Rating: **
Review Date: 11/29/09
A bit of a let-down after the surprisingly deep "Reconstruction" (2008), but it also gets back to the series' roots by focusing on rapid fire trash talk and character banter. Red Team has been relocated from Blood Gulch Outpost #1 to Valhalla and are trying to get adjusted to their new digs. Blue Team also has a new base adjacent to them, but Blue Team only consists of Caboose these days. He spends his time trying to create a new best friend, using equipment that he's scavenged along with the Epsilon AI left over from the "Recovery One" program. Private Donut returns with a distress call from Tucker, and the Reds decide to help Caboose rescue him (so that they'll have another Blue guy to kill). Turns out that Tucker and Junior are holed up in a sacred temple in the desert that's being attacked by some rather unsavory characters. Once inside the temple, Caboose resurrects Church as a Guilty Spark kind of floating orb. Things could turn out very badly if Church were able to access all of his memory, but he's still trying to figure out how to fly straight. Meanwhile, Agent Washington learns of Epsilon's existence and makes a deal with The Director to retrieve it in exchange for his freedom. He and The Meta team up and assault Valhalla, setting the stage for the next chapter.
Another great looking production from Rooster Teeth, and mind boggling considering the tools they have to work with. The Red Vs Blue videos continue to improve from a technical standpoint, and the choreography and cinematography are slick and professional. The writing focuses primarily on the dynamic of Sarge, Simmons, and Grif, which can become a bit exhausting after a while. Lopez gets a lot of dialog this time, and his angst and frustration generates the most laughs. There aren't a lot of action scenes, but the ones they have are exciting and well made. More than anything, "Recreation" feels like a bridge episode for planting a bunch of plot elements that will be revisited in the future. Apart from the usual tomfoolery, not much happens in this episode, but I'm really looking forward to what's going to happen next. As usual, there are a bunch of bonus videos on the DVD, including a Thanksgiving PSA that had me doubled over in fits of laughter. That alone was probably worth the price of admission.