The subject: Danger Mouse. Originally ran in the U.K. from 1981-1992 and regularly appeared in the states in a slightly modified format during that time. It allegedly still airs from time to time, although now it is gradually being released on DVD.

Plot in two sentences: Danger Mouse, the "world's greatest detective" (this probably irritates Batman to no end), fights the forces of evil with the aid of his sidekick, Ernest Penfold (who is a hamster). The forces of evil are almost always the frog Baron Silas Greenback and his crow henchman, Stiletto, who are really good at developing elaborate schemes.

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Danger Mouse was one heck of an elusive curiosity to me in my younger years. The show was a British import, which meant that, at the time, the only way it was going to air over here is if it was on PBS or if some cable station picked it up. In this case, it was the latter: Nickelodeon picked it up and aired it in the early evenings. (This was before "Nick at Nite" really took off, and it was still common to see things for "older kids" in prime time.)

The awkward problem I had with watching Danger Mouse was that I only got to see cable programs when I was staying with my dad because the cable literally didn't run out to my mother's pseudo-rural home. I happened across DM at one point and was curious enough about it that I wanted to see more of it. It didn't really have an entertainment sensibility that I related to at the time, but it was… foreign. I recognized that and deemed it neat. I lobbied to watch it whenever I was at Dad's, which seemed to go over well enough because I think he actually enjoyed it himself.

Now, having been saturated with the passage of time (and having gone through the requisite Monty Python phase that to geeks is as inevitable as adolescence), I find that I see many new layers in Danger Mouse that one simply can't see unless you've accumulated the wisdom that comes with age. That being said, I'll be damned if the thing STILL doesn't make me laugh (with the notable exception of a well-placed "Space Invaders" joke).

The lack of the "ha ha!" factor came as a surprise to me. You’d think that a show that can spawn a plot revolving around the world being overrun with exploding custard would be pretty apt at making you laugh. Instead, I found myself enjoying the pleasant subtleties and nuances of a refined British sense of humor but not enough chuckle out loud. I suppose it could be said that I went to the party looking to slam down some beer and instead found myself sipping a fine wine.

It's a very fine line of writing, treading both the paths of absurdist comedy (as exampled in the episode where Danger Mouse and Penfold are assaulted by an army of anthropomorphic washing machines), while still maintaining the smooth unflappable air that is supposed to surround a typical British spy. A James Bond figure, to be sure, although the show is openly referenced as being a spoof on the 60s television series Danger Man. The art of the non sequitur is also routinely employed. The whole show can keep you on your toes, but it's just too damn clever to be laugh-out-loud funny. Take into account a few quotes of dialogue from the show:

Penfold: Have you got something clever up your sleeve, D.M.?

Danger Mouse: Only my arm, Penfold, and that's no cleverer than the rest of me.

…as well as…

Penfold: My knees've gone to jelly!

Danger Mouse: Nonsense, Penfold, jelly doesn't knock like that.

…and more often than not, the show's disembodied narrator voice gets some of the best throwaway jokes, like this cliffhanger as the heroes fall down a shaft:

Narrator: What's this? Will the Baron have the last laugh? Are our heroes doomed? Can they get to the bottom of this mystery before they reach the bottom? If not, will this show end early?

The more I watched, the more I was amazed that I liked watching Danger Mouse when I was a kid. If it weren't for the exclusivity factor, I very well might have abandoned it because of a lack of interest and attention span for the likes of its quirky sensibility. A valuable lesson learned here: while some cartoons don't travel with you well into adulthood, every now and then, you'll find one that meets you there instead.