Camp Lazlo - Gone Fishing (Sort Of) - The Overdue Review
OVERDUE REVIEW - CAMP LAZLO - EPISODE 1: GONE FISHIN' (SORT OF)
Camp Lazlo kicked off the show with this episode called Gone Fishin' (Sort Of). That is a very true episode title, given the ending.
Spoiler-Free Opinion:
If you haven't watched the episode but plan on watching it, this paragraph's for you. This episode introduces you to the main cast of characters and shows us the secondary characters within the show. It really stays true to the episode plot. It kept my attention, and the writing came full circle. It's a relatively simple storyline, but you'll enjoy yourself.
The episode introduces us to the camp kidney scouts fishing. The scouts aren't having any luck because they're reeling in snowglobes instead of fish. It's here we're introduced to Scoutmaster Lumpus, a grumpy moose who clearly isn't the life of the party. Lumpus reveals no one has ever caught a fish at the camp. Lumpus vows to end this slump, especially after seeing fish jump out of the water onto the Girl Scouts' boat.
Lazlo, Raj, and Clam are playing a game and stumble on Scoutmaster Lumpus' fishing problem. After some classic camp rumors are shared, Lazlo comes forward to help his scoutmaster.
Lumpus has his sidekick Slinkman get his boat ready for him; however, Lazlo, Clam, and Raj begin to play with it like it is a spaceship. The trio starts the engine accidentally, and they abscond with the boat. Lumpus paddles out to the scoutsshipe their boat runs out of gas, but a fog rolls in. Raj, freaked out by those camp rumors he heard earlier, causes the trio to beat up Lumpus. In the attack, Raj uses the boat's plug to hit his scoutmaster, effectively sinking Lumpus' prized boat.
At this point, Scoutmaster Lumpus has had enough. He tells the campers not to help him any further and has them in a dingy ring while he tries to get down to catch a fish. While he does, a huge purple sea serpent comes out, which is one of the legends mentioned earlier. The purple sea serpent plays with Lumpus, playing with his food, while Lazlo and Raj discuss helping him. Once they decide they will, Lazlo then opens the mouth of the serpent to check with Lumpus. The Scoutmaster eventually asks for help. He also reveals he caught a fish, and Lazlo drops the mouth to show his buddies the fish Scoutmaster Lumpus caught.
My Thoughts:
This episode had to do a lot in addition to telling us a story. It had to introduce the characters, the setting, and the chemistry between characters and give us a reason to care about these characters.
I'd argue they do all that. Lazlo is an optimistic, brave, helpful character who leads his friends. He wants to enjoy his time at camp and seizes the day. Raj is the worrisome, Chuckie Finster-like character who is pulled along for the adventure by the lead. Clam is the silent sidekick to the leader. Lumpus is the sour, disgruntled character who aspires to achieve some fame or fortune so he can leave the camp job behind.
The episode does all that and then takes a simple plot line catching a fish, and adds a lot of camp-like flavor to it, keeping the pace steady but never slowing down. The episode also delivers on everything it sets up. The camp rumors told at the beginning of the episode come back later in the episode. The characters accomplish their goals, and the episode ends once that is done.
Some of the best moments to me are Slinkman's whole spy sequence, the reveal the boat has a built-in plug that's like having a spike feature built into your car so you can burst your tires whenever, the snowglobes, and the sea serpent's whole thing with Lumpus.
Check Out the review of Camp Lazlo - Beans are from Mars - The Overdue Review.
That's it for this review. 6337 Days late. It was overdue, but it's done.
Post a Comment