Don't Crack Under Cabin Pressure

     There's nothing like a classic joke and a good belly laugh to forever put a smile on your face -- and not just on the day that you hear it, but also every day afterwards when it's brought to mind. Whether it's a comedian's routine about the misery of the emergency room or an unforgettable catchphrase about the grocery store: humor makes the mundane almost enjoyable.

     That is why, on a long trip of any kind (particularly in an airplane), I recommend a new pastime (especially to those of you who, like me, never end up doing much on the ride despite how many books or projects you brought along). Want to hear it?

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     Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. This source of entertainment is not a movie or a television show. No, ladies and gentlemen: today we're going old-school, with a BBC radio sitcom. Think "audio book" meets The Big Bang Theory: it's all dialogue, sound effects, and a live audience dying of laughter. And the particular gem I'm thinking of is a 26-episode series called: Cabin Pressure.

Hogwarts MJN Air, A History

     The show features the four staff of a private jet and was written by Britain’s most awarded comedian John Finnemore, who got a lot of his ideas from his aviator brother, David Finnemore. The first season started airing on BBC Radio 4 in 2008, and eventually there were four seasons in total with 26 episodes shared between them. And "zany fun" doesn't even begin to cover how well it went.

     The episode names are alphabetically organized from A to Z, each with the name of a different city that is visited over the course of the story: the first is Abu Dhabi, the middle is a Christmas special in Molokai, and the last is Zurich (which was a two-hour farewell special that aired in December of 2014).

     Perhaps one of the major factors in the success of the series was (besides the exceptionally clever writing) the casting: Finnemore not only wrote the saga but also stepped in to play a flaky airline steward that keeps the crowd in stitches… and, in perhaps the most brilliant casting choice of all, Benedict Cumberbatch was brought on to play (arguably) the main character, Captain Martin Crieff. Needless to say, Sherlock fans have a ball with this series... but we'll put the rest of the story about Benedict in the “Appeal” section.

The Plot

     Cabin Pressure follows the exploits, struggles, and all-out shenanigans of four characters trying to manage a small private airline.

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     The aging CEO, Carolyn Knapp-Shappey, won the jet from her husband in the divorce and is stubbornly trying to make money with it. Helping her to do so (much in the same way an excited labrador can help drive a car) is her dense adult son, Arthur, who serves the passengers. Flying the plane is Captain Martin Crieff, an uptight pilot who failed his examinations several times before getting his license… and the bane of his existence, smooth-talking First Officer Douglas Richardson, who prefers to bend the rules and make a tidy profit off his peers for a little amusement.

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     Cram these four into a pressurized container for a few hours, and you’ll find yourself with enough sarcasm and belly laughter to last for days on end!

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The Appeal

     For anyone who has ever enjoyed the humor of the BBC, Cabin Pressure has all of the British cultural references and snark that a customer could want. Those eternally-unanswered questions of life you have, like “What do the pilots really do up there the whole time?” are answered at last. In fact, you’ll likely never forget them.

     Every time you enter an airport, you’ll be listening for Arthur’s voice over the intercom; you’ll forever accept Douglas Richardson's explanation for how the town of Ottery St. Mary got its name; and every time you find your seat, you just might be glancing around for the traveling lemon.

     But that’s only half of what makes this sitcom amazing. The other half is the cast’s — particularly Benedict Cumberbatch’s — performance. While the world of cinema has typecast Cumberbatch almost entirely into the dark and moody side of the character spectrum, in Cabin Pressure he plays a bumbling, uptight dunce with pinpoint accuracy. If you haven’t seen him in Sherlock or Star Trek Into Darkness, then after listening to Cabin Pressure you would never even know the word ’suave’ could be in the man’s vocabulary. This role shows that he has the most expert comedic timing of anyone to ever take on the title of ‘actor,’ and he’s not afraid to throw winks and nods at his other roles in the BBC.*

     * Benedict did have to miss the recording session for “Newcastle”, so the character of Martin was played by Tom Goodman-Hill during that installment. But even then, the episode started with a good gag about the actor switch.

