“NTSF:SD:SUV::” is really just an excuse for a bunch of funny people to screw around with police procedural tropes until something explodes or someone gets shot — usually both and always hilariously.
NTSF:SD:SUV::
Season Four, Episode Six
“Whac-A-Mole”
Adult Swim
“Whac-A-Mole” demonstrates that even when the writers have to go deep in the back catalogue to come up with something to subvert, they still come up with something ridiculous and hilarious.
The trope being deconstructed this week is that of the nefarious, obstructive and nasty Internal Affairs agent. Naturally, the nothing if not agreeable Ellie Kemper is cast as IA Agent Fitzpatrick, who’s assigned to investigate the explosion of Gary the killer whale.
The show has always been excellent at over-the-top silly action sequences, and this episode doesn’t disappoint: For example, Piper slides through a laser beam with gratuitously sexy writhing, in a clever escalation of the male gaze these shows are often shot through.
The bits in “Whac-a-Mole” are fantastic, and though the quarter-hour format means there’s no time to pause before moving on to the next gag, the gifted cast makes it work.