On Saturday, iCarly pulled an Abed, and it was magical.
Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon, pre-teen juggernaut (may, in the eyes of some, seem unworthy of discussion alongside beloved Idiot Vox regulars like Community and Mad Men. I, however, disagree and so does Harrison Ford.
Despite a relatively lackluster last season (with the exception of the finale, discussed later), iCarly is an intelligent, layered show, not only in the realm of children’s television. It rewards loyal reviews with a huge number of recurring jokes and callbacks that rivals Community and Arrested Development. I hope, in this and subsequent reviews, to prove the merits of iCarly not by directly discussing them as I just have, but by examining each episode with the same critical eye through which one would view any worthwhile television program.
Due to Nickelodeon’s incomprehensible schedule, last night was the beginning of season six of iCarly, and oh what a beginning it was. Throughout the day on Twitter, Dan Schneider had been warning fans that "iApril Fools" is easily the craziest episode of television he’s ever created. Coming from the creator of such notoriously random, often completely nonsensical and vaguely postmodern shows as All That and The Amanda Show, that’s saying something. But not only did the episode live up to that lofty promise, it also stood out as the funniest iCarly of the past year.
After a brief warning from the cast and slightly altered opening credit sequence, "iApril Fools" opens, as most episodes do, on the living room of Carly and Spencer’s apartment, but with a notable twist: the room is filled with not with the usual trinkets and sculptures but cardboard boxes. Sam and Freddie enter downtrodden at the news of their friends’ immanent eviction from the home of the titular webshow’s studio, the site of many important memories. We then reflect on those memories. First, the gang reminisces about that time they were all watching “that TV show” where the characters all remembered an event and then flashbacked to it. Cue flashback number one.
At this point, I’m sure Community fans are screaming "rip-off!" Yes, it is a little derivative of "Paradigms of Human Memory", but carried to fantastically bizarre ends. Footage from previous episodes is integrated seamlessly with new footage in a comedic Memento-esque examination of the flaws of recollection. The progression of memories brings the characters out of their sadness towards an acceptance of their eviction.
The ending of the episode is shockingly obvious from the very beginning. A fake move is exactly the kind of elaborate joke that a well-established eccentric prankster like Spencer Shay would pull on the holiest of all trick-based holidays. Or is it?
It isn’t. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will tell you it involves Spencer dressing up as Doc Brown from Back to the Future and that, ultimately, Carly is able to use the power of reminiscence to change her and her brother’s fate.
Depending on your previous exposure to iCarly, you might see this episode as a strange departure from the show’s usual mode, but in many ways, it really isn’t. Carly, Sam, Freddie and Spencer are no strangers to meta-humor. Some of the series’ funniest moments come from brief moments of self-aware realism. Consider in "iGot a Hot Room," when Carly’s bedroom is destroyed in a fire and Spencer spends the entirety of an eighty-thousand dollar inheritance check refurbishing it, only to remark, “Which is so stupid cause we rent this place, but who cares?!” The frequency of such jokes has been increasing over the course of the series. In fact, in the b-plot of the finale of season five, "iToe Fat Cakes," was based entirely on Carly’s realization that sitcom plotlines are often ludicrous, unrealistic and forced. While taking a bath, Carly is watching an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in which a character gets her toe stuck in a bathtub faucet. Carly then proceeds to get her toe stuck in the faucet.
"iApril Fools" fits perfectly in this trend of increasing meta-commentary. That said, I find that self-awareness is often used as a crutch to cover up a lack of real substance, so I’m wary of its overuse. Yes, this episode did lean a little too heavily on its meta-ness (and the somewhat racist Chinese character was a bit much), but it did so with a wink and a nod. The team behind iCarly never asks you to take the show seriously. In large part, this is due the absurd presence of the Jim Carrey-esque Spencer Shay, played by Jerry Trainor, who also made his directorial debut in "iApril Fools." As director, Trainor has imbued all of the show’s characters with his trademark brazen and excessive ridiculousness. This affords the viewer the opportunity to not only laugh with the show, but also laugh at it.
And laugh I did.
Memorable moments:
-A commentary on the banality and irrelevance of the actions the actors are often performing during long, expository dialogue:
Freddie: “We don’t understand.”
Spencer: “Then I’ll explain it again while Carly and I pack up some pipes.”
The two then proceed line-by-line to pick up a series of lead pipes and place them in boxes.
Gibby’s misinterpretation of April Fool’s day traditions. He believes one celebrates by hitting their friends over the head with a stop sign.
After one flashback, the gang reappears in the present, having been transported from their living room to the set of Victorious, Dan Schneider’s other current show. Crossover humor!
The gang silently watching as their cat “runs away” (slowly walks out of the open apartment door).
Party bushes.