An irreverent comedy, a dramatic thriller, a buddy adventure and a psychological horror all at once: "Arby 'n' the Chief" is a series that frequently and expertly glides between genres. The series evolves from momentary situations and petty squabbles into a visceral, satirical saga that touches on grievous problems with society, pushing further and deeper into existential dread and soul-killingly reality than any fictional series to date.
Jon Graham's growth as a filmmaker over this series' 15-year run is apparent and impactful. Beginning as a simple Toy Story parody where he takes digs at common online gaming problems, utilizing action figures of Master Chief and The Arbiter as proxies for rowdy and respectful gamers, respectively; "Arby 'n' the Chief" concludes as a surreal and grim tale that truly is on-par with Arthur C. Clark's "2001: A Space Oddessy," but is conveyed in a manner that is easier to both consume and understand.
Master Chief and The Arbiter are the greatest pair of deuteragonists to be published, ever. Chief plays the role of an irreverent, bull-headed realist that exists only for the stimulation of his animal brain, while Arbiter exists as an overanalytical, self-deprecating existentialist that craves validation for his sapience. Neither is a protagonist: the protagonist of the series is the turbulent relationship between the two of them. Them simply being them actively does not progress the plot, it is only when our two deuteragonists are going through an experience that ruins their relationship that they are ushered onward.
In Seasons 1 through 4, which are wholly episodic, we only ever see minor rifts form between them. As more rifts take place, we see a progressive lengthening to the story; with episodes gaining multiple parts in a season. By the time we reach Season 5, we witness larger and larger breaks in their pseudo-friendship that result in season-length story arcs and ever-mounting consequences, all bought about by the clashing of Chief's heedless need for thrills and Arbiter's self-destructive pursuit of meaning.
Every episode, with very, very few exceptions, uses satire to outright assault a point of the entertainment industry or society. Using a blend of thoughtfulness and thoughtlessness, an episode tends to surgically deconstruct a point and take a look at every part of it, not just its core. This machinima series has wrestled with concepts that more well-known projects have never dared to step near; including survivor's guilt, black-pilling, and the ethics homicide.
This series is easily approachable by any, but Seasons 6 and onward are only for those that are not feint of heart, as they tackle numerous, heavy topics that can shake even a cynic like me to the core. There were points that I needed breaks in my viewing experience, because of how haunting the later plotlines are.
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