MovieChat Forums > God, the Devil and Bob (2000) Discussion > This Friday on God, the Devil and Bob ...

This Friday on God, the Devil and Bob ep. 07: Bob Gets Committed

posted 12 years ago by madp
16 replies | jump to latest

Aired Jun 10, 2003

"Bob finds himself put into a mental institute (spoilerish information, but then look at the title...) after his behavior raises questions." - It seems Bob pulls a Dan Vasser this time and his mental health is questioned -- Why do our protagonists always face the threat of institutionalization?

STARRING:

The Usuals!

PLUS:

Ken Campbell
Barry

Casey Sander
Guest Star

John Kapelos
Guest Star

Charles Fleischer
Guest Star

[–] bob-402-252005 12 years ago

OK. One disk down.

Seems sometimes God's assignments can get Bob in trouble. Shouldn't they come looking for him for flying over the Cuckoo's nest? Best to overlook that and suspend disbelief.

We also see that God has a sense of humor, even to elaborate extremes. The happy face balloon crash-landing atop the billboard on which He had Bob paint, "SMILE."

Seems The Devil isn't quite the stud he thinks he is. The begging was a bit much, though.

Just take care of him with Measles and now The Devil's got a thing for Donna.

I liked how all the mental patients could see God as the innocents usually can. Yet it caught him off guard when Andy could. I liked the gag of God pointing out the move that one guy was missing in his imaginary solitaire game.

"I can't hold it here much longer." And neither could Bob's outdoor TV antenna. Man, I haven't seen one of those things in decades.

And what's bane to The Devil? Tony Orlando and Dawn. Makes me wonder if there was some sort of connection to the radio gag in Devil's Birthday. Same song, even.

This one gets 8 smiley-faced hot air balloons.

___________

I'd've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.

[–] madp 12 years ago

Random details I loved:

- God's offer to take Bob to the stripper's apartment to watch her cry in the shower in the end of the night to wash away the shame... But at least she'd be naked, right?

- Smeck, as usual, was right. I admire's that little demon's wisdom. A “Smile” billboard *is*
lame.

- The fact that Andy spotted Bob's impostor right away, though I'm surprised he fell for the whole “pod person” thing when his father has been telling him about God and the Devil all along these last few weeks. Andy is the only member of Bob's family I like besides Bob. (I dislike Megan, and I'm beginning to hate Donna.)

Random details I liked:

- The Devil's “step machine:” two “poor devils'” heads.

- “I need a phone I can see.”
- Smeck coming out of the toilet.

- Donna anticipating the Devil's needs:
“See? I wanted you in pain and I had to do it myself.”

- How to fly a balloon
“Don't worry. I know how to fly it. My sister was a balloon.”

- Scary Devil: that's more how he should look like.
- Bob singing Tony Orlando. At first I was going to place this in the “didn't like” category (Who the HELL is Tony Orlando?), but I thought the song was cool, and the scene, funny!

Random details I sort of liked:

- The Devil's voodoo trick:
“That's cool. Why don't we do that more often?”
“Because that's cheap, Smeck. We're better than this.”
The Devil's reply was great, but yes, it was cheap and convenient story-wise. It just isn't a “Deus ex machina” plot device because it's a devil doing it.

- The whole Devil stud, then sick, then in love plot.

- Plus several jokes that almost made me laugh, but were not quite there yet.

- The episode ending with Bob's skin chemically burning... Meh. What is he, Wile E. Coyote? Nothing like a scene to remind us this IS a cartoon after all.

Random details I didn't like:

- Several little lame jokes here and there that I don't want to go through the trouble of repeating, like Smeck suggesting Stratego as a game.

- Bob points out the Devil was the one who put him in the loonie bin. I think it would've been much cooler if he had gone there totally because of God's interference.

- The whole baloon idea. I mean, stealing baloon you can't control is an idiotic idea. Taking mental patients with you is worse. And finally just leaving a bunch of mentally challenged people on their own flying away in a balloon, bound to have a horrible accident or even getting themselves killed is beyond comprehension. And God was OK with that?

