in him about to get turned on with having two women having to kiss him at the same time. But then again, he did dance with three women back in Season 3’s “Autumn If You Got ‘Em Adventure” after accidentally saying yes to all three (Alyson, Greta, and Del) to be his date there. The man here might as well be polyamorous. He might be polyamorous. And hey, it is Pride Month. So uh, power to you, man. Power to you.
Beef heads off to the bathroom to start the second half of the episode after what is pretty much a wild night at the bonfire, after having to spend a few days with the crew when attempting to get his spark back for fishing. Especially after Limes and Lemmons tell Beef if he can do them a favor for the next day, without letting Beef question why they need him to do something. Telling Beef that it’s for a meetup with one of their “independent sponsors”, once again, nothing shady is going on with what is going on with the crew that Beef is a part of. Especially once Beef leaves the bathroom and is about to make his way to back to rejoin the others, where he spots an open door with lights illuminating the room and revealing inside to be...
Fish tanks filled with exotic sea animals that are stored inside the room. Yeah, the designs for the new Finding Nemo movie look animated alright, to say the least. But yeah, as expected to I guess most of y’all out there when watching the episode or have been playing along when coming across with this episode’s review, Limes and Lemmons, along with the other stunt fisherfolk, are responsible for the string of robberies at various aquariums. And especially, if y’all followed along at home throughout the first half of the episode, the recent robbery at the aquarium in Whippleton. Yeah, y’all are making things too easy for us to know what is going on, but then again, that’s most plots in any episodes from sitcoms these days. So, yeah, Beef now knows that the group of people who made the noise at the start of the episode that got the attention of him and Chief Edna, but mostly Beef, after realizing that he has lost his spark for fishing, that the group of people who happened to take fishing to the extreme happened to be a pair of criminals who steal and trade exotic animals for profit. Beef knows too much and instead of rejoining the group, hoping that he doesn’t draw suspicion from the others...
He goes right away to the police, primarily, Chiefs Edna and Elba, who were busy trying to contact the dead through an Ouija board, before having to be interrupted by Beef and telling them who is responsible for the string of robberies at aquariums across the area. Especially with Beef telling the two that he wants to turn himself in just for being a part of the group, which the duo denies his request to detain him because even though he just joined the group, he haven’t done anything illegal as of yet and instead, went to them to send a tip on who is responsible for the ongoing robberies. And since Beef cracks down on who is responsible for the string of robberies after seeing the room with his own eyes and alerts them that they’re about to meet with a buyer from Russia, it looks like for Edna and Elba, they finally, in their point of view, they get excited because they’re going to do the thing that have never done before, a sting operation.
Especially going into the next scene, the next morning, with Edna putting in the finishing touches to add the wire to his chest. Having to shave the chest hair off of him, though, going into the next scene, once he gets caught, spoilers by the way, his chest hair somehow grew back, but once Edna puts the finishing touches to the wire being attached to his upper body, is when Edna and Elba decided to take a selfie with Beef wearing said wire and about to sent the photo to their mother. Because nothing screams sting operation, treating it like it’s their first because it’s sounding like it is, since Edna brought up that she never put a wire on anyone since becoming a cop, but nothing screams first sting operation like sending a picture of someone who might not be coming back if things go to shit.
But Edna did tell Beef that he might be put in danger since it is a sting operation and needs to be perfect, so they can be summoned the moment the meetup goes as planned. Especially with Beef having to be around a group of characters that he had to be around during the week, though TMI on the whole triple double with the kissing as if you just celebrated getting laid, because he lost his spark in the fishing game. He was doing this for the love of the game, even though it’s mostly so that he can put food on the table, but he was doing it for the love of the game because that’s his passion. And him, feeling a loss of spark, feeling burnt out, is what led to where we are with Beef’s situation before finding out who they really are, once coming across the room filled with the taken exotic animals... when leaving the door open for anyone to step in without warning. But yeah, Beef tells Edna and Elba about how he got roped up with the group when trying to relight his spark, and one of the cops, Elba, knows that because she too had her spark lost and had to join a group of odd characters. It’s mostly because of the new hats that Elba’s department was getting that led to her having to go through that experience.
We check back on the Tobins since it is the morning hours, with everyone on the boat, thinking that they’re going to do the job of catching fish, as if this was going to be the next challenge to prove who will be Beef’s fill-in. Which it is, but Dirt thinks that since today’s the day one of them is going to be picked, the rest are going to be sent packing or be pelted with a paintball. Of course, Honeybee had to butt in because the author of the book that Dirt read that caused her to create the challenge was a felon who went to jail and killed a warden, in GTA, and became the prison leader... for 17 days. The felon thing was brought up by Honeybee. The prison leader thing was brought up by Dirt as some sort of rebuttal to Honeybee having to fact-check her. And because of that, she will not be “killing” everyone, i.e., pelting everyone with paintballs, and just let everyone do their job as planned. But she will hang on with the paintball gun just to get everyone to not slack off. Treating it as if they’re doing hard labor while serving time.
