ironhorse_iv Review of Too Many Cooks

Too Many Cooks (2014 TV Short)

This surreal dark short comedy was indeed very thought-provoking. It was also very funny and creepy!

[8/10 · 30 September 2015]

Written and directed by Casper Kelly, this short, parodies the many different types of opening credits sequences of 1980s and 1990s American TV Shows, such as the American situation comedy, the television crime dramas, prime time soap operas, Saturday-morning cartoons, the superhero live-action series, and last, the science fiction television shows, by having a never ending loop song, typing them all, up, together. In the middle of those sequences, is a surreal narrative that includes slasher film elements, in which many of the multitude of stock characters introduced in the opening credits are murdered and eaten by a maniac (William Tokarsky) with a machete. The only way, they can be save is, for one of those character, to push the start button, allow the show to continue, pass the opening credit sequence. Can the characters save themselves by pushing that button or will them, end up, in a never-ending nightmarish loop? Watch the special to find out! Without spoiling the special too much, I have to say, I'm deeply surprised, by how many people have saw this special. Originally aired as a special during Adult Swim's 4 A.M "infomercials" block in 2014. It was made, for a small batch of insomnias, looking for a wake-up call. It wasn't until, it was release by a third party on YouTube; that "Too Many Cooks" became a "instant cult classic" viral phenomenon that reach a million viewers. For me, this sitcom fever dream is more annoying than shocking. Don't get me wrong, I kinda love that long-drawn out meta trolling vague comedies, but the special does, go, a little too long, at times, even for those, looking forward to seeing it. It felt like a double edge sword. I really like what too many cook is trying to say, with its postmodern satire of what happens when studio head start to interference on creatives on television show, but the hardest part about the special is also its repetitive nature. I really doubt, I can watch it, multiply times, without going mad. The special is good for a one time, watch, but not recommended for repeat-viewing. It will spoil the broth, indeed as shown in the special. Often, the special repeat old television treads, to show, that even the media can be somewhat unwatchable, when studios start, feeding the same old stuff, over and over again. I think, this special was create by the creators as an insider jab against Time Warner as well as Adult Swim. The Machete Man in 'Too Many Cooks' represent Time Warner in a way, because it does what normal network executives often does, they kill shows, when they or the viewer lose interest. They are always there in the background, ready to strike on the show, if anything they deem off beam, does go wrong. This is why, the killer is always hidden in the background in Too Many Cooks. The scenes with him, eating the characters is often symbolic of years upon years, of taking in, character types, and rehashing characters with versions of what the executives want to see. This is why, everybody got replace with the Machete Killer, within Too Many Cook timeframe. Adult Swim is often known as counter-alternative programming. Represented here as Smarf, the absurd sock puppet. His name is play upon words, meaning smart. Like Adult Swim, Smarf tries to save television programming, by doing something new, even if it's a bit bizarre or out of context. This is why, after he shows up, in Too Many Cooks, the subject matter often began to mix up with each other. Smarf don't care, if it make sense or not, as long, as it makes people, happy. This is why characters outlandish actions can clearly outlive good solid performances. The scene where the credits that are the size and shape of human beings walking and running around with the actors superimposed horizontally across the credit people shows that. The whole intronitis disease part with Ken DeLozier represented the addicting absurdism of this. It's a sickness that is both cringe worthy and inane in a bad way. If you think, deep about it. It shows, how bad, both over-creativeness and control-programming can kill a show. In the end, media can become a bloated and oversaturated mess. The button pushing scene, represented, the stop of absurdism and going back to basics. It shows how creators can fight back. Still, no matter, what, the creators does to help the show, the show producers always win. At least, that's my theory on what this special means. Other people can believe, whatever they want, like it's just Ken Delozier's losing his mind, or a connection to other shows, but in the end, that's what I saw. Overall: The mundanity of yesterday television is a key to understanding this special. It's often offbeat, bizarre, and holds a peculiar kind of humor that some people might not get. It might seem random, too vague or deliberately unfunny, but once you get a chance to watch it. You might find yourself, overthinking it like myself. I think, that's the best thing to come from this special. A good thought.