A Serious Analysis of Smiling Friends (No, Really)
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- Опубликовано: 8 июн 2024
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#smilingfriends #adultswim #videoessay
Timestamps:
0:00 The Introduction
0:39 The Pilot
3:24 The Absurd
6:25 The Resolution(s)
8:50 The Rest
11:44 The End
Sources:
thedirect.com/article/smiling...
Discussion of Camus draws primarily from The Myth of Sisyphus, discussion of Sartre from Existentialism is a Humanism. 
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Hey all! This is a reworking + expansion of an old script - but if you want something brand new, why not check out this month's just-released exclusive video for as little as a £2/month pledge! EDIT: especially since this video's now been demonetised :(
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Your video sucks, this was a huge waste of effort to espouse perceived absurdist existentialism in Smiling Friends, the show is just funny, people like you ruined Rick and Morty and you will eventually ruin Smiling Friends.
Gosh talk about irony (being demonetized). Maybe skynet (my nick name for all this LLM nonsense) has achieved AGI and a nasty sense of humor.
I feel like you’re really into this absurdism vibe but I’m not seeing it in smiling friends at all. You’re making this way more 1) complex than it should be and 2) segregated into purely western irreligion as if other modes of thought and paradigms of thinking didn’t exist. Absurdism isn’t the only “absurdist” philosophy and in fact most nihilism is found in Hindu and Buddhist schools. There’s almost no promise of anything in some eastern schools of thought and instead seek a method of enlightenment and oneness that you completely ignore. This is not to mention that you gloss over William Ploughman and what it means to have a work ethic; that is one of the must substantial meanings of life found from Homer’s Odyssey to nearly any simile. This video almost nearly ignores the whole smorgasbord of thought in the world to focus on a random 2 people in niche western philosophy. Why?
@mcnallyhamster
Bro consumed way too many yappucinos
I love the fact that until the moment of his epiphany, he had the pistol pressed firmly to his temple in the same position in every scene
Also helped save on the animation budget
On the rollercoaster made me laugh 😂
not a pistol
@@callumgriss5422 get off RUclips and pick up a book, sim
@@callumgriss5422 revolvers are pistols
"wow charlie, i guess we really were a couple of smiling friends all along!"
"you kiss your dad on the mouth?"
Love the fact that smiling friends in the words of Zach hadal is "these crazy characters in these situations just acting normal, thats the joke"
"They breath and have add and if you hit them in the head with a hammer they would have a seizure"
Maybe I’m just too old now, but this show and this type of humor is not funny to me at all. It’s like edgy teenagers having their first deep thoughts. It is very surface level realizations about existence and life.
@Reefer-Rampage69 it is heavily reliant on absurdist humor so I can understand not getting it, or just finding it annoying
@@UIgogeta1987 Yeah I do get it. It’s just not funny to me anymore. I thought it was funny back in like 2015 when I was in highschool
@@Reefer-Rampage69... 2015????
Most adult animated comedies try to lead into absurdity, which often pushes them into nihilism and nothing matters sort of approach to everything. Both this show and Ugly Americans solve this problem by making their characters essentially social workers who's main purpose is to help people. This balances everything out, I feel. Because at the end of the day, they must make someone smile.
It seems that this is so important to this show, that in every episode of season 1, they make someone smile, and it plays a little audio cue every single time. Making someone smile is literally in the DNA of the show.
Ugly Americans Painfully underrated
God I’m so tired of nihilism portrayed in adult animation, smiling friends is so refreshing
Smiling Friends do more to help people than the entire run of thr Hazbin Hotel
@@all_out_tripp7220 rick and morty is just boring and tired now
Oh my god, someone else remember’s Ugly Americans too!
Its funny because the creators try to say they didnt intend to make any statements but art inherently speaks even if you dont give it a voice on purpose and the Smiling Friends railing against nihilism and toxic positivity is wonderful
I've found that making a narrative satisfying story necessitates it to have some message or meaning.
i dunno, I feel like you're putting smoke in my head with this video, man.
