Inside Job: A Conspiracy Comedy That’s Both Familiar and Fresh
Reagan is a brilliant but socially awkward inventor working at Cognito Inc., a shadowy government organization that dreams up conspiracy theories. She’s on the cusp of a long-awaited promotion, but the coveted position comes with a catch: she has to share it with Brett, a charismatic but clueless colleague who will handle the team dynamics. This team includes a giant, mind-reading mushroom and a patriotic dolphin-man. Reagan is initially frustrated, but gradually accepts that it might be for the best. After all, her own social ineptitude and perpetual loneliness once destroyed her father, who used to work at the company but was forced into retirement after a breakdown.
Still from the animated series “Inside Job”
The eye-catching and marketable phrase “from the creators of Gravity Falls” isn’t just a marketing ploy; it’s actually true (Alex Hirsch is producing the new animated series, and writer Shion Takeuchi is its showrunner). However, it’s important to note that “Inside Job” won’t replace the show about the summer adventures of a brother and sister. If you look closely, you can find some similarities between the projects: the new Netflix series resembles “Gravity Falls” in its art style, mysteries, lively opening credits, mystical vibe, and the dynamic between the main characters – an overly serious snob (Reagan/Dipper) and a goofy simpleton (Brett/Mabel). Otherwise, these are two different series: “Gravity Falls” offered a universal coming-of-age story with a carefully crafted parody universe; “Inside Job” is aimed at an adult audience, focuses on the crisis of recent graduates, and is packed with pop culture references.
Still from the animated series “Inside Job”
Familiar Territory, Fresh Perspective?
In general, “Gravity Falls” is just one of many projects that come to mind while watching “Inside Job.” It’s hard not to see Rick Sanchez from “Rick and Morty” in the alcoholic father; the dysfunctional team of employees resembles “The Office,” and the hidden government organization is reminiscent of “Men in Black” or “The X-Files.” The series’ secondary nature on the level of visual language and imagery is one of its main drawbacks. Others include the lack of a central plot, an overarching intrigue (which seems easy to come up with given the setting), and the sitcom rhythm of the episodes, consisting of a machine-gun fire of not always successful one-liners. Together, this results in an ambiguous outcome – “Inside Job” seems like a non-essential series and simply becomes tiring if you watch more than two episodes at a time.
Still from the animated series “Inside Job”
Conspiracy Theories and Dark Humor
However, it’s worth giving credit where it’s due: if you don’t exceed the permissible dose, you can enjoy watching the series. For example, it becomes really interesting to watch the central characters as they face another strange crisis, like the unification of John F. Kennedy clones into a huge creature similar to something from “Akira.” In general, the series really blossoms when the focus shifts from personal and family dramas to conspiracy theories, government lies, and idiotic world secrets – here, the authors practically don’t limit themselves and touch on Atlantis, the September 11 attacks, the flat Earth theory, reptilians, aliens, and the moon landing, but, alas, ignore the current and controversial topic of vaccination.
This is how “Inside Job” remains throughout the first season – sometimes resembling the project that inspired the creators, delving into boring drama about the difficulties of relationships with others, bombarding the viewer with references, and then jokes about some conspiracy theory. Again, it’s non-essential and secondary, but at the same time it grabs attention and even causes fits of laughter; plus, there’s a chance that in the second season the creators will polish the formula and present a great adult animated series, albeit not a masterpiece. There seem to be a lot of these right now, but at the same time there aren’t enough.