- Bob's assignment. Yes, the idea was lame, as Smeck pointed out. And Bob only accomplished his assignment because he landed on the same billboard... by chance! Does random luck count as doing God's bidding?

- Donna's lack of consideration.
“Soup! I'm going to tell my minions about that.”
“You do that.”
Does Donna pay any attention at all to anything Bob ever says? That's exasperating.

“Have we been having earth-shattering sex?”
“No, I gave up on that years ago.”
“Hey, that was an insult!”
“I see illness hasn't dulled that mind of yours at all.”
Condescending and sarcastic much? Come on, does Donna love Bob at all?

Grade

One down, and 6 more to go and counting! I'm resigned to the fact this show will never be much more than a bunch of God/Devil gags, a great deal of sentimentality, and, if we're lucky, one or two real special pearls of divine wisdom. All that put together by some resemblance of a plot, which may be sort of well, or terribly executed. Today it went sort of well. Well, smiley baloons have already been used, so I give it 6 Tony Orlando albums.

[–] bob-402-252005 12 years ago

- The episode ending with Bob's skin chemically burning... Meh. What is he, Wile E. Coyote? Nothing like a scene to remind us this IS a cartoon after all.

The chemical burning didn't remind me of Wile E. Coyote, but Bob's failed pole-vault on the wall certainly did.

- Bob's assignment. Yes, the idea was lame, as Smeck pointed out. And Bob only accomplished his assignment because he landed on the same billboard... by chance! Does random luck count as doing God's bidding?

I took that one as God having set it up like that on purpose. After all, being omniscient and omnipotent is bound to have some advantages. Even at that, a pretty lame one, though. I figured Bob getting committed was part of God's plan for this one, and the actual assignment was to cheer up the mental patients. The Devil played right into it.

- Donna's lack of consideration.
“Soup! I'm going to tell my minions about that.”
“You do that.”
Does Donna pay any attention at all to anything Bob ever says? That's exasperating.

She was being herself. Probably chalked the "minions" bit up to fever talking.

- Bob singing Tony Orlando. At first I was going to place this in the “didn't like” category (Who the HELL is Tony Orlando?), but I thought the song was cool, and the scene, funny!

I guess remembering that '70s pop music reference puts me in the "geezer" category. It's also the song that inspired the "yellow ribbon" meme for those car magnets you see whenever soldiers are fighting abroad.

___________

I'd've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.

[–] madp 12 years ago

The chemical burning didn't remind me of Wile E. Coyote, but Bob's failed pole-vault on the wall certainly did.

You got that right!

I took that one as God having set it up like that on purpose. After all, being omniscient and omnipotent is bound to have some advantages. Even at that, a pretty lame one, though. I figured Bob getting committed was part of God's plan for this one, and the actual assignment was to cheer up the mental patients. The Devil played right into it.

So the Devil is a messenger of God too? His instrument as well? Well, Bob DID land on the billboard with a big smiley balloon, which made the motorists smile. (Meh.) That seemed to be his mission accomplished, with the mentally ill patients a bonus... And they they flew away in a balloon to their death...

She was being herself. Probably chalked the "minions" bit up to fever talking.

Yeah, herself... She treats Bob like a child,not her man. She dismissed the minions thing as if it had come out of Andy's mouth. She-devil. That's why He-Devil loved her so much, but I'd pity the Devil if he married Donna.

One more thing by the way. How come Bob goes see strippers just like that? Now Donna has nothing to say?

I guess remembering that '70s pop music reference puts me in the "geezer" category. It's also the song that inspired the "yellow ribbon" meme for those car magnets you see whenever soldiers are fighting abroad.

Sorry, our soldiers rarely fight abroad so I wouldn't know.

[–] bob-402-252005 12 years ago

So the Devil is a messenger of God too? His instrument as well?

Not willingly. More like God still thinking one move ahead of The Devil and suckering him into helping.

And they they flew away in a balloon to their death...

Overthinking it. They were headed back to the nuthouse by either flying back or by getting picked up by the cops wherever they ended up and taken back. Bob had no more of a clue how to fly that thing than any of them did and other than falling off his roof after it flew away, he made it through unscathed.

