C&C - Stroker and Hoop - "Five Diamonds" [9/4]

[The Landstander]

The first "new" Stroker and Hoop, I spose.

[Timmay]

Alot funnier than the first. Didn't see the armageddon thing coming.

[The Landstander]

I'd call that a one-joke episode but I'm not exactly sure what the joke was.

The word diamond?

[Scorpio_G]

First time watching this.

It didnt give the roflomfglmao laughs but more of a lol laugh. In other words this show wasnt that bad. I'll keep watching.:)

[Zach]

HAHAHA, that was great. A+.

Favorite line:

"I think we've been helping the bad guys."

"No crap."

[RD!]

What a fantastic comedy drama A++

[Youko Recca]

Hmm. Well. I laughed a couple of times, and it was overall amusing. So I wouldn't call it trash at all. Just not making me laugh out loud, yet. Pacing seems to be the best thing about the show, even though it goes too fast sometimes.

[Juu-kuchi]

Gee. That didn't work... That didn't work at all. Sure I DID laugh, but the point is that it didn't work.

Maybe next episode. Maybe.

[Scirel]

GAH! Juu-kuchi your title scared the crap out of me.

Anyway, I liked it a lot better than the first.

[shoujoaifan]

Damn it. I like a few others thought the pilot was funny. The 2nd half was slow but the 1st was so hilarious with some funny stuff in the 2nd. It had potential I was hoping they would live up to and prove those reviews of the new episodes wrong.



THIS episode? Yeah, they were right. There was a few good jokes (like C.A.R.R. trying to run through a wall to save them like K.I.T.T. but he couldn't) but SO much of it was just setting it up. Then again the premise is them getting into weird and oh-so-wacky adventures. But the School Mascot case was actually funny while a band with guys named Diamond.....wasn't. (AT LEAST they had the joke with Hoop asking why it was so important to have famous people named Diamond.)

ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS EPISODE: The characters are even more likeable than as in the pilot. They're flawed, yet likeable. Stroker is a deadbeat dad, but will chase down David Copperfield and shoot him, then lie about "killing" him, even when every piece of evidence is against him, INCLUDING footage. Hoop is a dumbass mama's boy who lives at home and can't provide for himself, let alone his girlfriend. But he's sweet and tries, to ridiculous lengths, even resorting to stealing a guy's nose. C.A.R.R.? I liked him some in the pilot, and while he barely had any time this time unlike how he stoled too much attention from the slow 2nd half of the pilot, he's actually cares now about S&H, willing to run through a wall without thinking.

The characters are likeable. But there's not enough jokes in this, a COMEDY show, and the diamond thing was contrived and reaching. Even ATHF wouldn't touch this (and if they did it would be supremely better since they can handle wacky well).

Maybe I'm overreacting since its only the second episode but I'm worried since the reviews state the 3rd episode is just as bad, and I'm starting to get tired of all the terrible new shows like everyone else, coming up with great premises but screwing up the execution and being terrible or mediocre at best, ala TGTTM, 12. Oz Mouse, etc. BUT the next episode is inspired by the urban legend of people stealing kidneys and not some lame Diamond plot, so it has a better chance of being good.



(Man, I should stop being so hopeful of TV shows doing good, be more cynical, and assume they'll suck after seeing only 1 or 2 episodes, and if I hear later on its doing good, THEN start watching it full time, and be pleasantly surprised. Screw optimism and venture into the ambigous and possibly indelible territories of realism and pessimism.)

[Delthayre]

There were some good jokes in the first half, but the second half was lousy. The whole thing was more pointless than absurd. The whole thing about the Diamonds was more an annoying gimmick than anything else. But I did appreciate their going after Lou Diamond-Phillips, however I would've preferred at least one Route 666 reference.

I still hate Hoop and Carr has yet to find a point so far as I'm concerned.

** out of *****

[Golgo13]

I didn't find it as funny as the first episode. Maybe because the jokes didn't have as much punch as the first episode did.

[Duke]

Maybe I'm overreacting since its only the second episode but I'm worried since the reviews state the 3rd episode is just as bad, and I'm starting to get tired of all the terrible new shows like everyone else, coming up with great premises but screwing up the execution and being terrible or mediocre at best, ala TGTTM, 12. Oz Mouse, etc. BUT the next episode is inspired by the urban legend of people stealing kidneys and not some lame Diamond plot, so it has a better chance of being good.Not sure about Matt or Shnay, but I thought this episode was better than next week's...

[Happy]

I liked it, it isn't laugh out loud funny but at least it has good pacing and characters.

[Nin-Nin69]

Stroker is the only character I enjoy. Hoop now seems to be more useless than he was in the pilot. Above all Carr is still anoying, there was nothing to laugh at this episode, and storyline was really down graded.

[JTurner954]

The opening with David Copperfield was good, but then the show went downhill from there. There were some chuckles here and there, but disappointing nevertheless (idea: Get rid of Hoop. He brings the show down and really isn't funny at all).

Summary: Robot Chicken > Tom Goes to the Mayor > Stroker and Hoop > 12 oz. Mouse

[Aquadementia]

Pretty much agreeing with shoujoaifan, but I'll give my two bits anyhow.

It started out okay.
Shooting at David Copperfields' escape cloud, and killing him, was a good bit.

Seeing Hoops' home life was much needed.
Hay, off brand Snoopy phone.

The whole plot with celebrities forming gangs was just not interesting in the least though.

