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From Oprah peeing to the Tron Guy
Reviewer's Bias*
The Story So Far...
The Show First, a refresher for those new to the party (if you know Tosh.0 skip to the next paragraph): each episode starts with a grabber of an internet clip, often shocking in terms of its grossness or pain-induction, before Tosh takes the stage and guides the audience through 22 minutes of clips, interviews and sketches. Each episode features a few regular segments, but it's mostly a melange of oddities and funny internet clips. Sometimes Tosh will recreate a clip, especially if it's a physical feat, like his "I'm Better Than You, Nah Nah Nah Boo Boo, Stick Your Head in Doo Doo" series of oneupsmanship, but normally he's just making fun of what's happening, like he "20 seconds" segment, where he reels off a string of jokes about a clip, the many "...of the Week" bits like "Recio's Black Clip of the Week" or the always wonderful (and disturbing) "Guess What Happens Next," where the video is paused so you can ponder what soul-crushing improbability is on tap.
Each episode features two focal points, the Video Breakdown and the Web Redemption. The breakdown is usually a particularly striking or bizarre clip, and Tosh goes into detail recapping what's happened, and adds plenty of comedic value. Sometimes these are just a low-point for losers that Tosh playfully narrates, like a guy who defecates in a mall planter, but more often it's some sort of horrific injury or assault, like a prankster who almost has his head kicked off or a guy who catches his leg in a basketball hoop while dunking. There are some clasic clips in this segment this time around, including a pastor losing control of a motorcycle in church and a vigilante who pulls the pants off his target. This set includes some of the most famous web personalities ever seen in Tosh's Web Redemption, starting with the Tron Guy, a man who created his own ill-fitting Tron-like leotard, and became internet famous for it. Though it's easy to make fun of people like a backyard wrestler who nearly paralyzes himself doing a backflip onto a mattress or a football fan who explodes into tears, Tosh smartly lets them be a part of the joke, and, if possible, lets them look a bit better in the end. It doesn't always work, with the screaming Nintendo 64 kid being a good example, but more often than not, it's a fun time that's not at the expense of the participant, be it the trampled cheerleader, the make it snow girl or the amazing Crystal Light Dancers, brought back together in a Web Reunion. One of the more interesting things this season shows, through the Web Redemptions for David After Dentist (a kid interviewed by his father as he comes out of anesthesia) and the Phillies fan's daughter (a little girl who throws back a home run ball), is how good Tosh is working with kids, which you may not expect considering the tone of the series, which is loaded with racist, misogynistic, homophobic comedy. He pushes the envelope, but can reign his act in as well. Usually, when the show ventures outside of the clips and main features it can get a bit slow, like during the Viewer Videos (one of which is from Funny or Die, so can we one day please kill this segment?) or bits like Tosh's one-man recreation of a car full of douchebags, sometimes it hits, as seen when he has "Old Lee" creepily read Miley Cyrus' tweets. The interviews, which have thankfully become less frequent, walk the line between bad an entertaining, resulting in the brief, yet cringe-worthy chat with Nickelodeon star Fred (which was saved by one joke in a follow-up interview with a Fred fan) or the one-note, yet funny exchange with the sexy Wii Fit girl. There are so many clips out there. Just keep showing them and making fun of them. That's all we need.
The DVDs
The Quality The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks (which are mostly uncensored) stick closely to the style of the previous releases, putting Tosh up-front and center, while the audience and any music present is placed in the surround fields. The clips are obviously lo-fi, and the show doesn't get too adventurous in its audio, so don't expect anything dynamic in the mix. The tracks also don't have the power of the previous blu-ray releases.
The Extras
The Bottom Line |