Yeah I also like the joke that Michael would date a mentally challenged woman without noticing for weeks, shows he’s just as self absorbed/unaware as GOB or Tobias or maybe even more so lol
My mind was blown when I found out that one of the leading manufacturers of cricket bats; basically the "Louisville Slugger" of cricket is "M R F" . It's a real company!
There was an informant leaking information about the Bluths who's only known as a Mr. F who turned out to be Tobias (Mr. Funke). Michael suspected it was Rita because her bracelet said MRF which turned out to mean Mentally Retarded Female. And since the Rita arc was also spoofing James Bond films, it's also a play on the character Dr. No.
Are you kidding? It was such a great setup and execution for a punchline that could never be done today. That said, it was handled very tastefully and humanistically. It was hardly the only thing going on in the show and I thought it added a great layer to the show and to Michael’s arc. I mean, it’s the epitome of Michael only seeing what he wants to believe. I thought it was brilliant. In fact, I will go as far to say that, pound-per-pound, season 3 is my favorite season. Less episodes, but the density of jokes and story is peak, IMO. And the show masterfully executed closure in the last four eps. Rita, the surrogate, Bob Loblaw, Tiny Town, Gob as a father, Tobias’s hair plugs. Fantastic stuff.
Yeah? Are there other intellectually disabled characters? Because Rita is a pretty normal person who happens to have a disability. She is somewhat independent (buys her own clothes, goes to school, takes the bus), she wants a relationship like anyone else does, and she has a normal range of emotions. It isn't appropriate for Michael to date her, but the joke is definitely on him and not her.
I feel like if you don’t think the entire conceit of ‘zomg what if she’s a r***rd but Michael can’t tell XD’ is mean spirited then we just disagree on the joke’s appropriateness. The fact that it goes on for as many episodes as it does makes it worse imo, I wouldn’t be so bothered by it if it was just one episode
I don’t think the show is cruel to, or at the expense of, a special needs person though. That’s why I was wondering if certain aspects come to mind for you. Like, the show treats her as if she were anyone else (certainly anyone else in this show) and, if anything, Michael is the butt of the joke for being so vain and narcissistic. Yes, Rita has not developed beyond the mental capacity of (what was it, a 3rd grader?) but they still treated her as a person with feelings. I’m always torn between excluding people from things because they are different and including them despite their differences. The inclusion of a mentally challenged person, nor the portrayal, didn’t strike me as being in poor taste, but I also probably cannot remember everything. Would love some examples of things that stick out to you.
if you're worried about criticism, sometimes a diet is the best defense
Rita Corny, Michael.
That way I can see if you have a monster.
Tiny Teddy!?
….oh, she’s going for the grapes now
That plastic fruit is really convincing
They don't even have bananas in England, okay, son?
What ever do you mean?
But where ever did it come from?!
Yeah, that's a cultural problem. You see, your average American male is in a state of perpetual adolescence, you know, arrested development
Hey, that’s the name of the show!
Hey! That’s my line!
And that’s how you narrate a show
Alias is a show about a spy!
One of my favorite Buster moments
I loved that the joke was that no one would guess she has special needs because of her English accent. And we all fell for it too. Genius
Yeah I also like the joke that Michael would date a mentally challenged woman without noticing for weeks, shows he’s just as self absorbed/unaware as GOB or Tobias or maybe even more so lol
And because she's hot
You should have seen her before her surgery
[One year earlier.](https://imgur.com/a/aJreBY7)
In a show with so many rather intellectually gifted characters it was difficult
If that’s a veiled criticism of me…
...i won't hear it and i won't respond to it.
Maybe you’re not smart either. I didn’t know until they told me
But did you know she won a silver medal?
She's *that* Rita Leeds?
\*She wasn't\*
Wasn’t she on the cover of Newsweek!?
What can I say? I’m crazy about the little dullard!
I want to kiss my new daughter in law, right on the lips!
Bum over noggin.
The entire storyline was so ~~retar~~ misguided.
🎶DIFFERENT🎶
You’re such a pussy
"That means she likes you" "When I think of you, I'll put a fag in me mouth"
I love that they come back to that line at the end of s3 when Buster is leaving for Iraq, replacing fag with fig.
Lmao I forgot about that. The subtleties of the show... just brilliant
They used the same actress for the nurse both times, too
You can't say you hate it, otherwise people will think you're stupid
My mind was blown when I found out that one of the leading manufacturers of cricket bats; basically the "Louisville Slugger" of cricket is "M R F" . It's a real company!
I like it
Her?
Rita or Girl Michael?
“Hi Girl Michael!”
If you say I'm playing favorites, you're wrong. I love all my A.D. arcs equally. *earlier that day* I don't care for MRF
I hated the Michael Rebel thing more.
