With Season 1, Episode 3, Awesome Show truly began to stretch the boundaries of the absurd. While no one is going to accuse the first two episodes of being too normal, the third episode goes whole hog on the insanity and fully embraces the giddily strange.
Themes:
Awesome Show as many preoccupations, and in the maelstrom of gleeful madness, certain areas of interest emerge again and again. Episode Three, “Cats,” focuses not just on the eponymous animals, but also gives a long, luxuriant look at the absurdity of the modern workplace. Kafkaesque in its depiction of the strangeness and arcane pointlessness of jobs, this episode gleans tons of material from the inherent altered-reality of corporate training videos. The utterly sublime “Gravy Robbers” saga combines the homemade aesthetic with corporate jargon with artificiality taken to neck-breaking heights. To a lesser degree, “Portrait of an Artist” depicts the struggles of a terminally untalented artist as he attempts to please increasingly angry customers in a scene hinting at the violent nihilism of Ionesco.
More strangely than their focus on the workplace as a source of comedy, Episode Three’s interest in cats as a signifier of transformation is even more unexpected. It’s no secret that cats are an source of unending amusement for internet culture, but in the deranged world of Awesome Show, people can transform into cats (sometimes against their will) and the outcomes of this metamorphosis range from the tragic to the comic.
Hi-Lights:
Gravy Robbers (Part 1)
The “Gravy Robbers” comprises a small saga, taking up much of the run time of Episode 3. But far and away my favorite segment is the opener which plays like the world’s least convincing commercial for a restaurant touting its “dry killed meats” in need of deluges of gravy to make it edible. But just to add another layer of exquisite strangeness, the restaurant employs actual robbers to steal the food off your table. This prompts one patron to scream the infamous line, “Fuck you, Gravy Robbers” in a tone that conveys a bottomless well of wild despair. Worth it for that moment alone.
Host Segment (Part 1)
For pure, unfiltered weirdness look no further than the first host segment. Staring as usual with the infinitely repeated question, “How was your weekend?” things quickly devolve when Tim reveals that he has learned how to transform himself into an adorable orange cat. Things take a turn for the horrific when Tim loses control of his newfound power and begins rapidly switching between his human and cat body, providing the episodes’ first jarring jump scare with a flash of a nude, cat-sized Tim shrieking in abject agony.
Kid Break: “I Sit Down When I Pee”
This one is pure golden lemonade, folks. There’s so much to unpack here from the intentionally bad 90’s graphics, to the white boy “hip hop for kids approach,” to the subject itself--sitting down to pee--all of this nonsense is crowned by extravagantly inept breakdancing and the clincher “Paid for by Voter Initiative 216.” A Voter Initiative that normalizes sitting to pee? I want to live in this world.
Channel 5: Kitty Cat Man
Starring Michael Cera, “The Kitty Cat Man” pays homage to achingly sincere nighttime dramas. Everything is right here--the schmaltzy music, the endless hugs between Cera and his two giant brothers, and of course, the reveal that Cera can also transform into a cat. Fans of the cinematic Cats will recognize the abject horror of “digital fur technology,” and here it’s played for a wondrous moment of awkward comedy.
Anatomy of an Episode:
Gravy Robbers (Part 1)
See Hi-Lights. A masterclass in fake local commercials. Avoid the Gravy Robbers at all costs!
Host Segment (Part 1)
See Hi-Lights. Tim reveals he has acquired the power to transform into a cat.
Kid Break
See Hi-Lights. Tim shares his dislike of standing to urinate. 90’s hip hop classic.
Host Segment (Part 2)
Eric tries to talk to Timkat
Gravy Robbers (Part 2)
The corporate training video to rival all others--Terry Green makes his first appearance as the simultaneously apathetic and overly enthusiastic instructor in the finer points of gravy robbing.
Host Segment (Part 3)
Awesome Show producer tries to reason with Timkat. He repeatedly beckons Timkat with the words, “poop poop poop poop,” which starts to loop endlessly.
Pooping Cat Interlude
This segues into a crudely animated cat poop rhythmically as Matt’s voice continues to chant “poop poop poop.”
Portrait of an Artist
See Theme. Tim tries to persuade customers to have a free portrait drawn. Notable for our third “Great job!” of the series.
Channel 5’s Kitty Cat Man
See Hi-Lights. Michael Cera is eager to share his new talent with his loving brothers.
The Void
People fall screaming through a void and we briefly glance a nude, shrieking Tim. The camera settles on a man in an 18th-century costume who plays the handbells.
Gravy Robbers (Part 3)
Bonus Features: Includes the delights of Terry Green combing his hair and beard with gravy, and talking to a friend whose niece was murdered.
Host Segment (Part 3)
Eric gives Timkat to an old lady to care for. There is a montage of his carefree days with Tim before Tim reappears in all his nude glory.
Coda: I’m Glad I’m Not a Little Kitty Cat No More
The Boys celebrate Tim’s return to normalcy with a peppy song and spontaneous leg growth. This, of course, has tragic and unforeseen consequences.
Winner:
This one isn’t even close--it goes to Tim. For demonstrating the bravery involved in repeatedly appearing naked and terrified and for his incredible contribution to 90’s educational hip hop, he’s our clear cut winner. Better luck next time, Eric.
Pennie Sublime