Review: Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks “The Fugitives; Sherlock Chipmunk”

We play catch-up with Alvinnn!

Overview (Possible Spoilers Below)

“The Fugitives”

The episode begins when our three main leads are running away in a forest while stating that they’re now “fugitives” on camera which feels reminiscent of those “POV-shot/found footage” genre films I often have a genuine disdain for as the story-structure itself keeps jump-cutting to whatever is being shown on camera. We do later get an explanation to the events that lead up to what’s going on now, as it takes a “historical narrative” approach when Alvin feels the need to rewind the camera footage back to where it all started. Apparently, Alvin was attempting to invent a new game called “Thumper-Ball” which involves Alvin and Theodore playing ball indoors with Simon holding the camera much to Dave’s dismay.Of course, it starts to get much more predictable & cliche when a large flatscreen TV shows up at Dave’s doorstep that Dave purchased on sale.

Long after their new TV is finally installed, their game of Thumper-Ball continues, and given that they just had to play their damn game in the Living room, it goes about as well as you’d expect… As the boys leave to get food & supplies from The Chipettes, and fearing the wrath of Dave, they proceed to run away deeming themselves fugitives for their immature mistake. As they reminisce about their happier times with Dave by watching old camera footage via-montage, they begin to get sad & homesick until Dave finally shows up. Compared to how they boys think he’d react, Dave is surprisingly much calmer & concerned about their well being which a sweet moment, at least until Alvin confesses to Dave about another mishap he made involving the washing machine and the episode ends when Dave Demands Simon to turn the camera off.

“Sherlock Chipmunk”

As Theodore’s birthday approaches, his plush Teddybear mysteriously disappears leading him to seek Jeanette & Eleanor for help as Jeanette decides to use this chance to solve a mystery like the Sherlock Holmes novels she’s fascinated with reading and has Elenore be her “Watson”. As Jenette questions every possible suspect who might hold a grudge against his Teddybear for some reason, they find a clue around Theodore’s bed leading to montage of Theodore missing his plush bear while the two girls examine their possible lead which turns out to be a type of Jam that was previously handled & owned by their neighbor Miss Croner.

While getting to her home, they notice sticky footprints which just happen to belong to Simon and after questioning him, it turns out that Simon was simply donating stuff to charity and keeping it a secret from Alvin due to his greedy nature. Long after getting to Miss Croner’s place, Eleanor causes a distraction while Jeanette sneaks around her house for clues only to find the hat belonging to Theodore’s Teddy and in a big reveal all the questions leading up to this moment are answered as Alvin explains that he made a deal with Croner which involved eating something in exchange for sewing Theodore’s plush toy a superhero outfit, but the episode ends on a comedic & happy note when Theodore gets his Teddy back for his birthday, and Alvin’s dilemma manages to solve itself in a very unexpected way.

Our Take

Both storylines I kinda saw coming a mile away, but I was mildly entertained at how they managed to update all six male & female chipmunk leads to some degree that it makes sense. I’m not particularly fond of “The Fugitives” as it felt like a cliche storyline straight out of an old Brady Bunch episode, but at least “Sherlock Chipmunk” kept me entertained enough to laugh.

While the storylines seemed predictable through the eyes of a grown adult, it’s not as terrible as I thought it would be, and compared to those low-brow live-action films, it’s at least harmless enough to entertain your kids.

Score
8/10