Get outta my head man
GET OUTTA MY HEAD
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO THINK NO MORE MAN
GET OUT OF MY HEAD
I don't know how to feel now man, you guys are trying to get into my head my head man
This show does genuinely reaffirm why I do love art, because it is so many things at once. It is simultaneously "thing is funny when it moves really fast" and also does speak, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, to the kind of philosophy that keeps people talking about it. It's not just random internet humor, Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack pick a bit and expand upon it in order to make it a full story.
I also like how it actively defies explanation of its world. How does their business or charity or whatever it is make money? It's unclear, but they make billions according to Mr. Boss.
It's like they intentionally break immersion regarding details you don't need to focus on.
It is an undeniable fact that thing is at its funniest in the moment when it rapidly alternates between two frames, in this essay I will
Yes, it really tells that you can appreciate the show this much without finding it funny.
This is something I've pondered at length for - no joke - going on 30 years now. My conclusion (so far) is this:
The Meaning of Life Is: (drum roll please...) *_The Wrong Damn Question!_*
_Life creates meaning, so the question answers itself, without telling us anything._ Here, I could go on for pages and pages about some other questions that might lead to more satisfying answers, but instead, I want to look at the meaning of meaning itself.
Just take a step back and look at it - *Life Creates Meaning.* We may never know _why_ we strive for meaning, but I find the fact that we strive for it to be remarkable. We're stardust wondering how stardust can wonder about itself. And I think that's wonderfully meaningful.
Maybe the quest for meaning is an end unto itself - an unending end. And personally, that beautiful paradox gives me a lot to live for.
Well said :)
42 is the answer. We just need to figure out the true question.
Human life strives for meaning probably because it was a viable evolutionary strategy or otherwise a byproduct of something that was- like our higher cognition allowing for cooperation and thus increased fitness for our population. That's it, that's the whole thing. The meaning is just an invention of matter that can think, whether it exists depends on how that matter wants to define it.
Im so happy to find people online whove come to a similar conclusion
I find no interpretation of this where ending my life preemptively is acceptable for myself.
Life is transient and unique, ive only got one shot at these experiences regardless of how painful they are.
Even something as horrible as pain is something i can only experience here and now, it gives me solace.
And hell, if there is something after death, it can wait.
Ive got things to see here!
"Does meaning have meaning?" - Asuka R. Kreutz
Smiling friends is peak fiction 🗿🗣️
Idk about that
What are these low standards lmao, its a great show, lets leave it there
@GreatRaijin I just said I don't think its peak I didn't say its bad
@thegreatacolyt1277 i wasnt replying to you
@@GreatRaijin oh
"Postpone his scheduled meeting with Mr. Simth and Wesson" Is a terrific line
And Desmond is the only character they reference afterwards during the Christmas episode. Shows significance. Genius.
Mr Frog is apparently going to make an appearance in season 2
Mr Frog is apparently going to make an appearance in season 2
@@cosmicspacething3474well I feel like that's moreso because he's an extremely popular character. Or one the creators really enjoy writing about.
Desmond actually being referenced again without them knowing if people would even remember him shows that they actually had a purpose to do so.
"the most literal meaning of life is whatever youre doing that prevents you from killing yourself"
3:30 small correction- he knows it’s possible because he HAS been happy. He had a wife, kids, dogs, and a job in his past that made him happy, and he lost them all. Thats why he’s so sad
The frowning friends episode was such a breath of fresh air after a near decade of nihilistic shows
I also like how Alan finds meaning by hyperfocusing on tasks and goals that no one else really witnesses or cares about.
the fact that a show about absurdism starts off with an episode about existentialism is lowkey kinda genius, and i never even thought of it like that
(for context: absurdist philosophy is rooted in existentialism.. it also goes hand in hand with optimistic nihilism)
Optimistic Nihilism! Yes!
This is unironically one of my favorite analyses I've seen from you so far. Such a unique take on this hilarious show.
I feel like Desmond should do a series of video essays about the Star Wars Prequels
Perhaps that will give him meaning.
I see what you did there.
WHATS WRONG WITH YOUR FACCEEEEE
😂
It’s like poetry, it rhymes. It’s also stylistically designed to be like that. . .VISTAS!
AT-STs! AT-STs!
