“Common Side Effects” centers on one Marshall Cuso (Dave King). An accomplished mycologist, Marshall comes to discover the mythical Blue Angel Mushroom, a special fungus that does not take over your brain and body (something Cordyceps from “The Last of Us” can actually do in real life … kind of). Rather, it seems to cure literally anything. Gunshot wound? Gone. Dementia? Forget about it. Actual, literal death? Say goodbye to all that, it’s mushroom time, baby!
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Of course, a miracle cure to any and all illnesses would be extremely bad news for corporate America and Big Pharma, which are very much content with earning money through unnecessarily convoluted and absurdly expensive health insurance. As such, Marshall quickly finds himself on the run from both mercenary killers and the feds — specifically the DEA, which sends its two best agents, Agent Copano (Joseph Lee Anderson) and Agent Harrington (Martha Kelly), to apprehend Marshall.
“Common Side Effects” is, quite simply, an animation masterpiece. Even if the medium is in a better place than ever, with adult animation being prominent and creatively diverse, for the most part, American adult animated shows tend to fall under one of two types of categories: comedies like “Rick and Morty” or action-heavy shows like “Castlevania.” That’s not to say there can’t be nuance on either side, but it does mean the focus and selling points tend to be either the comedy or the fight scenes.
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“Invincible,” for example, is quite dramatic, but it is also very much an action show. Meanwhile, “Bojack Horseman” is one of the best prestige dramedies of the 21st century, yet it remains a comedy. “Common Side Effects,” on the other hand, is a very rare show belonging to a relatively recent trend (alongside series like “Pantheon,” “Undone,” and “Scavengers Reign”) that aren’t defined by either action or comedy. Rather, they could easily be considered straight genre plays if they were live-action.
This is to say that the conspiracy thriller element of “Common Side Effects” is quite effective, offering a poignant take down of government corruption, capitalism, and our current healthcare hellhole. And yet, when the show does employ humor, it’s funny as hell.
