Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
No description could really prepare you for the experience of watching Birdgirl.
The story centers around Judy Ken Sebben taking over Sebben & Sebben and haphazardly bringing the corporation into the 21st century. When she isn’t giving crazy employees the green light on their ill-advised projects, she is smashing through windows and ceilings to save the city from various threats as her alter-ego, Birdgirl.
Just imagine complete and total nonsense with questionable values and perverse, dark humor sprinkled throughout. Now you have a little glimpse of Birdgirl’s tone. Birdgirl is a spinoff TV series set after the events of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law—itself a sarcastic, surrealistic re-imagining of the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon character. But while Harvey Birdman could be crass, many episodes were navigable for many families.
Birdgirl diverges significantly in style and humor from its Cartoon Network predecessor, and even from itself. Birdgirl’s first season begins with comparatively mild humor. The second season; however, takes a turn into much messier adult humor. The biggest problems in the show are crude sexual references and foul language.
Judy has to face her dad’s death and acknowledge the impact his poor parenting had on forming her impulsive and destructive alter ego. She eventually accepts that her personality as Judy is better suited to leading as the new CEO of Sebben & Sebben. She begins to see value in her corporate life as well as in her superheroing adventures. A cast of colorful (literally and figuratively) characters is introduced to back up Birdgirl/Judy in both of her roles.
This episode is full of strong language and sexual innuendos. The f-word is said a few times, the Lord’s name is taken in vain once, and there is crude reference to male anatomy amongst other similar issues. The s-word is said many times in reference to a strange toilet device that ws originally meant to help the environment.
Several times the late CEO is called “Daddy” in a suggestive and inappropriate way. Twice, minor characters text another character asking them to have sex later. Boxed wine is mentioned, and the talking dog says he is a recovering alcholic. A character named Meredith is able to read minds and control them. A bag is held up that supposedly contains Judy’s father’s foot. The toilet device eventually begins consuming people.
I did warn you it was chaotic.
Even a description of this episode includes sexual content, so feel free to stop reading now if that concerns you.
Judy attempts to get the company to start a line of kids toys, but her ideas are not at all appealing to children. She tries to re-release a toy she appreciated as a child, but it looks and functions much like a sex toy. Her coworkers release it as such against her wishes. The man who made the toy turns out to be a lunatic who is trapping people inside those toys. Similtaneously, the company has a program on becoming sex positive (tolerant and encouraging about sex) and embracing alternate sexualities. The main premise is that Judy has repressed her sexuality, and she needs to experience and celebrate sexual pleasure.
The sexual references, whether innuendos or explicit statements, are frequent and perverse. Some examples are references to male and female body parts and masturbation. The absurd number of people who disappear into the “cursed” toys implies that all adults are actively seeking sexual satisifaction, even in the middle of the work day. The curse is eventually broken because Judy stops “repressing” her sexuality.
Several characters say the f-word a few times, and god—n is heard twice. Judy’s name for the toy line is suggestive of pedophilia. Judy mentions her dad celebrating a pagan festival named after a crude sexual act. During the workplace seminar on sexuality, the employees are given stickers that representive flags for their various unconventional sexual identities. These include attraction to objects and ghosts, alongside the more frequently discussed sexualitites like bisexuality. All of these “sexualities” are celebrated, and the man who claims he is heterosexual only is told repeatedly that he must have some attraction to someone or something else.
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
