The first season of Amazon Prime’s The Tick was mostly enjoyable, but spent a little too much time getting things into gear. Early episodes put a lot of emphasis on Arthur’s neuroticism (as well as The Tick’s obliviousness), and while it was often rewarding to watch our reluctant hero confront his insecurities, it was reasonable to wonder when things were going to move to the next level. Thankfully, the season ended on a strong note, with lots of action and plot twists, giving viewers plenty to be excited about for a potential second season. Over a year later, that second season has arrived, and it more than lives up to its promise—this is the show we were hoping The Tick could be all along.
Season two begins just after the end of season one, when Arthur and The Tick finally took down The Terror, after proving that he was still alive in the first place. Viewed as national heroes, they catch the attention of A.E.G.I.S., the government-run superhero organization we heard quite a bit about—but rarely saw—in season one. The scenes at A.E.G.I.S. are quite enjoyable, from Marc Kudisch’s performance as the R. Lee Ermey-esque Tyrannosaurus Rathbone, the hard-nosed stubborn leader of the group, to John Hodgman’s role as Doctor-Agent Hobbes, the deadpan, mysterious scientist who leads Arthur and Tick through the facilities. These scenes continue the serious-yet-light vibe that defined the first season, and set things on an appropriate track.
After their escapade stopping The Terror, Tick and Arthur get the chance to be superheroes. Unfortunately, that involves extensive testing for “super-ness,” which Arthur fails miserably at, bombing a series of tests in scenes that are a little depressing, but mostly funny. Despite a lack of powers, Arthur’s proximity to The Tick allows him to register as a superhero, since the government believes he can help control him. From there, Arthur and Tick take on the case of New York’s latest villain, the confusingly named Lobstercules (Niko Nedyalkov). Ever self-aware, the show makes plenty of jokes about just how ridiculous this name is. Silly or not, it still sets up plenty of drama and plot twists along the way.
While Arthur and The Tick are the toast of the town, things aren’t going so well for Superian (Brendan Hines). For years, he assured everyone that The Terror was dead. As such, people have lost their trust in him, and have begun leaving negative comments on social media. Worse yet, a paranoid, Glenn Beck/Alex Jones/Jim Cramer-style commentator named E. Morgan Pearl (Tom O’Keefe) goes on a series of televised rants against him. Massive egomaniac that he is, Superian simply cannot handle this and goes into a major meltdown. Arthur tries to help, but despite offering mostly sensible advice, Superian interprets everything in the worst way possible, and continues to compound his own problems. More than ever, Superian appears to be a stand-in for the egotism of Marvel superheroes like Tony Stark and Doctor Strange; his utter uselessness after being taken down a peg really drives the point home.
One of the best parts of last season was Yara Martinez’s thrilling performance as Miss Lint, a.k.a. Janet, a.k.a. Paloma, a supervillain who was often sympathetic, as she worked to prove herself in the face of male skepticism. Lint is also one of the most fascinating characters in the second season, as she grasps for power in ways that will continue to throw off viewers. Along with her regular henchman, Frank, she gets a teenage, computer-savvy sidekick whose name is literally Edgelord—perhaps a bit on the nose, but it’s also one of the funniest jokes of the season. He’s every bit as pretentious and obnoxious as that name would suggest, but to his credit, he is indeed useful in helping Lint with her plans, which honestly works better than if he had simply existed as an irritant.
One of season two’s biggest strengths is a deftness in introducing new characters, particularly new heroes—if it gets renewed for a third season, it’ll be fascinating to see who else joins the fray. At A.E.G.I.S., Tick and Arthur meet several fascinating characters like Flexon (Steven Ogg), a retired hero who still works as an attorney, as well as Sage and BronzeStar, who also play crucial roles as the series unfolds. The heroes we see here have the same offbeat look and vibe that give the show its considerable charm.
As for Tick and Arthur themselves, their character development continues to be rewarding. We still don’t know much about Tick’s origin story, though it’s still joked about, but he becomes wiser, to the point where his usual gibberish morphs into genuine profundity. Meanwhile, Arthur is still his nebbishy self, but he’s far more confident, as he even gains the courage to put Superian in his place. As with last season, the tension between Arthur and his sister, Dot (Valorie Curry), plays a main role, as each character is a little too over-protective of the other one. Throughout season two, however, they learn to trust each other more, and the evolution of their relationship is incredibly rewarding.
