Response to "What I Find Funny About Friends"

As an avid "Friends" viewer, I would have to agree with Alex that the relief, incongruity, and superiority theories of humor are all present throughout the beloved sitcom. One scene that could support all three theories is the scene in which Joey receives the news that his agent Estelle has passed away. Immediately after hearing about Estelle's death, Joey gets a call from Phoebe, who, having not heard the news herself, impersonates the late Estelle to relieve Joey's guilt for dropping her as his agent. This shocks Joey who, believing Estelle is calling him from the afterlife, continues the conversation as if he's talking to a dead person... and hilarity ensues. The relief theory applies here because the dramatic irony (that the audience knows that it's Phoebe on the other end of the line) lightens the mood in what would be a sad situation - receiving the news that a close friend has passed away. The audience's sadness is lifted by humor. On that note, the fact that the the producer mixed a memorial invitation with an adult believing that he's received a phone call from the afterlife is a startling contrast and can support the incongruity theory. Lastly, the notion that an adult would believe that in the first place is ridiculous, and so by laughing at Joey's naïveté, the audience reinforces the superiority theory of humor. They feel superior to Joey and can make fun of his gullibility. Joey often acts in childish and immature ways, and tends to lack the ability to come to logical, reasonable conclusions. As a result, viewers often view him as intellectually inferior and find humor therein. Therefore, although the three theories are perpetuated regularly, I would assert that when it comes to Joey, the superiority theory is the most relevant and most often applicable.

View the clip from "The One Where Estelle Dies" here.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 13, 2018 at 11:10 AM

    The three theories I believe are prevalent in some way or another in every single episode, usually depicted upon certain characters. However, I loved how you picked one scene and described how all three of the theories were accurately represented in that scene. I never thought before to look at one particular scene and analyze if all three theories were present.

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  2. Caroline BassSeptember 15, 2018 at 10:21 AM

    This is a great post! I love that you specifically analyzed a scene using all three theories and even included the use of dramatic irony. Perhaps dramatic irony could even be an example of incongruity theory because of the contrast between the knowledge of the characters and the knowledge of the audience. The difference in perspective of the same scene is what creates the laughter, which is similar to how incongruity theory works.

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  3. Shane HerronSeptember 17, 2018 at 6:33 AM

    This definitely shows the thin line that separates tragedy from comedy!

    ReplyDelete

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