Friday, March 7, 2014

THE TICK COMPLETE SERIES: A SHOW AHEAD OF IT'S TIME

When I heard back in 2001 that THE TICK was going to become a live action series on TV I was thrilled. The comic, that would be considered underground by some, was hilarious as had been the animated series back in 1994. My expectations were high and fortunately they were well placed. The show was hilarious and I loved it. Apparently I was in a minority though because it sadly lasted only one season. Luckily the entire series has been available on DVD, first for a steep price that eventually dropped and now for just $9.74 (amazon.com price).

If you aren't aware of the series or haven't heard of the Tick then you're truly missing out on one funny show. With super heroes all the rage these days, the series was obviously well ahead of it's time. But the superheroes on display here are not the average ordinary types that we have today. Sure, they may be found in colorful tights, but they are not the successful bunch found in most movies now.

No one knows where the Tick came from. As played by Patrick Wharburton he is central to the success of the show in a role that I can't imagine anyone else playing now. Dressed in what appears to be a latex blue one piece outfit with wiggling antennae (one of the funniest visual things in the show), the Tick leaves a bus station he's been guarding to head to the big city. His goal is to put a stop to crime. The Tick has several things going wrong for him though. The first is that he has no clue of his own strength and with that the ability to be aware of the things that he does around him. Like knock out portions of roofs as he leaps from one to the next. He also has a tendency to try and make everything he says sound profound. His tone may make it so but not his choice of words. My favorite takes place in the opening of the pilot where the Tick is "fighting" a coin operated coffee machine that refuses to give a patron the cup of coffee he purchased. Grabbing the machine he lifts and shakes it yelling "So vending menace we meet again...Armless bandit! Empty your bladder of that bitter, black urine men call coffee!"

Once the Tick arrives in the city he meets a hero wannabe, accountant Arthur, just released from his job because he wants to be a hero...and dresses in a white spandex suit with wings. Until he meets the Tick no one recognizes that the outfit is that of a moth. The pair then meets two other heroes, Bat-Manuel and Captain Liberty. Discovering a plot to kill Jimmy Carter by a dormant Soviet robot that's been awakened, the heroes must work together to thwart this menace. See? His way of speaking can be infective.

Other episodes in the series took all kinds of turns. And rather than be kid friendly like the animated series, this one often had sexual innuendo on display throughout, especially when Bat-Manuel tried to bed Captain Liberty. Or the episode where she went to bed with The Immortal only to have him die there. 

For the most part though this series didn't dwell on those topics. They were background noise to the real focus which was just how dedicated the Tick was to justice while at the same time causing as much damage as the bad guys did in an attempt to apprehend them. And yet at the same time you had to love this big galoot who just wanted to do good.

I can't say enough how the best part of this series was Patrick Wharburton. This is not to short change the rest of the cast, but he stood out so much here. To this day when I hear his voice in anything he does, this is what pops into my head. He's a great voice actor and a wonderful live actor and deserves not only more work but more credit as well.

The series may not have lasted that long. Looking back the Fox network didn't promote it all that well and placed it up against SURVIVOR and NBC's must see shows on Thursday nights. Fortunately it can still be enjoyed on DVD and watched again and again. For me it's not a DVD that I'd part with. I can still watch the episodes and enjoy them as much today as the first time. If you love super heroes or comic books or just want to enjoy something funny and different, then pick this up. You won't regret it.




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