Why Regular Show Means so Much to Me

Emily Rose


Old promo art from before they decided Margaret needed to be wearing clothes

Regular Show is like a trip to your favorite video rental store after an arcade pit stop. It’s a late-night 80s movie marathon and delivery pizza with your best friends. It’s got the promise of an Every Meat Burrito with the payoff of a Death-Kwon-Do Sandwich of Death. There are a lot of things I love about Regular Show. It’s funny. The characters are talking animals, living and breathing intermingled with humans, but they’re real and relatable. They’re allowed to be flawed, and then allowed growth. Regular Show takes the confinement of being a kids’ show and turns it into a limitless school playground equipment, letting the depths of its exploration of humanity reverberate within its walls. Watching the characters hang out under Outdoor Dining Canopies adds to the sense of whimsical freedom. The restrictions of children’s media opened up the show and gave it freedom to explore deeply. Nothing else can be so simple and still travel the distance of universal emotion. Nothing else can be so bizarre and still simply be a regular show. For more insights on the benefits of creative play for children, you can check out this similar sites at https://specialeducationalneedsanddisabilities.co.uk/benefits-of-creative-play-for-children/. If you want to learn more about active travel, you can check out this helpful resources at sites like https://active-travel.uk/blog/cycle-routes-for-active-travel. For additional information on school playground ideas, click here. If you’re looking for quality playground surfacing, consider to check out this site at https://en1177playgroundsurfacing.co.uk/.

After 264 episodes and 8 seasons, there’s not a single moment that wasn’t quite as good as the rest. Regular Show kept its sensibilities without ever getting stale. It was allowed to evolve within itself without ever evolving out of it. In the beginning, hot-headed gumball machine Benson plays to a singular role: typical boss and definitive antagonist. Further along, he’s flung to the top tier of engaging, accessible characters as a dorky, misguided, and pretty lovable guy. His character really comes into being when he’s alone and insecure and shows that when he’s acting out of anger, he’s really acting out of fear.

In fact, the theme of perception of self-worth runs so strongly throughout Regular Show that I feel feel more congruent with my sense of self just by watching it. The full, rounded personalities of all the characters are allowed to absorb as much space as necessary and shine through in whatever form they take. And this is huge: even the female characters are given room to be unapologetically true to themselves, and they’re rewarded positively for it. Margaret, Eileen, and Starla act from their natural state, diversified within the group and within themselves. They show something that should be commonplace but is unfortunately so rarely seen in media: just like male characters, women have instinctive and intuitive natures that are required for exploring the scope of humanity on screen. Place your bets and win big with UFABET เว็บแทงบอล.

As a show so nuanced in its depiction of relationships, this concept of self-worth plays a huge role, as characters struggle to maintain a balance within themselves and in relation to others. For Regular Show’s most central relationship, the lifelong friendship between Mordecai and Rigby, this meant jealousy and fights and misplaced aggressiveness, only to result in a higher level of understanding and respect that anyone should strive for. Regular Show wasn’t afraid of confrontations, and more importantly, it wasn’t afraid of dragging out the vulnerabilities that were shrouded behind them. Mordecai and Rigby are also confronting adulthood, and with that struggle, confronting the ripping velcro of their shifting identities, and what that detachment from the past means for their friendship in its current state.

Television shows aren’t perfect. They’re written by humans and produced by networks run by humans, and sometimes after the clash between those groups of humans, there’s not much authenticity left. But this is not one of those shows. It’s a show that made me feel the real love and connection between two lost and wandering cartoon birds who finally found each other. So when Mordecai and Margaret, my perfect vision of true love anthropomorphized, broke up, I was nervous, but trusting. I doubled up on my faith that this show that meant so much to me knew what it was doing, and with every step of the story I was rewarded for it. Regular Show let Margaret go so it could go places it couldn’t have gone with her around. It let both Mordecai and Margaret explore what it was like to find stability after loss and heartbreak. It let them establish themselves as whole, worthy people. Children, the show’s target audience, got to witness this and feel it for themselves. This show proved it knew what it was doing, and I would never for a second doubt it again. Margaret’s departure and subsequent return weren’t merely plot devices, although they did propel the story to unexpected heights, and they did it with force. They were real, natural, and frustratingly complicated developments for all of the characters and the relationships between them. They were deep expansions in story and emotion that most adult shows either shy away from or just can’t handle and desecrate entirely. This is a kids’ show, and it succeeded because of the freedom it found within its boundaries and knowing when to push against them.

