Top-10 current “Smiling Friends” episodes
I am excited for season two of one of the new hit shows to enter late-night adult animation, so I chose to write about it.
(COSBY, Mo.) Adult animated shows have taken over pop culture since the start of The Simpsons in the 1980s but have slowly grown weird. That is, of course, a lack of a better term depending on where someone sets their sights on the theme of a television show.
As shows like Family Guy started to break the culture of standard day-to-day hijinks of a family or a set of characters, the goal changed with the popularity of networks such as Adult Swim leading us to adult-centered animated shows like Rick and Morty that took us to other literal dimensions of comedy. A new competitor has emerged with great applause in “Smiling Friends.” Although they have already shown the pilot for the much anticipated season 2, let’s look at the best episodes in a top 10 list before season 2 truly premieres on May 12.
10. Smiling Friends go to Brazil (Season 1, Episode 9)
This episode, although good, is, at least in my opinion, very forgetful. Although entertaining and a possible go-to storyline on most television shows, they take an easy way out by bringing the cast to Brazil, and hijinks ensue. This episode is worth putting on in the background while working on a project, but definitely not one you need to focus on.
9. Who Violently Murdered Simon S. Salty (Season 1, Episode 5)
This episode plays the classics on what people know and love about the show over time. This is one of the few episodes that don’t follow the traditional anecdote of the duo trying to fix someone’s smile. The duo finishes a movie and wants to find somewhere to eat. They center on a rundown fast-food restaurant named Salty’s, where they discover that the owner has been murdered. Through a hilarious turn of events to make a plot for the episode, Charlie and Pim have to find out who did it. This episode also includes one of the only traditional human characters, who is an actual human, who is edited into the show.
8. Mr. Frog (Season 1, Episode 2)
Mr. Frog is a show within a show, and in this story, a minimalist character who is the center of a show is getting replaced for an odd reason. Charlie, from the main duo of the show, is a huge fan and wants to help his TV show idol find new happiness in life by getting his job back. One of the show’s literal most minor characters, Glep, finds himself on the B side of the plot in possibly replacing Mr Frog. It takes a break partly from the traditional formula of the show in helping someone smile, but it also tries to remain original to the type of show it falls under.
7. Frowning Friends (Season 1, Episode 7)
The classic TV show plot is about the main characters meeting an evil version of themselves. The Frowning Friends move in across the street and, of course, make people want to frown instead of smile, which is the usual task of the show's main characters. Through this episode, most of the characters they meet are put against them due to the actions of the “Frowning Friends.” Entering an almost Twilight Zone-esque problem solution area, all they can do is work through the episode to try and figure out how to put their enemies to rest. But undesignated cameos eventually entertain halfway into the show, bringing hilarious interpretations of presidents and billionaires to help out Mr Boss, the leader of the Smiling Friends.
6. Charlie Dies and Doesn’t Come Back (Season 1, Episode 8)
However, with the introduction of the new season, even before then, I saw Charlie as one of the people who went to Brazil with the company in the special episode afterward. The title does not suggest, but viewers will eventually figure out that this, too, is a holiday special that relies almost on traditional Christmas tales that teach the main character a lesson. No spoiler here, Charlie does indeed die but then is morally tasked with assisting the Devil in smiling again.
5. Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4k (Season 2, Episode 1)
This is set in the middle of the pact to disregard the argument of recency bias in the latest episode after the fan base had some time away from the program. This was the ultimate tease to get fans ready for the show, satisfying their Smiling Friends fix but wanting more. Not often do shows like Smiling Friends see a blend of animation in their storytelling. For those who dive into pop culture and have been around for the earliest adaptations of 3D story video games, the storyline they would go for with Gwimbly was pretty obvious. But, of course, they introduced yet another character who was down on their luck. One of the aspects of this episode that puts it on the lower end for me is the lack of storyline on the B side of the episode, with Charlie meeting his match in someone who suddenly wants their services but is being very difficult. However, it does bring a cheerful and funny Looney Toons-type tie-in toward the end to bring the cast of characters back to themselves.
4. Shrimps Odyssey (Season 1, Episode 3)
In today’s popular culture, the tall tale sign that a type of media has “made it ‘’ is whenever that episode, scene, or what have you is all over social media. Multiple moments from this episode were on TikTok, Twitter, and other social media. As mentioned, of course, in the summary for pick number 5, these moments help out the show. From the lone nerd that the Smiling Friends were trying to assist being exposed to sunlight to the hyper-realistic imagery they used to convey feelings of uneasiness.
3. Desmonds Big Day Out (Season 1, Episode 1)
Usually, a series pilot has a dull feel to it as it introduces the show. Boring plotlines that introduce the viewer to the main characters and the purpose of the show. But this pilot does more than that through its crazy way of presenting the viewer with the innocence of some of the characters involved; their main focus is the fictional company of “Smiling Friends.” Through a dismal situation of someone who does not seem to want to get help, the usual protagonist of the show, Pim, is fighting to create the usual dark comedy.
2. Enchanted Forest (Season 1, Episode 6)
Enchanted Forest brings a beautiful blend of trying to escape to a traditional storyline, if someone can even call whatever Smiling Friends is “traditional”. Pim and Charlie are set to find a princess who is trying to smile again. As they journey to find the princess, they encounter many stereotypical forest-type characters from bedtime stories. They meet a weary traveler named Mip who knows the way to the princess's castle, but Mip isn’t exactly wanted. Leading a hilarious but thrilling conclusion to the episode.
- Silly Halloween Special (Season 1, Episode 4)
One of the best things about this kind of animated show is that it is weird with the comedy. This episode shows the best of the two within this new animated series. Of course, with a title that hints at it being the holiday special it is, viewers know it’s bound to get a little spooky. Most of these types of shows have an A and a B storyline to their episodes. The B side features the lovable character Pim, who is put into a terrifying predicament whenever trying to assist the other characters of the show who stay in the A plot of the show. This episode features a fantastic conclusion that results in hilarity when introduced back into the A-side.
Each episode of this show is only a little over ten minutes long, so do not let this list distract you but inspire you to watch the show. Season 2 is expected to double-premiere as they say on May 12 on Adult Swim and be added to the streaming service Max on the next day. So, why is the month of April still fairly young? Dive into one of the hottest new weird animated shows that will be sure to make you think or feel, but for sure, laugh.