Sorry, our soldiers rarely fight abroad so I wouldn't know.

Sorry. I try to think globally while on-line, but at the end of the day I guess I'm still an American.

___________

I'd've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.

[–] madp 12 years ago

by bob-402-252005 1 day ago (Sat Sep 15 2012 12:53:05)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK. One disk down.

Yeah, yeah... Exactly the same with me... *cough* *cough* pirate download *cough*

This one gets 8 smiley-faced hot air balloons.

Somehow a big smile so full of hot air sounds appropriate

"So the Devil is a messenger of God too? His instrument as well?"

Not willingly. More like God still thinking one move ahead of The Devil and suckering him into helping.

So why does God need Bob at all, if everybody is just a pawn in His Godly game anyway?

"And they they flew away in a balloon to their death..."

Overthinking it. They were headed back to the nuthouse by either flying back or by getting picked up by the cops wherever they ended up and taken back.

Perhaps I am overthinking it. I just think flying a balloon is an extremely dangerous thing IF you know what you're doing, let alone... Bob shouldn't have left the asylum door open, and most certainly shouldn't have taken the patients on the balloon along with him. They would've been picked by the cops at the balloon field anyway.

Bob had no more of a clue how to fly that thing than any of them did and other than falling off his roof after it flew away, he made it through unscathed.

So you can't say they were headed to the institute because none of them had a clue how to fly it, not that you can control a thing like that. Most certainly, the balloon would've continued the way it was going before, following the air currents. Yeah, yeah, overthinking it again. Stop it, brain!

OK, OK, maybe God guided them back, you know, protect the innocent, but then God is not Robocop, and He said "That's not the way I work." But if he did work that way this time, it looks like God manipulated the Devil as he manipulated Bob, made the balloon fly towards town, made it land on the billboard, made it land on Bob's roof, made it fly away again, conducted the balloon to safety. In other words He practically did everything by Himself?

Sorry. I try to think globally while on-line, but at the end of the day I guess I'm still an American.

I don't know, I just thought once a year you could wake up, and you know, try being more Japanese, for example, give it a try, maybe you'd enjoy it... No, seriously, keep being as American as apple pie, that's what I love about you. Obviously we can only change who we are to a certain point, but now I digress greatly.

Specifically about the song and troops, no I was never in the US when there was any such troop support demonstrations in which that song was used, so I can't relate to that, but of course, I've heard that song before and it's quite enjoyable.

[–] dtmuller 12 years ago

Somehow a big smile so full of hot air sounds appropriate.

It sounds like a couple of Presidential candidates I know of.

The movie was The Vow. I had read the book, and it's pretty inspiring and uplifting--the woman gets in a car accident, loses her memory and doesn't recognize her husband or even recall being married. But when she realizes she really did take that vow, she's determined to keep it, so she and her husband--with the support of their family and faith--put their marriage back together.

I suppose I'd better mark the rest of this as a SPOILER, although that film was spoiled before they started shooting.

And then comes the movie. It's a complete ripoff of the book. Despite the title, the vow is all but insignificant in the film. Her family is actually trying to break up the marriage. There's no indication of faith or principles. The woman even mentions that she sees it as a chance at a "do-over". They actually get divorced. And the worst part is that the couple to whom this really happened and who wrote the book, actually said the film got the basic message right, even though details were changed. Nonsense! It's nothing like the book. So now I can't believe that they could possibly believe whatever they wrote in the book. I've seen movies that were worse than the book--most are--but this is the first movie I've ever seen that actually ruined the book.

Well, that's enough. Any more discussion of that belongs on the The Vow board.

[–] dtmuller 12 years ago

One down, and 6 more to go and counting! I'm resigned to the fact this show will never be much more than a bunch of God/Devil gags, a great deal of sentimentality, and, if we're lucky, one or two real special pearls of divine wisdom. All that put together by some resemblance of a plot, which may be sort of well, or terribly executed.

That about sums it up for me, but I think you're being too generous. I'd make it a few gags.

