The Twelfth Terror Of Salad Fingers

Disclaimer:
This is a review and analysis of an episode of an animated web series that contains disturbing content, including:

• Gore
• Necrophilia 
• Potential sexual symbolism
• Likely elements of paedophilia

Reader discretion is advised.

Guess who is back and ready to creep us out once again? None other than Salad Fingers [15]! Created by David Firth, he has been causing online disturbance since the days of Newgrounds in 2004 [4] [6] [21]. Previously, we were revolted by a promotional spin-off episode titled “Market” but some of us took interest in purchasing some Salad Fingers merchandise [5]. Two years before that, we dived into the depths of the eleventh episode titled “Glass Brother” and felt unsettled by its aspects of psychological horror yet impressed by the visual upgrades [14] [21] [37] [38]. Similar to Helluva Boss, the current production of Salad Fingers is funded by sales of merchandise from an online shop, along with Firth’s Patreon page partially due to the likeliness of his YouTube channel getting demonetized [15] [28]. I just wonder how the next acts of the point-and-click game would have continued the story if it had never been cancelled by Firth’s request [24]. As for the brand new episode of the series that marked the twelfth terror just a week ago [15], sit tight and do not let the green bed bugs with filthy teeth bite tonight because it is time to brace ourselves for the uncanniness that awaits us as we analyse and review “Post Man”.

Somewhere…on the internet…
Some green dude…
Creeps you out…as he strokes a…
Bunch of small rusty spoons [7] [16]… [15]

The plot begins with Salad Fingers wearing a postman’s hat and carrying a bag full of stuff…and made out of flesh that must be from the way to redeem Hubert Cumberdale in “Glass Brother” [14] [21], fitting the title of the episode. In additional misfortune, he appears to be out of touch with reality as always as he talks to a rock and named it “Bartholomew Degryse”. No Sesame Street reference intended [29]. But suddenly, he sees a horribly mangled animal corpse and becomes…attracted to it. This is not the first time he has interacted with a corpse with a very loose grasp of reality [12] [20] [21]. But compared to the human corpse he found in “Shore Leave”, the attraction towards a mangled animal’s body is romantic as shown by how he finds it “beautiful” [15]. Pretty sickening indeed. Just imagine how the strange humanoid from the episode “Cage” must feel about that [9] [17] [21]! Later at night, Hubert is seen out of his fleshy form from “Glass Brother”…with the ability to verbally confront the green creep as his face suddenly morphs [14] [15] [21]. I would say that Mr. Finger’s touch with reality may never improve, considering he freaked out when a little girl spoke in “Picnic” [10] [18] [21].

Yuck!! Really, Salad? And yes, I am censoring the corpse’s mutilation for the sake of some of you guys. [15]

By the way, who is this “Uncle Kevin”? Why would he live down a drain? [15]

Despite Hubert’s confrontation, the date with a dark destiny begins [15]. Even though the corpse is…well…dead, it apparently can sulk and inhale and exhale deeply during its date with the green guy in a tuxedo…with a dead rat as a toupee, which further proves how psychologically damaged he seems to have been ever since the first episode [4] [6 [21]]. How he tells the corpse that she would not be fully dressed without a smile is one sly reference to Annie yet it is a sign of how he sees her feeling rather uncomfortable [1].Shouldn’t the green creep get the idea as he apparently sees people judging him on his date [15]? The way a group of green tentacle-like things crawl up each of his legs to make him look…thrilled is quite unnerving…as the potential English equivalent of hentai [31], which can be partially French as he has spoken French in the second episode [7] [16] [21]. More of his weird mannerisms include picking a flower which at first looked like it was for the corpse…and then eating all of its petals [15]. The aspects of irony put into the show excel the shock factor, which is another sign of Firth knowing his stuff with the contributions of Christian Webb and James Hollis for the newest episode. 

You have no room to talk when you have not brushed YOUR teeth, Mr. Fingers! [15]

As iconic as the main theme tune is for setting up the atmosphere of Salad’s life is, the music during the montage of his date with the dead dog is pretty groovy. There is also some exceptionally done sound effects. However, those do not make up for how sickening the premise of the episode is, although I understand it is not meant to be taken seriously, considering how out of touch with realisation Salad Fingers is [21]. [15]

Later on, the green freak is in his regular attire…in bed with the corpse at his home [15]. His fearful and guilt-driven dialogue is accompanied by a ruckus booming through the front door, distorted speech from the corpse despite its obvious inability to speak and low and intimidating music playing in the background. Paying close attention to the whole plot and witnessing this climax, I must ask…does this mean the corpse is a metaphor for an underaged employee who was molested by a postman? Well, there was a mention of said minor getting a job at the delivery services outside of school. This premise for an episode is pretty much a vague rehash of a certain crazy canine whose series I would rather leave alone in 2022 [35] [36]. I guess those crows were about to warn her about him before the date night [15]. Well, at least Salad Fingers was not shirtless with a swollen left nipple from some kinkiness with nettles in his bed [8] [21]. But still, how lower could his mentally unwell psyche stoop [15]? Reflecting on that deformed lad’s feelings for him that were not returned in “Cage” [9] [17] [21], I can imagine Marjory Stewart-Baxter being sickened…and jealous at Salad’s interactions with a dead dog, even though she is a finger puppet [15] [21].

