BTV premiered “Slice N Deis’s” final episode, “The Pact”, which is the sixth in the series. BTV should be proud of this one. The episode entertained from beginning to end with its interesting plot line, popular references, and outrageous humor.
“The Pact” starts with Brendon, played by Alex Gaman ’09, bored with tradition and his friends who are doing homework. In reference to “American Pie,” he proposes that they form a pact to get laid in the coming weekend. Everyone agrees to try; nobody ends up with just a simple lay.
We learn about each character’s weekend through their personal segments. Walter, played by Josh Reuss ’10, decides to play stalker to land a movie date with a girl. Nicole, played by Diana Benlevy ’09, tries to hook up with a not-so-ambiguously gay guy. Ed, played by Gdaly Berlin ’10, takes a drug-induced take in making his moves on a junkie. Ronnie, played by Ted Levin ’10, snoops in the library to secretly post himself on Craig’s List for some quick action. Brendon tries to smooth talk his way to sex over the phone.
The acting was adequate in this episode, which gave a few memorable performances. Levin was brilliant in his scenes. From his secret agent stealth to his freak-out with special guests, he was hilarious and enjoyable to watch. Reuss’ scenes were also very well done, especially with the creative incorporation of a certain popular SNL skit. As in all episodes, Narayanan plays the most absurd character roles but in a comical way. In this episode, he conveyed a cracked out drug dealing assistant by jittering in a face mask.
The quality of the plot prevailed as the most improved element in the Slice N Deis series. Producer Arun Narayanan ’10 announced that they had seven writers work on the script for this episode, up from just two that they were using previously. While the Slice N Deis crew loves to include plenty of drug and Brandeisian references alongside their outrageous ideas, they all seemed to work much better in this plotline than in others. The plot also allowed ample freedom for the characters to express themselves in hilarious ways. The plots in previous episodes had fallen short, but it outshined other elements this time and was very memorable. Besides plot, the other elements that improved and really fit the episode well were the filming and music. Both seemed flawless and flowed well throughout it. The transitions were also creatively implemented and held the show together well.
The series is starting to fall into its niche as a spoof show of everything Brandeis, college, and popular culture. The show’s references and Brandeisian twists were what first made it interesting to watch. “The Pact” was packed with these references, from the plotline to the drug usage. The humor seems like it is evolving into a fluid mix of South Park and Seinfeld splashed onto a Brandeis canvas. Slice N Deis is slowly ascending toward becoming masterful artwork.
