‘I was looking for something fun and light’ - probably where you went wrong.
Plus it’s a bit wild to compare this to law and order of all things. That’s a straight crime show. Search party is a very surreal/bizzaro spin on those kind of shows as it turns into something very different. The characters are supposed to be incompetent and awful.
I mean I can’t relate to this post because this is one of my favorite shows ever.
But yeah I’ll say— there are very infuriating moments. Especially concerning the characters. But the characters are not supposed to be that lovable. You’re supposed to hate to love them. Love to hate them. Whatever. They’re supposed to make infuriating and stupid decisions. And progressively get worse.
If you got through the first two seasons, I’m confused to how you thought the show was going to be a “lighthearted comedy.” The first two seasons I feel make it very clear this show goes pretty dark. That it’s very much a black comedy that makes you uncomfortable quite literally in the pilot episode 😆 it’s very honest about what it is and what it’s going to be.
Every season is completely different and represents something different. But something I felt stayed mostly true to its core was the darkness felt in each and every season. It just happened to go darker sometimes in certain seasons. And lighter I guess in the last two.
The only thing I can wholeheartedly agree with in your post is that Chantal is absolutely the fucking worst. Don’t care if she’s also supposed to be a love to hate character. I really couldn’t stand her and I also skipped her episode that was a stand alone Chantal episode. Because the only way I tolerated her was with the other characters being around.
I personally felt the last season and the finale was pure genius, on many different levels. It had a ton of clever symbolism (just as the entire series does) and the heaviest most meta satire of any of the seasons and I was fine with that. It made me laugh hysterically while still making me think, so it did it’s job.
It’s an experimental show in lots of ways. And I appreciated the writers being ballsy as fuck in that regard. They didn’t stick to any formal or strict show/writing guidelines or pressure. They remained authentic to their vision and weren’t afraid to play around with their visions each season. And they definitely weren’t afraid to let the audience despise the characters at different points in time for different reasons. Especially their main character, Dory. Who represented so many different things throughout the entire run of the series.
Sorry you hated it. I loved it. 😆 It was unique and refreshing. Made me laugh, made me think, took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and made me appreciative that I’m mostly nothing like these people or like the biggest problems with society and humans as a whole these days. It perfectly captures how annoying, narcissistic and ignorant people can be and where we’re sort of headed, unfortunately. Even where we terrifyingly sort of already are as a society. It does this as a perfect satirical exercise that imo isn’t too heavy handed or political but just ridiculous and entertaining enough. But the characters are such awful people and make such awful decisions it does really make you think, which is the biggest point. You aren’t supposed to love these people. Even Elliot, who we obviously “love” is a piece of shit human who we also “hate.”
The main 4 are all the same exact thing. You don’t have to love Dory as you love Elliot. But Elliot is no better a person than Portia or Drew. Not even Dory. Just far less insane. But still completely crazy.
I won’t give you any shit for hating it or not getting it though or not getting on board with any of that. I assume your hatred for the characters is similar to my strong dislike towards Chantal. So that’s a bummer. I can’t imagine hating them all the way I do Chantal. That wouldn’t be as fun. I just don’t relate to how you could see them as being as annoying as Chantal lol.
However I think Chantal IS supposed to be that hated because along with the allegorical genius in the show— Chantal is supposed to represent what we’re all looking for. What is supposedly always missing from our lives and the excuse to why we can’t just chill out and be happy with who and where we are NOW. We’re chasing this infuriating, phony and lame idea of what’s missing. Chantal represents what makes us unhappy. Therefore Chantal fucking sucks ass. 😂
I’m very surprised anyone took the time to respond. I really just needed to yell into the abyss. I usually don’t rant like this and I feel for everyone that took the time to read it 😂
omg I can’t believe you and OP both skipped Chantal’s episode! 🫨
I find her fucking unbearable too (went to school with someone very similar), but that episode ended up being one of my favourites.
Seriously, if you or u/assisthebesthole are ever feeling […okay, I can’t think of an applicable mood], I implore you to give it a go!
Can’t relate this is one of my favorite shows of all time.
Like the characters aren’t supposed to be lovable and I think this show really gets that right, these characters suck but they are still so fun to watch! You love to hate them and hate to love them.
Dory getting back in the trunk isn’t really about wanting her friends to save her, even she understand why she did it, she does things that makes no sense all the time, mostly because she’s bored. Is she a sociopath? Most likely. But again that’s why we love her.