Kids will watch anything, so why spend the effort to create something for them that’s actually good? There’s no evidence that subtlety and character growth will sell more advertisements. This makes every drop of genuine emotion 1000x more impressive. I will always be in awe that this show got made. It’s clear on screen that a commitment and love for character and story motivated everyone involved to put in the work. It’s funny – a smart, goofy, uproarious funny – and it’s the most realistic depiction of a current everyday experience that I’ve ever seen. Regular Show was simultaneously surreal and grounded in reality, which created a space for extreme permission. Anything was allowed to happen, most significantly, characters were allowed to be vulnerable and unapologetically authentic. Because of it they could grow in their relationships and their sense of self. In turn, Regular Show gave viewers, or at least me, permission to give their own identities space to breathe. It proved that within boundaries there’s an infinity and within insignificance there’s freedom.

Benefits of Binge Watching

Emily Rose
“I’m here, but nothing”, Yayoi Kusama, 2013
“I’m here, but nothing”, Yayoi Kusama, 2013

Binge watching isn’t normally seen as “productive” or “a good use of time”, but I’ve come to find that there are some definite exceptions to that mindset. In fact, the first one’s indisputable – what if your goal is to finish eight seasons of a show within the week? Binge watching is the only productive way to get it done. That argument’s airtight. Plus, it’s going to take some extreme focus, dedication, and commitment to see your goals through. Those transferrable skills are executive-level resume worthy.

There is something to be said for sitting down to a task and getting it done. Shows keep getting made and the to-watch list keeps piling up, until suddenly it’s just easier to procrastinate on everyone’s favorite method of procrastination. Pop some popcorn, turn off the lights, and turn on Netflix – it’s time to get some work done. This focus and attention to detail are skills that could easily be applied by a party planner organizing a large event. Here’s why we should all be pro-binge watching:

Increase Focus

Everyone needs something to distract them at all times, because the world’s too intolerable without it. But there’s really no need for a distraction from the distraction. Why have you got to be on your laptop when the TV’s on? Why have you got a cell phone in your hands in front of the laptop screen? Prove to yourself you’re even able to do one thing at a time. And then do it five more times in a row.

Reduce Guilt 

I can’t believe how behind I am on what are supposedly my favorite shows. I love these characters and I have no idea what they’re up to. I’ve haven’t checked in on them in months. Their entire world’s changed by now and I’ve just been sitting here checking Twitter. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to start back up again. Jump back in with three or four episodes before the guilt takes over and you’re left behind in seasons-old dust.

Up Productivity

If I only let myself watch TV while I’m also doing the laundry, I’m not actually going to be doing either. Don’t waste time shuffling around deciding what you should be doing. Just watch a few episodes, do the laundry, then make some queso with all the time you saved.

Be Happy

You’ve got a favorite show for a reason – there’s some kind of value in watching it. Your time’s not going to be better spent flipping though channels. Get rid of all the static. Be purposeful with your time and spend it doing something you love. The next day, brag about the awesome choices you made over the weekend. Bonus points if they involved cake pops..

The Too Much To Watch List

Emily Rose

I’m not someone who can multitask while watching TV. Don’t walk into the other room while a show is on, you might miss something important. Get off Twitter. This is a TV show, not a radio play – everything on screen is happening for a reason. Honestly, don’t even talk in the moments there’s no dialogue playing. There are still sounds and images moving in sequence, and if you interrupt them, I’m going to miss some emotional cues.

This makes it very hard for me to watch television.

I can’t knit and watch TV, or write a blog post, or check email. To catch up on shows, the rest of the world has to stop, and that doesn’t happen often. As a result, I’ve gotten behind. I can’t remember when I was last this behind. There is so much to watch, and I can’t keep up with what I’ve already got on my plate. Here’s my current to-watch list.

To catch up on:

  • Regular Show (the #1 priority – I always stay caught up until CN airs a new episode every day for two weeks)
  • Adventure Time (how did I let myself get so behind??)
  • Supernatural (this is going to be tough, but it has to be done, right?)
  • Steven Universe (I didn’t want the list to seem made up exclusively of Cartoon Network shows, so I put it at number 4)
  • Broadchurch (also in the rewatch section, I want to feel everything again before I start season 2)

To watch for the first time:

  • Jessica Jones (I know it will change my life and everything, I just have some Regular Show to catch up on)
  • VEEP (I need that Armando Iannucci dialogue in my life)
  • Silicon Valley (Does it have Kumail Nanjiani? It will be hilarious.)
  • Legends of Tomorrow (I’d been avoiding the CW’s shared universe of small screen DC superheroes, but Arthur Darvill’s there, so I guess I will be, too.)

