The Tick is a comical ride from the costumes to the villains and it all, fits perfectly with the funny narrative that the creator had in mind.
In a world bombarded with superheroes from left, right and center, The Tick is a fresh breath of air. He is unconventionally funny and cute, a trait we usually don’t associate with superheroes. He is bound to make a mark in your cynical hearts with his puppy eyes and heartwarming smiles.
Ben Edlund started The Tick back in 1986 when he was an 18-year-old and now after 31 years the tick is an Amazon Original before being an animated series and a short lived live action series on Fox. Just like every time, Ben has created, written and produced The Tick series. This makes the show as authentic as it comes to be as it is presented exactly like it was imagined. Well, that could turn out either ways.
The six-episode first season of the Amazon Original starts with Arthur (The Tick’s Partner) who believes that The Terror (A Super Villain), who was killed by Superior (Tick’s version of Superman), faked his death and is still alive. The world finds it impossible and Arthur is tagged as just another compulsive/obsessive conspiracy theorist. In his journey to prove his conspiracy right, he stumbles upon antagonists Ms. Lint (Yara Martinez) and Ramses IV (Michael Cerveris) and an independent vigilante Overkill (Scott Speiser). One of the show’s most distinguishing feature is that the whole show runs from Arthur’s perspective. This makes Tick’s story a secret, especially since he knows nothing about himself or his past.
Arthur’s sister Dot (Valorie Curry) also plays an important role. Her relationship with Arthur grounds the show. It is this relationship that lets the viewer take the series a little bit seriously. The show focuses a lot on Arthur’s relationship with people around him and his attitude towards them especially after the death of his father.
British actor Peter Serafinowicz who plays the lead role in The Tick has done full justice to his character. The viewers will be able to relate to his every emotion and specially his dialogue delivery, which makes The Tick all the more lovable. Griffin Newman as Arthur Everest is really convincing as a pessimistic, distressed, frustrated and even depressed adult who hates almost everything about his life. You really feel for him and sometimes even find yourself in him.
The show is a comical ride from the costumes to the villains and it all, fits perfectly with the funny narrative that the creator had in mind. The show does not take itself too seriously and it even does not shy away from taking a dig at its own characters and pointing out the absurdity of even its villains. My personal favorite is Ms. Lint’s character who can toast people with her power of shooting electricity and if in case she exerts too much her eye might pop out (one of the reason has some spare ones at home).
The show which is a spoof of comic book heroes makes you attached to Tick. His time and again rejections by Arthur leave you sad, you feel happy when bullets fail to harm him, you feel worried when he does not recognize Ms. Lint and it is this quality of The Tick that holds you close to the show, as it follows no backstory. It’s right here that the power of good acting and direction is felt by you. Tick’s dramatic dialogues and monologues is another thing to look forward in the show. Its dystopian belief might bring some good to the world or at least a good escape from the bleak reality. I loved the whole theatricality of it and I am sure it shall be appreciated by everyone else too. Beside the whole quirkiness, the show has actual layers that will play out in future seasons. This season barely scratched the surface though. This season felt like a small introduction to a super awesome crazy ride waiting for us in the coming seasons.
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