Review: Teenage Euthanasia “A Very Fantasy Vacation”

Overview:

An impromptu fumigation at the funeral home pushes the Euthanasia family out of their typical comfort zone–Florida–in favor of less infested pastures. A family road trip turns into a polarizing experience they fractures the Euthanasia family and Florida as a whole.

Oh, and if you were ever waiting for mini-golf and Cannibals for Christ to show up in a Teenage Euthanasia episode then this is the one for you!

Our Take:

Teenage Euthanasia is a dark animated series, but one that is unabashedly about the importance of family. Every Teenage Euthanasia episode explores some fractured family dynamic in attempts to bring these family members closer together and to put aside any differences. In this sense, a family vacation is prime territory for Teenage Euthanasia to tackle as it applies its own twisted take to the traditional idea. “A Very Fantasy Vacation” evokes a grander scope that feels fitting for a season finale when Annie reveals that this is actually the Euthanasia family’s first vacation. The stresses and joys of this intimate act make for a satisfying premise for Teenage Euthanasia as its second season comes to a close. A whole season’s worth of growth and development is put in a familial pressure cooker as the Euthanasia family gets tested–and loved–harder than ever.

There are many different ways that Teenage Euthanasia could choose to depict the world outside of Florida, but ”A Very Fantasy Vacation” takes a more subdued approach here rather than some Wizard of Oz-esque paradigm shift. Such a visual shift would be a lot of fun and is hardly outside of Teenage Euthanasia’s ambition and reach. The episode just ultimately has bigger ideas to tend to beyond a radical makeover for the rest of the world. The Euthanasia family hit the road and their quest for extended family instigates some mixed emotions between Baba, Uncle Pete, and Annie, the latter of which is content to simply get a chance to play some long overdue road trip car games. Each character gets occupied with a totally different form of drama, all of which quite literally crashes into each other by the episode’s end. 

“A Very Fantasy Vacation” does unite the entire Euthanasia family. However, Trophy’s eyebrow drama nearly ruins this sweet family exercise. Trophy and her “falsies” are a threadbare plot that wears itself out pretty quickly, but it’s aware of its irrelevancy and how wild it is to go so deep on such a non-idea. This is tricky territory to tonally play right and Trophy doesn’t struggle when it comes to creating this vain mountain out of the smallest of molehills. Trophy literally changes America’s geography with her death powers as a simple way to resolve her mounting eyebrow bills and ravenous debt collectors. 

“A Very Fantasy Vacation” goes against the grain and spends a sizable portion of the episode in an unremarkable roadside rest stop and motel instead of a sweet familial homecoming. What would typically be a momentary distraction in most series goes on to dominate the episode and gives each member of the family something unique to do. This tiny, grimy location becomes a microcosm for human storytelling that brings out the best and worst of this family at a time when they need to see it the most.

Teenage Euthanasia co-creator and Florida resident Alissa Nutting is the perfect person to pen this episode. If “A Very Fantasy Vacation” does happen to be the show’s final episode then it’s an excellent, authentic note for Teenage Euthanasia to go out on. This is such a well paced episode that finds a successful momentum to its storytelling. The same obstacles recur and build across each of the episode’s locations. It’s a sardonic installment that highlights the power of family, while also authentically bolstering Trophy’s independent ignorance, all in a story that astutely undercuts Florida. It’s everything that audiences want out of a Teenage Euthanasia episode and a positive reminder of how much fun it is to spend time with this freaky family. With any luck, this is only the start of Teenage Euthanasia’s family vacations with many more to come.

Bingo, indeed.