Arby 'n' the Chief

Thank you Jon for all the great years :3

To those curious about the show I'd recommend giving it a go. Start with season 5 or something seasons 1-4 are great but can be off putting to someone missing context, essentially you'd have to be familiar with internet culture of the time and gaming culture from that era to fully appreciate it.

Watching the serialized seasons (seasons 5-8) rly showed jon's talent when it came to quality storytelling. i mean even tho seasons 1-4 were mostly tongue and cheek, the main characters (arbiter and chief) eventually evolved to sympathetic and relatable characters. aribter's character has a tragedy to him in the sense that since he thinks a lot alike a normal human being, due to the special circumstances he's in, he quickly devolves into a nihilistic, depressed alcoholic and u rly feel for the guy. i mean being confined into one room and always being rejected as a romantic partner after meeting dis one girl online? ion blame him. and chief? for the most part, seasons 1-6 had chief behave in the same manner. unpredictable, offensive, erratic, jus overall very "out there". but in season 7, chief does something so dark, so disgusting, that it actually changes him in the sense that he questions his own morality. up until dis point, chief never gave an ounce of thought into rly anything aside from halo. but following some events that happened in season 7, chief essentially grows the same edge that arbiter has developed over the series. by the end, these two characters have basically been thru hell and back.

overall, i think dis show is f-cking torch. so far i fw season 8. really looking forward to how jon wraps things up.

9/10

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.

When I first watched this back in 2010, I ABSOLUTELY fell in love with it. The humor could be a little offensive to some but overall it's one of my favorite YouTube series out there! Really don't know why it's rated a 6.7/10. I'd say it deserves a 8 or 9/10 due to it's hilarious episodes and amazing storytelling! If you also haven't heard, Jon CJG is making season 8.

I've first seen Arby n the Chief at 7th grade I think. Seen the first two seasons, and haven't really bothered checking back. I've watched it all last week, when somehow I remembered that it existed. I can really say that the show matured with me. It goes in from juvenile humor to, ideological clashes and philosophy, while keeping its funny edge. Wonderful writing, amazing dialogues, excellent puppeteering. Guaranteed to cause an emotional reaction on everybody.

My only critic could be that eventually (in the mid seasons) the script goes a little astray, It feels like some fillers were put in or jon cjg did not have quite worked out how to move on with the story, but it recovers back quickly to go on better than ever.

I also want to mention the music, some of the soundtracks are very nice to hear and well fit to the alien atmosphere. Halo in game footage, especially after reach was released is quite easy on the eyes.