I’ve been discussing Wilfred with quite a few people of late.
Opinions have been flying left and right about the show. What’s Ryan’s deal? Why is Wilred such an ass one moment … and so poignant the next? Is Ryan really that moved by the things Wilfred says? Or is he just able to be that easily manipulated?
We learned a big, huge reason why his sister Kristen is such a stick in the mud a few episodes ago … or did we? Was this engaging plot twist — cute as it was — of some hint of things to come in his demeanor?
Tara and I have been discussing Wilfred here and there, and she came up with an interesting take on Ryan: “Hey … what if he’s dead … ?!?”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
We chewed this about a bit and it really got me thinking. Seriously. Here are some thoughts you might want to consider when it comes to the subject:
Wilfred, episode 8 – Anger: Ryan is given one of the greatest gifts he could ever receive … the return of his beloved pet dog, Sneakers. Could this mean he’s on some sort of spiritual journey? Or that he’s in limbo? Or … was it all just an illusion?
Wilfred, episode 9 – Compassion: We discover Ryan’s last name is “Newman” in this episode. “New man” … ??? Telling? Maybe.
Additionally, Wilfred tosses out a pretty telling statement at Ryan during his meeting with his mother (Mary Steenburgen): “You know, Ryan … for a guy who tried to kill himself, you don’t have a whole lot of compassion.” And the opening blurb in the beginning of the episode? “Make no judgments where you have no compassion.” – Anne McCaffrey. Maybe, just maybe, there’s no compassion because … he’s dead …
Notice the facility his mother is staying at in the episode? It’s called “Clouds” … as in sky … heaven … stars … *hmmmmmmmmmm* Plus, you want to head down the path of thought that Mom has an anthropomorphic cat she talks to, too?
Wilfred, episode 10 – Isolation: “Isolation is a self-defeating dream.” – Carlos Slainas de Gortari. Well, mayhap that dream state is more than it appears, no? All that paranoia running rampant through the episode certainly lends to one not being among the living. Confusion … bewilderment. Do you hear what I’m saying?
And then we come to this week’s Wilfred, episode 11 – Doubt: “Doubt must be no more than vigilance, otherwise it can become dangerous.” – George C. Lichtenberg. Was Bruce (Dwight Yokam) even real? Was he simply a figment of Ryan’s imagination? Was there really any history between him and Wilfred? How ’bout that overall calm, cool, and contented peace and harmony that was the ending of the episode — Wilfred and Ryan gazing at the wispy pink clouds in the heavens?
Okay … forget all the above for a moment: What about Wilfred himself? There’s always a moment in each show where Ryan questions his relationship with him, or says something along the lines of “I can’t believe you just did that!” or some such. Talk about your doubt! He’s got it in spades!
I’m telling you: These are all latent signs, clues to Ryan quite possibly being bereft of life.
“Never think you’ve seen the last of anything.” – Eudora Welty
Note:
If there’s one thing I’ve always enjoyed in film and on television, it’s the appearance of Dwight Yoakam in a role. I enjoyed him supremely in Sling Blade as well as here in “Doubt.” The dude is a terrific talent.
Quote:
“Please … tell me that donkey-faced thing with the braces is not the chick you’re going to out with.” – Wilfred
“She doesn’t have braces!” – Ryan
“Yeah, you just can’t see’em ’cause they’re probably on her legs. How do you think she supports that massive donkey face?” – Wilfred
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Aug 26, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I think he really is. Dead. I think in the first episode he succeeded in OD’ing, and Wilfred is some sort of weird ass guide. Showing Ryan lessons he missed in life. At least, that’s how I’d write it. But I already told you this!
This is what happens when you renew Lost.
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Sebastian:
That’s the farthest thing from Lost ever. It doesn’t even make sense.
*shrug*
If you say so. Other than “The 6th Sense” I don’t know a single instance where this plot device has worked. Maybe I haven’t seen enough “Twilight Zone” or “Outer Limits” Episodes but in the last twenty years I can’t think of a single instance where a TV Show had a character being dead the whole show (or huge chunk of the show) and reveal it later on other than “Lost”. Speculating about this being the case on “Wilfred” is, at least for me, a little bit of an insult to a show. Especially when the bong hits are so ubiquitous.
The only other instance I could think of where all the people were dead in the end was on Lost (but only in the flash-sideways in the last two seasons). If they’d cancelled Lost before Season 5, there would’ve been NO cases of the characters being dead on a TV Show. Again at least none I could think of. You’d have to go way back to the 80s to Michael Landon times and even then it was pretty clear the guy was dead.
I mean Ryan on “Wilfred” is taking hit after hit after hit and you ask yourself if he’s dead. I would ask if the guy can be so stoned to start hallucinating like this. And the only reason I could think of for wondering if the guy’s dead to me would be: you watched a show in recent years where the characters were dead and that would be Lost.
Just because it hasn’t worked before isn’t justification to dismiss the “dead character” premise. There’s always a first time for everything and the idea actually makes a lot of sense. Besides, from what I’ve seen of “Wilfred” not much is working for this show.
The drugs on the show are enough reason to dismiss the “is he dead” question, but I was wrong with “logic” on “Lost” as well.
And honestly – you just said the show isn’t working – and my point was that a show that has “the character’s dead” as a premise isn’t working. You just argued in my favor.
