Usually I'm not a fan of pop-culture references. my main objection to them is that the humor isn't original, or related to the show, it is usually not relevant, and unfunny without prior knowledge of the culture item that is being quoted or referred. If the reference is non relevant to the show, there is usually no sophistication in bringing it up.
I think this bit from "The IT Crowd" is an exception. Even though it requires prior knowledge to be understood, It's sophisticated and relevant because it reflects on the characters, and therefore specific to the show
Moss is a super-nerd, therefore it would make sense that he would confuse "Fredo" from "The Godfather" with "Frodo" from "Lord of the Rings". Moreover, he doesn't SAY "Frodo", we do the math in our own heads, based on the character's reply which engages the viewers.
What do you think?
3 comments:
I'm not big on pop-culture references either, and I pretty much agree with what you've said about them.
However, I sometimes do like subtle references (or in-jokes) to what an artist/writer/filmmaker personally likes, which would remind certain people of it and still entertain the rest of the crowd. For instance, Ren's famous "EEDIOT!" type lines were from Peter Lorre in "The Maltese Falcon," and A113 (not really a pop-culture thing) the original classroom number for many CalArts alumni who put it in many films and TV shows they've worked on. There's no pressure in learning all about this stuff.
Yeah Nico, that's more of a personal EE-STER Egg, Like when Hirschfeld made cloth and hair patterns from the letters "Nina"- His daughter's name.
It's written by one of the guys who did Father Ted, of course it's gonna be good.
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