Review: The Great North “Brace/Off Adventure”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Judy embarks on a journey after getting some unexpected news from the dentist.

Our Take:

The Animation Domination musical continues as FOX’s latest animated sitcom kicks off its second season with songs about braces. The show, which premiered back in January, has made a solid impression on its audience with its Bob’s Burgers-like style and humorous stories. Now, it’s attempting to see if these elements could work again in its sophomore season. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of The Great North, and I liked them well enough to give its second season a shot.

Like the season 33 premiere of The Simpsons, The Great North started its latest season with an episode that resembles a musical. However, instead of singing about a high school musical revival, the characters in The Great North are singing about Judy’s braces. So brace yourself, ladies and gentlemen. This is going to get weird.

It depicts Judy reminiscing her experience with her dentist appointment during open mic night and how she got here in the first place. During her appointment, she gets some news from Dr. Gary that she’ll have her braces removed. This resulted in Judy facing the most significant change in her life. Meanwhile, Beef and the rest of the family deal with a toaster problem.

First off, I want to point out that the musical aspect of this episode was unnecessary. It offered some pretty entertaining songs, but it felt like the writers added them in to join The Simpsons in emphasizing the Animation Domination musical marketing campaign. The story would still play out the same if the musical numbers were removed, but that’s just my two cents. Other than that, it’s a solid episode that deals with Judy’s biggest step towards adulthood.

I liked this episode because it explored Judy’s internal struggle between keeping her braces and removing them so she can go to open mic night with her friends. It’s a scenario that many teenagers deal with when they have braces themselves. The show reflected on that situation in a comedic and honest way when it comes to the story. While I don’t have any experience with having braces, I thought the episode handled this part very well. The humor was also a delight to watch, especially during its third act. Judy’s dream about riding a bus full of her teeth was weirdly amusing, and the Tobin family’s toaster problem was a nice distraction from the drama.

Overall, the braces episode in The Great North continues the show’s ascent to animation gold. While the musical aspect was an unnecessary addition to Judy’s coming-of-age story, it’s a decent start to the underdog’s sophomore season. With its solid storyline, entertaining songs, and decent humor, the season two premiere delivered another good reason why this show shouldn’t go unnoticed.