There was a house on top of a hill where a dying scientist bequeathed his life's work to his two assistants; Katz and Uno. The scientists gave instructions on how to create monsters to solve any problem, along with a series of documents on the cure to cancer, AIDS, and world hunger. But unfortunately, due to an untimely grease fire caused by someone cooking some fries, NOT NAMING ANY NAMES, but the house was burnt down and the scientist's work was lost with it! Now with a handful of monsters and a fire insurance check, Katz and Uno have purchased a three-bedroom house in a quiet suburban town. This is their monster lab!
Monster Lab
is an American adult-animated horror comedy series, created by Hunter Hancock, A.K.A MeatCanyon. The premise of this series revolves around Katz and Uno, two assistants for a now deceased mad scientist, moving into a suburban town, in order to create monsters that can help people with any problems. The story moves into darker territory, and intense stakes however, as Katz and Uno face lots of peril and mayhem on their journey to help humanity. Their crazed neighbour, Henry King, is approached by the ghost of Chris Kyle, the American sniper who has been sent down by God to complete a mission in the Middle East. And by extension, Chris "helps" Henry by vowing to kill Katz and Uno.
Monster Lab provides exampels of:
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Most of the people in this world have a teal blue skin color.
- Ambiguously Human: Aside from the teal skin of most people, Katz and Uno stick out for their odd shapes. Especially the one-eyed Uno, who wouldn't look out of place among the monsters he helps make.
- Angelic Abomination: Biblically accurate angels show up in the finale briefly, mostly ophanim.
- Big Fancy House: The place that Katz and Uno live in a house big enough to have a drinking bar, a huge library, and the titular monster lab — all while blending into the rest of the suburbs. Either their house is Bigger on the Inside or it just has a really big basement.
- Black Comedy: The show runs on this.
- Captain Ersatz:
- The dentist's son is based on Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.
- The priest is based on Judge Claude Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mosipopo is an even less subtle (and less heroic) take on Quasimodo.
- "Rock", the monster that Jesse fights in the Episode 5 boxing ring, is a very unsubtle clone of Rocky from Rocky. He even calls out "ADRIAN!" when he loses.
- Cranky Neighbor: Exaggerated with Henry King, the paranoid man who lives across the street and thinks Katz and Uno are up to no good. He serves as the antagonist of the series.
- Creepy Cathedral: The church that Katz, Uno, and Jesse work in during Episode 4. Oddly enough, the Frollo-esque priest might be one of the least creepy people there, at least compared to the weapons-branding peasants they are supposed to feed.
- Face–Heel Turn: Surprisingly, Henry actually does this as he grows more and more uncomfortable with Chris Kyle. By the end, he decides against becoming a police officer again and becomes friends with Katz and Uno.
- Heaven's Devils: Implied with Chris Kyle. While he's referred to as "God's holiest angel", his ability to possess people and his demands for blood sacrifice imply ... something else. This is subverted in the finale where he dons divine armor and is in fact stated to be an angel.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: The real Chris Kyle was a famous sniper during the Iraq War. No matter your opinion on U.S. foreign policy, Chris Kyle probably didn't demand human sacrifice.
- Light Is Not Good: Chris Kyle is an angel but behaves more like a demonic vampire. In the finale the heavenly forces full sponsor him and grant him a Warhammer 40k-like golden armor. Being sent to heaven is also treated as a A Fate Worse Than Death.
- Maker of Monsters: Katz and Uno are non-villainous examples. They make monsters who are mostly just helping hands around the house. Mostly.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Henry King's interactions with Chris Kyle are implied to be his delusions. Henry himself comes to believe that Chris Kyle is just a figment of his own psychosis and even when Chris Kyle possesses him, it could just be him hitting rock bottom. The final episode makes it clear that he was Real After All.
- Mistaken for Gay: When King, possessed by Chris Kyle asks some construction workers if he can enter their body, one of the workers replies "I don't swing that way".
- Mythology Gag: Episode 4 has King wearing a shirt depicting Bugs from "Wabbit Season".
- Naked Nutter: Henry King is always in his underwear, which underscores his mental instability.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Jesse (or at least his appearance) is based on a semi-famous internet user Morgan Lahaye, better known by his nickname BlackOps2cel.
- Only the Leads Get a Happy Ending: Parodied with the ending of Episode 2. Katz applauds Uno for saving his life, as the two walk past people bleeding on the street and as Uno laments all the destruction he caused.Uno: I created a creature that resulted in the assault of an entire neighborhood and three people's deaths.
Katz: Well, I see. Well, this whole experience has taught me that sometimes you need to help yourself before you can truly help others.
Uno: *(sobbing)*
Katz: Uno, you have proven today that you can take care of a situation all by yourself. We'll have to have you spearhead these missions more often.
Uno: *(sobbing)* ... sure ... - Politically Incorrect Villain: Implied with Henry King. In the first episode it's implied that his reason for being under house arrest is for a hate crime against a Vietnamese man while serving in the police force.
- Self-Punishment Over Failure: Katz during Episode 7, who punishes himself to the point that Uno thinks he's making a big show out of nothing.
- Servant Race: Most of the monsters created by Katz and Uno.
- Shout-Out:
- American Sniper, obviously.
- King has Funko Pops of various pop-culture figures in his basement.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending: Given the mind behind the show (plus the general goriness of it), it's surprising that it ends with Henry King redeemed and forgiven, Greg brought back to live, and Chris Kyle dragged off to heaven by God.
- Took a Level in Badass: Jesse started off as a wimp who gets beaten up, but by the end of Episode 5 he punches Henry King right in the face and sends him running.
- Unfinished Business: Chris Kyle, in his words, has unfinished business in the Middle East.
- Virgin Sacrifice: What Chris Kyle demands from Henry King. King sets his eyes on Jesse for the sacrifice, but never carries it out, to his detriment.
