TDS 3.0: Season One Talk

[ganesh]

The Simpsons have been on tv for 300 years. They've done *everything* before. 

[fastiller]

 

I think that's why TDS continues to follow Trump and his supporters. Yes, they're ridiculous, but Trevor doesn't treat them as an insignificant joke. 

I think it's because TN grew up in a country where the racism was writ-large and he's aware that it doesn't take much for "I'm going to be careful in what I say b/c I'm on camera lest my racism show" (EG: how Jordan's focus group anwered things) to much, much worse things.

[trow125]

The Simpsons did it 18 years ago.

[AmandaPanda]

I initially didn't care much for many of Jordan Klepper's pieces, but ever since Trevor took over as host I've really come around on him.  And he's just been on fire lately, with the "good guy with a gun" segment and this "Um, why?" piece with the Trump supporters.

 

I think a big part of it is that Jordan has finally found his voice as a correspondent. He's becoming less of a "generic white-guy alpha male douche" and finding his own spin on things. It's always an exciting time when a correspondent finally finds their unique niche in TDS world.

[ganesh]

I think in both pieces, Jordan "playing it straight" and letting himself be the comedy, so to speak, is what makes both pieces work. 

[possibilities]

That "gun lovers are like gay people" comparison didn't work for me. I wonder if the entire writers' room is straight.

[Victor the Crab]

That new Dog on Fire score doesn't do it. It's too laid back. And Trevor doing his own cold opening while standing and moving around is something that we're going to have to get used to. Looks as if he's starting to mold the show to his own.

[formerlyfreedom]

The music and cold open (if they keep that) were different. I don't have an opinion on them yet, although I really appreciated the shout out to Making A Murderer in his monologue! And I did enjoy the Steve Harvey/Miss Universe bit - Take that, Samuel L. Jackson!

[topanga]

Yay. Trevor is back! It was good to hear his take on news stories: Steve Harvey and Miss Universe and the Republican Candidates' New Year's Eve messages.

[zxy556575]

That new Dog on Fire score doesn't do it. It's too laid back. And Trevor doing his own cold opening while standing and moving around is something that we're going to have to get used to. Looks as if he's starting to mold the show to his own.

 

I don't know why him standing instead of sitting threw me off so much, but it did. Mostly I wondered why -- are they trying to make the show seem more like stand-up comedy? Trevor kept fidgeting with his jacket button and his tie was hanging out the bottom.

 

I looked up the Colombian soccer player who was murdered after accidentally scoring a goal for the other side. It was in 1994, but sweet Jesus. My indifference towards organized sports has been turning to active hate as I get older.

[angora]

I don't know why him standing instead of sitting threw me off so much, but it did. Mostly I wondered why -- are they trying to make the show seem more like stand-up comedy? Trevor kept fidgeting with his jacket button and his tie was hanging out the bottom.

ITA on all counts.  I was so happy when he sat down (so he could have something to duck behind during his gun story, ha!)  There was just something about the composition that felt off, and if they stick with it, he's going to have to leave his jacket unbuttoned or something, so he don't mess with it.  I dunno - I think I'll like the new theme well enough after I hear it a few times, but the standing felt weird to me.

 

That "gun lovers are like gay people" comparison didn't work for me. I wonder if the entire writers' room is straight.

That was disappointing for me, because I thought the setup with the open-carry people talking about how freeing it was to be themselves, how people are starting to realize it's okay to open-carry, etc., was put together really well, and I was looking forward to where they were going with it, but then the actual jokes left a bad taste in my mouth.  If it had been more like the "phones down, don't shoot" bit with the police or sympathizing with Mike Huckabee as a "native American" who's worried about refugees coming in and changing American culture, where Trevor laid the comparisons on thick but never actually came out and said it, I think it would've worked a lot better.

 

I think Ted Cruz filibustering New Year's Eve was my favorite part, especially his salute just before Trevor finally turned him off.

[zxy556575]

I took the open carry joke to be the connection between men wearing actual penis costumes and guns being phallic symbols, and that many of the men (at least the ones featured here) refuse to acknowledge that they're being just as dick-focused as gay guys in a pride parade.

