Review: Psi Cops “Paperwork” ; “Witchy Old Hag”

“Paperwork”

While there’s always the looming threat of a bona fide grey alien invasion taking place around the edges of Psi Cops, this week’s first episode hits hard at the heart of Kydd and Felixx’s greatest fear – having to do their paperwork. Naturally, needlessly convoluted evasive manoeuvres ensue, leading to so, so many extremely Psi Cops moments.

Peeling back the layers on this comedy onion a real treat – each episode’s 12 minute sprint towards a conclusion is packed with bizarre details (example – Kydd’s party hat has a picture of himself on it, Felixx’s is normal) and distinctive flair, making each episode a Joyce-ian journey into the side streets of comedy. One would think the show’s pace would be slowed somewhat in an episode where the two leads actively try to avoid seeing or doing anything while drifting in and out of consciousness (after shotgunning bottles of pills in search of a “full forget”) but it serves only to make things more delightfully jumbled. Attempts to save a farmer’s field of cows from being abducted and flayed by possible aliens are stymied by their inability to stay awake, although their efforts to stand up using nothing but gun recoil were both entertaining and successful.

They find a kindred spirit in the farmer, voiced by Christina Sicoli. She also hates paperwork, thinks earth bovines are interesting, and appreciates shotguns (the blurriest gun). The aliens in the show’s pilot episode also features grey aliens apparently wearing jogging suits – is this a clue or is it nothing? The glimmering semblance of an overarching alien mystery may be real or nothing more than a mirage, but it sure is a nice thing to believe in.

The boys are as intensely close as ever in this episode, both professionally and physically. From their whispered “imagines” to their ability to sleep standing up by leaning on each other, the Psi Cops prove themselves the perfect team yet again. For those keeping track, Felixx is the weirdly strong one and the better driver, while Kydd is the one with the mysterious backstory and hair like Rupert Grint circa 2014.

The episode begins with the Psi Cops seemingly successful capture of a Satanic serial killer, which reminds us that they are, deep down, good detectives, even though they play by their own rules, a point that is revisited at the episode’s end when they manage to do all their paperwork while in a drugged out fugue state, even filing reports for things that have yet to come. Will Kydd and Felixx be going to a haunted murder mansion in three weeks? Tune in and find out!

Psi Cops doesn’t necessarily need a solid premise to have a great episode, but “Old Witchy Hag” has one anyway. An entire neighbourhood turned extremely skinny leads Kydd and Felixx to a trailer-living witch in a grocery store parking lot with powers akin to the old man from Stephen King’s Thinner. Cross the old woman and she will curse you to lose weight no matter how much you eat. This leads to people lining up to intentionally harass her for hassle-free weight loss. It’s a smart concept with intense Ugly Americans vibes. The newly body-conscious Psi Cops jump on board, get way too skinny, and become ineffectual at investigating blood-windmills. Once the newly slender neighbour hood starts dropping dead of starvation, they need the whole agency to help them reverse the curse, through means humble or heinous, and get back to their old selves.

Everybody may be talking about the groundbreaking nudity displayed in the most recent episode of Righteous Gemstones, but Sunday night’s other smash hit comedy caps off this episode with a body positive dance party for the ages. Kydd and Felixx love being nude together, especially if there’s other people around.