The last episode ended with The Tick falling out of a window, and naturally, this episode begins with him…giving an elegant monologue about the state of falling while falling out of a window. This would be a good time to say that Peter Serafinowicz is truly brilliant in the title role. Like many, I was a great fan of Patrick Warburton in the short-lived 2001 series, and wondered if anyone else could embody the character so thoroughly. Luckily, Serafinowicz makes a fine Tick in his own right, perfectly capturing the character’s glorious eccentricities. His mixture of obliviousness and optimism lightens up every scene, and ensures that even in its darker moments, the show never takes itself too seriously.
After Tick assures Arthur that he’s okay, Overkill gives Arthur a speech telling him to leave the situation. It’s ironic; for the first few episodes, all Arthur wanted was a way out, but now that he knows Overkill also believes The Terror is still alive, he now wants to dig his way further into it. He’s particularly interested when Overkill mentions a mysterious Dr. Karamazov, which also piques The Tick’s interest. Arthur is still is reluctant to buy into Tick’s notions about “destiny,” but he seems to know he’s in too deep, and he recognizes what a threat Overkill is. As we become more engrossed in what’s going on, so does Arthur, and the show does a good job of making the viewer fee like they’re on the journey with him.
When he learns that Tick has no place to stay, he allows him to crash for the night, a compassionate act that naturally leads to Arthur getting more than he expects, as Tick meets a homeless—but not office-less—man named Tinfoil Kevin and allows him to join the party. While all of this is going on, Dot reminds Arthur that Walter—his feet-obsessed stepfather—has a birthday party, and it’s his job to bring the cake. In an amusing scene, Arthur tries to tell Dot he’s picking up the cake, but his thwarted by Kevin and Tick, neither of whom seem to know how white lies work. Tick’s inability to let Arthur lie could either be part of his moral code or the fact that he’s clearly disassociated from modern society, but in any event, it’s amusing to watch Arthur attempt to pass off his life as normal to his sister while the chaos around him continues to build up.
Arthur desperately doesn’t want Tick to show up at Walter’s party, so naturally he does, which leads to some of the episode’s funniest moments. Tick and Walter are just about equally weird, so they make fast friends. It’s particularly amusing when they both react positively the notion of an inspirational book written by a dog (which doesn’t seem to far off from something we might actually see). Indeed, while Arthur is horrified at his presence, and Dot is clearly upset, just about everyone else seems to love the guy. As weird as The Tick is, it makes perfect sense; he’s entirely affable, and radiates joy even through his confusion. That being said, his presence at the party certainly doesn’t make Arthur’s life any easier.
Things get especially precarious when Lint shows, demanding Arthur tell her how the suit works, after she deduces that it’s imprinted specifically for him. After stripping, and putting the suit on, Arthur struggles to get it to work, but ultimately discovers a message from the mysterious Karamazov, but is unable to decipher it. What he can figure out, however, is that Lint also believes The Terror is still alive, and that putting the suit in her hands would be a bad idea. here, we see Arthur at his most assertive. After being desperate to give up the suit just two episodes earlier, he’s now determined to protect, and manages to fend off Lint’s electric charges with a vacuum cleaner. After watching Arthur be hopelessly timid in the first few episodes, its exciting to watch him gradually grow into the persona of a superhero.
In the final scene, Arthur manages to escape Lint by learning how to fly in the suit, proving Tick’s monologue about falling (as well as a moment where he tells Walter that he is unable to fly) to be a nice bit of foreshadowing. After denying that he is a superhero for so long, he looks the part, and is beginning to act it, too. “Party Crashers” is easily the best episode of the series so far. Between the hilarious scenes of Tick mingling at the party, and Arthur growing into the role he’s been forced into, this was rewarding on every level, as it adroitly blended action, intrigue, and comedy.
Stray observations
- “Look at you!” “Impossible.”
- In an amusing scene, we meet Lint’s ex-husband Derek, a rather irritating fellow who wears a “this is what a feminist looks like” shirt. This is all the proof I need that there’s no way a dude can pull that shirt of anymore, no matter how pure their intentions may be. Just as sure as SNL’s “Girl At A Bar” sketch did in any guy who tries to pull of a “the future is female shirt.
- When the episode ends, Ramses is on the trail of the suit. It remains to be seen if he’ll figure out that Lint was able to take it without telling him.