In case you are not caught up, the internal monologue is the snippets we get into what the character is really thinking. We’re talking about the moments when Fleabag tells the guy she is sleeping with that he is amazing before looking directly into the camera and telling us that it’s doing nothing for her. This breaking of the fourth wall allows us to experience two sides of Fleabag – the role she plays in her day to day life and the more authentic character of her mind.

This method of character development in television has been used in many shows over the past decade. Recently, Orange Is The New Black toyed with the technique, offering snippets into the thoughts of Litchfield’s inmates. While some enjoyed the insight, others found the random narration contrived and jarring.

The use of the internal voice is something that was introduced to literature during the modernist movement in the late 1800s. You may recall James Joyce’s Ulysses in which the narrator shares every thought he has for the duration of a single day. Although this may sound tedious, what Joyce offered at the time was groundbreaking. Once upon a time, the protagonist’s anxiety was expressed through the beating of a heart or a tight feeling in the chest. Following Ulysses, this anxiety became something quietly confessed through the protagonist’s internal monologue.

Now, the first-person narrator is not uncommon in literature, but it’s still surprising when it’s used in television. The internal monologue allows us to see not just what characters are doing, but what they are thinking and feeling too. There is a profound aspect of honesty in this that somehow makes the audience feel a little less alone. When we see End of the F***ing World‘s Alyssa struggle to tell James how she really feels or Peep Show‘s Mark mentally punish Jez, it is a comforting reminder that we are not as weird as we think we are. Everyone finds themselves at odds with their thoughts sometimes and deep down, human nature is a lot more awkward than a cheesy drink-spill in a generic romcom. Deep down, we’re all a little bit clueless and that is absolutely ok.

The post Let’s Talk About the Use of the Internal Monologues in TV appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

The Big Bang Theory: “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis”

Sheldon buys a selection of gift baskets for Penney because he doesn’t know the appropriate gift to give to her. He is so grateful for her gift that he decides none are enough, and gives her an actual real life first-time hug.

Peep Show: “Seasonal Beatings”

Cauliflower is traditional.

The Inbetweeners: “X-mas Party”

Will has been elected for the Christmas party committee. Nothing went well.

Black Mirror: “White Christmas”

For those of you that prefer a disturbing, dystopian Christmas special over a friendly family comedy.

Outnumbered: “Christmas Special”

The Brockman family return for a Christmas Special and they are all grown up.

The Office US: “Christmas Party”

It’s even better than the UK original Office Christmas special.

Father Ted: “A Christmasy Ted”

It is 55 minutes of Christmasy madness.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: “Amends”

Buffy wanted a quiet Christmas with her mother but naturally, the evil that lingers on the hellmouth wasn’t going to let that happen.

Gavin & Stacey: “Christmas Special”

It’s one of the funniest Christmas Specials ever.

Friends: “The One With The Holiday Armadillo”

There were so many to choose from but this one stands out above the rest. It’s also the answer to the question of what happens when Santa Claus, an armadillo, and Super Man are all in the same room.

The post 10 Greatest Christmas Specials appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

1. That time Mark had to reassure him his legs weren’t on fire.

Have you ever been so drunk that you had to ask your friend to reassure you that you’re standing? It’s plausible. But have you ever been so mashed that you have had to sincerely ask your friend to reassure you that your bottom half isn’t on fire? Of course not. That would only happen to Super Hans

2. “Men with Ven.”

You’ve heard of a man with a van, but Super Hans suggests teaming up to be one better – “men with ven.”

3. The time he was utterly horrified by the NYE party.

This isn’t one of Super Hans’ series stealing moments, but his utter horror at whatever was going on in that NYE party has left our imaginations running wild at what could have possibly been going on in there. All we know is that Mark’s suggestion that they were “doing it” was way too tame to scare Super Hans.

4. The time he brought a rental snake to Mark’s party.

How do you pull a hot girl at a party? Rent a snake, obviously. Not to worry though, it is apparently perfectly safe. Super Hans teaches us an important lesson with his rhyme “Red next to black jump back. Red next to yellow, cuddly fellow.” Or was it the other way round…?

5. The time he “accidentally” ran to Windsor.

A natural reaction to getting clean is to get fit and healthy. In true Super Hans style, he takes it ten steps further (or rather, 25 miles further) and phones Jez claiming he has “accidentally” run to Windsor. It can happen, I guess.. but only to Super Hans.

The post Top 5 “That Would Only Happen to Super Hans” Moments appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

When Mark shared his two cents on relationship counselling

“Oh great, so I’ll be spending £1 a minute to hear how s**t I am at sex. Now that’s value for money.”

When he said exactly what everyone knows but won’t admit about NYE

“All rational people agree it’s a truth self-evident that it’s impossible to have a good time on New Year’s Eve. The pressure’s too immense.”

When he compared Lazer quest to the apocalypse 

“Maybe this is what it’ll be like after the apocalypse, wandering around depressed, shooting children for fun.”

That time he taught Jeremy about the real world

“Listen, Jeremy. You don’t seem to understand. Nothing you want is ever going to happen. That’s the real world. Your hair isn’t red. People don’t walk around on stilts. Maybe somewhere you can earn a living sitting around drinking margaritas through a curly plastic straw, but in this world you’ve go to turn up, log on and grind out.”

And finally, that time he sucked the life out of the party with the morbid truth

“Everyone at this party isn’t as young, fit and single as they’re making out. Yep, let’s face it, we’re all falling apart piece by piece. Doesn’t matter if you’re single or in a couple: You. Are. Going. To. Die.”

