This week’s “Extra Sugar” is going to take us beyond Bernice Clifton and head-first into the wacky world of kooky TV characters.
Of course, at “Sweet Tea & TV”, Bernice holds a special place in our hearts, but we’ve watched enough TV over the years to know there’s an infinite number of lovable oddballs who steal the spotlight with their bizarre behavior and unforgettable antics. And it’s not just Kramer from “Seinfeld” and Phoebe from “Friends”.
Catch this episode to hear some of our personal faves, why we think these eccentric characters have such a lasting impact, and why we can’t help but love their weirdness!
Check out this Paste.com list if you want to dig around on a few more weird and wonderful TV characters.
Couple of other delightful reads:
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
Or listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music.
Transcript
Intro
>> Nikki: Hey, Selena.
>> Selena: Hey, Nikki.
>> Nikki: And hey, everybody. Welcome to this week's Extra Sugar. So I think we pretty unanimously agreed, I think our ten out of five ratings for Bernice this season. that season six was Bernice's season so far. she was wackadoo in all the right ways. And watching her in action, whether it was pretending to choke to get others out of a tough double date situation, or listening to her explain how a push up bra can really activate the neural pathways, her oddness was on full display this season. And that got us in the frame of mind of kooks of all shapes and sizes on tv, leading us to this week's segment, which I'm calling quirky, odd and unforgettable.
What makes a character eccentric?
TV's most eccentric icons. I told you a minute ago, Selena, this could almost be like Nikki's version, because I'm talking about some of the ones that really resonated with me. But definitely, if you have things that you want to share as we go along, or if there's an eccentric that you just resonates with you in a way that you can't. When you think of this, you can't help but think of that particular character, which is how I sort of thought of this segment.
>> Selena: Okay, I'm not going to use the word resonate, okay, like, with me as a human. But I will say that, like, just in general, when you're talking about a TV show, it's always the kooky character that you remember. You know what I'm saying? Like, if you're going to ask people, like, what do you remember about Seinfeld? They remember Kramer, you know, or if it's Friends, they remember Phoebe, you know, like, so all those things, I think, sort of pop for me. But if you were going to ask me, hands down, like, who my favorite. First of all, let me say that actually, Bernice really does rise to the top of the list for me. But it's gotta be Dwight Schrute from the Office. He's a wonderful kook that also, like, over the course of the Office, I felt like they did such a good job providing so much character depth for him for what is frankly a silly show. You know what I'm saying? But it's not silly because there were so many sweet moments, really, towards the end, especially, like, the way he loved Pam and everything in a friend way. And so if I was going to say, like my top three moments.
>> Nikki: Wait, hold on, hold it, hold it, hold it. Because I think this is going to fit in a Little while.
>> Selena: Okay, great.
>> Nikki: I wanted to.
>> Selena: Let me write them down before I forget.
>> Nikki: I wanted to find what makes a character eccentric.
>> Selena: Yes.
>> Nikki: Then I want to talk about a couple individual favorites. And I think that that where you're going with this about Dwight might fit right in right there.
>> Selena: I got so excited.
>> Nikki: I know, I know. I'm excited for you. And I want you to write them down and hold on to it.
Celebrating the heart that quirky characters can bring into a TV show
so we're going to talk about a couple of our favorites, which will now include Dwight Schrute. for me it's going to include Brick Heck and Arthur from the middle and Arthur Spooner from King of Queens, because, you know, my King of Queens gal. but I also want to mention a couple, like, ensemble duos or ensemble eccentrics, specifically Troy and Abed from Community, because they, it's just something I thought of when I was putting this segment together. I love those guys. and then just at the end, I mean, if you take nothing away from the segment, it's kind of silly, but I wanted to celebrate the joy and what you were just saying, the heart that, like, kooky, quirky characters can bring into a TV show. Their oddness makes you laugh, but they also have a little bit of heart. And I want to talk about that a little bit. And then I'm going to link to, some definitive rankings or lists of quirky TV characters in the show notes, if you want to dig around a bit.
