In a way, this feels like I'm
picking up where I left off last week, when I wrote about Adult Swim in
a Box.
Xavier: Renegade Angel is one of Adult Swim's more recent programs,
having begun its run in late 2007. The show was created by the
PFFR gang - Vernon Chatman, John Lee, Alyson Levy, and Jim Tozzi -
who were also responsible for MTV2's hilarious and memorable Wonder
Showzen. This group's bold, intuitive, ramshackle approach
to television comedy is on full display again in this nonstop satire
of all things spiritual.
Animated using an intentionally-passé
CGI visual style (it looks kind of like an MMORPG), the show follows
the misadventures of Xavier, a hairy hybrid of a creature with the beak
of a bird, one arm that's a green snake, and the voice of a tripped-out
self-important California beach bum. With all the obligatory accoutrements
of a New Age hero - including a special wooden flute called a "shakashuri"
- Xavier wanders the land to seek and spread enlightenment.
The form that that enlightenment takes is generally an indiscriminate
mish-mash of concepts from many religions and cultures, and this forms
the satirical basis of the whole show. Xavier's grasp of these
quasi-philosophical concepts is usually grounded in a gross misinterpretation,
which leads him to behave violently and immorally, all while maintaining
a spacey New Age calm.
Each episode tends to find
Xavier seeking the answer to some abstract question or quandary -
such as "What doth life?" from the pilot episode - and following
a self-reflexive plotline toward an inverted outcome that negates the
constructive, positive, introspective nature of the original question.
Along the way he usually battles against the ignorant and unenlightened,
and crosses into alternate dimensions to communicate with his past and
future self, with the guidance of his Chief Master Guru and others.
Plots develop in an organic, seemingly-improvisational manner that almost
makes one forget the show's careful writing and highly-developed wordplay.
Xavier: Renegade Angel
is intelligent, entertaining, and very funny. It is also consistent
to a fault. The show never develops much beyond its original concept
and falls into a repetitious rut. Episodes run together, looking
and sounding very much like one another. Plotting, while clever
and unusual in its approach, nonetheless smacks of sameness from episode
to episode. I wouldn't call Xavier a one-note or one-joke
concept, and yet the episodes feel as if they repeatedly cover the same
ground. Still, this flaw does not prevent the show from being
enjoyable. It does, however, mean that episodes are best consumed
one by one. Much like Flight of the Conchords, its small
triumphs are better appreciated over time; a concentrated dose of the
show reveals its flaws.
This is the first release of
Xavier: Renegade Angel on DVD, and it contains all 20 episodes of
the first two seasons - in other words, the entire series up to this
point. (Although Xavier has not been canceled, I don't believe
it's been explicitly renewed yet, either.) I do hope that it
continues, and finds a way to grow.
The DVD
The Package
Two discs are housed in a single-width keepcase; the front cover
art is mirrored on the back.
The Video
It's difficult to justify
why this recently-produced program (the second season aired earlier
this year), while produced and broadcast in widescreen, is not enhanced
here. The 1.85:1 image is letterboxed. While colors and
overall video quality is fine, the lack of an anamorphic transfer is
really annoying. This isn't the first time that a widescreen
Adult Swim series has been released with a letterboxed image - the
first season of Metalocalypse comes to mind. A disappointment.
The Audio
The stereo soundtrack carries
good directional effects and depth. Music is brought to the forefront
when appropriate, and dialogue is crisp.
The Extras
Disc One: Two episodes
feature "fanmentary" tracks. These are really weird,
especially since the participants are not identified. I suspect
these may be a joke. The first, on "What Life D-D-Doth," is
overwrought and pedantic. The second, on "Shakashuri Blowdown,"
is by a computer-modulated voice who speaks the bizarre vocabulary of
the show's characters.
Disc Two: There are
two more episodes with fanmentary tracks - "Damnesia Vu"
and "Going Normal." This time around, the participants are
identified and sound more like regular guys. These are a bit easier
to swallow - interesting tracks, but not essential by any means.
Next, under the heading Damnesia You: Inhonorable Unmentionables,
are a selection of what appear to be short fan films; there are thirteen
of them and they are just a couple of minutes each. Xaviercize!
is a pretty silly "fitness workout video" with our metaphysical
hero.
Final
Thoughts
Xavier: Renegade Angel
- Seasons 1 and 2 contain about four hours of programming that
is best watched one or two episodes at a time. The show contains
great wit, convoluted but engaging satire, and a lot of laughs.
It's abstract, brainy fun. Although this DVD package - particularly
the transfer - is not wholly satisfying, the set is still recommended.
Casey Burchby is a writer and editor who lives in San Jose, CA.
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