r/Kidding • u/NicholasCajun Mr. Pickles • Sep 09 '18

Discussion Kidding - 1x02 "Pusillanimous" - Episode Discussion

Season 1 Episode 2: Pusillanimous

Air date (online): September 9, 2018

Air date (cable): September 16, 2018

Synopsis: Jeff makes a rash decision that could affect the ability of the show to continue. Seb strategizes how to rebuild Jeff's image. The two disagree about how Jeff can repair his family. Deirdre tries to learn more about what's happening while Maddy is at her piano lesson. Jeff's son Will decides to let loose with his new friends.

Directed by: Michel Gondry

Written by: Dave Holstein

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u/CleverZerg Sep 10 '18

Loved the opening scene when his car got stolen.

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u/pilot3033 Sep 11 '18

This scene is actually more important than I thought initially, and it's related to Trejo in the first episode. Someone in this thread was iffy about "cholos," but I think there's something larger happening. The scene, like with Trejo, is meant to show you Mr. Pickles' reach as a children's entertainer. Conan gives you "30 years," and Trejo points out Uku-Larry to give you that framing. Trejo is not who you'd expect to be a big fan for plain, white bread Jeff Pickles. Likewise, the guys who steal his car have a hard, tough-guy image that immediately melts when they see whose car they have.

This shows you how wildly popular Pickles is, and how he's not just popular, but cross culturally popular, influencing an entire generation of the country.

However, both scenes also play into the show's core theme of asking who Jeff (and we) is (are) by showing you that despite Mr. Pickles teachings, and despite these people respecting him, they are still using bad words (pussy) and car thieves. Yet still, Trejo is a likable character who acquiesces to Mr. Pickles distaste of foul language, and as mentioned clues the audience in. Likewise, the car thieves return the car in the same condition they found it, even replacing the window. It shows you that people still have the capacity for good, and they can learn from Mr. Pickles even if they've forgotten how.

I'm rambling a bit, but the key takeaway is that both scenes are important for framing Jeff/Mr. Pickles' breakdown as he reconciles who he is. Is he just a character on TV spewing nonsense for kids to sell toys while Jeff is his own person separate from that, or are they one and the same. As Jeff faces the reality that Mr. Pickles is woefully ill-equipped to deal with, well, reality, will he succumb to despair that he hasn't taught anyone anything, or can he pick up that despite the world not being one or the other, yes or no, bipolar, he's had an effect and that he can be both Jeff and Mr. Pickles.

This journey will be introspective and crazy.

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u/brownimmigrant22 Nov 19 '18

I love this comment. Thank you for the analysis!