Well, after four long years, until the show is either cancelled or renewed at the time of writing or posting of this article, we have finally reached the finish line of The Great North. Again, all depends on the status at the time of writing or posting this article, but if this is truly the end, well, I can’t end this time of doing this with a whimper; I might as well make the best of it. Even if it kills before getting things ready for the new season of Bob’s Burgers. It’s going to be a long intro if this truly is the end, so if you want to get to the full breakdown of the episode, be my guest and scroll down.
Now, I haven’t watched Bob’s Burgers since the very start back in 2011. I didn't start watching the show until I was around my junior year in high school, and did the reviews later on. Took a while, and I love it despite some hiccups along the way. So, when 2020 rolled around and the COVID pandemic hit, and in the midst of the quarantine, I gave the sister show of Bob’s Burgers a shot, that being Central Park, and I watched it weekly while it was on the air, and I, for one, enjoyed it.
And it wasn’t long until the early days of 2021 when The Great North premiered as a special preview. Much like Central Park, I gave the show a shot, and lo and behold, I did, and five seasons later, weekly on the dot whenever there are new episodes. Both “Sexi Moose Adventure” and “Feast of Not People Adventure” were treated as special previews before what was supposed to be the February 14, 2021 launch date… before it got pushed a week later on the 21st. And I remember that because the Sunday that was supposed to be the official launch date, as advertised, was when the deep freeze happened, and having to go through 36 hours without power in the butt fuck cold.
But aside from that, The Great North is one of those shows that I like, and like Bob’s Burgers every Sunday, whenever there are new episodes, I watch it. I blogged about it. I talk about it, though mostly over on the Discord chat with a few people. It wasn’t until Season 3 that it started to diversify the blog, but to be fair, it was because the first half of Season 13, leading up to “Show Mama From the Grave”, was uh… well, it was at Season 12 timing, and that was after the movie. But that little segment lasted until March 2023, when it had to be separated into its own review thanks to that Bob’s Burgers double header, and went on to be its own thing in 2024 and 2025 whenever Bob’s Burgers was on hiatus.
And here we are, I know that this should’ve feel like it would’ve been saved until the end of the review, but I have to it out there as if I’m sending a going away message in the event the inevitable becomes reality, but there’s time, I think between writing the review and posting it to show your support for the show. And even if it’s cancelled, show your support anyway. I think that’s how Family Guy got brought back. And hoping for networks here in the States, like FXX or Adult Swim, or hell, Comedy Central, to get the rights for syndication and put it into their time slot. But other than that, if this truly is it, I might as well make the best of it. Let’s bring the curtain down. I would the other line, but current events fucked everything up with free speech being violently shanked on some LiveLeak timing.
In this week’s episode of The Great North, the second of the two from the double header to wrap up Season 5 and possibly the series in general, Beef is on verge of death after being crushed by a giant moose that meant to be roadkill after volunteering to represent the town to get said moose as Dirt and Jerry team up when they thought the world have ended in my spoilerific review of the twenty-second episode and final episode of Season 5, and possibly the series finale unless its renewed, of The Great North, titled “It’s a Beef-derful Life Adventure”.
Stories. People heard of it. People wrote it. It’s a hobby and a job when sharing our ideas with others, as the author, or in this instance, the creators of the show, want to bring their ideas to life. From books to movies and TV shows, it’s entertainment that we enjoy. Whether we like it or dislike it, or somewhere in the middle, any form of entertainment can at least make the best of it in our daily lives. That’s how I did it with most of the stuff I watched and often talked about. It’s a living. Though it can be a struggle at times. But it would not hurt my enjoyment of it. I like talking about it since this page’s inception in 2012. From its humble beginnings on Tumblr with the likes of Gravity Falls, Naruto, and Bleach, to right now with Bob’s Burgers and The Great North, these are stories that I have and will continue to enjoy, and I hope you will as well, even if it’s coming to a close if the inevitable happens. But for now, let’s bring this sucker home in what might be the last time doing this. This is “It’s a Beef-derful Life Adventure”.
The episode begins with Beef dead or on the verge of death. So uh… that’s that for the series. Let’s wrap it, people... no, no, I’m kidding. But Beef is on the verge of death as he is being crushed by a giant ass moose that was dead for a long time, and it won’t be long until Beef joins the moose there in the upper room. And that’s where we have the snowflakes from Season 1 making their return with Denny, voiced by Rhys Darby, and Tanya, voiced by Jamie Moyer, in what might soon be Beef’s corpse. Quite the fourth wall break there from Denny when introducing Tanya to a soon-to-be-packed-up Beef when talking to her that Beef is his best friend and knew him all the way back to Season 1, or as he calls it “Winter”, because that was the last time we saw Denny when he was tagging with Beef in “Game of Snownes Adventure” while being stranded in a blizzard while being sick. Tanya is getting impatient as she hopes to pack Beef up and just call it a day. But Denny says what the rush and decides to tell Tanya how we got here. Treating the episode as another format of where we have to head back to the beginning, to how we ended up at this particular point... but only for the first half of the episode.
We flash back to a few hours earlier to how it all began. The Tobins were minding their business. Eating their breakfast and getting ready to enjoy their day before they all get an emergency alert on their phones from Mayor Peppers. Judy thought it was him pretty much him not getting the hang of how to use the emergency alerts, as if he’s using it just to check up on the residents for unknown reasons, like the one from yesterday that reads “Anyone up?” before everyone gets the alert that would have everyone but Honeybee railed up in jubilation like it’s the entire country after the killing of Osama Bin Laden. To the point where the Tobins trashed the house in celebration, treating the announcement that Mayor Peppers posted to everyone across town as if it were becoming Philadelphia after winning the Super Bowl. The point of the matter is that the celebration has been cranked to eleven as everyone trashes the place and makes their way out of the house, with Honeybee dumbfounded at what is going on that got the Tobins celebrating. To the point where we have Wolf cartwheeled out the window and then cartwheeled back to nab Honeybee and make his way to the door as if they animated the cartwheel, and then having to reverse it before having to animate Wolf picking Honeybee up from the floor and to the van.
