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Proudly crass, defiantly ridiculous, and patently offensive to nearly all, the animated mayhem that is Squidbillies returns with another batch of episodes from its fourth season, along with a tentacle's worth of extras for die-hard fans. Deranged hillbilly cephalopod Early Cuyler (voiced by Stuart Daniel Baker, a.k.a. country music lunatic Unknown Hinson) is the loose cannon from which the action of each episode is fired; his uncontrollable rage is given free rein in "Anabolic-aholic," which features ex-wrestling champ Mick "Mankind" Foley, and his best solution for his anger is to punch out everything in sight ("Atone Deaf"). Elsewhere, Early offers his answer to the illegal immigration problem (alligators), and the Sheriff (Bobby Ellerbee) takes on gay rights--as well as his own muddled sexuality--in "The Big Gay Thrown Down." If the aforementioned episodes seem too intricately plotted, not to worry--"Confessions of a Gangrenous Mind" offers an encounter with the oldest living Confederate widow, who, like all of the Squidbillies cast, has little of importance to share. The disc's most inspired moments come in "God's Bro," which is just as it sounds--the chopper-wielding half-sibling of the Almighty comes to town through a black hole--and the two-part "Reunited, and It Feels No Good" and "Not Without My Cashcow," in which Early learns the joys and pains of exploiting family members for profit, and viewers learn son Rusty's full surname (it has a lot to do with Kenny Rogers). The 10 episodes included here are short on taste and long on gross-out humor, which should make or break your interest in this title. However, it should be mentioned that the series has injected a note of political satire in its barrage of bathroom jokes, with Sarah Palin and immigration woes among its targets. It's not exactly Christopher Hitchens, but it does elevate the material, if only an inch or two.
Extras are minor if occasionally quite funny; there's a gallery of Early's rude slogan-bearing hats, an interesting collection of preproduction sketches and character designs set to the show's catchy guitar music, two sets of promotional bumpers, and a glimpse of the show's creators at Dragon Con before Baker performs in his Unknown Hinson persona. --Paul Gaita
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