John Oliver and his Last Week Tonight team continue to produce one of the best shows on television each week for HBO. The show typically depends on meticulous research and real-life clips from cable news networks to provide the fodder for its comedy, but Sunday’s program (Nov. 2) took a spectacular step into creating its own bit.
Responding to a report that Lowe’s was using robot shopping assistants to help customers during the frenzied holiday season, Oliver pointed out the vital role that automated customer service could not provide: Mediating and defusing disagreements between couples whose relationship issues are magnified by their shopping conflicts.
To emphasize his point, Last Week Tonight played the following commercial spoof, starring Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), H. Jon Benjamin (Archer) and Sarah Baker (The Campaign). This is spectacular.
Couldn’t we all use a personal guide like Home Depot employee Doug to nudge us past petty disagreements and look at the bigger picture? (Although there’s no way Ron Swanson would be so patient with a bickering married couple. If he wanted that, he could just get back together with Tammy. Again. Offerman is so versatile as an actor.) Sometimes, it really is just a sink.