The real answer to happiness is being able to keep an open mind and explore other routes your life could take. The unhappy people are those who stick with their self-destructive behaviors, whether it be Shrimp's inability to move on from his ex dumping him to Mip stalking the princess. If you can't grow, you're doomed.
As an Absurdist, I genuinely thank you for making this. There's so much content about existentialism, nihilism, and stoicism that it can get lonely. You get a like.
You get a like 👍
sartre isn't gonna f*ck you, bro
hell yeah.
I remember.
I also remember Desmond's Chekhov's Gun.
Whereas most adult swim shows are absurdist/nihilist, Smiling Friends is an absurdist yet earnest and sincere.
It's the "Joe Pera" ying to Rick and Morty's yang
Spoilers for Smiling Friends
I am an avid watcher of OneyPlays and when I saw the art for Smiling Friends, I thought that Charlie looked like Zach Hadel. I started watching it and was immediately blown away by how real the show feels. It doesn't feel like every other adult animation (mostly those by Seth MacFarlane), more so like Bojack Horseman. I particularly love the episode where Charlie goes to Hell. Things that happen in the pilot pay off in a very explosive and dynamic way. It all devolves into a look at the meaning of life and nihilism. I adore Charlie's confrontation with Satan and his eventual return to life. Smiling Friends is one of the very few shows that made me feel something. A lack of hope.
Boy those friends sure do make me smile
Its fun, silly, edgy, goofy, no politics bullshit or message to take you out of it, its just there to be silly and make you laugh. Its a true Newgrounds classic cartoon adapted as a show and Adult Swim was the perfect place for that to happen.
Was that the angel voice of Mike Fkin Stoklasa?
Yeah there's a lot of cameos like that
you'll hear the voices of
-David Firth
-Chills
-Lyle the One Eyed Guy
-Gilbert Gottfried
and more as Season 2 drops
Mike who? This is obviously Harry S. Plinkett.
@@Xenomorthianreally hoping for a doug walker cameo in season 2, especially considering doug genuinely likes the show
@@AoiUsagiOtoko I think Doug alluded to being given a cameo in the show
@@XenomorthianI’d bet money that he’s the president who they help in one of the episodes. Which is why they suspiciously don’t show the president at all in the trailer
Didn’t realize Smiling Friends had another season releasing soon, I’ll look out for that!
It’s coming out on may 12
Episode 1 is out and it's amazing...
How did you miss gwimblymania
The cut to Glep jibber-jabbering killed me.
This show is like amazing world of Gumbell meet newsgrounds meet care bears.
Or is like care bears If they try help a kid that try to kill himself.
I don’t see why people choose to see no hope if there’s no meaning to anything. If the science is correct, the extreme chance we even exist is pretty cool, I think I’ll stick around and see what happens.
The world not having any secret hidden greater meaning isn’t the same as having no hope.
For example, I live my life doing things that make me happy, and I strive to make others happy as well, it’s really satisfying making others feel good. And I do all that while believing that there’s no greater purpose to it, that we’re all just living our lives the best we can, we live and we die and that’s perfectly okay.
Imo the idea of life’s purpose not being inherent is more freeing than anything. Just live life in a way that makes you happy, and ideally those around you too. It’s not super complicated.
Your point about existing being pretty cool is like the ant argument in the episode, it is indeed pretty cool. Being pretty cool however can be far from enough to justify some very painful existences. If you're pretty sure you're really gonna hate what happens if you stick around, then maybe not stick around.
It can be hard to understand or relate to, but hope is not always there to be refused to be seen. That's why discussions about suicide can be so delicate, in some cases it's just misguided people who just need to see nice things, but in others like Desmond for instance, it can really be the only logical conclusion. The fact he finds a calling in the episode is pure and wild coincidence, and had it not happened, Desmond could've been justified in killing himself.
We don't like this alternative, but it's a necessary one if we live free from meaning.
As a man once said "I just wanted my CHEEEEESE!!!"
This will be on my tombstone
I'm really curious what Zach and Micheal would think of this video. Whether they'd have a "you nailed it bro" reaction or a "I never noticed but that's cool" one.
