Using variations of characters that first appeared in The Naive Man from Lolliland and 2 in the AM PM, shorts films he created while attending the California Institute of the Arts, J. G. Quintel’s Regular Show continued its inspired run of laughable lunacy during its third season, which debuted on the Cartoon Network from September 2011 to September 2012. Some of the 39 episodes have been previously available in the smaller compilation DVD sets, but for completists like myself, The Complete Third Season is now available on DVD.
For those not in the know, Regular Show is anything but regular as it presents the outlandish adventures of frenemies Mordecai, a blue jay, and Rigby, a raccoon. The twenty-somethings are roommates and work as park groundskeepers alongside Hi-Five Ghost, a yeti named Skips, and Muscle Man (what he is I have no idea other than being aggressive and flabby). Benson, an anthropomorphic gumball machine, is their supervisor and he’s frequently frustrated by Mordecai and Rigby’s lack of effort and immaturity, which they frequently display, such as when they rebel against Benson’s “House Rules” and get kicked out of the house.
The season was filled with many funny highlights, including the Emmy winner for Outstanding Short-format Animated Program, “Eggscellent,” which found the duo risking their lives to win a trucker hat. All they have to do is finish a restaurant’s 12-egg omelette, which is not as easy as it sounds and it doesn’t sound easy. Guest voices this season include Tom Kenny, Robert Englund, Carl Weathers, Donald Glover, James Hong, Linda Cardellini, Michael Dorn, and Kurtwood Smith.
The characters frequently participate in games and challenges where death is on the line, so it’s a good thing they haven’t had to deal with any Sicilians. They stumble into a “Stick Hockey” fight club, take part in a bowling match where the losers forfeit their souls in “Skips Strikes,” and even Pops, the overly friendly lollipop-shaped older gentleman gets caught up in a rap battle where words can kill in “Rap it Up.”
The show is a bit subversive, offering messages parents may like as Mordecai and Rigby always break the rules and always get their comeuppance. While there’s not a great deal of continuity, the relationship between Mordecai and his crush Margaret slowly evolves in a sweet manner, and the season ends with a guy’s worst nightmare in the awesome time-travel story, “Bad Kiss”
Special Features include several episode commentaries by the creative team on Disc 2 and 3. Disc 1 has “4 Things You Did Know About J.G.” (4 min), which demonstrates where ideas for the show come from. He had a Stick Hockey table as a kid and attempted a 12-egg omlette challenge during Comic-Con. There is also “J.G. Answers Why” (6 min) and a 20th Anniversary event for Cartoon Network entitled “Characters Come to Life: Live Episode Read” (8 min) where Adventure Time’s Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny, and Pen Ward trade off doing voices on stage with JG Quintel, Bill Salyers, and Sam Marin.
Regular Show offers a wondrous universe where the characters and stories are bound only by the creators’ imagination. For those who enjoy laughing and cartoons on a regular basis, The Complete Third Season is highly recommended.