The eccentric brings humor through their odd behaviors or unconventional solutions to problems
So what makes a character eccentric? I think you alluded to some of this in general. a few different websites like screencraft.org describe it. describe the archetype of the eccentric as wildly unconventional and quirky. The eccentric brings humor through their odd behaviors, strange inventions or unconventional solutions to problems. I think sometimes they overlap with the buffoon, which is described as often clumsy or foolish. They get into ridiculous situations through their ineptitude, providing physical comedy and slapstick humor. They're lovable and well meaning, but their actions lead to comedic disasters. So I think for us, I'm taking a fairly generic and unscientific approach to eccentrics. I'm really just talking about the oddballs like Bernice. Who do they inject into a sitcom just to make you be like, what? Or laugh really hard.
>> Selena: Right. Also, I think maybe a hallmark of these characters too is maybe they're enjoyable on tv. I don't know. I want to work with them.
>> Nikki: That's a really great point. I think that's a really great point. And I think, I think, both can be true sometimes. And I think there are some characters that resonate with us differently than others. And, well, I don't know. I'll talk about Rose Nyland as an example. So she's from Golden Girls. So Rose is sweet, but she's also hilariously strange. And I understand you're not a Golden Girls aficionado, but surely Selena, you know, they live in Miami, but she's from St. Olaf, Minnesota.
>> Selena: Oh, yes.
>> Nikki: Do you know this?
>> Selena: Okay, yes, somewhere in the back of my head.
>> Nikki: So the St. Olaf stories are a little bit of a hallmark of the character of Rose, and they're sort of what kind of make her a little quirky sometimes.
>> Selena: here. You saw the disconnect on my face is because I was thinking about Sophia for some reason, I don't know why, she just automatically. And I was like, I don't really think about Sophia as being quirky. And then it snapped back and I was like, oh, hello. Hello. So you saw that all happening on my face, and it looked like me in headlights.
>> Nikki: So Betty White, Rose, Nyla. That's who we're talking about. So to say that she's brimming with stories from St Olaf off would be an understatement. They are, like, literally in her DNA. they're legendary. The more absurd they get, the more sincere she gets about them. Like, she tells these stor in a way only Betty White can do it. She tells them in a way that, like, is so straight faced and so earnest, but she is saying the wackiest things. so I'm going to link to an article on screen Rant in the show notes, and you can read some of the Zania Saint Aloft stories. But it gave a nice summation of this crazy place. It says, quote, St. Olaf seems to be a magical place that neither follows the laws of society, neither the laws of physics. It's also full of weirdos, which are my words, not theirs. And that's really gives you a peek into the character of Rose and why she's a little bit quirky. So as evidenced by the story of Nels, who's the soda jerk in the town's drugstore and tackle shop, Rose describes her Saturday ritual of visiting the drugstore to get some ice cream. That's where we learned that Nels was also the town's jerk. She said, well, Nels would arrange the ice cream scoops in an obscene way. I could never prove it, because by the time I take it home to show my father, the evidence had melted. To this day, every time I pass an Ice cream parlor or a tackle shop. I blush. She's just full of these weird stories where you're just like, what is happening? Sometimes they're relevant. Most of the time they're not. but that part of Rose's character really sets the stage for the sorts of characteristics that we can expect from TV eccentrics in general, like these weird backstories or these just quirky things happening in the background.
Rose is the heart of the show. Her optimism makes her seem ditzy
The other great thing about Rose and I think this is where we can talk maybe a little bit about Dwight, is that, you know, characters like her are not just comic relief, they also bring heart to the show. So Rose is really kind, she's really lovable, she's really loving, she's innocent. Her optimism makes her seem really ditzy, but those are the things that really make her the heart of the group. she has these eccentric stories, but she always approaches life with this really pure and open heart. And I think in some ways her character might be a little aspirational for people. Like, I wish I could see the world the way Rose does. so you kind of maybe can see yourself. Maybe is the way you want to be. She's a little bit aspirational in that sense.
The other character that falls in this category for me is Brick Heck
the other character that falls in this category for me, or of soft quirk or like bringing heart to a show is Brick Heck from the middle.
>> Selena: You're.
>> Nikki: Are you a. You're a middler?
>> Selena: I watched the whole series.
>> Nikki: Okay.
>> Nikki: So he's full of quirks. they're not like, laugh out loud quirks. Like when the day comes and you watch, Golden Girls, you will listen to the St. Olaf stories and you will laugh out loud. Brick isn't like that. he doesn't have weird inventions or weird backstories necessarily. He's just kind of weird. He whispers to himself. He's obsessed with fonts. Like funny things, but really unexpected. Like the font obsession. I remember when that came up, I was like, what is happening right now? Why is this child obsessed with fonts? But also, like, I love a good font. And so I think also, I understand. I fully get it.
