I know my last post was a bit of a downer. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to post about something a bit happier to follow-up.
While I’ve been wallowing in the doldrums of 2020, there have been a few glimmers of light peeking through the black clouds. And four of those glimmers are named Sal, Murr, Q, and Joe.
That’s right. Thanks to quarantine, I have developed an obsession with the TruTV show Impractical Jokers.
I actually have my sister to thank for this. She is part of my very limited social bubble, so, after she gave birth in September, I would go to her house on my days off or after work in the evenings to keep her company, and she had recently begun watching the show. Since it frequently graced the television screen at her house, we developed a mutual obsession for it. Though it’s been on the air for years, I’d never watched a moment of it until quarantine hit. I’ve been binge-watching the whole series on HBO Max at home since I don’t have cable, and I’ll even watch episodes over again because they retain the hilarity factor super well.
And y’all… it is damn funny. The hijinks they get into are equally cringe-worthy and laughter-inducing. Admittedly, it’s not a brand of humor I typically ascribe to (I’m a dark humor, sarcasm, parody/satire type of person) so I never bothered to watch before, but I have been effectively hooked by the antics of four life-long friends who compete to embarrass each other. It definitely helps that their real friendship lends to their incredible on-screen chemistry, but also makes the humor flow with ease instead of feeling forced. The guys genuinely make each other laugh, not just the audience – and that’s a big factor of their success.
Of course, there are times (particularly in earlier seasons) where the humor might be toeing the line a bit – there are some jokes that have made me go “Oh, nooooo…” out loud – but in general, it’s all in good fun. Very rarely does a show make me laugh out loud, and this one does it at least once per episode.
Though each Joker has their own appeal and their own distinct approach to pranks and tasks, Joe is definitely my favorite. “Scoopski potatoes” will never not make me laugh. But Sal’s “Kranjis McBasketball” is a close second.
In short, Impractical Jokers is “impractical” for me. I’m a fantasy, sci-fi, anime lover – my current watch list is The Mandalorian, His Dark Materials and Yashahime, among a couple of others – but sometimes, after a long and grueling day of work dealing with the Christmas-shopping horde, it is exactly what I need to make the stress melt away. Neither my sister nor I ever expected to become obsessed with it, but it really has brought joy to our lives during a difficult time.
If you’re feeling the stress of this holiday season, or feel buried in the depression of quarantine, maybe give something a little more “impractical” a go.
Frostwritten 