Review: The Shivering Truth “Nesslessness”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The latest brain-scratching episode of The Shivering Truth chooses the rich area of selflessness as its newest obsession of dissection. Different characters are presented with several opportunities where they can lean towards the greater good, or themselves, as well as how sometimes the lines between the two can be blurred. Characters learn that sometimes a good deed can go unreturned and that the quest for selflessness isn’t as simple as it may seem. Sometimes a helping hand can actually be a sharp talon that’s covered in poison.

Our Take:

The Shivering Truth isn’t afraid to ask the big questions in life—in fact, it relishes those existential quandaries. The major aim in “Nesslessness”is to look at the true nature of selflessness and if such a thing is even possible. Every episode of this series examines flawed individuals who are in pain and it’s full of characters who just want to be seen. These are inherently human compulsions, but “Nesslessness” really pushes it to the limit and looks at the topic in some unexpected ways. It amounts to another weird and thoughtful episode of The Shivering Truth.

The opening segment that initiates “Nesslessness” is a brief idea, but it accomplishes a lot in its short time. It plays with the concept of radical diets and the anachronistic nature that’s often present with people who have body image issues. It’s always a lot of fun when The Shivering Truth can key into some weird piece of trivia and use it to fuel an entire sequence, which is what it feels with the whole “celery expends more calories than it provides” revelation. It’s an idea that elegantly illustrates the concept of “nesslessness” that this episode is interested in with all of its stories. Achieving perfection can just incite regret over no longer being fallible. It’s an impossible game to win, which is The Shivering Truth’s favorite kind of pastime.

“Nesslessness” digs into this question of “true selflessness” with a reasonable parable about helping the homeless. A simple act of generosity spirals out of control and the episode looks at the nature of why people actually help others. Of course there are genuinely altruistic individuals out there, but “Nesslessness” is more interested in those that do good deeds for the satisfaction that it fills them with and explores how difficult it can be to actually do good in the world, even when you’re doing good in the world.

This boils down to a few simple examples with the homeless, which both get taken to existential extremes here. A homeless person’s desire to work for their food leads to an otherwise healthy individual passing on because this homeless person’s chosen vocation is hospice work. The dissatisfaction over not being properly informed of the ingredients on a sandwich also takes a character to the depths of hell and finds the common ground between the two.

This quest for selflessness heads into some Jonathan Swift-esque territory where a mother threatens to eat her child and leads them through life as more of an entrée than a child. There are some fantastic food-based gags that stem from out of this unconventional strategy to avoid damnation. The hell beast’s disgust over these actions is also a great way to signify that somehow has truly gone off the deep end. It’s a fascinating idea to use the threat of ultimate selflessness almost like a knife that’s always being held up against this demon’s throat. It’s a creative way to look at selflessness as a form of blackmail.

The final piece of this existential mosaic involves a man who refuses to accept fear into his life, even when it’s beyond obvious and danger is constantly hanging over his shoulder. It’s an example of denial in the highest order. This manifests into a superiority complex situation when the man effectively mansplains how to safely escape a car crash to the victim. It turns out that both of these people are so consumed by their severe conditions, which strangely compliment each other. They become the perfect couple through their defective nature. The conclusion here is the sort of beautiful nonsense that only The Shivering Truth can achieve. “Nesslessness” heads into full rom-com territory, only it’s between a man and some car wreckage. It’s just as messed up as it sounds like it would be, especially when he understands that he’s really just in a literal relationship with nostalgia.

I may sound like a bit of a broken record when it comes to the level of detail and precision that’s put into The Shivering Truth’s models and visual style, but it’s something that warrants continual repeating. The gore effects or the heap of organs that accumulate in the episode’s introduction is especially effective and unnerving. A good deal of this episode is also set in a heavenly void, as well as the depths of hell and both are wonderfully captured. The way in which the character’s skin slowly melts away while in this fiery prison is a great touch. There’s another beautiful set piece that revolves around a series of floating knives that follow a character around and it’s so well handled. The same can be said for the series of car crashes that conclude the segment that take place like some kind of poetic ballet.

“Nesslessness” is another exceptional installment of The Shivering Truth that pairs some highly creative ideas with gorgeous visuals and a surreal sensibility. This episode in particular is interested in questions of fulfillment and it gets to tackle that from many different angles. It also tells yet another surreal love story, which are usually some of the most powerful segments in The Shivering Truth. This is one of the better examples of how disparate ideas can come together in the end and it also features some of the better jokes from the season so far. It’s exciting to see just how confident The Shivering Truth is getting with its stories and the second half of this season will no doubt be just as strong as these episodes.

And remember, even the homeless hate mayonnaise.