First, let me give them props. The bad sitcom scenes are dead on. Unlike WANDAVISION where their recreations of old sitcoms was woeful, KEVIN CAN FUCK HIMSELF (it’s easier than typing *** all the time), has it down. Everything is pitch perfect, from casting (Eric Peterson is fantastic as Kevin) to the dopey storylines, over-the-top unfunny supporting players, rhythms and specific jokes, sets and bright lighting, and the obtrusive laugh track. Creator Valerie Armstrong either really knows the form or surrounded herself with people who do. But the result is an A+ representation of fifteen of those man-child and wet blanket wife idiotic multi-cam sitcoms.
Okay, that’s the good news.
The show then changes tone and gets very dark and dramatic whenever Annie Murphy’s character (Allison) steps out of the sitcom. It’s an intriguing idea, and the show pivots back and forth between the two styles, but…
I'm sorry but I don’t get it.
The sitcom scenes are obviously stylized and heightened, but are they some sort of representation of real? We’re supposed to have great empathy for her, but we’re not seeing her really abused, we’re seeing her imagined version of abuse. Unless the sitcom is reality and the dark world is her imagination. In that case, who cares because they’re all essentially cartoon characters?
My big question: Why the sitcom? Other than a knockout-punch takedown of the genre, what is the value of being stuck in a bad sitcom vs. just a bad marriage? Why not imagine Edward Albee’s masterful play and call it VIRGINIA CAN FUCK HERSELF?
Another issue: One feature of these horrible family sitcoms is that the schlubby husband is married to an attractive woman way out of his league. What about this oaf was so appealing that this woman, who could get anybody, chose to go with him? Not looks, not charm, not money, not the way he treats her. But since these sitcoms are so unrealistic anyway, the pairing is somewhat accepted. However, if we’re saying this is a real life marriage, then why was she attracted to this crass jerk in the first place? And why is she still in the marriage ten years later?
Why can’t she just divorce him? They conveniently have no kids. As I understand it, the series steers in the direction of Allison wanting to murder Kevin. That’s pretty drastic. Just being the butt of sitcom jokes doesn’t seem enough justification to me. No one is beating her like Tanya Harding.
Now as the series unfolds all of these questions may be answered. But is it worth sticking it out to see? As great as the sitcom segments are, it’s one joke, and by episode two the device was starting to feel tiresome.
Although the format is unique, the subject matter isn’t. If you ever get a chance, see a movie called DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE. It shows a woman trapped in a horrible marriage but you’re able to track every moment. And by the end of the movie, the audience wants to kill the husband. In the case of KEVIN CAN FUCK HIMSELF, at the worst, the audience just wants to see his show cancelled.
First thing I thought of when I saw the picture- yet another show rips off the basic floor plan of All In The Family. What they need is for Rob Reiner or Sally Struthers to guest and their character has a feeling of deja vu the entire episode.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise and I didn't realize I had this much prude in me, any show that has a title like this can usually be sure I'll never watch. They're relying on gimmicks from the outset to get your attention. Never a good thing. Add that to a derivative set and I'll watch something on my DVR list instead.
Anyone else tired of this thing of putting "need to bleep" profanity in show titles?
ReplyDeleteI read the review in EW ENTERTAINMENT. the two authors, whose names I can’t remember, did not really like the show either. The woman reviewer pointed out that the gimmick resulted in about 30% of the show being a satire on a cheesy sitcom that was bad. The end result was that you were also spending a lot of time watching a bad sitcom.
ReplyDeleteShe also pointed out that in shows like Raymond and King of Queens, the women snarked at the men from a position of power. (Also Jackie Gleason originally did not want to hire Audrey Meadows because she was too glamorous.)
The male reviewer said that Chuck Lorre, of all people, just finished eight years of Mom, a funny show that dealt with serious issues and was all about women. If you don’t like fat husband/pretty wife shows create another Mom.
These reviews made me not want to watch this show. You have reconfirmed my feelings.
The dramatic parts are just as tropey as the comedic. They have the prestige TV colour grading down to a tee. The "reality" of Allison's life is presumably somewhere between the two extremes. Maybe the show is trying to comment on both genres, but like you I'm not sure yet what purpose the distinction serves, or why, like the poster above suggests, a bad sitcom can't be critiqued by a better one.