Elsewhere, the appropriately named Overkill (Scott Speiser) returns, as brooding as ever, and continues his friendship/budding romance with Dot. Those who enjoyed Alan Tudyk’s performance as the gloriously absurd Dangerboat will be happy to know the character is back, and as off-kilter as ever. It’s not all farce, however, as we also learn about his tragic past, and the beginnings of his friendship with Overkill. It’s a testament to this show’s writing and character development that it can wring character development and catharsis from something as absurd as Dangerboat. The Tick has genuine heart through every bit of its ridiculousness, and that’s what makes it so worthwhile.
The first season of The Tick was a fine introduction to its main characters, and showed us what it could be. Here, it lives up to its true potential as a show that has the perfect mix of absurd humor and cathartic storytelling. Arthur has evolved to the point where he can believably be seen as a hero, while the wisdom buried within The Tick’s nonsense has risen to the top. Anyone who thought the initial season of The Tick was good but mildly underwhelming will find quite a bit to like here. After years of people trying to tell this story and either failing entirely or succeeding when no one was looking (see the criminally overlooked 2001 series), this feels like the iteration of The Tick we’ve all been waiting for.
73 Comments
Glad to hear this is good. The first season was kind of hit or miss but when it hit it was pretty goddamn hilarious. It’s weird how long it’s been since the first season but I’m looking forward to checking this out this weekend.
I liked season 1 of this show a lot, but the fact that it has a season 2 just makes me bitter that Jean Claude Van Johnson (released on Prime at basically the same time as Tick) didn’t get a second season.
JCVJ started really good, but by the end was just average. It was almost like the star could only make fun of himself for so long and then just said “now you have to let me be heroic.”
While I enjoyed JCVJ, it just doesn’t have the same potential as The Tick (and, likely, fewer viewers) in terms of multiple seasons.
Great pilot, but the actual season didn’t really get going until the last episode. It’s a damn shame we won’t get to see where they were going with that ending, though.
ALL YA GOTTA KNOW IS THAT THE NAME OF THE SHOW IS BLANK CHECK
Lol, it is funny to note that the Blank Check guest list over the last year matches close to the list of guest stars on season 2 of The Tick. I kinda imagine Griffin begging everyone on the show to be on his podcast like a little kid. Also let us never forget that David Sims is the famed “SIMS!” Of old school AVClub fame.
I love this podcast. It weird that it started out as a show examining the Star Wars prequels and then Griffin ended up working with the voice of Darth Maul =T
How does it feel knowing your idol sicked you and your other podcast fans on some poor woman he got tired of? Griffin Newman drove a woman into a psych ward by doxxing her on his show and the “Blankies” subreddit. I guess he couldn’t keep his personal stuff private. I hope this show gets cancelled so he can disappear. All of the virtue-signaling in the world won’t save him.
lol. who are you talking to? i literally just established a reddit account yesterday, it wasn’t me other guy!
I found myself laughing quite a bit more during the second season, particularly any time Edgelord showed up.
“I am Edgelord. I walk between the rain drops.”
Is it just me, or did Edgelord have an Adam Driver/Kylo Ren thing going on?
Definitely.
Spot on! I was thinking the same thing.Also, even though the doctor was PC on the Mac commercials, he felt a lot like Littlefinger from GoT. Only the voice was different.
I don’t have HBO so GoT references are lost on me. Love Hodgman as Agent-Dr. Hobbes (or is it Dr.-Agent?), though.
Exactly how I described him to my friend; “He’s like a current-day angsty Kylo Ren.”
“Hey.”
That made me laugh so hard! Edge Lord was hilarious in just how accurate yet none hateful it was. Like the fucking matrix glasses and coat were spot on as a parody and also looked good. It would be so easy to make him a douche or inept geek but instead we’re laughing along with the great and absurd parody.
Season 3 of The Tick animated series should be available on DVD, but is not & used copies are selling for grotesquely overinflated prices online
I know! I’m sorely in need of a high-def copy of The Tick vs. Education.
I demand The Tick vs. Science!
Great season. Loved all the new characters, especially Steven Ogg, and liked how much the supporting cast got to do. Overkill and Dot are especially great together.
