Season: 2
Episode: 3
Original Airdate: October 15, 2011
Director: Peter Deluise
So in this episode, a kid has the ability to control insects. You know, like that Naruto character who kind of looks like Neo from The Matrix. You know, this one:
Speaking of that, what was that character's name? Find out at 11!
A bullied boy named Norman (Bobby Coleman) discovers that he has god-like power over insects and uses them to get revenge on his tormentors only to discover (the hard way) that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Norman had "accidentally" squashed an insect and now all of the insects are rebelling against Norman.
One thing I liked about the episode was how balanced Norman was. While he is disturbing when it comes to his obsession with insects, he still has a bit of likeability to him. I think this is because the episode shows where Norman is coming from while showing how disturbing an obsession can be. He keeps constantly getting picked on and can't seem to find a way to teach the bullies a lesson. He then gets the idea to use his obsession with insects as a way to fight back.
Another thing I liked about this episode was the special effects. I don't know if they used CGI or real insects but either way, the bugs that Norman comes across look amazingly realistic. When it comes to The Haunting Hour and special effects, they almost always spare no expense and this episode is no exception.
Unfortunately I did have one issue with the episode and that problem lies with the bullies. I'm sorry but I found these characters to be way too generic for me. I get that the episode makers only have a half hour to pull off the story but c'mon even Trevor and Chang from the episode Dead Body had more character than these guys. Oh and did I forget to mention that Trevor and Chang only appeared in a couple of scenes? Yeah that should tell you something.
Overall, Swarmin' Norman is a pretty good episode. It really does a good job of portraying the good side and the scary side of insects. If you can tolerate the bullies okay, you might like this episode a bit more than I did.
Overall Grade: B
Our top story- The character's name is Shino (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Shino_Aburame).
ReplyDeleteIn other developments, this sounds like a scary and squirm-inducing yet interesting episode. It's a shame that the bullies were seen so little, though. It would have really made the episode if you got a greater impression about how bad these bullies were. I can imagine audiences squirming yet feeling a degree of satisfaction too.
-Raidra