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09/28/2007: Back to the Place with the Thing


Did you read Dilbert yesterday? In a lovely coincidence, yesterday's strip provides an excellent example of a way to revitalize a clam. Amazingly, it's a close cousin of the exact example that I discussed in Monday's post. Here's how the strip lays out:

First Panel: The pointy-haired boss thinks to himself: "It's time for some generic management."

Second Panel: He approaches an employee and says "Did you talk to what's-his-name about the thing?" She replies, "Um… yes."

Third Panel: He walks away, self-satisfied, thinking, "There should be some sort of award for avoiding minutiae."

What I like about this is that the purposeful vagueness is being put to a new and more subtle purpose than just a character excusing himself from conversation so that he can pull his friend aside. This is about using a vague question to demand a vague answer, thus excusing both parties from a conversation neither wants to have. That's less familiar, more complicated and more interesting.

It's the illustration of dynamics like this -- ones that are recognizable but haven't been mined to the point of exhaustion -- that make good shows and good comic strips feel fresh. Recognition is at the heart of comedy. That's why Jerry Seinfeld impersonations always start with "did you ever notice…" The problem is that after you've recognized something once, you no longer get a thrill of connection when you recognize it again. Dilbert and The Office are both great at finding these fresh dynamics. Once you find them, you can put familiar comedy conceits into them, like the self-conscious use of "thing" as above, and it won't feel tired, because the overall point is new and fresh.

Lunch: enchiladas