Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

[magazinewhore]

I was shocked when I heard Brandt killed himself, and I thought the portrayal on UKS was a little too spot-on (as a product whore, I was familiar with Dr. Brandt). They didn't have to make it so close (they could have made his hair dark or something). I almost wonder if Fey or someone had some bad blood against him.

That said, I'm tired of people calling any mockery bullying. He was a public figure (as much as a plastic surgeon can be). He put his mug on his products and was not shy about appearing in public or courting the stars. My first impulse was to dial the impression back a bit (if it had been me), but that's hardly bullying. He was a very rich guy who profited from his fame and pursued it. He wasn't a civilian in that sense. That's part of the risk of being a public figure.

[chonies]

I think his depiction on the show was sort of all over the place--were the writers sympathetic because he was also sort of a freak? Was he a cult leader with patients as his minions? He was perceptive (Kimmy's scream lines and lack of sunlight) but also caught in his own vortex.

I also think there is the questionable element of making fun of someone's looks while satirizing the problems of being obsessed with looks. And again with this series, sometimes I don't know where I stand with this show.

[Deleted]

I agree with you, chonies, about the show -- I don't know where I stand. I think there are racist aspects of the show, especially because of some of Fey's earlier statements or elements of her previous work that have made me uncomfortable in the context of race and class.

I love the words of the theme song ("females are strong as hell"), but I also think the visuals of the song perpetuate negative stereoptypes of African Americans and could be interpreted as racist and classist. Damn it, Tina. Just give me my empowering theme song that I can sing with pride and not worry about denigrating other groups of people.

[kostgard]

Apr 6, 2015 22:35:37 GMT -4 chonies said:

I think his depiction on the show was sort of all over the place--were the writers sympathetic because he was also sort of a freak? Was he a cult leader with patients as his minions? He was perceptive (Kimmy's scream lines and lack of sunlight) but also caught in his own vortex.

I think that is what they were going for. This
is from a Salon piece on the situation:

But the punch line of the Martin Short character on “Kimmy Schmidt” wasn’t simply “the way he looks.” It was not a cruel jab at a person with a birth defect, or a deforming injury. The joke was about a character who had very obviously and unfortunately altered his looks. It was about a character who had gone so deeply into a world of men and women obsessed with youth and beauty that he had made himself grotesque. And hurtful as it apparently was, it nonetheless appears to have been a parody based on a public figure. That’s not bullying.

Tina Fey has talked about the pressure on ladies for their looks when they step in front of the camera, and she's talked about how getting a dermatologist was practically a requirement once she herself got in front of the camera. I'm sure she's witnessed firsthand plenty of people who get sucked into that vortex.

This show really is in line with a lot of the stuff Fey has done in the past. She's always walked a fine line with things like race (I remember this coming up every now and again with 30 Rock and one particular time when Bill O'Reilly threw a hissy fit because when Fey does it they call it comedy but when he starts talking race they call him a racist). It's not everyone's cup of tea, of course, but not unusual from Fey.

ETA: I don't really think anyone here has said the show was bullying him, but that seems to be the narrative parts of the media is running with.

[prisma]

Apr 7, 2015 2:16:43 GMT -4 kostgard said:

I think that is what they were going for. This
is from a Salon piece on the situation:

But the punch line of the Martin Short character on “Kimmy Schmidt” wasn’t simply “the way he looks.” It was not a cruel jab at a person with a birth defect, or a deforming injury. The joke was about a character who had very obviously and unfortunately altered his looks. It was about a character who had gone so deeply into a world of men and women obsessed with youth and beauty that he had made himself grotesque. And hurtful as it apparently was, it nonetheless appears to have been a parody based on a public figure. That’s not bullying.

Tina Fey has talked about the pressure on ladies for their looks when they step in front of the camera, and she's talked about how getting a dermatologist was practically a requirement once she herself got in front of the camera. I'm sure she's witnessed firsthand plenty of people who get sucked into that vortex.

I think the bullying comment is ridiculous and I agree with the Salon assessment. I was unfamiliar with the guy but was taken aback when I saw his picture. He looks totally unnatural but is praised as some kind of miracle worker? Madonna is held up as an fine example of his skill? I can imagine it was a rude awakening for Dr. Brandt to see and hear how the rest of the world perceived his standard of beauty for aging faces, but come ON. Calling out a public figure (which he was) on his ridiculousness (his face was in no way natural) is not bullying.

[Mugsy]

Sing it.

Bullying is generally ongoing, targeted and intentionally cruel. Satire is mocking a specific element in an exaggerated way to make a point.

I do think that some people are so insular, that everyone they come in contact with has these surgeries and injections and whatnot - that they have no idea what the regular folks think about it. Or how it actually looks anymore, that duck lips and stretched eyes and shiny foreheads are not actually considered beautiful, but kind of alien and freaky. And that's their business, if they want to look like that.

But this doctor made money by encouraging women to think a normal face was wrong, that collagen and botox and fillers were necessary to look good. He benefited from others' insecurities and got called on it.

[scarlet]

Apr 6, 2015 22:35:37 GMT -4 chonies said:

And again with this series, sometimes I don't know where I stand with this show.

It just feels very one-note and like it has an expiration date. I've watched maybe 8 episodes (lost track) and it's already getting old.

[Spinderella]

I'm watching season two and it's not bad. Each episode is different, but always carries the baggage from each character's past.

It was funny to see Joshua Jackson in episode 8 discussing Dawson's Creek and the Joey/Pacey dynamic. But don't call him Pacey, his name is Purvus.

[kostgard]

Apr 16, 2016 21:50:57 GMT -4 Spinderella said:

I'm watching season two and it's not bad. Each episode is different, but always carries the baggage from each character's past.

It was funny to see Joshua Jackson in episode 8 discussing Dawson's Creek and the Joey/Pacey dynamic. But don't call him Pacey, his name is Purvus.

I'm enjoying it. It took a couple episodes to get into it, but by episode four I was loving it.

I loved the Pacey cameo too (and that he was rocking the Pacey/Clooney Caesar haircut) - especially since I recently rewatched a lot of DC on Hulu and was bitching about a lot the same stuff Pacey complained about.

I also really like Mikey. I loved that Titus started to melt when he talked about how Pumbaa and Timon from the Lion King had the ideal relationship because they cared for each other, sang songs, and farted without judgement. I hope he's back next season. I also hope Dong finds his way back.

Also, Jeff Goldblum's character made a "William Joel" reference. Dig at Gwynnie? Between that and the scene where they talk about how the Disney animated fox Robin Hood was hot, and I'd swear the writers have lurked here.

[Hamatron]

I made it all the way through. It was okay. There were some scenes where it really felt like whoever wrote that episode was directly dismissing/responding to internet criticism rather than staying true to characterization, which was annoying. It was cool when Jeff Goldblum and Lisa Kudrow showed up. And I actually liked David Cross in this. Often, he annoys the crap out of me as an actor (though, oddly, I enjoy his writing).

Overall, it's kinda fun to watch. Sometimes I will kinda smile. But there's something about it that feels really soulless and empty.