Chocolate Underground - Episode 1

I can only hope and pray that the UK government, in their current overly health-conscious mode, don't watch this show and pick up any ideas - Chocolate Underground is the story of a world where the possession or consumption of chocolate is banned, and the kind of thing likely to instigate a mecha destroying your house, while simultaneously appearing to be some kind of capitalist equivalent to 1984, complete with television advertising you can't turn off.


Beyond this and a very quick introduction to the main characters, we don't learn a great deal from the brief, five minute opening episode of this new series, so it's really way too early to cast any sort of fair judgement on it. The show's basic premise is certainly interesting, especially for us Brits who are having to contend with ever-greater intrusion into every aspect of our lives, right down to what we eat - If nothing else, it's good to know we're not the only ones, and from this opener it seems clear that Chocolate Underground is looking to promote personal freedom of choice (even if it means doing something potentially unhealthy) over some kind of food totalitarianism.

However, I do have to wonder how far this concept can be taken - To be honest, I was beginning to tire of it a little even after this five minute episode, although to be fair that's probably a little harsh until some of the characters are introduced more thoroughly. I also wonder whether this short episode running time will be a help or a hinderence, but again only time will tell. From episode one though, we can certainly say that the concept it there, but how well it's executed remains to be seen.