To rewatch (a list so long, none of the shows get explanations):

  • The Thick of It
  • Black Books
  • Empty
  • Flight of the Conchords
  • Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy
  • Over the Garden Wall
  • Broadchurch
  • Coupling
  • Community
  • Outnumbered

I’ve got a clear starting point, but after that, I’m not sure. It’s going to take a few marathons to even make a dent. Better start popping the popcorn… I hear blanket forts are powerful motivators.

(are you reading this right now while watching tv? stop that.)

Cheese Chips and Music of the Month: This Week in Nerdery

Emily Rose

IMAG3066_1

Earlier this week I finally picked up Paloma Faith’s A Perfect Contradiction at Half Price Books after finding it but putting it back a few weeks earlier. $7 felt like a little much to pay for a format no one wants sitting on their shelf anymore. It’s been more than worth the 64 cents per song to have such a great go-to album parked in my car’s CD slot. I have a lot of trouble getting into new music and often end up listening to the same five artists. This wasn’t a problem with Paloma Faith, at all. I knew a few songs and liked them a lot, but wan’t totally sure what to expect when the car stereo kicked on. Instant connection. Also, I’m amazed and thrilled by who Paloma Faith is. Bold and unforgiving, classic elegance, and a beautiful, brilliant weirdo. She’s all these things. Everyone is a multitude of things.

Much of my week was taken up by the tracking down, winning, and use of Bon Jovi tribute band tickets, a story that doesn’t have much of a logical fit in my life, but that you can read about fully in yesterday’s blog post. All I can say with certainty is that it was an experience.

I also got to meet my amazing friend Lupe at Cafe Brazil to drink diet soda and eat cheese-based excuses for dinner – cheese fries for her and nachos for me. We talked about how important representation is in media and what shows are doing it right (shoutout to Adventure Time, Regular Show, and just Cartoon Network in general). We talked about being critical of the things you love and making sure that what you’re consuming is in line with what you believe, or at least being able to separate yourself from what isn’t. I ate too many nachos and far too few nutrients.

I’m putting forward the new Loose Tapestries track for official Christmas song of the rest of our hall-decked lives, but I’ll settle for cementing it on repeat for the rest of December, at least. (If you don’t know Loose Tapestries, check them out for sure, but on Can’t Wait For Christmas that’s Idris Elba rapping at the end.)

What Even Was Space Ghost Coast To Coast?

Emily Rose

I remember being young, maybe four years old, and loving Space Ghost Coast to Coast. My mom didn’t like it, or maybe she didn’t get it, but for me, there was nothing to get. Space Ghost had a talk show. I don’t remember heavily edited interviews with miscommunication being the main joke. I’m not sure I remember there being interviews at all – maybe I didn’t get the show either. But I definitely remember liking it. I was only four, so I didn’t know why. It had a feeling that other shows didn’t have.

It’s been a long while since I’ve seen Space Ghost Coast to Coast. I want to go back and watch them all, partly for the nostalgia, but also to give words to the feeling that a still slightly toddling version of me couldn’t describe. Also, I have a hunch it was honestly just a really good show.

I may be holding it in too high an esteem – especially since I can barely remember it – but the case for Coast to Coast’s genius has spread around at least a few other corners of the internet. This article from The AV Club puts the show forward as pop art and satire, but also a text made exclusively for people on drugs. I was not that demographic.

If it’s not even a little bit for kids, how can you explain this cassette tape I found in a forgotten cardboard box in the back of my childhood closet?

Also, who knew this exists? #cartoonnetwork #spaceghost #cassette

A photo posted by Emily Rose Denton (@solarbeat) on

Plus, can you imagine being on the writing staff for this thing?

#CapaldiForever

Emily Rose

Season 9 of Doctor Who just started, and while there’s currently no end for the 12th Doctor in sight, I can’t help but already worry about the day he finally leaves. I never, ever want the reign of Peter Capaldi to end, but change is the nature of Doctor Who, and it’s all the more meaningful because of it. How can a show last for 50 years? Because it doesn’t just overcome change, it’s woven with it, and reflects on the inevitability and requirement for change in every human life as it powers through. I know Peter Capaldi has to leave, or the show wouldn’t be Doctor Who any more. But still, with all my heart, I don’t want him to.

