Review: The Great North “Barrel Be Blood Adventure”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Beef loses his temper when a hi-tech seafood vending machine lowers the price of fish in Lone Moose. Meanwhile, Judy and Kima become junior members of an all-female smokejumper crew.

Our Take:

There’s nothing wrong with providing technological upgrades to a specific food, including fish. However, when they cause a negative reaction to a food business made from nature, that’s crossing the line. That happened in this week’s episode of The Great North, with Beef facing off against the power of technology. When a seafood vending machine known as “Fish in a Barrel” starts invading Lone Moose, it causes the price of regular fish to decrease. For example, the salmon is now one dollar per pound, even though it’s initially doubled the price. With people buying seafood from Fish in a Barrel instead of getting regular fish from the ocean, Beef gets pissed and decides to get rid of the vending machine for good.

The episode sees Beef, Laundra, Craig, and the family attempting to upsell Fish in a Barrel by running a mobile fish-selling business. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work out well, as people are still invested in the vending machine. This resulted in Beef and the others stealing the machine and putting it in the woods. When that also failed, Beef, Laundra, and Craig went to the company to set things straight, but that also backfired. Beef eventually gives up on the crusade but later realizes that the seafood products are made from different materials instead of fresh fish. The real truth about Fish in a Barrel is later revealed as a coverup for providing illegal weapons.

“Barrel Be Blood Adventure” offers another series of humorous sitcom shenanigans we expect from the show, with Beef trying to save his fish business from the dangers of technology. However, The Great North always provides realistic themes amid its clever humor and charm, with this episode being another great example. “Barrel Be Blood Adventure” delivered a suitably entertaining and honest representation of technology’s evolution in the food business. It provides the positive side of having prepared food from a vending machine without the back-breaking work. However, it also displays the harmful effects of the scenario, with technology overshadowing traditional businesses and affecting people’s jobs. While it’s okay to eat food products from a machine, the episode showcases that nothing can beat eating something fresh from the hands of human beings and mother nature.

The episode’s side-plot involves Judy and Kima joining Kima’s mother’s smokejumper crew as junior members after being inspired by a Reese Witherspoon movie involving smokejumpers. They’re ecstatic to be a part of the action, but their excitement quickly turns to disappointment when they realize that the crew is a bunch of lazy asses. Even worse is that Judy and Kima are hired as their maids. This resulted in the girls attempting to get the team back into shape by making an obstacle course out of tires and hoses, only to realize that the crew wasn’t as lazy as they thought. This is another B-side plot I enjoyed because it subverted the traditional formula involving turning a sluggish team into champs. Additionally, it explores the difference between expectation and reality with a humorous touch.

Overall, “Barrel Be Blood Adventure” is another strong episode worthy of being part of the show’s third season. It delivers on the subtle humor and heart but also doesn’t stray away from its positive messages, mainly technological upgrades in the food business. So the next time you think about getting prepared food from a machine, take this episode into account. It’ll help you realize how much work people put into providing something made from nature. Let’s hope the upcoming last two episodes can successfully conclude the show’s third season and not be as disappointing as the fake seafood products.