Crime
Prime Target
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
Welcome to Seaside by the Seashore, a little slice of The Big Apple. It’s not much to look at right now. But here, in this beachside city, Arlo and his pals are building their future together.
Arlo’s an alligator, by the way—just a boy by reptilian standards. He rooms with Bertie, an uber-tall and mostly depressed human girl; you also have an effeminate pink furball-hairstylist named Furlecia; the rat-like pizza guru Teeny Tiny Tony; sarcastic, half-fish, half-man Marcellus; tough-skinned tiger-girl, Alia and finally Arlo’s dad, Ansel, who is half-man and half-bird.
These friends might live in a place that most people brush off as dingy, but they’re determined not only to restore Seaside, but to show the rest of New York City that their dwelling is forged by friendship, acceptance and song.
Harken back to April 2021 with me, when Netflix released their original, PG-movie called Arlo the Alligator Boy. And from the moment the film was released, writers from across the internet, like Kristy Puchko, called it “a rousing and family-friendly queer fable,” one that features “characters who are coded LGBTQA+ in their tropes and actions.” Take that very quote, along with the movie itself, and blend them together for Arlo’s return to Netflix, called “I Heart Arlo.”
This TV-7 series features episodes that range from 12 to 16 minutes in length and cover topics such as friendship, love, acceptance and understanding. On their own, these subjects are strong and admirable. But they’re carefully woven into a larger storyline that aims to teach children about various sexual identifies, along with other subjects that often feel far too mature for a young audience.
Arlo learns that living on your own can be quite lonely.
Someone makes a joke about sharing a couch with “joint custody.” Marcellus wears a speedo and shakes his rear while dancing. Bertie wears a dress with a bit of cleavage and comments on how her mind is always “so dark.” Arlo says, “dumb.”
Arlo and his friends try and give a makeover to Seaside by the Seashore to impress the mayor of New York.
Arlo, an alligator boy, wears a dress and stockings. A creepy pumpkin threatens to kill Arlo’s dad.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
In Netflix’s new anime series Babanba Banban Vampire, a 450-year-old vampire longs for the untainted blood of a 15-year-old boy.
Severance takes us on an unsettling ride—one with few thrilling loops and dips, but strange turns that may still make you a little queasy.
What’s shown here may be reminiscent of what real police officers have seen on the job. I’m not sure the show’s message is strong enough to justify depicting it.
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