The post Top 5 Times Mark Corrigan was Painfully Cynical appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

In case you are not caught up, the internal monologue is the snippets we get into what the character is really thinking. We’re talking about the moments when Fleabag tells the guy she is sleeping with that he is amazing before looking directly into the camera and telling us that it’s doing nothing for her. This breaking of the fourth wall allows us to experience two sides of Fleabag – the role she plays in her day to day life and the more authentic character of her mind.

This method of character development in television has been used in many shows over the past decade. Recently, Orange Is The New Black toyed with the technique, offering snippets into the thoughts of Litchfield’s inmates. While some enjoyed the insight, others found the random narration contrived and jarring.

The use of the internal voice is something that was introduced to literature during the modernist movement in the late 1800s. You may recall James Joyce’s Ulysses in which the narrator shares every thought he has for the duration of a single day. Although this may sound tedious, what Joyce offered at the time was groundbreaking. Once upon a time, the protagonist’s anxiety was expressed through the beating of a heart or a tight feeling in the chest. Following Ulysses, this anxiety became something quietly confessed through the protagonist’s internal monologue.

Now, the first-person narrator is not uncommon in literature, but it’s still surprising when it’s used in television. The internal monologue allows us to see not just what characters are doing, but what they are thinking and feeling too. There is a profound aspect of honesty in this that somehow makes the audience feel a little less alone. When we see End of the F***ing World‘s Alyssa struggle to tell James how she really feels or Peep Show‘s Mark mentally punish Jez, it is a comforting reminder that we are not as weird as we think we are. Everyone finds themselves at odds with their thoughts sometimes and deep down, human nature is a lot more awkward than a cheesy drink-spill in a generic romcom. Deep down, we’re all a little bit clueless and that is absolutely ok.

The post Let’s Talk About the Use of the Internal Monologues in TV appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

The Big Bang Theory: “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis”

Sheldon buys a selection of gift baskets for Penney because he doesn’t know the appropriate gift to give to her. He is so grateful for her gift that he decides none are enough, and gives her an actual real life first-time hug.

Peep Show: “Seasonal Beatings”

Cauliflower is traditional.

The Inbetweeners: “X-mas Party”

Will has been elected for the Christmas party committee. Nothing went well.

Black Mirror: “White Christmas”

For those of you that prefer a disturbing, dystopian Christmas special over a friendly family comedy.

Outnumbered: “Christmas Special”

The Brockman family return for a Christmas Special and they are all grown up.

The Office US: “Christmas Party”

It’s even better than the UK original Office Christmas special.

Father Ted: “A Christmasy Ted”

It is 55 minutes of Christmasy madness.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: “Amends”

Buffy wanted a quiet Christmas with her mother but naturally, the evil that lingers on the hellmouth wasn’t going to let that happen.

Gavin & Stacey: “Christmas Special”

It’s one of the funniest Christmas Specials ever.

Friends: “The One With The Holiday Armadillo”

There were so many to choose from but this one stands out above the rest. It’s also the answer to the question of what happens when Santa Claus, an armadillo, and Super Man are all in the same room.

The post 10 Greatest Christmas Specials appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

1. That time Mark had to reassure him his legs weren’t on fire.

Have you ever been so drunk that you had to ask your friend to reassure you that you’re standing? It’s plausible. But have you ever been so mashed that you have had to sincerely ask your friend to reassure you that your bottom half isn’t on fire? Of course not. That would only happen to Super Hans

2. “Men with Ven.”

You’ve heard of a man with a van, but Super Hans suggests teaming up to be one better – “men with ven.”

3. The time he was utterly horrified by the NYE party.

This isn’t one of Super Hans’ series stealing moments, but his utter horror at whatever was going on in that NYE party has left our imaginations running wild at what could have possibly been going on in there. All we know is that Mark’s suggestion that they were “doing it” was way too tame to scare Super Hans.

4. The time he brought a rental snake to Mark’s party.

How do you pull a hot girl at a party? Rent a snake, obviously. Not to worry though, it is apparently perfectly safe. Super Hans teaches us an important lesson with his rhyme “Red next to black jump back. Red next to yellow, cuddly fellow.” Or was it the other way round…?

5. The time he “accidentally” ran to Windsor.

A natural reaction to getting clean is to get fit and healthy. In true Super Hans style, he takes it ten steps further (or rather, 25 miles further) and phones Jez claiming he has “accidentally” run to Windsor. It can happen, I guess.. but only to Super Hans.

The post Top 5 “That Would Only Happen to Super Hans” Moments appeared first on Entertainment For Us.

When Mark shared his two cents on relationship counselling

“Oh great, so I’ll be spending £1 a minute to hear how s**t I am at sex. Now that’s value for money.”

When he said exactly what everyone knows but won’t admit about NYE

“All rational people agree it’s a truth self-evident that it’s impossible to have a good time on New Year’s Eve. The pressure’s too immense.”

When he compared Lazer quest to the apocalypse 

“Maybe this is what it’ll be like after the apocalypse, wandering around depressed, shooting children for fun.”

That time he taught Jeremy about the real world

“Listen, Jeremy. You don’t seem to understand. Nothing you want is ever going to happen. That’s the real world. Your hair isn’t red. People don’t walk around on stilts. Maybe somewhere you can earn a living sitting around drinking margaritas through a curly plastic straw, but in this world you’ve go to turn up, log on and grind out.”

And finally, that time he sucked the life out of the party with the morbid truth

“Everyone at this party isn’t as young, fit and single as they’re making out. Yep, let’s face it, we’re all falling apart piece by piece. Doesn’t matter if you’re single or in a couple: You. Are. Going. To. Die.”

The post Top 5 Times Mark Corrigan was Painfully Cynical appeared first on Entertainment For Us.