Halloween is never without shenanigans!
On Blockbuster Season 1 Episode 3, the gang must contend with a pair of twin pranksters, a new intern causes grief for Carlos, while Kayla and Connie investigate a potential murder.
It’s got all the makings of a classic Halloween episode.
The Damon/Carlos plot is the best part of the whole episode.
It was painfully obvious the entire time that Damon was trying to get Carlos to like him, but Carlos was blind to it due to his own ego about being the smartest film expert.
If he’d stopped to take notice that he and Damon had much in common (and that he was super cute!), they could have gotten together a lot sooner.
I’m glad the show went there, but it’s a shame it had to end so quickly (though it feels on-brand for Damon to be in a Halloween-all-year cult).
Carlos: What the hell is your problem?
Damon: Oh, well, I’m allergic to tree nuts. Gluten wrecks me. The sun and I, we’re not friends —
The whole Shadow Lake Killer storyline didn’t really work. The glee with which Kayla and Connie pursued their investigation made it all feel pretty dark.
Maybe it’s just a comment on how we’ve dehumanized the victims of true crime stories and sensationalized murderers (yes, I’m looking at you, Netflix).
Kayla: That was almost really bad.
Connie: Almost really bad is the story of my life.
This was Hannah’s mother — Hannah, their friend and co-worker — and there was still a sense of detachment there.
If the whole thing was supposed to be funny, it didn’t feel that way. It was uncomfortable.
Also, it was strange that they completely tossed out the possibility once they discovered that Hannah’s mom didn’t like reading. It was as though the writers weren’t quite sure how to wrap it up.
Why would Kayla and Connie drop the whole thing, even though Hannah’s mom fit all the rest of the criteria for the Shadow Lake Killer’s victims (redhead, 5’9″, etc.)? I don’t buy it.
We haven’t had this many customers since 50 Shades of Grey made the whole country horny.
Timmy
The Halloween costumes were delightful, as always fun to get insight on a character to see how they dress up for Halloween.
Eliza as Murphy Brown makes total sense, and she triumphantly pulled off the look, even after she got bloodied. Carlos (and Damon) made sense as the most obscure version of Dracula because they are horror film hipsters.
Hannah, as a dalmatian, felt appropriate since she’s not the brightest but lovable and pure of heart (and definitely a Disney lover).
Timmy’s Jurassic Park ranger velociraptor rider hampered nearly everything he did, but it showed his stubborn commitment to the bit.
By chance, do you know if we carry the butthole cut of Cats?
Damon
The pranks/pranksters didn’t always land. The pranks were funny, but it felt like they could have done more with this. They were mostly just annoying, and the comedy of it didn’t seem to go anywhere.
I was waiting for Eliza and Percy to accidentally shoot Timmy with rancid mustard balloons or something climactic and awful like that.
That’s what you call a bait and switch (appropriate, given it was at a fishing/hunting supply store)!
Eliza is not unlike Melissa Fumero’s most famous character, Amy Santiago, of Brooklyn 99. It’s great that she plays strong, intelligent women so well (but is somehow always paired with a man-child).
Though she seems to consider the Blockbuster job “beneath” her, she’s still likable and easy to sympathize with.
Also, it appeared that Percy and Eliza were getting along, finally! What’s their history? Do they have one? Didn’t they all go to high school together?
That being said, they’re all acting somewhat immature, trying to one-up these teenage pranksters.
Percy’s a complicated character to figure out. Near the end, it felt like Percy was stepping up, being a true friend, and bailing Timmy out.
But nope — this was a roller coaster of sympathy and betrayal! It goes to show you can’t be friends with your landlord.
For how emotionally mature Timmy is or isn’t, Percy is on another level. He just blatantly lies to Timmy all the time!
Was Percy just playing nice this whole time? It seemed like Percy was looking out for Timmy’s best interests in encouraging him to get over Eliza, but it was really so Timmy wouldn’t get attached, as eviction was imminent.
It’s unclear how much Percy actually owns, but it seems like it’s the whole block since he’s dealing with the mess at Hot Piece Of Bass. How is he managing or mismanaging his own funds?
Honestly, I don’t understand why they are still friends on either end. I get that landlords have bills, too, but Percy can’t have his cake and eat it, too.
I kinda like all those Buscemis staring at me. Makes me feel like I’m in an unproduced Charlie Kaufman movie.
Timmy
Overall, this episode fell flat, though it had some fun moments.
It’s a good reminder that if you’re going to joke about dark topics, there should be a point — otherwise, you need to be extremely funny.
What did you think of this episode? What are your favorite go-to Halloween movies? I’m a Hocus Pocus gal myself.
Tell us in the comments below!
Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.