Review: Common Side Effects “Dumpsite”

Overview

Marshall buys a plot of land near a chemical waste site with a plan to grow more mushrooms; Frances rushes home from Europe after a huge development; Copano and Harrington investigate a connection between Marshall and Frances.

Our Take

Marshall still has a number of people after him but that herd is starting to thin out and I’m LOVING the way this is happening. Common Side Effects is throwing out the rule books of what most animated comedies do and instead we’re getting Adult Swim’s long-sought out answer to Breaking Bad. A show that blends comedy, dramatic elements, mystery, thrills, and enthralling performances is the type of stuff you wouldn’t expect from an Adult Swim series, but here we are, getting exactly that.

Dave King is bringing so much nuance and heartfelt energy to his performance as Marshall Cuso and he’s got me wagging my tale like a puppy waiting on his every scene. Forget the fact that somehow Marshall is somehow able to just walk into various businesses with no shirt on, you can’t help but root for the guy in every situation with his borderline god-like superpowers. Emily Pendergast dazzles as Frances because, for some reason, I don’t trust her entirely just yet and if I’m getting those sentiments about an animated character then you know we’re getting something different.

We’re nearly through the midway point of the season but I’m sure I’m going to be spending more time with not just the aforementioned characters but the series does a good job of both culling older characters whilst introducing new ones along the way of Marshall’s journey. We’ve started getting brief, but important, flashbacks that showcase Marshall and Frances’ high school dealings which, together with watching the deterioration of Nick and Frances’ relationship, has me thinking there could be some big moments on the horizon, but who knows with the way this show moves?

It should be noted that I didn’t think the Copano and Harrington investigation was THAT in depth, clearly these two are still hunting down leads as are the other different factions that are trying to track down both Marshall and Frances, a couple of which seemed to have fallen off but who knows, really?

But, yeah, I’m hooked. Adult Swim was wise with this one, and we’ll see you on the other side. I’m not sure what’s going to be there but I can’t wait to find out.