tina fey – English 1102: Television and Feminism

In this post I will be analyzing the writing in the first episode of Kimmy Schmidt: Unbreakable, titled “Kimmy Goes Outside!” where Kimmy finally is able to get out of the bunker she has been living in for 10 years and decides to move to New York City.

The title episode’s writing was helmed by two very well known writers in the comic scene today, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Tina Fey is known for being a pioneer for females after she broke through the male-dominated comedic writing profession and was hired to be the first ever female sketch writer on Saturday Night Live. Besides her illustrious SNL career, Fey also wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls (2004), as well as created and wrote the popular TV show 30 Rock. Similarly to Fey, Robert Carlock also worked as a writer for SNL and 30 Rock, while also taking part in writing for the well known television series Friends. The hilariously clever, and random deadpan humor that viewers have enjoyed from these writers for years perfectly translates to the odd plot of Kimmy Schmidt and allows audiences to have a jubilant experience while watching Kimmy leave the bunker and go out into the real world.

The dialogue in this first episode is very snappy and quick. After all Kimmy is experiencing so many things for the first time in this episode! There is no time for any emotional monologue, she is practically still a kid in a women’s body as she has not matured since she went into the bunker during her childhood. As previously stated, the script in this episode is filled with quick, random one liners to promote the absurdity of the whole situation and to get the audience to laugh at the nonchalant, deadpan humor and enjoy the characters on screen.

With that, it should also be noted that the episode has almost no silent/dull moments! Kimmy is now living in New York City, a place that Titus (a supporting character) expresses “will chew you up and spit you out… like lunch”. The lack of silence promotes the rushed and exciting tone of the whole script throughout the title episode where Kimmy is eating candy for dinner for the first time, running with strangers who are out for a run, partying at a club for the first time, and making up for all the lost time she spent in the bunker.

I believe the writing in the title episode is perfectly executed. Fey and Carlock use deadpan humor perfectly to make the audience laugh while also using pathos to get the audience to sympathize with Kimmy’s plight, causing them to want to keep binge watching the show, which is ultimately the objective of the first episode. The writing put on paper is perfectly edited and acted for a quick episode filled with snappy, witty and humorous dialogue which I have enjoyed and look forward to enjoying as I continue to watch the series. WATCH KIMMY SCHMIDT!

Lillian commenting on Kimmy’s clothes

Me watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The first two episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt center on Kimmy starting her life anew in New York City after being rescued from the doomsday cult bunker of Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. Kimmy, played by Ellie Kemper, is determined to succeed in New York, approaching every situation with her optimism and childlike behavior.

The writers of the first two episodes, Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and Sam Means, are old co-collaborators on the show 30 Rock, a show that also focuses on the struggle of a woman trying to make it in New York City. Feminist undertones are present throughout the show, probably the influence of Tina Fey. Even the theme song begins every episode with “females are strong as hell.” Kimmy’s motivation for staying in New York? To not continuously be identified as one of the “Mole Women” and give into her male oppressor by letting him continue to rule her life. Contrary to other shows, only one male character has appeared as a recurring cast, Titus, whose behavior goes against the traditional “macho” man.

The dialogue is witty and fast, playing off our expectations of the characters. For example, Kimmy misses uses old pop references like Michael Jackson because she spent time without contact to the modern world. Jacqueline’s lines usually relate to her status, citing Givenchy and her husband’s flights to London and Tokyo. This is also displayed in her actions like when she throws a full water bottle away after Kimmy rejected it. Titus’s lines are usually related to his acting career or his self-absorbance. Silences are usually reserved for times when the audience needs to learn something. In the second episode, there is silence when Xanthippe is sneaking out the house and when Jacqueline is crying. Silence is also utilized to bring attention to characters reactions to events.

Kimmy’s advice from episode two

Something I’ve noticed is that the writers seem to have written every episode like a parable, relying on familiar archetypal characters. Kimmy is the naïve girl trying to escape her past and reinvent herself in New York; Titus is a struggling actor; Jacqueline is the privileged, upper-class second wife. The writers offset Kimmy’s naivety with her experience in the Bunker with Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. Both episodes end with Kimmy resolving conflicts with a combination of her optimism and her experiences in the Bunker, leading to a believable and funny narrative. In the first episode “Kimmy Goes Outside,” Kimmy’s naivety causes her to want to return to New York, but her optimism convinces her to stay and push Titus back into his acting career. In the second episode, Kimmy tells Jacqueline and subsequently, the audience to get through troubles by taking it 10 seconds at time, a rule I’ll be keeping in mind from now on.

English 1102: Television and Feminism

Dr. Casey Alane Wilson • Georgia Institute of Technology

Tag: tina fey

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