By Robert Scucci | Published
Of all the action stars who rose to prominence in the ’80s and ’90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger has the most staying power because he was always the most self-conscious badass in his promotion. Best known for his innate ability to keep a straight face while belting out one line after another, Austrian Oak demonstrated he can still make you laugh while kicking your ass in the Netflix Original series, FUBAR. Playing like a cross between Meet the parents And Commando, FUBAR is typecast by design, self-aware in all the right ways, and a shining example of how even the most clichéd action movie tropes can still be effective if everyone on board knows the mission.
Arnold is a hero of management
FUBAR was on my to-watch list for months before I finally decided to give it a try because I was afraid it was one of those series that wouldn’t live up to its hype. After all, Schwarzenegger is on the wrong side of 70, which made me think (wrongly) that he would half-heartedly show up for a paycheck in a feigned attempt to relive his glory days as if he was Al Bundy recounting how he scored four touchdowns in a single game for Polk High School in 1966. Luckily, I was wrong and I’m happy to say that Schwarzenegger still has that X factor that made him so likable.
The Meet the Parents Connection
Similar to Robert De Niro’s Jack Byrnes from the Meet the Parents franchise, Schwarzenegger plays Luke Brunner, a CIA agent on the verge of retirement after his last successful undercover operation. Always secretive about the true nature of his job, Luke lied to his family for decades under the guise of owning and operating a gym supply company called Merry Fitness alongside Barry (Milan Carter), who also works for the CIA as a technician. operations officer. Luke’s secret double life has torn his family apart, leading his wife Tally (Fabiana Udenio) to file for divorce before the events that unfold in FUBAR.
While Luke wants to leave his CIA life behind so he can rekindle his relationship with Tally, his relationship with his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro), is just as worse.
In FUBAR In the inaugural episode, “Take Your Daughter to Work,” we learn that Emma has her own secret life. Everyone, including Luke and his boyfriend, Carter (Jay Baruchel), is under the impression that she’s traveling the world for humanitarian efforts like providing clean water to the citizens of La Guajira, Colombia.
When Luke is summoned to come out of retirement to extract an agent codenamed Panda from Guyana, he learns the harsh truth: his daughter’s name is Panda, and she is trying to take down an arms dealer named Boro Polonia ( Gabriel Luna). Luke’s confidence is shaken when he discovers that Barry, along with his colleagues Roo (Fortune Feimster) and Aldon (Travis Van Winkle), knew of Emma’s involvement in the CIA, but had sworn to keep the secret. Luke also has a history with Boro, as he murdered his father when he was just a boy and served as his mentor while he was undercover.
Father/daughter bonds in the form of the fight against terrorism
FUBAR has a lot of moving parts, but keeps the viewer in the loop without ever coming off as condescending as it traverses every action movie trope you can think of.
First, we have the “we’re not that different, you and I” dynamic between Luke and Emma. Emma clearly has father issues (her words not mine) due to Luke’s absence during her childhood, forcing her to be an overachiever. Luke feels guilty for lying to his family and fears that his daughter’s personal life will fall apart like his as she becomes more focused on her work. As they clash over the course of their missions, they develop a new appreciation for each other, as Luke was one of the best agents in the CIA and his little daughter clearly makes a great work following in his footsteps.
We also see a lot of “zero hour” tropes play out throughout the eight episodes, as there’s always a bomb that needs to be disarmed, a runaway train that’s about to derail, and Boro, who seemingly always has a step ahead of the CIA on the run.
My favorite action comedy trope in FUBARHowever, is the wisecracking banter between Luke, Emma, Barry and Roo. Roo has a foul mouth, speaks her mind, and always ends up having to dress in unflattering disguises to complete her missions while offering relationship advice to Barry.
Additionally, when Luke and Emma are forced to see an occupational psychologist named Dr. Pfeffer, they immediately start calling him “Dr. Pepper” and naming other brands of soda to get under their skin. After being called out for making a massive amount of soda puns, Luke simply tells Dr. Pfeffer (Scott Thompson) that he has to “fantasize,” proving that our favorite action hero still knows how to be wisdom this late in his career. .
Streaming FUBAR on Netflix
If you grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger during his action movie heyday, then FUBAR is the next series you should watch on Netflix. Schwarzenegger and company approach their secret spy lifestyle with a wink and a nod in every scene, and the action sequences are feature-length quality, making the series even more pleasant. Between each explosion and each gunshot, FUBAR has a lot of heart thanks to its family dynamic and has a laugh-per-minute ratio that you wouldn’t expect if you went into streaming the series without any expectations like I did.
FUBAR is a Netflix Original series and can be streamed with an active subscription. And if you like what you see, season 2 is expected to be released in mid-2025.
