User blog:Justsomeordinarydude/No Laughing Matter Episode Reaction

No Laughing Matter

This recent bomb of new episodes has been really strong. The first act of this story is essentially a lighter, toned down version of April Fools Rules, with Luan executing pranks at the expense of her family, though they are nowhere near as mean-spirited or outright dangerous here as they were there. Most of them were harmless, such as the odd awkward and cringeworthy pun accompanied by a minor annoyance, to something completely stereotypical of a childish comedian such as the use of whoopee cushion or egg yolks. Although Lincoln’s actually seemed to be genuinely painful. But still, here her comedic gags are presented in a way that makes her seem far less psychotic and over the top in her efforts than before. Given Luan’s series of pranks and jokes at their expense, it is difficult to blame the Louds for venting their anger and frustration. Their position in this story is understandable, given how Luan can sometimes come across as vexatious. Of course, while they express their distaste in her comedy, the family comedian overhears their complaining and is… heartbroken, to say the least. This plot shows the selfless, caring, good-natured side of the character that everyone has been divided on since the likes of April Fools Rules. Keep in mind, comedic activity is the niche and livelihood of Luan; it’s what she does. She instantly drops it entirely, no matter how depressed it makes her, because she wants to avoid being a nuisance and a pest to her siblings. This is like Lisa giving up science because her siblings complained about her using them for experiments, or Lana giving up playing in mud because the others complained she was too dirty. This is a majorly difficult task for Luan to undertake, but she does it anyway because she does not want to be at odds with her loved ones. This shows how, outside of April Fools Day at least, Luan is a legitimate nice girl who will go out of her way to make others happy, even if it doesn’t make her happy. Even while teasing her siblings, she never goes too far and sets out to actively place them in danger like she did in those other episodes of hers where she became a base breaker for that very reason. The mean-spiritedness from both sides never goes too far, and all the characters remain likeable and enjoyable to watch throughout the episode.

Of course, this change of hers was initially triggered by the ranting of her sisters in the living room, after she spent an entire day annoying them. But in fairness, the siblings didn’t even intend to upset or discourage her. As Lincoln put it in the scene where he was shocked to discover Luan was giving up comedy, they were just venting, and wanted to let out their anger and frustrations over the pranks. They were justifiably irritated, but they never intended for it to hurt Luan so badly to the point where she would give up what is essentially her livelihood. This was a really effective way to setup the conflict of the narrative without demonising either side. The siblings were understandably annoyed but did not aggressively force Luan to change, and Luan was somewhat reckless with her pranks, but was only doing so because she genuinely believed her jokes were humorous. This episode highlights that as, once she believed the others didn’t find her activities positively amusing, she ceased interest in her comedy shtick in its entirety. Once the siblings find out Luan plans to quit comedy, they are all flabbergasted and realise they need to help her regain her enthusiasm and passion for what she does, as comedy is a big deal for her. This is complete with various spit takes, as well as Leni messing up the plan with her…simple mind, much like she did in Lynner Takes All.

So, this was another great story for season 2. The characters were likeable, the meanness was never too over-the-top, the conflict was presented well, and while humour is subjective, there should have been at least a few gags in this one that generated a chuckle or two. Not all of the jokes were funny, however, and a lot of the humour is generated from sequences involving Luan executing pranks on the others, and whether or not any given audience member will find that amusing will strongly depend upon their personal sense of humour. In that respect, this episode arguably suffers a similar problem to the Lynner episode, where a lot of the jokes there were also based on one of the sisters being mean to all the others for personal pleasure, and some people may not find that very funny. Speaking of subjectivity, Leni’s aforementioned role of being overly stupid to the point where it wrecks a perfectly constructed plan is also causing some division in opinions. Some continue to find this funny as it’s just Leni being the lovable ditz she always is, but others are getting sick of watching this repeat over and over again and think she is becoming TOO dumb, even by her standards. Personally, I don’t mind it but I can understand both sides. Maybe I’ll discuss this issue again at a later time. Also, speaking of Leni, didn’t she like Luan’s jokes in Room With a Feud? Why did she change her view of Luan’s comedic ability in this story? Because plot?! Anyway, I found this episode to be highly enjoyable in spite of any identifiable problems.

'''Final Rating: 8/10. '''