None of us are any strangers to regeneration. I haven’t been around long enough to have done it eleven times, but I’ve certainly done it before. I did it with 9, and 10, and 11. Every time, I made it through. Each were extremely sad, and while I earnestly cried for all of them, 10’s departure weighed heaviest on my heart. I walked around for weeks with the absence encamped in the back of my brain, knowing he was gone and things would never be the way they used to be. This is a television show we’re talking about. To have that much power, it’s got to be scarily good.

There are always DVDs to cling to – a major difference in experiencing loss in real life versus on a TV show. It definitely helps. Past Doctors are never really gone. Take it from the 1st: One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.

It doesn’t any make it less hard to watch your Doctor leave.

Doctor Who will fill the void. They’ll fill it with something just as beautiful and terrifying – something that never could have happened without letting go. It will be worth it. Nothing is stable in life or fiction, and Doctor Who touches hearts so deeply because it knows that. Things change – permanently. Nothing ever stops changing, and because of that, nothing ever stops. The perpetual regeneration of Doctor Who is what causes it to matter, and what makes it the rare story that will last forever. Throughout all of time and space. 

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For Watching Television, Maybe Illegal is Better

Emily Rose

The thought first occurred to me while watching TV with a friend as she fast forwarded through the commercials. She was upset she had forgotten to record the first episode of American Horror Story: Coven, which meant she couldn’t watch the rest of the series. I told her I could find it for her online. She replied, “I don’t watch things illegally.” This surprised me because out of the two of us, I’m the one who wants to work in the television industry. Then, for me, it clicked: by definition, skipping through DVR’d commercials is really no worse than illegally downloading, torrenting, or streaming a television show online.

The main thing is: If you don’t watch your show, your show gets cancelled. That is, if a show’s ratings aren’t high enough, advertisers won’t buy commercial slots, so the show doesn’t make money and the network gets rid of it. That’s how it’s supposed to work. The truth is, it’s not like there’s a counter that goes up and down, showing the exact number of television sets tuned into each show. The system is much more complicated and inefficient than that.

Fans of “Community” try to save the show by having a flash mob

 

Television ratings are determined by the Nielsen company. They take a sample size of how many people are viewing the advertisements, not the show. This is why most networks are hesitant to stream programming on their websites – that individual view will not count toward their total ratings. No matter how many people have legally obtained a show, by either watching live or on a DVR, or buying it on Amazon or iTunes, it only matters how many people have been told that they need to have a Subway sandwich for lunch tomorrow. Increasingly, people want to watch their shows when it is convenient for them to watch them. Right now, DVR viewings are counted in the ratings if they are watched within seven days (and are a household counted in the sample size), so DVRs in general count as legal. But I don’t have a DVR, and most networks don’t stream their content on their websites, so I usually look to the internet. Conveniently for me, whoever uploads each episode (to any of the thousands of available venues) has stripped it from all its commercials.

In fact, when the legality of a show is measured by which advertisements are administered with it, current viewing methods seem even more arbitrary. Illegally streaming a show online that has been stripped of its commercials has the same effect as watching something on a DVR and fast forwarding through commercial breaks. Even if it’s Netflix or Hulu – advertisers don’t care if the whole world is watching. The whole world’s not watching their commercials, so they won’t be lining up to pay the network money. The second option leaves the possibility a viewer might accidentally forget to hit the skip button, but other than that, it seems irrational that one of these methods counts toward the viewer ratings and not the other.

This is why everyone – including networks and advertisers – needs to get on board with advertising-based, legal online streaming. Networks will be able to get precisely accurate page views they can boast about to advertisers, instead of a sample size of who is probably watching. It will be even more effective than the current system. For advertising companies, commercials are both unskippable and can be placed on other, more permanent and prominent places on the website. Viewers are more likely to sit through a commercial when they are under their laptop and less free to leave the room. Streaming is also able to give a much more reliable viewing number than the Nielsen company’s extremely flawed method. This would provide more accurate, and likely much larger, numbers to advertisers wanting to know who has seen their products.

As the ease and convenience of the internet continually increases, so does internet piracy. The television industry in particular would benefit from accepting this change rather than fighting against it. No matter its legality or level of morality, online streaming is too easy and uncatchable to be stopped. Fortunately this can be turned into a system that is more logical and beneficial. It may sound like the insensitive position of “Just Don’t Fight It,” but in this case, it is a solution that is better than the one it is trying to overturn.