 

Or something. Anyway, I didn't think it was meant as a slap to gays at all.

Edited January 5, 2016 by lordonia

[revbfc]

The music and cold open (if they keep that) were different. I don't have an opinion on them yet, although I really appreciated the shout out to Making A Murderer in his monologue! And I did enjoy the Steve Harvey/Miss Universe bit - Take that, Samuel L. Jackson!

I'll give the new music a week before I get openly critical. The change was jarring, I'll say that much.

Edited January 5, 2016 by revbfc

[attica]

I don't know why him standing instead of sitting threw me off so much, but it did.

 

I could get used to it, but I prefer the sitting. Sitting permits the camera to get closer so we can see his facial expressions better. (And his dimples. More dimplage, please.) I mean, they could zoom in on his face while he's standing, but then why stand?

 

Not a bad day-after-vacation show.

 

David Cross usually makes me feel like I'm missing the joke. And I'm not sure I am, so that's weird.

[revbfc]

I could get used to it, but I prefer the sitting. Sitting permits the camera to get closer so we can see his facial expressions better. (And his dimples. More dimplage, please.) I mean, they could zoom in on his face while he's standing, but then why stand?

Not a bad day-after-vacation show.

David Cross usually makes me feel like I'm missing the joke. And I'm not sure I am, so that's weird.

As a long time David Cross fan, even I get where you're coming from. He's an acquired taste, and even though I love his stuff (yes, last night's interview, too) I know non-fans might not be won over.

[ganesh]

I liked how Cross was dismissively like, "clearly, you don't know what a never-nude is" when Noah tried to make the AD joke. 

[nowandlater]

Because Seth Meyers went from standing to sitting for his opening, Trevor Noah has to go from sitting to standing.

 

FCC rules require only 2 sitting late-night hosts.

[iMonrey]

I think they're just trying to change things up because the show is in trouble, ratings-wise. At least that's the consensus among the online armchair critics, if not Comedy Central. There's definitely been a precipitous drop in the months since he started, he's down to almost half of what Stewart was getting in both total numbers and key demo. I'm not sure what it accomplishes to have him standing up at the beginning - maybe the idea behind it was that he's used to stand-up and it would seem fresh or something, I dunno. 

 

For me, they definitely need better correspondents. They lost some heavy hitters along with Stewart and none of the new ones are really cutting it.

[ChelseaNH]

New guy doesn't have the audience of long-term national treasure.  Panic ensues.

[peeayebee]

The way he opened the show reminded me of Larry Wilmore. (I haven't watched that show for a while, so I don't know if it has changed.)

 

It's nice to have the show back. I read about the Fox New Year Eve's show but didn't watch any clips. That was pretty bad. Re Trump's appearance, it looked like there was a satellite delay, but I can't remember where each group was located. Ted Cruz makes me gag.

 

The open carry story was so-so. I kept thinking about the video I saw of a white guy open-carrying somewhere while a woman videoed it. The police stopped and talked to him for a while. And then there was a black man open-carrying while a woman friend videoed it. The police pulled up, drew their guns, had him lay on the ground... Both men were legally open-carrying. 

[ganesh]

That's really where the story is. Who is open carrying? Why do they need to? How are people reacting to a white open carrier/nonwhite? 

 

"This is the year we repeal Obamacare." And then do what? The handful of people who actually had their cost go up or couldn't keep their doctor (despite most in these groups would find a different plan for similar or less cost or actually covering more with the cost increase) will pale in comparison to the scores who would lost coverage outright with a repeal. 

 

The ACA has some legit criticisms, the administration could have done better rolling it out, and they underestimated the number of states to flat out refuse to take federal money to do the exchange, but it really has been a decent to good policy. I'm so sick and tired of the rote "repeal Obamacare repeal Obamacare" and te spinelessness of the media to not follow up on that. I *so* *so* hope that the ACA is proven to be an unqualified success and the best domestic policy since like the Great Society programs. 