The sting operation begins to take place with Beef trying to keep his cool as he drives the boat to their destination, where the meetup will be taking place with the buyer for the exotic fish that they stole for profit. Beef tries to keep himself cool and collected once Limes and Lemmons join him by the wheel, so that he doesn’t get himself getting caught by them and for the operation to not be compromised. Too bad that Beef gets easily caught by Limes and Lemmons once a drop of his sweat lands on his chest, which causes the wire that is attached to his chest to cause a spark, and right away, exposing him for wearing the wire and knowing right away that Beef snitched on them to the police, they’re not wasting any time to get out of dodge and plans on dumping the exotic fish into the water rather than going towards the buyer as planned because that would result in Edna and Elba to go after the buyer as well.
So yeah, the sting operation has quickly compromised thanks to Beef. Yes, the sting operation has been compromised by a single sweat that caused the wire to give out a small spark that got their attention. Treating it as if they got the wire for something like a sting operation that they ordered from Temu. But Edna and Elba, from the comfort of the police boat, know that the mission has been compromised. And that alone has the two make their way and chase after the boat, but not before Elba plans on calling her and Edna’s mother about them, ready to hightail after the boat, before getting some sense that they should be going after the boat because Beef is now in immediate danger. So, they begin to go after Limes and Lemmons, turning into a high-speed chase with Limes and Lemmons now dumping the exotic fish into the water, which, according to Beef, would pose harm to the sea creatures because the Alaskan sea, the cold ass waters, would be bad for them because those exotic fish are tropical and they rely on warmer waters. The chase ensues as we wrap up the third act of the episode and go into the fourth and final act, and it looks like the police and the group, along with Beef, aren’t the only ones who are in the water when all of this was happening.
Because that got the attention of the Tobins, who are currently doing their job in trying to fish while doing the competition on who will be taking over the leadership mantle before spotting the ongoing chase. Spotting Limes and Lemmons dumping the tropical fish into the cold Alaskan waters. And yes, spotting Beef along with what is going on. Especially once the third act of the episode ends with Beef having to do the stunt by jumping into the water from the top of the boat. And now, going into the fourth and final act of the episode as the chase goes on...
We have Beef going into the water, and lo and behold, he finally got his spark back the moment he caught one of the exotic fish with his mouth. Beef finally got his spark for fishing back, and all it took was exposing what was going on that which tied in with the ongoing criminal investigation that was heard on the radio, and the TV at the start of the episode, and the sting operation that easily fell apart like a Jenga tower after its first try, and having the two people are now named as suspects dumping the exotic fish into the waters that doesn’t fit their lifestyle or something. But that’s just one fish that Beef and that should be enough for him to finally get his love for fishing. Right as he tells the rest of the family on the boat to get the other fish that were dumped by getting the net ready and retrieving them, as we prepare to enter the two-minute warning of the episode. Oh yeah, and Limes and Lemmons are making a break for it when ditching the boat. Using Beef to stunt dive to pick the first fish with his mouth, reigniting his love for fishing, as their opportunity to escape. Causing Edna and Elba to go after them... right after they have to turn the boat on after having to turn it off because leaving the boat on because the emissions would make Elba feel lightheaded. Can’t blame her for that, just, you know, would’ve at least kept it on so that the criminals don’t get a head start.
So, once all of the fish have been collected from the water and await to be transported back to the aquarium in Whippleton, Beef tells the rest of the Tobin family that he finally got his spark back after what just transpired this past week. The family is proud of Beef that he went through that trouble just to get his groove back, thanks in part to doing some stunt fishing. I mean, it was going to happen by the end of the episode anyway. Not like he would perfect that going into the halfway mark of the episode, because it is a normal form of fishing that he had to endure, that doesn’t involve using a fishing rod. But at least he got it back, so that’s good. Though Bee has to once again bring up the triple kiss that he got from Limes and Lemmons, again, TMI. Feels like someone would say after losing their virginity. And would be seconds away from a possible Judy crashout if y’all remember that few moments last season regarding Beef’s sex life when trying to be, and she quotes, “sex positive”. Came really close to having that. So, that little situation comes to a close with Beef finally getting his groove back, by the way, no one won the competition on who will be filling in for Beef now that he got his spark back, and Ham once again having to a twirl when showing off his caftan, going into the two-minute warning of the episode...
There’s good news and there’s bad news with this. The good news, of course, Beef got his love for fishing back after having to save the exotic fish and having to be transported back to the Whippleton Aquarium, where it belonged. The bad news, according to Chief Edna, when talking to Beef through the radio, Limes and Lemmons got away and evaded arrest. Probably because Edna and Elba had to turn the boat off when intersecting their boat, which is now left behind in the waters, and they have no idea where they’re heading now. But Beef knows where they’re heading because he was with the group for the week, and the girls did bring up a location to his face. A place called the Florida Keys. Not the actual Florida Keys because that would be a very long jet ski ride going from the Alaskan sea where the Pacific and Arctic Oceans meet and going across Central America, using the Panama Canal, and going into the Caribbean Sea and through the Gulf before reaching the Keys. Not the geographical area in Florida...
