There is a new Jackass movie out and with that movie being the final time that the gang are going to get together and hurt each other it is a sad time. Well I thought that it only made sense to go back and look at the very first episode of the show just to see how far the guys have come since the year 2000 and while the stunts in this episode are alot more tamer then what they were doing in the movies it is still a fun episode and so then join me as I review the episode that features a stunt that they redid for Jackass 3D with the episode in question being called simply just "P** Cocktail" enjoy.
As with the movies this show and this episode doesn't feature a plot to speak with the main focus behind all of the episodes and films being these guys just pulling pranks on each other and the public. This is something that does work really well as it does help to set this episode apart from other episodes of other TV shows as this episode does help to give MTV an edge and feel more adult then something that we would find on mainstream TV channels yet at the same time tho whilst it would be easy to get bored by seeing alot of the guys just doing this more often then not daft pranks on either the public or worse each other it is somethin that does work in this episodes favor as right away it tells you that this show is going to be different from anything that's on TV and that's exactly what this show was in all of the best ways possible. Yes it might gave helped if the episode did have more of a loose plot tying all of the skits together as this is the first episode of the show and it therefore would have helped to ease the audience into the show a bit more but the fact that they just went all out nuts even in this first episode does also show us that the whole gang knew full well that what they were doing was going to work as it allowed them to be more of themselves and that is something that wouldn't be possible if the episode did have a plot Knoxville was able to get away with it Bad Grandpa but that was more due to the fact that he was more well as an actor at that point in time where as here in this episode he wasn't known at all and therefor he and the rest of the guys did have to get across what they are really like or were really like in alot of these early episodes with this episode being a good example of this as we do get alot of quick scenes with most of the guys talking to the camera and this is something that would have to have been cut out of the episode if this episode did have more of a plot running through it
Starring in this episode is one of this shows producers and co-creators Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera. Also starring in this episode is Chris Pontius , Dave England , Steve-O , Ehren McGhehey , Jason 'Wee Man' Acuña , Ryan Dunn , Brandon DiCamillo , Sean Cliver , Jason Fijal , Mike Kassak , Jess Margera , Chris Raab and one of this shows producers , the shows director and co-creators Jeff Tremaine.
Everyone that is starring in this episode even those that only appear behind the camera do a really good job in this episode. With them all kind of already starting to form to the strong friendship that they would eventually develop over the course of both the show and the movies and yet even so you can see just how much joy each and every person that appears in front of the camera has for being in not only this show but in this episode as alot of the time they do just feel like close friends just talking to each other with this being the very thing that does help to make this episode already start to feel special as while yes we do have the stunts and pranks for the laughs which is fair enough but none of that would mean anything if the guys didn't genuinely like each other as then all the pranks that they pull on each other would seem mean spirited. While we don't get to see alot of the more well known members of the team in this episode with Steve-O and Wee Man only appearing in one stunt each we do get alot of scenes with other people in this episode which was something that was quite honestly refreshing to see as it would have been very easy for the makers of this show to just feature the heavy hitters for this debuting episode and then slowly but surely branch out to the more lesser known people but the fact that they started out with the more lesser known people first does show that the makers of this episode did just go with whoever had the best idea for a stunt and while of course Knoxville does appear in alot of the scenes almost to the point where you could make the point that he's the main person in this episode which is something that would be fair enough as he does do the intro for both the show and all of the movies he wouldn't be anyone without the rest of the main crew both in this episode and in the show and while both Steve-O and Wee Man don't get to do anything that's two dangerous in this episode the fact that they are in it at all dies show us that the makers of this episode knew that they had gold when they filmed there part for the episode.