[possibilities]

Sitting, standing, doesn't matter to me. But both Trevor and Jimmy Fallon wear their suits oddly small.

 

I wonder if the show wrapped too early to include commentary on Obama's gun safety measures. I watched his speech on whitehouse.gov and then the news coverage after; the coverage focused more on the fact that he shed a few tears over the mass murder of little kids than on any of the specific policies he's implementing or his reasoning for doing so. I loved the speech, but if I hadn't watched it I'd have had no idea at all what it was really like.

 

RE the gun-lovers and gay people joke, I still think it didn't land well. Whatever the intention, I thought it just didn't work. Not the worst thing I've ever heard, but it needed fine tuning and maybe should have just been scrapped. You can compare gun-wavers to dick-wavers without bringing gay people into it, for one thing. But if they did want to go with the parallels, they needed to do more work on it (for my sensibilities).

 

I like the new correspondents and I think the show is still funny, and Trevor has moments of genius even if he's still working out how he wants to do things. I think a drop in ratings was inevitable when John left. The Colbert Report always got substantially lower ratings than TDS did, and that was considered a hit, even a cultural phenom. I hope Comedy Central isn't in panic mode. I doubt anyone would have done better than Trevor, or as well as John, this fast. Give it time. I know that I was getting really tired of the show by the time John left. Maybe some of the people who fled were just looking for an easy out to go to bed earlier! I almost took that path myself, but the new show has persuaded me to stick around. A few stories going viral and those kinds of people will come back.

[Lantern7]

I wouldn't have removed "Dog On Fire." Then again, I would've found a way to work in the footage of "The Story of Rickey" in 1999, so maybe I'm a little conservative when it comes to this show. Ironic!

[Victor the Crab]

"This is the year we repeal Obamacare." And then do what? The handful of people who actually had their cost go up or couldn't keep their doctor (despite most in these groups would find a different plan for similar or less cost or actually covering more with the cost increase) will pale in comparison to the scores who would lose coverage outright with a repeal. 

 

For which, Republicans, like Ted Cruz, would answer: "So? You actually got a problem with that?!! Why do you hate America and love tyranny?"

[Hooper]

 

Trevor kept fidgeting with his jacket button and his tie was hanging out the bottom.

 

But both Trevor and Jimmy Fallon wear their suits oddly small.

 

David Letterman used to button and unbotton his jacket constantly during his monologue, and I've noticed Colbert doing it too, although not as much.   My line of work doesn't bring me into a lot of contact with men in suits so I just assumed that fidgitting with buttons was what men did ;-).

 

And add Chris Hardwick to the list of late night dudes who look crammed into their suit jackets.   I'm not advocating a return to the Jon swimming in Kilbourne's old jackets style, but I find myself frequently distracted contemplating how uncomfortable it must be for these guys to wear clothing that is a couple sizes too small.

 

On a less shallow note, I'm really hoping for some coverage of the armed take-over of a water fowl sanctuary visitor's center in central Oregon.  On the one hand I think the Bundy gang could be truly dangerous.  On the other hand, their current public temper tantrum seems ripe for late-night mockery.

[angora]

I thought the show was great last night.  The "Land Wars" opening crawl was predictable but fun, the militia wish list cracked me up, and I liked how Trevor thought the government should encourage other militants to head out there, hole up, and isolate themselves for "as long as it takes."  Also, I think "That's not the America I didn't grow up in!" was my line of the night.  The Jordan segment was a little weaker, but the idea of him sending the militia his unwanted Christmas presents was amusing (I especially like his assertion that the militia weren't the sort of guys who'd wear "happy holidays" socks.)

 

I really enjoyed the interview with Ryan Coogler.  I loved him talking about his dad and the reasons he made Creed, and the story about the professor who encouraged him to write was neat (although Trevor was right - it definitely sounds like the premise for a movie.)  And for whatever reason, the image of Trevor getting movie recommendations from his barber made me smile.

