Paradise PD season 4 review: Equal parts unsavoury and unfunny

‘Paradise PD’ season 4 marks the conclusion of Netflix’s raunchy animated sitcom with an instalment that sees the characters contending with capitalism cranked up to a preternatural eleven.

Story

‘Paradise PD’ is not functioning properly as Karen has fired Randall after Dobby wreaks havoc on the town. Meanwhile, she gives birth to her second son who she and Randall name Kevin, much to elder Kevin’s dismay.

Baby Kevin is one tough son of a gun and moments after his birth, he can speak fluently and does most of the things an adult can. He’s also immortal.

After failing to attract many billionaire investors so that they invest in her town, Karen gets a delightful surprise from a shady billionaire named Charles Lovely.

He moves his Lovely Corp. to Paradise and starts changing the landscape with his shady capitalist machinations. Meanwhile, Kevin learns that Gina has returned but she’s in a relationship with none other than Charles.

Suspecting foul play, Kevin is convinced that Gina is under the billionaire’s influence. However, many of his attempts at breaking Gina out of Charles’s spell are met with violent thwarting rejections by Gina.

Kevin is driven to commit suicide, but he doesn’t have the courage to do it. Following that, he travels to the past, thanks to Dusty’s time machine, and comes back to the present as a changed man.

He’s become less whiny and more alpha, and after making amends with Baby Kevin, he sets out to face the evil billionaire in a final battle. During the climax of ‘Paradise PD’ season 4, Gina reveals herself to be a double agent.

Charles is defeated but the crafty devil manages to kidnap Baby Kevin and fly away in a helicopter, as the Crawfords are left bewildered and worried at what just transpired, while the credits roll on the cliffhanger finale.

Performances

Although there’s nothing to run home about when it comes to the voice work in ‘Paradise PD’, it’s some of the vocal performances that do manage to imbibe specks of hilarity in rare moments.

Positives

There are a few scenes in Paradise PD where viewers can find some transient refuges from the ridiculous toilet humour.

Some of the social commentary this season is somewhat commendable, in spite of being too over-the-nose and hacky.

Negatives

The jokes don’t perform at all; the gags don’t work; the punchline doesn’t land. A sitcom can’t thrive entirely off toilet humour with some obligatory, self-aware “social commentary” to make it culturally/socially resonant.

There’s crass and then there’s a detestable brand of crass, which neither takes an intellectual approach to the gross nor any advantage of the big playground that the explicit tag allows it.

‘Paradise PD’ can’t deliver a poignant or incisive point about society beyond utterly incompetent dunks on capitalism, billionaires, and the government, not that overtly evident examples of privilege and inequality like the richest people necessarily need a nuanced criticism every time.

However, even if an exclusively bawdy approach is to be taken, at least the shock humour needs to be funny, which ‘Paradise PD’ has never been. So while a cliffhanger finale might be expected to miff some, in this case, any type of conclusion should be welcome as good riddance.

Verdict

‘Paradise PD’ season 4 is an explicit ride of raunchy, vulgar, and obscene humour that inspires fewer laughs than a never-ending rainy season.

With writing mostly devoid of funny jokes and rife with tired gags and goofs, the animated sitcom has come to an end, and it should remain that way.

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Also Read: Paradise PD season 4 ending explained: What happens to Baby Kevin?