Like the Saw films the main reason to watch this episode is to see just what crazy stunts that the guys were getting up to in there early days and while the stunts in this episode aren't as crazy as they are in the movies they are still some really good stunts in there own right. With the episode showing an oddly more safer version of the test footage that Knoxville filmed prior to filming this episode with them really only removing the fact that in the original version he straight up shoots himself with a gun whereas here in this episode he gets hit with a tazer and stun gun and heck oddly enough all of the stunts seen in this episode are alot more tamer then the stunts even in the first movie with this being because of the fact that with this being an episode of the show they weren't allowed to go as full on extreme as they really wanted to. Thus is something that does make alot of sense as kids are more then likely to copy things seen on a TV that they can very easily watch then they are a movie that would be alot more harder to sneak in and see but at the same time tho the whole deal about this show is that it is these guys doing these sort of extreme things to each other in public and that is something that we do get hints of in this episode and therefor MTV should have had a better idea of what it was they were getting themselves into when they first bought the show in the first place and heck if they were worried about kids copying what they saw in the show which they clearly where as they have a warning come up all throughout the episode then why not have the episode air at around 10 to 11pm instead of having it air at 9pm as this is something that would have allowed the guys to get away with more extreme stunts and it would mean that kids are less likely to copy what they saw either on the show or in this episode.
Whilst Johnny Knoxville does appear in alot of the scenes in this episode the episode does oddly enough feature alot of stuff by Bam Margera. Which is somethin that wouldn't be a bad thing as alot of his stuff in other episodes and films is really funny but here it felt like he was just throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick as alot of his stuff in the episode is either him showing off his skateboarding skills or him throwing himself into things which is funny for one or two skits but alot of his skits are all like that and while Bam is funny he's only rally funny when he's messing with other people and that is something that he doesn't really do in this episode as alot of it is just him with him occasionally being joined by Ryan to help him out in things. The Bam that we see in this episode is vastly different then the Bam that we see in Jackass 3D as here in this episode he does feel like himself as he is just this punk kid who is doing these things just for a laugh and that is something that did help him gain fans in the first place whereas in his last Jackass movie it felt like he was putting on an act like he was almost forcing himself to be this person and instead grow up like the rest of the guys had done at that point, with the Bam in this episode coming across as being fun and almost care free as the only stunt that we see him really plan is a part of The Shopping Cart stunt where as he asks Ryan to punch him one second before take off to lessen the impact of the stunt and the Bam in that final film does feel like someone who would say yes to anything and not plan out certain spots to project himself. Bam himself does come across as being a very likable person in this episode as we don't get to see him pull pranks on his parents in this episode with him mostly doing these crazy and down right silly things just with his friends and this is something that works for the anarchic nature of the show as parents aren't going to find alot of this stuff funny but kids and teenagers not only will but did.
Look to be frank this episode is one that's hard to describe as it is one that you do have to watch in order to fully get the episode. As it is all well and good just saying that the show and the films are just guys acting stupid which un all fairness it kind of is but there's an art to it it's not just them doing something stupid because they think it might be funny it's them doing something stupid and then putting in the work to make it as safe as is humanly possible without loosing what it was that made it so funny to them in the first place and this is something that not alot of people really got about the show and heck even in this episode we do see them prepping Chris for a prank that they are doing granted it's just him running out of the boot of a car pretty much naked but even that does require work to make it be as funny as it could have been. Heck we even see Knoxville asking him several times during the prank if he's OK as it is hot in the back of that car and while it is a relatively simple prank to do as it's just Knoxville driving up to random people and then Chris jumps out of the back and runs away it still does require alot of planning ahead of time as they do still need to work where the cameras are going and who is going to be filming what at any given time, the episode itself does have a very gorilla filmmaking look to it which is pretty much the shows signature look as alot of the time when the guys are out filming in public it is just them filming in a car park but when they get the public involved it does feel like that they have to very quickly get the shot and drive away with this being something that does help add to the underground feel and look of the show with the only few times that they aren't out in public in this episode also helping to retain that look which is something that the makers of this episode really didn't have to do as they very easily could have used any money that MTV gave them to make the show to buy higher quality cameras but they didn't and it is something that does help to create a unique look for the show and while that is something that is all but gone in the movies it is something that helped to make this show stand out all the more.
