I’ve talked about it before, but now would be a good time to mention my most vivid memory of the show. I remember having the misfortune of catching an episode (one titled Goobacks, from 2004) and there was one particular moment that always struck me as incongruous.
This is a xenophobic redneck asking another xenophobic redneck how they could prevent immigrants—‘people from the future’—from obtaining employment:
‘All right! So, any ideas how we can stop the future from happening?’
‘How about we cause more global warming, so that in the future, the polar ice caps melt, and it ushers in a new ice age?’
‘How the hell is global warming gonna cause an ice age?!’
‘Well you know, the… global warming could bring on like a climate shift or somethin’?’
‘Chet, you are a fuckin’ [insert slur here], you know that?! Even if global warming were real—which all proven scientific data shows it isn’t—you think an ice age can just happen all of a sudden-like? It would take millions of years for a climate shift to happen!’
‘Well I was just tryin’ to be helpful.’
‘Well help yourself to a fuckin’ science book, ’cause you’re talkin’ like a fuckin’ [insert slur here]!’
It was possibly the most blatant case that I’ve seen of a writer ranting at his audience. Not only could the dialogue have easily been deleted without distorting the plot, it was so out‐of‐character for this guy that even I noticed (I was generally less observant back then). And, hopefully, it goes without saying that there is no need for anybody to get this irritated over one silly question.
I’ve talked about it before, but now would be a good time to mention my most vivid memory of the show. I remember having the misfortune of catching an episode (one titled Goobacks, from 2004) and there was one particular moment that always struck me as incongruous.
This is a xenophobic redneck asking another xenophobic redneck how they could prevent immigrants—‘people from the future’—from obtaining employment:
It was possibly the most blatant case that I’ve seen of a writer ranting at his audience. Not only could the dialogue have easily been deleted without distorting the plot, it was so out‐of‐character for this guy that even I noticed (I was generally less observant back then). And, hopefully, it goes without saying that there is no need for anybody to get this irritated over one silly question.