The Rating

     The series is roughly PG, with just a little language to rule out listeners under the age of seven.

     Violence: Next to none. For one thing, it’s non-visual. And for another, the most violent thing you hear is one explosion. The characters get into a lot of wild situations, but their lives are rarely in danger. You’ll usually be laughing too hard to get very worried; this is a sitcom, after all.

     Sex: Many characters have extensive stories about their countless girlfriends or multiple divorces, but nothing’s handled in a crude manner, really. And when relationships do start sprouting, they’re deliciously complex, which makes them very valuable.

     Language: Other than the occasional curses of classy British gentlemen, this show focuses on clean humor for the whole family instead of on childish gags.

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The Genre

     Much in the same way that sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory perform in front of a studio audience, Cabin Pressure was recited with live viewers in the recording session.

     It has all the irreverence of Top Gear, the shenanigans of I Love Lucy, and a clever wit all its own. Since there’s not much room for slapstick comedy in a non-visual medium, puns and sarcasm and all-out hilarity are the order of the day. As a result, most of the show’s quotes are entirely outrageous out of context: so half the fun is seeing how the characters got pushed into each scenario and spoke such things aloud.

     Moral matters are handled with general amusement, but the show does touch on the pressures of divorce, the difficulty of any relationship remaining permanent, and the challenges of following strict rules when it’s so much easier to gloss over things for one’s own benefit. Not that you’ll notice; you’ll probably be too busy rolling in the aisles.

     So is it worth it?

The Decision

     That depends on you. Though I still can barely believe it, apparently not everybody likes Cabin Pressure. My own family is roughly split 50-50 between those who resort to it for any trip (my dad), and those who would prefer to chuck every episode out the window (my mom). According to nay-sayers, they don’t like the British humor or the non-visual aspect of the comedy. To which I say, “But that’s the whole point!”

     I guess you’d have to hear an episode or two in order to know for yourself whether you’re a fan of MJN Air or not. When I first heard about the series, I went online and caught a few smatterings on Youtube. I was so hooked that I decided to invest my next few holiday iTunes gift cards in the first season… and since then, I of course ended up buying the entire series, and my father and I haven’t regretted that decision one iota!

     If you’re worried about getting caught up… relax. There’s not much to worry about. Each episode is roughly half-an-hour long or less, and there are only twenty-six episodes. (In television terms, it would take the same amount of time as two seasons of a kids’ show.) While it’s not vital that you start from the beginning, I’d probably recommend it since the story of MJN Air gets more and more complicated over the course of the four seasons, culminating in the incredible hijinks in “Zurich”.

     And the best thing about Cabin Pressure is that you don’t have to reserve the television or even a computer with internet to spend time enjoying the series. You can take it just about anywhere. Got a long commute to work? A long, boring homeroom class in school? A red-eye flight over the Atlantic where you can’t bring yourself to sleep in that crammed little seat? Stick Cabin Pressure on your iPod… and then prepare to explain your giggles to whoever’s sitting next to you.

     Trailers

     And if you’re still on the fence, just give it time. There aren’t necessarily any visual trailers on Youtube, but there are some first-rate clips of typography that feature some cute quotes featuring things like Arthur’s not-so-impressive intellect… or his unquenchable Christmas spirit:

     If you’re more of a visual person (like myself), you can take a look at some witty t-shirts.  You could try to look at some illustrative fan art, but it’s hard to wade through all the twisted fan art to get to the good stuff (like I have done to spruce up this article for you).

Conclusion

     In the end, I’d recommend that you catch a few clips of Cabin Pressure when you can, to try and decide if it’s the sort of series you might like to pass the time on your next trip. And if so, then brace yourself, fasten your seatbelt, and place your tray in the upright and locked position; Cabin Pressure will fly you to new heights of loony euphoria, and so I’d recommend that you hold on to your (very large) hats when it begins… because it’s going to be brilliant.

