Writers have had to consider using hysterical beats and satire as a means to reflect the state of modern American society in TV shows, such as “Arrested Development,” “The Office” and even films like The Hangover. Some of these shows/films deal with subjects ranging from race and sex to work and class. In Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald’s satire-infused take on action comedy in Obliterated set in Las Vegas for Netflix, it is well received. Unfortunately, what we get instead is a confusing, almost unwatchable mess that defies comprehension full of penises and bombs rather than an amusing commentary on drug culture or various factions of the US intelligence community.
At a sweltering casino roof-top with hundreds of party people in attendance, we open this series. Now seven super men who are part of an elite special forces commando are wrapping up their six month mission of capturing a Russian bomb before it kills the whole city. No-nonsense CIA Agent Ava Winters (Shelley Hennig) heads up her squad while trying not to think about how she feels around Chad McKnight (Nick Zano). Chad has never been one to follow orders; his insistence on doing things his own way causes strife between him and Ava.
Trunk (Terrence Terrell), another member of SEAL team with him who also happens to be his best friend over obsesses about food. When behind her computer screen or openly ogling Chad’s abs, NSA agent Maya Lerner (Kimi Rutledge) also known as Tech Girl finds herself at peace everywhere else; she can make mistakes there too but when it comes down nothing ever goes wrong as far as she’s concerned!. Paola Lázaro plays Marine sniper Angela Gomez who wants to produce some casualties and have some sex with bachelorettes from Vegas. Eugene Kim stars as Air Force pilot Paul Yung, who is a square, and the reason for his concern is because there are miles separating him from his teenage daughter. Lastly Army explosives technician Haggerty (C. Thomas Howell) can be as unpredictable as the bombs he deals with.
Even though there were some missteps along the way, the bomb was successfully disarmed by a team that had been on a mission for months. However, McKnight persuades Ava to let them celebrate one last time before they break up. In this process, Trunk and him host an acid-trip-filled orgy of mushrooms, ecstasy pills and liquor accompanied by more dildos and craziness than anyone could have predicted. Nevertheless, while they are having fun and finally releasing their sexual tension in between CIA director Langdon (Carl Lumbly) interrupts them to tell them that it didn’t matter since that whole affair with Russia was phony anyway but we need you guys back here like yesterday!
Ava manages to corral her drunk gang into action otherwise, any hopes of saving their jobs or Las Vegas’ people will go down the drain. Obliterated is such a funny concept. Watch intoxicated top secret service agents trying to shoot straight and make an intelligible plan in under 7 hours; it should be hilarious. Unhappily this show perplexes because it consists of endless weak jokes; far too much genitalia on display and hour-long episodes which drag on without moving anywhere at all.
From the beginning it was clear that there were storylines, including that of Ava and McKnight’s will-they, won’t-they. It is tiring to see how Maya has a crush on the blonde hair-seal and hates Ava. As for Paul, he acts like someone surprised to learn he is not there for his child and throughout the season Trunk is labeled with every stereotype about big Black men. (Literally, no penis is left unturned.) Haggerty goes into a drug-fueled stupor following an acid trip with mushrooms until Episode 6 so they just kind of carry him around like dead weight all day. The whole concept of satires depends on unpredictable dialogues since they are only interesting if everything is expected from them as far as plot points are concerned.
“Obliterated” has a huge idea behind it. Nevertheless, rather than offering fans something more than just the glamorous Las Vegas night lives or some insightful information about characters’ backgrounds except McKnight and Ava, viewers are compelled to meet the group where they are at even though it may not be interesting. With exception of cocaine-ridden camel and two clever one-liners this series is confusingly chaotic full of situations beyond any logic or reason entailing many stereotypes that are much closer to being mindlessly offensive than fun parodies.
Had “Obliterated” been broken down into 30-minute segments that moved through the story quickly then maybe it would have retained some wit-or at least what Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald were going for. But later episodes seem endless as well. There was no real comedic moment in the show; instead it was just one antic after another never translating into anything thrilling like we had anticipated during its development stage. Finally in Episode 8 “Last Call,” where all hell breaks loose after which you feel you’re sober in a room—–and nobody wants to find themselves in such a situation.
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