Friday, June 15, 2007

Lil' Bush



Comedy Central's Lil' Bush isn't funny, or at least that's the news from the bunker states like Utah. Utah, of course isn't known as the mother of a thousand comics, nor is any place known for religiosity and Republican politics also known for thriving comedy clubs. The mocking of heretics, homosexuals, Democratic candidates and minorities seems to fill the niche.

But I didn't come to bury Donick Cary's new cartoon series but to praise it. It may in fact be "mean-spirited, ugly, amateurish, vulgar and unwatchable" but when it takes aim at Bush, there's something refreshing in seeing the characters we suspect of being the inner children of the little club that's ruined the world biting the heads off of birds (Lil' Cheney,) or trying to get Lil' Bush to smooch (Lil' Condy.)

Wednesday's episode, wherein the Lil' Republican rascals run off to Baghdad to find a present for Daddy Bush in the form of some "good news" reveals that there is no good news for anyone but Halliburton and after a bit of slaughter they can only find a maimed little boy they nickname "lamey" to bring back to Washington in a box. Dad Bush doesn't know what to make of the present and is relieved to toss him, crutches and all in the garbage after moronic Lil' Jeb accidentally breaks his neck.

Yes, as many reviews point out, it takes "liberties with the truth" but that's what satire is about and perhaps treating the House of Bush in this trenchant fashion makes it more revealing of inner ugliness than the House of Usher with its hidden, Gothic horrors. It's the use of sarcastic humor, albeit cruel, mean and ugly, that allows us to deal with the dimwitted Decider, the greedy, inhuman prince of darkness Cheney and their familiars. Perhaps as with any Medusa, you can't really look at such a hideous visage directly.

The picaresque first episode uses a competition to get the first kiss of youth as the grail the Weeble-like characters seek while destroying lives to get it. I think actually, that it's far more kind to show them thus: as childish, self involved innocents with undeveloped consciences, than to show them as they really are: childish, self involved sociopaths with undeveloped consciences, up to their knees in blood in their quest for power, glory and riches.

Cross-posted at The Reaction

5 comments:

mrsleep said...

haven't seen it yet. time will tell which one is the real cartoon character, lil bush, or dudya during a state of the union speech

Capt. Fogg said...

The real Bush does seem to have a Batman Comics view of events, full of villains and superheroes who can fly but no real-world consequences to screwing up.

The thought of listening to another one of his SOU speeches makes me sick.

d.K. said...

Oh my god, I have to see this. I've never heard of it, but I guess I'm a bad person because I laughed my way through reading this. I have to figure out when it's on and set the TIVO to capture it. I hope it's even half as entertaining as you make it sound here.

d.K. said...

I actually went to the link and read the review you cite, then read a couple other things the reporter has written, and I feel like I need a jolt of caffeine. Not only is HE humorless, he's boring and whiny beyond belief. Rather than criticize Comedy Central, we out to write to the Deseret and plead that they fire that "reporter", if only to show some empathetic support for our fellow Utah-ites. Yikes.

Capt. Fogg said...

As I said, there ain't much funny in Utah.