by Robert Scocchi
| Published
Of all the action stars who rose to prominence in the '80s and '90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger has the strongest staying power because he was always the most self-aware tough guy from his graduating class. Known for their innate ability to keep a straight face while delivering one pithy one-liner after another, the Austrian Oak proved that it can still make you laugh while kicking ass in the Netflix original series, Fubar. Playing like a cross between Get to know the parents and Commando, Fubar It's by design, self-aware in all the right ways, and a shining example of how even the most hackneyed action movie tropes can still be effective if everyone on board knows the mission.
Arnold is the hero of Geriaction
Fubar It was on my watch list for months before I finally decided to give it a try because I was worried it would be one of those series that wouldn't live up to the hype. After all, Schwarzenegger is on the wrong side of his 70s, which makes me (incorrectly) think he'll half-heartedly show up for a paycheck in a bogus attempt to relive his glory days like Al Bundy whining about how he scored four goals in one game for Polk School High School in 1966. Fortunately, I was wrong, and I'm happy to say that Schwarzenegger still got the X factor that makes him so likable.
Meet the parents meeting
Similar to Robert De NiroJack Burns From the Meet the Parents series, Schwarzenegger portrays Luke Brunner, a CIA agent on the verge of retirement after his last successful operation. Always secretive about the true nature of his work, Luke has lied to his family for decades under the guise of owning and operating a sporting goods company called Merry Fitness alongside Barry (Milan Carter), who also works for the CIA as a technical assistant. Operations officer. Luke's secret double life has torn his family apart, leading to his wife Tali (Fabiana Audiño) filing for divorce before the events that take place in Fubar.
While Luke wants to put his life in the CIA behind him so he can rekindle his relationship with Tully, his relationship with his daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) is also worse for wear.
in Fubar In the opening episode, titled “Take Your Daughter to Work Day,” we learn that Emma has a secret life of her own. Everyone, including Luke and her boyfriend Carter (Jay Baruchel), is under the impression that she's traveling the world for humanitarian efforts like providing the citizens of La Guajira, Colombia with fresh drinking water.
When Luke is called out of retirement to extract an agent codenamed Banda from Guyana, he learns the hard truth: his daughter is Banda, and she is trying to take down an arms dealer named Porro Polonia (Gabriel Luna). Luke's confidence is shaken when he discovers that Barry, as well as fellow operatives Roe (Fortune Feamster) and Aldon (Travis Van Winkle), knew of Emma's involvement with the CIA, but were sworn to secrecy. Luke also has a history with the Boro, having killed his father when he was just a boy and serving as a mentor to him when he was undercover.
Bonding between father and daughter in the form of counter-terrorism
Fubar It has a lot of moving parts, but it keeps the viewer up to speed without ever seeming condescending as it explodes into every action movie trope you can think of.
First, we have the “we're not so different, you and me” dynamic between Luke and Emma. Emma clearly has parenting issues (her words, not mine) because of how absent Luke was during her childhood, forcing her to be an overachiever. Luke feels guilty for lying to his family, and fears that his daughter's personal life will fall apart like his own as she becomes more devoted to her work. As they go about their missions, they develop a new appreciation for each other because Luke was a top CIA agent, and his little daughter is clearly doing a great job following in his footsteps.
We also see a lot of “zero hour” tropes played out throughout the eight-episode run, as there's always a bomb to disarm, a runaway train about to derail, and Burrow, who always seems one step ahead of the others. CIA on the run.
My favorite is the action comedy trope FubarHowever, it is the wisecracking banter between Luke, Emma, Barry, and Roo. Roo has a foul mouth, speaks her mind, and always ends up wearing a less-than-flattering disguise to carry out her missions while offering Barry relationship advice.
What's more, when Luke and Emma are forced to see a professional psychologist named Dr. Pfeiffer, they immediately start calling him “Doctor.” Pepper” and dropped the names of other soda brands to get under his skin. After being called out for making a massive amount of soda puns, Luke simply tells Dr. Pfeiffer (Scott Thompson) that he must be “fantastically sized,” proving that our favorite action hero doesn't He still knows how to act wisely at this late stage of his career.
Stream FUBAR on Netflix
If you grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger during the heyday of action movies, then Fubar This is the next series you should watch Netflix. Schwarzenegger and company approach their secret spy lifestyle with a wink and a nod in every scene, and the action sequences are feature film quality, which makes the series even more enjoyable. Between every explosion and round of gunfire, Fubar It has a big heart thanks to its family dynamic, and has a laugh-per-minute ratio that you wouldn't expect if you went there My neighbor The series without expectations as it did.
Fubar It is a Netflix Original series and can be streamed with an active subscription. And if you like what you see, Season 2 is scheduled to be released in mid-2025.
