Common Side Effects’s Tiny Blue Mushroom Contains a World of Hurt

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Warning! The ninth and penultimate season-one episode titled “Cliff’s Edge” contains spoilers about the common side effects.

In the animated series Common Side Effects, the concept of nature holds different meanings for characters like environmentalist Marshall Cuso (brilliantly voiced by Dave King) and pharmaceutical CEO Rick Kruger (Mike Judge), and it’s this divergent viewpoint that fuels the show’s surreal, Adult Swim vibe. For Marshall, nature has yielded a miraculous mushroom capable of healing any wound for free, challenging the existing healthcare system. On the other hand, Rick Kruger, head of Reutical Pharmaceuticals, views nature as an opportunity to amass wealth from the mushroom, despite concerns about accessibility for all. When Frances (Emily Pendergast), a former assistant and high-school friend of Marshall’s, questions whether everyone will be covered by insurance, Rick remains confident in capitalism, viewing it as a self-correcting system that ultimately benefits him. This ideological clash over the essence of human nature – our propensity for betrayal and the appropriate use of public resources – forms the basis for the life-or-death struggle at the heart of Common Side Effects.

The central mushroom depicted in the series “Common Side Effects” seems unbelievable, yet it emphasizes its healing abilities through gruesome scenes such as a heart mending itself and broken limbs fixing themselves. These events make viewers doubt the power of the mushroom until they witness or experience it for themselves. However, everything else portrayed around this mushroom – corrupt corporate leaders, complicit government officials, absurd drug advertisements – feels disturbingly realistic, suggesting we might already be living in the world depicted by “Common Side Effects”. The question of why we don’t have a miracle cure like the one in the show keeps us hooked.

Each episode, as the season finale approaches on Adult Swim and Max next week, explores the tension in this blend of conspiracy thriller and comedy. Marshall, armed with the mysterious mushroom, finds himself in a dangerous chase, dodging threats from Reutical Pharmaceuticals’ assassins after his bounty, to DEA agents growing wary of his seemingly benevolent actions. A joke is inserted about Marshall’s habit of leaving his Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and exposing his stomach. One villain meets a grisly end when detonated by a land mine, their remains fed to pigs. A brief sojourn in the vibrant, dreamlike “portal world” experienced by mushroom consumers offers a glimpse into fantastical, surreal landscapes that challenge our perceptions of what mischievous humanoid pill figures might look like. The show’s unique blend of humor and violence keeps us grounded within its absurd reality: Can we envision a healthcare system without financial burden? Is it just to assess the worthiness of sick individuals for treatment? Though Common Side Effects may not provide definitive answers to the questions it raises about our hypothetical post-apocalyptic world, its bold approach to anti-authoritarian themes reflects our current turmoil and the inequalities that led us here.

Originating from Joe Bennett (known for “Scavengers” and “Reign”) and Steve Hely (famous for “Veep”), the series “Common Side Effects” starts by implying that pharmaceutical companies aim to make you feel sick. During a Reutical shareholders’ meeting, Rick discusses diarrhea as an advantageous side effect for one of their products, which prompts Marshall to question the company’s history of damaging natural habitats and harming Indigenous communities with its factories. His outburst results in boos, and before being escorted out, he ominously warns, “If I disappear, look into Reutical Pharmaceuticals.” Marshall serves as a prophetic figure, reminiscent of Tom Wilkinson’s character from “Michael Clayton,” who carries around a tortoise named Socrates instead of baguettes. He believes that big pharma, insurance companies, and the government are colluding against us for financial gain. He expresses this idea to Frances, who initially disbelieves him about the wealthy elite conspiring to maintain the 99-to-1% gap. However, as “Common Side Effects” unfolds, this alliance becomes increasingly evident — leading to brutal action sequences such as a helicopter chase through the Peruvian jungle and a murderer targeting Marshall after Reutical board member Jonas Backstein (Danny Huston) has him imprisoned. The luminescent blue mushroom discovered by Marshall has both prolonged life and inspired numerous murders.

Jonas’s circle consists of both government officials and hired guns who are readily available to him, yet they struggle to conceive of selfless help without personal gain. Marshall, however, is not just an adversary but a puzzle – he distributes aid solely to those in need and unable to pay. This sets the stage for a classic conflict between the haves and have-nots, where everyone sympathizes with Marshall, guards him, and gratefully accepts the mushrooms. However, Common Side Effects adds intrigue by challenging our expectations about who supports Marshall’s stance on mushroom conservation and who doesn’t.

His former teacher Hildy (Sue Rose), a secluded individual living in a cabin and harboring resentment towards Marshall for his expanded knowledge beyond her teachings, dismisses the importance of tracking the mushroom’s effects, contemptuously suggesting it’s what a healthcare company would do. DEA agent Copano (Joseph Lee Anderson), assigned to locate Marshall, questions why his agency is willing to invest so many resources in a single mushroom grower, and this doubt escalates into full-blown rebellion: “What if we’re merely helping the champagne drinkers in the winner’s circle eliminate all competition?”

Even Frances, who is lured into betraying Marshall by the potential profit from patenting the mushroom, is put off by Rick’s blatant description of her new tax bracket: “You’re among us now, the helicopter people. We don’t concern ourselves with the problems down here.

According to “Common Side Effects,” Marshall’s friends and foes are interchangeable due to the challenging distinction between right and wrong when burdened by American capitalistic thought. Interestingly, Adult Swim released “Common Side Effects” during the same week in December 2024 as Luigi Mangione’s arrest for allegedly shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Despite its rebellious nature, “Common Side Effects” carries an underlying hope and selflessness that softens its edges. Even if you lose your job, wealth, freedom, or friends while challenging the system, it is worth striving for change, the series suggests. In comparison, “Pantheon,” an AMC-turned-Netflix animated sci-fi series about unscrupulous tech companies uploading people’s consciousness to the cloud, government and intelligence agencies exploiting this practice for war and deception, and individuals – digital and physical – revolting to balance power, is more confrontational.

In the world of Pantheon, there’s less emphasis on redesigning the cloud for a more equitable version and more focus on the seemingly inevitable outcomes of destruction and chaos. This is especially relevant considering the escalating influence of AI developed by corporations in our technology and the rise of low-quality art flooding the internet. Adopting a “burn it down” mentality can indeed be exciting, but it’s the discussions in Common Side Effects that resonate most, as they reflect conversations we often have with friends and family when our healthcare claims are denied, or we’re placed on hold for extended periods by insurance companies, or we discover sudden increases in prescription costs. This animated universe may center around a magical fungus, but it mirrors the real-world struggles we face, as well as our hopes and questions about how to truly transform a system that has made our suffering commonplace.

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2025-03-27 15:54