Review: Mr. Pickles “Talent Show”

This episode was flat-out ASSinine.

When you watch Mr. Pickles, you come to expect a certain amount of unpleasant imagery. This episode does not disappoint in that department. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Ultimately, that’s for you to decide, but I’ll give my thoughts.

Do you have a fascination with talking rectums? If so, you’re in for a doozy. Think about that classic South Park episode from season 5 where Cartman loses his ability to laugh because he sees something so funny that it exhausts his output of laughter. That “something” in question is s family that has posteriors for faces. Are you a Cartman? If so, this episode should rank high up there for you. If not, it would come off contrived and forced as many of the jokes are extensions of the butt-face. I’m not a Cartman. The joke can be funny, but in this case, they just force it down your throat. No if’s, and’s, or butt’s about it.

Gotten that dilemma out of the way, the remaining plot focuses on a town talent show. The sheriff raps it up and Tommy want to write material for his stand-up bit. While taking a stroll, some bullies throw his joke journal into a scary house. While retrieving it, they meet the face-butted owner of the manor. She seems nice at first, but then becomes self-centered.

I’m in a bit of a pickle, because the face-butt material was overdone but the talent show bits were entertaining. The sheriff was laying down some rhymes, and every act was bizarre in its own right. Again, if you want funny and well-done butt-face comedy, watch South Park’s season 5 episode entitled “How to Eat Your Own Butt.” If you want strange surreal content, with specific detail to the visceral gore, watch other episodes of Mr. Pickles.

There is gross out comedy that serves a purpose, and works; and there is gross out comedy that is just gross out and is not really redeemable. I love shows like Brickleberry and Drawn Together because while they are often visually gross out, they still usually have a good punchline that lands the humor. I actually don’t like the Drawn Together Movie: The Movie because it wasn’t redeemable or funny; just pure shock-value and provided nothing that was actually funny to follow the shock humor. This episode’s punchline didn’t do it for me. It just seemed to have to focus on the constant lowest common denominator for the butt of its jokes.