This leads us to the car ride with Honeybee asking the Tobins what is going on with them celebrating out of the blue, the moment they got an emergency alert from Mayor Peppers. The reason? LERK. What is LERK, you may ask? Well, according to Wolf, it stands for Large Edible Road Kill and Lone Moose, along with surrounding cities like Ted’s Folly, Whippleton, and Death Cliff, all get picked this year, as an alternate rotation, all take turns to take home roadkill for the town to consume. Or if you’re from the Deep South, as Hollywood portrays it, Thanksgiving. They get to play Southerners with this event when it comes to roadkill meat. Going for the “Ooooooooooo weeeeeee!!! Billy! Billy! We got ourselves a tender-looking good one for us to eat tonight! Ooooooooooo weeeeeee!!!” while banjo music plays in the background. I’m a born Southerner, so it’s pretty much getting the pass.
But yeah, it’s Lone Moose’s turn to bring home the roadkill for the town as if Christmas came early this year. But none more excited for the event than, who else, Beef. He had been waiting for Lone Moose to have a turn in the event. His time to shine. And the moment everyone got the message that it’s Lone Moose’s turn for the Lerk event, it didn’t take long for Beef to celebrate. He waited for the big day to arrive. He was well prepared, like the man that he is. And now that Lone Moose is getting its time to shine, he is ready to do the job... if the Tobins get picked through a lottery called MMPULP, or Moose Meat Packer Upper Lottery Pull, try to remember that if y’all were to play trivia. Beef hopes for the Tobins to have their names picked because it is his time to do the job. Bring home the prize as a representative for the town... even if they get about a quarter of the prize once it gets brought to Lone Moose, but it’s worth it if it means boosting Beef’s ego. The rest of the family is already throwing their support behind Beef for the stuff he did when providing for his family. Showing their appreciation ahead of the lottery and hopefully, an ego boost once the names are drawn, and for the job to commit. At least Honeybee got the lingo when it comes to the whole thing; it’s not like they forgot one other Tobin member who felt left out from all of this and thinks that it’s something else, despite being a long-time resident of Lone Moose, and should at least know what is going on.
Oh, right, Aunt Dirt. She got left behind with no word on what was going on that led to the family celebrating, which caused them to trash the place. Mind you, that she’s the only Tobin to not have a phone in her pocket, but she’ll probably think that Mayor Peppers’ message to the town is an actual emergency, as if Russia were to launch nukes on us. She saw the carnage, not knowing what was really going on, which led to the place being trashed, and she believes that the end of the world has finally arrived. That is what her first thought was when she saw the mess that the family had made. At least the Rapture is off the table because then you would have everyone’s clothes piled to the ground. Dirt mourns for a bit, thinking that the Tobins got attacked and packed by some attackers, before deciding to prep her up as if she knew that this day would come... even though it’s not.
But that’s not going to stop Dirt from going into a hidden bunker that was hidden from the family and everyone else by her bunker. Prepping her up with a supply of weapons if the apocalypse does come. She went into hiding for 60 years and was well prepared for the event that something bad was going to happen, whether it was a Soviet invasion or a possible Last of Us situation. Once again, not knowing that it’s not an end-of-the-world situation, but that’s not going to stop Dirt from believing that it is.
The whole town makes its way waiting outside the city hall, hoping for either one of them to be chosen to bring home the dead animal, like it’s Black Friday, or if the world continues to fall to shit, a possible military draft. You know that it’s going to be a frenzy after everyone gets the message and hopes that they get picked from the lottery that Mayor Peppers would have drawn their names to be the lucky or unlucky volunteer. And while the waiting is going on, hoping that the townsfolk don’t storm into the building like it’s AT&T Stadium during Cowboys games, despite that it’s assigned seating, you have Londra giving Beef a thank you card for shoveling her driveway while she and Dusty are out of town and asked Beef to shovel the driveway, but giving Beef a thank you card is the way to go with him opening the card, revealing to be a fish with a speaker inside playing “Thank U” by Alanis Morrissette. I mean, the voice does give away that it was by Alanis. And it’s an actual song, long before the episode aired, and spoiler alert, played at the end of the episode. Remember the card for later. But other than that, everyone in Lone Moose is ready to have their names picked for the draft. Well, it looks like one family that will not be picked from the lottery for who will be volunteering to represent Lone Moose.
That would be the Tuntleys. Especially Jim and Dorothy, who are flat out drunk with their bodies all painted in green coloring as if Shrek exploded in their house. They painted their bodies green because they were supposed to get ready to watch the Packers play before getting the emergency alert message on their phones. Probably a 4:25 game for sure since Lone Moose is only three hours behind from Green Bay when it comes to the time zones. Also, don’t have to rub it and I know that this was made a year ago, but just because the Packers are at the time of writing at 2-0 (2-1 now at the time of posting) and standing on top of the NFC North (or was on top thanks in part of the Vikings’ win over the Bengals)), beating both playoff teams from last year in the Lions and Commanders, mostly stemming from fleecing the Cowboys in getting a generational talent in Micah Parsons, doesn’t mean you have to gloat on us. Still have 15 more weeks in the NFL season, and hopefully not run into the Eagles or 49ers in the playoffs to do just that. Even though I would’ve nabbed Josh Jacobs as an RB2 or a flex for my fantasy lineup. But other than that, the Tuntleys are pretty much disqualified from participating due to them being drunk. Which is for the best, knowing the state they’re in, and the person or group who gets picked would have to deliver by car.