Major props to Edlund for continuing to resist bringing in any old favorites from the original version, and instead continuing to stretch his imagination for new heroes and villains. The temptation to just fall back on what worked before must be incredible but he’s doing great stuff here and I’d love to see where else it can go.My favorite stealth joke is that even with a full explanation of what’s up with Walter, we still get no explanation for his foot obsession, so apparently that really is just a weird hangup he has.
There was a hint that a re-imagined villain just may show up next season.
Good villains are hard to find. The Terror was a holdover as well.(Interestingly, Dot was only mentioned by name in the cartoon.)
Which one was that? I honestly thought that The Duke might have been Chairface.
Go back and watch the scene with Rathbone on the table in the morgue.
Thanks! Wasn’t sure who it was but figured it out (I didn’t watch most of The Tick cartoon, which is why I didn’t know).
Well, except for the Terror. I keep hearing that right issues are the main reason we don’t get a return of certain supporting characters and villains (alas, Breadmaster and Eastern Bloc Robot Cowboy), so I’m not clear why we then got an appearance by the Terror.
I liked the first season, especially the second half, and I could see the potential. So I was excited when I heard they were getting a season two. This one is everything I’ve been liking about the show cranked up to eleven. It’s really great. I feel like it’s settled into a nice groove. It knows what it wants to be. I laughed a lot, and I just really enjoyed my time with this cast and this world. Can’t wait for season three (please let there be a season three.)
Season 2 improves the show in every conceivable way. There isn’t a single character or idea planted in S1 that doesn’t genuinely bloom this go-around. But then to slather even more delightfully ridiculous heroes and conceits on top of that? Truly remarkable. I had a hard time pushing myself away from the table after this feast. I’ll be basking in the warm blue glow of this show for days.
“Shut your nonsense hole, you big blue yeti.”I absolutely lost it when Overkill said that to the Tick. I had to pause it and catch my breath. Can’t wait to binge this new season.
I watched the first two episodes b/f work this morning, and laughed out loud at more than a few scenes.Seeing how this show shares a lot of its DNA with The Venture Bros., I shouldn’t be surprised to read things like Dangerboat getting meaningful character development.Will we be getting reviews of each episode?
Dangerboat’s first name is Carlos.
We’ll be getting single-episode reviews too, right?
I am LOVING this show. This is mostly due to it not mean spiritedly making fun of superheroes, but just having fun with the genre. Its not making fun of it, but having fun with it. Also Tick and Arthur are just so incredibly likable and endearing. They make Tick oblivious but not a complete moron, and they make Arthur neurotic, but show his quick thinking and intelligence. They even have side characters really nicely fleshed out and become more 3 dimensional. Its a great show <3
I like they didn’t make Arthur or Dot total cliches. They both grew and became something more. I was really worried that Arthur would be just another bumbling, wimpy, wishy washy, cowardly, running away, always having to be pulled back into it character. Instead they let him lean into it despite everything and everyone showing him he was anything but special. Everyone including his sister was super. Usually shows and movies demotivate their geeky characters then. Demoralize them. He never gave up and kept trying and going. Think about how pants filling that must be being the only unpowered, unarmed (yes he has a special suit but he doesn’t know how to use most of it yet) one in the fight when all the fighting and crazy stuff goes on? He didn’t quit, didn’t need to be convinced, yeah he got pep talks from Tick but he never quit. So cool.
SPOON! Now if they could somehow work in American Maid (the best super heroine of the last 50 years), that would be great.
There were rights issues with characters introduced in the cartoon, which is why the knockoffs had different names in the first live action show.
But we get Liz “Capt. Liberty” Vassey as the voice of Lobstercules!What I wouldn’t give for Warburton to appear in a blond mullet wig, black t-shirt, and Led Zeppelin tattoo as a certain government agent on loan to AEGIS from another bureau that deals with super-science and superheroes…
The talking dog in this show has the same voice actor as the cartoon Tick.
Respect Midnight! He is a good boy!
He should play Barry Hubris!
I rewatched the first episode recently and dot was wearing a Wonder Woman shirt at her roller derby thing, so you may be onto something there.
hmm looking at my super heroine timeline, American Maid only goes back 30 years….and Wonder Woman goes back 80 lol.
I’m waiting for Die Fledermaus to show up.
I really want there to at the very least be some sort of cameo by some of th cast of the first live-action Tick. Nestor Carbonell absolutely slayed it as Batmanuel.