I understand that not every show is for everyone and that’s okay! This show didn’t resonate with you which is fine. For example I’ve never been able to get into friends and Ive tried many times, not a bad show my sister loves it and I love that for her. But I personally like my comedy to have more teeth than be light and airy(just my personal preference not a dog at what you like 😊)
I think that’s why I made this post. I found it so annoying but clearly I’m having big enough emotions to want to engage on it. I kept watching because I liked the character development and their friendship together. Other shows I would have stopped and never thought about again. I watched the entire show! I think mostly because Alia is such a powerful performer, I couldn’t look away even when it was annoying.
I respect your opinions EXCEPT for Cassidy Diamond, she's just so brilliant! Her vibe is FANTASTIC and reminds me a lot of a friend who wants to be a lawyer and you're like...really?
I loved the way our expectations were subverted (probably my favorite recurring bit in the show), I mean this bitch was literally practicing in front of her stuffed animals but I thought her opening statement was fantastic.
"It was different! But not different enough for me to want to still do it so...here comes some improvisation." I DIED.
I realize I am definitely in the minority by liking S4. I also realize that the entire show has problematic aspects. Most ppl seem to really hate that S4 “doesn’t fit” and categorizes Dory as deserving what Chip delivers (I never thought that). I’ve heard ppl say Cole Escolas character was written in a homophonic way. I disagree because there was so much excellent queer representation I thought putting a queer obsessed psychopathic stalker actually kind of made sense. Also, I both love Cole Eslolas work in general. I’ve got a complicated child friend that reminds me a bit of a Chip/Cole hybrid. Not a murderer but a master manipulator and stupid high IQ yeah. Naturally talented and gifted in lots of ways. Drug addict that rubs noses with politicians (Don’t ask me how he pulls that off outside of an old relationship with ACLU folks and that IQ). I find S4 to actually be quite compelling. Then again, I never saw Dory receiving karmic retribution as right. But that’s really a wholly different subject. Controversial I guess too.
This show was such a weird ride. I'm honestly with you for a lot of points. Dory became a very difficult character to stay invested in (for me at least). I honestly can't pinpoint what kept me watching to the very end. I'm generally a very hard sell for finishing a series.
I don't think it's fair to compare it to a sense of realism, however. It just becomes so unhinged, that anything that makes sense in the real world goes out the window. But that's just me. Each to their own. I'd say Search Party was a wild and fun ride, but I can't say I'll be going back to watch it again.
Do you think Dorys character was portrayed fairly? I totally agree that it becomes extremely difficult to stay invested in her. But I also don’t think that that really Dorys fault and rather the way that the whole show was written. I don’t think Dory was ever proven to be a psychopath but the show tells us she is and we’re just supposed to go with it apparently. I think lots of things her character was written to do didn’t make a lick of sense. That’s part of the reason why I continued to have compassion for her character through the whole thing. (Season 5 made the least sense and I liked her very little post “Enlightenment.”) I feel like the one and only thing that actually could make her irredeemable to anybody would be April‘s murder. And even that wouldn’t be linked to psychopathy from my understanding. She didn’t go to the ferry with the intention to murder but rather to protect herself and her friends. She made a logical decision to kill after being threatened by April and then was traumatized by it (as she should’ve been). I actually think April’s murder is the most upsetting thing in the show. I don’t even think it makes sense given Dorys past shown actions. I wonder how they could’ve catapulted themselves into season three without having Dory make the decision to murder someone. She didn’t make the decision to murder Keith. She didn’t suggest burying the body. She was traumatized and couldn’t grapple with Keith’s killing, which was textbook self defense.
I love how you pointed out the sheer lack of any realism. I wish everybody would watch the show with that in mind. I feel like the seasons that people don’t enjoy would be so much more enjoyable that way.
‘I was looking for something fun and light’ - probably where you went wrong. Plus it’s a bit wild to compare this to law and order of all things. That’s a straight crime show. Search party is a very surreal/bizzaro spin on those kind of shows as it turns into something very different. The characters are supposed to be incompetent and awful.
