Review: Teenage Euthanasia “First Date With the Second Coming” ; “Teen Eggs and Scram”

Overview:

Annie’s gentle existence at Tender Endings faces some hormonal hurdles when her budding crush on Kenton introduces her to a new world of responsibilities, as well as morbid dangers. Oblivious on matters of the heart, Annie’s earnest efforts to foster her first love warp into a lesson on the thin barrier between the living and the dead, with Florida’s teen community being much more interested in the latter.

Meanwhile, the tension that exists between Annie and Trophy reaches a boiling point when a series of events results in Annie becoming her mother’s parole officer and an unexpected role reversal exercise opens up both of their eyes. Now, if only Uncle Pete could find the perfect shirt.

Our Take:

Whether we like to admit it or not, there are eternal bonds that are present in a family that can transcend life and death. Family is always present in some respects, even when individuals have successfully buried their roots and left them behind. Family has a curious tendency to rise from the grave when it’s least expected, but the Fantasy family in Adult Swim’s Teenage Euthanasia are an especially unique case. No family is perfect, but despite the Fantasy family’s very unconventional nature, there is no lack of love in Teenage Euthanasia, especially within these introductory two episodes.

Setting can be a crucial component in any Adult Swim series, with many of the animated programs on the network going overboard when it comes to their weird world and the rules that govern it. Teenage Euthanasia’s neon-soaked art design immediately brings vibrant life to the Tender Endings funeral home and the family that run it. Teenage Euthanasia’s take on Florida is also immersed in a quasi-futuristic time period where holograms, robots, and other tech-heavy “solutions” run rampant. These science fiction ideas never dominate the narrative, but they help make the series feel even more original as it riffs on the state of the country through snide asides like Senator Casey Anthony.

Teenage Euthanasia is also a PFFR production (Xavier: Renegade Angel, The Heart, She Holler, The Shivering Truth), which means that there is no lack of strangeness at any given moment. There’s an inherent level of supernatural wackiness that’s baked into the series’ premise, but the series also gleefully applies sentience to personified objects, like Shirtie, in a style that’s reminiscent of PFFR’s past works. Annie becomes better educated in the ways of the world and these first two episodes also wade through hyper-Christianity and chasteness with a mock educational energy, which feels very similar in style to Wonder Showzen. 

Teenage Euthanasia embraces the family dynamic that’s at the center of the series, yet it subverts this sweetness through twisted sentimentality where fulfillment can revolve around skewed goals, like naïve Annie’s first handjob, yet present it in a saccharine way which is oddly sentimental. At the same time, Teenage Euthanasia doesn’t struggle with its ability to juxtapose storylines that are heavy and human with ridiculous and mundane obstacles, like Uncle Pete’s necessity for a new shirt.

The cast in Teenage Euthanasia all feel diverse, but these introductory episodes appropriately focus on Annie. The series benefits from how early it establishes her desire to date and better experience what the world has to offer, as well as the complex bond that exists between Annie and her undead mother, Trophy. These installments examine Annie’s desire to fit in, but Trophy has just as much to learn as she attempts to relive the youth that she lost during her natural lifetime, as well as figure out what’s really important to her. This frayed relationship and Annie’s embarrassment over her hypersexual mother feel genuine and relatable, even if one of the members of this party is a supernatural anomaly. 

Teenage Euthanasia is also at its most refreshing when its level of satire is able to extend to the entire community rather than specifically the funeral business. There are some wonderful thought experiments that get explored, like how a flimsy sign that labels someone as “not a shooter” can be the only thing that keeps them alive when acting like a maniac in a public setting. Episodes of Teenage Euthanasia still impart lessons, in their own twisted ways, like the counterproductive dangers of sexual suppression or why it’s important to be properly informed over teen pregnancy. Teenage Euthanasia is the type of series where good parenting is demonstrated with a “morning after hotdog” and despite the series’ dark nature, the episodes still return to a sweet family energy by the time that the end credits roll. 

Teenage Euthanasia takes itself seriously where it matters and it doesn’t just flippantly end on a crazy joke or sight gag, but instead uses these elements to culminate in character-driven conclusions that underscore why the audience should care about and continue to follow the Fantasy family. It’s a hard balance to strike, but Teenage Euthanasia finds it, crotch beetles and all.

These first two installments of Teenage Euthanasia successfully introduce these odd characters, the series’ exaggerated and futuristic take on Florida, as well as provides a solid blueprint on the typical worlds that Teenage Euthanasia will explore beyond the funeral home workplace shenanigans that are at the center of the series. “First Date With the Second Coming” is an economical pilot that doesn’t forget that comedy is as crucial as exposition and character development. However, Teenage Euthanasia seriously benefits from this double-episode premiere where “Teen Eggs and Scram” reflects very different sensibilities and character combinations than its predecessor. Annie still has a long ways to go when it comes to building confidence in herself, but it’s impressive how comfortable Teenage Euthanasia already is in its own skin only two episodes out. This only creates tremendous promise for what’s to come in this first season.