Last night, we had the pleasure of watching each an every episode of the Clerks cartoon series in order of air. We’d originally anticipated to do a blow-by-blow review of sorts on each of the episodes. We still may do that, over time, as the shows air or as we see fit, but we thought it best just to use our initial report on the series to give you an overall view of things. If, during the course of this report, we give away any plot details, we’ll mark it with a spoiler warning and make the text hidden so you’ve gotta “swoop” it with your mouse to see it. Rest assured, anything else that we talk about won’t give anything away, especially since we’ll keep it in a general context. It’s just better for you to enjoy the show that way.

Each episode of Clerks starts out with a general disclaimer which states that celebrities are impersonated for the most part, and then adds a funny comment or twist to the end. A particular favorite of ours took a poke at Ben Affleck’s “Reindeer Games” failure at the box office. The shows then present a brief 1-2 minute introduction which sets the stage for the show, then moves on to opening credits. Plotwise, the show DOES step out of the convenience store environment quite a bit. While the Quick Stop is definitely the most oft-used locale, Dante & Randal usually make it out to quite a few other spots over the half hour, [BEGIN MINOR SPOILER] except for the sixth episode which, in a very clever homage to both the original Clerks film and an old Bugs Bunny cartoon, Dante & Randal can never seem to get out of the Quick Stop. [END SPOILER]

The series has definitely been carefully crafed to work for both the die-hard Kevin Smith fan as well as the folks who haven’t a clue that a Clerks movie ever existed. Naturally, die hard fans will be grinning from ear to ear when all their favorite characters first appear: Dante, Randal, Jay, Silent Bob, and even Steve-Dave & Walt on occasion. Listening to O’Halloran and Anderson play off each other yet again is reason for tuning in enough. While the project seems to be dead now, it really does make you long for a Clerks sequel of sorts. The guys just work really well together. And Jay, just like his real-life counterpart, manages to yet again steal the scene whenever he’s around. Jay particularly shines in the first episode to air (#4) when he [BEGIN MINOR SPOILER] slips and sues the Quick Stop for 10 million dollars (his opening court scenes with Silent Bob in tow are classic) [END SPOILER] when and towards the final minutes of the final show to air (#6) in a tirade that had us in tears.

Another of the series’ high points is the incredible amount of film references and gags that get worked in. While other animated series like The Simpsons and Family Guy take an occasional poke or vague reference at a flick, Clerks draws some of its most memorable and amusing moments from its film and pop culture references. Surprised? We didn’t think so. Films like The Matrix, Outbreak, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and, of course, the Star Wars trilogy, figure prominently in each episode, and, in fact, drive the main plot in a lot of them. Some references are more blatant, while some, such as references to bad, obscure Judge Reinhold & Patrick Swayze flicks, can be enjoyed on their own level by the more die-hard film aficionados.

The show’s also pulled in some great guest voices from some major Hollywood names. There’s of course Alec Baldwin who does a fantastic job as Leonardo Leonardo. One of our favorite scenes with him involves [BEGIN MINOR SPOILER] his initial confrontation with Dante & Randal in the pilot episode, after he’s just attempted to assemble his office desk and done a damned poor job of it. It clearly sits on a slant, yet he asks Dante & Randal how it looks. “IT looks like it was built by a re-re”, Randal says. [END SPOILER] Another subtle but funny line delivered by Baldwin [BEGIN MINOR SPOILER] after Randal walks by with a rancid box full of spoiled mexican burritos: “I must have them”. [END SPOILER] The guy’s fantastic. Other celebs include James Woods in a major role, and some minor dialogues from Charles Barkley, Glibert Gottfried, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Each episode of the series moves along quite nicely, but as with most cartoons, has its ups and downs. The first and last shows that air are definitely the best of the bunch. but each of the six have their endearing moments. Chances are you’ll find some stuff hilarious, and other jokes will fall flat. It depends on the person. We’re pretty sure that each show will have some genuine laugh out loud moments for you, though, at least that’s how it worked for us. Running gags, such as a couple of giggling girls, end-of-show “Tips With Jay & Silent Bob” segments, and the shocking effect that a sexual encounter with Randal has on a woman (which we’re not spoiling) will have you coming back week after week. You definitely benefit from seeing all the shows. Everything sort of comes together. This really COULD have made a pretty fun little flick.

Okay, so what’s with the airing order of the episodes you ask? Let’s talk about this a bit, shall we? Our verdict: The episodes NEED to air in order. ABC? Are you listening? It’s not too late. Air the shows in the order they were meant to. It’s obvious to see why they chose episode 4 to air first, as it’s certainly the most hilarious of all the episodes (with episode 6, the last one scheduled to air, coming in a strong second).Sadly, the pilot episode, which will contain a large disclaimer at the start stating that it’s the “lost pilot” while making light of the test audience screenings, won’t air until 5th. Even the flashback show (#2) is airing after the pilot (#1).

ABC claims that the episodes make perfect sense aired out of order: Here’s why they don’t. First of all, Leonardo Leonardo and his henchman appear several times before it’s actually explained who they are and why they’re in town. Another character who’s added due to complaints about the show’s diversity appears in the first aired episode (#4) before his entrance is even explained. A running gag about a large bee near the Quick Stop dumpster is out of order. And, probably strangest of all, the “flashback” episode contains numerous references to things that happen in the pilot episode, complete with scenes from it, when the pilot has yet to even air. It just doesn’t make sense. The whole reason that episode was funny was because they could only flashback to one episode since it was episode 2. Now episode 2 flashes back not to scenes from the show that aired the week before, as it should have, but rather to a scene that won’t even be shown until a month later.

We assume that the schedule is already totally etched in stone, and there’s no way any of it will change, but we gotta ask this: If the network doesn’t plan on the show continuing anyway, why does it matter so much that their favorite episode airs first? We can understand that the first week is important, and they want to break out the big guns, but if the show’s getting canned after the 6 air anyway, just air them properly. Anyway, we’re sure that all of you fans out there will watch the shows in air order, just prepare yourselves for confusion when certain characters and running jokes appear without first being explained AT ALL. When all the shows have aired, go back and watch them in the proper order and it will make a lot more sense. Hopefully the shows will see an uncut home video release in the proper order, as well.

Here’s what the latest Miramax Mailer on the show had to say about the show’s air order, by the way:

From our calculations, not only does Episode 2 make references to episode 1, they ALL do. Our solution? ABC Folks: Even if you don’t run the pilot FIRST, at LEAST run it second, before the “Flashback” and “Outbreak” episodes, where the Leonardo Leonardo character is clearly important. If #4 MUST air first, fine. But then how about using this order rather than the proposed one: #4, #1, #2, #3, #5, #6? Waiting until second to last to air the pilot won’t make the general public curious to keep watching, it’ll frustrate and confuse them. In fact, your average TV viewer won’t even know that the lost pilot is going to evntually air and explain who all these characters are.

EPILOGUE: We expect at least a brief surge in the catch phrase, “Thanks for watchin’!”. Keep the episode tuned all the way to the end of the show’s production credits and you’ll see why. It’s strangely amusing. The entire show, in fact, is a real breakthrough and a fan’s dream come true. If you’re reading this site, chances are that you’re going to LOVE Clerks: TCS. See you at the TV one week from today, at 9:30 PM. And, in advance, thanks for watchin’.