'Disenchantment' isn't magical, but it won't give you the plague

'Entertainment is just a tool that pacifies the masses and leads to the decay and ultimate collapse of civilisation. Let's clap along!'- Luci, 'The Limits of Immortality, Disenchantment, 2018

Rain now streaks down the window, a sharp turn from the summer heatwave. This sadly means there is no time to play. Rather than doing something productive like clean the house or develop skills for your professional career, it's the perfect time to watch more TV. Queer Eye has warmed all our hearts and the latest series of Archer sprung up on us unannounced and has now begun to show its age. Therefore, it would be wise to keep the TV train rolling and rumbling into the colder months of the year. Matt Groening, whose mind gave the world The Simpsons and Futurama, now enters the Netflix arena with Disenchantment. A titan of the industry was sure to make his way onto Netflix at some point, but does so in a very mediocre way.

Onward, to mediocrity!

Seth MacFarlane took a risk when launching his third show after Family Guy came back from the dead and American Dad turned out to be better than expected. The Cleveland Show did not reach the success MacFarlane had enjoyed before and was banished to the realm of 'dude, this show sucks'. That old joke of 'Family Guy copied The Simpsons' has now done a role reversal with Groening bringing out his third show, only this time he is backed by a bottomless budget supplied by Netflix. With online streaming services now becoming titans of the industry, thanks to the likes of Netflix's Stranger Things or Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, banking on some fresh revenue courtesy of Matt Groening seems like a smart move. But some things just don't reach their potential... yet.

The premise of Disenchantment certainly created a precedent that Groening was on for another winner. Set in Dreamland, a medieval fantasy world, the show follows Princess Teabeanie (Abbi Jacobsen), or 'Bean' for short, who struggles to carve out an identity in the patriarchy that is medieval feudal society. Being a princess also brings with it responsibilities, such as getting married to secure alliances or not turning up drunk to social events. She fails at both, as we saw in the trailer/ opening episode as her fiancé accidentally manages to get a sword through the head. Our rebellious royal wants adventure, desperate to break free of the tedium of castle life. Her father, King Zøg (John DiMaggio), just wants her to do her duty so he can maintain his tyrannical rule and not have to shout all the time. Isn't that too much to ask?

She's trying her best

Bean isn't alone though. Luci (Eric Andre), literally the devil on her shoulder, is just as you would expect a tiny demonic creature to be; evil, mocking and a fan of all the bad things in life. His sharp wit is deployed mainly at the expense of others, especially towards the third member of the dysfunctional trio Elfo (Nat Faxon). Much like Bean, Elfo wants to see the world, this time from outside the elven home of Elfwood. He's sick of singing and being happy all the time, remarking that singing while you work is akin to mental illness rather than being happy. The elf is also the love interest, taken aback by Bean's rebellious attitude and determination to forge her own destiny. Together, it's an interesting mix, and certainly follows that trope of a dysfunctional group of characters coming together for hijinks.

Well, it might work

What stood out was how the show had a very Futurama feel about it. First of all, the demographic of two guys and one girl matches Fry, Leela and Bender from Groening's take on the 31st century. It seems like a loose and obvious link, but when comparing the character traits you can start to see the similarities. Luci, quite obviously, is Bender in the form of a tiny satanic spirit, bent on causing mischief with a cigarette in his mouth and evil intentions in his heart. With Bean and Elfo, they get a wide variety of the Futurama trio's mannerisms. Both want some meaning to their lives, with Bean striving to find her place in the world (much like Leela by being a non-human with unknown origins) and Elfo overtaken by the wonder of a strange new setting (Fry, having been frozen from 1999-2999). Indeed, Bean always finds herself back in Dreamland despite her best efforts to go adventuring. This is similar to how Fry ends up being a delivery boy for an intergalactic Royal Mail rather than one who delivers pizza for a sleazy New York pizzeria.

A love of alcohol certainly beings our three mismatched 'heroes' together, ending up in taverns drinking the night away. Bean's love of 'the devil's nectar' gets her into plenty of scrapes, such as bar fights, diplomatic incidents or even just passing out and ending up in a mass grave full of plague victims. The spectre of everyone's favourite foul-mouthed robot lingers here, as it was unimaginable for Bender to be apart from his life-sustaining alcohol. Moreover, Bean's willingness to prove that women are more than objects is reminiscent of Leela's tough demeanour, hardened by a life in an orphanage and making a career as a pilot whilst having awful depth perception. It's tough being a cyclops, and being a princess isn't a walk in the park either.

Drinking in style 

Netflix securing Groening's creative talent means that voice talent isn't too far behind. John DiMaggio and Billy West, having voiced Bender and Fry in Futurama, were probably more than happy to help. DiMaggio shines as Dreamland's monarch, who is just as brutal and unforgiving as Bender, with his rough voice and tendency to quickly work himself up into a rage. With West providing the voice of court wizard Sorcerio, a bumbling master of the arts and very much similar to Professor Farnsworth of Futurama (another character voiced by West), there's a strong cast already. The three leads aren't looking to be upstaged though, despite being relatively new to the voice acting scene. Jacobsen plays the part of rebellious teenager well, staying grounded or rising to levels of dramatic when required. Faxon gives Elfo a voice perfect for the part, squeakily questioning 'what's war?' as gnomes and giants do battle. Andre's comedic charm isn't used to full effect, but when given the chance Luci makes sure the spotlight is on him. Oh, and don't forget Matt Berry as Prince Merkimer, criminally underused but is without the doubt the best side character in Disenchantment. Well, in humble opinion of course.

