Joe Pera Talks With You

In John Keats’ poem Ode on a Grecian Urn he praises the ancient artefact, rhapsodizing over its majesty and ability to bring him comfort and joy. It culminates with, ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all ye know on earth, and all you need to know.’ In many ways this is the philosophy behind Joe Pera Talks With You. Each episode involves Joe talking to the viewer about something that interests him: it may be breakfast, pumpkins, dancing - or even iron. These ranging homilies will leave you feeling edified, believing life is indeed beautiful. 


So who is Joe Pera? Well, I’ll let him introduce himself, as he does in the opening minutes of his first episode, ‘Joe Pera Shows You Iron.’

Hello,

My name is Joe Pera and unlike previous family generations, I’m not a miner, but a soft handed choir teacher who is just in awe of Michigan’s geological splendor. 

This sentence contains the essence of Joe Pera. There’s a respect for what’s come before him (unlike previous generations). Precision of language (a soft handed choir teacher). The pull of the esoteric (Michigan’s geological splendor). Joe Pera is unlike any comedy character I’ve ever met. Today’s sitcom stars are either watch-behind-your-hands embarrassing or zinger tower burgers, roasting all comers. Joe, on the other hand, moves like an apology, shuffling into shot at geriatric speed. His apparel is old fashioned too. The get-up seems lifted from a dead man’s wardrobe. I guess what I’m saying is Joe Pera just doesn’t seem made for these times. These times are horrible, combative and cynical. No one trusts experts. Empathy is a snowflake. Respect is out. Irony in. Joe Pera is the inverse of this. Joe Pera is the antidote to today's ills.

After Joe introduces his topic (iron) and himself, he’s interrupted by a family. They’ve come to view his house. There’s a For Sale sign in the front yard. The only issue is Joe didn’t put it there. It was some kids playing a prank. The problem is that the buyers love it: the children have already claimed their rooms. Joe is too meek to explain that his property isn’t on the market, so resigns himself to moving. In a talk with his friend Gene he lists all the things he’s going to miss. We’re only five minutes in, already this character has floored us. Like older siblings, we want to stand up for Joe and tell the louder kids to leave him alone. We’re in anti-Curb Your Enthusiasm territory: crisis has snowballed out of kindness. When Joe does eventually stand up for myself, I punched the sky, just as I did for Barry in Punch Drunk Love.


The reason I cite Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is because it might be a touchstone for Joe Pera’s creation. Both characters are sweet and earnest, in danger of being mocked or taken advantage of. However, Joe is more comfortable in his skin. He knows who he is and what he likes. He may apologise for his longueurs and digressions, but this is out of compassion for the viewer, not borne out of frustration with himself. Yes, he lives a simple life with his dog and vegetable patch – that, however, is enough. Having inherited his grandparents house and car, he appreciates what’s been left for him and doesn’t want for anything.


With a two-minute lecture on Michigan rocks, the first episode is Pera at his most nerdish. Subsequent episodes settle into more accessible topics, with my favourite being Episode Four. Putting Joe in social situations is a recipe for great comedy. With his unease and guitar tie, he's ill-suited for the brash bonhomie of a wedding party. But the beauty of Joe is that despite being an anachronism he somehow finds a way to fit in. When he is called to get on the dancefloor, his moves are completely joyful without once descending into Brent pastiche. The subsequent dance scenes with Sarah, a music teacher, are so endearing without once making these characters the butt of the joke.

The final episode I want to talk to you about is Episode Five where ‘Joe Pera talks you back to sleep.’ Joe is awake at 2am in the morning; he doesn’t mind though: the weather is really something. ‘I could go for some wafers and milk but it would be a shame to get up and miss a good lightning.’ What follows is five minutes where Joe talks about all the wonderful sounds (pouring liquid into a glass) and breathtaking moments (hot water pressure). He is a character that revels in the minutiae of life, reminding us that beauty doesn’t need to be paid for; it’s there if only we pay attention to it. The culmination of this episode really made me laugh because another of Joe’s favourite things is how his students teach him new slang, which leads him to sign off- completely uncharacteristically- with: ‘When you’ve got your breath I hope you doze off and tomorrow your crush becomes your bae.’


Joe Pera is one of the funniest, most beautiful things I’ve seen. Amongst the maelstrom of 24 hour news and round-the-clock notifications, there’s a quiet corner of television you can go to for solace, wonder and laughter. So put down your phone, switch it to silent, meet me there. And when you get there, I've got some headphones where we'll listen to this:

Joe Pera Talks With You is on All4.