Animated / Children’s
2017-2020 / 24 min x 12 episodes
Rating: 7/10
Ryan Defrates is a super spy working out of a nondescript bookstore that’s actually the high-tech headquarters of Freedom International. And what is Freedom International? Their job is to stop the bad guys, like evil clowns, ninja chickens, mechanical cows, and exploding turkeys.
The show’s writing team, brother and sister Jeremy and Kendra White, crafted this series for American Family Studios, a Christian production company that was specifically started to make Gospel-centered content. And they do put the moral to these stories up front and central – they aren’t going to let kids miss what lesson they’re trying to teach.
For example, the first episode is about a gangster-ish granny who invented an exploding hot sauce, and we get to follow along as Ryan discovers – eventually – that sometimes even a go-it-alone secret agent like him can use some help from others. Then, after the bad guys are caught, Ryan files his audio-report telling his boss, but also us, his listening audience, that he’s learned sometimes help can be a good thing. After that, animated versions of Jeremy and Kendra show up to give a 3-minute episode recap where they tie Ryan’s lesson to something in the Bible. That’s the lesson pitched three different times. And that triple dose is delivered every episode again.
In this episode Jeremy and Kendra point us to Israel’s battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8–16. This is when Moses, looking over the battle, held up his arms, maybe in worship or prayer, and so long as he did, Israel prevailed, but when his arms got heavy and dropped, Israel would start to lose. So Aaron and Hur held up his arms, one on either side of Moses, and Israel won the battle. In applying this passage to the lesson they are trying to teach, the Whites start by pointing out that Moses knew he needed God’s help. They also point to the help he got from Aaron and Hur, and that’s the point they emphasize a little more strongly. So is this an appropriate use of this text? They got the emphasis turned around, but I’m going to say this is a show I could still watch profitably with my kids when they were younger. There isn’t anything I have to subtract from their point; there’s just a stronger emphasis on God that I’ll want to add.
Cautions
Our family liked these but didn’t love them, because Ryan remains the same self-absorbed man-child from one episode to the next – he never seems to grow and actually retain the lessons he’s supposed to be learning. Ryan’s cluelessness is by design – he’s supposed to be the dumb one, so he’ll have something to learn. But his immaturity can get a bit much… at least for parents watching. So, even as I’ve enjoyed a Bluey marathon or two, I wouldn’t want to do a Ryan Defrates marathon. That said, in measured doses I didn’t mind these at all.
Conclusion
If your family watches only one episode, make it the second one – that was my favorite. Ryan is being his typical self, lost in a video game as his partner desperately needs his help to stop villains from blowing up a satellite. But it turns out Ryan isn’t alone when it comes to screen-addiction. When the Grumpy Cows 3 gets released a week early, everyone starts playing it – everyone except Ryan that is. An evil genius has turned an already addictive video game into his means for mind control. Everyone around Ryan has turned into moo-ing mindless screen-acdicts.
The moral of this story is clear – we don’t even need to get hit with it three times – and it could be helpful for parents trying to make this point to our kids: screens can take us away from the real world, and the real people all around us.
I’d recommend these for ten and under, and as always, parents should be along for the ride. Watch it for free at RedeemTV.com and check out the series trailer below.