The bar and restaurant Florida Keys in Death Cliff, as we are going into the final scene of the episode, with Beef having one last private interaction with Limes and Lemmons, who are now on the run. No wires attached this time around as he thanks the two girls for reigniting his spark for his love of fishing. And, also living because he still can’t get the mental image of the triple kiss out of his head. But aside from that, he thanked the two women for reigniting his spark for fishing and having to compare himself to a fish in a fish tank, as he is looking from the comfort of his stool. Saying that he felt like a, well, a fish trapped inside and is yearning for a little taste of freedom and excitement. And him losing his spark was the signal to cause him to find something to reignite the flame. Just something so he can be up on his feet and get back into what he does best without having to abandon because his mind doesn’t feel like it and, well, fried. Limes and Lemmons ask Beef to join them on the open road if he wants to get the feeling of the open road, but he doesn’t want to do that because he has a family to take care of and bills to pay. And that should be enough for the two women to make their escape again and head out to... well, I guess the sunset, even though it’s currently nighttime, where this scene is currently taking place. Didn’t even get a chance for a Round 2 in the triple kiss that he enjoyed.
But regardless, going into the final scene of the episode, where we go back into Beef’s dream, going back into a full circle. With Londra coming towards Beef’s cubicle, but this time around, he isn’t there. Much like what happened at the end of the first act of the episode, with him leaving a note for the family that he went off to join the group of stunt fishers and telling them about his loss of spark, he leaves Londra a note that he’ll be going fishing. Thus, ending the episode out of the dream and back into Beef sleeping with this time around, no cold sweats to make him wake up. And the moral of this story: Y’all already know this is going, take care of your mentals. Especially if you have a hobby or job, because otherwise, you might be latching onto a group of people who might be on the wrong side of the coin and the law.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So, all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of The Great North? This was an interesting episode to say the least... well, up until the end of the episode, after coming out of a bit of a somewhat chaotic scene with the chase. But it was an interesting episode for the main plot of the episode, with Beef having to join a group after having to lose his spark for fishing and wanting to rekindle that passion. And some moments turned a bit chaotic in typical Great North fashion, and... it’s the triple kiss. It’s pretty much the triple kiss. It was advertised as mentioned in the interview earlier in the season, but yeah, chaotic stuff in the episode for the main plot.
I mean, the plot of someone losing their spark and wanting to find said spark by having to do something that would be out of their control had been used one too many times, and this was one of them. But each one has their own flair to the mix to get people hooked with the episode and also should serve as a lesson that, once again, take care of your mental health because that is serious shit. But yeah, the main plot was the highlight of the episode because you have Beef going through what I guess is an insane journey of having to try out stunt fishing when trying to regain his passion. Just the whole idea of the group, especially Limes and Lemmons, being responsible for the heist that was carried out at the aquarium that was mentioned throughout the first half of the episode, most of y’all knew that right away. Preferably, the moment going into the second act of the episode, the start of it, when Beef entered the boat, with the women turning off the radio when doing the updates on the heist. At least Chiefs Edna and Elba got some massive screentime, especially going into the second half of the episode, once Beef sends in a tip after what he thought he was about to turn himself in for something he didn’t even commit. So, that’s something. Also, the triple kiss... yeah. I mean, it was advertised. It was advertised but damn, I did not expect Beef to get freaky, in a good way. In a good way. And it was advertised. Other than that, the main plot of the episode was the highlight of the episode.
The subplot was fine with the family having to compete on who would be the substitute once Beef left the house for a while. I mean, it was expected that no one would win the competition that Dirt had to run because, as much as she wants to be in charge since she’s the oldest now, rather than letting Wolf and Honeybee run the show, she doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with it. At least everyone rocked in separate costumes when trying to dress to impress to look like a captain, all except Ham, who confused the word “captain” with “caftan”, even if it was intentional because he just wants to try out the garb as if he were going for the cult leader role, because he was fishing for compliments in the house. Yeah, it does feel like Ham was being shoved in the background in this episode. And the previous episode. And the remaining episodes after this. If we’re going to get a proper conclusion, or pray we get a Season 6, or at least a movie to give the show a proper conclusion, don’t put Ham in the background. Like, what are we doing, y’all? So, final thoughts, it’s an alright episode with the twist of the stunt fishers being the suspects of the aquarium heist being uber predictable leading up to the start of the second half of the episode. At least Edna and Elba got some major screentime, mostly in the second half, when having to help Beef after he finds out what is really going on when entering the room filled with fish tanks. So, I’ll give “Reservoir Dad Adventure”...
A 7 out of 10. But that’s my opinion, and I want to hear yours in the comments below. By the time this episode review is out, we’re in another Thursday with new episodes of Bob’s Burgers and The Great North... for the love of God, please support the show so it can get another season. Especially with a brand new one coming up for The Great North, once again, it’s a Beef episode, and it’s Kima’s father, Walt, finally getting some airtime in primetime with those two putting their friendship to the test while Wolf and Honeybee team up with the Tuntleys to catch some thieves. So, we’re having both the Evanoffs and the Tuntleys getting some major screentime in both plots in the fifteenth episode of Season 5 of The Great North in “MIB: Men in Belts Adventure”.
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