Wellington Paranormal Review: Mt Victoria Hooters (Season 2 Episode 3)
Wellington Paranormal Season 2 Episode 3, “Mt Victoria Hooters,” introduces a case involving a police constable poltergeist who attempts to enforce law and order but instead causes chaos.
The level of inventiveness and ingenuity behind this series is all the more evident in “Mt Victoria Hooters.” While last week’s outing of Wellington Paranormal almost “de-aged” Minogue and O’Leary as the pair investigated an all-girls school, this episode sheds light on our dynamic duo’s insecurities.
From the ghost cop insulting Minogue’s hat to his blatant misogyny toward O’Leary, “Mt Victoria Hooters” poses this question to the audience: Is the Wellington Paranormal Police Force really up to snuff? Are our core characters efficient at their jobs?
O’LEARY: What if you still want to do good policing even if you were dead?
It’s the first time we’ve seen the team evaluate and reflect on their progress as proper paranormal hunters. With these respective insecurities comes a deeper understanding of each officer.
Clearly, O’Leary feels she has to exert an exorbitant amount of effort to prove she’s worthy of donning a police uniform. Minogue is afraid of not “looking” the part of a cop.
Wellington Paranormal deftly handles their self-esteem issues with ample hilarity and lots of heart.
In fact, the scene wherein Minogue and O’Leary express their frustrations and lividity is easily one of the funniest bits on the show thus far. How their acting downplays the severity of their emotions is a pitch-perfect juxtaposition to the dialogue.
Additionally, the slapstick aspect continues to reign supreme on “Mt Victoria Hooters.” Maaka Pohatu becomes the episodic MVP with his physical comedy alone, just by “maliciously” ringing a bell and shouting “Parkour!” while executing the most menial of kicks.
MAAKA: Ooh! I’m ringing this bell maliciously! I’m doin’ it!
One of Wellington Paranormal‘s aces in the hole has always been Minogue, O’Leary, and Maaka’s collective ineptitude when facing the supernatural. They inevitably vanquish these threats, but their journey to finding a resolution is what makes this show so funny.
“Mt Victoria Hooters” takes this bumbling obliviousness up a notch, and even O’Leary isn’t immune.
From Minogue and O’Leary’s hilarious discussion with Maaka about whether they can serve as cops after they die to their decision to ride in a slow-moving cable car while in pursuit of a ghost constable, this episode manages to make the main characters more endearing than ever.
MINOGUE: I don’t really like ghosts. I don’t even like eating cauliflower. It sort of reminds me of ghost broccoli.
It’s a tall order, but one the series accomplishes with panache. Wellington Paranormal wouldn’t work if these cops were skilled at their jobs or successful at every turn.
Perhaps that’s a key ingredient, especially amid a time when law enforcement practices are being carefully inspected, and police reform is a dire need. This series showcases a team of imperfect yet well-meaning officers.
Wellington Paranormal provides a weekly dose of humorous escapism, and “Mt Victoria Hooters” offers that in spades with creativity, cleverness, and a smattering of unexpected (but not unwelcome) parkour.
What did you think of this episode of Wellington Paranormal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Wellington Paranormal airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.
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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.