will forte writing and starring in a mildly brilliant and crazy original post-apocalyptic comedy. you guys should definitely check for this tonight (first two episodes airing back-to-back), 'cause it's hilarious.
lots of people asking how the show could possibly work with only one man in the cast, and 15 minutes in, you'll be wondering the same thing. by the end of the first episode though, you'll get it. and the next couple episodes hit a stride you don't often see in comedies this early.
can't wait to see where this goes.
"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."
1. "Just finished watching the broadcast" In response to Reply # 0
...I'm defintely in.
I love everything about this so far.
They characters definitely balance each other out. On the surface he definitely seems to be the more "messed up" character (lifestyle, failed suicide attempt, hygeine) butThey are each equally disassoicated.
Two vastly different reactions to the appocalypse. Actually upon further thought, he actually has the more typical response to the appocalypse.
happiness is a mediocre standard for a middle class existence - S. Williams
I don't not like you because you have dumb ideas about the world, I don't like you because you have other people's dumb ideas about the world. - Rjcc
Early on into the show, I said to my girl, "They can't possibly do this for the entire course of the show." For some reason, I thought they would have him doing weird stunts for the entire run (the bowling balls & aquariums, crashing cars, etc).
But when the catch happened, it all clicked. I think this show will have some legs.
> > Early on into the show, I said to my girl, "They can't >possibly do this for the entire course of the show." For some >reason, I thought they would have him doing weird stunts for >the entire run (the bowling balls & aquariums, crashing cars, >etc).
I was yawning through it just about to change the channel hoping he does commit suicide
> But when the catch happened, it all clicked. I think this >show will have some legs.
Then yeah Omg yes Oh wow ...that poor dude lMAO ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
10. "The title reminds me of Paul Mooney" In response to Reply # 0
and a sketch he did for Chapelle's Show.
But back to the show at hand, I wonder how much improv is allowed for the show. Pretty brave on Fox's part to go for this idea. Gotta think this show is cheap as hell since not too many individuals are staffed.
11. "Terrance? Trent? D'arby?" In response to Reply # 0
when he was listing off like 40 different sized balls "names" asking if they wanted whiskey?! That had me dying.
The whole show (at least its first 1hr) is brilliant.
Forte always had a sadness and darkness behind his eyes and gross out humour. This is a perfect vehicle for him. He was electric in Nebraska but it made more use of his darkness than his lightness. This show highlights all of his strengths.
19. "RE: So is the title literal in THAT way?" In response to Reply # 18
I've never read 'Y the Last Man', so I'm not emotionally invested in it... but I'm somehow still kinda annoyed that they're just openly biting 'Y the Last Man'.
21. "You should read Y: The Last Man" In response to Reply # 19
Not much more to add here just that I was getting into comics/graphic novels and that was the first one that really sucked me in. It is pretty amazing.
30. " The pilot was hilarious" In response to Reply # 29
But I haven't laughed much the last two episodes.
But yeah, these episodes are too short. I wish they would have just released the whole season at once.
I thought he would keep the beard for the whole show. My prediction is that this "dream girl" is going to turn out to be an awful and/or crazy person. Very interested in seeing where the show goes.
And where are all the dead people? Too grim to show in a comedy?
37. "good way of explaining it" In response to Reply # 35
i find myself laughing at a lot more of the little things he does. his facial expressions especially. the whole dunk tank thing was pretty funny to me and the look on his face when he was running back to the house soaking wet had me dying.
Man he's an ass ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
yeah, last weeks eps were the first for me, and i was think the same thing.... i kept thinking it was outta desperation to be with January Jones...the eps were kinda funny though
"yes, sometimes my rhymes are sexist, but you lovely bitches and hos should know i'm tryin to correct it"- hiphopopotamus
41. "it was easier to play off before january and mel" In response to Reply # 39
cause schaal is detestable
but jan and mel are just trying to live and this dude just... look schaal is detestable granted but dude divorce her! NOW
i would like to think he would become less so but nah
as long as mel has something he wants he's an ass and schaal...smh* i... OMG i want to strangle them
maybe i would have been happy as the last person on earth ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
40. "Is he likable enough to lead the show?" In response to Reply # 38
My wife hates this guy. I still think he will redeem himself though. Episode 10 was pretty great. The lying montage was pretty good. "Can't you get that through your perm?"
him and schaal are too good at their characters? dunno i want to slap them both ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
43. "RE: Is he likable enough to lead the show?" In response to Reply # 40
>My wife hates this guy. I still think he will redeem himself >though. Episode 10 was pretty great. The lying montage was >pretty good. "Can't you get that through your perm?"
