In response to Theo's lead blog post, I think he made a few interesting points. One point that stuck out to me was how he described the unpredictability of Eric Andre himself and how that mirrors the incongruity/relief theory. This show I think actually encompases all three theories very well. For one, the personality and arbitrary actions of Eric Andre already deomonstrate the incongruity theory at work. From another viewpoint, the guests on the show don't know what's going to happen or what to expect from Eric. Because the audience knows the guest's fate, we feel superior to them in a way that we know something they didn't. This also makes room for the relief theory. Even though Andre tends to be somewhat reckless and risky at times with his bits, the audience tends to laugh at the sheer stupidity and hilariousness of the act itself. We laugh because we can feel superior, relief, and even confusion all at the same time. Overall, great lead blog post and support on the theories.
The interesting thing about comedy, in general, is that it's all subjective. What I find hilarious may not even register with someone else as humorous. This same principle is applied to comedy tv shows as well. In response to Jake's blog post, I found some of the points that he raised as interesting. He explained how the show Seinfeld has no overlying plot, and that's what makes it so exceptional. In a way, I agree with him. There is always a time and a place where we just want to laugh, and not worry about keeping up with a detailed plot or keep track of attributes we need to remember in order to understand the show. Seinfeld is definitely that kind of show where you can turn it on and just enjoy the singular episode for what it is. The humor in Seinfeld is a sort of observational comedy, where the premise of the humor is based on going through the motions of everyday life. But referring back to my original point, someone may not be interested in that type of show or hum...
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