Animation
Dan Da Dan
Dan Da Dan may be a comedy, but the sensuality, violence and spiritual elements within it make it a tragedy for viewers.
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 ESV) If we’re honest, most of us probably often miss the mark when it comes to following this exhortation from the Apostle Paul.
But based on the content in his Netflix special, Bad Thoughts, comedian Tom Segura seems to be aiming for the complete opposite.
Each episode contains three sketch comedy-style vignettes in which Segura invites viewers into his self-proclaimed “twisted mind.” In one sketch, a customer assaults a barista who made his order incorrectly. Another vignette features small children spewing insults and curse words as they perform in a school play. And another scene highlights a nursing home employee who engages in sexual activity with the home’s elderly residents.
You might assume that there’s at least some social commentary wrapped up in these perverted sketches, but you’d be miserably wrong. Seemingly, Segura’s sole purpose is to create irreverent, tasteless and provoking “comedy.”
If you take issue with his approach, Segura has a message for you:
“I really don’t care.”
Offense and discomfort are sometimes occupational hazards for comedians whose jokes push boundaries and subvert expectations. But in Bad Thoughts, offense and discomfort seem to be Segura’s objectives.
Most of the sketches rely heavily on graphic sexual content. Characters describe sexual activities using highly descriptive and often disturbing language. In one sketch, a man describes the sexual acts he’s willing to perform to appease his male boss. Another sketch features a dying woman who tells her husband that her last wish is to have sex with another man. In another, Segura even makes a joke about bestiality.
Unfortunately, these verbal descriptions are sometimes accompanied by visual depictions. We see a lot of skin, critical areas are barely hidden, and their actions are made very clear through context and dialogue.
For an adult show, Bad Thoughts also relies on an alarming amount of crude bathroom humor. The first episode’s opening sketch features a grown man who soils his pants, leaving a visible stain. The man later removes his pants, revealing his bare backside, and he walks around the city unclothed. Another episode includes an uncomfortably long scene in which a man attempts to complete a bowel movement while sitting on top of another man.
The show’s last tactic in an attempt at comedy is gruesome violence. Segura throws a knife into a woman’s head, places a man’s hand in a blender and burns someone’s face with boiling water. In each of these violent instances, blood flows from the characters’ bodies.
And of course, the characters’ liberal use of profanity often amplifies the above issues. (The first episode includes over 20 uses of the f-word alone.)
If you’re left speechless by the transgressive and shocking nature of Bad Thoughts, I suspect Segura would cite you as an example of his accomplished goal. He might even beam with pride at the rebuking tone of this very review.
Still, I’d imagine many of our readers have decided by now that watching Bad Thoughts is a bad idea.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
After a disastrous accident on the job, an assassin pleads with his supervisor to help him cover up his mistake. A new nursing home employee attempts to care for the residents using questionable tactics. During a company meeting, an employee is deeply disturbed by the IT worker’s behavior.
Extremely graphic sexual content permeates the episode, and all of it is played for laughs. One scene features a man having sex with a much older woman. The man’s bare legs are seen, and while no critical areas are shown, their activities are clear. Elsewhere, a man passionately kisses a woman he just met, and it is implied that they have a one-night stand. Later, he asks this woman to have sex with one of his friends. Another segment is predicated on a man using virtual reality for sex. Throughout the scene, the character mimes sexual actions, sometimes verbalizing his enjoyment of the activities. His behavior and comments reveal that these sexual actions are with another man.
In other scenes, several characters describe sexual activities with descriptive and disturbing detail. A woman wears a revealing dress. A character makes a passing comment about pronouns and a “female-presenting” individual.
One segment includes tremendously crude bathroom humor. After a grown man soils his pants, he removes the garment to deal with the issue, revealing his bare backside. The man proceeds to spend the rest of the segment with his behind uncovered as he walks around a city.
Graphic violence is also played for comedy. A man shoots a woman in her head, causing it to explode and spew large amounts of blood. Later, the same man accidentally shoots an infant (though this action is not shown onscreen). Another man slams someone’s head onto a hard surface. Someone attempts suicide. The episode’s opening sequence features a room full of human brains in glass cases, and one of these brains is bleeding.
Characters use harsh profanity including over 20 uses of the f-word. We also hear uses of the s-word, “d–k,” “h—” and misuses of God’s name.
In one scene, a man goes to a bar where we see someone drinking alcohol.
Dan Da Dan may be a comedy, but the sensuality, violence and spiritual elements within it make it a tragedy for viewers.
Revival brings the dead back to life. But while they don’t chomp for human flesh, violence and the supernatural follow them anyway.
This Australian mystery may be a bit thematically confused, but it stays on the conservative side of its TV-MA rating.
Despite the show’s positive messages about familial reconciliation, the content seriously undercuts them.
