Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Quibi’s “Dummy” has its moments, but also doesn’t seem like a show which should exist behind a paywall.
| Created By | Cody Heller | |
| Directed By | Tricia Brock | |
| Written By | Cody Heller | |
| Aired (Quibi) | 4/20/2020 | |
| Genre(s) | Comedy, Fantasy | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Cody | Anna Kendrick | |
| Dan Harmon | Donal Logue | |
| Barbara (Voice) | Meredith Hagner | |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Plot Overview (Covers Episodes 1 – 3)
Cody is a young writer who is currently dating Dan Harmon, as in Dan Harmon, who made “Community” and “Rick and Morty.” But, the actual Dan Harmon doesn’t star in this but instead Donal Logue. However, Cody’s relationship with Dan is but a minor part of what the show actually focuses on: Cody’s relationship with Dan’s 7+-year-old sex doll Barbara. Someone who, after some weird and expired melatonin, Cody can hear and begins to build a relationship with. Mind you, not a good one, at first, but as she starts to see Barbara as more than a sex toy, so does their friendship begin.
Highlights
Anna Kendrick Is Enjoyable
If there is one thing you can consistently say about Kendrick, it is that she is an actress who can adapt to most genres. Granted, do her characters all seem to be in a similar mold? Yes. However, as shown in “Up in the Air” and “A Simple Favor,” she can mix it up. It’s just, between what she is offered and what she goes for, she doesn’t seem to do so too often.
Underhanded compliment aside, she is truly the driving force behind that as you watch the strange animation, or special effects, which animate Barbara. Making it so, Cody is the driving force for the comedy and sense of emotion, and what will have you continue to watch.
In “Doll Parts,” Things Got Emotional
The main benefit of Quibi is that the episodes are so quick, you don’t necessarily feel like you’re binging anything. So even though Barbara has the potential to be Jar Jar Binks level of annoying, Kendrick balances her out. But, I must admit, in episode 3, when Barabara needs to be repaired, for Cody damaged her, I got a little choked up when Barabara was treated as an inanimate object. Mind you, she is, but in seeing the sex shop repair dude not her age and how she was falling apart, you can understand there was a deeper conversation going on.
Now, which one? Well, there could be how men find women replaceable, why women feel the need to tear others down to mask their own imperfections and so many other subjects. Also, one could add that, considering all the repair guy saw, Dan keeping Barabara really speaks to what kind of guy he is. Alongside that, it could also play into Dan not dating Cody as a status symbol, since she is young and cute, but show that their relationship is beyond that and he truly does love her and is invested in her.
But that might just my optimism talking.
On The Fence
It’s One Of Those, Let’s Be Overtly Feminist Kind Of Shows
As for the rest of the show? Well, you may only find this funny if you like in your face feminist comedy. The kind which has women question who is more feminist, yet also shows the flaws in those who try to be the most feminist in the room still being trash individuals. Prime example, Barabara talks a big game about being a feminist, yet makes fun of Cody for her agent not trying to assault her.
Overall
Continue To Watch? – It’s Not For Us
First Impression: Divisive
Our “Divisive” label is based on the idea, after the trial, the minimum you’d have to pay to watch this is $5, before taxes. To me, that’s hard to justify. Does “Dummy” have its moments? Yes. However, I can’t imagine someone paying money to see this. Now, to be fair, you could say that about a lot of Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime programming. But, for this show, and the way Quibi is, this feels like something that belongs on an ad-supported platform, like YouTube. That is, rather than something which exists behind a paywall.
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