 

Glad that the cold open was really short and that Trevor was at the desk right away after the theme song - the standing is still weird to me, although I didn't mind it as much during Jordan's segment.

[Paws]

I agree I thought last night's show really showed Trevor coming into his own. He seemed more comfortable with the interview and had his own satiric take on the Oregon situation -- I know Jon would have presented it differently, this one was truly in Trevor's voice.

[Skyfall]

What show was Trevor parodying/taking influence from from last night's cold open? I can't quite place it.

[zxy556575]

Random, but after Trevor mentioned that he really liked Tomorrowland, I watched it. I had wanted to when it came out but forgot about it. And I liked it a lot! From a sample size of one, then, he stacks up pretty good as a movie critic.

[marceline]

I hope those morons in Oregon get flooded with unusable care packages. I may send them one myself.

[attica]

Yeah, they sure don't mind government tyranny when it comes to mail delivery, I see.

[ganesh]

The care package was hilarious. I think those guys are going to be out of there soon because law enforcement is cutting power to the building. 

I don't mind the cold open. It's new and different. Why not try something with the show? This second one was better than the first. I liked the walk out, quick pan, punchline, and...theme. It's more stripped down and focused. 

[The Luvly Junkie]

I'm so glad Trevor is doing well. I'm cool with the new cold open and the remix theme and the 2 segments on Oregon's militia group were amazing. And it looks like Jordan Klepper is filling the role of breaking down the 4th wall when he interacts with Trevor (i.e., seeking attention). 

 

By the by, for a second there I thought the TDS hat was presented as forced show merchandise product placement. If it that was the intention, where and how can I get one? (I want one...) 

[peeayebee]

I enjoyed last night's show as well. 

 

I didn't know the power to that bird refuge center was going to be cut. These militia guys are not going to succeed, but I wonder what they're going to do to save face.

 

The Ted Cruz "I reflect often" video was excellent.

[gesundheit]

I took the open carry joke to be the connection between men wearing actual penis costumes and guns being phallic symbols, and that many of the men (at least the ones featured here) refuse to acknowledge that they're being just as dick-focused as gay guys in a pride parade.

 

Or something. Anyway, I didn't think it was meant as a slap to gays at all.

It wasn't, but it was one of those jokes that presumed "the thing that would insult these open carry guys the most would be to suggest that they're gay," which doesn't exactly make LGBT folks the butt of the joke, but it does perpetuate calling someone "gay" as an insult. It could have been better, is all I'm saying!

 

Otherwise, the show has come back strong. Did he get some interview skills coaching over the break? Notable improvements there.

[ganesh]

Well, you could say that because those guys still think being gay is an insult, it shows how they're living in an era that has long past. That's right up there with the "take America back" type of thinking. 

 

The Cruz video was so perfect because the guy doesn't shut up, so showing 3 minutes of mostly silence was golden. It says to me that Cruz really doesn't have much to say genuinely, so when he is talking, you know it took his whole team to put together his dialogue. 

 

The best part was the 'director' off-screen: Uh, Mr. Cruz, you need to talk?

Shh. Shh.

Edited January 6, 2016 by ganesh

[Hooper]

Well, I got my wish regarding topics for last night's show.  I would have preferred that the focus remain on the brave anti-govmint rugged individualists taking to social media (btw guys, who financed the development of the that system of tubes that has allowed for the growth of the worldwideintergoogletwitterbook?) begging for people to avail themselves of the US Postal Service to send them snacks and warm socks.  I thought the bit went of the rails a little when it shifted to Jordan tossing Trevor's apparent gift of a TDS cap into the "care" package.  Still, I spent a few hours fantasizing about what all I could send and even considered whipping up a big ol' batch of my famous door-stop fruitcake, which seemed appropriate on multiple levels.  But, as fun as the idea is, it's sort of like paying parking tickets with pennies.  The people who will actually have to deal with it aren't the intended target.   All the unwanted junk will  have to be sorted by some poor post office employee who may or may not have to deliver it depending on how long it takes before law enforcement finally decides to just say fine, no one enters the refuge, and you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave.  And whatever does get delivered?  Face it, it won't be the Bundy Bunch that will be cleaning up the mess they leave when they get tired of their little camping trip - it will be some poor refuge employee. 

