While most shows on Adult Swim hit the restart button each week, 12 oz. Mousepicks up where the pilot episode left off. Over the course of a ridiculous conversation between Mouse and a giant eyeball, we learn of this week’s plot, which is slightly more comprehensible than that of its predecessor. Mouse has been hired to retrieve a large amount of money from a shouting magical orb named Golden Joe. As expected, things go awry when Mouse and Golden Joe obtain a tank with which they plan to break Skillet out of jail. More asinine conversations take place, some between Joe and the floating bartender Rhoda (voiced by Aqua Teen’s Dave Willis), and others between Mouse and a constantly-giggling, peanut-shaped policeman.
While the formula for humor is very similar to that of the premiere, this episode doesn’t have quite as many great moments. This is possibly due to the fact that there is less material involving Shark and more with Golden Joe. While Shark is a character grounded in dry, nuanced hilarity, Joe is loud and obnoxious, and not always in a funny way.
Nonetheless, the episode contains some great moments. In one scene, Mouse, Joe, and the Peanut Cop all begin simultaneously laughing for no apparent reason. In another, Mouse sings a song to the Eye about the sun. The execution of these little nuggets of absurdity is perfect, and it’s certainly enough to bring me back for more.