Carr doing something Knight Rider like, like running himself into a wall and not succeeding, is exactly how he should be used. Unfortunately it was just there. No set up or expectations not to be lived up to make for no joke.

And another unfortunate thing is the style of animation doesn't inspire me that there will ever be any great action sequences or give us well composed scenes shown at interesting angles.

[G1Ravage]

I enjoyed it.

[Punisher]

And another unfortunate thing is the style of animation doesn't inspire me that there will ever be any great action sequences or give us well composed scenes shown at interesting angles.I actually thought the animation was pretty good. I'd say Hoop shooting at Stroker and the Diamonds was an action scene.

[livingfruitvirus]

I actually thought the animation was pretty good.
I think this episode proved that Studio B can't animate "pretty good."

[Frank Castle]

Just cancel the show already.

[jbanks97]

I'll be honest I only sporadically watched it. (Maybe I'll catch it in repeats, I dunno the first episode didn't exactly wow me enough to come back).

My one comment is the animation looked "ok". It was better than the first episode, but it looks like crap when compared with Venture Brothers immediately following it.

[Daizaburo Estes]

HAHAHA! They're so funny and original, they made celebrities CRAAAZY villains! Huhuhuh! That's SOOOOO wacky!

Seriously, was this supposed to be funny or something? I mean, I'm just saying that, if making a COMEDY's what they wanna do, maybe, just maybe they could put in, oh, I dunno...JOKES.

Though I'd say the characters have certainly improved since the pilot episode, with a little more development on all sides. Stroker isn't quite the incompetent jackass he was made out to be in the pilot, yet still has his share of problems. We also seemed to see a pitiful-yet-determined Hoop in this episode as well, as he desperately tries this and that to prove himself to his girlfriend. C.A.R.R., too, has stepped up from his pilot self, and isn't quite the "Knight Rider gone BAD" as he was in the first episode.

However, characters alone do not make a show, obviously, and, unfortunately, the overall plot and "jokes" really bring this show down. They just seemed really forced and didn't really feel like too much thought was put into them.

*sigh* The optimist inside me tells me to keep watching, but the pessimist inside tells me to do the exact opposite... :shrug:

[Juu-kuchi]

GAH! Juu-kuchi your title scared the crap out of me. I was wondering when somebody would take notice like that. :p

[Daffy Dork]

First of all, Welcome to my 200TH POST of anger!

Now, when you're watching a show and the most likeable character is The straight man because the funny ones are actually more annoying than funny, you have a problem. That is what I find to be the main flaw in this show. Not one of the characters is likeable even 1 bit! (maybe stroker, but he's not funny!) The story was poorly plotted out. It had about 4 different plots that confused me and eventually made a teeny amount of sense. And if you're going to have action scenes, at least make them well animated like Venture Bros. The pacing of this show is also horribly off. Scenes seem to drag on and on yet everything seems rushed in the end. Nothing, and I mean nothing has improved since the already awful pilot.I have low hopes for this show and really hope it will Improve. I'll probably continue to watch, but let's hope Adult Swim has better shows in the future...

[Aaron_bhkk]

I really liked this episode. I think my favorite part was Stroker on the phone saying, "Yeah, well, I killed David Copperfield." I wasn't a big fan of the Diamond, even with (I believe) Carlos Alazraqui voicing him.

So far, I'm really enjoying this show.

[Punisher]

Not one of the characters is likeable even 1 bit! (maybe stroker, but he's not funny!)Huh, I thought that Stroker had the only comedic scenes in the episode, and certainly the best lines.

[Daffy Dork]

Huh, I thought that Stroker had the only comedic scenes in the episode, and certainly the best lines.
Well maybe the opening scene at the birthday, but other than that, he's just the normal guy trying to do his job

[Zyzzybalubah]

Funniest Parts: Decent Neil Diamond segment (I guess) and heh Screech, aka Dustin Diamond being a character.

Bad: The rest. Honestly, nothing was funny, in fact I didn't even bother with the rest of the episode.

[bluedeucedodge]

It was.....creative. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but was still amusing. I'll keep checking for this.

[email2003]

I think this series will go well. I think this series will have high hopes for Adult Swim just as the Venture Brothers have.

[Sandoz]

I was amused throughout the entire episode, though nothing stood out as particularly laugh-out-loud funny.

AS has aired much, much worse.

[Scythemantis]

I found the main cast pretty likeable in this one, they do have reasonably developed personalities for so early in the show.

Unfortunately, yes, the entire "diamonds" plot felt like the kind of corny thing a show comes up with in its final stagnating seasons. It was very contrived and wasn't a really funny concept.

Also, when they introduced the talking diamond, I thought the nose looked really out of place and made the whole design too cheesy, it seems like they only gave him one so there'd be something for Hoop to shoot off for that silly subplot.

I guess I should be glad they settled on a nose, but that part of the plot contributed nothing.

[Spastic Minnow]

Only got halfway through it before turning the channel. It just wasn't funny enough to care about. It had the same appeal of some generic sit-com. 1 out of 10 jokes actually funny and maybe a couple other somewhat humorous bits. I very much doubt that I'll be watching it again.

[Jp7010]

I felt this episode was a big step in the right direction after the pilot.
There are still many, many, many more steps for it to take, however.

I did laugh a few times. Carr driving into the wall. Stroker's negotiation for the kid. Shooting the cloud.

They just need to take Stroker, and make him do something else. Carr isn't working, Hoop isn't working. Stroker, surprisingly, worked this episode.