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Brace Yourself When Gravity Falls

     It’s been observed by a fair amount of people (including crass-but-accurate critics like Doug Walker) that [some] current kids’ shows are actually better than old ones.

     I'm not talking about brain-cell-killing series like Spongebob, mind you: I'm talking abut shows that have only just shown up within the past five years or so. Many teenagers and adults might protest this, of course, on the grounds that modern, cheap, computer-controlled 2D animation is more crude than the realistic, hand-drawn panels of the past. And I perhaps agree about the visual differences… but when it comes to stimulating storylines and dimensional characters, the toons of today actually win out.

     Want a spoiler-free example? Well, look no further than Disney XD’s current saga of mystery and mayhem: Gravity Falls.

Hogwarts Gravity Falls, A History

          While attending the California Institute of the Arts, a young man named Alex Hirsch decided to try and create a short film/teaser for a show that he had come up with, inspired by his own summer vacations with his twin sister. His school project caught the eye of Disney itself, and he was invited to pitch the concept to them.

     In 2012, Disney Channel bought the idea and started airing the show, filling it with cyphers and coded messages that hooked as many adults as it did kids. By just this past August, Gravity Falls was ranked as the best animated kids’ show of the year at the Annie Awards, and it's featured guest stars like Nathan Fillion and even Weird Al Yankovic! Basically, it came out of nowhere and doesn’t look like it’s leaving anytime soon.

The Plot

     The show follows the summer exploits of twelve-year-old “Dipper” and Mabel Pines.

     They're a dynamic twin duo who have been dropped off to stay with their shady great uncle (“Grunkle”) Stan for the summer.

     Where are they staying? In a town called — you guessed it — Gravity Falls.

     But Stan’s rickety ripoff of a tourist destination, the “Mystery Shack,” doesn’t appear to hold much promise for them, even with staff like the dense-but-lovable Soos…

     …and cool teen Wendy hanging around.

     Not until, on their first full day in town, Dipper discovers a mysterious journal written by an Author with six fingers. He (or she) appears to have recorded strange, supernatural goings-on in the town: monsters, ancient curses, secret passages, and all kinds of bizarre occurrences are spelled out in detail.

     And before long, Dipper starts to realize that the mysterious Author was right. Soon the twins’ summer is filled with zombies, sea monsters, unicorns, and more teenage crushes than can be counted on one hand.

     Are there other journals? Who is this mysterious Author? Are there other people looking for him, too? Will Dipper ever get a date!?

The Appeal

     As mentioned before, the grungy caricature visuals of modern TV animation don’t appeal to a lot of art traditionalists — but viewers who can look past the over-simplified design of Gravity Falls will be glad that they stuck around.

     As many a nerd can probably tell you, one of the hooks that draws even adults to this show is its interactive mystery-solving puzzles scattered throughout every episode.

     Symbols, equations, coded messages, and more are slipped into the theme song, the backgrounds, and the credits. Some obsessive fans actually go through the show frame-by-frame and race to solve each new challenge before anyone else.

     What sort of information do they uncover, you may ask? Not blatant spoilers, necessarily, but enough to throw fuel on the flames of many, many conspiracy theories that viewers have.

     In fact, the mystery element is one of the key motivations to keep watching (as it is with any show). And Gravity Falls handles its stories with a delightful mix of suspense and tongue-in-cheek humor.

     Much in the same way that Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time turns fairy-tale cliches on their heads, Gravity Falls does the same with detective and ghost story archetypes. It handles plot twists with a self-aware, blunt manner that will tickle adults to no end, even if the kids aren’t quite aware enough to recognize the satire just yet.

     And furthermore, perhaps one of the other great elements that child-viewers will one day look back on and appreciate is its phenomenal female lead: Mabel Pines.

     In a television world of leather bikinis and high heels, Mabel is content to wear comfy sweaters (each with a logo for any occasion), rock her braces, dress up her pet pig, and take sass from no one about it.

