TV REVIEW: Dr. Havoc’s Diary (SYFY, 2020)
It wasn’t too long ago when I found out SYFY (formerly the Sci-Fi Channel) had a late-night animation block called TZGZ, and I found it while roaming about on Google. Weirdest of all, I found it on the NBC website while looking for new Saturday Night Live episodes. In any case, TZGZ (one letter later from SYFY; clever that) has some unique programming that could possibly rival Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block on creativity alone. The first show I watched was an action-figure action/fantasy drama called “Dr. Havoc’s Diary.”
The premise: Dr. Darren Havoc is a genius supervillain who keeps a diary of his attempts to take over the world. He has a secret lair run by cloned Henchmen, with help from his stereotypical German mad scientist assistant Professor von Duct. They come so close to taking over the world, but are thwarted several times by the U.S. military, various superheroes, and his arch-nemesis Brock Mason — American secret agent. Both men are openly trying to kill each other but things are made more complicated with Dr. Havoc’s crippling insecurities, dealing with his wife Kim, and being cuckolded by Brock Mason.
The show: The show has a limited number of characters, which allows for greater storytelling. You’d think Dr. Havoc would be the mad scientist, but his leaving the mad science to von Duct is where the comedy truly shines. The show also has timely commentary about the feminist movement, copyright infringement, and pyramid schemes as a form of legitimate employment. The movie, superhero and spy pastiches are sometimes fun, and I wish we got more use out of Nighthook (the bootleg Batman character).
Where the show seems weak is the female characters: Dr. Havoc’s emasculating wife Kim rarely speaks below a shrill yell, and his teenage daughter Ally is a brat from hell. Worst of all, BOTH wife and daughter are trying to have sex with Brock. Don’t even get me started on the assassin Natalya. I don’t know how Havoc let his relationship(s) get that bad over 16 years, but he should have left YEARS ago. If he had, Havoc probably would not have all the psych problems. They’re made even worse when you realize the closest thing Dr. Havoc has to a friend is Brock — because they have so much in common. Read into that what you will.
The verdict: This show is criminally underrated for its comedy, and I think I understand why: you have to be of a certain age to really get the jokes. You have to FEEL the weight of years on you to get why Dr. Havoc feels this way, or otherwise be a strong empath. Since it’s not a punchy and flashy anime, a rainbow-splattered flipbook aimed at scoring diversity points, or a fem-positive live action show where everyone stands legs and arms akimbo, it wasn’t gonna get the recognition. Despite the single season of 30 episodes, it’s quite funny and I urge you to check it out.
Originally published at https://www.facebook.com.
