Review: Squidbillies Season 10A

The first 7 episodes of season 10 were vastly entertaining, albeit a tad too preachy.

After the [way too] long wait of 2 years, we got more Squids! That is a great thing! However, it came at the cost of a short, summer half-season and an evident political agenda that showed its head more so than before. Squidbillies has always possessed an underlying message, usually a critique on Southern Redneck culture and their prejudices , but this go-around, it was more in-your-face and prevalent.

Almost every episode had the theme of unjust racial inequality. There were metaphors of squids being slaves during the antebellum period- the idiotic argument of the standing of the Confederate Flag. There were metaphors of those who were different, not being welcomed (example: a part squid child) in the public school system. Let it be noted that I have absolutely no problem with a good social commentary; it just seems odd when a show starts to push it in its tenth season. Shows like The Boondocks and American Dad! that have had been preaching about race and the far right since the pilot, are some of my personal favorites.

An example of an excellent episode that uses subtle humor for making a political statement of Squidbillies is the season 8 finale called “Gun of a Son.” It’s funny, witty, and subtle. The story line is that Early shoots Rusty and tries to cover it up by blaming Rusty’s baby. It’s so ridiculous that a baby would shoot his father by accident, but the crazy thing is that it happens in today’s society! There was an actual parallel to real-life events, but it took the back burner to Early going to extreme lengths not to get in trouble. All the while, there was a mild message that guns should be more regulated and not be so easy to obtain, yet serve their purpose (like a convenience store owner defending himself in the midst of robbery).

Besides the potential issue of a sudden discernible standpoint on sociopolitical issues, the season was pretty darn funny. The highlight was the season 10 premiere, entitled “Lipstick on a Squid” but they all made me laugh and made the wait worth it. The premiere was odd, zany, and contained visually grotesque images. It was in the same style that the best episodes of the series have been, up to this point. Early is such a horrible person (err, invertebrate, I mean) that when he gets the shaft, I can’t help but smile from ear to ear.

There wasn’t a bad episode in the lot, but there were a few mediocre episodes. That said, it was better than my expectations, so I am definitely satisfied, to say the least. Just know, you will face perceptible societal viewpoints that you may or may not be ready for; coming from THIS particular show.