I spent all weekend watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Baffler Meal complete collection and need more
Can we keep it a buck? Aqua Teen Hunger Force truly birthed adult swim. Hands down. As much as I love shows like ‘Children’s Hospital’ and ‘Delocated’ plus the iconic ‘Robot Chicken’ there’s no doubting how much Aqua Teen Hunger Force paved the way and set a precedent for the type of unfiltered, raw and unique content you could come to expect on the service which airs somehow on Cartoon Network but has no connection to kids - at all. The new Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Baffler Meal complete collection reminded me why it’s the most original piece of content I have ever experienced.
How about that for a Date Night or Nahhh… intro? For starters - ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ - the new 138-episode packed with an insane amount of bonus content including its first-ever theatrical release is not Date Night-approved. Nope. Nahhh… But, it’s for the best reason possible. It’s ‘too’ good to be enjoyed with someone you’re romantically invested in.
I personally have a low-key concern when it comes to comedies and date nights. Call it paranoia but it goes both ways - some laughing isn’t meant to be heard in public or even behind closed doors. The type of humor you get from ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ is bromance goals at best - and even under those circumstances do I feel this is best enjoyed alone.
It’s Cyrus speaking - er - typing here, so let’s keep it 100, okay? Do you watch adult flicks with your besties? Of course not - maybe you might joke and reference porn but there’s an intimate connection you have with certain content and blame it on growing up with ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ but there’s really no circumstance I want to share this type of enjoyment with - at all.
Whether it’s Shake being the George Costanza of the series where you think it might truly be Frylock - the Jerry of the series - or Meatwad - somewhere between Elaine and Kramer - or even the now-iconic Carl - I want them all to myself. The laughs I get from what they deliver on-screen?
Let’s just say the DVD set - yup, we’re going retro to the late 90’s and early 2000’s - is the best to binge like I did for an entire weekend - counting Friday night into the early hours of Monday morning - and then afterward, just tossing in a random DVD and letting play through on the ‘Play All’ feature for the second viewing.
It’s like having ‘Seinfeld’ - geesh, another Larry David reference - playing on the TV after a local sports game wraps up and you’re preparing to crash for the night.
But what makes this limited edition and decked-out collection the best? It’s really all the bonus content. Only having a slight opportunity to explore what’s packed in here - we’re talking over 30 hours of content, the best being of course getting to have the theatrical film included which of course is R-rated.
And once again, even separating the film from the complete collection of episodes, it’s still not Date Night approved based on my love and personal greed for having this all to myself.
I’ll admit it - it’s tough to initially think, ‘Why drop a grip to own this collection? It’s 2022, Cyrus. Stream or die.’ Yup, I thought the same thing about a lot of things. How about ‘Seinfeld’ - yup, I did it again - being a Hulu exclusive before fading to black and getting launched onto Netflix? Or what about my addiction to ‘Children’s Hospital’ on Hulu and then only - and I do mean only - having the option to buy each season from Apple TV or a similar platform?
I dropped over $60 to own the entire 7 seasons - so just realize it’s not always guaranteed. Even on video game systems with my Xbox Ultimate Game Pass, you never know when a title might get lifted. RIP to my campaign mode in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - having to start CJ from the start all over again on another device was not ideal.
Whether you need it for yourself or you have a Cyrus in your life you want to bless up with this collection - rest assured, it’s for the ones about the adult swim culture. Date Night? Nahhh…. but must-own? YES.