Is liking the presumed protagonist or main character that big an issue as long as the show itself it entertaining though? I like the fact Will Forte is willing to portray himself as less than admirable. It would be too easy for him to present himself as an alpha male since he created the show and all. As long as the comedy is there, I don't think it should matter if the character Forte is play is a jerk or not.
44. "my issue is they are all jerks or 1D in need of serious character develo..." In response to Reply # 43
I want to enjoy this show but it's kinda painful... I sort of feel like introducing any other characters at all was a mistake... at least for a while... they should have driven the "LAST" aspect for a couple episodes before throwing the baby out with the bathwater and treading into standard sitcom type formulas... my two cents.. still haven't given up though.. the lying montage was great... the stride still needs to be hit with this show though imo.
48. "Yeah the first episode was so epic..." In response to Reply # 44
...and it hasn't reached that height since then. It's still pretty good, but I have a similar feeling that a clear point of the show needs to be established soon or they'll probably lose their audience. Either some backstory or a little bit of explaining the rules of this universe.
Yeah why didn't they just call the show "The Last Several People on Earth (plus everyone in China is fine, allegedly)" instead of the last man, because it only took 4 or 5 episodes to debunk that.
47. "Yeah as a comedy it's funny. " In response to Reply # 43
But I think he is still trying to make the main character redeemable, hence him not "officially" cheating or doing anything to make him unforgivable to the group. To me it's funny either way, but my wife has given up hope for this guy. It's maybe going a little bit too much towards a Todd Margaret type character, which may turn some people off. I'm still very interested in where the show's going to go. I think the relationship stuff is great and works as satire of the dating scene on different levels.
49. "Most recent episode " In response to Reply # 0
picked up steam towards the second half. I won't spoil it for folks, but it does diverge from the title of the show a bit more. It's disappointing in that regard, but it was hilarity for comedy's sake at the same time. I guess I could see why folks would get turned off by the slightly dark humor of the show though, since Will Forte is willing me make his character so unlikeable in many ways.
I'm glad they went away from the story arc that's been going on since January Jones joined the show. It was getting really tiresome and Phil was too much of an a-hole. He was really, really unlikeable. You have to want to root for a lead character, even if they are not a good person. I'm thinking anti heroes like Vic Mackey and Walter White. There was no rooting for Phil. The premise started to wear on me because each week he would act like a jerk because he wanted to sleep with Melissa or ___ or ___ and when he got called on it, he would apologize and the cycle would repeat.
Now with the divorce and game changing event of this most recent episode, the show has gotten interesting again.
51. "Yeah the last episode definitely helped" In response to Reply # 50
>Now with the divorce and game changing event of this most >recent episode, the show has gotten interesting again.
Todd is also more interesting. Now he knows what it feels like when a new guy comes along and has a compelling background story (among other things). Now if they could only do something with January Jones' character.
52. "I haven't seen previews" In response to Reply # 51
but I'm afraid the next episode is going to be Phil and Todd joining together doing something stupid to get rid of ___ so they can stop feeling threatened.
53. "It's kinda wearing on me at this point. " In response to Reply # 0
Schaal drove me nuts at first, as she did Phil, but she has improved as a character. Phil is too in likable though. The break from the show's title hasn't benefited it.
54. "i don't get y'all's need to like phil" In response to Reply # 0
i've seen this elsewhere too. he's too unlikeable. who cares? he's hilarious. are y'all watching the show to make friends with the dude or to laugh?
for me, everything about phil's desperation-- first for human contact, then to get laid, then to get laid by anyone but carol-- has been absolutely hilarious. there's no lie, no matter how obvious or ridiculous, he won't tell. he only wants what he can't have, and once he gets it, he immediately regrets his decision. he has no path to happiness and it's almost entirely self-inflicted.
unlikeable yes, but i love this character. and will 40 is killing it. hate away, haters. first phil miller is best phil miller.
"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."
