Quick run-down of my summer, in sweet bullet point format:
- Led 40 college students to Palestine (Yes, you could also say Israel, but given the choice to call something by two names, one of which is more inflammatory to those around me, I’ll choose that one)
- Spent a week with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., attempting to understand how Christianity relates to US foreign policy (hint: it’s complex)
- Went to the beach, where the following major life event happened
- Got engaged (ring before spring was not really soon enough, and I wanted to shatter some societal norms)
- Spent three days at a job where my only job was placing two stickers on about a thousand textbooks a day, by far the most mind-numbing job I have ever had, and the reason that I only spent three days there
- and here’s the part that really matters for this article: I read, wrote, and watched a lot of films and shows.
I don’t have the time to write about every single thing I watched this summer, so I’ve decided to focus this piece on the shows I consumed, specifically four shows: The Eric Andre Show, Disenchanted, Seinfeld and Twin Peaks. Buckle up, buckaroos.
The Eric Andre Show
Ok, so I mostly watch this with friends at school (specifically Josh Mays and Luke Sower, two of the members of Union’s own band, Quiet Hour), but I did see several episodes of this over the summer.
TEAS is not a late-night show but is set up exactly like one, with the comedy monologue, live band and certain celebrity guests. Occasionally, people die. In every episode, there is a certain level of awkwardness which brings out the hilarity in many of the other moments. The show is rated MA, so Eric Andre can pretty much do what he wants. And, spoilers, he does.
This is the “stupidest” show on this list, and I would say that Andre’s style of comedy will appeal to a very small minority of the population, and maybe only that fraction if they are absolutely exhausted and slap-happy. In fact, I would not recommend watching this show, except late at night. That may be the best way to describe TEAS: A show to watch when slaphappy or otherwise not in one’s right mind.
Disenchantment (Netflix)
Granted, I’m cheating once again, as I didn’t even watch this show until I got back to Jackson, but it’s simply too good to pass up. To be legalistic (and this is the Bible belt, so when in Rome…), the show came out August 17th, still technically during the summer, so I have no moral qualms putting the show in this piece.
Ever heard of Futurama? What about the Simpsons? Granted, on this campus, many have only seen Veggietales movies and the Passion of the Christ, but most people have probably at least heard rumors of the above shows. Matt Groening is the mastermind of these shows and the new Netflix show about medieval times. The Simpsons is (presumably) set in the modern day, while Futurama is set in the 31st century, so it was only a matter of time before Groening took his skills to the past.
The basic plot of Disenchantment follows Princess Bean, a fairly stereotypical princess-who-doesn’t-want-to-be-a-princess-thank-you-very-much-father who befriends a very stupid Elf named, you guessed it, Elfo. Also, in the pilot, she gets her very own personal demon, Luci (voiced by the previously mentioned Eric Andre). It’s a funny show, and one of those rare programs that can be watched or just left on in the background during homework.
If there’s one aspect of Groening’s comedies that makes them so popular, it has to be the illusion that watching them means you’re of a higher intelligence than people who watch “those other comedies.” Granted, some comedies are considerably worse (Central Perk being one of the locations of one of these shows), but for some reason, when you “get” a joke in Disenchantment, The Simpsons or Futurama, you feel smarter. There’s some strange middle ground where smart comedy and comedy that everyone laughs at comes together, and I think that this is one of those shows that does it best.
Seinfeld (Hulu)
When you think of a sitcom, you think of Seinfeld. It’s a stunning work, taking everything that made the 90’s (at least, from the very limited perspective of someone born in 1995) and immortalized it on the silver screen. It’s one of the top shows of all time and has influenced pop culture more than many other shows. E.g., if you’ve never seen the show, chances are very good that you are in on one of the show’s many inside jokes. It’s just that pervasive.
I’m only on season 5 (I have 103 or so episodes to go before I reach the infamous finale in season 9), but I have loved watching Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer grow and change in their personalities. There’s also Newman, but we don’t care for him too much. There’s a stark contrast between the quality of season 1 and the rest of the show, so if you start at the very beginning (a very good place to start), be prepared for a bit of a rocky start. It’s not a bad show at this point, but good lord Jerry Seinfeld cannot act until at least season 2 or 3. Basically, it starts good and gets better.
I didn’t really want to write about Seinfeld, as so many talented writers have already praised the show, but it’s a show that I don’t see as popular in people of my generation. This is a travesty, and I hope that this one section of an article at a college newspaper can change that for at least a few people. Seriously, check out Seinfeld.
Twin Peaks (Netflix)
Based on the rest of this list, it would be fair to assume that all your fearless A&E editor does is watch comedies. Granted, these comedies are from all over the vast field of comedies, but still, only comedies? Not so, despite the uncomfortable, laugh out loud moments which pepper David Lynch’s quintessential 1990’s paranormal thriller.
Who killed Laura Palmer? The first season and a half of Lynch’s show focuses on this question, and about a thousand other ones, which fill the small-ish (population: 51,201) town of Twin Peaks, Washington. Because if there’s going to be a sexy, supernatural murder-fest, it has to take place in a Washington city with a blatantly innuendo-ish name, and a cast of unique characters not seen in any other show I can remember.
If you appreciate David Lynch (and since you’re a college student or professor reading about Twin Peaks, then chances are better than good that you do), then Twin Peaks is a must. It’s creepy, otherworldly, whimsical and out-of-this-world, in just about every sense of the cliche. Getting to know the characters over the dense, often terrifying seasons, is a trip worthy of anyone who considers themselves a fan of fine cinema.
Ok, the show gets weird around episode 10 of season 2, but (I’ve heard) that it gets better again later on. Much later on. As in, twenty-six years after the second season ended, 2017 Lynch gave us yet another wild ride. I haven’t seen this newer season (or the infamous 1992 film, Fire Walk With Me), but I plan on it after I finish the second season of the show. Just as soon as I get caught up with homework.
