Bubble IE Review: ENDS MEET Season One Episode One

We went out and hired an Irish reviewer to check out the new series from RTE2!

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Ends Meet is a new series of cartoon shorts, set in the heart of working-class Dublin. The show is a light-hearted commentary on life at the social periphery for an unemployed single father named Beezer. Clocking in at around twelve minutes, each episode serves up a snapshot of Beezer’s efforts to make ends meet, in a world that seems to be stacked against him. Without ever being too heavy-handed, the show successfully manages to satirize class struggle, while balancing it with flawed human characters we can all relate to in some small way. Beezer removes his house number to avoid paying his bills, fantasizes about outlandish ways to make money (selling blood to rich weirdos!), and gets carried away with his inner child to avoid being an adult. If any of these ring true, you’ll probably find something to like in Ends Meet.

The first episode sees Beezer talked into buying a scrambler motorbike that he definitely can’t afford. Beezer’s son, Seanóg,  pleads with him to test drive the bike, but he is soon wooed into purchasing it by a smooth-talking auto salesman with a thick south Dublin accent. Beezer seems to have little control over his own life choices, instead of being swept along by whatever seems most appealing in the moment, leading him further and further down a road to nowhere. This theme is played out before our eyes as Beezer, selfishly taking his shiny new scrambler on to the open road without letting Seanóg have a go. The sweet taste of freedom is, of course, short-lived, and he soon crashes the bike to avoid hitting a dog. While tending to the animal, a truck roars by and smashes Beezer’s brand new bike into scrap metal, leaving him heavily in debt. Poor Seanóg is heartbroken that he never got to ride the bike that was his idea in the first place. In an attempt to make amends to his son, Beezer presents Seanóg with a dog that causes the bike to crash. Seanóg is overjoyed, and the episode almost closes on a happy note, before we see the postman arrive at the window with a fistful of bills…

Our Take:

While never having any true laugh out loud moments, the first episode of Ends Meet is an enjoyable watch. The show’s short running time makes for a quick hit of comic relief that can be watched in the same amount of time it takes to drink a cup of tea. It’s unlikely that you will wet your pants laughing, but there is a strange feeling of warmth and comfort that the show’s simple characters and storyline provide, much like a cup of tea! The tone of the show is a curious mix of moody silliness that is reminiscent of F is for Family. However, I would say that one’s enjoyment of the show would probably depend on their familiarity with the salt of the earth Dublin slang, which the dialogue relies heavily upon. The voice-work is solid if a little bit unvaried, but does a good job of bringing the animated world of Dublin to life. Overall, I was left wanting more from the first episode of Ends Meet, which is a good thing. Here’s hoping the show’s creators can build upon the likable characters, up the humor a bit, and provide some thought-provoking storylines in the episodes to come.

 

Score
6.5/10