But I think that the show IS working and that it IS funny because of the “Pinapple Express” angle. Pushing it into the purgatory/heaven/hell corner makes it so dark and sad that I for one wouldn’t be able to laugh about it anymore. Because it would remind me of “Lost”. And there really are just a miniscule amount of people who liked the ending. “Lost” is like “The Matrix” for me. You have a ton of good memories but then you have to admit to yourself that there are things they did after it started great that just made it an overall horrible experience.
Or, to quote Kevin Smith on the Nerdist Podcast “The Matrix is like an Ex-Girlfriend you really liked… but who also later on blew a couple of your friends and let them come in her mouth”.
Let me outline this. You assert Ryan’s not dead because the characters are shown doing drugs? I fail to see the reasoning behind that other than one could argue that Ryan could be hallucinating from drug use. Problem is the drug use, save for his initial suicide attempt comes *after* he sees Wilfred in his anthropomorphic state. And last I heard, smoking marijuana doesn’t cause hallucinations, especially to the degree that Ryan would have to be experiencing were the show some huge “trip” he’s on.
Next, you say that because I find the show is not working it bolsters your argument that television shows with dead characters don’t work all while you argue that Ryan is *not* dead? That kind of tail-chasing circular logic is nonsensical for any purposes other than argument for the sake of arguing. Right now, we don’t know if Ryan is dead or alive, and if it turns out he is dead then your support of the show would argue in *my* favor, and especially Tara’s, who postulated the idea in the first place.
You’re using a “Schrodinger’s cat” basis for your assertions. You say Ryan’s not dead and the show is working, but because I say he’s dead it’s not working. Ryan can’t be both dead and alive at the same time. The show is not working because it has squandered its potential, taken the lowbrow approach, and offers little in the way of entertainment other than juvenile shock value, which I find most definitely *not* entertaining. It has nothing to do with the unknown state of the main character’s life, or lack thereof.
Oh, and going the “LOST sucked because the ending did” route is so weak. I can’t believe the number of people who dismiss LOST because they didn’t like the ending even though they remained glued to their seats completely enthralled with the series. For over 120 hours people were transfixed by that show, in love with the characters, drawn in by the mysteries, but suddenly because the ending wasn’t what they were expecting it’s a bad show? That’s like saying you didn’t enjoy your meal because the dessert wasn’t as good as you had hoped.
Tom, thanks for your support. You made great points. And I agree … the drug use on the show has absolutely nothing to do with the premise that Ryan’s dead. I’ve never heard of one person hallucinating on pot. And Sebastian? My theory doesn’t come from “Lost” at all. I didn’t see it past the first season, as I said. My theory comes from my own brain. I’m not taking the idea from “Lost.” I have no notion as to what happened to the characters on that show. Which is too bad, because it sounds like I missed something from what everyone says.
And Tom? This show is growing on me. I didn’t think it would. But I actually kinda like it. At times, it does go too far into 13 year old boy land, yes. But a couple of the episodes have been genuinely funny. Strange how I vacillate between being grossed out and laughing.
Darn it, Tara. Now you’re going to get me watching “Wilfred” again. I suppose a couple of episodes here and there won’t hurt…much.
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Tom:
Despite the sometimes perplexing goings on with this show, there have been some shining lights:
Episode 8 – “Anger” (https://clak.us/t2cap) was the best of the lot thus far in my opinion. Worth a look.
I enjoyed “Doubt” as well.
I’ve threatened a walk-out on the childish antics the writers toss our way week after week, but – at this point – I’m too invested to give up on it now. And I won’t regret sticking it out.
I’m a big boy, I can take it.
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Come on, Sebastian …
You’re not a dummy. You, of all people, know anything can happen on television.
“Ubiquitous bong hits” … ??? That’s the basis behind your thought Ryan is alive? Not kicking Spencer’s ass in episode 3? Not the rush of beating Jenna’s boyfriend Drew at table tennis? Need I go on? There is no end of examples to believe he’s alive. Matter of fact, the suggestion he might be dead hasn’t even come up in any of my reviews until now. And it was Tara who actually brought up the suggestion.
If the writers want to take a story line and twist it in some manner that it will take an interesting turn, more power to them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It just so happens I was one of those people who not only enjoyed the finale of Lost but didn’t have a problem with it, either.
Tom’s dead on when he states you’re taking a Schrödinger’s cat approach to what you’re trying to convey. I’m going to go further and state that just because it doesn’t fit with your tidy line of thinking for how episodic television fits in your world, it doesn’t work for you. My suggestions Ryan’s dead is just a theory based on some interesting discussion, thought and possible clues … that’s all. It makes for a nifty little idea. Is it true? Given some of the things I’ve stated – the subtle and not-so-subtle hints – it certainly could be a possibility.
I’ve had a problem with the writing of many of the episodes of Wilfred as you surely must have seen in what’s come before. But they’re doing their thing, I’m doing mine. If all you want to do is harsh my mellow about my amusing little hypothesis (which could turn out true in some or all respects), your prerogative.
I got so Lost on Lost, that they lost me after the first season. So, I know not of which Sebastian speaks.
Ryan is dead was what I assumed 10 minutes into Episode 1…Ryan takes a bunch of pills intending to kill himself, and immediately afterwords meets a talking man/dog owned by his neighbor, never noticing Wilfred or a dog at all before this moment…
He’s not dead, after Ryan took those pills and nothing happened his sister told him they were just sugar pills because he abused them last time. He’s a schizo or something, Wilfred is “the voices in his head” or something. That’s my guess. Being dead is too obvious, even Wilfred said Ryan was “stuck” somewhere between life & death, but he was joking, making that reference to Lost. It would also explain why his mom also sees her cat as a human, nut don’t fall far from the tree.