The fifth season of ?Aqua Teen Hunger Force? makes its way
to DVD today complete with three hours of content that left me stunned ? but
not necessarily in a pleasing manner. Frylock, Master Shake, Carl and Meatwad
come together for 14 episodes, which fail to produce more than mild to extreme disgust.
Episodes of seasons past are a real mixed bag, and the
throw-any-joke-that-might-stick approach is in full force here. But this time
the hits, on episodes like ?Dirtfoot,? almost immediately dissolve from memory.
This leaves only the lingering stench of the clunkers, which range from
tasteless jokes revolving around gay stereotypes and women?s blouses magically
disappearing.
Possibly worse is the gross-out tactic, exemplified by the episode
is the aptly named ?Dickesode.? Carl inadvertently enters a contract to ?get
his dick ripped off? by playing an instant win game. The villain, Wong Burger,
plans to construct a rocket using his ?advanced degree in dick-nology? to
return home to Planet Dick ? no, I am not making this up. Ultimately, this
10-minute animated abomination presents viewers with more crudely drawn penises
than an anime porno.
When all else fails, ?Aqua Teen? resorts to annoying you
into submission. ?Boost
simultaneously makes fun of and serves as a gratuitous advertisement for the
aforementioned cell phone company. Shake sells out to be a walking
advertisement and walks around with a giant, urban cell phone. If I was
subjected to ?Where you at, dog?? one more time, I might have gone completely
insane.
Amid this mediocre collection of episodes is one truly
memorable character who is disturbingly hilarious ? Meatwad?s dog, Hand Banana.
Created using filthy pool water, Master Shake?s DNA and a Fisher-Price-looking
laptop, the cuddly canine proceeds to terrorize Carl mercilessly throughout the
episode.
Among his talents of being a pastry chef and being certified
in CPR, Hand Banana is also a rapist. His most memorable quote, ?See, all I
know is ball and good? and rape!? is made all the more disturbing by the fact
that the ?loving? pooch always says it in a voice eerily worthy of the
pedophiles uncovered on ?How to Catch a Predator.? This is a rare successful
moment when ?Aqua Teen? shocks the viewer into laughter.
It?s no surprise, however, the special features are nothing
to boast about in this collection. Sadly, quite a few segments are devoted to
promotional material for a failed ?Aqua Teen? film. At times, watching the
special features was even more painful than sitting through the actual
episodes. Notably obnoxious was a music video entitled ?I Like Your Booty But
I?m Not Gay? in which the song?s title is the only lyric.
One overall note on the DVD?s display features is that the
menus talk too much. Every selection reads itself back: episode titles, special
feature names, the works all presented in melodic singing or screechy chatter
highly unpleasing to the ear. Are ?Aqua Teen? fans really this masochistic?
It?s truly a sad release when the highlights of a DVD are
the theme song and end credits. Enough is enough, and it?s time to push that
eject button. It is clear that I have forever lost my appetite for ?Aqua Teen
Hunger Force,? and I doubt I will be going for seconds any time soon.
1 out of 5 stars