However, just as Lone Moose is about to get ready for whoever is going to be drawn out of the jar for the LERK, Peppers gets a phone call that ties in with the event, and it’s the news that the residents of Lone Moose don’t want to hear. He gives the good news first by telling the residents that Lone Moose might’ve hit the jackpot. The moose that the town will be getting weighs about 2,000 pounds. Meaning that it’s a lot more meat than usual for the townsfolk to consume once delivered. Which is good news for Lone Moose since it was their turn this year to get the moose for them to carve it like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. Now the bad news, the moose is located in a treacherous area in a place called Absalom’s Pass, not on the road, but instead, somewhere away from said road. And uh... oh yeah, Mother Nature decided to be a massive bitch because there’s a massive blizzard incoming in about 90 minutes for that area.
This is not good for the Lone Moose residents because it was their turn to bring home the moose. It was their turn to consume it. And the moment they found out, they hit the jackpot in a dead moose that contained a lot of meat more than usual, the incoming inclement weather, and a terrible choice of location would put a sour taste in their mouths. Mainly because it would put the person who would be drawn through a lottery system in harm’s way. As much as they’re excited about bringing home the roadkill moose to the town, the safety of anyone who would be drawn is all that matters. Mainly because they’d be worried that the moose won’t be returned on time... but sure... safety is all that matters.
However, that’s not going to stop one Beef Tobin from not letting his town down. He imagines himself as the hero when bringing home the roadkill moose. No, seriously, he imagined himself as a literal superhero carrying the moose to the townsfolk as if he had just seen the new Superman movie over the summer. But yeah, Beef imagines himself as the hero because, again, the moment Lone Moose gets its turn for LERK, Beef knows that it would be his time to shine. Also, note for anyone who even bothered to follow The Great North’s page or the Animation Domination page leading up to the finale, two promos were promoting the double header this past weekend, with the first showing the Tobins in different genres with the very start of the first promo, which is pretty much the show’s theme song, having Beef as a superhero. Should’ve probably posted it on Tumblr, and maybe I should before the official page plans on deleting it. Just to make sure, all in GTA. All in GTA.
But other than that, as we end the first act of the episode, Beef plans on volunteering despite the hazards. Cue up “Hero” by Chad Kroeger (featuring Joey Scott) because Beef wants to play the hero after the residents of Lone Moose feel disappointed from the news that Mayor Peppers addressed about the incoming harsh weather that could put everything in jeopardy right as the town gets their turn for LERK and hitting the jackpot with a moose that has a lot more meat than any other roadkill moose as part of the event. He waited for a long ass time for his time to shine. He is finally getting his shot at doing the job and making the town proud, and wants to boost his ego. Wanting to get the appreciation he wants from the town, and that is pretty much the name of the game here for this episode. And despite the family already throwing their support behind Beef for not just LERK, but life in general, as well as the most recent just seconds ago, with Londra giving him the thank you card for shoveling the driveway. You could say that it’s an ego thing that Beef wants to have, as if he’s feeling a bit underappreciated outside of the family and having to volunteer to bring home the moose, even though it would put himself at risk with the location and the incoming inclement weather, would be the perfect moment to do this as if it he was destined to do it. It was destiny calling. And probably something God promised him about 3,000 years ago. But other than that, ending the first act of the episode, the Tobins, at the behest of Beef, are chosen to lead the way to bring home the moose. And for Beef to boost his ego.
Onto the second act of the episode, back to the present for a bit, with Denny and Tanya continuing to watch over Beef’s soon-to-be corpse as Beef is currently slowly marching towards the lobby. Tanya is getting impatient while playing the waiting game, as if Denny is waiting for something to make a move, hoping for Beef to be packed up and just call it a day. But Denny, on the other hand, says Wait a minute and continues to play the waiting game. They’re pretty much guardian angels up to this point, and if you watched or even heard of the Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, you would know where this is going with what the snowflakes, or rather, Denny, have something planned with Beef later on in the episode. Since it looks like Tanya continues to grow impatient, she might as well do the audacity and bring up the affair she’s having while playing the waiting game. But going back to the flashback at hand, and remember when I said that the family always throws their support for Beef ahead of LERK? Especially after deciding to volunteer to bring home the moose?
Yeah, this is not one of them. The Tobins now have second thoughts about all of this. As much as they’re excited for the event, especially since this year is Lone Moose’s turn and that Beef is finally getting his chance to take home the moose to Lone Moose, they don’t want Beef to risk his own life just to do the job after hearing about the wrong choice of location where the moose died for pickup and also, a blizzard that is about to make its way towards where they’re at, in Absalom’s Pass. It’s unsurvivable, and Mayor Peppers, earlier in the meeting, knows it once getting the phone call about the dead moose. It would take a special kind of idiot to ignore the warnings in an area where one slip from the snow-covered cliff that happened to be steep, where it could make the person go missing, alive or dead, and especially, with incoming bad weather like a blizzard to come rolling in, which could potentially hinder the search efforts in the event something bad happens.
But that’s not going to stop Beef from falling into that category. Despite the warnings before having to volunteer by Peppers about the location and the hazards that come with it, despite the weight of the moose that could spell disaster once lifted, and the incoming bad weather that could fuck everything up, and yes, despite the family now having second thoughts about all of this after being excited at first over wanting to get their hands on that sweet, sweet roadkill meat from a dead moose as if the family were held from somewhere in Tennessee rather than Alaska, Beef wants to do this. He wants to do this. He waited for this moment, and despite the appreciation that he already got from his family and a few people that he knew, it almost seemed like he wanted more, as if bringing home the dead moose would make him the hero. I’m not saying I’m painting him as a narcissist, because the name of the game for this episode is all about appreciation, but it does feel like he just wants to be appreciated for the job he is doing. Wanting to make the community proud and such, not just his family and a couple of people that he knows of. Even if, yes, risking his own life, and could be moments away from meeting the big man upstairs. So, as Beef prepares to make his way in, trying to do his stuff when attempting to tow the moose to the cart in the back...