It is a curiously wonderful thing that we are able to hold so many ideas, express so many feelings, and share so many experiences within our relatively short lifetimes. Whether or not you believe that's a sign of a higher power that has gifted us with the joy of existence, or just an entertaining phenomenon that can make meaninglessness not so depressing, I think we can all agree that that's really neat. A show that can capture that in more nuanced and introspective ways is a good show in my book
Algorithm Protecting Comment: I haven't seen "Smiling Friends" but I hear good things and you sold it quite well.
Keep up the great work and take care!
Blie-blies are a menace, so i think Desmond is doing good to the world
I’ve been saying for a while that smiling friends is the absurdism to Rick and Morty’s nihilism
I never thought you’d do something like this and I am so damn happy you did.
I always liked that “think of how much time and energy it would take to become a balloon salesman”
Like really? Probably not that much of either? I imagine the bar for entry is pretty low. A can of gas, a pack of balloons, and a permit
Yes, but if you don't know it is a daunting thought. Fear of the unknown and doubt go hand in hand, and the Frowning Friends exploit that to make other people as unhappy as they are.
@@jordanloux3883 I saw a comment on another video point out that infact their whole point about Helium is also worthless. Just make balloon animals, its the same thing and you just use abundant air instead of Helium, hell it might even be more fun and interesting
there really is always a way to make your dreams true and the compromise might even be better (and 3D squelton can think of himself doing his part to preserve Earth's Helium supply)
my take on the purpose of life is that there isn't really one, you have to make your own. yeah, in the end, everything will mean nothing. but right now, the smallest action will mean everything.
in sixth grade, I became severely suicidal, seeing no purpose in life, seeing no way I could ever be happy. then, I realized that I wasn't alone in what I had gone through. other people were bullied like I was, other people fell into depression because of bullying, other people suffer because of bullying...
when I realized this, I felt as though I had to do something. I couldn't let anyone go through the hell I went through and continue to go through every day.
that's when I realized my purpose, a reason for me to keep going.
today, I am still dedicating my life to putting an end to bullying. I've done multiple essays on bullying in 12th grade, and I'm studying psychology and social work to gain a better understanding of mental health and social interactions. I already have a head start on my research project that I'll need to do in a few years, and I don't plan on stopping there. my goal is for my research on bullying and the damage it causes to go viral, spread through the news, reach the government even in hopes of laws being put in place.
the purpose I found is to save children from the pain of bullying. while this won't matter in a trillion years, it will matter in the lifetime of children.
just because the universe will end doesn't mean everything is meaningless. find your purpose and use it to make the world a better place, until it no longer exists
That’s incredible to hear, I wish you the best, seriously.
I had a similar thing happen, and ended up landing myself in a psychiatric hospital. Not to get too into it, but hearing the other patients’ experiences really opened my eyes. Like yeah, obviously I knew that other people struggled with mental illness and stuff. But I only knew it on paper, actually hearing them share their experiences and struggles that were so close to my own was life changing. Realizing that I wasn’t alone, that there were others who struggled with what I did, was incredibly freeing, but obviously also sad. I mean I wouldn’t wish this shit on my worst enemy.
Nowadays I just do what makes me happy, and try my best to make others happy too. I really don’t have the energy for much more tbh, so I really, really respect what you’re doing and wish you luck.
Camus will do, but Sartre is smart-tre
Desmond having “suicidal tendencies” is probably an understatement lmao
“I love helping kids. I love kids Charlie! I LOVE KIIIIIDS!”
I WAS WAITING FOR AN ANALYSIS LIKE THAT FOR SO LONG!!! thx bro
Brilliant! Sums things up pretty damn well POG!
To be fair to Pim recovering after the first episode, I get like that at times, spiral for about a week either self-destructing or absolutely seething, and a good long sleep later, I'm right back to normal.
I just realized thanx to your video that Desmond is voiced by Mike from RedLetterMedia :)
Camus became a surprisingly uplifting part of my life after reading the myth of sisyphus. NEVER thought it would tie into one of my favorite shows. Thanks man.
Oh sweet, I just got around to watching season 1 earlier this week
I remember the day I gained sentience/consciousness and it was young af. It blows my mind there’s people over the age of 40 who never once looked around and thought about life at all.
