Review: Duncanville “Fridgy”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After the fridge explodes, the family invest in a high-tech smart refrigerator. At first, the new fridge is ideal, helping them deal with simple tasks around the house. However, when it begins to take all of Annie’s duties, she becomes suspicious. When Annie tries to unplug the machine, it turns on the family and captures them in the house until they are kidnapped.

The family is taken to the research and development department of the manufacturer. Surprisingly, they want them to become the face of the company. But when they refuse it may mean they have to be murdered. It’ll take some quick thinking and an appliance war to save their lives.

Our Take:

Duncanville may have a unique opportunity this week. With the coronavirus spreading quickly and everyone quarantined and socially distancing, chances are viewership will be at a peak this week. So, hopefully, Duncanville chose a winning episode to capture a whole new audience. Thus far, this lovable show has been limited to regular viewers of Animation Domination. 

Now could be the chance to reach those that would typically miss this rookie series.

Thankfully, this was by far the most ambitious episode we have seen out of the show yet. Where the show has up unto this point been based in real-world issues and storylines, this week Duncanville explored the possibilities of their fictional world. Where most plots from the show have been about life as a teenager and a middle-income family, now things get a little more science fiction.

Though, that is not to say that the show doesn’t start out with some very relatable plot points. 

More specifically, dealing with outdated and failing home appliances and how upgrading in today’s world means inviting more technology into our homes. However, this episode manages to take a simple refrigerator purchase into a spoof of 2001: A Space Odyssey when it turns on them and captures them in their own home.

From there, the episode gets even crazier when they are proven to be the experiments of a corporation’s research and development department. The unexpected turn is a significant one for a show that has been limited to stories involving sneaker pop-up shops and learning to drive. The 1984-esque plot took the series somewhere new and pushed the boundaries of what it can be. Though, that’s not to say we don’t enjoy the quick-witted humour that generally is the driving force of the show.

Now, this may not have been the best we have seen out of the new series, but this episode does offer a lot to fans. It tells us that the creators are not afraid to take plots in wild directions. Where we thought we understood the limits of this animated world, we have only just scratched the surface. Suddenly, it makes watching new episodes that much more exciting. And, the possibility of future seasons means that we could get some even more profound stories in the future from this enjoyable series.