WEB SERIES REVIEW
PN & FRIENDS: SUMMER DISTANCING EPISODE
Follow along with PN in his journey from Jabroni to champ, with a little help from his friends.
I'M ACTUALLY QUITE glad I was introduced to this series created by Todd Montesi. Even the title, PN & Friends just kind of rolls off the tongue, much the same way McDonald's just sounds right. The title says it all and proclaims that this series is something to watch - that may be a little wonky around the edges but promises it will contain something for almost everyone. PN & Friends lives up to the promise by providing a crazy, often skewed look at normal life for normal people - as the ringmaster of this circus, PN, guides us through his day to day life. This episode, "Summer Distancing" marks the completion of episode twenty, so you know there are nineteen more crazy compilations before, as well as a slew of extras. Coincidentally, I have begun watching from episode one but this review is solely based on the "Summer Distancing" episode. One thing I can say with confidence is that if you don't find PN himself amusing, there are a lot of other crazies to choose from and although this series is very low-budget, it doesn't skimp on the laughs.
PN & FRIENDS SUMMER DISTANCING IS SCARILY GOOD AT MAKING SOMETHING SO SCARY A LITTLE BIT FUNNY
As I'm sure you've guessed, this episode is all about quarantine life due to, as PN himself barks at one point, COVID! The story is loosely held together by the premise of daily life and circles back the way it came when the episode ends. We start with a conversation with Kenzie and end with one. In between, there's everything from mask-talk, which is just as it sounds; the cost of the pandemic in the form of employment issues; crazy cleaning frenzies; online creativity; and even a horned devil man with crazy eyes and a mask. The New York PN lives in is a shadow of the New York I remember visiting when I was younger. This much is clear from the empty(ish) streets and all the mask-wearing social distancers. PN & Friends Summer Distancing is scarily good at making something so scary a little bit funny. The reality is that some humor during these dark times is just what the doctor ordered - and I'm insanely glad the characters in this series may be a little off-kilter, but still retain the fear and confusion buried within themselves that many of us real-world folks feel.
I KNOW FRIENDS WHO ARE NOT FAR OFF FROM BEING JUST AS ZONKY, AS SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS OF PN'S WORLD
The shooting style of this series, of this episode, is one of pure guerilla-style. Screen captures and cell-phone video, probably, make up the bulk of PN's daily adventure. There is also some animation thrown into the fold closer to the ending that possibly feels a little out of place, considering what precedes it, but was still a cool little way to break things up. But what really makes this show entertaining is the people, the characters. It's especially fascinating to watch them go at it back to back with the legitimately normal characters... as few as are actually present. PN himself is somewhere in the middle. A little on the daft side but likable all the same. In contrast to the crazy voice guy, PN looks pretty normal. But the thing of it is, I know friends who are not far off from being just as zonky as some of the inhabitants of PN's world. The joke is in the fact most people will see resemblances with people they know themselves and maybe, that's what makes this such a fun series to watch.
IT MAY NOT BE THE NEXT HOUSEWIVES REALITY SERIES, BUT PN & FRIENDS HAS PLENTY TO OFFER
It may not be the next Housewives reality series, but PN & Friends has plenty to offer. This "Summer Distancing" episode may be a little long in the tooth, but still managed to hold my attention. It is, after all, Chuck Norris approved... at least some of it is. You may get a little more out of this episode by checking out some of the older ones, but even if you don't start from the beginning, episode twenty is still a good time waiting to be had. Links to this series can be found at the top of the page and I would gladly recommend PN & Friends to anyone looking for a few chuckles.
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