Season 1, Episode 30: Van on the Run - Season 1, Episode 33: Anchor Management
General thoughts:
So, I listened to all 4 of these episodes in a run, while doing chores and stuff, so I wasn't able to type out my thoughts as I go, so this is going to be a bit of a summary of all 4. This whole section is the transition from Arc 1 (find and rescue the kids) to Arc 2 (get our anchors and go home).
Van on the Run: Ep 30
Love the parody of Cat's in the Cradle at the beginning of this one. This is a fun episode. We get another wonderful interaction between Barry and Henry (plus Henry's angry driving is an interesting energy). Then, we get all of the tavern stuff, which is great. We get some cool call-back moments, like with people getting excited to see "Hi, I'm Ron". There's not a ton that happens here, beyond the dads and the kids running away, but it's an enjoyable breath of fresh air after the heaviness of the combat episode that preceded it.
Home! Err... the Odyssey!: Ep 31
Another episode where not a ton happens. The dads talk with Erin for a bit to figure out how to get out. They make their way back to the portal and realize that they can't leave. Highlights of this one include Beth's Bartok impression, Anthony's orc voices, and the image of all of these people getting squished against the back window of the Honda Odyssey as they all failed to get the doors open. RIP Odyssey-san. We'll miss you. Enjoy being home.
Grilling in the Name Of: Ep 32
The Folger's parody intro is very fun. All the dads and the kids get caught by the orcs and they start to cook them and the group works to escape. Yup. That's the episode. Some highlights here (and there are many, even though not much happens): the return of Chekov's snake, Henry slapping butts on his way up to the ledge, and general combat shenanigans with Ron's Skip-it and Glenn's jug.
Anchor Management: Ep 33:
This episode starts with the party doing all they can to save Chekov's snake. Then, they learn more about anchors from Erin and summon the cow demon and a bread demon to get some Daddy Magic to help them find their anchors. By the end, all the dads know where they need to go from here, and then Walter shows up at the very end looking for Paeden. Highlights from this one: Ron's rendition of Stayin' Alive (I wish they had put this on the Dadz Bop album), Ron's beautiful moment with Terry Jr., Henry's monologue/rant about veganism, the moment with the demon bread is hilarious, and I love the stinger with Walter at the end.
Phew. All caught up on these now. Haven't listened to the next episode yet. I'll go back to individual posts from there.
Next time... what was, on my first listen, my least favorite episode. I think it is, in fact, the only one I haven't re-listened to at all. I'm going to try to go in with an open mind and remind myself that there are some great gems even in the ones that were less enjoyable the first couple of times around.
