Review: Hamlet Factory “Stress Relief”

Overview:

Spending eternity attempting to recreate Shakespeare’s Hamlet makes for some bored monkeys. And when three apes start a basketball game as a bit of stress relief, the manager, Rose, is not happy. However, catching these monkeys in the act is more complicated than she thinks. And is their distraction a part of a bigger plan, or are they just trying to get their manager distracted?

Our Take:

Hamlet Factory is the latest collection of shorts dropping on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel, Adult Swim Smalls. Although do not expect to find much when googling this new short series, most queries will lead you directly to information about a chicken processing factory fire in a small town named Hamlet. However, we know that the collection of shorts is created by Phil Jamesson and Jeremy Kaplowitz, and it is incredibly clever.

Much like a remake of The Office consisting entirely of monkeys, Hamlet Factory takes on the humdrum lifestyle of the desk job. Based on the infinite monkey theorem, an infinite number of monkeys with infinite typewriters spend their day job attempting to recreate Shakespeare’s classic tale, Hamlet. Of course, with a career that boring, these monkeys are bound to make things interesting occasionally.

“Stress Relief” is everything that this latest episode is about. Whether that means having a little fun in the office or taking it out by driving the manager nuts, every monkey deserves a bit of joy in their day. And the joke runs long and deep, much like a solid cold open to everyone’s favourite workplace comedy, The Office.

When this series first premiered last week with “Famlet”, expectations were that this animated short would be nearly wholly dialogue-driven. While the dialogue is the driving factor for the humour in this new piece, it is great to see some added elements to add to the jokes. Additionally, quips from other monkeys in the office help to fill out this world a little more. And honestly, all we want to see now is a full day in this infinite office of bored monkeys.

We cannot wait to see more from this little comedic series of shorts. After just two episodes, it feels like a proper revival of workplace comedy before sitcom writing destroyed everything great about them. Thankfully, there will be more on the way with Friday’s seeing a new release from Hamlet Factory, all of which will be, and is, available on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel.