Stuart Review: "Spoiler: Corn is Delicious"

The inaugural season of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe enters the second half, with the gang having left the Garden of Eden-type universe and find themselves at their own universe. Everything looks normal. They're at the comic book store, there's no magic, no apocalypse, no AI, no Pleasantville-type atmosphere, nothing. There are no noticeable differences.

Unless you count the fact that they're eating plants as one.

So yeah, the group is not only eating plants, they love them! Their bewilderment is answered by Bert, who reveals that they are in a universe where they are descended from cows, meaning that they have four stomachs, eat plants, and chew their own cud. In a broader explanation, Bert says that the universe they're in is very similar to their own, but with a few differences. Other than the obvious, in that universe, Major League Baseball never adopted the DH rule. WOW! Imagine pitchers like Paul Skenes, Cam Schlittler, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto batting during each start! Also, there were no Skechers shoes, and John Cougar Mellencamp is just John Cougar.

The discovery is made at a trendy restaurant that serves the best plants, and before I continue, I have to talk about this:

The inner Animaniacs fan beamed over this! Many people know the voice more than the face, but the main waiter, Giorgio, is played by John Mariano. Every Animaniacs fan knows that name. One of the many running segments from that show is The Goodfeathers, and regarding Mariano, he provided the voice of Bobby, the defacto leader of the trio of pigeons. Mariano performed alongside the late Chick Vennera as Pesto, and Maurice "The Brain" LaMarche as Squit. I think it's more than the nostalgia. I think it's because I was heartbroken when we lost Vennera back in 2021 that I was emotionally happy to see Mariano.

So regarding the episode, Stuart suggests that they should stay in this universe, because it's close to their own; making the suggestion right before they're served a big serving of corn. He doubles down on this when he and Denise are at their place, with Denise agreeing with Stuart, who gives the device to Bert and Kripke to use. Once they do, they end up falling in an endless void, all while Stuart and Denise enjoy some salt lick. They hear someone going on about the universe collapsing, and they see who it is:

He lives! Well, the whole multiple universe thing helps with that. We see Raj Koothrapali, looking like the Raj we know, as the person rambling about the universe coming to an end. He mentions that a galaxy known as GN-z11 that went kaput, and Raj says that it's only a matter of time before the entire universe goes belly-up. How much time? According to Raj, three or four hundred years. Yeah. So that's a problem for future generations. As for Stuart, he and Denise were encountered by the OG Stuart, aka Stuart Prime, and he wasn't thrilled that Bert and Kripke were given the device. Prime was even less thrilled with Stuart giving up on saving the universe, and tells Stuart that he's the only one who can save the universe. Stuart is also told to order another device, but even so, he still has doubts.

Stuart talks it out with Denise, and he remains comfortable with his decision, though Denise suggests that he might change his mind. Stuart says he's not a hero. "I'm a broke-ass failed artist who owns a comic book store," said Stuart. "In fact, I'm such a failure, that in every universe I go to, I own a comic book store." Denise's response:

"I just think anyone can be a hero if they're trying to make life better for other people."

That was all Stuart needed to change his mind. He ordered a replacement device, which was delivered by Gary, and once he activated it, he and Denise reunited with Bert and Kripke. The two devices became one, and Kripke and Bert are told that only Stuart can activate the device because Stuart's chosen to save the universe. Stuart presses the button, and they find themselves back at the comic book store. Seems normal, except for the fact that they're psychic. Yep! The one person not thrilled with this is Kripke, and it's for a simple reason:

"My mother bathed me 'til I was 12."

That's what Stuart, Denise, and Bert heard. It reminds me of that one episode of South Park where Cartman faked Tourette's so he could say any hateful thing he wanted without any consequences, and he faked to so much that he started to have an actual form of Tourette's that caused him to blurt out embarrassing secrets about himself. Oh yeah. This should be a good one.

"Spoiler: Corn is Delicious," episode 1.06 of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, hit HBO Max on August 27, 2026. As I stated before, this episode kicked off the second half of the first season, and it was a pretty deep and surreal one. It was great to see Raj again, which is the benefit of multiple universes. As we recall, Raj was knocked off in the apocalyptic universe in the first episode, but in life, he wasn't exactly himself. It was very nice to see Raj in his familiar wardrobe in this one.

And also, this was the deepest that Stuart was portrayed in this wonderful BBT universe. Up until this show premiered, Stuart Bloom was portrayed as a sad sack who had no life and, well, accepted it. Let me put it this way. Take Bart Simpson's "underachiever and proud of it" label, and mix it in with the hard luck of Bill Dauterive, and the depression/low self esteem of Eeyore (on a side note, thank you, Peter Cullen, for making me cheer for good things for that wonderful donkey), and you have Stuart Bloom. Yet similar to those characters, Stuart had a good support system. It only takes one person to give a person a boost. Denise is that one person, and Bert and even Kripke give Stuart even more of a boost.

I am very excited for Episode 7, especially since we'll see Ramona again, according to the preview. Should be interesting to see what develops!

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