Going back to the subplot, we have Dirt coming out of the bunker dressed in full apocalyptic gear as if she’s auditioning to be the next character up for a Fortnite campaign. She’s glocked up and ready to go as if, once again, treating it as if it’s the apocalypse has arrived, even though she didn’t know what was really going on. And it looks like she’s not alone in this because she comes across Jerry, seconds away from a possible hate crime, who also doesn’t know what was going on. And he had his phone with him when the emergency alert was blaring. You’d think that... well, he would be confused as Honeybee about the whole LERK thing because he was supposed to meet up with Honeybee at Maude’s, but the place is locked and the town is empty. And the same goes for the house upon visiting. Once again, he had a phone with him, but then again, he would be confused about what was going on regarding the emergency alert message that everyone had received by now.
This now causes Jerry to tag along with Dirt as she questions him if he has any experience with holding a gun or anything with the apocalypse... which he does not, but knows a little about these things whenever he plays a round of video games in a situation like this. Pretty much tells you that if God forbid, World War III were to happen and the US were to bring back the draft, we are NOT winning the next war. But that should be good enough for Jerry to dress up and play commando alongside Dirt, going into the next scene. Nice that we have a Dirt and Jerry interaction this late in the game, in what might as well be the last time we have the show on the air unless it gets renewed. Much like the previous episode with the fantasy of the family and Alanis in a family band, treating it as the closest the family would ever get to see Alanis in person, from Judy’s mind, if this truly is it, might as well bask in it.
The two’s little jog comes to a halt when they hide from the tree, treating it as if it’s The Last of Us or The Walking Dead. Coming across not a pair of zombies, but a pair of drunks who are walking their way home, but got lost in the woods. That being Jim and Dorothy, who were coming out of the town meeting, still drunk and covered in green paint, and are now lost in the woods on their way home. Just be thankful that they didn’t take the car because otherwise... oh boy. We may have a problem if that were to happen.
Checking back with the Tobins as they prepare, at Beef’s behest, to pull the moose up the hill and into the road so it can be placed on the flat car attached to the van. Of course, knowing that it’s the second half of the episode, already at the halfway point of it, it didn’t take long for something horrible to happen during the attempt. Once Beef steps on the rock as he prepares to tie the moose up, slipping on the snow without even looking at the hazards that could pose harm to him. Speaking like a true individual who is riding high on wanting to boost their ego, not knowing the risk that comes with it, which could pose harm. Tell that to some content creators, mainly Kick streamers, who put themselves in harm’s way and should know the consequences, but end up ignoring it if it means getting clicks and views. Meanwhile, our First Amendment is being violently shanked. This is truly a cry for help.
Beef survived the fall after that slip and fall after stepping on a snow-covered rock just as he was about to tie the moose for the rest of the Tobins to tow. He latched onto the moose on his way down before having to be forced to let go once the moose hit the shrub. Causing Beef to fall from one of the cliffs, not a steep cliff, but a cliff is a cliff, and landed on one. 'Tis but a scratch, he says as he celebrates that he survived the fall as if he’s invincible, even though he would have to climb himself up the hill. Too bad for Beef as we prepare to close out the first half of the episode...
Only for the moose to come crashing down again as if the weight of the shrub had lost its strength. Celebrated too early, thinking that he’s untouchable, before fate decides to have other plans for Beef. The moose comes crashing down. Didn’t give Beef enough time to react and move away to avoid getting hit. And here we are from the start of the episode with Beef getting crushed by the dead moose, moments away from death, with both Denny and Tanya watching the whole thing unfold, as we now close out the first half of the episode. At least it didn’t last for three or four acts when it comes to these things, so that it doesn’t feel dragged out. But other than that, here we are, to the very beginning. And, again, if y’all haven’t watched or even heard of “It’s a Wonderful Life”, buckle up, because this is where the second half of the episode is going to be about. And now... onto the second half of what might as well be the final episode of the series (or until we get renewed otherwise... even though our chances are now looking impossible because of the current situation that free speech might be dead in our country, what the fuck are we doing).
So, onto the second half of the episode, and with Beef now on the verge of being sent to the lobby, the time for waiting is over for the snowflakes to make a move. Tanya, already impatient since the start of the episode, decides to put Beef out of his misery as if she finally got the opportunity to finish the job as if she were the Grim Reaper. But, of course, Denny stops her from doing that because they’re guardian angels. Putting someone like Beef in a pack is not what a guardian angel should do. That alone causes Tanya to leave Denny behind to be with Beef, and besides, it’s not like Tanya wasn’t going to do anything with Beef other than wanting to put him out of his misery because she got impatient the moment Beef got crushed by the moose while playing the waiting game for the snowflakes, or just Denny now, to make a move. Tanya leaves the scene, leaving Denny behind alone with Beef...
And here we go, with Beef reuniting with Denny, with Beef now a force ghost, with the scene transitioning from the site of the scene as the snowstorm begins to take place to the outskirts of town, where it’s calm and bright. Beef is not technically dead since this is the part of the process where his life is flashing before his eyes. Denny reveals himself to be Beef’s guardian angel... who is trying to make ends meet by working multiple jobs, with the role of guardian angel being one of those roles. So, we’re in “It’s a Wonderful Life” rules for the second half of the episode with Denny now having to play tour guide through Beef’s life to learn an important lesson that you already know the lingo by now when it comes to the movie that this episode is referencing, even if you haven’t watched it like myself, and that is having someone like Beef to learn a valuable lesson while being on the verge of death as if lesson or two about themselves as if it’s a ticket to not get sent packing.