>> Selena: Also, I'm always talking about fonts.
>> Nikki: I talk about them a lot.
>> Selena: and I think that's the thing.
>> Nikki: Like, because of his weirdness, he doesn't always fit in and his eccentricities are kind of reflecting, like, the way he is perceived in society. Like, he does these weird things and you're like, everyone around him must think this dude is so weird. And I think a lot of people can relate to that, like, people see that and see, like, he's weird and it works out okay for him, so maybe it'll be okay for me. And I think that's kind of a. Sometimes with quirky people on tv, that's some of what you can see.
>> Selena: Yeah, I think that's fair. My stories for Dwight aren't sweet.
>> Nikki: Okay.
>> Selena: I.
>> Nikki: Are they mean?
>> Selena: They're.
>> Nikki: No, I have a mean category, too.
>> Selena: They're just super quirky. Like, they're just super weird. so, it's. I can save them or not share them at all.
>> Nikki: Go for it.
>> Selena: Well, I was gonna say, like, you'll see me make this joke. And it's his. It's. The PE Corner in an elevator is, like, totally ripped from that show. He, is in the elevator stuck with Pam for all. Do you know this episode? Okay, it's like, 10 seconds, and he's, like, unzipping his fly, and she's like.
>> Nikki: What are you just happening right now?
>> Selena: He's like, I'm establishing a pee corner. It's, like, important. It's so obvious in his head, you know? And then there's the CPR episode, where he attacks the doll, tears off the face, and then he's, like, wearing it like Hannibal Lecter. And then probably my very favorite is the fire drill episode. And that's where he's like, no one was listening last week. Like, you get this all the cold open. And he's basically like, no one was listening last week when we did a. When the fire safety guy came in, he was like, so I'm gonna do a fire drill this morning. He sets the trash can on fire, and then just chaos ensues all around the office, including Angela throwing her cat up into the ceiling and going, safe, bandit. I mean, it is literally like. It is perfection on tv like, I have never seen before. But the thing is, if you were to talk about this idea, he thinks he's doing a good thing. He thinks that he is helping people. He just doesn't realize that he is the agent of chaos. but in terms of nice things, he obviously really loves Michael Scott. And so over the course of the series, there is some reciprocity that's given to Dwight. And he puts himself in all of these really terrible positions because he loves him so much. In the end, him and Jim are actually quite close. weirdly, I'm going to talk about that more in an upcoming extra sugar, so hold it. Okay. But, I don't know. I just have so much love for Dwight M. It's just amazing. I'm like, he is the best, but I don't want to be with him in real life.
When I think quirks on tv, I think about Charlie Kelly from Always Sunny
>> Nikki: So I think that segues nicely into the next character. I wanted to talk about that. Really. I just, I. When I think quirks on tv, I think about Charlie Kelly from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He's so funny. He's just weird. And it's so good. Again, like the creator of chaos and weirdness. so I wonder, and you can tell me I'm not a Seinfeld person. Is Charlie like a pseudo approximation. Approximation of Kramer, just like in a different stew. So, like, he's. He's amid a different ensemble.
>> Selena: Oh, my gosh. That is such a good question. And I've probably seen. Because there's so many seasons of Always Sunny.
>> Nikki: Yeah.
>> Selena: That I feel like I've only seen maybe a third of the show.
>> Nikki: for sure.
>> Selena: I've seen 8,000 episodes. For sure. But I am not as schooled on it as I am on Seinfeld. I could see the proxy. there are some really weird things that I've seen Charlie do on the show. And Kramer was just a really weird guy. Like, yeah, he's making sausage in Seinfeld's apartment or in Jerry's apartment. You know, like, you know, he. His maybe m. The most famous thing he does every single time is like, bust into the apartment, in a weird way. Or like, oh, he gets driven crazy by a Kenny Rogers sign. Or like, and it turns him into like, like only halfway there. Like, he goes across this country to move away. Maybe Jerry made a mad or something that's like kind of early in the series and then winds up getting accused of being a serial killer or something. It's just so, like, just kind of falling into these weird scenarios. I feel like that happens to Charlie and that feels on par.
