Netflix’s Las Vegas-Set Action Satire ‘Obliterated’ Is Nearly Unwatchable
Satire and hysterical rhythms have been combined in works like “Arrested Development,” “The Office,” and even the film trilogy “The Hangover” to explore the status of American culture in the twenty-first century.
From job and class to sexuality and race, these television programs and movies make commentary on it all. The action humor in Netflix’s Las Vegas-set film “Obliterated” is given a satirical twist by the show’s producers, Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz of “Cobra Kai.” Unfortunately, “Obliterated” is a confusing, almost unwatchable jumble of gibberish strewn with explosives and penises rather than a boisterous commentary on the culture of drugs and alcohol and the various branches of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
The show begins with a huge pool party taking place on a steamy casino rooftop. A six-month mission to neutralize a Russian bomb and save the city from being destroyed is coming to an end for seven members of an elite special forces squad.
Straightforward Squad commander and CIA agent Ava Winters (Shelley Hennig) ignores her annoying attraction to Navy Seal Chad McKnight (Nick Zano) in an effort to keep the crew focused. McKnight and Ava are at odds since he doesn’t like to follow instructions and is adamant about doing things his own.
McKnight’s best friend and fellow SEAL squad member Trunk (Terrence Terrell) is a secretive foodie who has an obsession with food. Maya Lerner, often known as Tech Girl, is an NSA agent played by Kimi Rutledge. She is most comfortable in front of a computer screen or when she is visibly attracted to McKnight’s abs.
Angela Gomez (Paola Lázaro), a Marine sniper, is intent on crushing the hearts of Vegas bachelorettes with her trigger finger. Eugene Kim portrays Air Force pilot Paul Yung, who is extremely rigid and focused on his teenage daughter’s separation from him. Finally, just as unpredictable as the bombs he neutralizes is Army explosives technician Haggerty (C. Thomas Howell).
The crew succeeds in defusing the bomb despite a few slip-ups, ending their months-long mission. But before calling it quits, McKnight persuades Ava to give the group one last chance to party. He throws a blowout with Trunk that involves more chaos and dildos than anyone could have imagined, involving mushrooms, ecstasy, and drink.
However, just as McKnight and Ava are loosening up and giving in to their long-simmering sexual tension, CIA director Langdon (Carl Lumbly) calls to let the team know that the neutralized nuclear device was a hoax.
Ever the perfectionist, Ava rallies her drunken colleagues to resume their work if they are to have any chance of preserving their professions and the lives of the Las Vegas populace. “Obliterated” is a very funny concept.
It should be hilarious to see tipsy special operations operatives attempt to construct a cohesive plan and make accurate shots during a seven-hour countdown. Unfortunately, a confusing show is produced by sloppy gags, much too many full-frontals, and tedious hour-long episodes.
The plots, particularly Ava and McKnight’s will-they-won’t-they, were clear from the start. Maya is tiresome and immature because of her unfulfilled crush on the blonde-haired SEAL and her contempt for Ava. As the season progresses, Trunk is constantly being characterized as every cliché of a huge Black man, and Paul appears to have recently realized he is an absentee parent.
(Sincerely, not a single penis is overlooked.) Haggerty’s drug-fueled lethargy lasts until Episode 6 after an acid and mushroom trip, so the group literally carries him around like dead weight. Predictable conversation eliminates all of the brilliance necessary for satires to succeed, in addition to the story aspects.
“Obliterated” has a visionary idea. However, viewers are compelled to meet the team where they are, which isn’t a delightful place to dwell, rather than providing them with depth beyond the glossy Vegas nightlife or captivating specifics of the players’ past, with the exception of McKnight and Ava.
Apart from two witty one-liners and a cocaine-addled camel, the show is confusing, disorganized, and full of clichés and situations that err much more toward the ridiculously insulting than lighthearted satire.
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