Crime
Dope Thief
Dope Thief comes with all the drugs, language and violence that you probably expect in a such an aptly named show.
When Dr. Gomez went to Israel to participate in an archaeological dig, he probably had some pretty good predictions of what he would uncover: old coins, pottery, maybe some armor. What he didn’t expect to find was two perfectly preserved squirrels.
Well, technically Dr. Gomez’s son, Michael, found the squirrels. But considering squirrels weren’t native to the archaic Middle East, it’s still a rather impressive discovery. But then the squirrels reanimate, revealing that not only are they not dead, but they can speak English, too.
Merle and Pearl, the squirrels, explain that they were vacationing in the Roman province of Judea about two millennia ago when they made the mistake of swimming in the Dead Sea. The saline waters dehydrated the rodents, freezing them in time until Michael found them.
Merle and Pearl take on the task of mentoring young Michael and his friends, sharing stories from their adventures in Judea—stories about Jesus, the Apostle Paul and other disciples.
Unfortunately, Michael and his family aren’t the only ones who know about Merle and Pearl. A mysterious man in sunglasses is doing everything he can to kidnap the nut-hoarding mammals. And the Gomez family will do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Based on the book series by Mike Nawrocki, Dead Sea Squirrels is the latest offering from the kid-focused, Christian streaming service Minno. Each episode features a character (usually Michael or Merle) getting into some sort of trouble or hardship because of his or her bad choices. But then they’re reminded of stories from the Bible (usually narrated by Pearl) to help them find the right way to proceed.
It’s sort of like VeggieTales, which makes sense since Nawrocki co-created that series, too. But the series’ mysterious B-plot helps engage kids more, since they’ll no doubt want to return regularly to find out what’s happening to Merle and Pearl.
Dead Sea Squirrels comes with the occasional moment of peril. There are some odd inclusions that older audiences will catch (a girl wearing a hijab attends Michael’s school, for instance). The Gomez family’s cat (and a few other creatures) repeatedly tries to eat Merle and Pearl. And Michael and his friends sometimes push boundaries more than they should.
However, bad behaviors are always corrected—used to teach viewers a lesson, not encourage mischief. Parents can count on nice, subtle messages about the importance of family, friends and good manners. And catchy songs tell Bible stories and reinforce Christian values, which is something many a parent can celebrate.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
The Gomez family cat, Nemesis, attempts to trick Merle and Pearl into becoming his dinner.
Nemesis chases three squirrels who live in a tree outside the Gomez house, catching one and threatening to eat him unless they help the cat catch Merle and Pearl (so he can eat them instead). The squirrels agree in order to save their friend, but the plan is eventually foiled. The squirrels apologize to Merle and Pearl for their involvement, but Nemesis clearly isn’t done yet.
A squirrel pokes a cat in the paw with a sharp stick, causing the cat to fall from a tree, hitting every branch on the way down. The cat catches itself on the final branch and has to be rescued by Dr. Gomez. Because the ladder Dr. Gomez uses is too short, he dangerously climbs on the top step of the ladder (which everyone, including him, reminds the audience is not a step and therefore not safe to repeat at home). Sure enough, he falls off the ladder after saving the cat. He’s OK, but the cat lands on his exposed arm, scratching him badly.
Even though Nemesis tried to eat them, Pearl convinces the other squirrels to save the cat when he nearly falls out of a tree. She reminds Merle of their time at the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus preached that we should show mercy because God first showed us mercy—and that we should especially show mercy to our enemies.
A girl throws a chair out of a window, breaking the glass.
Dr. Gomez sets up a high-tech security system after a recent kidnapping attempt by a man in sunglasses. He reminds Michael to keep the talking squirrels secret since not everyone who wants to meet the pair will have good intentions.
Jane, Michael’s little sister, gives a set of doll clothes to Merle and Pearl to play dress-up. The camera then focuses on the undressed dolls from which she took the clothes. Later, Jane plays with other dolls, telling a boy doll to put on a shirt. Pearl kisses Merle on the cheek.
Michael accidentally spits milk on Merle. A squirrel urinates behind a tree while talking to his friends (we don’t see or hear anything, but he informs his friends what he is doing). When Michael’s teacher mistakes a dressed-up Merle for a doll, Michael lies in agreement so she won’t discover Merle can talk.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
Dope Thief comes with all the drugs, language and violence that you probably expect in a such an aptly named show.
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