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Spoiler Alert! Tad the Bldg Manager! So happy!

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That was AWESOME!

Second spoler alert…
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Dan Savage can really turn Stephen red with embarrassment and make him laugh uncontrollably. AND…SPOILER TWO:

TAD! TAD! TAD, TAD, TAD! Homoerotic TAD and Stephen.

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Oh, and did I mention that wonderful politics and the skewering of Michele Bachman and Rick Santorum?

Wow, this was good.

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TAAAAADDDDDD!!!! “Tailgate parties! Paella! Chainsaws!!”

Oh to be a fly on the wall of that boiler room.

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I heart Tad so much. That was really amazing, and hilarious.

The interview with Dan Savage was excellent to start with, but when Stephen totally lost it and had to turn to Tad for help… I think that’s going to be one of my favorite TCR moments ever.

“Niblets.” Hahaha…

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lockhart43 Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 11:45 PM

The “niblets” line was hilarious, but “chest penises” is what made me absolutely lose it.

…but when Stephen totally lost it and had to turn to Tad for help… I think that’s going to be one of my favorite TCR moments ever.

I agree, that’s right up there with my favorite show moments, too. I think Stephen’s reaction when Paul said, “Paella!” makes the list as well. I loved that Paul added that random line in there just to throw Stephen off.

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I fell asleep at 10:30 last night, so I didn’t get to watch this episode until the rerun at 2:30. I was still a little groggy by the time the 1st TCR segment rolled around (which was brilliant! I can’t see how anyone with an IQ higher than 2 would ever vote for Michelle Bachmann.) and then BAM! TAD THE BUILDING MANAGER!! All the comments about boiler rooms and woodworking almost made it feel like an extended episode of “Strangers With Candy.” Can Tad just sit in on every interview? He’s so nice to look at. That interview was amazing. Dan Savage is just a wonderful person, and if he’s going to cause Stephen to have a character break every time he comes on, then he’s welcome back every night as far as I’m concerned.

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Just saw the episode this morning and LOVED it… Loved Stephen’s character break and his comeback (pardon the pun) when he asked Dan whether it mattered which end of the guy he was on…
One teeny tiny thing though apropos of the NY Times article. Much as I love Dan Savage (and I think he’s great), I was a bit miffed at his statement (as also stated in the NY Times) that straight women need to be more realistic about what men are like. Sorry Dan. Uh-uh. That one doesn’t wash with me. (“Oh, I understand dear. You’re just a man. You can’t help yourself.”) BLECH. In addition to which, I think women are just as interested in sex as men are (seriously) and if Dan has a problem with that, he can go check out some of the threads on Colbert Nation (seriously). I know I have! If he had said that PEOPLE need to be more realistic about what PEOPLE are like, that would be something else entirely. But giving men a little extra rope because they are born with, well, a little extra rope, is ridiculous. Sorry.
Now. Back to the rest of the episode. It was great, and yes, the skewering of Michelle Bachman and Dick (excuse me) Rick Santorum is always most welcome.
Hope you don’t mind my little bit of contrariness above. And anytime I get to see Stephen lose it, it’s a good thing.

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ER Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 2:09 AM

Susan209 & Colbaby - well put! I found his argument interesting but had the same issue.

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susan209 :
If he had said that PEOPLE need to be more realistic about what PEOPLE are like, that would be something else entirely. But giving men a little extra rope because they are born with, well, a little extra rope, is ridiculous. Sorry.
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There aren’t enough hat tips in the world for this. It’s 2011 and many men still don’t seem to realize just how often women think about sex. (Hint: ALL THE TIME) The strength to not act on those urges as often as men do does not equal a weaker sex drive.

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SUCH a fun episode! Glad to see ‘Tad’ back & what a perfect forum too!

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@colbaby
Glad you agree. The more I think about his statement, the more it irks me. If the whole world (of which women are half) agrees that men should be forgiven indiscretions because they can’t help themselves, then perhaps since men are arguably more prone to violence, we should forgive men for violence too. “Boys will be boys.” Pass the martinis and cigars, it’s the 1950s all over again. If the otherwise very perceptive Mr. Savage would like to suggest that not all couples are made for monogamy, fine. But please don’t base the idea of open marriages on the idea that men can’t control themselves. I’ll say it again: BLECH. Go ahead and have the open or closed marriage that you want, gay or straight, as long as both parties agree. But women need to be a little bit more understanding??? Please. We’ve been understanding since the stone age, where some individuals’ understanding about women still resides. Dan, I can love who you are and what you’ve done for the culture at large, and still be a bit angry at you too. Grrrrr.

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TAD!!! What a fantastic episode, start to finish. Anybody else notice the cute interaction between Stephen and Paul when they cut to break before the interview? I also loved that they made a joke of the fact that Paul just got married, and here he is saying he’ll never marry.