 

Also.  TDS needs to hire whoever composed the Ted Cruz reflection video.  That was inspired.

[Victor the Crab]

Trevor was spot on in treating those militia cosplayers with the laughable disdain they deserve. I had to laugh in seeing that case of Coors Light they had. Since when do so called Real Red Blooded American Males™ drink light beer? I would think that the best way to "help" these liberty lovers would be to send them pictures of the items they need with you giving them the finger. Symbolic!

[redfish]

That Ted Cruz video. Yikes. Even though it was edited for laughs it still pointed out how pretentious and douchy he is. Him staring out in space to look thoughtful just emphasized that it's all an act to him.

[Victor the Crab]

Brilliant! Trevor was brilliant in discussing President Obama's executive order on background checks for gun sales. He had me laughing at all the silly stuff he was doing at the beginning - like telling the doughy douche Ted Cruz to buy pens at a site called Penisland - but then showed some range when Obama wept over the senseless loss of young lives over gun violence, and at the callousness of the right's reaction, showing some real anger at the likes of Andrea Tantaros, whom somebody needs to check to see if she's got a broomstick shoved deep up her ass. The new year's been to good to Trevor so far.

 

If you pay four figures for a pair of sneakers, then you're a fucking idiot! Do you wear them or do you put them in a display case to show off to people? I get by with a pair that cost me $50 and they would last me as long as those overrated, overpriced monstrosities because I have a right foot that's a half inch longer than the left and I get blisters there everytime I try and break in a new pair.

[shok]

That was a brilliant segment on President Obama and his valiant attempts to get some gun control done. Trevor has tried very hard to ignore Fox but their idiocy was too much for him this time.

[nodorothyparker]

Trevor's really making the show his own since the return from the break and it mostly looks good on him.  I don't know if the aesthetic changes to the studio are gradually being rolled out or I'm just noticing them that way.  It's still The Daily Show, just different.  Given the amount of trepidation and hand wringing a lot of people had over Trevor replacing Jon, I think it was smart to go this route and let everyone get accustomed to it in increments rather than change everything all at once.

 

The coverage of the militia mess in Oregon was great and now Obama on guns was nothing short of brilliant.  His long pause at Obama weeping (as should we all) followed by genuine anger at the batshittery and indifference from the right I consider his finest moment so far in his run.  I just can't even with that.

[angora]

Is it weird to want to give a TV show a standing ovation?  Because that's how I felt after the first story.  It was just so excellent at every step - for me, probably the best-executed segment of the show since the piece between Trevor and Hasan immediately after Trump's proposed ban on Muslim.  It recalled the stakes of the issue, pointed out how extremely modest Obama's proposals are, called out the hand-wringing and agitating from opponents who hadn't even heard his plan yet, and best of all, slammed the inhumanity of critics scorning Obama for and/or doubting the validity of shedding a tear over the memory of murdered children.  It was hard-hitting and emotional (that quiet moment after seeing Obama cry, you could hear a pin drop,) but at the same time, it still had a lot of humor (OMG, Trevor explaining the difference between a pen and a pencil to Ted Cruz, then recommending Penisland, I died.)  Really, really wonderfully well-done.

 

Hasan's piece, obviously, was totally different, but I loved that as well.  It had a strong dose of "this culture, I tell ya" head-shaking, along with the absolute insanity that I like seeing in field pieces.  Everything surrounding the Sneaker Don was just priceless.

 

Another enjoyable interview, I thought.  Trevor and David Peterson exchanging pleasantries in Dothraki was fun.

[peeayebee]

Excellent show.

 

First off, the short bit about North Korea was great. Comparing that country to a spoiled brat in his room was perfect.

 

I loved the joke about people dying in Monaco only from gout or roulette injuries.

 

I saw that raccoon clip yesterday, and it was perfect as an analogy for Obama trying to do something about guns. Poor Raccoon Obama.

