:: Squares are people too ::

Monday, November 11, 2002

There was a show on the Cartoon Network last night called "Groovenia". The premise was that two young, poorly-rendered-in-low-budget-CGI, artistic lovers were being crushed by the boredom, homogeneity, and pragmatism of their home planet (the motto of which was "we hope you've had a beige day") so they escape to the planet Groovenia, where everything is fun and all the citizens want to do is party. The problem is, there are the "normals" - evil robots who care for nothing but money (their leader even has an antenna in the shape of a $) - that demand rent from these liberated and colorful denizens of Groovenia. Luckily, Jet and Glindy (the protagonists) splatter them with bright, vibrantly-colored paint, and the robots start to dance, albeit unwillingly. Even as their bodies succumb to the groovy rhythms, they curse the free-wheelers and swear revenge.

Are you kidding me?

I've never seen a more naive, transparent metaphor for the dreams and fears of a delusionally-idealistic young artist who thinks that they can just escape their current situation and flee to some bohemian mecca without consequences. This was not a show targeted at youngins; it was on at 10:30 on a Sunday night as part of their Adult Swim line-up of programming, so I would hope that anyone watching would be world-wise enough to laugh out loud (and not with but at the show). I tried to interpret the show from several teleological perspectives (i.e. its purpose - what was the intent of its creators?). Could it be an attempt at:

Subversion? No. If their aim was to try to buck the status quo by providing a positive scenario about those in danger of having their hopes crushed by an uncaring, money-driven society, they've grossly missed the mark. The money-hungry types against whom the show purportedly rails probably don't even know the channel exists. The marginalized niche of ostracized thirteen year-olds (the only demographic to which this show could possibly seem relevant) is comprised of those who are either too cool or too depressed to watch the Cartoon Network. And everyone else is way too cynical to find this "Andy Wharhol meets The Jetsons meets a huge chip on the shoulder" tripe appealing.

Humor? No. The show just wasn't funny.

Satire? No. This isn't a sufficiently established genre or concept to satirize... I couldn't even begin to imagine what the hell it could be mocking if not itself (in which case, I laud their ability to produce material of such extreme avant-garde postmodernism that people have no hope of recognizing it as such).

Showcasing their star power? Yes. The characters were voiced by the likes of Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman) and Dennis Hopper (who has inhaled enough ether that I wouldn't be surprised if he was unable to distinguish between this show and the real world - he probably thought he was doing a documentary).

I just can't think of any other reason why someone would create "Groovenia". It disseminates the same singular, misguided mentality that clogs up my subway ride with Williamsburg hipsters every morning, each one thinking they are a pillar of artistic purity liberated from the chains of financial oppression.

Sorry... preachy hyper-polarized tv that claims the world is black and white really irks me when it's sandwiched between some damn good shows: (1) (2) (3).

And I know preachy blog entries are almost as bad... feel free to put me in my place via the "comments" section.

Posted by morland @ 05:09 PM

:: Comments ::

wish i could mr. orland, but that show was fucking awful.

Posted by: josh on November 11, 2002 10:52 PM

You forgot Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law!

Don't you know I have a shrink ray? I'll make you all travel sized!

BACK OFF!

Posted by: Reducto on November 12, 2002 02:30 AM

Sorry, I LOVED Groovenia! Who could resist the B-52s theme song and flight attendant RuPaul's announcement that "We're fixing to take y'all booties to Groovenia." Sit back and enjoy the ride! It's just mindless insightful pop surrealism. It would be a great series.

Posted by: Wayne on November 18, 2002 01:24 PM

I liked it! How could someone not like it?

Posted by: Person on February 22, 2003 02:11 PM

I HATED the show, but is it available for download? I want to make a music video making fun of it. Seriously.

Posted by: I love adult swim on March 7, 2005 05:15 PM

I don't think so. Are they still showing it?

Posted by: morland on March 8, 2005 12:30 PM

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