Why we need ‘Joe Pera to talk to you’ more than ever
Swimming for AdultsThe output of can be classified into many things: surreal, experimental, often only associated with things that are fully baked into an hour of disbelief. But gently? Well, yes, ever since Joe Pera stood up to literally put viewers to sleep with his 2016 animated special, the network has become the home of friendly comedy. Best ASMR on TV.
In a way, the live-action successor Joe Pera talks to you is Adult Swim’s most subversive product. Any language stronger than a damn language is exposed (Pera, playing a fictional version of herself, even apologizes for that); without even a shred of bare skin – the frigid climate of its Upper Michigan Peninsula setting means the already charming cast is rarely seen without a turtleneck sweater. And each episode is about ten minutes long, shot at freezing speed: it’s hard to believe it’s in the same house as Performances by Eric Andre.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a series that seems to exist on a completely different plane from everything else, its third installment makes no attempt to make sense of the real-life events that have occurred since. the second part. “It’s 2018 and the economy is booming,” a furniture salesman in the prologue clearly says. In Pera’s universe, the word ‘corona’ is still synonymous with the badass brew Mike (Conner O’Malley) and his brethren sink every ball game.
Sure, it’ll be interesting to see Joe’s pre-apocalyptic girlfriend Sarah Conner (Jo Firestone) react to all the chaos – her underground bunker certainly has its fair share of paper. toilet and hand sanitizer. However, despite its deliberate scenarios, Talk to you always brings a feeling of escape from the outside world. For example, who wouldn’t want to take a trip to Tahquamenon Falls and soak in the water that “looks like root beer” after watching “Takes You on a Fall Drive”? Or enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning gathering “perfect food” in a small-town diner while watching “Bring you out for breakfast?”
Most, Talk to you could have been made at any point in the last 50 years: remember that the ‘new’ song that has given Joe so much unbridled joy in “Reading the Church Announcements” is ” Baba O’Riley” by Who. Therefore, transforming all things COVID-19 makes complete sense. The fact that we don’t have to deal with one of its lovable inhabitants turning into a raging anti-vaxxer, is obviously a sweet relief too.
So instead of talking to us about self-isolation, PPE, and flattening the curve, Joe is once again contemplating life’s smaller issues. Reviewing the contents of the Midwesterner’s second refrigerator, discovering the best DVDs to keep his choir class entertained, and living through the dilemma of buying a new chair are just a few of them. topics are explored this time in a familiar meditative manner. tape.
Helping kick off a new nine-part season, the second quest epitomizes Pera’s habit of finding depth and melancholy in the most seemingly innocuous situations. On the surface, Joe is simply helping his best friend Gene (Gene Kelly) decide between a classic rocker recliner and an ergonomically designed lounge chair. “Are you ready America? Let’s sit for a moment,” two much older people in body, not necessarily in spirit, announced lovingly as they walked through the sacred doors of R. Gale Furniture.
But Gene wasn’t merely looking for a new place to park. His checklist includes somewhere he can “unpack the last 60 years” and perhaps reflect on his mortality as well. When he told Joe, it was the last chair he could buy. One of the many special things about Talk to you is how it often leaves a sphere of emotion suspended in the air for only a few seconds before returning to normal. The show may not have Adult Swim’s trademark taunts, but it’s never too sentimental.
Two other chapters available for screening also find similar levels of humor and pathos in everyday life. “Listening to Your Drunk Story” largely shifts things to his other half’s point of view as she recalls the Wine Wednesday she was invited to by her kind neighbor Sue (Jo Scott). . In most other comedies, Sarah would become the laughingstock for her apparent shyness, social awkwardness, and complete knowledge of her weapons of self-defense. Here, she’s fully accepted into Jo’s small but increasingly rowdy circle of friends, subverting the auto accident outcome you’d expect from her drunken state of affairs in Joe’s kitchen. .
In fact, Sarah and Debin Jaconski-Hammershunk – the wonderfully silly name that could have been dropped from London’s Toast – so successful that they’re chatting like old friends in “Talks With You About Legacy.” Here it is Joe, who is feeling lost while watching the NFC Championship Game at the chaotic Melskys household. “You’re scaring the bookworm,” Mike’s dad warned as the high school choir teacher looked faltering at all the loud noises. However, ‘nerds’ are just as promiscuous. The Melsky men were fully aware their guest was not in their sights but they never treated him like a little bird because of it.
It is this natural kindness that makes Talk to you the most comforting show in recent years. Nothing much ever happens. But nothing really needed. You are only happy to be with a man who is unbelievably polite, respectful and able to find infectious awe in the smallest things. If there’s one motto for 2021, it’s ‘Be more of Joe Pera.’
Jon O’Brien (@ jonobrien81) is a freelance sports and entertainment writer from North West England. His work has appeared in magazines such as Vulture, Esquire, Billboard, Paste, iD and The Guardian.
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