A charismatic psychic detective working with his partner (insert made-up first and last name), solving crimes for the Santa Barbara Police Department, has long been my evening wind-down entertainment.
I’ve watched every season and episode of Psych multiple times on several different streaming platforms. I was tempted to buy the box set on DVD, even though I haven’t owned a DVD player for 10 years.
Shawn Spencer, the star of the show, is the resident unserious comedic relief that fuels the lighthearted nature of every episode, despite plots composed of heinous crimes and their perpetrators. His persona, however, relies heavily on popular culture.
His jokes, methods of solving cases, and even the aliases he creates for himself and his partner Gus with new character interactions rest almost completely on the shoulders of nostalgic pop culture references from the 80s and 90s.
“Gus, don’t be the 100th Luftballoon.”
“For the love of Lori Loughlin.”
“One more time, Chandler Bing style!”
And we’re just scratching the surface.
Instead of growing bored with every cycle through the series, I find it funnier. His lines haven’t changed—but I’ve certainly familiarized myself with more of what he refers to simply by existing in the social world. My dad, who grew up in the 80s, still seems to have an advantage over me in catching every joke. I am getting there, but I’m genuinely impressed by how many niche references still go right over my head. While I may find it impressive, his fellow characters may find it infuriating.
Steven Sewell pulled no punches in sharing his view of pop culture: a mechanism of exclusion with a primary purpose of division. While he paints pop culture as a line between those who “get it” and those who don’t (and eventually makes the argument that no one actually “gets it,” so popular culture is a never-ending weapon of consumerism), Mr. Shawn Spencer has helped me see another division.
Shawn leans on his witty references because, often, they inspire relatability and establish some degree of credibility. However, one joke too many—one comment too niche—and all of a sudden, he’s an imbecile. He either makes no sense because the reference falls on un-pop-cultured ears, or he diminishes his credibility because he’s left reality for a counterfeit version of movie quotes and washed-out musicians. Characters like the head detective, and even his father, never cease to remind him they see him this way.
Maybe characters in our personal series use a similar scale in their perceptions of us, though often less vocally. At least I know I have.
What is required to be numbered among those who “get it” while not letting “it” be all we ever get?
At what point does our consumption and use of popular culture become too much to stay connected to reality?
I’ve heard it both ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment