Animation
Good Times
Netflix takes a classic sitcom, Good Times, and turns it into a vulgar, violent, sexually-charged TV-MA show.
New York City is not the easiest place to make a go of things, even under the best of circumstances. And let’s face it: Being literally stuck in a hole in the ground for the last 15 years isn’t gonna help the acclimation process.
But, hey, when you’re Kimmy Schmidt and you’ve already survived a doomsday cult, what’s the worst the Big Apple can throw at you? Lots of little apple chunks? Maybe a pie? Or even a worm or two? Pish. It’ll take more than a random Red Delicious to dampen her spirits.
Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a strange, problematic and surprisingly optimistic comedy from the ever fertile minds of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (executive producers of 30 Rock). And while its premise—small-town-hick-goes-to-the-big-city-and-teaches-it-a-thing-or-two—has been explored dozens of times before, from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to Crocodile Dundee, the I’ve-been-trapped-in-a-cult-and-just-got-out setup feels quirky and different.
Kimmy was dragged into that doomsday cult when she was in the eighth grade, ensnared by the nefarious Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, aka the worst wedding DJ in Durnsville, Indiana. For the whole of the 21st century, she’s been stuck in an underground bunker with him and three other women, believing what the guy says about God destroying the outside world because its people were “dumb and bad.”
Well, a quick visit by a SWAT team puts that little rumor to rest. Turns out the world’s just fine, if a little frayed around the edges. And Kimmy—a glass-half-full sort anyway, is determined to experience all of America’s joys that’ve been hidden away from her for so long. Before you can even remember what that Heaven’s Gate thing was all about, Kimmy finds a roommate (struggling actor/singer Titus), a job (formerly serving as a utility helpmate to pampered Jacqueline and her bratty offspring and now the head of HR at a geeky new tech company) and a whole new hometown where she won’t be constantly looked at as a victim.
Kimmy brings wit and charm and doses of endearing naiveté to the proceedings, playing a hapless-yet-not-helpless young woman who faces both her past demons and present trials with an unflagging smile. Even the episode titles with their excited exclamation marks (“Kimmy Gets a Job!” “Kimmy Is Bad at Math!”) reflect the girl’s boundless enthusiasm. As the writers studiously take funny jabs (some of them illuminating, some of them inappropriate) at social issues such as race and self-worth, Kimmy preaches that beauty is inside out, not outside in, and that we should always, always keep trying no matter what.
“I’m more than the one terrible thing that’s happened to me!” she tells her long-lost mother in a Season 2 episode. “Exactly!” her mom says. “I’m all the terrible things that have happened to me!”
It’s exactly that kind of show, full of optimism, humor and a dark, cogent realism, buoyant and … troubling, both in terms of tone and content. We hear about some discomfiting sexual fetishes as the series repeatedly mines sex for laughs. Titus is flamboyantly gay, and the subject of his sexuality comes up quite a lot, along with sly winks at such things as prostitution and even bestiality. And, of course, the story is set up with the subject of Kimmy’s 15 years of sexual slavery.
When Business Insider asked the cast what gags made it into the show on Netflix that surely would’ve been cut had it stayed on NBC (where it was originally set to air), they had plenty to talk about. Fey and Carlock are known for smart comedy—and these days that means they’re also known for crass comedy. Clearly, Kimmy’s not averse to bending a few rules as she proves to the world that she’s not a breakable girl.
In the show’s finale, Kimmy, Titus and Loretta are all evicted from their home. Kimmy tries to find ways to raise money to save their house while helping her friends live out their dreams. Loretta decides its time to move on and plans to be “blown up” along with the house when it’s demolished. (She’s not.) Titus finally receives his dream role on stage, but he must decide between the limelight and his same-sex better-half, Mikey.
A woman says she nearly lost a toe to a fungi. We hear a woman get hit by a bus, and a man thinks about killing an elderly woman. A few jokes are made about cops and civilians being killed by one another. A woman plans to commit suicide so she can haunt her neighbors.
There are various jokes made about sex, pornography, prostitution, erections, flashing, the #MeToo movement, infidelity, divorce, a reverend’s rear, post-partum healing and “gender neutral dolls.” Couples, both heterosexual and homosexual, kiss.
