A couple weeks ago, I went out and for the first time ever, bought myself one of them newfangled DVDs with the TV shows on ’em. Two actually. I’m not really a big TV collection or movie buyer, so this is some pretty big news on my end. While both sets that I bought are worth a solid mention, it’s the first one that I’m really trying to sell here. The first season DVD of one of my current favourite shows: Puppets Who Kill.
It’s entirely obvious why I love the show. The first reason would be that it’s very, very funny. And not that Buzz kind of “laugh out loud for thirty minutes straight” kind of funny. It’s more of a psychotic kind of funny. A lot of the humour is in the pain of the characters (that one was kind of obvious), some especially clever one-liners, and just flat out potty mouth and toilet humour. The first time you watch it, you almost wonder who would come up with some of the crazy crap that PWK is just gushing with, but in the end you get this satisfied feeling that leaves you thinking “That was a good show. I should watch it regularly.” Well, at least that’s how it worked for me. I was hooked after only one episode, at which point I was convinced that it was too good to be Canadian programming. And when I saw that there was a DVD of the first season, I knew that it would have to be mine… one way or another.
But I digress for the moment, as I know that some may have never watched or ever even heard of PWK. The premise of the show is presented pretty well in the title, and explained thoroughly in the opening. Simply put, it’s about a bunch of murderous puppets who’ve been placed in a halfway house for rehabilitation. Ta-da! Not too complex, is it? That’s the barebones plot of the series, and if you like the sound of that, wait until you get to the individual episode plots. It may sound like I’m just trying to hock the show here, but I’m being completely honest when I say that every one of the episodes (err… that I’ve seen) has a unique plot like no other before it. Don’t believe me? Here are a few examples just so that I can help to convince. One is about a mysterious testicle thief, there’s another about the decline of physical beauty, one centers on the death and replacement of a much-loved safety mascot, and then there’s the one about a TV cowboy who hunts puppets for sport. There’s even one episode that serves as a tribute to film noir. Not exactly your everyday string of plots. As much as I’m hyping up this part, I can only imagine your surprise when I say that it gets better.
The characters are truly the stars of the show. And while that is a very redundant phrase, it works out perfectly. The characters of Puppets Who Kill are all somewhat stereotypical at a first glance, but after a while you’ll get to see that they really are just stereotypes. My personal favourite is Cuddles the comfort doll. He’s a very naive little guy, and is easily the one with the least character but… ah hell, I just love his little song and dance. It’s just so damn adorable. Then there’s Buttons the bear. The ultimate philanderer. He’s been able to woo just about every character that he’s met, and is quite the ladies’ man, despite his being a small toy bear. Bill the ventriloquist dummy is the real troublemaker of the group (not to say that the rest are angels or anything remotely close), cause despite the treatments and all, he just can’t stop killing. Or sometimes it’s just stealing some body parts. Seems to have a problem with people being alive. Finally we have Rocko the dog. Maybe I just haven’t seen enough of his starring episodes, but I just don’t seem to like him as a character as much as the rest. He does have a lot going for him, being the badass of the group and all, but he contributes the least to the overall funny of the show. Though as the one that the others usually seek for advice, I guess he does play as large a role as the rest.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s not all puppets? Yeah, there’s just a single recurring human character on the show, but that’s all it needs. Dan Barlow (played by Dan Redican, who seems to be of comic fame) is the guy who runs the show. He’s the one that’s taken the little devils under his wing in an attempt to help them get over their need for chaos and destruction. He is easily the funniest character, because he’s wound around every bit of the show, even while most episodes have those nifty double-plots. He’s funny because not only does he have a lot of great lines, but a lot of his tactics to right the puppets come back to bite him in the ass. There are countless episodes that end with him being savagely beaten by some sort of angry mob after one of his schemes goes awry. I should also mention that he’s got an impeccable sense of style, and a slight lust for his cousin (though that one doesn’t take place during the first season).
Down to the wrapping up, this DVD has a lot to offer. It’s got 13 excellent episodes (thought the original opening is a bit lackluster compared to the current) with episode and scene selection of course, and a whole slew of bonus features. There are bios on the writers, producers and stars, a hilairiously funny outtake reel that expands upon those that are shown during the credits, and a whole little thing they put together called “A Day In The Life Of Puppets Who Kill”. It’s a neat little documentary type thing that has short interviews with all the puppeteers and an extended interview and tour of the set with Dan Redican. Oh yeah, and if you like those commentary things, it’s got a couple of those packaged in too. So two discs full of all sorts of great watching and cool extras. Definitely a great thing to buy. And the best news is that it’s cheap. While so many of these DVD-TV things are damned expensive, with some priced at over $100 (I’m looking at you, Transformers), the thing only ran me 35 bucks or so. Goods like this at a reasonable price are something you just can’t pass up. Unless you suck and don’t like the show. In which case, boo you.
I mentioned that I bought two of these collections. The other one was the first pack of episodes from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. It’s a good set, but at only the 5 first episodes and 4 bonus “never before seen” episodes, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting some first season goodness. But in the end, it was only 30 bucks for something that I just couldn’t let slip by. Being the TMNT fan that I am, it’s kinda something that I had to do regardless of how much I was getting. So if you loved the old show or even watched it regularly, I could recommend this one to ya. The price is right and it’s always fun to bring back a little bit of your childhood.