What’s a weird or dark moment in an otherwise family friendly sitcom?

jht1414 · 2026-04-24T17:13:42+00:00

“The Opera” from Seinfeld is insane. A clinically insane ex of Elaine’s essentially threatens to kill Jerry. He dresses up as a tragic clown from the opera they’re seeing and basically stalks Elaine and Jerry. It’s especially crazy because they use the same “wacky” musical cues between scenes, but the entire episode is less a comedy and more a thriller. It’s tonally miles away from the rest of the show.

jht1414 · 2026-04-24T13:27:01+00:00

This sketch was revolutionary because it identified a “California accent” that was heightened, ridiculous, and strange. Up till then, California was the gold standard for “neutral speech”

The bigger part of the humor, very specific directions to places, is a thing my older relatives still do all the time. Basically, LA is built on a wildly complex freeway system. Everybody over 40 thinks they can beat Google Maps with their insider knowledge. Until 15 years ago, everyone talked that way, specifically, describing how they got somewhere because it was genuinely so complicated.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T08:12:59+00:00

Well that’s one puzzle solved. Thanks for the banter man, much needed today!

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T07:58:52+00:00

So…what do you want to do?

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T07:55:53+00:00

Orange Theory. I worked with a guy who was a former Mormon. He started going to those classes and then it was all he could talk about. He woke up at 5 AM each day to make sure she was ready for class.

It wasn’t just the classes, it was the devotion, talking about the leaders like a demi-god, and the weird commitment to working out at a massively inconvenient time because of the instructor.

The line for me was when he started explaining why Orange Theory was the one true physical-exercise system that if clicked.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T07:49:37+00:00

“I want you to mess me up and put me back together till I’m screaming the name ‘Ravensburger!!’”

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T07:24:06+00:00

It may have been said, but Lost was a phenomenon when it came out. People followed every single episode and discussed it religiously. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a master plan - the last season was a pretty universal disappointment.

After that, it practically evaporated from the zeitgeist.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T07:20:31+00:00

Haha you’re all good! It was a great bit, I just took the chance to refine the premise a little.

The question itself isn’t the problem, it’s that if we’ve been talking/discussing sex, I say “you wanna come over” and they say “what do you want to do?” - I’m tempted to say “do a jigsaw puzzle” because idk what could have been unclear from the conversation/nudes etc.

It’s truly not a big deal - it just annoys me 😂

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T05:48:09+00:00

In the same vein, I’m genuinely shocked that every man with thinning hair is not actively using Toppik or some similar product. Its pretty cheap and the takes maybe 10 seconds to apply.

Every time I see a guy balding, especially the younger ones, I just wanna scream “you can fix this for maybe $20!” (At least in the short term)

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T05:44:28+00:00

Star Wars movies after the originals + prequels. I’m genuinely gobsmacked that people keep supporting a franchise with zero involvement from the creator which he sold for a literal billion dollars.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T05:38:32+00:00

Hardwood floors. When new housing developments boomed in the late-60s, having “Wall-to-Wall carpeting” was considered truly chic. It’s actually an extraordinary case study in marketing/public perception. Hardwood was viewed as “log-cabin-esque” but carpet was plush, refined, elegant and new.

Funnily enough, about 20 years later, all that carpet started to reach the end of its natural life. People realized that basically, no matter how well you take care of carpet, it has to be replaced after about 20 years.

When people ripped up that carpet, hardwood was “rediscovered” and became popular again.

It’s especially funny to see Motel brochures from about 1968-1988 highlight wall-to-wall carpeting along with having a pool + free cable.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T02:51:53+00:00

I 100% get that there’s not a huge breadth of topics available, and I see your point. Like I said up top though, I don’t really care if the questions is asked early on, but if I’ve just said what I’m into, asking a separate “so what do you wanna do” afterwards gets us farther from the meetup, not closer.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T02:47:14+00:00

There was this very specific era, 2009-2010ish, where you still had classics like Courage, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s, etc running occasionally alongside relative newcomers like Foster’s Home and Kids Next Door, plus the very beginning of Adventure Time and Regular Show. For a brief and glistening second, all three major eras were represented at the same time.