It was predictable that they'd have a plot where Bob would end up in an asylum, and the whole run of it was pretty ho-hum. As I've said before, the only bright spot in these shows is the banter between God and Bob. Very little this time, translating into an episode I just sat through. The "invisible solitaire" move was the best bit, but that was barely a smile.

And we're into the standard sitcom plot device of the husband begging his wife for sex. Yes, it was really the Devil, but it's pretty clear that's how it goes with Bob and Donna. When does Bob's bossy, obnoxious, meddling mother-in-law move in?

Bob's son is sick and he can't get out the door fast enough to go to a strip joint with his buddies. Gee, if there was any lingering doubt that he's a complete jerk, that sure took care of it. So now I don't like Bob, I don't like Donna, and I surely don't like Megan. It's hard to find a show funny when all of the main characters are so unlikeable that you feel like they deserve whatever terrible fate they're trying to avoid.

(The fact that I watched an absolutely awful movie last evening may not be helping my attitude this morning. Maybe the Devil made us rent it?)

[–] madp 12 years ago

by - dtmuller on Sun Sep 16 2012 05:45:47
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That about sums it up for me, but I think you're being too generous. I'd make it a few gags.

Well, at least I didn't say they were all *good* gags.

When does Bob's bossy, obnoxious, meddling mother-in-law move in?

Great one! I laughed more at this than at several jokes from the episode.

Bob's son is sick and he can't get out the door fast enough to go to a strip joint with his buddies. Gee, if there was any lingering doubt that he's a complete jerk, that sure took care of it.

You're absolutely right. Bob's officially in my "don't like" category. And what's the whole deal with this "going out to see strippers" thing? Does Donna know? Does she even care? Did he lie to her? (Seems like he didn't even have to worry about that.) Does Donna go out to watch male strippers as well?

The fact that I watched an absolutely awful movie last evening may not be helping my attitude this morning. Maybe the Devil made us rent it?

What movie? Now I'm curious! You know what I thought would be really, really terrible and wasn't? The Hunger Games. It's hard to admit I liked it.

[–] charmedwon666 12 years ago

Hey another good one. I found this one pretty funny with the biggest laugh for me coming when all the nuts ran out of the woods onto the balloon. Also the guy saying his sister was a balloon.

I just can't get used to the devil being so whiny all the time and the part about him crying in the pillow....just ridiculous.

That's what you get for shoving monopoly money into g strings....I thought I was the only one who did that.

Ah yes, Tony Orlando and Dawn. I remember having to watch that variety show when I was a kid....brutal.

All in all I liked this one pretty good and had quite a few chuckles I will give this one 8 kooks in a balloon.

http://codenamestone.blogspot.com/

[–] wlcebtg 12 years ago

This Friday on “God, the Devil and Bob” ep. 07: “Bob Gets Committed”

Sorry again for being so late again I need to just sit down on Friday afternoon after work and get it over with. The only thing I get from this show is a laugh every now and then. The stories are simple and predictable. Now that the devil has a crush on Bob’s wife does that mean good or bad things will happen to her who knows. The Asylum segment was O.K. liked God helping him out with the solitaire game.

Off on a different subject all together so I like to watch the local new when I get home from work why I don’t know it can be a little depressing these days. (election, crime, whatever) But what really gets on my nerves is local new spends too much time promoting their TV line up. So when did that become news? Is it that way across the country and in Brazil or am I just lucky.

[–] madp 12 years ago

by wlcebtg 3 hours ago (Mon Sep 17 2012 14:59:49)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Off on a different subject all together so I like to watch the local new when I get home from work why I don’t know it can be a little depressing these days. (election, crime, whatever) But what really gets on my nerves is local new spends too much time promoting their TV line up. So when did that become news? Is it that way across the country and in Brazil or am I just lucky.

Gosh, I haven't watched local TV in a long while... I grew up being bombarded with commercials, and for the last five or six years, I rarely watch any, thanks to "alternative" downloads on the Internet.

Sometimes I watch local TV for a soccer game, for instance, and now that my parents are buying at big 3D TV, I may watch even more, especially at the next World Cup. But as far as the local TV lineup is concerned, they spend a long time advertising the novelas (rough equivalent to prime-time soaps, but in reality represent a mix of ordinary soap, drama and comedy shows). When there is a new one beginning, every six months or so, they advertise it a lot.