Oh my

Voice talent and the Groening name can't be the only foundation to create a good show, however. The problem is that, even though there are so many fantasy worlds to parody, it is hard to bring anything new to the table. It's easy to make a joke about the squalor that peasants live in as they throw excrement from their windows, dressed in rags that have been in the family for generations. Making light of needlessly questing for pointless items is also a well-trodden path, no matter whether it is hidden in a dark forest or in the clutches of a mythical beast. Bean herself isn't anything innovative either; there are now so many 'badass, I do what I want, fuck the patriarchy' princesses/heroines out there that she just fades into the crowd. Hell, so many female characters are like that nowadays that it's hard to keep track of all of them. The magic of Dreamland certainly doesn't sparkle as originally intended.

The run time is also an issue. 20 minutes is perfectly digestible, as writers can pack in as many jokes as they can muster for the audience to devour with glee. Episode 1, 'A Princess, an Elf and a Demon Walk into a Bar', ran for 35 minutes. While that does give plenty of time to establish important plot points and introduce our main players, it drags on like Brexit negotiations. At times, fingers were being drummed on the table, patiently waiting for a new scene to escape a long-winded joke that really should have been finished a few minutes ago. There's no evil scheduling at work here, so Disenchantment has the freedom to extend its average running time to 27/28 minutes. Gags come at breakneck pace in The Simpsons and Futurama as Fox has plenty of other shows to cram down our throats. In Dreamland, it all feels a bit stretched in a world that can show us so much.

It's only a model

To make matters that much more frustrating, that dead air hanging around the drawn out jokes means there isn't time to fully flesh out the characters. From the start, you already know that this is about a conflicted teen protagonist being steered by two opposing moral forces in the form of an elf and pint-sized devil. While there are plenty of situations that help create a sense of morality, such as throwing a wild castle party or helping thieves ransack unsuspecting victims, Bean never develops out of that phase of teenage angst. Luci should have a field day steering the wantaway princess into a downward spiral, but actually ends up being more helpful than disruptive. His character growth is curtailed away from being a delightful hindrance to being a begrudging antihero. Likewise, Elfo's arc centres around hiding his desire for Bean rather than focusing on the real reason why he left Elfwood in the first place; to find out what misery was. Then again, being in love certainly can cause those kinds of feelings.

Friendship is falling off a cliff together 

In this magical kingdom, there is a plot out there somewhere. It decides to make an appearance in the eighth episode of the series, beginning a run of 3 episodes where you actually have to pay attention rather than swiping through Reddit. Underlying subplots, such as Zøg determined to become immortal or two shady figures watching developments in Dreamland through a crystal ball, never really garner much attention even though it's quite obvious they are important in some way. Any misadventure the trio find themselves in are just that; misadventures. Granted, Bean starts to steady her moral compass just in time to make some life changing decisions when the stakes are raised dramatically (no spoilers here, though!), yet cramming significant plot developments into the last few episodes feels like lazy writing.

Before we banish Disenchantment, it is important to remember that this is a Matt Groening creation. For starters, that animation made famous by both The Simpsons and Futurama is still there, with the 3D camera swoops paying homage to the futuristic predecessor of the latest Groening outing. While those sweeps were mainly used to showcase the New New York skyline or the Planet Express ship whizzing through space, this time we are met with the medieval state of Dreamland, cast on top of a waterfall and overseeing an expansive forest. Even though this is a total change in setting to Springfield, or just Earth in general, there is still a sense of familiarity to the show. In a way, it's comforting to know that the roots of Groening's third major project haven't been forgotten, even if one has overstayed its welcome and the other has been cancelled twice.

How lovely 

Typical Groening animation also brings with it the fact that Matt has also given us some amazing and emotional stories over the years. Across the many years of The Simpsons, we saw heart-wrenching moments such as Homer giving up his dream job due to the birth of Maggie, Bart shoplifting and disappointing Marge and the whole 'You Are Lisa Simpson' bit. Futurama gave us 'The Luck of the Fryish' and 'Jurassic Bark', as Fry comes to terms with how his old life in the 20th century is long gone, but his memory lives on through friends and family. This gives hope to Disenchantment, as there is clear evidence that humour and emotion can be balanced perfectly, especially when it comes from the mind of Matt Groening. It's difficult to upstage the tired but resilient juggernaut of Springfield's dysfunctional family, and the cult following of the Planet Express crew means they will not be forgotten any time soon. The trio of Bean, Luci and Elfo have work to do, but have the time (and the backing/budget of Netflix) to reach their goals.

Will they be victorious in the battle to rule Netflix?

Despite the stretched out set pieces and late bloomer of a plot, it's a steady start from the latest venture of Matt Groening. While it hasn't created as much buzz as other Netflix originals, there is so much potential to come from Disenchantment. The opportunities to expand the universe outside of Dreamland are endless, as so many elements of the fantasy genre can be parodied. Missing out on this chance would be a disaster for the show, drawing more groans of played out jokes and obvious set ups for further 'hilarious' encounters. It will be difficult to find new ways to parody both the fantasy and medieval genres, but if The Simpsons can be drawn-out for 30 seasons then there should be no doubt that the team can come up with something.

Regardless of the criticisms, it's still worth a watch. It certainly doesn't challenge the likes of Bojack Horseman or F Is for Family in the realm of Netflix original cartoons, but the potential is certainly there. A cliff-hanger of a finale certainly builds up an expectation for Disenchantment to succeed, but we will have to wait patiently for a year or so for the next series (unless it springs up on us unexpectedly like Eminem's Kamikaze- no joke intended). For now, there is no reason to cast it off into a plague-ridden grave; rather, appreciate the fact that Matt Groening has given us something new to distract us from the crumbling of The Simpsons empire.

Expect plenty more drinking in the future 

Ben G 😁 xo