Rum Doings Episode 28
by John Walker on May.27, 2010, under Rum Doings, The Rest
Episode 28 of Rum Doings is not discussing: Why can an Englishman not defend his home by shooting a burglar in the back.
This week John has a headache. So we talk about headaches. You know how we are.
What else do we bring up? Television programmes we enjoy watching with our eyes. More dangerous ways of distributing gas. We argue about Doctor Who and sitcoms. We realise Rum Doings needs a trombonist. In fact, most of an orchestra. Of buskers. We learn how Nick lets his daughter suffocate, how long John’s been a crybaby, and plans for genre twists. Can you Chinese-burn yourself? Can you touch your own winky? And what exactly is the fabric of our universe? And why don’t the Jews like it?
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May 27th, 2010 on 15:09
I am at the 4:23 mark.
Are there significant BSG spoilers to come?
May 27th, 2010 on 16:35
Hi James,
No. We move on from BSG very soon. No spoilers at all, really.
May 27th, 2010 on 18:20
Cheers Nick.
Better off Ted is extremely twee.
Where was Nick’s Mark Kermode supposed to be from?
The Big Bang Theory is the worst sitcom I have seen in the last 10 years.
I have only seen one episode but I feel it was more than enough. Not only did I not laugh once, I didn’t even smile. Terrible clichéd drivel. I genuinely cannot work out how anyone could find it remotely funny. If it’s a brilliant sitcom then there is no hope for the genre.
May 27th, 2010 on 19:09
Hi James. I really agree with you about Better off Ted. The fact that Mr Walker thinks it subversive and wry rather than the plodding “zany” obvious clunky thing that it is speaks against him.
May 28th, 2010 on 00:26
On the subject of romantic-comedies that turn into zombie movies, I must mention Shaun of the Dead.
Also, it’s a shame that there seems to be a huge conspiracy to pretend that The IT Crowd is terrible when it’s actually quite good.
May 28th, 2010 on 01:22
The Big Bang Theory is downright painful to watch. I wholeheartedly sympathise with James: not even a smile.
May 28th, 2010 on 12:04
I didn’t not like Better Off Ted, based on the pilot. However, following John’s recommendation, I started watching Modern Family, and it’s really, really good.
Also, I disliked BBT at first as well (a clichéd mediocrity, it seemed), but for some reason I kept watching, and it really picked up in season 2. So yeah, I watch that too on a regular basis.
P.S. I keep humming She’s Judy all morning. Curses upon you!
May 28th, 2010 on 15:56
How can the two of you talk about sitcoms without at least mentioning the wondeful 30 Rock, its one of the best comedies i’ve seen in years
May 29th, 2010 on 10:46
I forgot to add – John, you’ve got to give Mad Men a second chance. Not counting The Wire, the first season of Mad Men is the single best piece of television I’ve watched in the past decade.
May 30th, 2010 on 15:47
@Quinn, having worked in an IT department of some kind for the last 4 years, IMHO, the IT Crowd is rubbish. Saying that, one of my colleagues likes it… :(
May 31st, 2010 on 22:01
What I dislike the most about the IT Crowd is that people keep recommending it to me because they think that as it is about computers, I will enjoy it.
June 5th, 2010 on 05:10
The biggest twist this week was the Chinese burn thing- we always called them Indian sun burns, growing up.
A few shows I really enjoy that I only discovered after they’d been on the air for years were How I Met Your Mother , 30 Rock and Supernatural. I have no idea if I’ll continue to enjoy that third one, with a massive mythological wrapping-up taking place at the end of the current season, and the showrunner handing over the reigns to another writer. My appreciation of Tracy Morgan shot through the roof when I realised how much of Tracy Jordan is just him.
July 11th, 2010 on 22:35
John is right re US sitcoms/shows/dramedies. They are brilliant at the moment.
Cougar Town started off shit for the first two or three episodes, but then the writers completely (they have gone on the record to say this) changed its direction, to make it an ensemble comedy with light, funny writing. It’s also good to see a show that is not set in (a) Manhattan, (b) Los Angelese (c) A random California suburb or (c) an aproximation of ‘Middle America’. Western Florida seems like a cool, different place for a comedy sitcom. I believe they are thinking of changing the name, to reflect the fact that it is not about ‘cougars’ – a tired concept.
Modern Family is, I think, one of the best comedies in history. Full stop. I watched all 24 episodes in a couple of weeks a few months back, having initially avoided it for being another ‘single camera’ pseudo Office mockumentary. But it is just really funny, and indeed, ‘modern’.
I was in two minds about the ABC show ‘The Middle’, which I held off watching for a long time, having seen the pilot, and thought it to be, to use that word, twee. But if one puts the twee warmth aside (which actually is nice in a way) it is charming, if not brilliant.
How I Met Your Mother – watched all 100 or so episodes in a few months. Ted is a wet idiot who I can’t stand, but the rest are really good. One problem though: How can one suddenly get a tenured Professorship at Columbia University? That doesn’t happen. But it is usually quick, and well worth watching.
One kind of show you have not mentioned is the 45 minute (hour with ads) ‘dramedy’. These include shows like Greek, about fraternity life in a fictional US college, which while sometimes juvenile, also has some sharp and witty writing.
In terms of funny/anarchic/inane humour: The Sarah Silverman show (just not renewed for fourth season unfortunately) and The College Humor Show, are great. In fact Sarah Silverman show can sometimes be utterly unique, and brilliant.
Never watched 3rd Rock. Seems to popular. Maybe I should?
Also thinking about starting Prison Break, as have heard good things… Same goes for Friday Night Lights, four seasons old on NBC. People tell me it is a subtle representation of a small Texas town/ football community.
Also thinking about taking a look at HBOs ‘Life and Times of Tim’, and its “Noir-otic” comedy Bored to Death.
And how can you have not watched Lost?
Unfortunately I find anything with vampires or demons etc etc dull and stupid.