>> Nikki: Yeah. So Charlie's like the definition of unpredictable. He can barely read. He's obsessed with cats. He has a love hate relationship with cleaning toilets. He invents weird things. Going back to that trait. Do you remember Kitten Mittens? Maybe that was one of the funniest moments on tv. It brought me to tears. And occasionally, if I'm having a bad day, I'll just go watch Kitten Mittens.
>> Selena: Oh, that's fun. Okay, I'll.
>> Nikki: It's an invention. And then he creates a commercial on TV to sell the product and it just like, weird. And his confidence, he's very confident, confident about these odd ideas. Like Kitten Mittens. He thought was the thing that was going to change the world. And it just makes him kind of a lovable disaster.
>> Selena: The thing that's hard about It's Always Sunny is they're all really kooky. But it's funny that he is kooky enough to kind of stand out from.
>> Nikki: Them, but everybody kind of. What I meant by the Seinfeld, connection as well, because I know enough about Seinfeld to know they all have quirks.
>> Selena: They're all unlikable, they're all unlike.
>> Nikki: So in Always Sunny, they're all unlikable. But it's a little bit of a darker show, I think.
>> Selena: Yes.
>> Nikki: So it really sets the stage for Charlie to be like, somehow heads and shoulders above the rest of the cast, even though they're all a little weird.
>> Selena: I think if there had been an FX situation, Larry David would have taken it to more. You see where Larry David would have taken Seinfeld by watching Curbed.
>> Nikki: Right.
>> Selena: So. And it is darker and it's harsher.
>> Nikki: Yeah.
>> Selena: than Seinfeld ever could have been on NBC. That just wasn't a thing. That was a thing then, you know.
>> Nikki: So taking a step down from Charlie, because I think any, any character is a step down from Charlie.
Arthur Spooner from King of Queens has many quirky TV quirks
In my personal encyclopedia of favorite TV quirks is Arthur Spooner from King of Queens. So Arthur, Kevin James's father in law. So Doug, that's his father in law. His daughter is Carrie. He lives in Doug and Carrie's basement. He's widely known in show lore as being erratic and scheming, like you always know.
>> Selena: Also George's dad.
>> Nikki: Right.
>> Selena: On Seinfeld. And also Ben Stiller's dad in real life.
>> Nikki: So all, all quirky things.
>> Selena: Is it quirky to be Vin Stiller? Yes, it would be quirky if I was Ben Stiller's dad.
>> Nikki: Yeah, that's true.
>> Selena: That would be the quirkiest problem.
>> Nikki: Just like Ben Stiller also is like a wacky kind of guy.
>> Selena: Yeah.
>> Nikki: Anyway, so Arthur, he's constantly interrupting Carrie and Doug's lives. His involvement in the show literally starts because he burns his house down. That's in the pilot episode. He moves in with them because he's burned his own house down. a King of Queens fandom page describes Arthur like this. Quick to take offense. He shouts frequently and often unnecessary. Necessarily. Often Comes up with absolutely absurd, irregular or illogical money making schemes. he's basically a selfish, narcissistic individual who feels the world owes him and that he needs to be treated a certain way for who he thinks he is.
>> Selena: I mean, honestly, it sounds like George's dad.
>> Nikki: Really?
>> Selena: Yeah. I mean, and I've seen, like, I don't have your encyclopedic knowledge of King of Queens. I don't. But I've seen probably 20 or so episodes, maybe more. and yeah, he's kind of playing the same character, but it's like a. He's less mean.
>> Nikki: Okay.
>> Selena: He's. He's pretty mean.
>> Nikki: Yeah.
>> Selena: Seinfeld.
>> Nikki: Yeah. He's not. Yeah, I guess that's a good point. He's not overly mean. He does weird stuff. Like one time there's this episode about the senior center. The senior center is kind of this subplot and they don't. They don't do the thing we talked about with Bernice. They don't take you into the senior center that often. Occasionally they do, and it's really funny, but he runs, like a full blown political campaign to become the president of the senior center. it comes out through the series that he may or may not be, like, a communist supporter. There's like this weird interaction with a Russian, Russian contractor who comes into the house. There's this weird interaction they have about communism that doesn't go well. He has a list of things he's forbidden from the house. like Halloween, red pens, non American VCRs.
