Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Fast Food Masquerade - REVIEW

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus by Glitch Productions and Gooseworx gives Gangle’s character a deep-fried dive and a real bite into the cast’s inner workings! It also comes with a side dish of discussions on mental health and the horror of fast food service!

While not as visually striking as the previous episode, ‘Fast Food Masquerade’ offers a lot in its character dynamics, comedy, and continued exploration of the show's existential themes.

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Synopsis

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus follows the players in a new player-suggested adventure in a McDonald’s-esque restaurant, Spudsy’s, where Gangle (Marissa Lenti) is made shift manager of their fast-food fantasy. As mundane as the adventure is, the players chafe against the soul-crushing crunch their adventure setting brings. Most of all, Gangle, outfitted in a plastic “happy mask, " grows increasingly manic and depressed as the adventure unfolds. Her mental state was salvaged at the last second by some timely kindness from Pomni, the abandonment of her new “happy mask,” and a sense of companionship brought on by Zooble’s reassuring words.

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Character Study

Fast Food Masquerade, unlike the last two episodes, lacks an “A” and “B” plot; the story focuses on the characters and their mental states as the episode plays out. That said, let’s go over how each character handles the adventure and speculate what it may mean for the future:

Pomni:

Pomni (Lizzie Freeman), in a marked first for this jittery Jester, handles the adventure better than anyone. Pomni adapts to the mundane trials of the adventure like a duck to water, and is markedly more put-together as a result. Thanks to that calmness, Pomni plays the role of a confidant and empathetic ear to listen to for Gangle, helping her work through her thoughts at a low point and saving her mental state with a small act of kindness near the end of the episode. The biggest issue she faces is the arrival of Gummigoo (Jack Hawkins), her one-time NPC friend. Pomni (after some awkward interactions) comes to terms with his nature as an NPC and that the friend she made was long dead. Overall, this episode presents a healthy step forward for Pomni’s ability to handle the wackiness of the Amazing Digital Circus.

Jax:

Jax (Michael Kovach) hits his breaking point in this adventure and shows a more human element to his character. A bully through and through, Jax attempts to assert his love of cartoon violence in this fast-food fiasco. He fails under the threat (and later follow-through) of punishment and gets forced to play the part of a fast-food worker in earnest. Jax’s behavior and reactions unveil a core reason behind his destructive behavior: a lack of consequences. Jax acts the way he does because he knows the game lacks any real consequences, and Caine’s prior adventure formats downright encourage such a mindset—the adventure in Spudsy's breaks this trend, where acting “normal” is the prime objective. Jax is forced to act normal and gets utterly broken from the lack of attention and energy his bullying brings. It will be interesting to see how the potential for punishment for his antics will evolve Jax as a character moving forward. 

Ragatha:

Ragatha (Amanda Hufford) is put through the ringer this episode. She gets inebriated from some stupid sauce from jump and unintentionally brings everyone else down. It also affords us a look at Ragatha without the perpetually upbeat filter she is known for. Ragatha, between drunken sentences, let’s slip some unfiltered comments that will undoubtedly get built on in the future. Ragatha’s remarks, ranging from frustration at Pomni not being around, voicing her frustrations at Jax, but desire to be still liked by him, and general clinginess, show an underlying need to be liked and appreciated. Her desire to be loved by others is undercut by, as Ragatha comments to Pomni, how her positive demeanor comes off as inauthentic and manipulative. Ragatha will no doubt have these elements built upon later. Considering its focus within the episode, the stupid sauce may come back into the picture. 

Zooble:

Zooble (Ashley Nichols), forced to participate in an adventure, shows a deep kindness and affection for Gangle. Zooble attempts to help Gangle “stay happy” and reassure her when it doesn't work out, showing the start of a mutually loving dynamic. Zooble and Gangle feel like a new duo in the making, showing a genuine understanding and mutual kindness that I can’t imagine not being utilized more going forward. On a side note, their comments about Caine show that her “therapy session” with the AI was not a one-off interaction. Zooble challenges and frustrates, a character dynamic that, while speculative, will undoubtedly be an omen to Caine’s eventual breakdown. 

Caine:

While not too much in this episode, Caine (Alex Rochon) shows a few things that felt worth digging into. Despite being in a “family-friendly” game, Caine shows a decidedly darker turn in his adventure making. The original adventure he pitched was a slasher-style grossout fest, and he jumped at the chance to introduce a punishment system to Spudsy’s. Caine seems to be growing more unstable with each episode, and perhaps his growing affinity for violence and greater stakes for his adventures is a side-effect of that. On the other hand, his more “M-rated” changes might be an extension of his insecurities. He voiced worries about being bad at making Adventurers in the previous episode and, chasing what he thinks is his most prominent critic, Zooble, might like, and is introducing increasingly more “mature” elements to receive validation. All of this is speculation, but Caine’s creativity regarding adventure design may escalate in violence and horror themes as the show progresses. 

Gangle:

Gangle has, up until this episode, been more of a bit character defined by her comedy mask breaking to reveal her weepy interior. Given the chance to prove herself as more than that with her new comedy mask, we see Gangle put in the spotlight and the manic downward spiral it invokes. Gangle, who was once a weepy background ribbon, is revealed to be a depressed former artist struggling to find a sense of respect from her fellow players in an environment she once loathed but thought she could thrive in. As an artist who has had to work many food service gigs in place of my dream art roles, her breakdown feels shockingly personal and honest. She tries to find joy in life, but without the excuse of her broken mask, the placebo it represented breaks instead, and she nearly abstracted from the malaise and dread her suggested adventure evoked. It makes Pomni and Zooble’s kindness towards her all the more poignant, and hopefully the start of an upward trajectory for Gangle’s character regarding mental health and love from the rest of her fellow players.

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Episode Comparisons

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus falls short in visuals compared to the other episodes, but excels in the writing and comedy.

The visuals in this episode are perhaps the lowest-scoring compared to the previous two, but that feels on purpose. Spudsy’s as a setting is intentionally muted and dull in color palette and design, evoking the soul-crushing monotony such settings evoke in the fast-food staff. In terms of animation, the cast has not looked better, with Gangle’s breakdown at the end of the adventure being a true highlight of visual storytelling and artistry. At the same time, Episode 2 and Episode 3, with their more inventive uses of lightning, vibrant set pieces, and (in the latter's case) usage of 2-D animation, stand out even more, leaving Episode 4 a bit behind the curve on the visuals.

On the writing side, the sharper focus benefits the episode. Thus far, the show has preferred to break the cast up into separate plots. Here, we see (almost) all the players play off one another more dynamically. Gangle’s character exploration, in particular, was incredibly engaging and multilayered in a way that will be hard to top moving forward!

On the comedy front, I call this episode my favorite bar no (as of writing this). Gangle’s sheer mania is well performed with great comedic timing, and the episode's more low-key, conversational humor strikes a strong balance with the slapstick physical comedy the show has used to great effect in prior episodes.

Regarding overall rating, Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus trails barely behind Episode 3, with 2nd and 1st behind the 4th. Fast Food Masquerade earned its spot for its stellar character writing and comedy, first and foremost. 

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Conclusion

Episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus: Fast Food Masquerade is a fantastically fast-food-centric romp! The more focused plot provides a perfect lens to explore Gangle’s character and laugh at the manic energy she brings to the table. While not as strong as previous episodes, the visuals are steeped with intentionality and balanced out by the cast's stellar writing and unique usage. The Amazing Digital Circus continues to knock it out of the park, and it feels like it will only get better from here.