'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' did sound very curious in concept. It does sound like two different ideas merging together that don't sound like they would go, but there are shows and such that do wonders with concepts that sound odd on paper. While still a fan of 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and especially 'Pinky and the Brain' (the two shows that the characters come from, 'Animaniacs' is also fantastic), 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' never did it for me as a child somehow.
"Better Living Through Cheese" has a fairly interesting, though silly, title. The concept in all honesty was not that appealing and sounded simplistic and childish, as it did sound like both of those things and a character as great as Brain deserves much better and a premise a lot more mature than what was presented here. Was somewhat expecting a little cheese, but this was cheese overboard and in the end it was rather too much. Pretty weak episode and one strong example of why 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' was a failure as a show.
It's not all bad though. Brain is very entertaining and wonderfully deadpan (as well here the only character one feels sorry for), the show on the most part was a disaster when it came to character writing and interaction but somehow managed to get Brain spot on. It was a genius move having Maurice LaMarche back and he voices Brain perfectly.
Some of the animation is also not bad and the gym instructors part was midlly amusing.
Everything else doesn't work. There is a little more of Pinky, but he should have had more to do and somehow he seemed out of place within this concept and the show and the show dulled down his personality and tended to overdo it with the dim-wittedness which 'Pinky and the Brain' did not do. The chemistry between him and Brain generally isn't the same either, it had a lot more wit and tension before and Pinky is nowhere near as interesting as Brain. Elmyra, despite not being quite as prominent as in other 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' episodes, is still as obnoxious as ever and all the negative traits seen with her in 'Tiny Toon Adventures' are doubled and exaggerated. It beggars belief as to why Pinky and Brain want to help her at one point and the chemistry between the three leads never made sense and felt disconnected and this is no exception. The supporting characters do not stand out in any way and are bland.
Despite some moments, the animation tends to lack polish and vibrancy. There is nothing dynamic or infectious about the music and the theme song has always grated. There is nothing funny or sophisticated here in the writing, it's too cutesy, over-simplified, juvenile and even kids will feel dumb listening to Elmyra's dialogue. Plus the cheese goes well overboard, even for the concept. The story is unimaginative, too simple and predictable, the concept too beneath Brain. The way Brain is treated at the end is cruel and unfair.
Pretty weak overall. 3/10.
"Better Living Through Cheese" has a fairly interesting, though silly, title. The concept in all honesty was not that appealing and sounded simplistic and childish, as it did sound like both of those things and a character as great as Brain deserves much better and a premise a lot more mature than what was presented here. Was somewhat expecting a little cheese, but this was cheese overboard and in the end it was rather too much. Pretty weak episode and one strong example of why 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' was a failure as a show.
It's not all bad though. Brain is very entertaining and wonderfully deadpan (as well here the only character one feels sorry for), the show on the most part was a disaster when it came to character writing and interaction but somehow managed to get Brain spot on. It was a genius move having Maurice LaMarche back and he voices Brain perfectly.
Some of the animation is also not bad and the gym instructors part was midlly amusing.
Everything else doesn't work. There is a little more of Pinky, but he should have had more to do and somehow he seemed out of place within this concept and the show and the show dulled down his personality and tended to overdo it with the dim-wittedness which 'Pinky and the Brain' did not do. The chemistry between him and Brain generally isn't the same either, it had a lot more wit and tension before and Pinky is nowhere near as interesting as Brain. Elmyra, despite not being quite as prominent as in other 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' episodes, is still as obnoxious as ever and all the negative traits seen with her in 'Tiny Toon Adventures' are doubled and exaggerated. It beggars belief as to why Pinky and Brain want to help her at one point and the chemistry between the three leads never made sense and felt disconnected and this is no exception. The supporting characters do not stand out in any way and are bland.
Despite some moments, the animation tends to lack polish and vibrancy. There is nothing dynamic or infectious about the music and the theme song has always grated. There is nothing funny or sophisticated here in the writing, it's too cutesy, over-simplified, juvenile and even kids will feel dumb listening to Elmyra's dialogue. Plus the cheese goes well overboard, even for the concept. The story is unimaginative, too simple and predictable, the concept too beneath Brain. The way Brain is treated at the end is cruel and unfair.
Pretty weak overall. 3/10.