 

And of course the whole segment about the speech and the nut-wing's predictable reaction to the tears was spot on. I was driving in my car when the speech was happening, and the moment I heard the cameras starting to click crazily I knew Obama was tearing up. And so was I! There were no onions in my car. It's called a human reaction. 

 

The Repubs' response to this Executive Action is just head-slapping. Nothing Obama wants to do is unconstitutional nor anything threatening to gun rights. Give me an f'ing break.

 

Getting back to the tears... As Trevor talked about this, I did think about how many people made fun of Boehner's crying at various times. Granted, I don't think anyone would have made fun of him if he started to cry after talking about children getting murdered. But still, it's really not nice to laugh at other people's tears. 

 

I'm reminded of a few times I witnessed my late husband tearing up. He was a right-winger, and he'd tear up when watching something patriotic. On the other hand, I would tear up about people themselves rather than ideas. I couldn't quite relate to his emotion, though I understood it.

 

Ok, back to the show...

 

I just shake my head at the frenzy over certain sneakers. And how did the Sneaker Don get all those sneakers? I may not be using the term correctly, but that is whack. AND that's the very first time I ever said that.

 

The guest was very interesting. 

 

An all-around perfect show.

[attica]

As a person who finds it difficult to find shoes that both fit well and don't hobble me, I am incredulous that people by all these Nike shoes without trying them on. Or are they just not meant to be worn? Anyway, I got a huge charge out of the people at the trade show freaking out when Hasan bent the sneakers.

 

I loved the joke about people dying in Monaco only from gout or roulette injuries. 

 

I have played roulette in Monaco and lived to tell the tale. It's harrowing: blood everywhere! :)

 

I did think about how many people made fun of Boehner's crying at various times.

 

Yeah, but AFAIK nobody ever suggested Boehner was faking them, just that he was an overly sentimental fellow. (And probably hammered, which often loosens up the tearducts.)

[zxy556575]

Fox News: "Where were Obama's tears after Paris?" Except if he had welled up then, they would have blasted him for being soft on terrorism.

 

I think this is the first time I've seen real, personal anger from Trevor during one of his segments.

[iMonrey]

He's not the only one. The whole gun thing just makes me see red. I'm so tired of the right wingers waving the 2nd amendment every time someone talks about gun control. It's really quite simple, it all boils down to this: your right to bear arms does not trump my right to live. 

[gesundheit]

 I'm so tired of the right wingers waving the 2nd amendment every time someone talks about gun control. It's really quite simple, it all boils down to this: your right to bear arms does not trump my right to live. 

At which point, they will always claim that the right to bear arms saves lives, and that if more good guys with guns were out there, none of these gun massacres would have happened.

 

Which is absurd to me, but I actually know plenty of people for whom this is a sincere belief and not just a bullshit talking point. They're not looking at their right to bear arms as more important than our right to breathe air and go on, they actually think the former is essential to the latter. And that's where the conversation stops because the two sides are just talking about different things.

 

I noticed that when Trevor has started seriously personalizing things, where Jon would've said "our country" and Trevor once would have said "your country," he's now saying "our society."

 

Which is a good adaptation. In the fun stuff, he can still play bewildered outsider learning about America's ridiculous ways, but when he's hitting a sincere note, he can identify himself as very much part of it.

[nodorothyparker]

That's what I keep coming back to.  My son was the same age as the Sandy Hook kids when it happened.  My daughter is that age now.  It's just so damn young.  It should make us as humans weep hot tears of rage to think of kids that young being slaughtered in their classrooms over an amendment written when the most deadly thing on the market was a single-shot musket that would then take several minutes to reload.   Trevor was giving voice to some pretty indignantly righteous rage a lot of people are feeling both over this being a continual argument in the first place and the ensuing ridiculousness over what are some pretty modest provisions of the executive order.

[fastiller]

I hope those morons in Oregon get flooded with unusable care packages. I may send them one myself.

 

Here you go: [Gawker] Sent the Oregon Militia Idiots a Care Package