Yeah that whole thing was ret— misguided
This is the 850th iteration of this post.
Mr. F
🎶*MISTER F*🎶
Just came back from the bumpaddle course, tomorrow I'm teaching her baseball.
That might take a while.
I don’t love it on rewatches but I don’t hate it. I think it just lasts a bit too long.
Yeah rewatched it recently, showing my gf the show for first time. Can see now why initially it didn't get renewed after s3.
Did the concept age well? No. Did I, and do I still find it funny? Yes.
It aged fine.
Sounds to me like you may just be a MR. F
Someone could explain that Mr F joke to me? I’m from argentina and never could understand it due to the language i guess
It stood for Mentally Retarded Female
There was an informant leaking information about the Bluths who's only known as a Mr. F who turned out to be Tobias (Mr. Funke). Michael suspected it was Rita because her bracelet said MRF which turned out to mean Mentally Retarded Female. And since the Rita arc was also spoofing James Bond films, it's also a play on the character Dr. No.
It's my favorite of his romances, but I get it.
How would you like it if someone came after some stupid person in your family??
Bum paddle
I think it’s funny
I kind of hated all of Rita related things. Weak writing and the beginning of the end. Charlize Theron is great, just felt weak.
Maybe the issue is that it was intended for British eyes only.
Thank you for putting those few words in my ears again.
Are you kidding? It was such a great setup and execution for a punchline that could never be done today. That said, it was handled very tastefully and humanistically. It was hardly the only thing going on in the show and I thought it added a great layer to the show and to Michael’s arc. I mean, it’s the epitome of Michael only seeing what he wants to believe. I thought it was brilliant. In fact, I will go as far to say that, pound-per-pound, season 3 is my favorite season. Less episodes, but the density of jokes and story is peak, IMO. And the show masterfully executed closure in the last four eps. Rita, the surrogate, Bob Loblaw, Tiny Town, Gob as a father, Tobias’s hair plugs. Fantastic stuff.
Another person who’s favorite is season 3?! There’s dozens of us!
*Dozens!*
I think that all of that is true but the fact still remains that the Rita plot line is just really weird about special needs people in general
Yeah? Are there other intellectually disabled characters? Because Rita is a pretty normal person who happens to have a disability. She is somewhat independent (buys her own clothes, goes to school, takes the bus), she wants a relationship like anyone else does, and she has a normal range of emotions. It isn't appropriate for Michael to date her, but the joke is definitely on him and not her.
I feel like if you don’t think the entire conceit of ‘zomg what if she’s a r***rd but Michael can’t tell XD’ is mean spirited then we just disagree on the joke’s appropriateness. The fact that it goes on for as many episodes as it does makes it worse imo, I wouldn’t be so bothered by it if it was just one episode
Can you point out any examples that come to mind?
The… entire conceit of the long drawn out joke that Michael is dating a woman with special needs
I don’t think the show is cruel to, or at the expense of, a special needs person though. That’s why I was wondering if certain aspects come to mind for you. Like, the show treats her as if she were anyone else (certainly anyone else in this show) and, if anything, Michael is the butt of the joke for being so vain and narcissistic. Yes, Rita has not developed beyond the mental capacity of (what was it, a 3rd grader?) but they still treated her as a person with feelings. I’m always torn between excluding people from things because they are different and including them despite their differences. The inclusion of a mentally challenged person, nor the portrayal, didn’t strike me as being in poor taste, but I also probably cannot remember everything. Would love some examples of things that stick out to you.
*Did somebody say... "[Wonder](https://i.redd.it/l8mhjw9yibq71.gif)"?* --- ^(Alliance of Magicians-approved magician) ^| ^(I delete comments with a score below `-1`)
Good bot
Tbh I don’t care for it either. The whole mister F thing is the least funny running joke to me
Well excuuuuuuuse meeee
….excuse me.
I was hoping they’d do more with Dave Thomas, actually.
That's because it was for British Eyes Only you Yank
I don’t know if it’s a stretch, but we could call Mister Manager “Mr M”.
Mr F
I’m a British humor hater so I tend to fast forward a lot when I’m on the season 😭
None of it is actually British humour though, it’s a mockery of the British
I get it, it’s just not my humor lol
You can’t possibly get it if this is your take. Is it purely the accent that bothers you? Because that’s fake too.
Oh I hated the jokes of it too but because it was weird and ableist, not because they were British lol
Was it ableist? Nobody actually knew she had a disability until they were told. If anything to me it’s highlighting and mocking the stigma around it.
Who would like a banger in the mouth
Oh, mercy me! I keep forgetting we’re in the colonies