The 2001 version was a Seinfeld knockoff in superhero clothing. It felt constrained by budget in a way the cartoon wasn’t.
I rewatched it before the first Amazon season and I was surprised at how it sucked a lot less than I remembered. It still wasn’t nearly as good as the cartoon, but it was pretty damn funny.
I like the new less busy Tick costume.
I like how they keep finding ways to lampshade the changes to his costume.
I just wish they could tone down some of the sharpness, especially in the daytime scenes. So much resolution just feels visually abrasive. Maybe invest in some filters. Or a jar of Vaseline.
I just wish they could tone down some of the sharpness, especially in the daytime themes. So much resolution just feels visually abrasive. Maybe invest in some filters. Or a jar of Vaseline.
This season, so far (I am only on episode 2 and will be watching it about 2 episodes a day). They’ve carried everything that’s good over to the new season, and ditched some of the dead ends. The tropes it’s spoofing feel much more targeted. For example, I’m sure that there is noting at all sinister about that large government Superhero registration agency. It clearly follows Podcast Justice.
Yet another show that the AV Club has decided not to recap. Very disappointing.
Yeah, I got into this show because of the AVClub recaps. Ditto for Happy! and a couple other shows that are no longer being recapped.
You expect them to, what, not reacap The Simpsons or something?/s
I would never! The Simpsons was and is the pinnacle of TV comedy. /s
And it will be, for ever and ever. It’s all the rage with the kids, I hear!
Lobstercules? I love that guy!
This season was absolutely amazeballs. Literally everything worked. How is that possible? If I need to give my money to that bald turd Bezos to get more seasons, so be it.
So they introduced Thrakkorzog(!), but what’s the deal with Superian? For a second there, when he was walking on the moon, I thought he might start writing on the moon, becoming Chippendale Chairface, but how in the hell would a live-action show present a character like that?
Holy crap! The reveal about how Supereon’s arrival and how it caused all this was great. I won’t say more as I don’t want to give it away. Seriously great reveal.They added a ton of depth to the world as usual and built amazingly deep characters. They took even bit players that could have been terrible or just cliche like Edge Lord and made them real people. No one was left 2 dimensional. I have to stop now or risk a bunch of spoilers it was all so good. They took one of my favorite comics and made it even better. The Tick and The Orville seriously deserve millions thrown at them to keep more coming.
So… *BIG SPOILER HERE******That was definitely “Thrakkorzog” that the tentacle thing coming out of Wrathbone’s heart was saying, right?
The character was in the comic and presumably fair game here.
Am I the only one picking up on the All my Children “Janet From Another Planet” vibes that Ms. Lint/Janet is throwing?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Dillon
Ugh, after a second viewing I have a sinking feeling they are going to screw this up. Superion. Nuff said for now. But that would suck, all the great development and such just gone.
So who hear thinks Dot and her mom got to the car a minute sooner and died with dad so Dot rewound time and stalled a minute allowing her and mom to survive?
The only thing about this show that I’m not 100% on board with is The Tick himself being so much more lucid. I don’t need him yelling “SPOON” and all that, but it does make me miss the more manic and infinitely quotable Ticks of the past. On the other hand, not trying to be a discount Warburton is a wise choice. It’s just odd to see the character so… able to hold a conversation, is all.
My only reason for watching The Tick to start with was Peter Serafinowicz, a comedian of the highest calibre. Now however, I watch because it’s hitting some sweet notes, the performances are strong across the board and, well, still Pete. That man is funny to his and other people’s bones.
I preferred the first season. The Terror was a fun (yet genuinely menacing) villain, and his absence in S2 leaves a void. Lint was great in S1 and is even more fun in her new S2 persona, but most of the other characters go nowhere or regress. The Dot storyline is developed in a weird, frustratingly halting way. Arthur realizes his dream, but somehow becomes even more whiny and hesitant as a result. The new characters don’t add a lot (although I like Sage), but at least most of them don’t take up much screen time. Then there’s Lobstercles, whose story gets a ton of mostly-dull time…
I just finished season one and two in a glorious binge of the course of a week and now I’m sad that it’s finished. Gosh I hope we get a season three.
Hahaha! “If it get’s a third season”!Speaking as a longtime fan of the Tick – The Tick NEVER get’s a 3rd season.