flarenut

Let me unpack that. We sometimes sedate B in the afternoon by letting
him watch cartoons. Usually on our bed, where the TV on the wall is
connected to a Roku but not any broadcast source. So there is netflix.

And when B got tired of Pingu and Harold and Curious George there was
Spiderman. But not the original that we all watched, instead some
horribly animated 80s remix. B still looks at us funny when we hum the
old theme song.

And when he tired of Spiderman, there was Batman. The Brave and the
Bold, that is. It's 80s or 90s or something, and it's a crossover-fest
where all the played-out marvel/dc characters went to to retire, and I
hope that the writers were taking a lot of good drugs, because
otherwise they were really troubled people. The episodes are all aimed
at adults who are thoroughly familiar with Aquaman and the Flash and
that arrow guy and so forth but really don't like them much. (There's
even a cameo by grownup Robin, who wonders why Batman is poaching on
his turf.)

So that brings us to the musical episode. With the gorilla singing
bass. Duets. Dance numbers and a kick line. Villain backstory montage
and costume changes including pretty much every music genre from
classical through power pop by way of marching band. Scenery lifting
out of the way.

It is thoroughly freaky. And B has no idea. It's his favowite episode,
he says, but then he always says that. He has no cultural context to
understand just what a weird thing he is watching. And so I just watch
with him and wonder.