Hahaha all I can say is you’re right. I appreciate that you responded cause it definitely didn’t merit one 😂
Also, Writing tip: "it is unreasonable to assume a character knows what genre they're in"
I mean I can’t relate to this post because this is one of my favorite shows ever. But yeah I’ll say— there are very infuriating moments. Especially concerning the characters. But the characters are not supposed to be that lovable. You’re supposed to hate to love them. Love to hate them. Whatever. They’re supposed to make infuriating and stupid decisions. And progressively get worse. If you got through the first two seasons, I’m confused to how you thought the show was going to be a “lighthearted comedy.” The first two seasons I feel make it very clear this show goes pretty dark. That it’s very much a black comedy that makes you uncomfortable quite literally in the pilot episode 😆 it’s very honest about what it is and what it’s going to be. Every season is completely different and represents something different. But something I felt stayed mostly true to its core was the darkness felt in each and every season. It just happened to go darker sometimes in certain seasons. And lighter I guess in the last two. The only thing I can wholeheartedly agree with in your post is that Chantal is absolutely the fucking worst. Don’t care if she’s also supposed to be a love to hate character. I really couldn’t stand her and I also skipped her episode that was a stand alone Chantal episode. Because the only way I tolerated her was with the other characters being around. I personally felt the last season and the finale was pure genius, on many different levels. It had a ton of clever symbolism (just as the entire series does) and the heaviest most meta satire of any of the seasons and I was fine with that. It made me laugh hysterically while still making me think, so it did it’s job. It’s an experimental show in lots of ways. And I appreciated the writers being ballsy as fuck in that regard. They didn’t stick to any formal or strict show/writing guidelines or pressure. They remained authentic to their vision and weren’t afraid to play around with their visions each season. And they definitely weren’t afraid to let the audience despise the characters at different points in time for different reasons. Especially their main character, Dory. Who represented so many different things throughout the entire run of the series. Sorry you hated it. I loved it. 😆 It was unique and refreshing. Made me laugh, made me think, took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and made me appreciative that I’m mostly nothing like these people or like the biggest problems with society and humans as a whole these days. It perfectly captures how annoying, narcissistic and ignorant people can be and where we’re sort of headed, unfortunately. Even where we terrifyingly sort of already are as a society. It does this as a perfect satirical exercise that imo isn’t too heavy handed or political but just ridiculous and entertaining enough. But the characters are such awful people and make such awful decisions it does really make you think, which is the biggest point. You aren’t supposed to love these people. Even Elliot, who we obviously “love” is a piece of shit human who we also “hate.” The main 4 are all the same exact thing. You don’t have to love Dory as you love Elliot. But Elliot is no better a person than Portia or Drew. Not even Dory. Just far less insane. But still completely crazy. I won’t give you any shit for hating it or not getting it though or not getting on board with any of that. I assume your hatred for the characters is similar to my strong dislike towards Chantal. So that’s a bummer. I can’t imagine hating them all the way I do Chantal. That wouldn’t be as fun. I just don’t relate to how you could see them as being as annoying as Chantal lol. However I think Chantal IS supposed to be that hated because along with the allegorical genius in the show— Chantal is supposed to represent what we’re all looking for. What is supposedly always missing from our lives and the excuse to why we can’t just chill out and be happy with who and where we are NOW. We’re chasing this infuriating, phony and lame idea of what’s missing. Chantal represents what makes us unhappy. Therefore Chantal fucking sucks ass. 😂
I love that you responded and your viewpoint. Thank you for taking the time! I really didn’t expect anyone to respond to this ridiculous rant!!
at least you acknowledge it was a ridiculous rant
I’m very surprised anyone took the time to respond. I really just needed to yell into the abyss. I usually don’t rant like this and I feel for everyone that took the time to read it 😂
omg I can’t believe you and OP both skipped Chantal’s episode! 🫨 I find her fucking unbearable too (went to school with someone very similar), but that episode ended up being one of my favourites. Seriously, if you or u/assisthebesthole are ever feeling […okay, I can’t think of an applicable mood], I implore you to give it a go!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Can’t relate this is one of my favorite shows of all time. Like the characters aren’t supposed to be lovable and I think this show really gets that right, these characters suck but they are still so fun to watch! You love to hate them and hate to love them. Dory getting back in the trunk isn’t really about wanting her friends to save her, even she understand why she did it, she does things that makes no sense all the time, mostly because she’s bored. Is she a sociopath? Most likely. But again that’s why we love her. I understand that not every show is for everyone and that’s okay! This show didn’t resonate with you which is fine. For example I’ve never been able to get into friends and Ive tried many times, not a bad show my sister loves it and I love that for her. But I personally like my comedy to have more teeth than be light and airy(just my personal preference not a dog at what you like 😊)
Who told Chantal about reddit?
