Review of the series "Diabolical" - reckless animated spin-off "The Boys"
An uneven but colorful almanac that has everything from tender drama to bloody comedy in the spirit of Rick and Morty.
"Diabolical" is a collection of eight short stories set in The Boys universe that have nothing to do with each other. In one episode, for example, they tell about the adventures of a little girl who can shoot lasers from her eyes. The other is about Homelander's (Anthony Starr) first big assignment, when he was still genuinely trying to be a good guy. In the third - about a girl (Akvafina), who received the ability to control feces.
In addition to the fact that the action takes place in the same world, there are not so many similarities between the plots of "Diabolical". The novels are very different both in the manner of execution and in intonation. The first series plays on the style of old slapstick cartoons in the spirit of the Hanna-Barbera studio. The second one was made by Justin Roiland, and visually it repeats his Rick and Morty project one to one. The script for the third episode was written by the author of the original comic book, Garth Ennis: the characters on the screen look like in the original source (Hugie, let's say, looks like Simon Pegg), and not in the film adaptation. The eclecticism persists further: from a cute anime-like episode (called BFFS, and written by Aquafina), to a story in the spirit of Korean dramas (and its author, surprisingly, is Andy Samberg).
Some of the novels try to find funny understatements inside the world of The Boys: say, to answer the question of what happens to children who, after Vought's experiments, receive absolutely useless superpowers (Roiland's episode is dedicated to this). The aptly titled "Nubian vs. Nubian" series takes a more serious look at what it's like to be a hero in a thoroughly fake and commercialized world, and focuses on the divorce process of two "supermen" from the perspective of their little daughter. However, not every short film here interestingly comprehends the peculiarities of the setting: “Boyd from 3D” tells about a couple who, with the help of a magic cream, become very beautiful and successful. With minimal changes, the series could be part of the "Black Mirror": the Vought corporation is inserted here as if after the fact.
The only thing that definitely unites all the episodes is the bloody ultra-violence. Moreover, if in some episodes cruel cynicism looks absolutely appropriate, then in others it seems forced, like a mandatory clause in the contract, which by no means can be avoided. It is not entirely clear why this grand guignol is needed for a series about a girl who learned to control living feces, or the same gentle drama in the spirit of South Korean films.
"Diabolical" is a bumpy almanac, in part because not all stories need the world of The Boys here. But as a kind of stub between seasons, the show still works, and it’s strange to find fault with ten-minute sketches that don’t pretend to be anything. In fact, the global task of the series is to show how rich a narrative the world invented by Garth Ennis can have, and the almanac completely copes with this.
This article was sponsored by L Holmes
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