And whether it’s like we see here with Beef finishing repairing the water fountain at city hall, or at the Val-U-Buy with one of the aisles having both hamburger and hot dog buns in the same aisle per Beef’s suggestion, which the latter doesn’t sound Earth-shattering, as what Denny is saying when having to go around Beef’s memories in an attempt to have Beef learn a lesson, but none of these moments doesn’t seem to touch him. Nothing seems to be working that should motivate him when it comes to the appreciation department. So, the tour continues for Denny to help Beef learn a thing or two about appreciation as this trip down memory lane continues...
As we transition back to the subplot with Dirt and Jerry continuing their Sunday stroll through the forest, heavily armed, as they decide to take a little break with Dirt sitting on one of the rocks to serve as a bench. Taking a quick water break after a few hours of strolling as if it’s nothing more than patrolling, like they’re a couple of border patrol agents. Jerry plans on using the bathroom, but the bathroom is nowhere to be seen for him to do his business. Causing Dirt to tell him to relieve himself by the tree, since they still think that the end times have arrived, and no one can tell what to do when having to urinate. Playing by pioneer rules. Though Jerry seems to be giddy over Dirt calling Jerry “Hoss” as if the two quickly became buddies, even though Dirt doesn’t buy it. She probably called a few people about that, so don’t treat it as if he got high praise. She called a few people with that nickname, with the most notable calling Moon “Hoss” in “Bear of Beeftown Adventure” when explaining the Beef and Carissa shit. Dirt and Jerry’s break gets cut short when the two come across someone else wearing tactical gear, as if she, too, yes, the voice is a woman, pointing a gun towards Dirt and Jerry. Causing Dirt to point the gun at the other woman.
And it’s none other than Gloria who was under the gas mask. And much like Dirt, donning tactical gear as if she too didn’t get the message about what was going on and believed that it was the apocalypse. Oh, and like Dirt, she has a special place of living as her home, that being a cave. And yes, caves do work as an alternative to protect yourself from nuclear fallout. It’s like those two are made for each other since the events of “Can’t Hardly Debate Adventure”. And this shows it. It’s like Dirt may have found her soulmate. Even if it’s during a faux apocalypse, because it’s not really an apocalypse that is taking place. Anyway, the two women and Jerry spot each other in tactical gear, and it didn’t take long for either party to tag along to take a nice, little stroll. Pretending that it’s still the apocalypse.
Day turns to night as the search for Beef now becomes a townwide issue. The weather is starting to be treacherous as night hits. Time is pretty much ticking for not just the Tobins, but now the whole town has to band together to find Beef before it’s about to be GGs for him. The Tobins tried their best to find Beef since they were the last people who saw him earlier in the day when attempting to bring it up the hill for him to bring home the dead moose that he was supposed to do for the event. So far, there has been no luck because the fall was so deep that they didn’t see how far he went. Meaning a lot of uncertainty regarding his status, not knowing that it’s about to be the worst case scenario because of the condition that he is in, with the moose crushing his upper body, being out in the cold for so long, and the incoming inclement weather ready to hinder the search efforts, it’s a race against the clock to find the patriarchal member of the Tobin family. And speaking of...
Going back to memory lane, with Denny continuing to take Beef around his memories in an attempt to have him learn a valuable lesson about appreciation when transporting to the Russian Restaurant and coming across Zoya. Once again, Beef is not getting it from what Denny is showing him, as if what he is showing him is becoming nothing more than a nothing burger. I mean, he should get the gist of what is going on, but knowing that we’re about to see what might be the final act of the series (unless renewed otherwise), it’s best to keep him oblivious about all of this. This causes Denny, going into the final act of the episode, to up the ante with this experience if Beef wants to, let’s say, wanting to get a second chance at life while being crushed by the moose that he was supposed to carry around. He’s not going until he gets the thing he wants, which is a halo above his head, and if it means upping the ante to get Beef to learn a lesson by having to show important moments in his life, five to be exact, so be it.
And now, onto the final act of what might as well be the final episode of the series (unless, again, renewed otherwise because, like Beef throughout the episode, in limbo), and the search is on to find Beef throughout the surrounding areas of Absolom’s Pass. It’s a race against the clock for sure for the townsfolk of Lone Moose... a selected few, to be exact, who made the final roster. One of which...
Being Crispin. And, oh boy, quite the awkward meeting we got between the two since their breakup earlier this season. Especially when trying to find Beef before it’s about to be GGs for him. And I know that it’s an awkward conversation between Ham and Crispin since the breakup at the end of “Bots on the Side Adventure”, but in the end of the day, especially in a situation like this one, this is his friend, and he should have the right to be concerned because his friend’s father is lost and might be on the verge of dying when trying to get the moose meat. So, good to know that in what might as well be the series finale, we got to see Crispin again when participating in the search efforts... in comparison to the other characters who are... didn’t make the final roster.
And there is a lot. God, I hope there’s a Season 6 green light to solve this up, but we can’t have nice things, huh? This is pretty much God’s way of saying fuck you and fuck me and fuck everyone because 2025 is really wanting to be 2020: The Squeakquel with the shit that is going on across the world. Let the renewal news be the one beacon of light for once in our lives. And I should probably shut up because I just pretty much jinxed it. I just pretty much jinxed our chances. So, Crispin tags along to help Ham with the search efforts.
And then we have this. And again, even though they broke up, Crispin does have the right to be concerned for his friend during this difficult situation. So... is this a sign that, if we do get a Season 6, and maybe a Season 7, would be time for Ham and Crispin to get back together? I hope they don’t rush this. I’d said it before in my review of “Bots on the Side Adventure”, and I’ll say it again: give it time. Don’t rush this. Give it time. Just give it time, probably a season or two at best, before making the call to have these two get back together. But with uncertainty still floating whether or not we get another season... question marks. Big question marks. Because the only concern for all of this throughout the season and possibly going into the next, if possible, is whether or not this will be like the divorce subplot from Rick and Morty’s third season, and pretend that didn’t happen. Again, if we do get renewed, the show needs to play its cards right when it comes to the option of bringing Ham and Crispin back together. That’s all I have to say, and please God, don’t let the same go for Moon and Quinn with their newly formed relationship.
