Review: Son of Zorn “Return to Orange County”

Can someone cue the Phantom Planet soundtrack?

If you were to just randomly turn on the series premiere of Son of Zorn without any previous knowledge of it, it would be quite the shock to the system. What is He-Man doing with Cheryl Hines and Tim Meadows? Is this some sort of car commercial? If however, you are someone who reads fall TV previews, then Son of Zorn is exactly what you expected it to be. It is still weird, though. (Also weird: FOX is billing this as a “special preview” ahead of the show’s “premiere” in two weeks, even though this is very much the first episode, and the September 25’s will be the second one.)

The concept of an animated He-Man-type existing alongside live action humans might sound like an unsustainable premise, but Son of Zorn manages to acquit itself well (at least for one episode). For the show to work as well as it does, it needs Zorn to have emotional depth that transcends his logline. Jason Sudeikis proves to be ideal voice casting, finding the comedy and the pathos in tandem and in equal measure.

Also essential to establishing Zorn’s legitimate existence in this world is that every other character must just accept his existence, without any excessive winking to the audience. And on that front, Son of Zorn once again knows what it is doing. There are a few moments of confusion over Zorn’s warrior customs, but those are understandable cultural differences. His native island of Zephyria is way out in the South Pacific Ocean, after all. What do YOU know about real South Pacific nations, like Papua New Guinea or Kiribati?

Now for the actual plot of the episode, and of course, SPOILERS follow. Zorn has been keeping busy with his Zephyrian crew (conquering the Aegon Tribes, decapitating the Dark Herdsman), but his paternal instincts have pulled him back to Orange County to reconnect with his son Alangulon. He then discovers that his ex-wife Edie is now engaged to Craig, an online professor. At first, he almost runs back home again, but he ultimately decides to find an apartment in Orange County and embrace suburban living with an entry-level sales job.

About halfway through (if not earlier), it becomes clear that Zorn and Alangulon’s relationship is a play on the trope of a macho dad struggling to connect with his physically weaker son. By making Zorn’s machismo literally cartoonish, the satire is silly, powerful, and unmistakable. But it evolves beyond that simple setup, allowing Zorn to gain some depth after he admits that considerateness is a wholly foreign concept to him.

Zorn’s relationship with Craig could also be prone to cliché, but it messes with the normal routine just enough to be effective as well. Predictably, Zorn belittles and emasculates Craig, but because of the ingenious decision to make Craig a psychology professor, he directly acknowledges what Zorn is doing to him. Now, that can actually be a cheap device, but only if it stops there. But Craig really is standing up for himself. Again, casting is key here. Tim Meadows is a veteran. He can give you embarrassment, he can give you integrity, or both if you need them. This depth bodes well for the interplay among all four main characters.

As for the animation, it is typical Saturday morning style, spiffed up with 21st century HD technology. There are several fun visual gags, though there could be more. The highlight is Zorn attempting to stick his bejeweled glove into the laundromat change machine. The killing of the death hawk, though, feels like a missed opportunity for a comical bloodbath. I’m guessing it fell victim to network restrictions.

And finally, the twist that Alangulon is part animated was rather mundane, but kind of cool in a low-key way, especially considering how well it was hidden in the promos.

Memorable Lines:

-“At least he died doing what he loved: wanting to meet my family.”

-“Do you own a shirt?” “Does a Griffian herdsman have 9 anuses?”

-“How would you like that cooked?” “Uh… not.”

SCORE
8/10