Review: Common Side Effects “Raid”

Overview

Agents from the FBI and the DEA storm the site – with tragic consequences. The fate of the mushroom is decided.

Our Take

One of the things I’ve regretted the most about my reviews of Common Side Effects during the show’s first season is probably that I haven’t been singing the praises of the show’s directors as much as I should have. I’ll have a season review posted next week that will hopefully make up for a lot of that, but in the meantime Camille Bozec was a sensational choice to not only direct multiple episodes of the series, including the pilot episode, but also the show’s first season finale. Everything you could want a director to deliver in an episode, she delivered in spades. The trip sequences, the heart-pounding dramatic sequences, the touching somber moments, and everything in between. This Camille Bozec is something else, and really all of the directors have been fabulous this season and Green Street Pictures has been something of a flower that has been watched to bloom over the course of the last year.

The raid has happened, the reverberations of that raid are set, and season two is officially a go. Yes, this is a cliffhanger episode with a multitude of hooks that are guaranteeing that I will show up next season. The writing, art style, voice acting, and storytelling are top-notch. The characters are relatable, the humor is sharp, and the action has kept me on the edge of my seat since day one.

As for what’s next,that’s anyone’s guess. If the season finale of Common Side Effects season one is any indication of what the future may hold, then we are in for a friggin’ treat for season two and the series is already teasing a number of exciting threads to get us excited for what’s to come. Check back in next week as we go through the whole season of Common Side Effects one last-time, until then, stream this series on MAX and watch all of the marathons on Adult Swim.