One person’s argument as to why you should watch their show, which was recently put on Netflix.
If you’re a fan of comedy, you already know who Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci are. If you’re not a fan of comedy (what’s wrong with you?), then they’re the amazingly funny duo known as Garfunkel and Oates. The gist: two women sing folksy songs about stuff folksy songs normally aren’t about. Examples include “Weed Card,” “Pregnant Women are Smug” and “Handjob, Blandjob, I Don’t Understand Job.” Their act is really funny and as original as one can get in the Everything’s Been Done! era.
So now that you know enough about them, I can continue on to the real point of this article, which is that their show – which was recently cancelled after just one season – is now on Netflix!
You should care about this for a few reasons. For one, the show is ridiculous, fun and hysterical. However, upon viewing all eight episodes, you’ll notice something else about the duo. They’re intensely witty and not afraid of any subject. They display the kind of courage that the most successful, important funny people display.
But the real reason to watch Garfunkel and Oates is that the duo has a penchant for making that which is uncomfortable really awesome and funny, especially for men.
I will never pretend to know the experience of women – not in the past, not in the present. However, any show that can bring me closer to understanding just a little part of that experience, and be funny at the same time, is a home run in my mind. Lindhome and Micucci relentlessly take on subjects that are quite alien to the modern male experience, and they do so while pushing the envelope and not taking anything too seriously.
For example, check out the aforementioned “Handjob, Bland Job, I Don’t Understand Job”:
Super funny. But also, they hit upon a subject that isn’t often explored through pop culture. We hear from men all the time that they don’t understand the female body, or that women are “complicated.” It is truly refreshing to hear it from the other side. Frankly, we need more of this.
To truly get out of the male experience, I just flip on the last two episodes of the series, which are all about Lindhome freezing her eggs so she can have a baby when she feels ready to do so. Honestly, it is not something I’ve thought about, and probably is something more men should think about. Plus, like everything they do, it is weird and funny. Check out the clip below, and get a little bonus at the end: their catchy, positive opening credits! I often sing it to myself to convince myself that going to work again will be fine.
