It’s Stella. No, it’s not the one from that stupid street car. This one is actually three weird men dressed in suits. I know, how can three guys be named Stella? The real answer is they named their comedy act after a baby that belonged to a club owner where they performed. The not real answer, who cares, IT’S STELLA!
A little back story, not that anyone cares. Stella consists of Michael Showalter, David Wain, and Michael Ian Black. They’ve worked together in numerous things, but when they put on suits and act silly, it’s Stella. They have a bunch of internet skits (look them up) and stand-up gigs. This made Comedy Central think a show would be a good idea. In theory it was. I loved the show, and on DVD it has garnered a bit of a cult following. In reality, it was cancelled after 10 episodes. Mainly for two reasons: bizarre ads that did not represent the show well and they could not be gay.
Elaboration; in the show they are silly and goofy. In their skits, they are those things, and very homoerotic. It adds another level of insanity when men are humping and a dildo shows up. Just saying. Anyway, let’s get to the insanity.
This show hinges on a few things. First of all, every single episode is a situation that tries the guy’s friendship, and they have to weather the storm. There is also a lot of non-sequiturs, absurdity and smart comedy that is very dumb. That may not make sense, but you’d really have to watch it to understand. Or read the rest of the words here. If you don’t believe me, ask Marcus.
Who the fuck is Marcus?
There are also a lot of fame mustaches and guest stars. Quality stuff in both regards. Sam Rockwell as the shady mustache salesman in episode 3 says hello. I’m not going to pretend that this show has a real plot or story; it’s just half an hour of laughs and ridiculous situations. There is a bunch of recurring stuff from mentioning Simon and Garfunkel to the trio singing random things in unison. It happens all the time; you just have to role with it.
I normally don’t like to go in order of events, but this is such a short show and essentially the episodes could just be highlight reels. There is not a lot of set up, just a lot of fast paced dialogue and jokes. So, here goes, my highlights of each episode:
Pilot: Rubbing the landlord’s feet while purring like cats. “Shhh, baby, SHUT UP!” Open heart surgery with butter knives and straws. A dead Nazi and wicker baskets from Pier 1. All black.
Campaign: Skateboarding and laundry fights, come on Bob, Ginkgo Biloba, sleeping with money, Shabbat dinner, murder and robots.
Office Party: Warm dip, super glue, ties on heads, jerk bosses popping nuts, sweet mustaches, Gary Meadows, “GO BACK TO BED CHINA!” Hot rods, sack races, pony poop, dictation, the mayor and America. Ed Norton needing to dry things with his shirt.
Coffee Shop: The Hang Zone, Ferris Bueller, Mouse Trap, Cinnamon Milk, Coffee and sex, Elmer Fudding, chicken cutting and poison brew.
Paper Route: Bullies, crazy outfits, paper routes, brass knuckles, old school rap and older school black face.
See?
Meeting Girls: Drastic changes, bruises, Brian, pecan sandies, fairy princesses, Camry, more mustaches, Air Italy, backwards watering cans, lost eyes.
Camping: Cannibalism, dog balls, killer goats, mountain man, I thought…it was..a turkey..I SWEAR TO GOD, very sexual healing, beach killing. “He was a back packer, a loser.”
Novel: Stealing, rickshaw, bologna sandwich, hot sex, booting, bike chases, humiliation, Craig.
Vegetables: The land, limo rides, water damage, migrant working, dry humping Maggie, beans, agua, fiestas and CANDY!
Amusement Park: Fanny packs, throwing up, Wild West photos, psych wards, anorexic girls, salami straws, scream therapy, classical pianists, scary surgery, therapy, and the friendship ride.
That's it? No!
All ten episodes, wrapped up in tight little balls. That may not seem to make sense right now, but if you watch the show, these random amalgamations of items will come together. If you’ve seen the show, then you should be laughing hard or trying to remember right now. I know this was not so much a review, but a bunch of words, so let’s put a bow on this and buy back some of my merit that I sacrificed to make a point about random silly things.
Stella has been very accurately described as the Marx Brothers on acid. The characters just swing wildly in emotion and reason. They go from crazy to caring then straight to evil in the same ten second span. You really have to pay attention and catch in jokes and the speeding changes. It’s about as close to work as you get watching a wacky comedy. You really need to pay attention. I find that this show is worth it. I have watched each of these episodes at least 15 times, so the fact that I didn’t write every single scene in the highlights is sparing you poor souls a lot of my gushing. This show is smart in the dumbest of ways. An illusion being made to World War II while poop jokes are being thrown around is really the best example I can give of my point.
Go on...
This may be the worst review I write. I more than likely will like the shows I talk about. But I absolutely love this show. It’s my favorite thing to watch. It’s silly and stupid with no real value, but I love it. So much, that I almost can’t even make a rational thought. I have to do this though. I need to talk about this show because it’s one of the few shows that’s cancellation makes me mad. There was so much more they could do. With no real flowing plot, the shenanigans could have gone on forever. Luckily, they still tour and make videos. Let’s just say, I’m going to leave this present around for whomever’s birthday it may be.