Review: The Gorburger Show “Gorbabies”

GOOOOOOORRRREEEE! GOOOREEEE! GOOOOREEEEE!

This week, Gorbuger (T.J. Miller) features guest comedian Tig Nataro on The Gorburger Show. Tig offers riotously funny humor. At the beginning, Notaro explains that she’s wanted to come on The Gorbuger Show for a long time. When Gorbuger asks how long, Notaro drily states “I would say I’ve wanted to come on this show since this morning.”

As “Gorbabies” opens, the set looks a bit different. The walls and furniture are covered by blue fur. Gorburger explains that it’s molting season and he’s shedding all over the place. Additionally, small mites that live in his fur and get big when he shed appear. These look like something from The Muppet Show or Sesame Street. But they’re rather mischievous. Notaro notes astutely that they look like Gorburger offspring or Gorbabies.

Fitting with its formula, The Gorburger episode “Gorbabies” features games. The first, “Christian Bale” or “Christian Male,” is truly fantastic. While it seems like it may be simpler, there are a few twists. I really appreciated the way “Vape is Life” and “Jazz Bender” presented the formula of an actual talk show. As with a late show or even morning talk show, The Gorburger show features games, guests, and trips. In “Gorbabies,” Gorburger visits an animal rescue seeing such animals as a snake, a tortoise, and a hedgehog. The hedgehog is named Earl after Earl Grey Tea. Unfortunately, Gorburger visits to uncover the difference in a hog and a pig. There’s no pig or hog, and Gorburger simply drops his inquiry.

During the episode, the Gorbabies, or mites, are killed by The Gorburger Show cast members Tokyo Fever. When thrown in wood chippers, even their deaths are cute with confetti flying out of the chipper. I appreciated the taut writing and parody of talk shows. When Gorburger visits the animal rescue for example, it felt as if it could be a segment from Reading Rainbow with Levar Burton asking insightful questions. But it’s Gorburger, and he’s making witty quips.

The final segment offers the humorous game “Get Down Gram Gram” where Tig must attempt to get a grandma down from a foam brick wall using a foam wrecking ball. Unfortunately, a Gorbaby intervenes giving advice that sounds logical at the time but ends in disaster. “Gorbabies” ends in carnage and a bloodbath that’s nevertheless side-splittingly funny. It’s one of those moments where you feel slightly guilty laughing.

Fresh, comedic, and stylized, “Gorbabies” delivers a hearty dose of comedy with an excellent guest in Notaro.