A few comments are made about racism and “blackface.” A man talks about his bowel movements. Other rude comments about weight and physical appearance are heard. We hear multiple references to drugs such as marijuana, ambien, cocaine and methanphetamine. People drink wine and reference other alcoholic beverages.
A man says “I renounce God” when startled, and someone exclaims “black baby Jesus!” God’s name is misused three times, while other profanities include multiple uses of “d–n,” “d–mit,” “b–ch,” “h—” and “a–.” A woman says “fudge” as a stand-in for the f-word, and “crap.”
As head of HR at Giztoob, Kimmy is tasked with firing an employee who files a complaint against her for sexual harassment. Titus regains his ex-boyfriend’s attention by working with Jaqueline to create a pretend TV show where he is the star. Lillian finds a way to dispose of her husband’s ashes.
There are a plethora of inappropriate sexual jokes made by Kimmy, who can’t seem to understand healthy physical oundaries. People joke about porn, for instance, and make unintentional double entendres alluding to oral sex. Kimmy’s pants fall down and she stands in her underwear. Men enter a building that’s referred to as a “nipple basement” and a “prostitute lounge.” A stripper gets hit in the head with a hammer. Titus refers to himself as a “prickly gay man” and recalls an instance of sexual abuse involving a therapist and a puppet. Several joking references are made about sexual harassment and abuse, including one involving a pastor. A man stands naked (chest up) in the shower. A robot says she was programmed by men to “get a period.” A play on words includes “Pooh” as a reference to feces.
There’s mention of alcohol and someone drinks beer. Other characters make mention of selling and buying drugs, and we hear references to the “disposal of dead bodies.” Mannequins are set on fire. Outfits reveal cleavage. God’s name is misused, someone is referred to as a “d-bag” and the word “d–mit” is used.
Kimmy finds her mom at Universal’s theme park in Orlando and decides to confront her for A) being a less-than-ideal mother, and B) not searching for Kimmy long enough. Meanwhile, Titus goes to Florida with Kimmy to take a job as a cruise ship entertainer. (He chickens out.)
Titus takes a detour to Titusville after praying to “Black Jesus from the Madonna ‘Like a Prayer’ video” to give him a sign. Jacqueline hosts the boorish family of her new squeeze, Russ, but is horrified to learn that the family owns the Washington Redskins. (A smattering of race-related jokes follow.) Titus fantasizes about hooking up with Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. Kimmy’s captor calls from prison, asking for a “divorce” so he can remarry. There’s a quip about the meaning of Sheena Easton’s song “Sugar Walls.”
We see the scar from a decapitation. (Yes, a decapitation.) Kimmy runs over at least 12 alligators on her way to Orlando. Her mother shoots margarita into her mouth with a water gun. In a coupon book that Kimmy made her mother before she was kidnapped, there’s an offer for a cigarette. Kimmy’s landlady, disturbed that the neighborhood is getting progressively less “weird and dangerous,” drinks whiskey and tosses a beer can onto the sidewalk (which is promptly recycled by a passerby). She and a couple of other women toast with glasses of wine.
“D–n,” “a–” and “pr–k” are blurted out, along with three misuses of God’s name. We hear “jeez” and Kimmy’s favorite profanity, the f-word stand-in “fudge.”
“Kimmy Goes Outside!”
Kimmy and her three longtime roommates are rescued from their doomsday bunker and go on the Today show. Kimmy likes New York so much she decides to stay there.
Her new roommate, Titus, is described as “very gay” by the building’s owner. And we see him pick up another man when he and Kimmy go to a nightclub. Kimmy, meanwhile, eagerly invites a strange guy to kiss her so as to make up for lost time on the open market. She admits that there was “weird sex” in the bunker.
In flashback, we see the cult leader tell the women that God thinks they (and the rest of humanity) are “dumb” and “stupid,” which was the reason he says everyone else was exterminated in “lakes of fire and stuff.” There are a few drug references. We see partyers drinking. We hear “h—,” “b–ch” and “d–n” (once or twice each). God’s name is misused a handful of times.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
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