Review: YOLO: Crystal Fantasy “The Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Consummate party animals, Sarah and Rachel, find themselves set to attend what might easily be the social event of the year, the Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster. The hedonistic free-for-all calls to the two friends, but what should be a normal trip to the outback slowly morphs into a test of friendship. Sarah and Rachel have the same goal, but they’re separated during their journey. Sarah has to go to extra lengths and befriend new companions to reach her destination, while Rachel learns that there may be a much more sinister purpose for this party where she is specifically the target for something considerably more sinister.

Our Take:

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has still only just premiered, but if the animated series has taught audiences anything at this point it’s that it’s not easy to be popular. It can sometimes be a full-time job to adeptly navigate social situations and cultivate that aloof image of serenity. Sarah and Rachel are willing to go that extra mile in order to indulge themselves and irritate others. In this case, that motivation steers the two friends all the way to the outback of Goondawindi for what looks like the rager to end all ragers. And if you think that Goondawindi has anything in common with Wollongong then you don’t know Kangaroo Jack. All of these are real communities within Australia, by the way, so even if they sound like mushy tongue-twisters there’s an extra level of humor to be gained from how none of these locales are made up. Their real names are so unusual that they don’t require exaggeration.

The most enjoyable aspect of this series so far is how it so casually mixes together mundane social activities with outlandish supernatural elements. “The Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster” begins as a typical party, but then crystal monsters casually creep in and recite foreboding monologues like they’re villains from an anime or ‘80s Saturday morning cartoon. YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has the most fun when it combines these extremes, like with how the power struggle between the Mayor and the Crystal Monster lead to some fun and awkward exchanges. The best example of this is when Sarah and the bush wombat shaman encounter his friend, Thomas, a man who’s painted green. These two exaggerated characters engage in an emotional conversation about grief and death in a way where the dialogue is so natural and honest that it’s hard to believe the visuals around it are so ridiculous.

Many Adult Swim viewers’ first experience with Michael Cusack’s work was likely through the Rick and Morty April Fools’ parody vehicle, Bushworld Adventures. While YOLO: Crystal Fantasy’s “The Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster” isn’t identical to that other effort from Cusack, there are a surprising amount of similarities between the two. Sarah’s encounter with the mystical “bush wombat shaman” plays very much in the same manner as Jerry’s role as “Dougie the Bush Wizard” in Bushworld Adventures. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Bushworld came into existence by taking the script for this episode and then going all Rick and Morty on it. Who knows, maybe even some witchetty grubs will show up in future episodes.

On the topic of “Austrailia-isms,” this episode of YOLO has some more fun with these cultural differences. What’s so entertaining about YOLO: Crystal Fantasy is that it effortlessly mixes slice of life phrases and actions from Wollongong, Australia with the rampant absurdism of Cusack’s twisted mind. The end result is a surreal synthesis that provides plenty of in-jokes for those familiar with Australia customs, but every piece of normalcy is draped in nonsense in a way where it really doesn’t matter. Sarah’s entire trek with the shaman is a massive waste of time that’s full of pointless detours, but it’s dressed up with polished animation and an encouraging ballad that try to disguise it all as an important trek.

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy’s second episode does an excellent job at maintaining the eccentric rhythm that’s been established in not only the show’s premiere episode, but also Michael Cusack’s original “YOLO Shorts.” “The Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster” is an entertaining episode that should reassure any viewers that this series is a one-trick pony or able to sustain this level of storytelling. However, it’s worth recognizing that the story beats here are very similar to the plot of “Maddison’s Birthday Party,” with the common ground even more obvious when these two episodes air back-to-back.

Both of these episodes explore Rachel becoming a social butterfly while Sarah gets excluded and needs to forge her own path, only for the duo to ultimately realize that they’re stronger together than apart. At this point it’s too soon for the series to be feeling repetitive, but it’s also premature to judge YOLO on the scope of its storytelling. This could actually be the format and structure that YOLO: Crystal Fantasy settles into with every episode looking at the growing pains between these two friends.

“The Dusty Truck ‘n’ Donut Muster” is silly and stupid in the best possible ways, yet it still succeeds in creating some pathos for these bizarre characters. This may only be the series’ second episode, but it expands this hyperbolized version of Australia and continues to highlight the odd and fantastical events that strike this community. YOLO: Crystal Fantasy is off to a fantastic start with its debut season. Rachel and Sarah already feel destined to become Adult Swim staples and hopefully there will be years of bush shaman and desiccated reality stars to come.