Evildoers Beware! ‘The Tick’ Makes His Glorious Return to Amazon

Last year, Amazon Studios debuted their pilot for The Tick, reviving Ben Edlund’s iconic spoof of superhero fare. Thankfully, good citizens, your voice was heard and Amazon greenlit the series for a full season order debuting exclusive on Amazon Prime on August 21st. The pilot, which I reviewed, was pretty good but I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic because it was a mere half hour glimpse into this oddball world of superheroes and supervillains. Now that I’ve had a chance to view four episodes from the series’ debut season, it’s safe to say that I am now entirely enthusiastic about The Tick. It’s exactly the kind of irreverent take on superheroes that is needed in this ongoing age of their supremacy over pop culture. The Tick features action, laughs, and a distinct personality that doesn’t always resemble the prior incarnation of the big blue superhero. And that’s all very good.

The second episode picks right where the pilot ended, with Arthur (Griffin Newman) having just secured his suit which was stolen by a criminal element led by the electrified Ms. Lint (Yara Martinez). However, Arthur’s newly discovered suit is bulletproof and the rounds fired into his timid frame don’t penetrate. Enter the big blue superhero, The Tick (Peter Serafinowicz), and the action unfolds in a bombastic fashion. The hero makes inane quips as he easily dispatches the henchmen, flinging their whole bodies through the walls with ease.

This episode establishes, rather quickly, the dynamic that plays out over the subsequent episodes. Arthur is uneasy about entering a world of superheroics due to his past obsessions with the potential demise of the The Terror (Jackie Earle Haley), the supervillain that slain his father before his eyes. It’s believed The Terror was killed by Superian (Brendan Hines), though Arthur isn’t quite sure. Hard as he tries to deny the destiny that has called him, Arthur is always pulled further into the world costumed crime-fighters due to the presence of The Tick, a hero with a moral code that clearly defines good and evil even if he’s not exactly familiar with etiquette. Ms. Lint is working diligently on tracking down the suit that Arthur possesses for her crime boss Ramses (Michael Serveris). Also on the loose in this metropolis crawling with crime is the masked hero Overkill (Scott Speiser), who once he’s introduced you’ll quickly understand the name.

Though each episode of The Tick opens with narration from Serafinowicz’s hero, it’s really presented through Arthur’s perspective. This leads to some rather intriguing moments between him and his sister Dot (Valorie Everest). She’s an EMT studying to become a doctor and tries to keep a watchful eye on her brother in the hopes that he won’t fall into a previous pattern of obsession in regards to The Terror. However, complicating matters, Dot is also working as medical provider for the criminal underground, and quickly finds her side business overwhelmed with criminals beaten to pulp by a big blue behemoth. The intersection of superheroes and private life cross paths at an unfortunate family gathering, where both The Tick and Ms. Lint make uninvited appearances.

The Tick efficiently establishes its comedic tone, and it builds upon that foundation with each subsequent episode. There are the little gags, such as Ms. Lint having problem ground herself and constantly being shocked by anything she touches or a PSA where Superian warns children to avoid toxic waste. Then there are the bigger gags, like the over the top introduction of Overkill. Wally Pfister, who directed the pilot, and the filmmakers that follow build this crazy world where superheroes exist, and each episode adds another layer to the mythology, including a constitutional amendment that makes it illegal for the police to release the identity of superheroes. There’s a self-referential sense of humor to the show that finds itself creeping through in little moments, like when Arthur comments on the changes to The Tick’s costume between the pilot and the second episode.

I think it’s quite possible that eventually Peter Serafinowicz will become the definitive take on The Tick. The improvements to the costume have him looking more like the part than in the pilot. Serafinowicz brings that dopey earnestness to the character that you just can’t hate him despite whatever unintentional chaos he unleashes. His voice booms like an authoritative superhero even though each sentence is a mish-mash of total nonsense. There’s a rapport between Serafinowicz and Newman that provides The Tick with a solid foundation to take stranger, bolder turns with its narrative.

Superheroes are inescapable these days. For many, it’s a dream come true to see their favorite heroes in on screen battle that matched the two-fold splash pages. Heroes that were once unimaginable in live action movies are filling up the multiplexes to the point where less popular heroes are proving to be box office hits. And yet it’s important not to lose sight that there is a lot of absurdity to this all. You can’t always look at heroes in spandex with the reverence of Greek mythology. Sometimes you just gotta laugh at the tropes that dominate the genre, and The Tick is more than ready to take them on with the same bombastic vigor with which he battles crime. Destiny has called and Peter Serafinowicz has answered the call. Four episodes in, he’s hasn’t said it yet. But I can’t wait until he belts out with his distinctive voice, “SPOON!”