ReplyDeleteI'e seen the first 3 episodes. The show might work if we could sympathize with Annie Murphy's character, but we've seen her do some terrible things and all we've seen "Kevin" do is be an insensitive jerk. Her reaction seems wildly out of proportion to Kevin's actions, and if her motivation was defined better it would help.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, putting a word in the title that has to be bleeped is a cheap gimmick.
I must disagree. I find *** rather easy to type.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm the outlier here, because I like the first three episodes. The technical aspects of both production and storytelling are interesting, and Annie Murphy's performance is just a thing of beauty. The way she subtly bridges the two worlds does a lot of heavy lifting.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who lives in a small town, the "why doesn't she just divorce him" question is exasperating. Small, tight-knit (or at least overly familiar) communities can create a situation where murder seems more feasible than divorce. Alison has no money and Kevin blew their savings: as she says, should she just walk away with the $194 she has? In addition, I have experience with multiple couples who married out of high school and found, ten years on, that one of them was still interested in the world and the other was content to try and re-live high school.
The show also seems to be trending toward the idea that the world is more complicated than just "Kevin bad/Alison good." I might be disappointed by the end, but for now I'm staying with it.
Why are skinny jeans still a thing?! Wake up and realize it's 2021, it's not 2011 anymore, skinny jeans are long past their expiration date! Who still wore bell bottoms in the 80s?
ReplyDeleteI don't plan to see the show, but this reminded me of the circa-1976 SNL fake ad: "It's a floor wax and a dessert topping!"
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ken, for referencing the excellent DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE. I'm a huge Frank Perry fan and am always glad when one of his films gets a mention. For years, it was difficult to find, but it is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. A few years ago, I attended a screening at the Film Forum in NYC. The theater was packed and the audience was fully engrossed -- no texting or other cellphone use, no side conversations. When it was over, I heard many audience members raving about the film as they were leaving the theater. After nearly 50 years, DOAMH still felt relevant.
ReplyDelete"...why was she attracted to this crass jerk in the first place?" Because he is a "crass jerk." If he was a good guy he would have gotten the "I just want to be friends/I like you like a brother" speech. And then she would have turned around and found a real a**h**e. I guess the show is a little more real life than first thought.
ReplyDeleteM.B.
P.S. It is very easy to *.
I think I am an outlier as well. I think this show is original and thoughtful and extremely accurate for the lives of many women, though I see it as more of a drama (or drama-edy), in a Sopranos-style than a sit-com. I love that it is from a woman's point of view. She shows how I know I have felt and many of my friends and family have felt as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't she leave? Because she is trapped. She doesn't have a car. She has to walk to her job, he gets the car. She doesn't have more than $194. He's wasted away all their (limited) money and savings. She's been told she's the dumb one can can't be trusted, and she's believed it, but now her eyes are starting to open. She doesn't have a computer and has to go to the library to access the outside world. She's been isolated, but she wants more.
And the sitcom scenes are almost always with others where she has to put on a good face, show everyone that there is nothing wrong because you can't let the world see how sad and awful things are... And we are only seeing shiny tidbits of the relationship, my guess is that there is at least mental abuse going on.
My husband also wasn't getting the show until I told him that the main character reminds me of my cousin who lives in a small town, whose immediate family pressured her to marry an abusive dolt (in my opinion), and she is completely trapped. Then, my husband "got it" and now really enjoys the dichotomy of the show and wants to see what will happen next.
I'm a privileged, educated, working, self-confident woman and would absolutely leave this loser. But so many women don't have the resources, have been put down their entire lives and are trapped. I love that this show is shining a light in this space in an entertaining way by giving those women a voice and to be seen. When the show goes to single camera, we are seeing her true emotions that she has to hide from everyone. She has to show the world the shiny sitcom view.
Recently I was worried about my cousin because I happened to see that she briefly posted a photo of a broken coffee mug on social media with the comment, "so this is what happens when my husband has a temper tantrum" but then deleted the comment minutes later. When I reached out to my cousin, she didn't respond to me. I reached out to a family member who lives near her. They said, "...so you just need to hear from her that she's okay." I said, "No. I'm worried she's not okay... And it's okay to not be okay." And the family member gasped, "Oh! You know she would NEVER tell you or anyone that." The pressure to show the perfect life to others is immense and people live with so much pain and shame.
