How “Invader Zim” Introduced Children to their Impending Doom
Note: Does not contain any spoilers for Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, streaming now on Netflix.
“Doom” is the single most commonly used word in the early 2000s television show Invader Zim. I didn’t do any sort of analysis to come to that conclusion — I just know it to be true. Now, you may be thinking, “That can’t possibly be it. It’s gotta be like ‘the’ or something,” and you’re probably right. The point is that “doom” in all its tenses and conjugations is a constant refrain for the characters of this short-lived but beloved children’s show.
From the very first episode, Zim’s alien race, the Irkens, embark on operation “Impending Doom 2” (the first having failed when Zim started destroying things before leaving their home planet), Zim announces they’re going to “reign some doom down upon the filthy heads of our doomed enemies,” GIR sings his “doom song,” Ms. Bitters teaches a lesson on how “the universe is just doomed, doomed, doomed, doomed,” and so on. It starts to lose its meaning after a while. Doom. There’s something phonetically appealing about that long o͞o sound. But I want to pause on the word for a moment and really consider what it means.
