B:
This synopsis and review of ROX #64 was submitted by a friend,
but it took thirteen years for us to get it on the site.
QUOTE
"Yeah, but you know, sometimes you have to be an asshole; you have
to go to an extreme in order to have any effect at all. That's the credo
by which I've lived my life, and it has served me well."--B
SYNOPSIS
J Begins by reading a letter from Joseph E. Mills III of Governor's
Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana. He is reacting to a previous episode,
“J & B Get Baked,” in which J and B do just that. Mills threatens to urge
local politicians to reexamine the franchise agreement with the TV cable
company and accuses J & B of “the overt promotion of anarchy.” Eric and
some local radicals explain their definitions of the term
“anarchy.” Meanwhile, Jenny is preparing to participate in Critical Mass,
an event in which bicyclists attempt to take over the streets. J
interviews Police Chief Steve Sharp, who says he will not bother the
bicyclists so long as they don't disrupt traffic (which is kind of the
point). Soon the event begins and police are arresting bicyclists left and
right. One particularly bad scuffle happens in front of the Sample Gates,
where cops force a couple to the ground and handcuff them. Yelling and
screaming ensue. The following day, the _Bloomington Herald-Times_ runs a
story with a headline that says something to the effect of "Bicyclists'
tactics rile police.“ J responds, ”There's a pro-police bias to this
newspaper. If you haven't caught that since living in this town, you need
to go back three spaces and, uh, turn in four dollars of your play
money." Later, the ROX cast and friends gather for a pumpkin-carving
party. Later still, “Rev. P.W. Bell” shows viewers how they can make a red
box, which is a device that fools pay phones into thinking you've already
put in money by making a certain electronic sound into the receiver.
REVIEW
This is one of my favorite episodes, for two reasons. First,
whenever this show gets something like police brutality (or other
authoritarian overreactions) on film, it metamorphoses from a cute
little show about mixed drinks into journalism. Second, I like the way the
whole show sticks to the theme of anarchy, showing what could
be considered an act of anarchy (Critical Mass), a drink inspired by an
anarchist/communist, and how to make your own anarchy (the red box).
