Looking over my last few posts, all of the non-pregnancy ones have been pretty negative. So I decided I should talk about some of the good things in the world. I just recently discovered one such bastion of delight in the form of the Nickelodeon cartoon series Invader Zim.
The show stars the titular alien invader and his defective robot assistant, Gir. Being somewhere south of competent, Zim was sent to Earth on a throwaway mission just to get him out of the way. He does his best to soften up the planet for what he thinks is the oncoming alien invasion, but is thwarted by his own incompetence and Dib, the lone (and already paranoid) boy who sees through his disguises.
Here’s a pic. That’s Zim on the left and Gir on the right:
I had heard of this series before, but seeing that it was on Nickelodeon had killed my interest. It had to be kiddy stuff, right?
Wrong. Well, sorta wrong. It’s got its fair share of juvenile humor, but underneath that thin crust is a thick gravy of deep and dark humor with a dash of adult sensibilities. And it’s f’ing hilarious. It smartly parodies the sci-fi and paranormal genres, and the voice acting alone makes it laugh out loud funny. The malfunctioning robot assistant Gir steals every scene he’s in, like this one:
ZIM: GIR! Finally. I need your help. I’ve been captured.
GIR: YAAAY!
ZIM: No thats bad, Gir.
GIR: YAAAY!
ZIM: I need you to listen very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very carefully.
GIR: …What?
Well, it’s all in the delivery. It’s funny when you see it. Or there’s this quote, from when Zim’s class (he poses as a grade school student to better learn about humans) takes a career aptitude test:
Miss Bitters: Zim, the machine says that the only career you are suitable for is–
ZIM: Yes, yes, LORD OF HUMANS! I will rule you ALL with an IRON FIST!
Miss Bitters: No, Zim, the machine has assigned you a career in fast food preparation.
ZIM: …I will prepare food with my iron fist! Then I will work my way up to ruling you ALL with my fist! [Points at kid] You! Obey the fist!
Trust me, it’s great stuff. Ironically, I only decided to check out Invader Zim when so many people started complaining about its being cancelled. I had to download the episodes from the ‘net to watch them, though word is I’ll be able to buy them on DVD next Spring. You should, too.
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