Overview:
A deficit of paperclips at the Smiling Friends office sets Allan out on an incredible adventure for office supplies that exposes him to pirates, sasquatches, ghosts, and – almost surely – certain death. But without his help, what will hold the papers together!?
Our Take:
Smiling Friends has featured Allan in nearly every episode, but who really is Allan? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that? What does Allan’s personal life look like? What makes Allan tic? What are the thoughts that consume Allan when he’s left to his own devices? “A Allan Adventure” elegantly answers these questions and proves that a Smiling Friends episode doesn’t need Charlie, Pim, or even smiles in order to be a success.
There’s a certain electric energy that accompanies a comedy’s second season. There are endless possibilities that they’re able to explore when it comes to shining a light on the supporting players and breaking away from formula. This is somewhat trickier in a series like Smiling Friends that has already quite gleefully broken the mold and shattered expectations during its first season (see “The Smiling Friends Go to Brazil!”). That being said, a greater level of confidence and more stories under their belt still naturally facilitates a greater degree of experimentation in Smiling Friends’ second season. Evidently, Charlie and Pim’s stick-in-the-mud coworker is a lightning rod for storytelling inspiration that can easily rival that of the main characters.
One of the greatest joys of Smiling Friends is that it’s a program that wears many hats and can change genres at the drop of a hat. “A Allan Adventure” gets progressively outlandish and it even briefly transforms into a John Woo action film, complete with heightened helicopter action sequences, slow-motion mayhem with doves in motion, and blood-soaked spectacles. It’s the most that an episode of Smiling Friends has resembled Rambo, which makes it all the more hilarious that this is an episode about paper clip retrieval.
Smiling Friends has always had a strong grasp on when it’s appropriate to shift to other mixed media and “A Allan Adventure” is especially effective in this regard. It’s an aesthetic that’s used in small doses, like real explosions or actual Burnout footage. However, it’s also turned to for larger plot points, like the episode’s stop-motion skeleton pirates and the spectacle they create (as well as the meticulously drawn sea monster that interrupts their attack). Smiling Friends’ ability to showcase such a cavalcade of art styles remains incredibly exciting. One never knows what they’re going to get in any given episode, let alone what it’s going to look like.
The spontaneous stop-motion pirates are one of the best gags that Smiling Friends has ever done. It’s just genuinely exciting to see Smiling Friends get so creative and fearless, not only with their storytelling, but also the types of animation and mixed media that they use to bring these stories to life. There are so many different ways that skeletons could be conveyed, but realistic stop-motion — as if this is a Ray Harryhausen movie — is the perfect choice. It elevates the random plot point into something greater. It’s more proof that Smiling Friends has masterful understanding on what’s the best element for each of its ideas and that there’s incredible control in the series, even when it comes across as chaotically random.
All this also effectively fleshes out Allan’s landlord into more of a substantial character. The episode’s end tag pokes fun at sequels and teases that this is not the last that audiences have seen of the landlord. It’s a gag that’s not meant to be taken seriously and is a parody of cliffhangers more than it’s a serious plot point. That being said, Smiling Friends would not be remiss if it did bring this character back or if it were to gradually develop its own version of the Sinister Six that wages war against the Smiling Friends and everything that they stand for.
“A Allan Adventure” breaks away from form and the standard Smiling Friends structure. However, it still manages to pay service to the show’s central premise when Allan acquiesces and brings his landlord joy, even if it’s under duress. This season of Smiling Friends is almost half over and it’s already delivered some of the best episodes from its run. This may be Smiling Friends’ only Allan showcase episode, but the series should rest easy knowing that it can push this uptight, reliable weirdo into the spotlight and it will be a success. Smiling Friends continues to flesh out its wild world and grows stronger and more refined with each episode.