This Week In Joe’s Basement, episode 13: Delayed Gratification

Two particularly excruciating scenarios of situation comedy – delayed gratification. Segments include "Horror in the Bathroom" and "Love in the Void." In retrospect, this episode seems to reflect the apotheosis of self-hatred and despair which bubbled up during the series’ first season, before the producers thought anyone was watching at all.AIR DATES: May 28, June 4, 1990

Description:

Two particularly excruciating scenarios of situation comedy – delayed gratification:

“Horror in the Bathroom.” A gruff trucker, who just wants some camaraderie while he urinates, torments a shy young man in a public bathroom.

“Love in the Void:” A man and a woman find themselves together – and alone, at last.  But neither one can get out more than a few words of conversation before retreating into embarrassed silence.

Since the skits are so short, Joe fills out more than half of the show sitting in the chair talking to his crew.  They formulate an offer he would come to regret:  “if some viewer, anyone, will send in a letter to this program, I will eat a can of real dog food.  I promise.”

Even worse, no one had a stopwatch on Joe as he stalled for time, so his hosting segment ran so long there was only time for two of four intended comic skits (this was corrected in the far superior remixed version, Episode 13a.)

In retrospect, this episode seems to reflect the apotheosis of self-hatred and despair which bubbled up during the series’ first season, before the producers thought anyone was watching at all.

Production Notes:

Everyone was busy again.  The situation comedy skits had been produced months earlier, for a commercial project that never materialized.

 

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment

 
 




 
Copyright © 2024 Media Burn Archive.
Media Burn Archive | 935 W Chestnut St Suite 405 Chicago IL 60642
(312) 964-5020 | [email protected]