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Last night’s brand new iCarly affords a wonderful opportunity to discuss two distinct features of the show that don’t always present themselves: parody and predictability.
The primary plot of “iPear Store” is simple. When Freddie gets his dream job selling computers at the Pear Store, he soon finds out that he just can’t make sales to the masses of technologically inept. Unfortunately for him, there is someone who can: Samantha Puckett. Sam’s forcefulness is just what the inane masses need to be convinced into buying the latest model of just about everything.
Sam’s sales figures skyrocket, and she is soon promoted to supervisor, a role that puts her as Freddie’s direct superior. Freddie cannot handle this, and his manager fires him after an angry tirade. It is then that Sam’s sympathy for Freddie finally shows through, and she quits out of solidarity.
Any loyal viewer of iCarly can tell you that nearly every single product, service and cultural image in Dan Schneider’s whimsical world is a decidedly not-too-subtle parody of a real-life counterpart. Pear products are Apple products. Galaxy Wars is Star Wars. The Dingo Channel is the Disney Channel. The list goes on.
Oftentimes, the parody ends at the simple word substitution (pear for apple, galaxy for star, etc.), but occasionally, episodes will be based around these parodies. It is in these cases that the commentary deepens.
Last night the viewer was presented not so much with a parody of the Apple Store (in fact, the Pear Store was a surprisingly realistic depiction of the Apple Store environment) but with a parody of the costumers. To put it bluntly, every single customer was a moron. One lady in particular was convinced to buy the newest model of a laptop because Sam answered question of “Why should I buy the newest model?” with “Why shouldn’t you?” That was all it took.
Perhaps this is a sendup of the whole Apple culture that prides itself on constant updates and the appeal of always having the newest of everything.
What makes this parody even better is that it didn’t feel preachy because it meshed so well with the plot. The customers had to be moronic to force Freddie out of his “these-are-my-people” dreamland. Once this world was established, the idiotic customers were not an end in and of themselves; they were a means to showcase the conflict between Sam and Freddie. In other words, they took second stage to the lives of the protagonist and antagonist, something every good parody must do.
While this plot unfolded, a second and more entertaining plight was occurring. After Spencer starts his eighteenth accidental fire, the fire department vows to never assist him again, in essence leaving Spencer and Carly to die should an emergency occur. So Spencer, being the occasionally responsible person that he is, sets out to make amends.
The fire department makes him a deal: if he works with them at the station for a week to gain an understanding of what they go through, all will be forgiven. Take a moment to consider the situation. Spencer, a notorious fire starter, is enclosed in a small room with a group of people who are angry with him for constantly starting fires.
Normally it would be ironic if a group of firefighters were helplessly trapped in a burning fire station, but in the world of iCarly you shouldn’t expect anything else. In fact, you should have seen it coming from a mile away.
Usually, predictability is something storytellers try to avoid, but Dan Schneider, through his many different shows, has found a way to make predictability even more satisfying than surprise.
Take, for example, a classic occurrence from another Dan Schneider show, Kenan and Kel: an object is established to be important, irreplaceable and fragile. Kel then enters the room.
Anyone who has seen the show before will know what happens next. Beyond that, anyone who has seen the show before will know that Kel is bound to enter the room every time something fragile is near. The predictability is two-fold.
And therein lies the key. Dan Schneider’s predictability is a one-two punch of situation and introduction. Because it is so obvious, it is funny when an object is established as flammable because we know Spencer is nearby. Then, when we see Spencer it is funny again because we know the two necessary components have come together. The real comedy comes not from the end result, but from seeing the pieces fall in place.
“iPear Store” delivered on both smart, subtle parody and funny, blatant predictability. I’ve said in the past that iCarly needs to be ridiculous to the extreme to be at its best. Though I still believe that to be true, it is occasionally the case that a relatively sane episode will be smart enough to function as a more traditional, yet still satisfying sitcom.
Memorable Moments:
The fire chief announcing Spencer’s presence by declaring, “Well look who’s here. A person we hate.”
This exchange:
: Customer: “Why should I buy the newest model?”
Sam: “Why shouldn’t you?”
Customer: “I’m going to buy the newest model.”