Why even want meaning? You don't need a reason or to have a good time. I don't see people think saying "life is meaningless." is depressing when there's no reason to even have meaning.
Why even want meaning?
The same reason why we want happiness. Humanity seems genetically programmed to want purpose.
@@TheNeomaster15We’re also programmed to hate people that we deem as “others”. That doesn’t mean it’s good.
Our brain does a lot of dumb shit because in a lot of ways it’s still programmed in a hunter/gatherer sort of way. For example, extreme anxiety inducing situations are your brain literally thinking it’s going to die, even when there’s absolutely zero danger. But no logic can override that “programming”, the only way to fix it is to expose your brain to those situations over and over again to teach it that death isn’t the result of whatever thing is causing the anxiety.
We’re also pattern seeking animals, it was inherent to our survival. Both to recognize landmarks and to hunt/avoid being hunted. Nowadays all it does is cause us to assume all coincidences are conspiracies, and that life *has* to have meaning.
@@TheNeomaster15 I don't think it's a genetic program, it's more of an abyss you must acknowledge. If you are happy and distracted your whole life, the question of meaning doesn't even appear. However if you find yourself seeking for reasons to do things, and you don't take inherent meaning for an answer, you are forced to acknowledge the fact that not bothering is a valid conclusion.
If you spend your whole life aware of this, and are familiar with this abyss, it is often easy to avoid, but if you had a seemingly meaningful existence suddenly stripped from said meaning, you can very easily trip into the hole apparent meaning was hiding.
We are not so much programmed for purpose as conditioned by survival to have one, and existence without purpose, although justifiable, is not trivially so
"Scheduled meeting with Mr. Smith & Wesson" hit me like a dumptruck.
I also feel like something worth thinking about, is Charlie's defaulting to apathy or realism, and pim's toxic positivity and unrealistic optimism.
YES I cant wait to watch this!!
Also, I didn't even realize you're so close to 100k! Congrats in advance!
I just want to say that there’s something about Desmond that I really like. He seems like a friendly guy (he greeted Pim and Charlie very nicely when they first met, he was easy going enough to go along with Pom’s suggestions on how to cheer him up, and when Pim failed to do so he gave Charlie space to offer up any ideas he may have)
The thing is, if the possibility for someone to gain a propuse in life, or at least the illusion of one, it means that you can also lose it
Never seen your channel before and might be the only time I visit, only clicked on cause i search for smiling friends analysis. Congrats on the 100k subs
my man, nihilism doesn't intrinsically lend itself to despair. There is no intrinsic meaning in the universe and it is the position of man to find a meaning for himself.
Glad to see someone else saying this. I was kind of surprised to hear him say that with such confidence
It’s called extentalism
@@danielnidhiry5796 Existentialsim isn’t inherently linked with despair either.
@@danielnidhiry5796 Existential Nihilism
@@CaptainEffort thats my point, existentialism means since the universe has no purpose, yo can make ur own purpose
we all need a smiling friend in our lives
This was a video I thought would be interesting yesterday I’m glad to see it exist
To see a far stranger semi-deconstruction of the very idea of people finding and talking about greater purpose or meaning in life, Adult Swim's previous series Xavier: Renegade Angel tries to... well, it is hard to tell what exactly is happening in it, actually. It is definitely unique and memorable, however.
I love Smiling Friends so much, and I can't wait for Season 2!
I love this show , frowning friends is my fav episode it fills my heart up
I mean the key thing that separates this from the more depressing nihilistic shows out there like Bojack Horseman, Family Guy, and Rick and Morty is the main characters are actually nice people. The boss isn’t cruel, Charlie and Alan may not be as happy and friendly as Pim but they’re hardly as bad as genuinely cruel characters out there. I feel like that makes this show very different
Congrats on 100k dude.
i thought it was ALL coming on may 12th
Nope, just the first two episodes. Probably the Gwimbly episode again and a new one
Pim's rottened trauma face always makes me giggle, it just so perfect 😆
Smiling Friends have really brought the comedy back in these kinda Adult Swim TV shows again
Okay no yeah. This video, at least most everything from minutes 1:10 to 5:10 i love. it is both informative & endearingly verbose.
you could include nietzsche’s bits about laughter in this sort of thing from a perspective outside of the show
“He’s convinced life is meaningless.” No. He’s convinced life sucks and his depression won’t end.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Poe's Law in action.
