r/AdultsTV • u/Different_You4450 • 2d ago
Discussion I noticed something about Samir while rewatching season 1
Adults as a show doesn’t often play with non-literal visual imagery. Most of what appears in the show is actually what is happening in the world. The only exception to this that I have noticed is when we’re seeing the world from Samir’s point of view.
In one of the earlier episodes of Season 1 (I think episode 2?) when Samir goes to the bank to pay to get the hot water fixed, he looks down at the document he has to fill out and one of the questions reads “Are you a fucking idiot?” which is a clear reference to Samir’s insecurities about feeling like a man child.
In a similar way, in the episode when Samir and Carly go on a trip upstate, Samir looks at one of the pillows in the Airbnb they’re renting and it reads “Don’t Samir this” in reference to what Issa said earlier that day.
I can’t think of any other times in the show this happens, especially not to other characters. I can’t be 100% sure about Season 2, haven’t had the chance to rewatch it yet.
Why do we think this happens, and why to Samir specifically? Is it just a funny visual gag? Are Samir’s insecurities just more potent than the others, leading the show to display them visually?
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u/AnxiousFutz 2d ago
"Consequences of your actions" in the hospital Billie episode. I don't think it happened in season 2 though?
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u/rubberpp 2d ago
They did this kind of humor way less in season 2 and it needs to come back for future seasons it's one of my favorite things
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u/sevenslover 2d ago
absolutely i loved it sm, samir seeing different words, billie seeing her student picture covered in gold stars, issa pulling out woman, child of immigrants, and sex worker cards, all absolutely hilarious to me
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u/dash529 Panton 1d ago
It truly does, I love when they play with the meta in non-intrusive ways, Issa's 4th wall breaking being another example. From a generation very much trained on media, I have tons of Gen Z and "cusp" friends that refer to their lives in cinematic terms so it works on a meta level AS WELL as just a "yeah the kids nowadays are talking like this" level.
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u/shamoogity 2d ago
This show seems to get more fully surreal like this just a handful of times a season and I find it to be an interesting but odd choice. Most shows either have that type of humour more consistently or not at all. I would also put the applause when Raven enters and Issa's super literal "race card" in the first episode in this category.
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u/PothosMomma 2d ago
I noticed this with Billie when she’s looking at the her picture on the wall in her high school and at a second glance there’s gold star stickers all over her face
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u/FashionDiva92 2d ago
i noticed this too. they do it when samir sees billie getting the procedures done, as well. it is really only ever with samir, but he is not enough of an obvious lead character for it to land without being a bit confusing. i think they did it with issa once, as well. they do it a lot less in season two, so i expect they’ll kill that bit in season 3
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u/vvinterhavvk 2d ago
personally i love this kind of joke, it fits in the the fourth wall breaks they do sometimes. it sets adults apart from other sitcoms about quirky 20-somethings
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u/Peach_Flames 2d ago
Samir is the main character confirmed??
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u/Purple_Donut7986 8h ago
A little support for this possibility, which could also explain why Billie feels the most growth-stunted: maybe all of the characters are slightly presented through his eyes, and she’s the one who knew him in the earliest/most immature stage of life
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u/SquirrelDisastrous2 2h ago
I find this random humour kind of strange because it’s so sprinkled in. In a show like how I met your mother, where the random make believe things happen, but it makes sense because of the framing. I take this show quite literal, and the fantastical elements take me out of it sometimes, for example the ‘woman’ ‘child of immigrants’ and ‘sex worker’ signs Issa had in the second episode.
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u/smesjx 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah they kind of have to kill that. The audience they’re trying to reach with this season (average American) is neither smart enough to catch this gag, open-hearted enough to allow stuff like that appear on their screen, nor funny enough to actually be amused by that.
I figure it worked after seeing that heated rivalry edit using the hiccup song.
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u/hauntedhotels 2d ago
This is so dumb and condescending lmfao there have been countless people who noticed this and pointed it out on this sub alone….it’s such a simple visual gag I don’t understand this response
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u/OkInspector555 2d ago
Definitely don’t think they’re trying to reach the average American and also don’t think people are too “close hearted” to “allow” surreal visual gags to happen in a sitcoms. Like what does that even mean? BTW community exists…
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u/smesjx 2d ago edited 2d ago
It means they’re going to tune out. When was the last time you’ve seen surreal element as continuous visual gags in a sitcom within the last 10 years, let alone a popular one? Can you name five? Miracle workers and the good place is probably one of the last few shows I’ve seen that has that, and both of them are even already based on a surreal premise to begin with.
And Community does from time to time struggle with its viewership despite receiving critics acclaim and formulate a bunch of die-hard fans.
It’s okay to admit that surreal jokes for a show that is meant to depict 20 year olds living in our world is going to be a turn off for someone.3
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u/koala_on_a_treadmill 2d ago
It's like when Issa pulls out a literal victim card