REVIEW: LEGO Masters, Season 1 Episode Eight 'Good Versus Evil'

 REVIEW: LEGO Masters, Season 1 Episode Eight 'Good Versus Evil'

Superheroes are arguably one of the most predominant themes for LEGO sets. With the company having both a Marvel and DC range, it's a concept that is featured in many of their releases, so it's no surprise to see LEGO Masters feature a themed centred all around these types of stories. Most adult fans of LEGO will have likely owned a set based around superheroes at some point in their lives, after all.

Pre-existing superheroes are not actually featured in these builds however. The competitors instead have a range of generic minifigures to choose from, ranging from the bizarre (pizza man) to the fantastical (an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer). It leads to a very amusing moment where the creators all rush to the minifigure table, only to spend ages studying each one. Not that their choice makes much difference, beyond giving them a sub-theme for their build, as it's a podium in the middle of the room that decides if their two minifigures that they have chosen are 'Good' or 'Evil'.  It's always great when shows like this take an element of control out of their hands, as it gives them a brief to fit around rather than giving them total freedom to do what they like.

One of the most entertaining aspects about this U.S. version of LEGO Masters is how absurd it can be, and this episode goes to all new levels of daft. Here we have the introduction of 'Evil Will', whose despicable masterplan involves forcing each team to pair with another building duo, and work together on a collaborative build. This is a really neat twist, as it means they have to both make sure their builds are compatible whilst also ensuring that they are stronger in scope and detail than their new teammates. It adds an extra layer of conflict that's also present in shows such as The Apprentice, where they are working towards a common goal whilst also being in direct competition. 

It's a lot friendlier than The Apprentice though, as we don't get the same level of bickering here than you do in a standard episode of the business competition show in question. Even Aaron and Christian and Tyler and Amy,  who come to blows early on with their conflicting ideas over the former's bizarre fascination with incorporating a cake sale into their tech robot v evil adventurer theme, make up towards the end. The friendlier atmosphere definitely works better for LEGO Masters, as in a family friendly show like this you don't really want to watch people arguing and throwing around insults. You want something more gentle than that, which embodies the core idea that LEGO is about working together and letting your imagination run wild.

The best combined team build is easily Mark and Boone and Sam and Jessica's. They create this really neat Good Versus. Evil mash-up that sees pizza men sent by their evil pizza and panda guys fighting Sam and Jessica's heroes, a bath tub guy and a garden lady. Neither of these teams picked particularly easy minifigures, but they really make it work with their building skills on display, and overall it feels more like a cohesive build than their rivals. 

Outside of the builds, there's some really funny references to a character who Will Arnett is very used to voicing over in the LEGO films, Batman. He calls Terry Crews on the 'Sidekick Signal', and we get a bunch of nods to the 1960s Adam West Batman series, which are really fun to see. This includes the title card which would mark a scene change being used whenever Will Arnett and Terry Crews inspect one of the builds. It's the style of meta-humour that was so prominent in The LEGO Batman Movie, and it still hasn't grown old.

Less successful is Terry Crews' attempts to cheer the teams on. He decides to visit the teams and scream a bunch of motivational phrases at them, and this didn't really do anything for me here. It just comes across as too forced and silly. It's a prime example of when a show thinks it's being funny, when in reality the jokes are falling flat.

Overall, 'Good Versus Evil' is a brilliant instalment in the U.S. version of LEGO Masters. It does a great job at establishing the level of creativity involved, and showing exactly why these remaining teams deserve their current place in the competition. Whilst some of the humour doesn't quite land, there are still some very funny moments, and Will Arnett continues to prove himself as being an inspired choice of host. Who knew we'd ever get to see LEGO Batman himself present a LEGO competition series? 

What are your thoughts on LEGO Masters' eighth episode? Let me know in the comments.