By Natalie Gregory
Adult Swim’s Squidbillies is a bizarre world of ghoul-like creatures set in nowhere Georgia, whose characters speak with the most hideous Appalachian dialect. I just watched three episodes from the recently released Squidbillies Vol. 2 DVD, and you have to admire the show’s animators. Their sense of humor and imagination has no bounds for the ridiculous, or just plain weird. Again, Adult Swim veterans, bear with my naiveté; everyone else, take note: Squidbillies stars a family of what looks like an alien, octopus, human crossbreed. The patriarch is Early, a fast-talking, shotgun-happy bullheaded type who always knows best. His son, Rusty, is a little more mild-mannered and sweet but devoted to his father. Both are devoid of logic, especially Early. And then there’s Granny, whose behavior seems more inappropriate with each episode. Watch what happens when Early and Rusty kill multiple animals to give her new skin.
Obviously, animation is not constrained by plausibility, and for Squidbillies, this is crucial. Early shoots someone multiple times each episode. It usually happens after someone says something he disagrees with. I found myself laughing at the frequent use of violence to solve problems when things don’t pan out as planned. While some people may glorify the show’s constant use of sadism (the family’s tanning bed stand-in: roasting on a spit until they accomplish third degree burns) as condoning violence, I dare say it’s a subversive attack on the American tendency to solve problems through gun use, and the previous administrations’ tendency to oversimplify complicated political situations. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. But I enjoyed Squidbillies, and laughed heartily at its ridiculousness, whatever the intention may be. The DVD, available here, contains special features including Dragonbillies: Squidbillies Circle Jerk 2: Return of the Self-Congratulation. Yee-haw!