Overview:
Family matters have never mattered more when the Euthanasia clan get tested in new ways as they’re forced to relitigate their pasts. Uncle Pete and Annie both feel as if they’ve been robbed of their independence and personality, albeit in wildly contrasting ways. It’s fashion, so to speak, that drives both characters forward, yet in Pete’s case it’s the restoration of robbed anatomy rather than the perfect protest outfit. Baba and Trophy struggle to relinquish control from their kin, but with the latter there could be fatal consequences…y’know, if Trophy weren’t already a corpse.
Our Take:
Adult Swim has somehow cornered the market on the (extremely) niche “foreskin restoration story” between Uncle Pete’s odd dilemma in “Viva La Flappanista!” and Birdgirl’s similar exploits in “Topple the Popple.” There have been two episodes on this subject matter in as many years and with any luck Rick and Morty’s seventh season will pull the trigger on the same idea and complete the trifecta. Teenage Euthanasia is used to operating at an extra heightened level with its storytelling, yet “Viva La Flappanista!” presents this radical premise through a surprisingly grounded lens that takes advantage of every generation of the Euthanasia family. “Viva La Flappanista!” is simultaneously Teenage Euthanasia’s most outrageous and wholesome episode that continues this season’s confident streak of unpredictable storytelling that makes the audience both swoon and cringe over this eccentric, sweet family.
Teenage Euthanasia is at its strongest when it leans into the awkward codependency that can exist between mothers and daughters. Trophy and Annie are typically the conduit for these stories, but “Viva La Flappanista!” subtly showcases how these toxic vibes ripple throughout all of Fort Gator, Florida and that these two are actually a lot healthier as a team then they give themselves credit for. The episode’s introductory commercial for PJ Flaps’ semi-annual BODO sale depicts three generations of women who sneer at each other and devolve into chaos before the camera is even off them. Furthermore, their sale becomes a hub for mother-daughter mayhem that gradually turns into a Saw-esque social experiment. In many ways, this feels like the perfect Teenage Euthanasia plot where an innocuous bonding ritual between mother and daughter transforms into life or death disorder. Once again, Teenage Euthanasia beautifully highlights how the line between trust and trauma is paper-thin.
”Viva La Flappanista!” raises a question that Teenage Euthanasia has explored since its pilot, but this time around there are palpable stakes. Annie is given a genuine opportunity to leave Trophy behind–and her trauma along with it–so that she can better blossom as an individual. Jugsaw argues that Trophy’s “death” would actually be positive for Annie’s development as a person since it would allow her to focus on herself for once without her mother’s judgmental, destructive thoughts echoing in her head. It should come as no surprise that Annie opts to stick with her mother, crotch beetles and all, then let her corpse fester in some JP Flaps backroom. However, it’s a surprisingly sweet epiphany that does help these two and ultimately puts Annie above her mom. There’s even a rare flashback that touches upon Trophy’s issues with her own mother, Baba, and the self-fulfilling cycle that it’s brought into motion. Trophy is far from blameless here, but it’s a smart piece of backstory that shows that the foreskin doesn’t fall far from the penis…or something.
“Viva La Flappanista!” delivers everything that audiences should want from a Teenage Euthanasia episode. The Sins of the Mother gets deconstructed in a fresh, freaky way and even hinging so much of the entry on a Saw parody–which would have seemed dated a year or two ago–suddenly plays much better with Saw X in theaters in less than a month. Teenage Euthanasia is now in the second-half of its season and there’s still such life and limitlessness to its family-driven narratives. Some may argue that there are only so many ways to condemn parents or shine a light on malignant codependency, but Teenage Euthanasia continues to twist and turn these concepts until they’re unique, unfiltered, and uncut–in more ways than one.