And so, season 1 of Amazon’s The Tick comes to an end, in earnest this time. While I do have a quibble or two that I’ll mention in this column, it’s really satisfying to see this show succeed over the course of a season. Ben Edlund’s Tick has been a property that has endured for decades on something of a cult status, and while every adaptation has been well-received by critics, prior ones always seemed to hit some kind of snag or were lacking in ratings. I’ve been thinking a little about how streaming media has changed the way we think about television projects like The Tick. When a show is announced, we’re basically guaranteed a full season with a predefined episode order and little to know fear of cancellation. Gone are the days when a series would fail to attract an audience and get cancelled 4 episodes in. With streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, showrunners can plan for season 1 to be the only season they’re going to get, but at least they know they’ll get a full order in. With the Tick, we already know season 2 is in the works, so no worries there. But as someone who appreciates the work of the people behind the scenes, it’s good to know that they can more or less set up a complete vision without it getting yanked, if they wanted to. With that said, let’s talk about this finale. Of course there are spoilers, silly.
1. Superian Saves The Day
While Arthur and The Tick do all the heavy lifting in taking down the VLM (Dr. Karamazov’s shrinking device works with no hitches, other than an unexpected and extended countdown sequence leaving Arthur and the VLM amid some awkward silence), Superian is the one who gets to deliver the final blow against The Terror. There were a couple of really strong character moments surrounding the apprehension of The Terror, so let’s break them down: It’s really fitting that Superian would be the one to beat The Terror, as the MacGuffin of the entire season was Arthur and The Tick working specifically to put Superian up against him. A direct conflict between Arthur and The Terror was never the plan, even Arthur and The Terror have some serious backstory together. Of course, Superian merely freezes The Terror with some very Kryptonian-style ice breath, so you can bet there will be a thawing in a future season of the show. Gotta leave that possibility dangling. Overkill didn’t get to participate in the capture of The Terror, but the show’s writers actually turn that into a character moment for him by having him comment on how his revenge opportunity was stolen from him. Dot playfully tells him that The Terror will escape someday anyway, and Overkill thanks her for saying so.
2. A Legion of Fans
One of the few things that continually disappoints me about this otherwise terrific show is that the world of heroes and villains that populates the show seems far too small. As of right now, the only “supers” that we know of are The Tick, Arthur, Superian, Overkill, Midnight the Dog, The Terror, Miss Lint, and Ramses (R.I.P. Ramses, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again). We know the Flag Five existed at one point, but didn’t actually spend any time with them on the show. The subtitle of this episode was “The Start Of The Dawn Of The Age Of Superheroes”, which had me hoping that the end of the episode would feature some kind of montage or at least a nod to the other costumed vigilantes of The City coming out of the woodwork. That didn’t end up happening.
But even if it doesn’t hint at a greater world, it’s not like the ending was disappointing or miscalculated. David Byrne’s “One Fine Day” plays as The Tick & Arthur look around at a city that’s been saved, and Arthur is given the satisfaction of knowing that he matters. The Tick’s pushing and prodding him towards “destiny” was just what he needed, and it helped him cope with the death of his father. If we’re not given an explicit look at The City with a greater vigilante presence, perhaps the Tick and Arthur being “open” heroes that helped saved the day will inspire others.
Continued belowAs an aside, the show’s very final shot is of a group of A.E.G.I.S. drones flying around in the air over The Tick and Arthur’s heads. Arthur is on the map now, and he’s going to be watched closely. It reminded me of the final shot of the end-credits teaser of the first season of FX’s Legion, wherein David Haller is abducted by a drone from Division 3 after he’s finally found peace with the other mutants. Here’s your reminder that Season 2 of Legion starts tonight.
3. Season MVP: Walter the Step-Dad
I’ve praised François Chau’s performance as Walter in this column before, but he gets such a big scene to shine in this finale that I think it’s time to talk about him again. It’s not that he’s asked to do a lot of acting or pull of much drama, but his constantly pleasant demeanor in the face of literal ninjas trying to murder him adds a fun flavor to the show at times. What we didn’t know about Walter is that he must have picked up a thing or two from being such an avid fan of superheroes, because he dispatches with the ninjas with ease, even with a black bag over his head. This scene ends on an appropriately off-kilter note, with Walter trying to cover up the fact that he’s able to fight so well. First he tries passing the feat off to Arthur, “I thought you did this.” When Arthur denies it, he tries the even funnier: “Maybe they turned on each other?” Walter clearly wants to continue to be known as the optimistic nice guy, and being able to take down a half-dozen ninja at once would certainly put a damper on this. Whatever comes of The Tick for next season, I wouldn’t mind François Chau playing a bigger role, as long as they keep his character as delightful as he has been.
4. Uncle Terror’s Peach Tea
One of the funniest scenes in this entire series so far is the casual reveal that The Terror puts a single drop of his own urine in each bottle of Brown Tingle Cola. Sounds like something the freakin’ Joker would do! Now, I don’t think this was an actual reference to the much maligned Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but I couldn’t help but think of the ill-advised decision to have Lex Luthor leave a pitcher of urine labeled “Granny’s Peach Tea” on the bench of a sitting senator, or whatever. I don’t remember the exact details – that movie’s no good, after all. But the joke works here, because first and foremost, The Tick is an absurdist comedy. Beyond that, the execution of the scene makes it all the funnier. The Terror reveals his big secret to Miss Lint and she is basically barely even listening. The Terror senses this too, and Jackie Earle Haley punctuates the end of the scene with a self-satisfied assurance to himself that it’s a funny gag. As well-acted a comedic scene as this show has to offer.
5. “Spoon!” watch
The Tick: “Oh, but the face! Chum, he knows your weakness.”
The Tick: “Those nice people over there will pant you up.”
The Tick: “Maybe I’m a dog?”
Arthur: “You’re not a dog, Tick.”