Cable TV on the other hand, is another story. Here people buy cable to watch The Big Bang Theory, for instance, that is, shows from American networks are treated as special cable programs. (OK, those are mixed with a few real cable shows). Regular network shows on cable have commercial breaks and whenever it's time for those we get several minutes of commercials about that cable channel's lineup. It gets really annoying.

Poorly pretending this has a flimsy connection with the subject of this board, have you noticed Bob doesn't watch TV unlike other cartoon simpletons like Homer Simpson? I wonder why. And who makes the TV shows, God, Man or the Devil?

[–] dtmuller 12 years ago

Poorly pretending this has a flimsy connection with the subject of this board, have you noticed Bob doesn't watch TV unlike other cartoon simpletons like Homer Simpson? I wonder why. And who makes the TV shows, God, Man or the Devil?

I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. If he's such a Red Wings fan, why doesn't he ever watch a game? I can recall Bob watching TV only once--Red Shoe Diaries, I believe--when God interrupted him.

But then, why do they so often portray doofus characters as TV addicts? After all, you're sitting there watching their show, so doesn't that imply you're of the same sort? Isn't it a bit like McDonalds portraying people who eat fast food as being fat and unhealthy? Why would they do that? (Maybe they just take it to another level and assume that anyone who would watch their program isn't bright enough to figure that out.)

By the way, pass the chips, please. And grab me another beer.

[–] madp 12 years ago

by - dtmuller on Tue Sep 18 2012 10:05:15
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. If he's such a Red Wings fan, why doesn't he ever watch a game? I can recall Bob watching TV only once--Red Shoe Diaries, I believe--when God interrupted him.

Come to think of it, now I remember Bob watching some girls on a beach, then she would speak with God's voice, and he'd switch channels several times, and it was God talking all the time. Was that the Red Shoes reference? Still, Bob has pretty unremarkable TV viewing habits.

You got a point about TV calling TV viewers idiots through idiotic characters. And when the character is cool and smart, he never watches TV of course, he's busy living life, having the adventures we watch.

In a show like Episodes, at least it's a cable show making fun of the quality of a network show, and it works very well. In the case of shows like The Simpsons, this show (which once in a long, long time ago, was considered an intelligent show, and they made fun of Homer's unchecked praise for television, and for programs that reflect the so-called "lowest common denominator." I mean, Homer wouldn't watch Discovery Channel, or something.

Something that has always sort of bothered me is that famous actors are such professionally accomplished and busy people that they do NOT have time to watch TV. Often when a rising star in a local telenovela in Brazil is interviewed, he confesses he had never watched the show before, doesn't really like soaps, etc. of course not. Soaps are not made for rich, successful people like him! If that's not a good reason to stop watching them, I don't know what will be.

[–] dtmuller 12 years ago

Come to think of it, now I remember Bob watching some girls on a beach, then she would speak with God's voice, and he'd switch channels several times, and it was God talking all the time. Was that the Red Shoes reference?

He was flipping fast enough that I didn't catch everything, but the girls on the beach, I think, was supposed to be Baywatch (or, as some of my friends called it, Babewatch). On one of his flips, a red shoe was prominently on screen. I don't remember the other "flips".

Hey, now that I think about it, maybe our next selection should be Baywatch. If that isn't a fantasy show, I don't know what is! (But it ran more than 30 episodes. Dang!)

[–] madp 12 years ago

by - dtmuller on Fri Sep 21 2012 06:02:30
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, now that I think about it, maybe our next selection should be Baywatch. If that isn't a fantasy show, I don't know what is! (But it ran more than 30 episodes. Dang!)

Baywatch (in Brazil a.k.a. "SOS Malibu") has precisely 11 seasons. I propose we watch all of the eleven years in our Friday viewings.

This Friday on God, the Devil and Bob ep. 07: Bob Gets Committed

This Friday on God, the Devil and Bob ep. 07: Bob Gets Committed