Review: Blark and Son “Meet Regina”

Love is in the war-torn skies. Captain Blark to the rescue!

Overview (Spoilers Below)

In this episode, Son has invited over a classmate to work on a school project. The stakes seem pretty high when Son tells Blark that is he fails the project, he will die. We soon learn that this classmate is a girl. Cue awkward teenage crush mode!

Blark recognizes the love sickness that’s come over his son when Regina (voiced by Deborah Baker Junior) comes in. In his eyes, it’s his duty to be Son’s wing-man and he is up to the task. After some chit-chat about Regina’s grandmother, Gene, Blark pulls Son aside to let him know he has his back. Son pushes back and lets his father know, he’s got this.

Regina quickly discovers Son’s toy collection, and he thinks he must be dreaming when she approves. We learn that Regina is a talkative character, and Son is hanging on to every word. When Blark (of course) bursts in to break up the conversation, Son apologizes for his Dad’s behavior, and we learn Regina’s father is mostly absent, so she doesn’t mind.

After several failed attempts by Blark to make the sparks fly, Regina finally asks Son to play mind-melding game. Son sees his opportunity to prove he has a deep connection to Regina, but can’t stop looking at the doorknob, thinking his Dad could burst in at any moment. He puts the game on hold to leave the room to confront and threaten Blark, and returns to find Regina chatting with Zeke, voiced by director Adam Aseraf. Zeke has been established as Son’s online best friend in previous episodes.

Regina has to leave shortly after, and the two never get to meld minds. While clearly dejected, Son seems happy to see Regina say she’ll have to return to finish the project, since they (she) spent all their time talking. The episode ends when Blark comes to comfort Son as he lays depressed in bed, thinking he’s blown it with Regina.

Our Take

This episode brings in a female love interest for Son, and it did a fantastic job. A show that plays on tropes of teenage angst introduce Regina as a complex character. This episode lets us into her somewhat troubled past. Heavy subject matter, once again, is placed among enough brilliant one-liners and relatable awkwardness that we don’t feel sorry for anyone, but rather interested.

Blark’s obsession with Son, which is the main subject matter of the show, takes a back seat to showcase another side of Son. As a teenager, we see he’s not only dealing with his helicopter (or is it warplane?) Dad. Son takes his friendship with Regina seriously, and it’s actually really cute.

The work by the puppeteers is particularly impressive, with Son and Regina both engaging in anime-style mock-combat moves that don’t look clumsy. The production of the show remains professional and artistic.

We look forward to seeing more of Regina, and delving deeper the universe of Blark and Son, especially when the journey is this full of laughs.