Review: The Chicken Squad “Monkey Business; Tech Trouble”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The squad are chickens.

OUR TAKE

Chicken Squad seems to be coming out at a bit less consistent schedule as this, the last, and the next episode are all coming out two weeks apart. I have no idea what that means or if it means anything other than the network just spacing out the premieres, but it did seem like something to bring up and take up about sixty words. On that note, this week’s segments once again continue the trend of nuanced and insightful lessons that are important to learn from an early age. In the first, Little Boo gets so distraught about losing his favorite stuffed monkey that he completely loses it on his team, but gets some helpful advice about calming down and seeing things clearly. Even as a full grown ass adult, I have my moments when my emotions completely cloud my judgement and make me lash out or snap at people who are just trying to help me. It’s a thing that’s going to happen at some point, but what matters is that you piece yourself together afterwards, apologize if you hurt anyone’s feelings, and then engage with the problem with a cool head.

The other segment actually caught me by surprise in how it handled its lesson, this time involving the squad finding a phone to use in a mission, getting very used to how easy it made things, but then finding it not work at a crucial moment. My first thought was that this would be about an overreliance on technology with the show wagging its finger at the audience to not stare at those dang ol Insta Phones and Google Pads all the time and do things the old fashioned way with regular tools. But instead, while the lesson did focus on not relying on the phone too much, it also acknowledged that it was a useful tool in specific instances, just not the one where it wasn’t. Like all technology, smartphones fill in a specific need that it can provide, allowing tracking of specific points on a map, checking the time, and taking a selfie with friends, but it is also reliant on a signal to work, so you should prepare for situations where that signal isn’t available. That was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the tired and constant overly preachy anti-tech messages I’ve seen in my lifetime. Hopefully the next episode, whenever we get it, will continue this trend.