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The Great North Season 3 Episodes 19 & 20 Review: Flying Turds & Fish

An abundance of poop jokes and gorgeous animation have made recent episodes of FOX's The Great North a barrel-sized success in our hearts!

FOX's The Great North flew high with moose poop and low with fish vending machines in the latest two episodes, "Rear Genius Adventure" and "Barrel Be Blood Adventure" of season three. In "Rear Genius Adventure," the citizens of Lone Moose celebrate the Rear Gifts Festival, an annual celebration of moose turds, as Ham (Paul Rust) attempts to make a new friend his own age. In "Barrel Be Blood Adventure," when a hi-tech seafood vending machine shows up in Lone Moose and drives down the price of fish, Beef (Nick Offerman) loses it. Meanwhile, Judy (Jenny Slate) and Kima (Ariel Tweto) become junior members of an all-women's smokejumper crew. Some minor spoilers may be ahead, so consider this your fair warning before reading any further…

The Great North: A Rear Genius Adventure

The Great North won me over with "Rear Genius Adventure" once I knew this was an episode surrounding the hilarious nature of poop jokes. Mayor Peppers (Ray DeWilde) is quickly becoming an icon in this series, and I appreciate the man's blunt honesty about getting high and going to the bounce castle. The continuity in the competitive spirit of the Tobin family and other families in Lone Moose is fantastic. It's so funny to witness Beef's competitive nature time and time again. 

The writing and timing of jokes in this episode brought me so much joy, especially in the introductory video providing background on the Rear Gifts Festival. Mayor Parsnips (Kelvin Yu) referring to moose droppings as "a blessing from the behind" was a sign of how incredible and ridiculous this episode would be. The themes of friendship and community were carefully included and fit so well with the stories being told. Even if Wolf (Will Forte) eats grass to develop a moose-like poo for the Tobins to win, Walt (Brian Wescott) paints himself, or a turbine is involved by the Tuntley family, doesn't distract but instead adds to the great lessons being told. 

This episode of The Great North has a great story that brings a lot together, including a minor story with Ham and Crispin (Juan Castano) that adds to everything instead of taking away from the main points being made. Ham's inability to connect as well with people the same age as him is relatable as hell and makes me love his character even more. I'd love to hear about some random older woman's divorce from her gossipy friend over watching the newest Adam Sandler movie. Ham and Crispin had a great side story in this episode, and I love how they worked with their own personalities instead of against themselves in the end. 

The way the families came together in the end to reveal Mayor Ted's (Wyatt Cenac) poo-filled plan was the best way to wrap up the episode. Photographic memory for the shape of turds and Mayor Ted trying to pull a "Mrs. Doubtfire" was hilarious and made this episode of The Great North one of my absolute favorites so far in the series itself. 

The Great North: A Barrel Be Blood Adventure

The Great North gave a beautiful nod to those women protecting the forests and wildlife of Alaska with the "Barrel Be Blood Adventure" episode. While the episode shared its focus with Beef's journey to rid the town of Lone Moose of its fish in a barrel machine, it did a decent job in the end. 

I will say that my feelings were mixed regarding the dialogue and interactions the other women had with Kima and Judy going into the weekend away from Lone Moose. The example made with Kima's mom and the other women fighting wildfires was the best part of that story in the episode. I feel like getting more of Kima's mom's personality before a storyline like this matters. Otherwise, the episode ended beautifully and made more sense than the middle portions. 

The Great North brings out some of the best and most ludicrous dreams or visions for Beef when he's stressed or worried. I loved seeing how the character's mind continues to work through these moments with these visions and nightmares. What can be seen in and out of those scenes is so amazing animation. Color palettes included the movement and fluidity of characters, and much more, bringing a level of excellence to adult animation with this episode. The sunset behind Beef on the dock and his outrage against the vending machine is a perfect example of this. This wasn't an episode I'd list in my favorites, but it was gorgeous in animation and organized in its storytelling abilities. The only flaws I'd speak on would consist of character interaction choices and timing or the pace at which the wildfire story developed. 

The Great North Episode Boat Name & Wolf's Shirt:

"No Ship, Sherlock"

"M.I.L.F. Man I Love Farts"

"3:10 to Tuna"

"Paul Fart: Mall Cop"

The Great North Season 3 Episode 19 & 20

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Review by Brittney Bender

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9/10

FOX's The Great North S03E19 & S03E20 both displayed excellent animation, an understanding of character strengths, and a love for the absurd in comedy. Episode 19, "Rear Genius Adventure", was one of the funniest episodes witnessed so far in the series and greatly earned a 10/10 rating. Episode 20, "Barrel Be Blood Adventure", had a fantastic structure and beautiful scenes and it would have been a favorite if not for some flaws in pacing and minor character set up, giving it an 8.5/10.

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