Oh. My. Gosh. I love this show so much. It is one of my all-time favorites. This scene is the funniest, and it is a perfect indicator of Jake's character as a whole. I agree that this best fits the incongruity theory due to the contrast between the levity of the singing and the sincerity of the case of trying to find who her brother's murderer is.
An interesting point to think about is how this video could be described by the benign-violation. I think most of us could agree that either we found this video funny or could see what makes this video funny. However, in my opinion, Jake made an obvious violation of social norms by laughing in this serious situation, but this violation was not benign since it was an incredibly serious situation that had to do with putting someone in jail for potentially the rest of his life, due to murder.
Overall, this video is a good one to discuss the different theories and how they work because of the fact that not all the theories can fully explain what makes this video funny when it is undoubtedly funny. I think it is a good start for conversations to follow regarding how different social norms can be attributed to different comedy theories.
I think that's a good point that we could arguably say this is certainly not benign, though it is benign in the sense that it is a fictional show. Does this show the limits of benign violation?
ReplyDeleteI agree that not all the theories work for this clip. Especially relief theory. I feel like this isn't making a joke at some deeper meaning to relieve anxieties. It is just silly and that's why it is funny.
ReplyDeleteI like your point about the benign violation theory! I can imagine the woman didn't find it very funny in the moment, but to an observer, this theory fits perfectly!
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