User blog:AustinDR/When Does Mean-Spirited Humor Fail?

Now, I may be crossing hairs here much like when how I asked in a previous blog "When is Fighting Justified." But I feel like this has more weight, so I'm hoping to not trigger anyone by what I may say. Again, if you have something negative to say, please avoid reading this.

For one, I never said that every episode of The Loud House needed to have a happy, or heartwarming ending. Quite the contrary. I feel that mean-spiritedness can work only if it teaches the kids a lesson. This is why I don't like "The Sweet Spot" or the ending to "Come Sale Away." While the kids are made to suffer the consequences for their behavior, they never realize that what they did was wrong. Instead, they go back to doing the same thing that got them into hot water. Take the ending to "Sweet Spot." Even though the kids ended up not going on the trip because they unintentionally dismantled Vanzilla in their recklessness, rather than learning from their error, the episode implies that they will fight over who gets the spot on the couch. Or "Come Sale Away." Despite being grounded for selling literally everything in the house, they engage in a dance contest to see who had the best "grounded dancing moves." To me, these episodes leave bad tastes in my mouth because I feel that the mean-spirited tone was poorly executed. Yes, I know this could easily factor as "the kids do this because it's natural for siblings to fight," but I just feel that they should've realized that they went to far than to further encourage their behavior.

Additionally, I feel that if a show must employ mean-spiritedness, it at the very least has to be a reason behind it. Case in point, "Making the Case." I know that this is a universally despised episode by the fandom, but I personally had no ill will towards it. Yes, the girls were jerks to Lincoln, but need I remind you that he uploaded that video of them doing embarrassing things against their consent. Surely you would behave the same way if one of your siblings did the same thing to you. I felt that the mean-spirited tone fit well in this episode. It never felt overbearing. Granted there are scenes like Lucy saying she had no brother were somewhat questionable, but for the most part I felt that they were justified in shutting Lincoln out. In a different way to look at it, say that Lincoln did something bad to warrant the consequences. In "Lincoln Loud: Girl Guru," Lincoln was giving boys terrible advice on how to get girls to notice them, so I felt that the ending where he gets pelted by pies was a fitting punishment. Or "The Loudest Yard" in which Lincoln is a lazy bum who ends up scoring for the wrong team. These two episodes didn't strike me as god awful; I saw it as Lincoln getting what was due to him because of his poor decisions.

And no, I do not hate mean-spirited humor. I mean I watch shows like South Park or the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and nearly all of those episodes are saturated in cruelty. I guess it boils down to whether I find it funny. When done well, yes some of the mean tone can work. In "It's a Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud House," the mean-spiritedness correlates with the exaggeration of the humor. The kids were over the top with trying to obtain the money, they actually learn to share money at the end so it doesn't come off as empty, etc. Or the "Sweet Spot." I understand that may Loud Housians hate this episode with a passion, but I couldn't help but what at the lengths that the Loud kids went with trying to get the seat. Yeah they didn't learn anything at the end, but the humor more than made up for it.

Bu then there's times in which rather than being funny, the mean-spirited tone works against the episode. I know I stated frequently how much I hated "Trash House," but I feel it as the primary example of mean-spirited humor done wrong. Lincoln is made to suffer for something that wasn't his fault, the exaggeration only exemplified the girls' pettiness rather than making it hilarious, and there is ultimately nothing to be had towards the end. And then there's "Making the Grade." I may have been to harsh on the episode I admit that much, but again, this shows mean-spirited humor at its worst as there isn't anything remotely funny about it. This episode just came off as unsettling with how the girls treat Lincoln. The over-the-top nature is still there, but it felt unnerving. Yes, the siblings engage in fighting more than need be, but it seemed that they truly held some resentment for Lincoln. Rather than being cartoony, Lori and Lola kicking Lincoln out of the van was more realistic this time around making it harder for me to like the episode. If you want me to re-review it, leave it in the comments if you insist.

Overall, I don't want the show to fully be heartwarming or fair, but if it must use mean-spirited humor make it to where it's either justified or legitimately humorous so that it doesn't come off as overbearing.