The Tick
Season 1, Part 1
Amazon Video
Destiny’s on the line, Arthur. Accept the charges.
No superhero has been rebooted more times in 20 years and have each result be as good as its first than The Tick. Hands down. With its original comic book creator Ben Edlund behind the wheel every time no less. The original 1994 cartoon is a cherished memory of those who watched it. The 2001 series has a serious cult status. And this new iteration is blessed with the capital to go as big as Amazon will allow. In short, The Tick (2017) continues the upward trend of amazingly delightful shows based around the loveable hero.
Peter Serafinowicz takes on the blue mantle of the bug based crime fighter this time around. He’s joined by Griffin Newnan who plays his anxious sidekick, Arthur; Valorie Curry is Arthur’s sister, Dot; Jackie Earl Haley as this season’s big bad, The Terror; Yara Martinez is his second in command, Ms. Lint; and Scott Speiser plays the familiarly brooding Overkill. There’s a lot of character interplay between the cast. Lint isn’t afraid to go face to face with Arthur in her quest to get his suit into her possession. Then there’s Overkill’s obsession with killing everyone in his path (he’s a good guy though) on his quest to find The Terror. Curry looks to be the only weak link as her Dot is forced into the overbearing sister role, keeping Arthur out of trouble because she feels she has to do so.
Much of this Dot problem is due to the writing. Otherwise, The Tick manages to outperform blockbuster movies with its actual use of superheroes. Tick never takes off his costume, which in itself is a story thread. Where did he come from? Who is he? All of this is hinted at almost in a forgetful way. Edlund’s characters a good but never get a chance to break out past “good” and “evil.” Story is different. Threads are abound throughout the first six episodes. Better yet, it’s tough to see where they can land. Dot, for instance, helps care for bad guys. Overkill and Lint had some sort of a romance.
Even though the actual dialogue’s exposition may be choppy, interaction and world building are over the top terrific. One scene has Arthur and Tick taking the leader of a gang to what used to be the government’s superhero headquarters. It’s only on arrival they find out that site was decommissioned because the heroes left the city. Or how civilians are equally happy and pays little attention to every day superheroes walking down the street. Moments like that are entertaining to watch.
Creatively, the show looks good enough. This is Amazon after all. They’re not going to give out millions of dollars like other competitors but they gave enough to make it work. The Tick passes the believability scale tenfold. It’s a shame, then, as only the first half of the first season has been uploaded. IMDB says that at least four more episodes make up the first season. The “finale” notes the cliffhanger in a cutesy fashion. It’s just an odd choice for a streamer to do this.
Should you watch The Tick?
If you haven’t seen any iteration of this affable blue oaf, you’re in for a treat. While the writing isn’t too fresh, the one liners are superb; the casting is good; and the show fills a niche of campy superhero properties the world desperately needed.