Change Your Image
cleaningtechnologypjc
Reviews
God, the Devil and Bob (2000)
Underrated Soberity
God the devil and bob follows the adventures of Bob Alman, an auto-plant worker from Detriot, who is picked by God to be "the definitive proof" that his creation is not worth chucking. Bob is not the perfect guy, and was in fact chosen by Satan (played as a needy co-dependent to the Jerry Garcia-esqe version of God), as Satan was sure he would falter in his duty. The show's comedy is extremely sub-par. I don't think I laughed once throughout the course of the whole thing, and thats every single episode. No, what gets this show an 9/10 is the very real sense one gets of the humanity of the characters. The creators of the show went for a different kind of feeling, a God who is flawed. This characterization makes him come off as a more-powerful Yoda, but the series plays off it nicely.
The sparkle of the show, is the underlying execution of its morality. Think "the Simpson's" seasons 1-4, before Homer could in one episode go from being a nobody, to head of the Union, lead a strike, and be the regular joy again within a week. That level of cartoony disrespect for reality is funnier then this show by a long-shot, but God, The Devil and Bob's greatest strength is the weight it gives everything. God's depiction could be played light for laughs, but it isn't. The perfect example of this is an episode in which Bob's father dies. Upon searching hell for him, Bob discovers he is, in fact, in Heaven. Horrified that such an evil man (protrayed as unrepentantly vile) is allowed in, Bob goes on a rampage. He finds God in a bar, and when inquired God's answer is not joking. He behaviors in a more sombre way then Everybody Loves Ramone ever could. God simply says "Did you ever meet your grandpa?" and then explains that Bob's father "passed on a softer punch".
One gets the sense, the real sense, that these are people, and not cartoons. And whatever controversy the show might have gotten, it is something precious in any medium to make the audience see humanity in the players. And this show did that in spades. You very much should see this show.