Review: The Chicken Squad “Critter Sitters; The Problematic Puppy”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The squad help a new neighbor settle in, then make up for a mistake.

OUR TAKE
Chicken Squad continues to be exactly what it needs to be, a good vehicle for explaining simple lessons to kids that will hopefully be more helpful in life going forward once they pick them up more often. This week the first half focuses on a squirrel who is new to their neck of the woods, but finds that the best way to keep his new friends coming back is to make up reasons for them to solve cases. Instead of seeing him as someone who is manipulating them into wasting their time for his benefit, the show cuts to the heart of the issue, which is mainly that he just wants to make friends in this new space where he doesn’t know anybody. Obviously there are easier and better ways of doing that, but sometimes when you see a way that works, you keep doing it even when it might lead to unforeseen consequences. So I think the bigger lesson that can be taken from this, besides not lying or don’t waste people’s time, is to simply be direct with people about what you would like. It may not get you that thing right way or sometimes at all, but it’s worth being honest about what you want to see if it’s worth getting in the first place.

The other lesson is actually a bit more complicated, but is also a very important one. The kids fail to stop a theft because they get distracted, and so need to make things up to Captain Tully for their failure. I think the main thing to take away from this, assuming it isn’t blindingly obvious given this show’s demographic, is that you should always at least try to make up for when you mess up. It’s not always easy to do this as it is here, but when you mess up, you do need to try and understand what went wrong, how or if you can fix it, and then try your best not to let it happen again. The squad does this by making up for their distraction and using it to their advantage to catch the culprit, while the culprits in turn have to make up for their wrong doings. Making mistakes is an inevitable part of life and not something you can avoid no matter how hard you might try. But what’s important is how you learn from that mistake and try to be better in the future. Probably the best lesson this show has pushed yet.