Curiouser And Curiouser!

Creeping Up On Netflix

Until yesterday I had no idea who Christine McConnell was and were it not for a suggestion from Netflix, I probably wouldn’t know anything about her today.  Well, as I was working hard at doing nothing yesterday morning, Netflix suggested that I give The Curious Creations Of Christine McConnell a look.  And look I did.

On the surface, this series looks like a children’s show that would be right up Tim Burton’s alley.  However, after viewing the first episode, I quickly realized that this show was A) not necessarily for the kids, B) one part cooking show, one part crafting show, and two parts dark comedy, and C) oddly enticing.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of this bizarre little series.  Each of the six episodes in the first season feature cooking and crafting segments sewn into a story arc featuring McConnell, a stray “something” named Edgar that winds up at her door, an ancient Egyptian mummified cat named Rankle, revived patchwork roadkill named Rose, and a beast named Bernard that’s so large that he has to live in the basement.  Oh, and then there’s the beautiful ghost named Vivienne, a giant squid named Millie that lives in the refrigerator, Christine’s cousin named Evelyn, the nosy neighbor named Mr. Ketchum, and an extremely suspicious gentleman caller named Norman.

McConnell’s food creations are simply breathtaking.  They are also time consuming and most likely out of the skill range of most home-based cooks.  The good thing about each of her recipes is that while the average cook probably won’t be able to match her level of artistry, they can definitely make their own versions of her work thanks to the surprisingly minimal amount of ingredients in each dish.  I can definitely see myself attempting to recreate her shrunken head cookies, chocolate tea cups, and maybe even the wolf paw doughnuts.  Sure, they won’t be as beautiful as her work, but they’ll probably taste and look pretty good.

Not only does McConnell create beautiful food (almost exclusively sweets on the show), she also shows viewers how to make simple homemade candles, create a dress, and make gift baskets for family and friends.  She never gets too technical with any of her recipes or her crafts, but she gives the viewer a great foundation to build upon.

McConnell’s style is something of a mash up of goth, pastel 50’s style, and a twisted sugary sweetness that is both sexy and dangerous.  She made her mark in the world as a model, artist, and baker with her unique style that screams retro and bloody murder at the same time.

The show has an odd balance of thinly veiled adult humor and offbeat comedy featuring McConnell and the quirky cast of characters that live in and around her home.  In one episode, McConnell makes up a gift basket for her grandmother.  She fails to mention where her grandmother “lives” and once we see where she actually resides, it’s played up for light dark humor.  She also meets Norman in the episode.  Edgar is immediately suspicious of him and a story develops around Norman and his interaction with the rest of the cast.

The adult humor in the series plays against the fact that McConnell looks and acts very much like a housewife ripped straight from a 50’s American sitcom.  She’s always dressed perfectly and her makeup and hair are always exquisite despite the fact that she obviously puts in multiple hours to make her creations.  Most of the dirty comedy comes from Rose and Rankle.  Rose is accused of having an amorous encounter with a garden gnome, uses a ball-gag on a visitor, often passes gas, and makes lewd comments throughout the series.

The cast is great.  McConnell is gorgeous, owns her retro look, and is obviously very talented.  Colleen Smith pulls double duty as both the voice of Rose and as Christine’s dastardly cousin, Evelyn.  Mick Ignis lumbers around stating the obvious as Edgar.  Michael Oosterom voices Rankle and I’m pretty sure that he sounds exactly the way that a bitter mummified cat should sound.  Tim Lagasse gives life to Bernard down in the basement.  Adam Mayfield has both Christine and Rose wrapped around his potentially-a-serial-killer finger as Norman even though Edgar is pretty sure that the guy always smells like fresh blood and shouldn’t be trusted.

Steven Porter portrays the annoying and somewhat cranky Mr. Ketchum.  His role is brief in the show, but brings with it a lot of the adult humor that will most likely be the deciding factor of whether or not parents will let their kids watch the series.  The lovely Dita Von Teese has a small role as well, portraying the beautiful ghost named Vivienne that lives in the mirrors of Christine’s home.

The series is definitely very unique.  I hope that it gets a second season, as it ended with the reveal (although it was pretty obvious from the beginning) of a killer.  My only worry is that the show might be too unique for some viewers.  McConnell is an artist, plain and simple, and I can definitely see where some folks might not be able to accept her dark twist on things.  If there is a second season, though, I’ll definitely be watching.  I’d also like to meet McConnell at a convention or art show.  That would be pretty cool.

Give The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell a shot if you love dark comedy, cooking, crafting, and a little twisted humor.

As always, thanks for reading.  See you again real soon!