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The Tick

Episode 1.07: "Tick vs. Justice"
Director: Ben Edlund and Larry Charles
Writer: Mel Damski
Original airdate: 1/17/02

Finally. Finally!!

Yes, for several weeks I’ve been moaning and whining about how the one thing missing from the live-action incarnation of the Tick was the supervillains I love so well. Now we’ve finally got reason to believe that these guys running around in goofy costumes serve more purpose than nabbing petty criminals.

This week, Tick and Arthur bring the supervillain Destroyo to what the Tick believes is jail, but he soon gets a hard lesson in the judicial system when the evidence against Destroyo is deemed inadmissible. Tick gets thrown in the slammer for contempt of court, Arthur and Batmanuel tremble in fear of assassination by Destroyo’s henchmen and Destroyo attempts to pull a Hannibal Lecter on Captain Liberty. The psychological stuff, I mean, not so much cannibalism.

While I’m a little disappointed that the first supervillain we meet isn’t a member of the animated Tick’s gallery of rogues, Destroyo more than makes up for this with a gleeful, charismatic malevolence that El Seed certainly never expressed. Even though the show still stops short of showing Tick beating up villains because of the practical limitations of Patrick Warburton’s costume, the courtroom climax more than makes up for it.

As per the usual, Nestor Carbanell steals the show in whenever he’s allowed to indulge in Batmanuel’s self-centered cowardice. Now, I’ve not read the script to this episode or anything, but I wonder if the little cape flip punctuation to Manuel’s declaration that his insurance rates be lowered was pure ad lib. I can’t imagine Batmanuel being played by anyone but Nestor Carbanell.

The general format for each episode has made itself obvious: have an incident happen with most of the characters present then have everyone split up or pair off depending on who would produce the most humorous moments. Sometimes this means that one or two characters, even the Tick, get the short end of the funny stick. This episode, like the previous one, was better balanced than most of the early episodes.

Unfortunately, the costume seems to be taking its toll Warburton’s enthusiasm for the role. This is most evident during the episode’s teaser when a television actor’s performance can make or break the ratings for that week. For a show whose future was once uncertain and now undeniably doomed (more on that down below), I would expect a bit more energy in the teaser so as to convert those wary of live-action superhero shows.

Finally, I’ve got some bad news for Tick fans. As of the writing of this review, FOX isn’t ordering any new episodes of the Tick. The last new episode will be aired next week on the 24th. We all knew it was a big risk translating the Tick into a live-action medium and good ol’ Benny gave it one hell of a go. Kudos, Mr. Edlund.

Episode Rating: 8 out of 10

Daniel Solis' punctuates every sentence with a cape flip.

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