I understand the show isn't easy to categorize and maybe if it was not pushed as a comedy others might see the potential brilliance of the show (who knows if it will land and maybe it will be disappointing, but the premise is unique from a different point of view we haven't seen before) and I'm looking forward to watching more.
Do you find that Murphy's performance is a bridge between the two "shows"? The settings may change, but her Alison is the same person with different facets emphasized.
DeleteThe title initially put me off but I watched the first two episodes on utube. I was hooked right away. I found it very interesting. I saw it as you said, a problem of a lot of women in a bad marriage. Some women do attach themselves to a bum in a first marriage. Whether they think they can make him better or subconsciously want to give up and punish themselves. He is easier to blame for her inadequacies than blame herself. The neighbor and her aunt are accepting of their menial roles but not the main character who is looked at as delusional or judgemental. The thing I noticed was that the reality part does play like a sitcom missing the canned laughter. It does point out the harshness of people toward her. But is all of this still in her head? When someone does speak rationally to her reminding her the problems started before Kevin, she shuts them down immediately. Very interesting show. Shame I can't afford another streaming service. I'd like to follow the show.
DeleteOne final thought after I wrote this. Talking with my wife after she saw it, she knows women in this type of marriage... too scared to admit they made a bad choice. The sitcom is a coping mechanism to deal with the situation.
DeleteI never watched the show and never will. I just wanted to point out that Tanya Harding didn't assault Nancy Kerrigan, it was Tonya's friends. Whether she had anything to do with it is debatable.
ReplyDeleteI agree Ken. After 20 minutes we got it. After an episode, I got the remote.
ReplyDelete@Cap'n Bob: I'm pretty sure Mr Levine was referring to the fact that Tonya Harding was being assaulted by Jeff Gillolly, not the assault on Nancy Kerrigan.
ReplyDelete"...what is the value of being stuck in a bad sitcom vs. just a bad marriage?"
ReplyDeleteThe truth. I couldn't even say which would be worse. How about a horrible marriage and presidency, and a shitty reality TV show?
With Comedy Central giving up on 11:30, Conan and Lilly Singh's shows being cancelled and now Trevor Noah taking the summer off and promising a 'revised' Daily Show in September What are your thoughts on the state of Late Night comedy/talk?
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, the weak are being culled and there is a lack of interest in taking on the new president. The sugar high of the previous administration is gone and the shows seem lost. Even SNL is avoiding presidential humor after 45 years.
Conan wasn't cancelled. He decided to make a change in his career, doing a more comedy-oriented non-talk format on the HBO streaming, one day a week instead of four. TBS seems to have decided, at least for now, not to put a new talk show in its place, though.
ReplyDeleteI decided to double check before posting this. Some outlets are using the term "cancelled" loosely, esp. in headlines, but news items being more specific state that it was Conan's decision, not TBS's
Agree with Ken: interesting concept, weak follow-through. (When I first heard of this show, I mistakenly thought it was the about this sitcom-couple who were also married in real life...and their nasty off-screen battles - like a worst-case version of Lucy & Desi. After seeing the first 2 episodes, THAT show would've turned out better!)
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ReplyDeleteWe started watching the series because our daughter was a grip during the first season filming in Worcester. I was fascinated to read your comments because of your depth of experience with three camera situation comedy.
ReplyDeleteWe managed to slog through the premiere episode and the only reason we started watching episode two was my wife was intrigued by the beauty store owner being a drug dealer. We both agreed there was the potential for the darker side of this series to be like a Mare of Easttown, with deep dark interconnected stories bribing us into this town.
Ultimately, at least for us, it wasn’t dark enough nor was it compelling enough for us to want to continue to watch. I will respectfully disagree with you on the sitcom side, because as pretty as Annie Murphy is she’s really a loser and belongs with another loser. The proof, I believe, is that she’s looking at ways of killing her husband rather than just divorcing him. It’s not dark, it’s not funny, it’s just emblematic of very very disturbed person.