Judy also does her part in attempting to find Beef when she gets a quick visit from Alanis. Getting sidetracked in all of this while searching for her father, as if it’s the right time to have a quick conversation, which it is not. Judy asks Alanis if she knows where Beef is, hoping for a glimmer of hope during the long search, since knowing that Alanis is in the sky, through Judy’s imagination, she hopes for something good to happen during the search. But, of course, no luck. Oh yeah, and you also have that one scene with Santiago trying desperately to search for Beef, with him having to be dramatic as if the Molyneuxs have to put all the stops to get this episode to at least make the cut for next year’s Emmy nominations, the same way Loren and the others tried their best with the movie with the scene of Teddy crying over the cart crumbling into pieces. That was the angle they were going for with that scene with Santiago when looking for Beef, along with the other townsfolk.
And now, we have reached the pivotal moment of the episode as we are nearing the two-minute warning. That is Denny having to up the ante in his attempt to have Beef learn a valuable lesson about appreciation. Especially from the town that he calls home. You have one shot, like the screenshot above with Beef and Delmer watching the sunset together, once again, a nice looking shot with this scene, to Beef entering Maude’s and getting a greeting from Londra. Beef still questioned what was the point of this, but it wasn’t long until he saw himself coming towards his family waiting for him at the table. And y’all know where this is going with the next selective few of this flashback trip.
Whether it’s him sitting in the living room next to Wolf and Honeybee, which I know that we didn’t see a flashback with a younger Wolf, but seen Ham, Judy, and Moon when they were young just to expand Beef having to deal with the kids on his lonesome while Kathleen was either away doing Kathleen things or right after she fucked off. But yeah, we got a flashback from Beef with Wolf and Honeybee watching TV.
And then another flashback with Beef and Judy, a younger Judy, eating a bowl of ice cream. A nice little father-daughter bonding between the two that isn’t a few occurrences, like curling or anything else. And unclear if this was before or after the whole fallout with Stacy B or... don’t think it’s long after Kathleen decided to fuck off to be with Marcus, but it’s a nice moment there seeing Beef and Judy together. Sharing a tub, putting their scoops into their respective bowls, it’s a nice moment as the trip down memory lane continues.
Then, we get to Ham. A younger Ham in the forest by the lake. Seeing the leaves falling from the trees. A nice looking shot with this scene with Beef and Ham having a moment. I saw this shot in storyboard form when scrolling through Instagram, and at first, I thought it was the same location in “As Goldie As You Get Adventure” when Ham and Goldie were there, and again at the end of that episode with him and Crispin having a moment under the moonlight. But I don’t see the log in those shots when making the comparison. So, maybe the log was moved or something, but it’s a nice looking shot that I didn’t expect what I saw when scrolling through Instagram was going to be this shot. And it looks good to serve as one of the sentimental moments in the episode when going through Beef’s memories, when looking at a brief flashback with Beef and a younger version of Ham. Though unclear if that was the start of him collecting leaves, if you know, you know that he had a scrapbook of leaves he collected when he showed it to Crispin in “Pride & Prejudance Adventure”.
And then finally, to when Moon was a baby. With Beef, who looks the same currently, cradling a baby Moon outside, and what a moment there with Moon opening his eyes, where instead of crying when being woken up like most babies as if they’re being disturbed from their sleep, he wakes up to see Beef holding him and gives him a smile and a laugh. The Molyneuxs are going all out on this. They are going all in with the flashbacks in this episode, especially within the final few minutes of the episode. And we’re talking about the same duo behind the emotional nuclear bomb of an episode that was “The Amazing Rudy”. It’s pretty much their way of saying, “Hey, if we’re not going to get another season out of this, well then... fuck it, we’re going all out. We’re going all motherfucking out with this. And we’re going to make it an episode as a send-off that they’ll never forget.” Treating it as the last laugh on the network, as if this is actually it. Treating it as, even though it was advertised as a season finale and not a series finale, because, again, we still don’t know what the status is at the time of posting, probably at likely GGs or possibly solid as a rock, but it is being treated as a finale as if you’re beginning to see the clearer picture. Again, we don’t know what the future might hold. It might as well be like Futurama, a few times before it got revived... a few times. Or maybe American Dad, when it ended its FOX run before heading over to TBS, but if this truly is it, especially with these couple of scenes with the flashbacks, along with the ending of the episode, then what an episode to do it.
So, Beef finally figured out what the lesson that Denny is trying to tell him is when going through various memories of him in his life, not the full life from his current age to him as a kid, which I guess we’re pretty much robbed of when having to explore his life, but more of his adult life with him being appreciated by a few townsfolk like Delmer and Londra, but mostly from his family as the people who they show his appreciation the most. That’s the lesson that Beef needs to know as his ticket to get a second chance at life. Corny, yes, but for someone like Beef, who, this entire episode until the moment he nearly got murked, appreciation has been the name of the game for him the moment everyone got the LERK alert and thought that it was destiny calling him to do the job and make the town proud, the family appreciating him should be more than enough to do so. I mean, think back a few episodes in any shows you watch with that kind of message. I know that it’s corny and overused, but that’s pretty much the name of the game, and something that Beef needs to know once he accepts the lesson, and for Denny to finally get his halo and fly away.
