With the release of its third season, “Smiling Friends” has officially come to an end. And what a ride it’s been—it’s safe to say that over the course of just three seasons, “Smiling Friends” has become the defining adult show of our generation. It’s fitting that the third season contains some of the show’s best episodes, though you can see some signs of burnout settling in, with some bits starting to land flat. Despite this, the quality remains high. Here are all of the episodes of “Smiling Friends” season three.
“Silly Samuel”: While Silly Samuel has to be the weakest of the clients that the Smiling Friends have seen (his whole thing is that he’s a goofy cartoon character that just wants people to respect him, and that’s it), the B-plot with Mr. Boss and Allan trying to survive a random building inspection is what most people remember this episode for. As it turns out, a giant yellow smiley face-shaped building is not exactly one of the safest places to be in. Who knew? This episode has some of the best Mr. Boss moments in the show, spawning the oft-quoted lines “ALLAN, WE ARE SO FUCKED”, “Do you realize? Do. You. Realize. Something?” and “Deus Misereatur Nostri.” It’s a shame that they couldn’t make the main story of the episode as interesting or hilarious. But nevertheless, it’s still comedy gold. “Hey, did that guy just turn into sand?” 7/10.
“Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille”: While every episode of “Smiling Friends” has had its fair share of weird and wacky things going on, this episode truly made me go, “Huh?” The plot follows Mr. Frog, who has sunk into a deep depression; not even horrific acts of violence at the UFC make him happy anymore. The solution to his problem, however, comes not from Charlie and Pim, but from a very bizarre and weirdly tragic live-action sequence in which he meets his father, played by Creed Bratton from “The Office,” painted head to toe in green. Overall, this episode ends up being a very beautiful send-off to Mr. Frog, though the pacing feels a bit stop-and-start. 8/10.
“Mole Man”: Mole Man is supposed to be a caricature of insane stalker fandom types, though he doesn’t stand out as much from all the other villains in the show. While Mole Man kidnaps Charlie and Pim, who spend most of the episode running around his underground tunnels, Allan and Glep are forced into the role of making people smile, which instantly goes wrong when Allan mispronounces their name as “the Smooling Fronds”; it only gets worse for the two from there. While it’s a solid episode with a lot of funny bits—especially a certain Allan line at the end—I still think Mole Man could have been better written. 7/10.
“Curse of the Green Halloween Witch”: This episode is best watched blind. I’m going to say as little as I can about this episode; you HAVE TO see it for yourself. Let’s just say this: do you remember those creepypastas you read online as a child? The ones about the lost episodes of cartoons where the characters went insane and died in gruesome ways? This episode is EXACTLY that. Yes, this is real, and yes, this aired on national television. They even got permission from Sony to use PYRAMID HEAD in the episode! It’s so gory and demented, but in such a nonsensical, over-the-top way that all but the most squeamish viewers burst out into laughter. On top of all that, the animation, the visuals, and the voice acting are some of the best in the entire show. But again, you just have to watch this one for yourself. It’s absolute insanity. 10/10.
“Pim and Charlie Save Mother Nature”: The gang is relaxing in Mr Boss’ cabin in the woods when Pim and Charlie decide to go on a whimsical adventure! They then meet Mother Nature, but OH NO, she’s fucked up and evil! Mother Nature herself is probably the best use of claymation in the show; she and her minions morph around and shapeshift, with the animators making as much use of the natural properties of clay as possible. Despite this, the main storyline still manages to get overshadowed by the sub-plot, this time with Mr. Boss and Allan getting a little … freaky. Then there’s the ending—the best ending line in all of Smiling Friends. I’m not going to spoil what it is, but it’s hilarious. 9/10.
“Squim Returns”: Who is Squim, you might ask? None other than the first Smiling Friend from the 1990s. Squim is an instant favorite—he’s animated in an authentic ’90s “radical” cartoon style, is constantly hyperactive, and runs around performing his iconic Squim dance. He’s also positive, like Pim! Except maybe a little too positive, as Pim learns to his horror. This makes Squim sort of like the reverse image of the Frowning Friends from Season One—one critiquing mindless negativity, the other critiquing mindless positivity. Meanwhile, Charlie has decided to skip work to play his favorite Steam games, until he eats a really bad kebab and starts tripping balls in a head-spinning psychedelic sequence. In fact, this entire episode is a beautiful showcase of animation, showing how much the show’s budget has gone up since 2020. 10/10.
“Schmaloogles”: As if “Squim Returns” wasn’t enough hilarity, the very next episode somehow manages to be even funnier. This episode perfectly epitomizes the “Smiling Friends” style of comedy. This is a demented parody of the Smurfs, infused with as many stupid hypothetical situations as the writers could fit in. Imagine if Gargamel used his crystal ball as a desktop computer to show Pim where he is on the Norwood scale of male pattern baldness. Imagine if the Smurfs randomly turned into hyperrealistic, rotoscoped muscular men for a few seconds, and it was never acknowledged again. Imagine if Charlie had to defend himself from a false SA allegation while eating at the local Wawa. The bits just keep coming and coming one after another, and they are stupid, every one of them, but they NEVER miss. Random, wacky nonsense tied into a coherent plot—what could be more “Smiling Friends” than that? 10/10.
“The Glep Ep”: At long last, we have an episode focusing on the most mysterious member of the Smiling Friends: Glep. The adorable little green guy, who only speaks in gibberish and watches Youtube Shorts all day, has been an enigma throughout the show’s entire life. What’s the deal with him? Now we know. The cute little gremlin creature has been through a LOT—he was born in 329 AD, has seen civilizations rise and fall, and without him, the Smiling Friends wouldn’t even exist. If Glep wasn’t your favorite character before this episode, he will be once you see it. It’s a heartwarming tale of how the Smiling Friends came to be, and shows that Glep DOES have a role to play after all—as the quintet’s voice of wisdom. 9/10.
“Friend-Bot (Version 12589218731809213528796879521)”: With this episode, “Smiling Friends” tackles one of the most important issues in the world today—the rise of AI and LLMs and the massive societal changes that come with them. When Charlie and Pim come into possession of a robot that can do anything they ask it to, they use it to replace their jobs and descend into mindless idleness, much to Pim’s dismay. With bits poking fun of everything from scam websites to people who are obsessed with AI-generating art, “Friend-Bot (Version 125892187318092…)” definitely hits close to home in our neurotic, chronically online age, though it doesn’t explore the effects of AI as deeply as it ought to. Then again, literally no one, let alone Smiling Friends, has the answers to where AI is ultimately leading us, so give it some slack. 8/10.
“Charlie’s Uncle Dies and Doesn’t Come Back”: I can’t imagine a better episode to end “Smiling Friends” on. Charlie’s uncle Bilbert is a much better version of the bully from season two’s “Gwimbly”; he’s written to be malicious and depraved in a way that actually manages to be unsettling, forcing Pim and Charlie to undergo some emotional moments. Nevertheless, the very real-world crimes are portrayed with insane cartoonish antics, as is the style for “Smiling Friends.” From the drug dealer speaking with a helium voice to the shitty 3D-modeled gremlins fighting in an underground ring, this is a masterpiece in dark comedy. Then we get to Allan’s subplot, where he goes on a date, giving us a number of hilarious reaction images and innuendos, until it ends in a way that will SHOCK YOU!!! (NOT CLICKBAIT!) 9/10.
