Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.
The idea of entering your mind to confront your problems is something science fiction has played with for decades. Why bother telling a therapist your problems when you can just jump directly into your mind and fight your demons head on? From Inception and Legion to even Captain America: Civil War, mental battles as therapy is an idea that’s been in pop culture for years. But what if the therapist leading you through this introspective journey was terrible at his or her job? That’s the world Adult Swim’s Dream Corp LLC explores, and it’s a weirdly compelling one in its absurdity.
Dream Corp LLC follows many of the same beats as other Adult Swim shows. There are a lot of random moments, both in the real world and in the dream simulation, from famous actors randomly appearing to people turning into animals. Also, there is no limit on dumb penis jokes. When Patient #088 (Nick Rutherford) first makes his way to the professional looking facility, it’s because he’s having erectile problems. However, beneath all of the randomness that will like make anyone’s inner 13-year-old giggle, there’s a fun darkness to the series.
Daniel Stessen’s live action and animated comedy sort of watches like if Elijah Woods’ character from Wilfred was forced to work at Better Off Ted’s Veridian Technologies. Patient #088 doesn’t know what anything is or does, but he does give off an air of wide-eyed anxiety and seems to realize that everything around him is vaguely evil. The series starts when Patient #088 voluntarily checks himself into the facility, having no idea what exactly does or who runs it. He just knows he needs help, and this weirdly named dream company is promising relief. Soon he’s introduced to Dr. Roberts (Jon Gries) and his band of slightly psychotic misfits who practically force him to work for them. The rest is intentionally-low-production-value insanity.
Sometimes you’re in the mood to watch something unabashedly weird. In that respect, Dream Corp LLC is an excellent binge, quirky enough that you never completely know what’s about to happen, especially in the dream world, but calm enough that it doesn’t feel like characters are screaming at you for an hour. If you want to feel better about your mental health while being pleasantly entertained, give it a watch. Like most of Adult Swim’s content, it makes for a great late night binge.