Causing Beef to finally wake up from his near-fatal injury while being sandwiched by the moose that is still over him. Not ready to meet the big guy upstairs just yet, as he struggles to get out despite the shape that he is currently in. Trying to be the strongman that he is when attempting to get the moose off of him, despite that doing that would... well, I’m not a doctor, but it almost feels like it would drain the life force out of him. But regardless, he tries to do the job himself in attempting to get the moose off of him, but ends up failing and is about to accept what it is. About to say GGs as he throws the card that Londra gave him earlier to the ground, causing it to open with “Thank U” by Alanis Morissette playing once again.
And for the first time since this search began, a glimmer of hope for the Tobins and the rest of Lone Moose as they heard the sound from the card that Londra gave to Beef outside city hall. Of course, Judy recognizes the voice from the card because of the song, because who else does Judy know with a sound that only she can recognize? The rest of the Tobins and the citizens of Lone Moose make their way to the site of the incident. Giving it their all to get the moose off of Beef, but because of the dead moose being weighed at 2,000 pounds of pure additional meat than per usual in previous LERK events, they might as well treat it like it’s a dead whale or a soon-to-be-dead whale that was washed up on a beach, they’re going to need something like a heavy vehicle like an excavator or a crane. And wouldn’t you guess it...
The cavalry has arrived with Dirt, Jerry, and Gloria all riding on a motherfucking tank. That’s right, a motherfucking tank. How the hell they even got a hold of the tank is beyond me. Probably Dirt’s, and I don’t want to know how she spent it, let alone steal it, since both of those things do sound like Dirt. Probably spent her dividend money, which would make the most sense using oil company hush money to buy something like a tank in the event shit was about to go down. And I thought at first I thought that when it comes to people who would find Beef just as he was on the verge of death, Dirt, Jerry, and Gloria would be the first to find him when coming across the incident area. That's what I thought at first, leading up to this moment. But no, here we are. Pretty much took the tank on a joyride off-camera. And now, plans on helping get the moose off of Beef. It's good that the moose have finally gotten off of him, and despite some cracks in the ribs due to him being crushed by said moose, he should be okay. Just need to be treated and stitched up, that’s all. The bad news... well, Dirt’s tank pretty much turned the dead moose into Play-Doh, and there goes Lone Moose’s jackpot for a couple of years until they get chosen once again. And you can thank the tank that Dirt got due to, at times, the driving stick decides to go rogue when going in reverse. That, and also launching a goddamn fireball onto a tree that got obliterated. At least Beef is alive and well... so uh... It’s the thought that counts. Oh god, it’s about to be GGs for sure. What the fuck are we doing?
And so... here we are... the final two minutes of the episode and what might be the final two minutes of the series (unless, again, renewed otherwise even though the writing is on the damn fucking wall coming out of a gas station bathroom). We have the aftermath of the incident after Beef nearly got packed as a result of him being a dumbass for not heeding the warning when attempting to bring home a dead moose. The whole family, alongside Jerry and Gloria, spend their night watching TV to calm themselves down. But you’d think by now, after being crushed by a heavy moose that nearly took his life, as if Anime Plot Armor.EXE decided to brownout during those moments back in Absalom’s Pass, his chest would at least be bandaged up because that should be at least a few cracked ribs that Beef had just sustained. And like that, in a snap, once Beef hears the doorbell and makes his way to the door with Mayor Peppers present while holding a package of, not moose meat because Dirt accidentally squished it into pudding with her tank, but dead squirrels that he got locked up in his fridge, once again, out here as if we’re treating like we’re from the Deep South, no Confederacy. Like, unless he got some Senzu beans in his pocket to wipe away the injuries that he got or the powers of anime on his side, I mean, how else Moon and Wolf survived after getting hit by a car, I guess we can pretend that Beef’s injury is nothing more than some dust on the shoulder that needed some dusting.
But other than that, going into the two-minute warning of the episode, with Mayor Peppers delivering dead squirrels that he stored in his fridge, and it looks like it’s not just him who is visiting Beef, with various road kill meat coming towards the Tobin household. The whole town is bringing in their own meat to the table as if it’s about to be a last-minute cookout or the carne asada into the house? For what? Beef. They’re celebrating him because, even though he was supposed to get the appreciation he was supposed to get from doing the LERK and bringing home the dead moose that was trained to do before the incident that nearly took his life, they’re celebrating him for... well, being alive and also treating him with respect. Which should be enough for a guy like Beef to take. And with more and more Lone Moose citizens coming into the house, about to turn this house into one giant ass banquet, and with Ham planning on baking a cake to celebrate the occasion and Judy pulling out the pan flute for some reason, it’s a nice little scene and again, if it truly is it... might as well cherish with what we have.
Especially going into the final scene of the episode, where everything comes full circle since the very first episode. Beef is looking up at the night sky with the Aurora Borealis glistening. Hoping to say “hot dog” in what might be the final time, as if it was coming around full circle. As if the people who worked on the show knew that this was the end of the road because of the uncertainty of the show’s future, join the club, says the Doctor Who fandom, as they, too, know what it’s like currently. But other than that, everything is coming in full circle with Beef saying the phrase “hot dog” like in the end of “Sexi Moose Adventure”. Coming in full circle. And speaking of a full circle.
Of course, Alanis. Where, instead of saying the phrase “diving into life’s butthole”, it’s her singing the song “Thank U”, as in the song that was used for the card that Londra gave to Beef as a thank-you gift for shoveling her and Dusty’s driveway. Once again, the Molyneuxs are not holding any punches with this. Going through a montage of previous episodes from previous seasons, with Alanis being inserted into each moment throughout the show’s five seasons, as if it’s being treated as a going-away scene, I hope that’s not the case, but 2025 has not been a good year for many, and a renewal has to be the only beacon of hope in this.
