How Aqua Teen Hunger Force managed to hit the big 1-0-0 remains a complete mystery to me. One of Adult Swim's oldest mainstays comes in bite-sized 12-15 minute chunks, concerns the exploits of a lovable ball of ground up horse (as the new theme song seems to suggest) meat, Meatwad (Dave Willis), a self-centered milkshake named Master Shake (Dana Snyder) and an overly intelligent box of french fries Frylock (Carey Means). Shake makes trouble, often roping the impressionable Meatwad into the mess and Frylock attempts to keep the peace, frequently in vain. That's really the gist of it - whether ATHF works depends entirely on the viewer. When I first saw it, at 15, it was a show that there was no getting into, an oddity that seemed to exist so a select few animators and voice actors got to fulfill their absurd childish fantasies.
I got older - and the show got much funnier. It's not a gutbuster, to be sure, but there is a genuinely lively charm to the insanely scaled down animation, episodes that end suddenly or better yet, not at all and voice acting by a committed cast with a great of affection toward these anthropomorphic creatures. Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1: Season One is hardly a grand reinvention of an old favorite - it's a gag, a farce, nothing more than a completely minimal redressing of an already minimalist show. The new intro perfectly captures the grandiose sleaze of 70s procedural, with the trio as maverick cops.
That concept last about 7-8 minutes into the first episode, and is then set aside for more that same ATHF you know and love (?). The action may have moved to Seattle (we are informed by subtitle) but the house remains virtually unchanged and Carl (Dave Willis), the ultimate slovenly neighbor, seemingly followed suit. So we settle in for more of the same, a perfectly reasonable assumption – the show delivers comfy absurdity that is not really aimed at any particular age group or personality type (you are free to argue this point). Its strange, frequently dark sense of humor is unique and it only takes a few minutes to decide whether to keep watching or turn off the show, permanently.
There’s little character development, though callbacks show up slyly here and there. A good comparison is the live-action Workaholics – a freethinking, but infinitely more structured show. If you find that show to be too scattered, ATHF/AUPS will drive you up the wall. It’s can serve as a litmus test for general late-night Adult Swim craziness, and you can be a non-committal in-betweener but the scattershot nature of individual episode may see you giving up the habit in no time.
The episodes included on this set are divided into the last seven ATHF episodes from the prior season - "A PE Christmas," "Hands on a Hamburger," "iAmaPod," "Juggalo," "Kangarilla And The Magic Tarantula," "Larry Miller Hair System," and "One Hundred". These are paired with the new AUPS 1 episodes (stay in the episode menu portion for a sweet and soulful song composed of these titles): "Allen Part 1," "Allen Part 2," Freedom Cobra," "The Intervention," "The Creditor," "Vampirus," "Last Dance For Napkin Lad," "Wi-Tri," "Jumpy George," and "Lasagna".
“Last Dance For Napkin Lad” probably takes the cake for best episode of the set, with Carl reveals himself to be a highly trained operative tracking the trio for years on end. The rest of the episode is all nonsensical action strung together by a plot that grows more ridiculous by the minute – classic Aqua Teen Hunger Force, going strong after more than 100 episodes. It all looks and sounds as good as it can be, and probably better than it has to.
DVD Bonus Features
“Terror Phone III,” a sketch, is the only extra featured here. I’ve heard tell of some Easter Eggs though.
"Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1: Season One" is on sale October 11, 2011 and is not rated. Animation, Comedy, Television. Directed by Dave Willis, Matt Maiellaro. Written by Dave Willis, Matt Maiellaro. Starring Carey Means, Dana Snyder, Dave Willis.
