Crime
The Residence
As much as one might enjoy solving a good mystery, there’s a fair bit of content slop to muck through in Netflix’s The Residence.
Timmy is an average guy that no one understands. As it turns out, that kinda runs in the family.
Many viewers first met Timmy on Nickelodeon’s Fairly OddParents, a cartoon that ran from 2001-2012. Timmy’s all grown up from his animated counterpart, and he’s off to college. But instead of bringing his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, with him, he’s decided that he should leave them behind with his cousin, Viv.
Viv could use the help. Her father, Ty, just married a woman named Rachel, and they all now live in Dimmsdale—Viv, Ty, Rachel and Roy (Rachel’s extremely popular son). And Viv, who’s a bit of a mess and doesn’t quite fit in, is stressed about all the sudden changes to her life.
That’s why it’s so fortunate that Timmy’s leaving her two fairy godparents who can grant any wish she asks for. What’s not so fortunate, however, is that Roy has caught a glimpse glance of Cosmo and Wanda—a big no-no in the fairy community.
But instead of a punishment, Jorgen Von Strangle, the commander of the fairies, gives Viv and Roy another option: They can share Cosmo and Wanda, alternating their wishes for Jorgen’s amusement. They accept, and they immediately get cracking on the wishing life.
But as Timmy could have told them, having fairy godparents may bring you all that you desire, but it also brings a lot of unwanted attention.
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder introduces us to a new set of characters, and it retains some of the old cast as well, including the original voices for Cosmo, Wanda and Crocker (the first two of which are still animated). Like its animated predecessor, the show focuses on the joys and problems that come with having the ability to wish for anything you’d like.
Viv struggles to connect with her new family. Her father seems right at home dancing into his new wife’s arms, but Viv cannot seem to fully connect. In fact, when she first gets her fairy godparents, she nearly wishes to be teleported away to spend the rest of her days on a farm.
But it’s her stepbrother, Roy, who convinces her to give the family another shot. Roy, whom the entire town loves for no other reason than he’s Roy, does a great job of stepping back and helping the shy Viv connect to not just a new family but also a new community. And if you’ve seen the animated counterpart, you’ll know that many of the residents of Dimmsdale aren’t exactly normal, making it all the more difficult for Viv to fit in. And we haven’t even gotten to those who immediately become her enemies by nature of wanting her fairy godparents.
Though the show is for children, we still see and hear some content concerns. Viv and other characters use God’s name inappropriately amid other minor phrases like “dang” and “heck.” One character wishes to transform herself into a “fire demon” in one episode. Additionally, one lovestruck girl repeatedly comes onto Roy despite his consistent rejections of her. It should also go without saying that those with qualms about magical fairy worlds will want to steer clear of the show as well.
When Timmy Turner leaves for college, he entrusts his fairy godparents to his cousin Viv. However, when her new stepbrother Roy sees them, they are commanded to alternate their wishes.
Roy is knocked off a ladder and breaks his leg, and he later fall through a skylight and breaks his ribs. Viv’s father, Ty, lies to Viv and breaks his promise to her that he won’t dance. Zina, a girl with a crush on Roy, takes countless non-consensual photos of him. Roy’s mother, Rachel, falls to the floor after Ty fails to catch her during a dance routine. Cosmo and Wanda tell Viv to lie her way out of a situation.
God’s name is misused four times. We also hear minor swear stand-ins such as “geez,” “heck” and “dang.” Wanda and Cosmo call Vivian a “mess.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
As much as one might enjoy solving a good mystery, there’s a fair bit of content slop to muck through in Netflix’s The Residence.
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