Bromance

I mentioned previously how surprisingly great I find the new "ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks" cartoon, and it has to be said that a large part of why I like it so much is the way it portrays the everyday home lives of the Seville siblings - particularly Simon. There are multiple episodes that really make me feel for Simon, just because I recognise myself in him so strongly, and the episode I'm going to spotlight for you all today is one of the very best of these. It has its moments of sympathy for all three chipmunks, in fact, and really presents a believable and accurate family dynamic. I can see my own childhood in these stories perfectly represented!

Incidentally, fans of the various Chipmunk incarnations over the years should know that in this latest world Simon is the oldest, Alvin the middle child and Theodore the youngest, and there's an unspecified age gap between each of them. In the eighties series they were explicitly triplets and Alvin mentions in one episode that he's the oldest (by five minutes), while back in the sixties Alvin is the smallest and probably youngest of them. It can get a bit confusing.

As I prepare to bid a fond farewell to my brother, who's moving back to China after an impressive four-year covid-related exile, I think there's no better episode to focus on than "Bromance", written by chief chipmunk of the Bagdasarian family, Janice Karman.

We open in the living room at home, and a typical family moment. The computer animation in this new series does have its serious limitations, but the well-written and well-directed stories get around them very nicely for the most part. And the things it does well, like facial expressions, are absolutely wonderful! So is the dialogue, which is always snappy, funny and (impressively when you consider it's chipmunk-speech) very well delivered by the actors!

Oh, oh, can I play?

Sorry, Theodore - Alvin and I are at the final level against the grand general of the undead army, and, well, if all goes well today we'll beat them!

That's what you said yesterday. And the day before. And the...

I know, I know, but today, I...

FLYING SQUIRREL ATTACK!!!

AAAAAAH!

Gotcha!

Alvin, remember I said no more Flying Squirrel Attacks! I told you, I hate when you jump out of nowhere like that!

That's the point! What fun would it be if you saw me coming? "Oh, there you are, Alvin," "Yep, yep, here I come, look out," "Oh, gee, that's really scary..."

Whatever. Now take a seat, my compadre, and get your game face on! Today, we have an army to defeat!

Ooh. No can do, Simon. I've got a basketball game in ten minutes.

No, no, no, no! You're flaking on me again? This is like the tenth time!

Don't hate me because I'm popular... (departs)

Well, here you go, Theodore. I'll just work on my science project. (leaves)

Yeah, well... thanks for asking me to help with your army! Cause... I didn't want to anyway!

The relationship between Alvin and Simon is at the core of this episode, but the way they both neglect and ignore Theodore throughout is a fascinating subplot, and does feel very true to life. I only had the one younger brother, who was (and still is) always the Alvin to my Simon, but what would it have been like if we'd had a Theodore in the family too? It really makes me think...

Next day at school, Alvin gets lumbered with showing a new kid around, and quickly hands over the nerdy Jamie to Simon, who shows him his International Space Station model. 

The two of them hit it off right away and now when Alvin has a moment in his busy calendar for video games, Simon is texting Jamie and not interested. 

As seen in the obligatory musical montage, the two of them stay up all night exchanging funny text messages, play video games together, spend all their time hanging out and even develop their own cool science-gang handshake. It's really awesome.

But then Jamie notices that Simon's brother is one of the cool kids and starts suggesting "Hey, maybe your brother would like to come too?" Now, some people say (well, one person says) that I go on about this a lot, but I don't think I'm being unreasonably melodramatic at all when I say that my primary school days were characterised by being repeatedly ditched by my best friends in favour of my more charismatic younger brother. It's amazing that I grew up into such a well-rounded human being despite this traumatic experience. And if even to this day I avoid introducing my friends to him because I know they'll inevitably like him more than me, well, that's just normal common sense, isn't it?

Simon even cheerfully tells Dave Jamie is the best friend he's ever had. It's heartbreaking! It ends up with Simon and Jamie signing up for a dance class, Jamie getting out of it and inviting Alvin to the cinema. Jamie ducks around a corner to avoid Simon and then runs after Alvin... 

Alvin, to be fair to him, isn't at all interested in spending time with Jamie and is hugely reluctant when Jamie invites himself around for a sleepover. But Simon misinterprets the text Alvin sends, thinking that Alvin wants Simon to do his chores while he goes to Simon's best friend's house, and texts back to say that he's going for a really cool sleepover with someone else. 

Which is a problem when Alvin and Jamie show up at the Seville house and Simon has to hide! Alvin and Jamie play together, not really having much fun all round, and Theodore has to keep distracting them from finding Simon's hiding place - Theo really is the heart and soul of that family, isn't he? 

But eventually Alvin's going to open the wardrobe, and Simon gets out of it with a stroke of genius - Flying Squirrel Attack! The absolute delight of Alvin's reaction really makes you feel a little sorry for him, too, it has to be said. What he really wants is someone who will play Flying Squirrel Attack with him, and he doesn't get that from his siblings. But they all get along together in the end, as shown in the brilliant final scene.

(In which, it has to be said, they discuss their issues with possibly a little more maturity than I ever did...)

My point is, you deserve a better friend than Jamie. He's a jerk!

I can't blame him for wanting to spend more time with you.

He just liked me because he thought I was one of the cool kids!

But... you are more fun.

Simon. The only one having fun with me is me! I'm selfish, obnoxious, reckless, insensitive! Need I go on?

Er, please, no.

Good, cause I was kind of hurting my own feelings. Anyway, if Jamie doesn't get how cool you are, then he's the wrong kind of friend!

Yeah!

Thanks, guys. You know, I feel a little better. Goodnight.

Goodnight, Simon. (turns out light) FLYING SQUIRREL ATTACK!!!!

I really love this show. And, for that matter, my excessively cool younger brother, who I will greatly miss while he's so far away. I'd still like to meet our hypothetical Theodore, too...