Garfunkel and Oates
“Speechless”
Season 1, Episode 3
Chad White, Listen To Him Write, It's Not All Bad
This episode is the third episode of the season. IFC released it on the internet for a special preview. It’s probably gone by now.
It’s a strange phenomenon when two internet stars suddenly become celebrities. Well, it was. Now such a move is common place. Television networks like to choose the brightest and most promosing of the millions out there that want to be “famous.” Many of those chances that they take do not pan out. But with stars who have already been on the scene, the percentage of failure falls. There’s still a chance that things can go badly but only slightly. Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) and Kate Micucci (Oates) have been performing since around 2007. The duo formed Garfunkel and Oates and have had a fun, to say the least, career since. But after several guest appearances, HBO shorts and producing their own music videos, the two are finally getting the show they deserve. IFC’s Garfunkel and Oates follows a fictionalized version of the band as they live their daily lives in Los Angeles.
The third episode follows the two as they experiment with a new dating tactic: being entirely quiet. It’s a funny premise that accompanies a lukewarm introduction to the show. Lindhome and Micucci got the idea after seeing their friend (played by Nick Thune!) with his girlfriend (a quiet but cute Ashley Johnson). She never says a word but Thune still loves her. The band thinks it’s a great idea so they decide to try it out. Their reasoning behind it is that Lindhome thinks that men are more attracted to women who are quiet rather than those that have opinions. Her insistence to continue the ploy while Micucci dreads it shows an interesting dynamic between the two. Lindhome comes off as the dreamer with angst therefore she leads the two into trouble; Micucci is more level headed and subsequently more gullible to her partner’s antics.
After going on a blind double date, the two test out their mute skills. Oddly enough everything works. The guys ramble on forever about nothing, never really taking notice that their dates haven’t said a word. Both men end up falling for the ladies. Lindhome’s date (TJ Miller!) consoling in her that he is an orphan and her selective mutism leads to him believing she is too without parents. Possibly one of the funniest mix-ups based on how well he sells it. Micucci’s date, on the other hand, just thinks that she has a mental disability that he can so graciously look past.
Should you watch Garfunkel and Oates “Speechless?”
Garfunkel and Oates isn’t without its merits. It’s funny albeit tame. There is so much more the two can show us. Coming from the internet to the silver screen is a tough transition. They have to make long form comedy based around the two to three minute songs they created. Yes, one song is incorporated into this episode which means each one probably contains a song pertaining to the episode’s theme. But I don’t want a rehash of an internet video; I want something new. Watch this episode to see if you enjoy what might come. Also, I will never get used to seeing “Directed By Fred Savage.”