BUBBLE CAN Review: Two Nuts and a Richard “You Only Die Once'”

Posted on December 5, 2015September 2, 2019 by Tommy North

The eighth episode of “Two Nuts and a Richard” aired last night on Adult Swim Canada, bringing us another story with of Richard, Mario, and Jose, three comedians who run their own Radio Show in Quebec, Canada.

Two Nuts and a Richard or “Les Grandes Gueules: S’Animent” is based on three actual French comedians in Quebec, Canada. Originally produced in French, the show was translated for the enjoyment of English audiences.

The show is unlike any other animated show on television. With a cast of characters so large it may only be surpassed by The Simpsons, Two Nuts and a Richard delves into situations and themes many others stray away from; including blatant nudity, violence, death, and social stereotypes. You’re always going to get a unique situation and when you have this many characters, you can create any kind of story you want. Two Nuts and a Richard has established a foundation where they can keep the story grounded and focus on characters, but things have also gotten crazy. Both work fine within the context of the show.

In “You Only Die Once” When Jose believes that he inadvertently killed his uncle, he has difficulty processing the guilt and wants to avoid the funeral. Last night focused heavily on the idea of death. Guests on the show all shared stories with the focus of death, all with a comedic spin, of course.

When hearing different stories within one episode, choosing to follow a similar theme helps the tone feel consistent. It keeps the overarching story on track. As mentioned, the theme this episode was death. Death isn’t funny, so that’s what makes it funny. The guest character’s reaction to death ranged from un-phased to complete anguish. The stories were unique, packed with witty dialogue and didn’t let up on comedy.

You’d be forgiven if the overall pacing of the show left you mentally exhausted. It’s a tricky show to follow. There can often be multiple things happening or being said at the same time. If you aren’t careful, you may miss a funny line.
Two Nuts and a Richard is a tough pill to swallow. Without knowing the premise of the show, it would be easy for one to get confused by the narrative. Some weeks you’ll experience a grounded story, sometimes you’ll be ushered into the fantastical. The comedy is far more raunchy than anything else you’ll see on television (Thank you, French-Canada). It’s pop culture references are few but relevant. Women aren’t always portrayed in a positive light, neither are minorities. When society seems to be pushing in one direction, Two Nuts and a Richard seems to be going the other way. Is this a bad thing? That’s up to your discretion.

Overall, this episode was great. After an action-packed episode, last week with its parody of the Hunger Games, Two Nuts and a Richard went back to basics this week and focused on the characters. A subplot in the episode was jarring and took away from the main story, but tied in quite nicely at the end. It seems this episode Mario, Richard, and Jose still seem like the same character with the same personalities, but their reactions to situations ultimately set them apart enough to keep things interesting.