Review: Fired on Mars “The Fibonacci Sequence/Marsiversary”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The Fibonacci Sequence

The Buckies scramble to avoid being caught while Jeff slips further to the dark side of Mars.ly corporate.

Marsiversary 

As Marsiversary celebrations begin, Trevor continues tracking Hubert while Crystal searches for a missing Jeff, following a trail that leads to Tee’s crew.

Our Take:

Well, things just went from worse to disastrous for our unlucky employee. We last left off with Jeff’s idea to feed the locusts backfiring due to him taking Sluggo’s clock without him noticing. When Sluggo took back what is rightfully his, it set off a chain reaction resulting in the grasshoppers being set loose all over the building. In short, Jeff’s plan has put the Buckies at risk of exposure, as if balancing meeting with the Buckies with creating an ad for the Marsiversary was stressful enough.

The series has left me with some optimism for the future of adult animation. Sure, its depressing concept may leave specific people with something undesirable. Still, Fired on Mars is what I would call a serviceable example of adult animation being more than just sex jokes, pop culture references, and adult language every few seconds. Instead, it’s used to express storytelling and complex themes through visual style and creativeness, which is its depiction of depression, reinventing one’s self, and a demeaning corporate culture. With the final two episodes finally on display, the series had an opportunity to finish this well-executed journey strong, and it did so with ease. 

In its seventh episode, Fired on Mars cranks up the stakes with the Buckies going into hiding. Because of the incident Jeff caused, the secret group is now being branded as terrorists, and Jeff’s relationship with Crystal has officially gone to shit. With Jeff being an outcast again, the unlucky employee now focuses on impressing his bosses and Tee with his ads for the upcoming Marsiversary event.  

The episode is where we see the company’s true nature slowly unfold as they attempt to cover up the locust incident with a special report involving an experimental food program. However, Trevor Sullivan (Thomas Haden Church) doesn’t believe this lie and is hired by Darren to investigate further. This leads to an intense confrontation with Hubert, who’s attempting to retrieve the blood samples from their hideout. We also see Jeff being exposed to Tee’s secret club, the Centauri House, where Tee asks Jeff’s help in reinventing the company.

The finale, “Marsiversary”, continues where the previous episode left off. Unfortunately, with the celebrations underway, things continue to go downhill for the company. Darren is let go by Brandon for hiring Trevor and letting the equipment be stolen, leading him to anger and depression. Additionally, Trevor continues to hunt down Hubert, who’s hiding out in the garden house, despite being betrayed by Darren. Trevor is the type of character who refuses to back down when they have their eyes set on the target, and Thomas Haden Church did an impressive job manifesting that personality with his vocal performance. But, of course, I can’t forget about the main character, Jeff, who has gone missing during the special Marsiversary presentation. In actuality, however, Jeff was escaping from the company, leaving audiences with a montage showcasing what Mars really needs.

The conclusion may have left things open-ended regarding the supporting characters’ fate. However, it’s also satisfying, given how much Jeff has gone through for a corrupted corporation that doesn’t respect him. It represented him being free from the pressures and grief that he got from working for Mars.ly and trying to find acceptance in the business. The final two episodes of Fired on Mars left me wondering what would happen next for Jeff and the other employees he left behind. However, they also gave me a thought-provoking closure to Jeff’s struggles that have haunted him since he got fired.