Thursday, October 13, 2005

Grace & Bob

So here's the thing: I was watching Will & Grace the other day, and part of the storyline was that Grace couldn't get people over for a dinner party (or something therelike), and I had the li'l epiphany we all do when the suspension falters in our disbelief: She's gorgeous! And funny! And has a great job and apartment! There's no way in hell that she wouldn't have, like, 50 people at any party she chose to give! And she's gorgeous! It goes without saying that Will is also gorgeous, so it makes no sense that either of them don't have 100 million friends and lines and lines of wannabe lovers beating down their doors. I suppose some people would say here that the reason they don't is that they're completely neurotic and drive people away. I say puh-leeeeze. If you knew someone who looked like Grace Adler, it wouldn't matter how neurotic she is or isn't.

And then it occurred to me: You know how you'll be watching a show like Will & Grace or Friends or what not, and they'll bring on for one episode a character who is supposed to be really, really gorgeous and everyone's all about him (what I'm referring to generally happens with male characters), but you look at him and you're like, 'He's not hot.' I know why he's never hot! Because we as the audience are being asked to believe that people like Debra Messing, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow are average people, or maybe a-little-cuter-than-average New Yorkers, and that they're so Everyday People that they can't even get a date. So that when the show brings on someone who is supposed to be so hot that these (ostensibly average) girls go crazy, he would have to be so scorching hot that just filming him would burn up the camera. And anyone less would just look kinda plain. So that's why these guys never look very attractive, cux the expectation is so high. Maybe that's done on purpose. Oddly, I don't think it works the same with female characters. Generally when a girl is brought on who is supposed to be really hot, she is. But then I can't remember. Whatever!

Another TV-related thing: Bob, that icky Quiznos baby who speaks like a 40-year old Long Islander. Why is he talking about food as if he eats? He's not old enough to eat solid food! He couldn't fit a sandwich in his mouth! This is what I always think when I see this commercial. I think it would be much, much more interesting if he spoke about food as if he ate, but it was clear that he'd never eaten and didn't know what he was talking about--he was kinda just trying to ape how he's seen people talk about food. Kind of like how we all talked about sex before we had it or really knew what it was. Remember when you were aware of sex but didn't know anything about it, but you still kinda had to talk about it around certain friends, so you just kinda said what you thought might be the right things (but it came out all stilted and you didn't realize)? That's how I'd like to see the Quiznos kid talk about the subs. All off-kilter, to where you see that he's never actually eaten solid food but is talking like he knows what the experience of it would be. I don't know how the writers would go about making it look like that (it would take someone with ability), but it would be amazing if they could pull that off. That would be seriously interesting.

And that's the beep for now, ganzowlets!!

Beep!
Ed Shepp

3 comments:

The Daily City® said...

Even is someone is attracted to you, once you show the neurotic card, people, especially in NYC, don't want anything to do with you. I felt like it was a widely held opinion by New Yorkers that "there are a lot of crazy people out there" in New York City. So when a person shows ONE sign of cookoo behavior...out the door.

I do not watch the show, but maybe it's that their beauty puts the audience in a "but they're SO CLOSE!" scenic game, especially Grace.

The thing is, when I would watch the show years ago, I remember finding both Will and grace unappealing, esecially Will. No, especially grace. No, both. I wanted them to walk offstage and let the other two be the funny ass people they are/were/are still.

Ed said...

I guess you're right about people staying away from those who exhibit 'cuckoo behavior.' But still, when I watch W&G, I always think how it would be so great to know people like any of them. And really, people like Karen and Jack (the funnier supporting characters) are arguably MUCH more neurotic than Will or Grace. In fact, I feel like I DO know people like Jack at least, and in real life, they're insufferable. But Jack & Karen are much, much funnier than the other characters on the show. So they work great on the show. I don't know if I'd want to know them as much in real life.

Except Karen, because it would be awesome to know someone with that kind of $. Beep!

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