>> Selena: Okay.
>> Nikki: Any mention of Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness and miniature Kit Kats. And to that point, like, he screams about them.
>> Selena: This is a non American. Wait, hold on. What's an American vcr?
>> Nikki: Hey, man, that's up to you to figure out.
>> Selena: He has. He has beta. Right.
>> Nikki: So he sounds terrible, but I love his character.
>> Selena: So much of this works on tv.
>> Nikki: Yes.
>> Selena: It's just. It's just good. Like, I don't know. It's really enjoyable to think about these characters, I have to tell you.
Are you telling me that Kirk is not on your list of favorite TV characters
Are you telling me that Kirk is not on your list?
>> Nikki: I didn't put him on the list. Because you don't like him. I think Amy's fine, but I just like. Yeah. And he. The thing. When I started writing this because I had Kirk on the list when I started writing it, I was like. But what makes Kirk weird is that he has a lot of jobs. Do you know? Like.
>> Selena: Well, he runs naked through the town square a few times, I think.
>> Nikki: A few times?
>> Selena: I think. So, like, there's the kind of weird relationship with his mom. I mean, hold on, let me reframe. It's not the way I would approach the relationship with my mom. But there's like, the whole time he sets up that date and he, like, he goes into Luke's diner and he's testing out the different tables.
>> Nikki: Yes.
>> Selena: Very, like early Sheldon Cooper.
>> Nikki: Yes.
>> Selena: he, like, makes all those movies that are weird. They're supposed to be like Eraserhead and stuff he does, but they're, like, weirder and even worse.
>> Nikki: I think the thing about Kirk for me is I don't. Yes. I. He's not my favorite. It's not that I don't like him. It just wasn't enough funny. Like, the payoff with him wasn't so great, I think.
>> Selena: Haven't we talked offline about how the town folk didn't always land for us anyway?
>> Nikki: And it's so hard now that we've seen, like, the followup to, like, the, second series or whatever.
>> Selena: Like A Year in the Life.
>> Nikki: A Year in the Life. Kirk, like, really just, It just doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't add anything to the storyline. He's not really, like, laugh out loud funny. Just a lot of, like, So now we've talked about him.
>> Selena: It's crazy that he's James Gunn's brother.
>> Nikki: That is very strange. And every time he pops up in one of those, Guardian. Guardian movies, I'm just like, what's happening right now?
>> Selena: I know, it's weird. Yeah. What's Kirk doing here?
>> Nikki: Because he's. He's.
>> Selena: It just shows what universe you're from. You know what I'm saying?
>> Nikki: Right.
>> Selena: Yeah, yeah. You're from the Gilmore Girls universe. Right, Right.
>> Nikki: so then not every eccentric character is an over the top disaster. I don't know that I'd put Kirk in the over the top disaster disaster category, but I definitely would put Arthur and Charlie in that category.
Wilson Wilson from Home Improvement was my first sitcom I ever watched
The other one I thought about is Wilson Wilson from Home Improvement.
>> Selena: Oh, okay.
>> Nikki: So again, my personal slant on all of this is. I think I've shared before. Home Improvement was, like, my show growing up. Like, of course I watched Full House and I watched Family Matters. But, like, when I think of sitcoms, Home Improvement was my first sitcom I ever watched from beginning to end, actually.
>> Selena: It's also weird to think about this show being on at the same time as Designing Women.
>> Nikki: Yes.
>> Selena: Isn't that weird? It broke my brain overlap.
>> Nikki: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I also really love jtt, so.
>> Selena: I know you do.
>> Nikki: That's why I just kept tuning on in. Anyway, thinking about this segment, you and.
>> Selena: Many other young girls.
>> Nikki: So many of us. I had a giant poster on My wall till, like, well into college.
>> Selena: You and many other young girls. And young boys.
>> Nikki: Young boys. so Wilson Wilson was the Taylor family's wise, always hidden neighbor. He dispenses deep philosophical advice from behind his fence. his eccentricity comes from both being mysterious. Like, you never really feel like, you know, Wilson.
>> Selena: I just needed to see the bottom of that face.
>> Nikki: Just I had to know what this man looked like for so long. It didn't.
>> Selena: No, sorry, Wilson.
>> Nikki: Not in a bad way. No. Just built so much mystery over the years.
