Martin Moone has a meandering mind and an imaginary friend!
In trying to get two bullies off his back, Martin Moone gets more than he bargained for as his dad takes a stand against his overbearing family.
This wonderful little family based comedy drama is a refreshing take on the genre with the imagination of a young boy, Martin Moone, conjuring up not only a world of his own on paper but an imaginary friend who only he can see, there are some promising leads for the show. Throw in what appears to be three teenage sisters, all completely different to one another, a feisty Irish Mammy and a gentle father and you have all the makings of a great comedy.
Martin Moone lives with his family in Boyle, Ireland and the year is 1989. Dynasty is popular, you can collect cereal tokens to get a bike and Martin is caught giving the kiss of life to a dead chaffinch (while calling it a magpie). While certainly industrious, Martin doesn’t appear to be too bright and after being bullied by two local brothers, the Bonner brothers, he is seeking a way out of the torment. After the bullies break the new bike he got for his birthday (Martin’s other presents consisted of possibly a cravat, a pen and an I.O.U.) Martin was forced to tell his parents the truth, his dad furiously arming himself with a hammer and going round to the brother’s house to sort the father out. When he arrived there he was greeted by Gerry Bonner who agreed that his sons’ behaviour was terrible and he revealed ways to basically get away from the kids on a regular basis to bond over the lack of respect from their children.
Meanwhile, Martin’s plan to sort out the bullies was to get protection from the bullies bully, Declan Mannion, a kid at school. After arranging a touch of his sister Trisha’s boob as payment she was furious and told Declan he was a pervert in colourful terms while Martin’s imaginary friend banjoed out any rude words. Finding Trisha irresistible due to her fiery nature, Declan wanted a date arranged between him and Trisha but Martin’s love letter from Declan wasn’t received too greatly (he said she smelled nicer than crisps). After Trisha agreed to go on a date with Declan and Martin arranged for Declan to fight the bullies after the cinema, Martin’s Dad finally found his voice and grounded his entire family, fed up of being a doormat and this meant that the date was off and the bullies unfought. How would Martin get the bullies off his back now?
As first episodes of comedy shows go, this was a fantastic start, allowing us to get to know the characters gradually without throwing in a huge amount of information and without really resorting to massive stereotyping. Who knows why Martin’s imaginary friend is a man in is thirties called Sean Murphy, he is just accepted as part of Martin’s imagination and maybe the type of person he may grow up to be. The scenes with the dads all escaping having to spend time with their kids was actually very funny, their support group allowing time to escape the confusion of the adolescents and go back to being people again. This is especially necessary for Martin’s Dad, he is surrounded by girls in his family and he and Martin are outnumbered by the sheer amount of females.
The whole effect of ‘Moone Boy’ is sort of like having someone tell you a lovely story and it is altogether very pleasing. The style is very warm and conversational, allowing you to feel part of this family’s lives, inviting you and drawing you in. The adorable doodles that are woven through the show are a sweet touch and add to the overall appeal of the piece. There is a very comforting feel about the show, as warming as the soup Declan gave to Trisha as a gift for their date. A charmingly gentle introduction into the lives of the Moones and I’m sure there’ll be more hilarity on the way.
