Review: The Great North “Enough Bed Adventure”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The kids must convince Beef to get a new mattress after it becomes a deadly trap.

Our Take:

The Great North is back with the second half of its third season. Although, it seemed odd for me to return to this light-hearted series after one of its main stars, Nick Offerman, made me cry with his career-best performance in the third episode of The Last of Us. But it shows that comedians can also deliver their dramatic sides.

So what kind of Alaskan adventure are the Tobins getting into this time following the show’s hiatus? Why, getting a new mattress, of course. Considering the show’s approach in its down-to-earth, everyday activities, it’s unsurprising that we see the Tobins do something as ordinary as mattress shopping.

The episode’s plot consists of the Tobins attempting to get a new mattress for Beef after his old one breaks. After hesitating about it since he’s been sleeping on the old one for years, Beef finally decides to get a new bed. However, what seemed like a simple task immediately became a decision game when the kids wanted a bed for themselves. To settle the debate, the kids tell Beef their stories involving the beds they chose and see which one Beef likes the most.

In other words, this episode takes cues from Family Guy’s multi-story episodes and provides three mini-tales that reference classic films. Fortunately, those stories managed to be enjoyable, even though the plot’s formula isn’t something to sleep on. Ham’s story resembles The Lord of the Rings (mainly the first film), in which Beef and the Fellowship travel to throw his old mattress into the volcano. Judy’s story consists of her character, “Jandrea”, working as an intern for a mattress magazine company, similar to The Devil Wears Prada. Finally, we have Moon’s tale paying homage to Ford v Ferrari, with sleep racer Moon partnering with Beef to compete in the Sleep la Mans.

The Lord of the Rings story from Ham is my favorite of the bunch due to the amusement of seeing the Tobins tackle a fantasy classic through their brand of humor. As for the remaining stories, they have their moments of humor and creativity, mainly the sleep racing from Moon’s story. However, regarding their executions, they fell short of being as relaxing as counting sheep. Fortunately, the episode compensated for it with a basic yet sweet message about putting other people’s needs ahead of one’s selfish needs.

The episode also features Wolf and Honeybee traveling to deliver the bouquet from Nancy to the correct address. However, they accidentally ate all of the mango treats from the bouquet on the way there. Thankfully, they later learned from the couple expecting the bouquet that Nancy was trying to kill them with her ex-boyfriend’s mango allergy. It’s a fundamental yet mildly humorous detour that further showcases the charming chemistry between Wolf and Honeybee.

Overall, “Enough Bed Adventure” marks another enjoyable return of the show’s third season after its hiatus. Its multi-story formula may not break any new ground like Beef’s old mattress. However, it also proves that the show’s light-hearted tone and fun characters are usually enough to keep me from falling asleep.