Review: Corner Gas Animated “Parachute the Messenger”

Overview:

With a new skydiving school open just outside of Dog River, Lacey wants to fulfil her dream of jumping out of an aeroplane. Wanda also gets to live out her dream of pushing someone out of a plane. But when Brent finds out that Lacey chose Wanda over him for emotional support, he throws on his own chute.

Meanwhile, the local cell phone network is down. And with nobody able to text, Hank takes an opportunity to get in the loop. Delivering messages for people all over Dog River is a pretty fun gig until the cops want to break his terms and services and read the private texts.

Our Take:

Season four of Corner Gas Animated is jumping right into things with a story all about skydiving. There was no doubt that this new season would be ambitious with new storylines. The big surprise is that new episodes are dropping already as season three just wrapped up in December. Thankfully, it is looking like Corner Gas is hoping to continue its popularity on screens across Canada.

The fresh episode delivers everything that we have come to expect out of Corner Gas after 6 live-action seasons, a full-length feature, and three animated seasons. The dueling plots continue to incorporate the full cast, with the quirky storytelling we love.  

Of course, one thing fans keep an eye out for in new seasons is the inclusion of famous Canadian guest stars. Season four kicks off with a significant cameo in Kids in the Hall alum, Mark McKinney. It is a special appearance for the fact that McKinney is the first (and only) actor to appear in both the live-action and animated adaptations of Corner Gas that is not a part of the regular cast. And his character of Frank Shoddy of Shoddy Skydiving does not disappoint.

Though you may think that the highlight of this episode would be the skydiving storyline, Hank’s text messaging hustle is by far more entertaining. Not only does Hank’s naïve ways make this ripe for awkward situations, but the plot is also intertwined with a mystery involving a confiscated rototiller. The complex story mixed with Hank’s dim-witted humour is the show’s writing at its best.

Still, the best joke of the episode dropped in the cold-open. Through multiple interviews with show creator and star Brent Butt, we have learned that the animated series sits within a nebulous of time. Whereabouts these events land within series cannon will never be known, as it is purposely placed outside of time. So, when Brent asks Hank what year he thinks it is, only to have the question posed back to him, it is a deep and humorous moment.

This was a great episode to kick off the fourth and final season of Corner Gas Animated. Fans can take comfort knowing that this show was not cancelled because they fell off of their game. The series is as witty and fun as ever, and this should be an exciting season. There is no doubt that the final 11-episodes may take us to greater heights than even this skydiving episode.