DVD Review: The Mighty Boosh - Seasons 1-3

It doesn't take too long to run across words such as "surreal" when reading descriptions of The Mighty Boosh. I find this very odd, and I can't help but think that those who use the word are seriously over-thinking things. Not only does the term invoke an overly academic analysis of the show, but it smacks of pretension as well. And both are things that are far removed from the oddly parallel universe that is The Mighty Boosh.

This is the story of two men: Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding). They are the hipster Odd Couple, with Howard busy falling into fusion jazz trances and obsessing about being a serious writer (who has never written anything), and Vince occupying himself with the latest fashion trends of the minute (sometimes literally). But they are united by... proximity, one would guess. Regardless, they are the yin and yang of the Boosh ethos. Although they would not be complete without their trusty friends Naboo the shaman and Bollo the gorilla (Naboo's "familiar").

Characterized by witty dialogue and utterly ridiculous characters and situations, the style plays out like a Saturday morning kids show for adults. It's light-hearted, good-natured fun, that isn't afraid to prominently feature hash brownies, bumming animals and Old Gregg's "mangina". If at first you are perplexed by the show, you probably need to relax - by whatever means you might prefer - and not over think the premise of a pair of opposites having simpleton adventures with cartoonish antagonists.

Season 1

Season one takes place inside The Zooniverse, where Howard and Vince work as zookeepers at the beck and call of Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher). Although things begin there, they generally end somewhere much different, as their adventures take them to strange and exotic lands (but mostly strange). Points of interest on the Boosh world map include: the arctic tundra, in the club as an electro band, in monkey hell, stranded in the forest with a maniacal hitchhiker, and other delights. At eight episodes, season one is the longest of the series, but generally strong. Some episodes feel more polished and less random than others, but overall this is a promising start for the Boosh. This is also the only season where the pair open up each episode with faux "variety show" style monologues.

Article Author: David R Perry

Lost somewhere in the rolling hills of Tennessee, David R Perry can occasionally be found doing dark, unspeakable things to words. Printed words, spoken words, electronically mangled words... really any kind but twittered words.

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