Review: The Loud House “Blinded By Science; Band Together”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

“Blinded By Science”

Lisa (who gets her brilliantly nasally voice from Lara Jill Miller, of 1980s sitcom “Gimme a Break!” fame) needs new research to present during her keynote speech at Genius Con, but none of her current projects are up to snuff. Lincoln advises a brain-boosting Flippy from the gas station, but brain freeze isn’t the only thing his genius sister discovers: she also finds a test subject worth telling the world about. John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama, Jake on Adventure Time, and so many others) voices gas station proprietor, medical anomaly, and general schmoe Flip, who agrees to allow Lisa to use him as a test subject in exchange for publicity for his business. But things get tricky after a shady scientist from Incognito Labs wants to experiment on him as well. Could there be unexpected downsides to life as a human lab rat?

“Band Together”

Luna (Nika Futterman, who you may have heard as Hawkgirl in DC Super Hero Girls) has been spending her days rocking out and enjoying pranks with her tight-knit band, The Moon Goats. But this musically inclined Loud has dreams beyond rocking out at the local bingo hall. So when big name talent manager Katie Crest (Ursula Taherian, also known as Nafisa Samadi in Madam Secretary) comes to town, Luna rallies the rest of the Goats to try to win the opportunity to play for her and make it big. Most of their attempts fall flat, but after tirelessly persisting, they finally get their shot. Crest is impressed, but wants Luna to join her, but in a solo capacity. Crest explains she’d be replacing a lead singer who had to leave her musical career after her cat became an influencer. Luna is excited for the opportunity, and while she’s sad to break up the band, she’s ready to pursue fame. But it turns out life as a professional musician may not be as fun or glamorous as she’d hoped. She tries to reunite with her friends, but discovers it may be too late: they’ve found a replacement, and she may have to resign to her new role as a roadie.

Our Take

As much as I adore science related storylines and gas station culture, the plot of “Blinded by Science” feels a little too thin to be truly memorable, although it manages to squeeze in a few solid jokes. There’s not a ton of character development either. Most of the humor comes from Flip’s unusual anatomy, and related sound effects, courtesy of DiMaggio, of course. In fact, the highlight of episode is the the reveal of his most notable unusual feature: a double buttcrack, which also lends itself to his new promotional slogan “come for the snacks, stay for the cracks!” But from there things kind of fall apart, as he’s whisked away to his new, handsomely-paid life with Incognito Labs, who’s nefarious ulterior motive is…to shoot a human into space without a space suit? There’s nothing wrong with an outlandish premise, but this one just doesn’t really have any rhyme or reason aside from being wacky (and also, uh, don’t the baddies suffer this exact fate? That’s just poor launch protocol, people!) At least we get to hear Janet Varney (aka Korra from The Legend of Korra) flex her range as villainous Dr. Linnaeus (botany reference!) before wrapping up with one last fart joke and calling it a day.

“Band Together” succeeds where “Blinded by Science” falls flat by focusing on the unexpected consequences of fame and giving Luna a chance to develop by remembering what’s truly important in life. Luna has her eyes on the prize of rockstar life, and in pursuing that nearly abandons the close, fun friendships that make her band unique. I feel like this type of storyline doesn’t get enough credit, especially in cartoons. Yes, loyalty and “the power of friendship” are harped on and given lip service to, but it’s rare to see a character get to pursue their dreams and have that just…fall flat. Sure, a lucky break and being given any sort of shot is unlikely, but the passionless corporate existence of professional “rock stars” seems, well, pretty realistic. That’s not to say there’s not still genuine bands or people in the music industry that have fun and enjoy what they do, but at the end of the day, most “bands” are businesses, and businesses have to make money. When she finally comes to her senses and goes running back to The Moon Goats, she finds they’re not just waiting around for her with open arms. They’ve replaced her with former roadie/bingo caller Chunk (another Joe DiMaggio spot, surprise!), because, hey, life goes on! The message of “fame is boring and your friends have lives, too” is refreshing, but not played up to be too sad. More of this please! Also, hearing DiMaggio don a British accent for Chunk, and Futterman do the same for the front desk attendant is a fun aside.

In the end, this week’s offerings come to one swing and a miss, and one decent hit. I’ll be tuning in next week to see how things progress!