Tuca & Bertie Review: Corpse Week (Season 2 Episode 8)
Tuca & Bertie Season 2 Episode 8, “Corpse Week,” is all about family. It also happens to be the show’s strongest episode this season.
If there’s one thing on which we can all agree, it’s that familial relationships are messy, convoluted, and intense. They’re ever-changing, and they vary from family to family. “Corpse Week” pulls back the veil in terms of Tuca and Bertie’s own kin and just how different they are.
Of course, the Corpse Week event everyone is celebrating (akin to Día de Los Muertos) is a metaphor for these relationships. Each family has its own skeletons in the closet, so to speak, yet they diverge in terms of how they process these “skeletons.”
Tuca & Bertie always seeks out unique and deeply profound ways to relate to its audience, and this week’s outing is no exception. Bertie’s parents are reminiscent of most Midwestern families — amicable, but they don’t discuss “feelings” or trauma.
Bertie’s parents are hoarders. Instead of working through their own internalized pain, they project outward in the form of materialism. Somebody in the writers’ room clearly hails from the Midwest because this is almost too relatable.
Her choice to air her grievances with her parents is a powerful one that resonates across the board.
This show excels when it comes to character development, and Bertie has utterly blossomed this season. “Corpse Week” catapults that development to new heights.
It’s never easy to confront your demons, and Tuca & Bertie deftly handles this episode’s subject matter like a pro.
“Corpse Week” dives into Tuca’s family dynamics as well. Tuca and her sister, Terry, love to yell. While Bertie finds their transparency method to be offputting, it’s how many families communicate. It’s realistic.
Funnily enough, the incessant bickering is healthier than Bertie’s parents’ decision to suppress. At the end of the day, no matter how often Tuca screams at them, she loves her family. Her loyalty to them is unyielding.
Tuca & Bertie beautifully conveys this.
Once again, this episode utilizes striking visuals to address Bertie’s anxiety artfully. From Tuca’s sister asking her about therapy to her father claiming she doesn’t “need” it, Bertie’s “limbs falling off” represents her intrinsic anxiousness. Anxiety sufferers know that it feels like your body is willfully betraying you.
Bertie’s Dad: You don’t need therapy, you’re normal.
There it is. It’s a pervasive misconception that therapy is only for “crazy” people.
Tuca & Bertie reminds us of this informational disparity between generations. While Millennials and Gen Z purposely seek mental health support, the Boomers shove their heads in the sand.
This show boldly reminds us of the importance of expressing your feelings healthily. Taking your skeletons out of the closet doesn’t make you weak — it makes you strong.
“Corpse Week” is a consistently solid installment from start to finish, bolstered by poignant writing and evocative visuals. Here’s hoping Tuca & Bertie maintains this for the rest of the season.
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Tuca & Bertie airs Sundays at 11:30/10:30c on Adult Swim.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.