Review: Hotel Transylvania the Series “Frankenstunt/What About Blob?”

The fun with Mavis (Bryn McAuley), Hank (Gage Munroe), Wendy (Evyn Rosen), and Pedro (Joseph Motiki) continues at Hotel Transylvania. Hank’s father, Frankenstein, is a movie star currently filming Detective Fist Punch at the hotel.

But Hank learns that his father isn’t responsible for stunts. Instead, gremlins fulfill that role. Hank’s initially disappointed. Mavis relays this to Frankenstein, who decides to try his own stunts. Unfortunately, it’s a scene that’s dubbed far too dangerous even for the stunt actors. Frankenstein gets blown to pieces, but since he’s comprised of disembodied parts, the doctor can put him back together.

Because he can’t act, Hank decided to step in and play the role of Det. Fist Punch. Luckily, it’s a flashback scene to Punch’s youth. It’s an enjoyable episode, and admittedly endearing. The bonding between Frankenstein and Hank is rather charming. I like the humourous portrayal of the film industry. There’s a comical line “Who knew they gave out awards for screenwriting.” One of my favorite parts is a throwback to The Little Shop of Horrors.

There is a musical segment where Pedro and Hank rap. This simply doesn’t do anything for me and it feels distracting and unnecessary. I suspect it’s an attempt to reach out to a young generation and lend a mature vibe to the show. But instead, it’s just an awkward, short section that seems stuck in.

“What About Blob” sees the meeting of the minds conference hits the hotel. Accordingly, Aunt Lydia (Dan Chameroy) is in a tizzy. Meanwhile, Bob Blob, Wendy’s father, is trying to be cool. This, of course, backfires completely and instead annoys Wendy. Mavis and Wendy concoct a plan to set up Lydia and Blob on a date.

There’s a gem of a line from Mavis “We’re teenage girls. We know everything there is to know about everything.” This as you can guess, does not go as planned. Lydia and Blob have it out, and Bob Blob decides to move to the Cramptons which is a parody of the Hamptons. Mavis and company work it out so the Blob’s don’t move.

“What About Blob?” is another excellent episode. Again, it’s a bit safe which isn’t necessarily a con. It’s just nothing that novel. Aside from another unnecessary musical number, it’s a solid entry in the Hotel Transylvania series. My only complaint is the decided lack of horror references. This seems like a huge missed opportunity. For instance, “What About Blob” lacks references to The Blob. Ok, I’m a bit biased, because the 1987 Blob is one of my favorite sci-fi flicks. But if shows like the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles can pull off references to horror movies like Halloween III: Season of the Witch (the only Halloween entry sans Michael Myers, and one of my favorite horror flicks of all time), then surely Hotel Transylvania can muster a few throwbacks.

Overall, “Frankenstunt/What About Blob” are enjoyable episodes. Just don’t expect much new.