Clarence: The Forgotten
Paying Unsubtle Homage to Our Favorite Insecure Peanut
B+
Every kid has been there. Waiting in front of the elementary/middle school, seeing peer after peer open the car door and be taken away to sanctuary from the 9 to 4 weekday education shift. But your still there watching and as the traffic starts to dwindle you begin to ponder if you have become “the forgotten”. This episode plays into every child's worst anxiety by introducing us to the perfect Charlie Brown archetype. While the references to Peanuts is a little distracting, the chemistry of goofball Clarence and his new companion is too good of fun.
This poor kid is so lost in the crowd of vibrant school children that even Clarence who makes his way to know everyone doesn't even know his name (Hardy I believe is what he settled on). He is so introverted and invisible that it is only after all the kids have left the school yard that Clarence finally notices him. While Hardy sees this as another reminder of how little an impact he makes on people, Clarence ever the optimist, sees this as an opportunity for adventure for them to get return home. He leads Hardy through every obstacle and no matter how obscure it gets Hardys timidness always gets the best of him. This makes for some really funny humor between the two of them. No matter how grotesque Clarences journey takes them, Hardy can only speak up in the inner workings of his mind. It finally took Clarence endangering their lives for Hardy to finally grow a backbone. Turns out Clarence might have been the best thing for him but the final moments on the playground may suggest otherwise.
I always love being introduced to new characters in Clarence. I know last week I complained about not seeing the trio of Jeff, Sumo, and Clarence but here it works. The best episodes of this show is Clarence interacting with all sorts of people because whenever you put a character like him with others, it will always be genuinely funny and nice experience. Yes, the references to Peanuts are little much but then again wouldn’t you love to see Clarence and Charlie Brown go on outings together? To be forgotten is never fun but when Clarence takes interest in you, you will always be remembered.
Cool things Noticed:
- I wasn’t a big fan of the family sitcom angle of the show (In the sewers, Chad seeing them on television?). But I cannot deny the cuteness of the Charlie Brown dancing at the end.
- Not too sure how a box took the form of Clarence. But then again in Chads mind who knows.
- Is Charlie Brown owned by Warner Brothers? If not, I bet the lawyers are already drawing up their lawsuits to how many times Hardy spoke “good grief”.
I'll admit to being a huge fan of Peanuts, so I marked out hard to the Charlie Brown references. I can imagine them going completely over the heads of the show's target audience though. Clarence and Hardy played well off of one another and it was great to see Hardy summon up the guts to suggest a sensible solution to their plight. Charlie Brown will take any victory, even by proxy.
ReplyDeleteThe characters watching the events of the episode on television seem to be another instance of the show's occasional dalliances in very metatextual humor. Previous episodes have featured the characters reverting to a crude, simplified art style for a single shot, or cutting to a fake commercial break during a cliffhanger moment. It's infrequent and doesn't seem to follow any sort of thematic logic, but it's a unique part of the show's DNA.
Agreed! I sometimes get so into the contemporary style of the show, you know the suburban element of the show that it catches me off guard. But surrealism is a cool concept so I understand the appeal to use it. :)
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