>> Selena: I was expecting him to look more like, the grandfather from Gilmore Girls at the bottom of his face.
>> Nikki: Oh, interesting.
>> Selena: Yeah, they have very similar upper faces.
>> Nikki: Sure. Okay.
>> Selena: Sorry. Aren't you glad I'm here to add these helpful points? In all.
>> Nikki: All super helpful.
>> Selena: Helpful.
>> Nikki: Super helpful. So he was not like a loud, over the top, comic relief sort of character, but he was definitely always there, bubbling in the background as sort of an oddball next door.
>> Selena: I mean, if you think about it, that would be quite quirky for your neighbor's face to always be there. And like, in the mix, I would be like, what are you doing?
>> Nikki: What's happening out of here? And how do you know so much about our family?
>> Selena: Right. A little. Maybe it's more scary than quirky.
>> Nikki: Yeah. Right.
Donald Glover stars as Troy and Abed on Community
so then I wanted to just give a quick nod to ensemble quirks. And I've already said this is going to be Troy and Abed from Community for me.
>> Selena: Oh, okay.
>> Nikki: They are so funny. They're just so funny. their mutual eccentricity makes them a really perfect match for one another. I did not go back, obviously, for this segment and re watch every episode of every TV show that I'm mentioning here. If memory serves, in the very early seasons, Troy and Abed could not look more different from one another on paper. So Troy, I think, was a football player and a jock and he ends up at community college because, a scholarship doesn't go through or something. And Abed is very, like, focused and seems like,
>> Selena: Oh, it's Donald Glover.
>> Nikki: Yes.
>> Selena: Okay.
>> Selena: He's known for a thing or two outside of Community now, correct?
>> Nikki: Now he is, yeah. but they just seem like an unlikely duo and then they pair up and you realize they're both quirky in really weird ways. but they, like, end up making these really iconic moments for the show, like Troy and Abed in the Morning, their imaginary morning show. they make epic blanket forts. in fact, there's one whole plot line I think it might go over two Episodes in one of the seasons where they turn the entire community college into giant fort.
>> Selena: That sounds really fun.
>> Nikki: It's really fun. It's a really fun episode of Episodes of tv.
I never told you I've seen Donald Glover in real life
So I promised you that I didn't want to put you on the spot, and you mentioned some things along the way, but was there anything else that we did that I didn't talk about in my personal list that you want to mention?
>> Selena: First of all, I never told you I've seen Donald Glover in real life.
>> Nikki: Oh, where'd you see.
>> Selena: I forgot. until just now. No, this is probably a year and a half or two years ago. I was in Krog. M. Krog Street Market. Krogmark. I don't know what the actual name is, but it's like one of the food halls that's on Crog street. And like, why do I think it's Krog?
>> Nikki: City Market, I think. City Market. Oh, Street Market.
>> Selena: Yeah, that sounds right. Sure, I should know, but I don't. Market. anyways, and I. I, like, we were getting food or whatever, and they're like, my guy's done clever. And like, I turn around, it's just like a flash. I barely saw him, cuz he had like a huge, like, entourage.
>> Nikki: Did he look magnetic?
>> Selena: he had. He was dressed. It was like cold still, so I know he had like a toboggan situation on. And I just remember, like, he's. He's like. He's obviously a very attractive guy, but, you know, everyone's more attractive when you see them in real life. Cuz, like. Yeah, but also, I did. I didn't know that he was going to.
>> Nikki: He's height challenged.
>> Selena: Well, I wasn't gonna say that. Well, I'm height challenged. I was not expecting him to be closer to my height than. Closer to your height. You know, that was the two things that struck me and dang it, why didn't I turn around faster?
>> Nikki: It's hard to know because, he's so talented. The guy that plays the main character on Community, whose name I'm blanking on.
>> Selena: Right now, is so tall.
>> Nikki: So tall. So it, Like, I guess I just assumed that Donald Glover was kind of on the shorter side.
>> Selena: Oh, yeah, that's fair. Joel McKell.
>> Nikki: Thank you.
>> Selena: I've got this pulled up. I'm not near that good. Who is also very funny. And I love a dry pan like sense of humor.
This show has some Designing Women energy, which is crazy
What was your question?
>> Nikki: Do you have anything to add? Any characters you want to talk about?
