How the hell did I miss an episode of Arby n the Chief? Really, I swear I looked for it last week. I assumed – as they are prone to do – that the creators of Arby just took an extra week between episodes. Looks like I was the one taking an extra week.

 

Anyway, let’s get down to the gruesome twosome.

 

No, not them.

Episode 18 (“Take A seat”) quickly established that Cortana can only been seen by Chief. He eventually reasoned that she must be a ghost, because – as he reluctantly admitted – she is smarter than him, and thus can’t be a figment of his imagination. The two conversed for a while, with Cortana wondering why Chief did what he did to her, and why he didn’t tell Arbiter the harsh truth about her demise.

Speaking of harsh truths, Chief and Cortana found out a whopper about Colin at the end of the episode. I don’t want to say too much, but it makes the rest of the show’s twists look like child’s play. Whoops, I’ve said too much. By the way: creative reference with the title. Sick, but creative.

Despite the serious, dark themes, there were still many laughs, mostly due to Chief’s ranting jibberish. At one point he calls out OMGWTFBBQ (pronounced: ohmygodwhatthefuckbarbecue) and another time he referenced the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song.

In Episode 19 (“What Lies Beneath”) Arbiter and Chief decided to inform Eugene of Colin’s gross secret. However, when they arrived they spied Eugene intimidating and threatening Brody and Kyle, whom he eventually permabanned. When Arbiter questioned his cruelty, Eugene told him to mind his own business.

Outside of the game, Arbiter stated that he doesn’t want to stop being friends with Eugene because despite his malicious nature, because he’d “rather have a despicable friend than none at all.” Chief, in a moment of brief humanity, condemned the entire group: Tyler, Colin, and Eugene. He walked away frustrated, to go have a cigarette. While fetching the last one from under the oven, Arbiter found an old note from Greg containing a brief bit of solid advice.

As much as this episode wasn’t as funny as the first one (even with the dark twist) together they made for a well-rounded pair. Regardless of humor, the second episode was very well-written and executed. I can honestly say I look forward to each new installment for both its comedic banter and its gripping storyline. Well, as gripping as a show with action figures and Halo clips can be.

 

Episode 18: (8.5/10)

 

Episode 19: (8/10)

 

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