I Think You Should Leaveis a series of absurd skits that balance making the audience feel uncomfortable and making them laugh. But while it seems ridiculous, the show actually discovers a pretty wide range of human behavior and thinking. This very particular brand of humor is commonly associated with Tim Robinson, which is why he is a part of the Netflix comedy seriesThe Characters.This series, likeI Think You Should Leave,is a modern approach to satire.
The entirety ofThe Charactersreflects on some of the absurd, cliche types of people that existin modern society. It shines a light on some of the ridiculous realities of our world in a way that points out the humor of the situations. Another familiar feature in its comedy is its ability to set up a joke as being very simple and stupid but, by the end, revealing it has a deeper meaning or a twist.
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Many adult skit shows write jokes that deliberately say the message they’re trying to get across. Shows likeThe Characters, on the other hand, tend to show the situation as it is, in a light that revealshow ridiculous it actually ison its own- without any help. This series uses one primary actor per episode. In other words, in each episode, one actor plays all of the different characters for that episode and there’s a new actor each time. This is much like howDrunk Historyhas a different host to tell the tale of each episode. Although it has only one actor play the main characters in each episode, the whole show still has several big comedians make appearances, either as the star or playing smaller parts. The cast alone speaks tothe ability of this seriesto invoke laughs from the audience.
Of course, Tim Robinson is among the impressive cast members for episode 7 of the one-season series. In his episode, you get to experience Tim Robinson’s classic acting ability that seems particularly made for this type of humor. His performance is somehow able to make the audience raise their eyebrows, being impressed, in one moment and then cringe from the awkward tension the next moment. He is a very skilled actor that is great at capturing a wide array of different people which makes him a prime candidate for the cast of this show.
Asthe name of the showsuggests, the focus of each skit is not the situation that’s going on in each storyline, but the characters that are experiencing it. Each episode has a collection of distinctly different characters that seem hand-picked for the actors that portray them. Further, each actor perfectly captures the several characters in their episode which seems to truly bring them to life and emphasize each of them, though there are many.
Tim Robinson’s characters involve several songs performed by him which makes them stand out even more. Though his skitsinvolve a lot of songs, all of them are very different from each other, both in content and in sound. The songs are not just another way to display Tim Robinson’s talent but also reflect stereotypes in music genres, or reflect a character’s inner emotions or thoughts better than the character could on their own. This inclusion of music is just another signature piece of Tim’s performance ability that adds to the humor of the story and the tone of the message.
In general, this show is pretty bold in the jokes it’s willing to make and is definitely an adult comedy. Tim Robinson’s episode,especially, covers some dark conceptsin the jokes but also makes a good point by doing so. For example, in what skit, a guy that is commonly picked on at work falls for the pranks of his coworkers while revealing deep, traumatic secrets about his life which in turn makes the coworkers feel bad and learn a lesson about picking on others.
However, while the episode commonly uses some dark jokes to prove a lesson, it also has plenty of more light-hearted, seemingly simple humor that balances some of that heavier content. For example, a skit about a fatherwriting a love songfor his future, ideal son-in-law. This pattern of alternating dark jokes with silly ones is a staple component in this style of humor, and it’s an art that Tim Robinson seems to have perfected, as his episode ofThe Charactersproves.
Just likeI Think You Should Leave,The Characterschanges the game for what comedy is capable of achieving. Tim’s episode- really,the entire show- is worth watchingto get another exposure to what is nothing short of artful comedy. It presents itself as intertwining absurdity with reality, but by the end, reveals that the two were always interwoven. As a result, the viewer walks away from watching the show with a new perspective and a smile on their face.
