My interpretation of OSMC
A lot of people just aren't getting this show. Hell, even some of the people who claim to like it appear to be having a hard time figuring it out. OK, problem solved, I'll be happy to clarify, and explain why this show is the Queen of Saturday Night as far as I'm concerned. Maybe.
First, let me preface this by saying that you have to be in the right frame of mind, or it *won't* make sense. And I'm not making some obscure drug reference here, you really have to let go of some preconceptions to understand it. Drugs may help you appreciate the beautiful wallpaper and the inevitable visits to King Idea Labs, though.
This is a cartoon about a child looking critically at adults. Let's go through the characters. Start with Milk, the prodigal daughter. She gets it, she sees how screwed up and manipulable all the others around her are, and she uses that to get her way. Interpret the show within the framework of a savvy child interacting with clueless adults, and it will begin to come together. Think of the other characters as her extended family, and you'll see the genius of the show. More about Milk as we go along.
Tetsuko: Milk's dull, repressed friend. Admit it. At least half of you had a friend or two you kept around because they were harmless, subservient and easily mocked. The other half feel a deep inexplicable resentment toward Milk, and will never enjoy the show even after understanding it. Tetsuko's creator, Dr. Eyepatch, calls her a toilet-cleaner at one point, and looking at how she's shaped, he might just be telling the truth.
The President: The stupid, self-important father figure. Every episode, he tries to show how smart, hip, and with-it he is, and he can't even fool himself, really. He is the epidomy of the parent who piles the problems of the world upon his kids as if they could do something about it, and part of the show is a "what if" scenario in which Milk and Tetsuko actually do attempt to solve those problems. "Save the fish, Milk! Stop the UFOs, Milk! House the homeless, Milk!" Yeah, right, she's five. So they hypothetically go forth to do these things, because it's just that kind of cartoon. Usually, this leads them to an encounter with...
Dr. Eyepatch: He's Tetsuko's embittered contemptuous "dad", a creepy weapons-researching corporatist, wholly consumed by a Death Culture of machines, weapons, and petty abusive cruelty. He's Milk's true nemesis in the show, as he's the only one smart enough to match wits with her, and he's already achieved the corruption to which she aspires. My impression is, he grudgingly appreciates Milk's potential for mischief and mayhem. He might give Milk something marginally helpful that leads to a ridiculous "solution", or he might just mock Tetsuko for her inadequacies. Notice how Tetsuko is always hopeful on the trip to see him, but always terrified and upset by his actual presence. Ever had a friend with a dad like that?
Hanage: A hapless grandfather figure, he's basically along for the ride. He usually has a monologue which can be truly hilarious or profound at some point in the show. It's probably the only "unfiltered" commentary inserted by the writers.
The Landlord: Is he really a gay landlord? In what sense? Does a five-year-old really have her own apartment and pay rent? Does Lalo ever have her evicted for non-payment, or made a ward of the state? No. My conclusion? He is a landlord representing a smothering mother-figure, in the same way that The President of Everything is not really the president of anything. By demanding rent, Lalo is asking for affection and obedience and respect, the three things children are generally expected to render unto their elders in return for food and lodging. So Milk and Tetsuko hang out in Milk's room, Milk's landlord/mom shows up banging on the door, looking for her "payment", and Milk tricks her into leaving with as little of each of the three as possible.
The Ant People: Milk is rich. She lives high on the hog without a care in the world, her daddy is the president and her mommy is the landlord. So what about the proles? Ants. They live beneath her feet, eat on a credit card, and the tiny dramas they portray represent the frustrations of their shallow unhappy lives.
The second-layer TV shows: "Let's look at what poor people eat!" - Reductio ad absurdum on the popular fascination with voyeuristically mocking the misfortunes of others; think Jerry Springer meets Geraldo. "Pastel Mr. Chin" - Maybe we've seen Big Bird and Barney interacting with children, but what would *really* happen if a huge goofy-looking adult was always hanging out at the park trying to play with the kids? Thanks to OSMC, the question has been answered. There's a lot more, of course, but it's time to wrap this thing up.
Closing, I'll concede that the show is off-beat and far from standard fare, even for Adult Swim. I don't expect it to do well in the US, because it has too many Japanese pop-culture references we don't get offhand, and its highly-allegorical nature will generally be a turn-off to sober people late on Saturday nights. But kudos to CN for giving it a run, at least. I hope this explanation assists some prospective viewers over the hump of confusion that is naturally associated with this wierd cartoon.