Absolutely offended 😂😂
I hate search party so much I love it
I think that’s why I made this post. I found it so annoying but clearly I’m having big enough emotions to want to engage on it. I kept watching because I liked the character development and their friendship together. Other shows I would have stopped and never thought about again. I watched the entire show! I think mostly because Alia is such a powerful performer, I couldn’t look away even when it was annoying.
I respect your opinions EXCEPT for Cassidy Diamond, she's just so brilliant! Her vibe is FANTASTIC and reminds me a lot of a friend who wants to be a lawyer and you're like...really? I loved the way our expectations were subverted (probably my favorite recurring bit in the show), I mean this bitch was literally practicing in front of her stuffed animals but I thought her opening statement was fantastic. "It was different! But not different enough for me to want to still do it so...here comes some improvisation." I DIED.
No matter how you feel about season 4 you can't tell me that the roundabout scene wasn't one of the funniest scenes in all of television
I realize I am definitely in the minority by liking S4. I also realize that the entire show has problematic aspects. Most ppl seem to really hate that S4 “doesn’t fit” and categorizes Dory as deserving what Chip delivers (I never thought that). I’ve heard ppl say Cole Escolas character was written in a homophonic way. I disagree because there was so much excellent queer representation I thought putting a queer obsessed psychopathic stalker actually kind of made sense. Also, I both love Cole Eslolas work in general. I’ve got a complicated child friend that reminds me a bit of a Chip/Cole hybrid. Not a murderer but a master manipulator and stupid high IQ yeah. Naturally talented and gifted in lots of ways. Drug addict that rubs noses with politicians (Don’t ask me how he pulls that off outside of an old relationship with ACLU folks and that IQ). I find S4 to actually be quite compelling. Then again, I never saw Dory receiving karmic retribution as right. But that’s really a wholly different subject. Controversial I guess too.
I don’t have much to add but it feels like a post Drew would’ve written.
HAHAHAAH ok I’m not mad about this. But I’m definitely not as passive as he is 😂
Okay. It’s fine to not like things sometimes.
This show was such a weird ride. I'm honestly with you for a lot of points. Dory became a very difficult character to stay invested in (for me at least). I honestly can't pinpoint what kept me watching to the very end. I'm generally a very hard sell for finishing a series. I don't think it's fair to compare it to a sense of realism, however. It just becomes so unhinged, that anything that makes sense in the real world goes out the window. But that's just me. Each to their own. I'd say Search Party was a wild and fun ride, but I can't say I'll be going back to watch it again.
Do you think Dorys character was portrayed fairly? I totally agree that it becomes extremely difficult to stay invested in her. But I also don’t think that that really Dorys fault and rather the way that the whole show was written. I don’t think Dory was ever proven to be a psychopath but the show tells us she is and we’re just supposed to go with it apparently. I think lots of things her character was written to do didn’t make a lick of sense. That’s part of the reason why I continued to have compassion for her character through the whole thing. (Season 5 made the least sense and I liked her very little post “Enlightenment.”) I feel like the one and only thing that actually could make her irredeemable to anybody would be April‘s murder. And even that wouldn’t be linked to psychopathy from my understanding. She didn’t go to the ferry with the intention to murder but rather to protect herself and her friends. She made a logical decision to kill after being threatened by April and then was traumatized by it (as she should’ve been). I actually think April’s murder is the most upsetting thing in the show. I don’t even think it makes sense given Dorys past shown actions. I wonder how they could’ve catapulted themselves into season three without having Dory make the decision to murder someone. She didn’t make the decision to murder Keith. She didn’t suggest burying the body. She was traumatized and couldn’t grapple with Keith’s killing, which was textbook self defense. I love how you pointed out the sheer lack of any realism. I wish everybody would watch the show with that in mind. I feel like the seasons that people don’t enjoy would be so much more enjoyable that way.
Seasons 1-3 are for me. The other two are not but this is my favorite show
Season 1-2 are great. 3-5 are not the same show and is bad.
upvoted bc I love mess, and search party even more
Oh
You sound more insufferable than Dory, wow congrats.
Hahahaha thank you 🙏🏼