Get Ready to Dive Back into the Absurdity: "Yolo: Rainbow Trinity" Arrives March 9th

Adult Swim’s utterly unique and delightfully bizarre animated series, "Yolo," is returning for a third season. Subtitled "Rainbow Trinity," this new installment promises to deliver even more of the fantastically zany bestie hijinks that fans have come to expect and adore from "Yolo: Crystal Fantasy" and "Yolo: Silver Destiny." In a television landscape often dominated by the predictable and the formulaic, "Yolo" stands out as a shining beacon of unapologetic weirdness, and frankly, it deserves a much larger audience.

My own introduction to the world of "Yolo" was, in itself, a slightly surreal experience. It was late at night, the tail end of a long day spent navigating the chaotic joy of theme parks during a vacation. We had just returned to our hotel room, perhaps a bit more tipsy than intended after sampling the alcoholic offerings of various "world showcase" locations. Turning on Adult Swim as a source of background noise, we stumbled upon "Yolo: Crystal Fantasy."

Initially, the animation style struck me as intentionally rough, almost reminiscent of the iconic "Beavis and Butt-Head," but with a distinctly millennial twist. Imagine those two animated icons, recast as Australian chicks navigating the vibrant and often bewildering club scene. We shared a few chuckles at jokes that managed to cut through the post-theme park haze and grab our attention. However, it wasn’t until a truly bizarre plot point emerged – a creature erupting from a toilet bowl and somehow warping reality – that we were truly hooked.

This creature’s arrival didn’t just introduce a strange element; it instigated a complete genre shift. The lead animated character, Sarah (voiced by Sarah Bishop), was suddenly transformed into a live-action human being, portrayed by none other than the show’s creator, Michael Cusack. It was a moment of surreal brilliance, a meta commentary that pulled the rug out from under our expectations. We felt like we had been sucked down the drain alongside Sarah, embarking on a journey into the depths of the show’s bizarre and unpredictable world.

The transformation wasn’t merely a visual gag; it was a catalyst for a quiet, introspective moment. The live-action Sarah seemed to engage in a dance of self-reflection, a moment of genuine contemplation that lingered in the air before the show abruptly cut back to the cartoon world. There, the animated Sarah was simply off in her own head, drunkenly experiencing one of those hazy, introspective moments on the dance floor.

It was this irreverent absurdity, this willingness to embrace the unexpected and the downright weird, that ultimately sealed the deal. The episode’s bizarre humor had me completely captivated. As soon as we returned home from our vacation, I knew I had to binge-watch the entire series.

And I’m so glad I did. I quickly fell in love with the messy, complicated friendship between Sarah, the self-proclaimed "uncool" and undeniably chill character, and her best friend, Rachel (voiced by Todor Manojlovic), who is equal parts chaotically toxic and undeniably endearing. Their dynamic felt so real, so relatable.

Perhaps I recognized aspects of my own past relationships in their dynamic. I found myself wondering which character I identified with more. Often, I realized, I had been both Sarah and Rachel, depending on whether I was in my "destructive era" or my "healing era" of my 20s. "Yolo" has a uncanny ability to tap into the complicated realities of young adulthood, and portray it in ways that are both hilarious and surprisingly insightful.

What really grabbed me was the show’s unique blend of dank-meme internet humor with fantastical and sci-fi elements. The series seamlessly weaves together the familiar tropes of millennial culture with outlandish scenarios, creating a viewing experience that is both grounded and utterly bizarre.

The millennial bestie experience is roasted here with choice cringe humor. The show tackles relatable situations with an absurdist twist. Consider the scenario where one friend has to literally fight her boyfriend’s new trash girlfriend to the death – except, in this case, the girlfriend is actually a sentient trash bin. These moments of heightened reality are juxtaposed with the fizzy, bubbly giggle moments of female friendship, like when your horoscope advises you to hitch a rocket to your parents’ holiday house to escape the clutches of your toxic best friend.

Then, of course, things inevitably escalate into outright violence, often with a satirical edge. Imagine attending a music festival where attendees literally dance to their deaths in a "Hunger Games"-style competition. Or experiencing the usual acid trips of epiphanies, the sudden realizations about needing to grow up or grow apart. These are the kinds of moments that we tend to forget after a good night’s sleep, only to wake up with a shared realization: "Omg – like, we almost died last night."

"Yolo," at its core, is incredibly relatable content, even when it veers into the realms of the surreal. The friendship between Rachel and Sarah is portrayed with a raw honesty that resonates deeply. The seasons of their friendship fill me with secondhand embarrassment, a painful recognition of past mistakes, but also with wistful wishes to relive the wild ragers spent with the women who helped me become the person I am today.

From the first few episodes I’ve seen of "Yolo: Rainbow Trinity," I can confidently say that we are so back for more cosmic misadventures about the complicated and ever-evolving nature of friendship. The new season promises to introduce even more elements that will resonate with viewers. There’s a greater emphasis on Boomer parent involvement this time around, which is, again, super relatable.

Who hasn’t been on a wine tour, desperately searching for that hidden, hole-in-the-wall club, only to have a run-in with awkward nerds simping for a clueless girl, fiercely protected by her don’t-even-think-about-it bestie, all while somehow getting trapped in an alternate reality of the past? "Yolo: Rainbow Trinity" embraces the absurd and the specific, creating a viewing experience that is both hilarious and surprisingly poignant.

As the stakes get weirder and the characters get older, I find myself even more invested in their journeys. I’m here for Rachel and Sarah, always, no matter how messy or chaotic their lives may become.

"Yolo: Crystal Fantasy" and "Yolo: Silver Destiny" (season two) are currently available for streaming on Max. Don’t miss the premiere of "Yolo: Rainbow Trinity" on Adult Swim and Max on March 9th. Get ready to embrace the freakiness and dive back into the wonderfully weird world of "Yolo."