For some odd reason even tho they have a stunt that is perfect for him in this episode Preston Lacey is nowhere to be found in the episode. Yes he did help behind the scenes by coming up with ideas for some of the shows skits but he's never seen in the episode this is odd as his "comedy partner" in the show Wee Man does appear in a brief skateboarding therefore it would have been easy for the makers of this episode to fit him into the scene just by having him either being chased by or chasing the Oompa Loompas in the scene as either one would have been perfect for him and either one would have been a funny visual to see in this episode but given the fact that the episode does have alot of scenes in it some of which do end up going on for quite a bit it does make sense that he perhaps doesn't appear in the episode. Speaking of the skateboarding Oompa Loompas it was a passable scene maybe skateboarders will like which is fair enough as alot of the people that were involved with the making of this show are actual skateboarders but given the fact that you do expect larger then life stunts in this show it does feel out of place as while there is other skateboarding in the episode those usually played into what you expect from the show by having the person skateboarding get hurt in some really painful way like for example during the Fat F**ks sketch one of the people tries to ride a board on a rail in a fat suit only for the board to fall and him to land right between his legs which is something that would have been funny for Wee Man or even Preston for that matter to do and here in this episode it does feel like they are playing things safe when it comes to the stunts which is something that does make sense as this is the first episode and they do have to test the waters if you will with MTV but they still could have tried to push the envelope out a little bit further then what they ended up doing as here it does feel like this is just the pilot episode of a potential series rather then the actual first episode of the series itself.
Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty minuets and twelve seconds. This is pretty much the bogstandard running time for the show and to be fair to this episode given the fac that neither this episode of the films have a plot to speak off it does somewhat make sense that they would have this amount of running time for the show as the makers of the show do still have to pack in alot of stunts all of which are things that the show is known and with alot of the stunts taking up to about five minuets it does make sense that the episodes would be this long as they do have alot of stunts to fit in with there being very few behind the scenes stuff with the only behind the scene look that we get in this episode being Johnny Knoxville calling up his doctor to ask what shots he needs to get for the episodes titular stunt. Whilst the show has proven that it can work with a longer running time thanks to the movies it is something that would have been seen as being a risky thin to even think of with this episode as there was no need for this episode to be as long as it is as there is no plot in the episode and therefor the episode doesn't need to fit in plot or character development. It just needs to show you the guys doing the stunts and that's it and yet it's thanks to the fact that the episode is as along as it is that the stunts are allowed time to breathe as it's no just one guy getting hurt and then the episode cuts to the next guy getting hurt rather the episode does allow time for alot of the bigger stunts and pranks to breath by showing us what it might have been like working on this show and it's those things that would have been cut from the show if the episode did have a plot as the episode would have had to have fit in a plot and there would have needed room for both plot and character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. While the guys would get more out there the longer the show goes on with there psychical stunts the comedy in this episode does seem alot more tamer by comparison almost as if they are are testing the waters of hat they can get with in this show it's not bad persay it's just not as good as it does get later on in the series which s fair enough as this is only the first episode and while it is smart to usually put your best foot forward given the fact that the guys are doing these stunts and pranks themselves the fact that they are playing it safe with there stunts does make sense. With the best joke in the episode being the stunt "Body In Trunk" as it is a simple stunt with alot of the comedy coming from people's reactions to what is going on infront of them being the thing that does make this stunt be funny as by all rights this stunt should have worked and yet due to the fact that everyone involved with the stunt really does commit to it as we do get to see Chris run quite a distance several times it is something that does make the stunt out to be a really funny stunt and while yes it is perhaps the safest stunt that they do in the episode as no one is going to be getting hurt or at the very least badly hurt it's a stunt that is helped by the fact that it is just so stupid as the idea of a of a fully nude person jumping out f the back of a car into LA traffic just to get the reactions f several people is a stupid idea but it works because of the fact that it is just this stupid idea with it feeling like the kind of stunt that friends would do together back in the year 2000 with the rest of the episodes comedy being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall whilst yes the stunts in this episode are alot more tamer when compared to the ones in the movies the episode on the whole is still a really fun episode as it does let you know right away that this show isn't going to be one that parents will love and will instead be this fun show and that's exactly what this episode was it was fun and it was stupid but it was in all of the best ways possible in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as welk as all of thee bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this review well then boys an girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from these very episodes that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from these very episodes with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.