>> Selena: Okay. I'm gonna name just a couple more that I feel like need a shout out. One is Karen, because I. I think this also has some Designing Women energy. This is Karen from Will and Grace. I think that Suzanne Sugarbaker walks so that Karen Walker could run. we see people note that, and she just, like. She is also someone is, like, the seasons wore on, who just got more and more eccentric and just a little weirder. And it was just, like, pretty enjoyable. She also had, like. Well, we get to see. I don't. I am blanking on her maid's name right now. But, like, it has that energy, but that's not right. And I'm sure somebody, like. Which is crazy because I used to watch that all the time. It's just been too long. and I just didn't think it'd be fun to just have me sit here and try and remember something. The other person.
>> Nikki: Rosario.
>> Selena: Yes. Thank you.
Creed from the Office
The other person I have to mention is Creed from the office. You. The old man. So you only learn about him in these little snippets, but every time you do, it's, like, outlandish or, like, literally criminal. I think when the show ends, he's actually running from the law. Maybe he gets, like, tackled in the last scene or something. It's something so bizarre. But this is, like, one of my favorite, like, random things is. So there's an episode where Michael, goes, okay, Ryan, you told Toby that Creed has a distinct old man smell. Then it cuts to Creed, and he's, like, talking to the film crew, and he says, I know exactly what he's talking about. I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel on my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death. And that is him to a T. In, like, every scene where we actually get to spend some time with him, he gets, like, all the best lines.
>> Nikki: I'm so fascinated by writers who write for these characters. Like, do they just mind the weirdest part of their brain?
>> Selena: Or, like, you know, someone's known this person, you know?
>> Nikki: Right.
>> Selena: Sprouted among beans in there. It smells like death. It just. It's so good. It's so good. Again, I don't want to smell your mung beans in the office. Which does sound like a euphemism.
>> Nikki: You don't have. I'll keep my mung beans to myself.
>> Selena: Yeah, I don't think I have to worry about that. so, yeah, those are mine.
>> Nikki: Okay.
>> Selena: This is wonderful.
>> Nikki: I'm just like.
>> Selena: I know it'll be good.
>> Nikki: You Know, my wheel, my comfort zone and wheelhouse is just, like, goofy and silly. it's earnest. I love that about Ventura. And it's just where I live. so the eccentric characters are always my favorites, and I think there are lots of things about them that make them special. But I wonder, like, is it. Is for some people, is it just the funny bits? Is it the weird St. Olaf stories? That's. Anytime Rosa starts a story with back in St. Olaf, I just tune in because I know this is gonna be glorious. Is it thought obsessions or indeterminate arterial flow issues that cause them to say whatever the heck is on their mind? Is that what we're tuning in for? Is it their ability to suppress? Like, you were just talking about Creed with these weird things that you just don't even see coming? like, you know, on Community, I feel like Troy and Abed hit a moment where I felt like they weren't really doing much, and then all of a sudden, this. This fort situation pops up, and you're like, what is happening? These guys are so strange. I don't know if it's that, you know, that surprise element, if it's the relatability element. Like, you know, eccentric characters really can remind you that it's okay to be a little bit weird and then make you laugh while they do it, which I feel like is relatable for people.
>> Selena: Totally.
>> Nikki: It's definitely comfortable.
Outro
So that's all. That's it, and we're done. thanks for joining this week's Extra Sugar. This is our ode to TB oddballs. Please don't hesitate to reach out to share your favorite eccentric or a favorite memory of a cook on tv.
>> Selena: I thought you were telling me. Thank you for joining. Thank you.
>> Nikki: Thank you also for being here today, Selena. Thank you.
>> Selena: Am I the podcast ck?
>> Nikki: Maybe. I. I guess people have to tell us. People have to tell us.
>> Selena: What a fun thing to open up ourselves, too.
>> Nikki: Well, you called me the podcast Allison earlier, so. No, now you have to be the pod sleepovers. Sure. Walk it back now.
>> Selena: The PE corner is over there. I established it before you caught here.
>> Nikki: She's always establishing PE Cors. So strange.
>> Selena: It's critical.
>> Nikki: So email us. Sweet. Find us on the socials. We're eetntv on Facebook and Instagram. Or sweet TV pod on TikTok. You can visit the, website wweetv.com until next time, stay a little weird, and we'll see you in our next episode, which will be all about Anthony. Bye!
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