“Stay Alive” with Audio Commentary

(A new series I am starting; I love going through the director’s commentary on movies, so I thought I would share brief thoughts on each track and give the down-low on whether they are worth your time. Also, expect each entry in this series to take license with the movie title.)   Stay Alive is a…

A Career Invader (Doom Song, Pt.12)

“Career Day,” episode 6A, espouses some of the hypocrisies of the labor system. Specifically, of how arbitrary and meaningless standardized tests are for one’s futures. More to the point, though, it is an episode concerned with meta-commentary on the oddity of Zim. Let’s consider the absurdity of students being forced to write down what they…

Invader Zim and the Multiverse?

The idea of a multiverse, or a universe which contains infinite alternate realties, has been a staple of science fiction for many years. Whether it is used to posit questions of existentialism or of melodramatic cries for a better reality, within the cosmic horror genre it has been a cornerstone. So, this begs the question:…

Zim and Wetness– weird! (Doom Song, Pt.11)

“The Wettening” (episode 5B) is probably the clearest example of Zim being Othered. Said again, it is the single most poignant segment where Zim is singled out as different. It starts with rain. Zim, evidently, has never seen rain before. He is afraid of it. For good reason too—as he points his finger underneath he…

My ‘Invader Zim’ ending (Doom Song, Pt.10)

Invader Zim was a short run show. It is a shame that it did not last longer than it did, but I have come to peace with its short run. Also coming to terms with the fact that it will not ever again be on television or have a continuation—which I think is good since…

Invader Zim and Satire (Doom Song, Pt.9)

“Attack of the Saucer Morons” (5A) is one of the few episodes of Invader Zim which is directly satirical. I say ‘directly’ because it is not parody in the sense of certain aspects of reality being replicated under alternative means; rather, it is a segment which is wholly concerned with invalidating government cover stories and…

Organs, Bodies, and Invader Zim (Doom Song, Pt.8)

“Dark Harvest,” (4B) is an episode about bodily insecurity. Zim, evidently suffering from ‘head pigeons,’ is sent to the nurse’s office. Before he leaves, however, Dib whispers that once he is there and the nurse examines him, he will be revealed as an alien once she glimpses his lack of human organs. And so Zim…

The Germ Menance and Invader Zim (Doom Song, Pt.7)

The basic idea of episode 4A—“Germs”—is that Zim tries to defeat the Germ menace; after watching a human sci-fi movie, inspired by the works of Orson Well, where the alien invaders are brought low by germs, Zim rushes to his lab to confirm his uneasy suspicions. Once confirmed with the help of some microbiotic goggles,…

Invader Zim and Autism? (Doom Song, Pt.6)

“Walk of Doom” (3B) is a curious episode-fragment. On one level, it utilizes Zim’s unfamiliarity with Earth to project childhood anxieties about becoming lost in an unknown place. On the other level, meanwhile, is also displays the first of what could be Zim’s string of mental aberrations; specifically, there is a scene near the middle…

Invader Zim and Cultural Fragmentation (Doom Song, Pt.5)

“Parent Teacher Night”—3B—is something every small child loathed; it was that special time of the year where you not only had to confess your sins, but had no choice but to reveal your insecurities and wrong doings, least you suffer the wrath of your instructor… plus, having to return to school on a night where…