Written by Nicholas Diodato
Smiling Friends is an absurdist animated Adult Swim show, created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack. It follows Pim and Charlie, two coworkers at a small charity that tries to make people smile. The first season was a breath of fresh air, filled with colorful characters, hilarious visuals, unique animation and fantastic writing. However, plenty was left to explore, leaving high hopes for the next season.
With the first three episodes out, this season has both highs and lows. The biggest high is the larger budget; the animation has improved, now featuring elaborate backgrounds and exhilarating action sequences. Another upside is the side characters getting more screen time. However, beyond this, the show has proven to be lacking in some key components, which washes the show’s uniqueness away.
The worst part of the second season so far is that it’s not as funny as the first. The first episode, “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4k (Anniversary Director’s Cut),” has iffy elements. The main plot parodies the video game industry, and it felt lazy. The format of the show didn’t elevate the topic and never added anything interesting to the conversation – it may alienate viewers who might not be perfectly submerged in the subject matter.
To make matters worse, it has a subplot that seemingly satirizes abuse, which is both odd on paper and on screen. One of the main characters, Charlie, is manipulated by an ominous stranger in the Smiling Friends office to do whatever the man wants. This touchy subject does not fit the tone of the show and feels painfully unfunny. While it’s not fair to accuse the showrunners of finding abuse funny, the point of the episode still seems to be needlessly cruel. All of it once again does not land and adds this edgy jadedness that wasn’t present in the first season.
It’s once again a rough episode that feels so trite that it makes the show feel like another generic adult cartoon. None of this was present beforehand and adds nothing to the show, which comes across as a huge red flag. There is no joy in seeing a main character be legitimately hurt by someone else, nor is it funny. This doesn’t feel like something the creators of the show made, but instead it feels like edgy fan fiction by an angry middle schooler.
While not as perplexing as the first episode, the second episode, “Mr. President,” is the worst contender in terms of comedy. Many of the jokes fall flat. It’s totally out of place and angry compared to the rest of the show. The political satire could have been interesting, but the episode treats it in such an over-the-top form that it comes off as cynical. Not only do the jokes not land, the pacing is way too quick, making it feel draining to watch. While Smiling Friends generally has fast pacing, “Mr. President” is such a dense episode with so many plotlines that none feel fleshed out or remotely comedic. It is a sore thumb in the series and one of the most painful installments to watch.
The third episode, “A Allan Adventure,” thankfully garners some of the original charms the show had. This time, the episode plays on the action-adventure genre, with the side character Allan going through extreme trials to get a box of paper clips for the office. The animation is amazing, with a thrilling helicopter chase sequence and gorgeous backgrounds.
It adds a positive spin to what is expected from the show, making it feel grandiose, and it acts as a true love letter to the adventure genre; it also loses the cynicism! Plus, the episode is funny and reveals more about its central characters, proving the show still has potential and is genuinely well-made. It doesn’t need to be revolutionary, it just needs to provide a unique, comedic perspective with the liberties given by mixed media animation, and Allan’s adventure proves this!
While the second season has a very questionable start, there is still hope for this show to continue delivering high-quality stories. If it brings back its initial genre-bending focus and offers more innovative comedy, it could keep up with its reputation. Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel are very creative individuals but still need to prove that they can consistently provide great laughs to a “mainstream” audience. Hopefully Smiling Friends can still make people smile and these duds are the exception, not the rule.