     She may be as wild a fangirl as anyone else her age, but if her dreamiest crush bad-mouths something she holds dear, she’ll drop him like hot lead and tell it like it is. More preteen girls in the world need that kind of confidence.

     Mabel would attend a fancy ball, a mud-wrestling tournament, or a karaoke puppet show with equal charisma. She and her friends value each other for their personalities, and not for their appearances.

     She understands the value of staying positive, and sees the best in everyone …except all the evil villains who try to kidnap her and make her their bride (a la every Disney villain ever). It’s a great example of how her magnetic personality is more important than her looks (because it’s hard to tell exactly how attractive she is; we’re never told that she’s hideous, nor that she’s stunningly beautiful. She’s just Mabel).

     And Mabel’s heart-on-her-sleeve mentality is the perfect balance for her brother’s suspicion-filled, occasionally-insecure dilemmas.

     She’s able to level him out and teaches him to embrace his emotions, while he protects her from trusting some shady characters too quickly or getting carried away in the moment. And words can’t even describe the wonders that Mabel works on her grumpy, antisocial Grunkle Stan. Even when the rest of the world turns their backs on him, she sticks to his side like duct tape and won't rest until she turns his prickly heart as soft as kitten kisses.

     So if you were to ask me why I (and perhaps many other people?) personally follow Gravity Falls, one half of it would be the Mystery. But another three halves of it would be Mabel.

The Rating

     This show is roughly PG. It’s usually pretty clean, but there are a few moments of humor that might make adults cringe a little.

     Violence: There’s very little blood, but there are negative images now and again: teenage delinquency, ghosts with axes in their heads,  and more. Though if I’d have to choose, I’d say the show is more on the icky side than the scary side.

     Sex: Every now and then a character might walk around in nothing but boxer shorts, get roped into a situation where they have to perform CPR, or get caught in the middle of a passionate kiss with an inanimate object. (Like I said, adults may cringe more at stuff like that than the kids will.)

     There are a lot of teen couples and crushes, but there’s not much shown beyond some hand-holding or dancing.

     Language: Gravity Falls may use some classic anti-curses, like “Son of a Biscuit,” or “Holy Cannoli,” but every now and then — despite its Disney affiliation — it will actually have some preteen language shooting between arguers. (The recipients may be deserving, but it’s still noteworthy.)

The Genre

     This show is a mix of supernatural thrillers, interactive mysteries, hidden codes, and slapstick family comedy for kids roughly seven years old and up. It dabbles in preteen angst now and then, but does a decent job of putting value on family love and honesty above temporary infatuations.

     Bad decisions yield consequences, and good ones are rewarded; but differing personalities are also portrayed in a healthy light. No one person appears better than any of the others all the time, because they face a variety of situations and each has to be handled differently.

     So is it worth it?

The Decision

     That depends on you. I can understand if the animation is a turn-off for some people. My recommendation? Find a good episode with some quality Mabel-time.

     That may be a little tricky, since Mabel doesn't really hit her stride during the first few episodes, and this mystery show builds on itself so some episodes require background knowledge. But half the fun of the show is in the characters anyway (even if you don’t understand some of the throwbacks). But if you want to give it a go, then you’d better get started anywhere you can; the episode count is only growing.

     Trailers

     And if you’re still on the fence, just give it time. There are plenty of clips and commercials on Youtube that might interest you if you’re more of a visual person (like myself). But personally, my absolute favorite video is a fan-made trailer that treats the show like a movie, and boy is it ever fantastic! I had to watch it twice back to back when I first found it!

Conclusion

     In the end, I’d recommend that you flop onto the sofa after a long day and give this show a try, with one or two friends nearby in case you have questions. At the worst, you’ll only spend half an hour on it. At the best, you’ll be hooked. (Or should that be the other way around?)

     Gravity Falls is the show that reminds us we’re all a little different, but that doesn’t mean we can’t band together and solve the mysteries that we face in life… be they the mysteries of puberty, or the mysteries of the supernatural.

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