I was reminded of Dead End Paranormal Park while skimming my list on Netflix recently. I meant to watch it a while ago, but, as usual, I got busy and forgot about it. Because I had the time, I binged the entire first season in two days, so that’s what I’ll be discussing today. I had no information about the Origin of the show, except for what’s stated in the opening. The show is based on the DeadEndia comic books series by Hamish Steele (who was also an executive producer on the show). I don’t think this was a bad or good thing, but I am glad I got to judge the show on its own without any preconceived ideas of what the show should be. Instead, I got to enjoy a very good show because it was a good show and not anything else.
I did know the basics of the show before starting. The first is the general synopsis; two teenagers end up working at a theme park based on a famous actress where supernatural things happen. The second has to do with the two main human characters. I knew one of the main characters, Norma, played by Kody Kavitha, was autistic and that it was done very well, which excited me greatly as an autistic person. The other thing I remembered, this time about the main character, was that he, Barney, is trans. What I didn’t know was that he’s played by a transgender man named Zach Barack, similar to how Raine from the Owl House is played by nonbinary individual Avi Roque. I LOVE when casting directors do this. It’s SO GOOD, both for so show and for the representation of minorities. What I also like is that both Barney and Norma aren’t just autistic and trans. Norma is of Pakistani-American descent, while Barney is both Jewish and, to the delight of YouTuber, Oakwyrm, fat. Many times, minority characters are only that minority, but in real life, everyone is a mixture of things—my best friend, for instance, is both trans and blind. I’m not sure why these things aren’t shown in the media more, but it makes me really happy that Dead End did it well.
Barney and Norma, however, aren’t the only main characters in the show. The first is Pugsley, played by Alex Brightman, a pug who, by the end of the first episode, has magic powers and the ability to talk. He got these abilities by being temporarily possessed by a demon, which is such an issue in the first episode. How he ended up posses, you may ask. The short spoiler-free answer free is Courtney, played by Emily Osment. She is a demon that lives in the park and whose main goal is to get home to the Demon Realm. She believed that the demon she allowed to possess Pugsley, Temeluchus (who coincidentally is also played by Alex Brightman), would remove her cuffs that keep her from entering the elevator and go home. Of course, since this is the first episode, this does not happen, and Temeluchus betrays her, leaving her still stuck on the Mortal Plane.
I think all of these characters are great. They play off of each other very well and, intentionally or not, lead each other to great development in their character arcs. I’ve already mentioned what happens initially between Courtney and Pugsley, but there are also great moments between Barney and Norma, and Pugsley and Barney and everyone else in the first season that really makes them great together. They also have very funny moments. Many of my favorites come from the main demon, with her initial lack of care for the humans, with her snarky attitude. There is also a general dark humor that the show likes, with a smidge of what I like to call “you should probably take this literally” jokes. As an example, during a game show in the Demon Realm, they are given a “life line.” The characters take this to mean they can call someone for help. What it actually is, is another life in case someone dies. These two types of humor are often combined, and I love it. It always makes me chuckle. The writers are also a fan of puns on horror references. Why wouldn’t they be with a show like this? As a person who doesn’t watch a lot of horror movies and who is blind and therefore cannot see all the stuff in the background, I didn’t pick up on all of them, but some that I did pick up on are “Night of the Living Kids,” obviously a reference to “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Phantom of the Theme Park.” Morbid humor meets puns. This is my kind of humor.
This doesn’t mean that there is no story, however. Jo the contrary, Dead End does a great job of developing the characters and the story while having interesting single-episode stories. For instance, the sixth episode, “Wait Time 22 Minutes,” is an episode that involves the characters waiting in line for a ride that hasn’t been opened in decades. Barney ends up in line with his crush Logan, “Logs,” who he’s very nervous to talk to as he hasn’t admitted his feelings to Logs yet. He doesn’t want to be himself, so he asks Pugsley to do some magic on him, which leads to Barney being possessed by various other characters, and this leads to everyone being possessed by different people throughout the episode. While they’re being possessed, the characters are transported into another “in between” plane. Here, without spoiling anything because it’s awesome, they find something that plays a huge part in solving the mystery of Phoenix Parks. Don’t get me wrong, there is an episodes or two that are just there to be fun, but most of them either play a part in the character’s development, the story’s progression, or both. With only ten episodes per season, they can’t waste much time. The writing is pretty tight for Dead End.
Something that isn’t as polished is the animation. It’s quite simple-looking, as far as my broken eyes can tell me, but it is colorful, which makes it easier for me to see and know what’s going on. Even so, I still use the Audio Description, as it makes it even easier to know what’s happening. Not everyone will like the simplistic animation. However, I think it fits the show’s tone, and the special effects are nice. I also think they do a very good job of diversifying the environments from one another. Each plane feels like its own place, which is good because they are.
All in all, I’m very happy with the first season of Dead End Paranormal Park. The story and its pacing are very good, the characters are great, the animation, although simple, is nice to look at, and the season ends in a place that is both satisfying but also leaves me wanting more. I’m quite excited to watch the second season. I’m not sure whether I can recommend the series as a whole, as I haven’t seen what’s left, IE, the second season, so I’ll make my verdict after watching and reviewing that, but so far, I’m happy. I’ll be sure to review the second season as soon as possible.
