Style so avant-garde it makes normies and art thots implode.
This post was adapted from a thread of Tweets I wrote earlier today; catch my writing before it makes it to this site by following me on Twitter and Gab. This review also appears on Medium.
This bizarre show uses surreal humor to satirize modern spirituality, mocking new age mysticism just as much as fundamentalist Christianity. Xavier: Renegade Angel ran for two short seasons on Adult Swim and is representative of a golden age on the network. The show’s creator has stated it is intended to serve as a warning against “the dangers of spirituality”.
The show follows Xavier, a wandering shaman, on his quest for higher knowledge. Orphaned after a mysterious house fire, Xavier was raised by the wise Chief Master Guru, who teaches him in a way of new age transcendentalism which combines traits from Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American lore, and other Eastern schools of thought. At this young age, Xavier vowed to avenge his father’s death and reunite with his long lost mother. All the while he contemplates “the one question that has plagued thinkers for all time”.
During his quest for deeper truth, Xavier offers his unsolicited and unwanted help to many people. His intentions are well-meaning, yet in his ill-fated attempts to help others he inevitably hurts them in doing so.
The show exploits Xavier as a satirical personification of new age spirituality, highlighting the absurdity and hubris of real-life hippies and others in the new age movement. Xavier makes a mockery of all dogma including Christian science, the anarcho-punk scene, Televangelists, and vegetarians.
Xavier: Renegade Angel relies heavily on quick, witty wordplay delivered in dry rapid-fire. The result is that one must re-watch at least once to catch and fully appreciate all of the jokes.
Among the most common wordplay in the show’s dialogue is the use of double entendres, implied meanings, and rhythmic banter
Of course, the show is not all high-brow humor and also relies on less subtle dialogue and scenarios to provoke laughter (as well as inner reflection).
The show is also notable for its cyclical, nonlinear, and usually confusing plot lines, which often double back on each other, deriving a convoluted story which challenges its audience to keep up with the messy narratives.
Another notable aspect of the show is its visual effects, which range from its baseline, computer game-esque aesthetic to trance-inducing, psychedelic optics which feel like an acid trip.
Frequently compared to another Adult Swim show, Rick and Morty, Xavier’s avant-garde style and subtle humor reaches a level of sophistication that far surpasses the lower-brow (yet still entertaining) comedy of the existential, alcoholic former.
Overall, I highly recommend Xavier: Renegade Angel. It may take you a couple watches to “get” it, but once you begin to appreciate it you realize there’s really nothing else like it out there. If you liked this review, but want a deeper analysis of Xavier‘s themes, there are some great YouTube videos out there explaining the show’s finer points. The entire show is available for free on YouTube and only takes an afternoon to watch from start to finish.
Ｗｈａｔ ｄｏｔｈ ｌｉｆｅ．．．？
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