The Quimbly episode alone gives a lot of introspection into life.
I swear to god if I had my gwimbly gun
We must imagine Desmond happy
Camus preaching in the 40s+50s= Smiling Friends in the 2020's
Genuinely great video
Nothingness is the foundation of life and creation. Can’t have something if you don’t start with nothing. So why not see what kind of things we can build in that emptiness before we can’t?
I still think the pilot is one of the most brilliant things to air in a long time that was a tough act to follow up but they more then jumped through the flaming hoop for me with season 2 some of those frames where incredibly clean I just knew in a matter of days I’d be seeing Gwimbly blow up all over social media n it’s like they did it again made a pilot episode quality episode to a degree I still think the sub plots where kinda obvious where they where all gonna lead up to but I’m still really excited to see what season 2 has to offer really excited for the UFO one
Zach’s formula is essentially just making really relatable almost in a sense office humor jokes with just horrendous cartoon characters then break up the dryness with crazy sucker punch jokes that almost jump scares u n are just so sporadic in nature, I like to imagine he hates rehab for fictional characters one of his old cartoons but that and a few obscure things like the Mr men show where inspirations to what the show is today. I still see a lot of really big yellow smiley face water towers in the Midwest so I think that could be a inspiration for the logo cuz it’s around where Zach grew up mixed with Micheals questions for ted animation but they have a formula I think is genius and I am just so happy it was worth the wait in comedy gold cuz season 1 besides the pilot was pretty rushed so I’m just glad this season got more time in the oven
I love how you say he postpones his meeting with mr. smith and wesson when that is indeed a smith and wesson revolver
Purpose of life: literally the purpose of life for sentient creatures is to aid your species in reaching the top of the food chain and improving the overall quality of life of all living beings. Anything that gets in the way of that is anti-life
Society owes you everything and you owe society everything
Been waiting for this one ☝🏼
In my understanding its not so much camus expresses desire to find meaning in the meaningless, after all that would make him whats called an active nihilist as opposed to a passive one that accepts meaningless and doesnt seek any. Rather camus pushes the idea that the absurdity of our existence is the meaning/meta narrative.
Camus, Sarte and Nietzsche woild all be proud
If you haven’t already I’d consider watching the podcast by the Create Unknown where the creators talk about their intentions creating the show
Weirdly, reading Myth of Sisyphus and thought “a lot of this reminds me of Smiling Friends”
The Numbers of Holiness bless this video.
You're putting more thought into this than the creators
Please make videos about the people the smiling friends help smile and what their problems were.
If there is no meaning there is also no constraints
Absurdism isn't necessarily about finding a subjective meaning in an objectively meaningless universe, but rejecting the necessity of meaning to exist altogether. You don't need a reason to exist, you just exist.
4:41 pause
Tbh why should we care about the inevitable demise of the universe if it doesn’t care about anything?
The issue about nihilism is that you can yourself decide not to care either. Absurdism is about acknowledging this possibility as a necessary outcome of meaningless existence and justifying alternatives
this is literally the uricksaladbar video on smiling friends but taken dead seriously
Still waiting for that Happy Tree Friends video you never start talking about.
Have a kid
Haha, I used to literally lean into this so fucking hard but then I had a daughter and now I know I don't matter BUT I have a purpose and a reason to keep going and even a reason to strive to provide the best life (for someone else).
Even thinking back I feel like such a self centred truck for feeling that way but now everything seems to make sense and I feel the same would happen for others if they weren't single, aimless and alone like I used to be in my early to mid 20's.
"I'm here for a good time not a long time" was a motto that I used to fucking live by in those times too.
Finally someone discussing the show with good voice over
Now I know what Absurdism is!
Thanks for that Fantastic Video!
Smiling friends got me into watching Lyle and oney plays and those guys are great writers. They are even better at comedy 😂😭
“Nothing matters because we are all going to die someday!!”