In respect of Wilfred

“Seek respect mainly from thyself, for it comes first from within.”
– Steven H. Coogler

*sigh*

I’m conflicted. And a little torn.

You see … I’m not certain about Wilfred at this point.

I’ve given it an open mind through five episodes and I’m still not sure about it. In fact, I’m beginning to doubt the respect I have for myself about watching it, the respect that comes from “within” as Mr. Coogler mentioned above.

Wilfred looked fun and frolickous when it began. (Don’t get me wrong — it still is in many ways.) I guffawed out loud at various moments during its premiere. Raw, raunchy and wrong, there are times when you need a few minutes of the kind of entertainment Wilfred offers rolling ’round inside your head. It’s a mind-release. You forget responsibility and worries and stress and you get lost in the moments playing out on your television set.

And while I still see (some) good qualities in the story lines and writing, it’s quickly becoming tedious, repetitive and “groany.” Yes … I used the word groany.

I can only take so much raunch, you know? And this far in it appears it’s being gratuitously thrown our way merely for raunch’s sake. That’s not right. Once in a while, no problem. But, as much as  it’s been tossed out there, it’s no longer working. It needs to mean something, have a place in the story … not just as an aside.

And that’s why at Comic-Con this week one of the places I’ll be headed to is the Wilfred panel, to determine whether I should stick around or move on to something else.

Now, all the above having been said, I witnessed the final scene where Wilfred made Ryan “disappear”  just as you did. I knew precisely what Wilfred was going to do: Flatulate Ryan right off the couch and right out of the room.

And it was still hilarious.

“Seek respect,” Mr. Coogler? Most of the time, yes.

But, in that final juvenile instance, I let it go and went baseline, ground-level, troglodyte and laughed.

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Jul 21, 2011 @ 22:30 EST5EDT