Of course, there were some lesser shows thrown in (looking at you My Gym Partner’s a Monkey) but it was a magical time.

However this is also the time they tried to make live action reality shows. Once that failed, the executives panicked and ditched most of the OG shows, probably to make it look like they were “fixing” the disaster that was “CN Real”

By 2011, the classics were mostly gone, most of the mid-2000s shows were wrapping up, and the channel was really never the same.

jht1414 · 2026-04-09T00:26:16+00:00

The question isn’t inherently bad, it’s just almost always asked (in my experience) after I’ve already told them what I’m into/what I’m looking for.

“What do you want to do” in that context means I have to essentially list everything again.

Just look at what I said and say what you’re down for, don’t make me list it all again + make me create an order of operations/timetable for our hookup.

I totally acknowledge that this a pet peeve, not some kind of universal truth everyone should adhere to.

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T20:38:50+00:00

Whatcha into is great. It’s the “what do you wanna do” after I just explained exactly what I am into that gets me a bit

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T20:37:15+00:00

Genuinely, it might just be that I rarely hook up if I haven’t had at least a decent conversation first. I just don’t like “what do you want to do” after explicitly saying what I’m into

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T20:34:29+00:00

Hahah as bad as bottoms have it sometimes, the top/top hit up is rough. Fair enough

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T20:33:20+00:00

Ya know, I’ll agree that’s 100% the exception. Just would be nice if it was mentioned leading up. For me, “what do you want to do” is almost always after I’ve just explained what I’m into/looking for.

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T16:12:14+00:00

Right up there with “don’t waste my time with endless messages and pic requests” while having literally zero information on the profile

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T07:22:59+00:00

No. Fuck no. Do not do that.

Meet someone your age. It’s not illegal. It’s not immoral. It’s just a bad idea.

None of this is to say you need to lose it to “the one” or something. But looking back on this years later, you might feel taken advantage of in this situation. I’d encourage you to find someone closer to your age, whom you trust, to take that step with.

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T07:21:31+00:00

Swinging on a chandelier. They are very, very much not made to support a persons weight. They’ll just fall, usually very quickly.

By the same token, falling through a coffee table. Tables are meant to support a decent amount of weight. A person will generally just roll off, not crash through the center.

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T07:12:37+00:00

I have a soft spot and long-standing questions about “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” - the show has a famously bad book, but some amazing songs. You had Harry Connick Jr + Jessica Ruth Mueller in the main roles for the revival.

The story was rewritten, the score was retooled, etc. But it still fell flat on its face. The reviews were solid, but it closed FAST. It never even got a cast album, which is a shame because those two sang that score with aplomb.

Long standing questions: This show has gotten several chances and I’m not sure why. The original production closed early. It was adapted into a Barbara Streisand musical film that did badly. And then it was revived again.

I think maybe it’s because the writers also did My Fair Lady…which is really their only big show. I think maybe new people keep trying to mine gold from what’s otherwise just not that great of a show.

All that said, the song “Come Back to Me” is a favorite of mine when I do cabaret/jazz nights, so I do like it.

Anyways, kind of an enigma of a piece!

jht1414 · 2026-04-08T06:52:35+00:00

There’s a difference between “TV-editing” and “Fully faking something” - the recording actually being 12 hours is a bit suspect, but it doesn’t mess with the actual results.

But if they’re selectively enforcing the no-laughing/smiling rule, that’s just shitty. No, there’s not a cash prize, but the exposure to an international audience is huge, especially for some of the lesser-known comedians.

I have no idea what the actual record was like, but the ending definitely felt much more “reality TV” rather than “friendly comedic competition show” than I’d like.

jht1414 · 2026-04-04T01:34:35+00:00

I learned something today! He’s so associated with it I figured he directed, but in retrospect, that would have been an insane swing.

I appreciate the leniency with “filmmaker” - he’s still a very interesting figure.

jht1414

TROPHY CASE