Despite this scenario possibly being a metaphor for a disturbing moment from the past, there is absolutely nothing that would justify it in real life. Moreover, it could be set sometime before the time Jeremy Fisher was comforted by a father figure, leading to Jeremy being the girl’s predator all along [11] [19] [21]. [15]

And speaking of Marjory, I just wonder how she is doing after the unnerving punishment she got in the previous episode [37] [38]. [14]

After looking at a piece of paper that appeared at the front door, which must have been a letter according to his psyche, the green guy goes outside with the mangled dog and thankfully ends the relationship [15]. It was absolutely bewildering to suddenly see another dog-like creature alive from the tree’s hollow, but with a human head dragging the corpse away, which is pretty much the most surreal aspect of the episode and further expands on the surreal nature of the series. Although the living dog’s head resembles an infant’s, she is apparently the corpse’s mother, according to Mr. Fingers. The mentioning of the failure to make the corpse the “next Mrs. Fingers” tells me that it must not be the first time. Could that, along with some new development for Marjory and Jeremy be established in an unlucky thirteenth episode that could be released on a Friday [30] [32]? The new premise of Salad falling in love with a corpse, seeing it as a beautiful girl and getting into trouble for it is disturbing with possibly some deep meaning behind it [15]. It sure takes the moral corruption BoJack Horseman caused with a seventeen-year-old ally of his to a whole new level of low [34].

How the heck was this a physical possibility? [15]

Way before the ending scene, the black substance near the hollow and how Salad Fingers delivers a group of bones to it must mean there was some very vague tolerance between a postman and a mother before her daughter was groomed. I suppose Roger ought to punish Mr. Fingers…again [21] [33]. [15]

The art style in “Post Man” is not all the way up to the graphical standards from the previous episode and Firth’s thank you for over a million YouTube subscribers [14] [21] [22] [35] [36], but it looks less advanced to match the style of the ninth and tenth episodes [13] [21]. One difference is that the subtitles for Salad’s dialogue are mostly red during the daytime, which could match the fairly new and definitely unnerving aspect of his character [15]. The backgrounds, as always, are earthy and quite lifeless, which matches the disturbing nature of the show. The detail of the mangled animal corpse is convincingly grotesque with several flies buzzing near its exposed brain. I quite like the glowing and flickering of the flames on top of the candles during Salad’s date with…the corpse. Although the flickering of the candles’ flames is quite choppy, just look at the utter lack of choppiness when Salad swings the corpse around like a lasso. The coal-black smoke effect for when the living dog with a human dog is about to come out of a hollow is convincing and adds a little tension. Aside from comparing the art styles throughout the series [35] [36], the pace in each episode is gradual enough for building tension aside from or within the shock factor [10] [15] [18].

At least how the overall animation looks cheaper is not a huge downgrade. Additionally, the audio quality is still top-notch, compared to the very slight fuzziness of the voice acting in the very first episode titled “Spoons” [4] [6] [21]. As for the visuals, I think the visual quality of “Glass Brother” ought to return in the thirteenth episode if possible [14] [21]. [15]

You can tell that the standards of improvement are still there by the glossiness added to the green creep’s eyes, along with ounces of decent shading [13] [21]. [15]

After the reupload of the tenth episode titled “Birthday” on YouTube [13], I am revolted and bewildered at the outcome of the twelfth episode titled “Post Man”, even though it is about six and half minutes shorter than “Glass Brother” [14] [15]. If you were way too disturbed by the new episode of Salad Fingers, free to stick to wholesome and adorable nostalgia, like mid-‘90s Polly Pocket toys and look forward to something more adventurously light-hearted, such as My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure for the Xbox Series X|S and so on [2] [3] [39]. As for the mature side of today’s animation, I shall look forward to witnessing the true personality of a seemingly quirky interpretation of Andrealphus, a marquis of the Ars Goetia in the second season of Helluva Boss [25] [27]. And as for the mentally disturbed green creature who loves to caress rust, I guess we may have to wait for an unlucky thirteenth episode for about a year or two [32]. Who knows what he could be up to without a healthy grasp at reality next? In the meantime, there can at least be some fanmade adaptions [26]. Dare to slip your foot into Salad Fingers’ mouth before bedtime [23]?

I wrote again…
On my blog…
That poor dog…
Oh, I bet we’ll watch again some freaky day [12] [20]… [15]

References 

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