Comic Strip Presents Season 2 Episode 1 Five Go Mad on Mescalin

In the second season premiere of The Comic Strip Presents, entitled "Five Go Mad on Mescalin," viewers are introduced to a comedic retelling of the beloved children's book series, "The Famous Five" by Enid Blyton. The spoof takes a twisted turn as the characters experiment with the hallucinogenic drug, mescaline.

The story follows four familiar friends, Julian, Dick, George, and Anne, as they embark on a camping trip in the English countryside. Their goal is to track down a mystery that has been plaguing the local community. Along the way, they meet a stranger, Timmy, a talking dog-looking to join the group. The five are soon introduced to mescaline, a powerful mind-bending substance, and their reality is never the same again.

The first noticeable quirk in the episode is how it was shot. The episode was shot in black and white, droll in tone, and registered at times as a parody of the original book series with the camera often cutting to the artist's imperfectly drawn illustrations.

The four friends are initially hesitant to try mescaline, but after Timmy convinces them, they all together consume the substance. The effect of the drug quickly descends on the group- they begin to see things that aren't supposed to exist and do things they shouldn't. Before long, they are all running around in an emotional frenzy.

The episode often uses clever wordplay in exploring the absurdity of the drug's impact on the characters. For example, when the characters exclaim that they see things such as pink elephants, one of them pops up; a fun jab at the cliché often used by comedians.

As the drug starts to take effect, the episode slowly descends into madness, quite literally. The children who are supposed to have ingested the drug are running around in an emotionally frenzied state and involved in bizarre behaviors. Parts of the episode are surreal and wildly creative. For example, the group gets trapped in a time loop, which inspires an impossible wealth of Dali-esque imagery.

What follows is a series of wacky, trippy events, as the characters descend into a jungle of self-discovery, and unknown practical magic. One character shrinks to the size of an ant, another metamorphoses into a woman. The episode laces these zany antics with a few witty puns, making it both funny and entertaining.

Through all of the insanity, the show manages to lampoon the lofty atmosphere of the original "The Famous Five" series. By the time the 30 minutes of storytelling is over, the episode decidedly imparts its real messages- mescaline trips, or hallucinogens, should not be trifled with.

Despite the bizarre events portrayed in the episode, the subtle message it leaves behind is that drugs, when consumed improperly, ultimately end in disaster. With that said, the episode successfully managed to find the perfect balance between humor and relaying a message.

In the end, "Five go mad on Mescalin" is a bizarre yet fun episode full of ridiculous antics that hold up to the passing of time. As the show delivers the moral of the story, the characters seem to turn the realization towards the viewer, leaving them chuckling and with the realization that all good stories have a lesson to be learned.