When I first heard that we were getting a Gremlins animated series, I couldn’t help but worry that the spiteful edge that the franchise is famous for wouldn’t make the transition. Not only did the giggling little imps inflict jaw dropping carnage onto people like a cross between Bugs Bunny and an 80’s slasher villain, but they also took impressively gooey punishment in turn and I figured that there was no way this mean spirited humour would make it in intact.
Well, now that the Gremlins have finally made their animated bow, it seems like I shouldn’t have worried. I mean, obviously there’s nothing here that’s even close to a Gremlin imploding in a microwave or getting fed through a shredder, but in it’s own way, Secrets Of The Mogwai’s third episode shows that its keeping that spirit well and truly alive. Not bad for an episode that’s technically not much more than a monster of the week plot.
It’s only the third episode and evil, black magic wielding arch villain Riley Greene has already secured himself a quartet of Mogwai who have recently scoffed some food after midnight and transformed into snarling, vicious Gremlins. However, while his hapless henchmen lose face (and fingers) while trying to subdue them, Sam Wing, Gizmo and light fingered street urchin Elle head off by train on their quest to get their furry friend back to the mythical Valley of Jade.
Tensions immediately rise when Sam, disapproving of Elle’s thieving ways, vows to earn his train fare the old fashioned way by shining shoes, but unfortunately he runs into Yao, a Ministy of Railways Inpector (aka. a train cop) who spotted Elle stealing her way through a train carriage earlier. But while Sam is having his ear bent by Yao’s advice, Elle and Gizmo run into a malevolent, goat legged shape shifter who has malevolent designs on Gizmo and the fact that this thing can duplicate Sam perfectly only manages to spread mistrust among the trio.
Meanwhile, while Greene monologues at his tittering, Gremlin captives, he lets slip a piece of previously unknown Mogwai lore. Aside from their aversion to light, multiplication with water and food related mutation habits, there is actually a fourth rule which states that he who eats a mogwai will gain eternal life – however, he learns the hard way that the same can’t be said of their gremlin form.
Coincidentally, the shapeshifter – whose real name is OddOdd and who has been posing as Yao all along – has the exact same plan and plans on nabbing some handy immortality if he can get the entirety of Gizmo into his mouth at once (not unlike eating a Xisolongbao, apparently).
Can Sam, Elle and Gizmo work as a team to keep OddOdd from his Mogwai flavoured feast?
While the Gremlins are sort of being kept on the backburner for now (unsurprising considering the first two episodes moved at a sprint), the way the show uses them seems to be a statement of intent for people like me who are worried that the Santa mauling, dentist drill waving monsters would be watered down for their animated shenanigans – however, while the animated versions obviously don’t go as hard as their live action cousins, there’s a surprising amount of spite here for a kids cartoon. How much spite, you may ask? Well, lead Gremlin Claws not only bites off the finger from one of Greene’s henchmen, but the gnarly little bastard pretends to smoke it like a cigar and after teasing its owner with it, swallows it whole. One top of that, later, when Greene makes the mistake of trying to gain immortality by eating a Gremlin, he vomits it back up in a liquid, still living form, which is subsequently kept in a jar for the rest of the episode. Admittedly it’s bloodless, but it’s still pretty harsh and it went a long way to make this old Gremlin fan’s malicious little heart grow warm with relief.
However, as fun as this is, it’s only a minor part of the episode as the show moves away from green, scaly anarchists and delivers a new, supernatural villain in the form of Randall Park shape shifting OddOdd. While all the signs were there for this to be a filler episode with a throwaway bad guy, it serves as a nice break from the A-plot that allows Sam, Elle and Gizmo to have a separate side adventure that helps them bond. Benefiting the most from this is obviously Gabrielle Nevaeh Green’s Elle who, up to this point, has been something of an allegiance hopping enigma after joining Sam and Gizmo after aiding Greene in his dastardly endeavors. To be fair, apart from being a streetwise and plucky counter to Sam’s more timid, naive nature, the character is hardly breaking many molds, but a last minute plot twist generates interest in a character that might not be so straight forward after all.
That leaves OddOdd, a character who, along with spell casting rotter, Riley Greene, is yet another, giant step into the realm of full blown fantasy and the show manages to pull it off nicely. Yes, having a shape shifting villain appear just when the show needs a single serving baddie to drive a temporary wedge between our heroes may smack of A to B storytelling, but it’s attacked with the same colour and energy that the writers, directors and animators have aimed at everything else so far. OddOdd is a striking design that has obvious nods to Chinese theater with a nicely absurd backstory that literally casts him as an egotistical actor who just happens to be a spine throwing monster who has a taste for Mogwai à la carte and Park’s sardonic vocals bring a wry humour to a beastie who could have just been another throwaway nogoodnick.
So is Always Buy A Ticket a filler episode that simultaneously acts as an exposition dump? Well, yes; but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t just as fun as the previous episodes. On top of that, it’s great to see that the writers aren’t afraid to expand upon the established mythology by adding a fourth rule to the iconic commandments offered up by Joe Dante’s original. Ok, so the eating of a Mogwai to gain immortality sounds like the sort of shit Gargamel from the Smurfs might pull, but it works as an overarching motivation for any other scoundrel who comes sniffing around after our cuddly hero.
Three episodes down and Gremlins’ momentum is still going strong, with a nice side of mythology building to boot.
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