Adult Swim has a new hit show in Common Side Effects, which hits serious topics that I believe most viewers can relate to in some capacity. Of course, you have fun and humorous moments mixed in, but the overall story of the show so far can feel rather dark. Unfortunately, the core of the story is a topic that’s more understandable for most people than it should be, and I hate that about it. At the same time, I love the attention to detail that the show includes to make the characters feel real, and it’s easy to find yourself sucked into the plot after just a few minutes of watching.
You’re thrown into the plot of Common Side Effects rather quickly. The show centers on Marshall, who found an incredibly rare mushroom in Peru that can cure any ailment, appropriately called the Blue Angel Mushroom. With a kind heart, Marshall wants this power to be available for anybody to use so that nobody needs to suffer from health issues anymore. Naturally, this earns Marshall some frightening enemies.
It’s Too Common to Suffer From Health Problems With No Relief in Sight
While the design of healthcare systems varies between countries, none of them are perfect. Maybe you haven’t been able to afford having a problem checked by a doctor and possibly find a treatment to bring you relief. Or perhaps you’ve had to wait months or years for an open appointment to have tests done because your problem wasn’t urgent enough, but it may have felt urgent to you as you waited and tried to deal with it on your own. Even if you have tests done, there’s never a guarantee that there’s a treatment that will work for you. You might have to try multiple treatments, too, and hope that their side effects are more manageable than the core problem. Altogether, it’s a nightmare, and often not because of any individual doctor’s fault.
This is a main theme of Common Side Effects, except Marshall has found a solution to the problems that people face when they try to get help from the healthcare system. He finds the solution in Peru, and he then finds himself in mortal danger. Even after surviving and making it back to America, Marshall is surrounded by a cast of characters who aren’t always on his side, which makes him rightfully paranoid. While I don’t endorse any similar conspiracy theories on the topic in real life, you see that some of the opponents Marshall faces are from the pharmaceutical industry, who stand to lose money if he’s able to share the Blue Angel Mushroom with everybody who needs it. It’s a clear and familiar reference to the dangerous notions of what an industry that thrives on treatments rather than the cure would do if their solution is challenged.
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Who Hasn’t Wished for a Cure-All Solution?
I know that I’ve wished that there was some type of medicine that would wipe away my health issues without having to take pills every day just to manage symptoms. The existence of something like the Blue Angel Mushroom in real life would be an actual life-changer for so many people who have conditions that are difficult to treat or even conditions that are resistant to treatment. Marshall’s dream of reproducing the mushroom so that everybody can access it would mean that we wouldn’t need to suffer anymore, whether it’s from a minor ailment or a severe condition.
Because of this, it’s easy to build false hope in the possibility of a miracle cure while watching Common Side Effects, which is another reason that I hate how much it resonates with the world. I hate that it gives me hope that there could be a real-life equivalent of the Blue Angel Mushroom that we just haven’t found yet. Then, I hate that reality sinks in when the episode is over and that the likelihood of anything like that appearing is slim to none.
I don’t know where Marshall’s journey will take him or if he’ll find a way to succeed in his ultimate goal. However, I think we can all learn from Marshall. He genuinely wants to help everybody. He wants to do something that only he can do in order to end the suffering of others.
If you’re undecided, Common Side Effects is worth watching. It’s unique and feels real, but it also includes art and animation styles that add some surreal elements to it. While it hasn’t been running for long yet and is still in its first season, it has the potential to be the next big series for Adult Swim. Not only is it entertaining, but it also includes important themes that touch on familiar topics. The biggest downside is that it resonates too well with the real world, and it might give you false hope for the duration of the episode that maybe we’ll find our own Blue Angel Mushroom.
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