Although I've never watched Friends before, Alex wrote a very well structured and well written post which covers all three theories of humor concisely and adequately and made me consider starting the show because of it. In it, Alex discusses how each character can all play their part in contributing to all three theories of comedy. Alex talks about how Chandler provides the superiority theory since he is constantly making fun of others and incorporating others' misfortune into his jokes. Chandler, according to this post, is the embodiment of the superiority theory. Next, relief theory is incorporated into the show extremely well by providing comic relief in moments of tension. Although Alex talks about how the show is mostly light-hearted and fun, there are still moments which can weigh heavy on the heart. The show is still able to include humor as a relief from these moments to keep the audience from being too saddened. They may have grown to love the characters, so while they are still invested in the overall plot of the show, the humor is still there to show that, at it's core, Friends is a comedy. Lastly, Alex talks about how the incongruity theory is applied thanks to Phoebe. According to the post, Phoebe is a "free spirit" and constantly makes controversial or surprising statements, and the audience never knows what to expect from her as a result. This feeling of never quite knowing what is coming is alluring to audiences and plays a role in why people are so in love with the show. Personally, it's not really a show for me, although tons of people that I know adore the show, including my mom, so maybe it's worth a go. Either way, Alex wrote a coherent blog post and a made a compelling argument that explains how all three theories are found in Friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlz8DVn1Mjc My favorite TV show is The Eric Andre Show. It's a tv interview parody show with extremely niche, random, absurd, and insane humor. The show can appear very stupid and silly at first, but watching many of the sketches or interviews will quickly convince you of Eric's humor. One of the best parts about the show is that the skits always evolve as they're happening. In this skit, at first, Eric simply appears to be a crazed man who works on Wall Street. However, it quickly spirals out of control and just turns into Eric vomiting on command and screaming about abortion. This is the main appeal of the show. It's random and crazy and unpredictable, and, scientifically, we laugh hardest when we are surprised or don't expect something. This continually changing skit embodies that idea, and Eric's show reflects that as a whole. As for the reading, I would say that Eric's humor falls under relief humor. The show is essen...
I wonder why you never got into it? Did it happen to do with your mom liking it so much? It's interesting to me why this show has aged so well.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely worth watching, which is coming from the girl who just finished watching it all the way through for the third time! Anyways, without watching the show, you did an incredible job of analyzing each character based on Alex's post. I especially loved when you talked about how the relief theory is important because people "may have grown to love the characters" however, when dealt with difficult situations, Friends is in fact still a comedy. I believe this helps people relate to the show because often humor is used in many situations to release some form of tension.
ReplyDeletePeople usually say "you have to watch something," (I know I have to about some shows), but you really don't have to. "Friends," is somehow a cultural phenomenon although there isn't nothing it does new to laugh track tv shows. It can be pretty funny and it's a fun watch but if you don't enjoy watching those types of shows in the first place, why make an attempt to watch one that's generally the same?
ReplyDeletewatch the show!! I am curious to see how your own personal opinion differs from the lead blog. The show is a sitcom so of course it is predictable, but isn't that what makes them comical?
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