"What the world needs now is us, sweet us."
The pilot for Amazon's The Tick premiered last summer as part of the site's "pilot season" (you can watch it for free on Amazon, and our old review of it is here) so today, at Comic-Con, the second episode screened, titled "Where's My Mind?" This is our non-spoilery review of it.
The full first season of The Tick hits Amazon on August 25th.
The Tick's pilot episode held promise, given its darker and more intense tone -- more akin to something like Kick-Ass than the family friendlier version we're used to -- but it was still evident from that initial outing that a bit more tweaking needed to be done. And while the show still isn't at full speed just yet, the second episode, "Where's My Mind?," was an definite improvement in the laughs department.
With "Where's My Mind?," the show begins to flesh out and more solidly find the dark humor that it's aiming for. Also, there's more of The Tick in this one. With the pilot having been a mostly Arthur-centric affair, this follow-up chapter is all about Tick (Peter Serafinowicz) trying to convince Arthur (Griffin Newman) to don the high-tech super (moth) suit and join him as a superhero sidekick - while also cleverly playing with the seeds planted in the series opener that suggested that Tick just might be a figment of Arthur's already traumatized mind.
The Tick himself, with his goofy bombastic monologues filled with painfully criss-crossed metaphors, is a much better Tick too. The trademark speeches are whimsical, nonsensical, and funny all at once. His message is delivered clearly while also projecting an air of glee and excitement. Also, he's clearly not right upstairs, but it all works because this version of Arthur has spent most of his life reeling from his childhood tragedy and medicating himself for the purposes of stability.
So whether or not this big blue crusader, who's obsessed with destiny and justice, is real or a projection like Tyler Durden (or something in between like The Maxx), Arthur is able to finally find strange kindred spirit who appreciates him in a way that's different from his protective sister, Dot (Valorie Curry).
The episode also has a fun time playing with the idea of Arthur possibly regretting getting everything he's always wanted. The Tick is Arthur's tick-et to a showdown with The Terror (Jackie Earle Haley), who Arthur believes is still alive. This is Arthur's chance to become a superhero and exact revenge for all that's been taken from him. It's wish-fulfillment on an extreme level and he wrestles with the insanity of it all, doubting his own mind in the process.
The dialogue too is a lot sharper and funnier, with the elements of playful banter really shining through - especially with some of the villains of the piece. The Tick and Arthur will always have their famously particular dynamic so it's fun to actually move over to other characters now, separate from our two heroes, and watch these other people have their own funny moments.
The Verdict
The Tick shines in its second episode as the world of the show expands, the jokes land just right, the darker tone takes hold (while not distracting from the humor), and the notion of Arthur's sanity is called into question. We're still in set-up mode, but it's a lot of fun.
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