Recently, in a bout of thirty-something millennial malaise, I dug up a CD wallet (remember those?) stuffed with discs containing full Daily Show and Colbert Report episodes spanning the period of May 2007-November 2008. I dusted off my Amazon Basics CD/DVD drive and popped in one of these precious gems to find a few dozen decidedly not HD compressed videos. I picked the first chronological file and watched 22 commercial-free minutes of something I definitely already saw way back when The Daily Show was my primary form of news and one of the shamelessly pure highlights of my day. Mere seconds in, I found myself the personification of the Gen-Z-maligned cry/laugh emoji. I haven’t laughed in this specifically carefree manner since before the start of the 45th president’s reign of terror.
Two things became apparent: the political rhetoric of the near-past isn’t really all that different than what it is today, and the notion some people have that old Daily Show episodes are simply packages of single-serve jokes that get stale as soon as they air is ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT. At least, as someone who distinctly recalls living through the exact time period of these episodes, I found them to still be incredibly hilarious and relevant. Perhaps even more so because the political players of yesteryear are still major players now, or because watching things with time traveler context makes something even more funny… I don’t care. I was tickled in exactly the right sweet spot and now I’m treating myself to an episode a night just before bed because it defragments my mind and gives me the warm fuzzy giggles.
And God, do I adore Jon Stewart. The obsession I had with him in college evolved into the most extended and precious para-social marriage I’ve ever had. This adoration is a universal constant of Caity, a physical law of the multiverse. His appearances with our dearest Stephen (my other long-time para-social marriage) on the Late Show are tantalizing AF, but never nearly enough. I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for whatever show Jon makes for Apple TV. I just… miss Jon's face, his chuckles, his George W. Bush impressions. Oh God, how adorable was George W. Bush, though? How dumb we were to think he was THE ABSOLUTE WORST. I‘d be thrilled to share a beer with him now.
I recently missed Jon so much that I actually subjected myself to his second directorial contribution to the world of film: Irresistible. It's... not good. Not even the beloved Steve Carell could inject enough talent/laughs to mitigate the cringe. I was struck with how unsettling the script was. I cannot recall watching something more raw in its cynicism and dark in its assessment of humanity before, but at the same time, it felt entirely truthful. It was NOT WRONG about how politics works in this country. It was a jagged pill to swallow, lacking the usual gel coating afforded by the brand of humor I've learned to love from The Daily Show. By the end, I reminded myself that this was a product of the T**** era, and that my poor dear Jon's soul was being crushed with the weight of it. If the election didn't go the way it went, clearly, Jon would have needed far more than hugs.
During the pandemic lockdown, I’m sure every human on earth has indulged in some “beforetimes” nostalgia. I know that my instinct to induce some form of regression hypnotherapy on myself is totally natural and expected, given the hellscape we were facing on every front. I wish I knew earlier the power of intense emotional soothing a few old Mitt Romney jokes and Larry Wilmore/John Oliver field pieces could have. I would have built a holodeck of 2007 in 2015. I don’t think my 2007 self would believe that I would ever want to do that, but here we are. With every reason to do so.
*swoons* Oh Jon, my love. And you too, Stephen. You are my two favorite turd miners. Thank you for all you do.
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