55. "RE: i don't get y'all's need to like phil" In response to Reply # 54
I guess I just don't find him funny. The idea of him being alone and doing all manner of wild stuff was entertaining. But if he is such a complete liar and tool, it wears on the viewer. His schtick doesn't have a long shelf-life, at least when I watch. Well made show, but it's gone from "must watch" to "I'll get to it soon" kinda show.
>The idea of him being >alone and doing all manner of wild stuff was entertaining. But >if he is such a complete liar and tool, it wears on the >viewer. His schtick doesn't have a long shelf-life, at least >when I watch. Well made show, but it's gone from "must watch" >to "I'll get to it soon" kinda show.
Also, he's hard to "root" for. Especially once Melissa entered the picture. He's been nothing but an a-hole has done NOTHING right. Nothing to improve the conditions in which they live. I don't need my protagonists to be "good" people. But, on some level, they must be likeable. Especially if they are going to carry the show and you, as a viewer, watch the show through their eyes. You must be able to empathize to some degree with the protagonist.
Vic Mackey was a horrible person. Spoiler Alert: He killed another cop investigating him in the first episode of the show for crying out loud! But his character did enough good and had enough different shades of his personality that you rooted for him for most of the show.
Tandy Miller has none of that. He's just a dick. The schtick gets boring after a while. You wish he would just grow up a little. I can't imagine acting like him if I were in the same circumstance. That's what I crave in a protagonist. If there's something in the them I can see in myself. Even if they are a bad person. If you like his character, maybe you see yourself as an unrepentant a-hole.
63. "none of the characters on it's always sunny are likeable" In response to Reply # 56
no one cares. they're hilarious. if you're saying you don't think phil is funny or entertaining, fine. but characters don't need to be likeable or even have redeemable qualities to carry a show. if the comedy (or drama) works, it works, and people will watch. if not, they won't.
"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."
58. "Some of it is funny, but some of it is cringeworthy" In response to Reply # 54
Like, it was funny how he tried to get with the two new survivors, but repeatedly calling it a prank was too much. He doesn't have to change completely, but it was really refreshing when he realized how much of a liar that he was.
57. "where's the psychotic edge,.. these mofos" In response to Reply # 0
survived mass death? i'm looking for some hedonistic paranoia(not that i know what that shit looks like,but uhmm),post-tramatic guilt, x-file-like mirages, a veritable display of past,present,future set-ups to disorient the viewer as a tactic to mirror the dystopia-cum-uphoria of this post-apocalyptic eden. all that done in tongue in cheek satire, might be the rub..
60. "I do want them to delve deeper into what happened." In response to Reply # 57
They mentioned "the virus" in an episode recently, but that's it. I want them to explore what happened. And BTW, WTF happened to all the bodies? 7 billion people died but there's not bodies anywhere?
62. "RE: I do want them to delve deeper into what happened." In response to Reply # 60
yeah, and would make a great cliff hanger to end the season going into the next, maybe ==================================== ah: I found her gift of gab..odd im: ..and from where did she get it? sa: Some said Geb and now say God
67. "right, like, what else do people think would happen?" In response to Reply # 66
i thought stretching that part to even the first 20 minutes of the pilot was pretty brave, as i could see people getting bored and changing the channel. pushing it to three or four episodes of him talking to volleyballs and knocking over supermarket displays would absolutely not have worked.
"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."
70. "yaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssss" In response to Reply # 0
DIBS ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
73. "No thoughts on the finale? " In response to Reply # 0
This is show is still funny and I'm really digging the relationship satire. I think it's definitely time to explore the environment a bit more (i.e. the virus, his backstory, the astronaut. LOL)
79. "maybe my favorite first season of any comedy i've seen" In response to Reply # 73
no idea where they take it next season. could literally go in any direction, including back to tucson. they could walk into another gated community filled with quirky characters or they could walk into terminus. honestly, they wrapped it up so nicely, i think they're as surprised as anyone it got a second season.
and now that phil's primary motivation of getting laid by anyone but carol is kind of off the table, it'll be interesting to see what direction the comedy takes. his desperation was so much of it for me. now what?
"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."
80. "It took the best direction possible" In response to Reply # 73
None of the other survivors were interesting after an episode or two, besides. Phil embarrassed himself enough in front of them too; he might get some redemption next season, but I doubt it lol
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