In
order to get his cat (Mr Mumbles) a Christmas present, Dan gets a
seasonal job as an elf. Soon he finds himself at odds with the
crotchety Mall Santa and vows revenge. Meanwhile, Elise is on guard
when she learns an assassin has been sent after her.
Another
new episode of Dan Vs. brings us another holiday special, this time for Christmas. While the Thanksgiving special took a detour from the show's usual
style, this episode the show returns to its roots: a style that's primarily about Dan getting revenge. This makes for an unique and original Christmas special, which I
mean in the best of ways. Oh, and I should mention it also makes this episode absolutely hilarious!
The
set up quickly shows that Dan actually enjoys Christmas, has a close
connection to his cat, and has a slightly messed up view on the holiday, all within just twelve seconds (I checked)! Then Chris arrives and it's explained that Dan wants to buy a
Christmas present for Mr. Mumble and needs money to do so. There are seasonal jobs available at the mall, so the next scene Dan and Chris arrive at the mall and are soon hired as a mall elf and snowman. Dan is soon appalled by the Mall Santa's lack
of Holiday spirit and overall rudeness, thus leading Dan to declaring
revenge on the mall Santa. From there Dan begins to plot his revenge
but certainly can't do anything in front of the children, so he
schemes and comes up with a plan to use candy canes as weapons.
Meanwhile, Elise (who is a secret agent) learns from her superior
that a dangerous assassin has been sent after her. This puts her on guard, eventually leading to a somewhat paranoid state. From
there things get better and funnier, ultimately leading to a
satisfying ending.
This
is a solid and incredibly well written episode; the characters are
perfectly believable despite the unbelievable elements that make
up the plot. In fact the dialogue is the best part of this, as it is for any episode of Dan Vs., and it's all too good to spoil. This episode has three parts to it: Dan wanting
revenge and a Christmas gift for his cat, Chris wanting to buy his
wife (Elise) a Christmas gift, and Elise being paranoid while searching for
the assassin that's after her. These three brilliantly enjoyable plots are brilliantly blended together by the end, in all the right ways.
The most surprising thing about this episode is the fact that Dan's
after the Mall Santa instead of having some sort of vendetta against
the real Santa. Dan has the holiday a bit mixed up, but even he has respect for it and for Santa. This is just further proof
that Dan isn't really a bad guy, but merely a highly immature person with a wicked
temper (to put it mildly). I would also like to mention that
although Mr. Mumbles is the driving force behind Dan's motivation to
get a job in the first place, she actually plays a rather small role
in the episode. However every scene she was in had me laughing, so
I'm okay with that.
While most Christmas specials focus on the joy and wonderfulness
of the Holiday, this episode focuses heavily on revenge. Usually that
would lead to the characters realizing the true meaning of Christmas
by the end and being all merry. Although that's great, it's also highly
predictable while this episode of Dan Vs. is much more
unpredictable and incredibly hilarious. This is by far the most unique and original Christmas special I have ever seen, and the best in recent memory. This is one of the best episodes Dan Vs. has to offer. Those who haven't watched the show yet ought to give it a try, while fans will find that it has everything to love about the show.