It’s sort of similar to Central Park at the end of its third season, with the end of “The Brandenpire Strikes Back”, with the montage of the Tillermans and the others doing their thing in the montage, especially with some moments like Paige already becoming a published author and Abby becoming an up-and-coming actress after calling it quits from working for Bitsy. I was getting flashbacks to that when watching the montage at the end of the episode with Alanis singing. Thinking to myself, “Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no. Don’t you freaking dare. We know what happened with Central Park. Don’t fucking do this.” But, once again, we still don’t know other than show your support by watching the show... even though the current situation regarding Disney is going to hinder things after caving to the regime. But, it’s a nice little montage to see each episode from the past seasons, just with Alanis inserted before having the frame of the Tobins and Jerry standing on the front porch. That was a nice little moment that you could say is wallpaper-worthy. And, of course, ending the episode with Alanis opening the card with Beef throwing the shoveled snow away to transition as the credits come to a close. Not to mention, some lyrics have to be modified for this episode. And uh... yeah, that does it for the episode. That does it for Season 5. And God, I hope it’s not the series. And the moral of this story: appreciate what you've got, especially from those who are closest to you.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So, all in all, what do I think about this week’s season (possibly the series, unless otherwise) finale of The Great North? Well, I’m going to say this like I’m a broken record, but if this truly is it for the show, what a way to go out. What a way to go out with this episode. Sure, the messaging was cheesy and overused, as we saw this coming a mile away with Beef planning to volunteer to make his community proud before nearly dying when coming down the hill. However, it was quite the trip to close out the season and possibly the series, if it ends up that way. Primarily from the fourth act of the episode, with the flashback scenes.
The fourth act of the episode really stole the show with the flashback scenes with Denny showing Beef around each memory of his whenever he is with his family. From him sitting at the table at Maude’s to him with Wolf and Honeybee, once again, should have a young Wolf when it comes to seeing Beef’s memories because we all wanted to know what the early life of the Tobin family would be like... even if Kathleen had to be there, but it’s with Judy, Ham, and Moon with the flashbacks that really sold it. The scene with Ham was nice, with a leaf falling into the water. The same goes for a baby version of Moon waking up while being cradled in Beef’s arms outside the house. It was quite a few scenes we got from it. Especially at the behest of a returning Denny serving as a guardian angel when following the playbook to “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
The subplot was something with Dirt and Jerry. It’s nice that we have a plotline for once to have these two together in garbage time after thinking that the end of the world has arrived, even though they didn’t get the full extent of the message that Mayor Peppers sent out about LERK. Especially since Jerry has a phone with him, but much like Honeybee earlier in the episode, he doesn’t know what was going on. Though you think that a longtime Lone Moose citizen like Dirt would at least know about it. But it was somewhat of an interesting pair-up with the two donning tactical gear as if it were the end times. And it’s nice to see Gloria again after what we thought she was going to be a one-off after “Can’t Hardly Debate Adventure”, and like Dirt and Jerry, dressed up in tactical gear. It’s as if those two, that being Dirt and Gloria, are made for each other. But other than that, it’s a good episode despite the message of it about appreciation being easily noticeable once Beef decided to go play the hero. Some may think that this feels like a series finale, a la Central Park at the end of their third season. Some say that it’s more of a season finale, just have to feel like there were some twinks, as if it’s being treated as a series finale due to the uncertainty that is being clouded over the show. But if it's truly is it... what a way to go out. So, I’ll give “It’s a Beef-derful Life Adventure”...
A 9 out of 10. Making it a 7 out of 10 for Season 5. But that’s my opinion, and I want to hear yours in the comments below. And uh... yeah, I guess... that’s it. The finish line for The Great North. Watched the show from start to finish since its beginnings back in 2021. Guess you could say eerily at best, because a few days after is when an insurrection took place. But I gave the show a shot when it first came out, and loved it. Watched it weekly whenever there were new episodes alongside Bob’s Burgers. Talked about a few during the year-end countdown at the end of each year. Took until Season 3 when having to be sandwiched into a halfway segment throughout the Season 13 reviews of Bob’s Burgers before having it to separate into its own thing, thanks in part to a double header in 2023. Serving as a fill-in gap whenever Bob’s Burgers were on hiatus throughout early 2024 and again earlier this year as a full-on thing. And despite some criticism with each episode, it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it. It is a free country, or was a free country, and it’s alright to state my opinion on this.
Much like with Bob’s Burgers, it’s something that I like to talk about and show some appreciation, which I hope y’all can enjoy as I do. You can say that it feels like a Bob’s Burgers clone all you want, or say that it doesn’t sit right with you, but if you like what the early seasons of Bob’s Burgers or want to try something new, then The Great North might as well be it for you. Not to mention, representation, whether it’s the LGBT community with characters like Ham, Crispin, Aunt Dirt, etc, or the Native American community, and not treat it as a stereotypical gag. I don’t want to hear anyone, especially if you have a blue checkmark next to your name, saying that it’s woke just because of the things I listed. But I promise you, you won’t forget it if you give it a try.
So, if this is truly the end of the road for The Great North, I would like to say a huge thank you to the Molyneux sisters, along with Minty Lewis, for a few seasons, for bringing this to life. The same goes for the hardworking cast and crew members of the show. As well as the cast members who voiced the show, whether it’s the main cast like Offerman, Slate, Rust, Forte, Nancherla, Sloan, and Lynch, or the recurring cast members, it was quite the blast, and hopefully, this won’t be the last time doing this. Still thinking of doing some more Great North stuff, even though we may have reached the end of it. Maybe a character discussion or two, I don’t know. But if it is truly the finish line, a huge thank you for bringing this to life, and quite the four years it was to be a part. But if we do get a Season 6, then oh boy, we're about to have ourselves a feast. But yeah, a huge thank you to everyone for making this all possible, and let’s see where this goes, for, shameless plug alert, the 2x defending Battle of the Week Champions.
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