Solai, I feel your pain. My first exposure to the ''Dwarf was when I was working late nights as a board op at a radio station. There was a TV in the studio, which we were supposed to keep pointed at the Weather Channel. Yeah, right: that little TV kept me from going insane while waiting to push buttons a couple of times an hour. (Later I got into production work, which was a lot more interesting.)
On earlier shifts – after my little one-hour of playing live music – I’d watch three episodes a night of Wings. But when I did the midnight-six shift, I always ended up catching an episode of 'Dwarf on PBS at midnight. At the time I thought, “What a bunch of crap.” But hey, it beat the hell out of staring at the console trying not to drool and waiting for the crazy drunk dude to make his weekly call from the pay phone outside the bus station to find out where he is.
I liken it to Flying Circus. The first dozen eps I saw as a kid confused the hell out of me. I couldn’t understand everyone, and most of the jokes didn’t make sense to me. But after a while you develop a taste for it. Then you start craving it.
But a few things that might help:
[ul]
[li]Lister is supposed to be annoying. The show’s premise is pretty much that due to a stupid accident, the last remaining human being is this putz who doesn’t give a damn about anything but curry, lager, and f***ing off.[/li][li]The H-on-the-head is totally indicative of the show’s tone. It’s cheesy. It’s low budget. If you watch 'Dwarf expecting a polished, modern comedy, you’ll be instantly disappointed. It’s this rawness that draws most of the hardcore fans. Hell, many people – including more than a few in the forum – dislike the late seasons because they’re more polished. Personally, I like ‘em all.[/li][li]Like many cult comedies, the characters’ relationships make the show. Hence, the early episodes seem drier than later ones. Of course, watching from the beginning lets you understand the story and gives you a deeper enjoyment of the later eps.[/ul]That said, if you’re not in the same mode to watch something you don’t get and don’t understand until it sinks in on the off chance it might be fun – like you (and I) were as kids with a ton of time on our hands, maybe you’d be better served by hitting some highlight eps instead of just watching from the start.[/li]
I’ll see if I can’t put a list together for you.