The things Dan Savage says doesn’t bother me. He’s not just doing some “guy power” thing by his stance on monogamy. He is not saying that a guy should be able to get his rocks off whenever he wants. He uses the term C.P.O.S. quite often, in fact. He’s not even saying that a guy that’s in a monogamous relationship should have the right to cheat…… He’s just saying, don’t let it be a deal breaker in your marriage if a guy falters once. He says people shouldn’t place it at the highest of importance in your relationship above all else. He believes, though, that if a couple agree to be completely monogamous, then they should work really really hard at it, every day, because he gets a lot of letters like this one: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/07/07/hey-monogamists-what-would-you-tell-this-guy

I’m sorry if I strayed too much off of regular TCR chatter. It’s just a very passionate topic for me. I’ll get back on track now….. Can I just say how amazing the Colbert writers have been lately??? They just blow me away every day. I will watch an episode and say “that was one their best!” and then the next day I’ll think the same thing. I think this may be one of the best years of The Colbert Report ever!!! I really really hope they get their Emmy this year!

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lockhart43 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 11:08 PM

Anybody else notice the cute interaction between Stephen and Paul when they cut to break before the interview?

Yes! That was so hilarious and cute. And I definitely agree with you about the writing on the show this year; absolutely one of their best years ever. Every night the writing is just consistently brilliant, especially after they come back from vacation, I’ve found. Fingers and toes crossed for both Emmys! If they won for both Best Writing and Best Show, I would cry tears of joy.

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@Erika
Hi Erika,
I don’t disagree with a single thing you said! My point was that women and men should have equal responsibility in a relationship. I think that if people want to be in an open relationship, that’s their personal business. But to say that “heterosexual women need to be more understanding of what men are like” implies (1) that women are not as sexual as men and (2) that men are unable to control themselves, both of which, I feel, are false. Women ARE as sexual as men and men can certainly control themselves; they aren’t apes. (Well, okay, some are, but most aren’t, and there are a few female apes too — Michelle Bachman being a case in point.)
I have a feeling that my point may have been misinterpreted.

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Erika Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 8:15 AM

Women are very sexual beings, and many times the amount in which we are is highly underestimated, but that doesn’t mean that we are “as sexual” as men. We’re just not. There are plenty of studies on this too. And we’re different in the way we are sexual than men are. They are ingrained to want many many partners, and yes….they should have to control it, but it’s very hard for them and we should respect that when they are monogamous, it’s a difficult thing. For some women it’s difficult too, and we should get that same respect from our partners as well, I believe, but for the most part it’s not quite the same as what a man goes through. Dan Savage isn’t just backing up men because he’s a male and sides with them more….it’s just that he gets way more questions about couples who are thinking about breaking up because a man cheated, then from ones where a woman cheated. It’s a bigger problem, at least where he’s concerned, and he doesn’t like seeing families coming apart for something he believes isn’t as big of an issue as many make it out to be.

I love this discussion, and I love that you are so passionate about this too. It’s really fun for me, but I don’t want to bother anyone else with this, so if it is…please let me know and I’ll stop right away.

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susan209 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 9:06 AM

No problem. We can agree to disagree about men being more sexual. I have a feeling those studies may have been done by men. I’ve also known many men who were devastated because their girlfriends/wives had affairs and men who were very much alone and desperately wished for one woman to love. Maybe I just hit the jackpot in the libido department, but I don’t think I’m all that unusual. I just don’t like to see the expectation that women need to understand men as if we are demanding more than what men can potentially give. No need to harp on it. I like to have these discussions too. As always, I loved the episode, and I love that Stephen knows how to do an interview so that it sparks discussion. (When he said, “…but I’m married to a woman,” I think he knew exactly where he was steering the discussion.)

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@Erika @susan Personally, I think it is sad how many marriages collapse due to infidelity. I particularly hate it when the high profile politician’s wives (aka “scorned woman”) write a book (usually with a one-word title, like “Empowered” or “Superhuman” or something) just to say how awesome they are because they weren’t the one who cheated. All of us are human, and compassion is important, both inside and outside marriage, to those who are our partners, and everyone around us.
I don’t agree with cheating, but I don’t agree with the tar-and-feathers approach that often encircles men (or women, if it applies, and more frequently, it does) when these situations come to light. I wish people would go sit in a divorce court and listen to what divorced couples are arguing about. It’s not fun for anyone, particularly the children, and although I believe in profoundly in the merits of monogamy, I agree with Savage that there are other considerations that need to be made. Sorry to ramble!

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@CN Helper
Very well put!

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@susan209, I completely agree with you about Dan Savage’s statement that women need to be more understanding about what men are like. I found that very irritating. Men and women are equals in marriage (or a committed relationship), and what’s expected of one should be expected of the other. I did enjoy that interview last night, and Dan made some valid points, but I found myself not agreeing with him much. My own feeling is if you’re going to make a commitment to someone, then staying monogamous is part of the commitment. Then again, I say this as someone who’s never been married, so… take it with a grain of salt, I suppose.

I found it amusing that here was an entire episode with the general theme of marriage, and Paul shows up in it, just three days after he got married. When he said “I’m a confirmed bachelor, I’d never marry a woman,” I snickered a lot.

Apropos of nothing - I could never hide under Stephen’s desk. It would be too tempting to tie his shoelaces together.

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susan209 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 2:19 PM

Well, I must say my temptation would be somewhat different… Actually, (Spoiler alert! If you don’t want to know what’s under the desk, read no further!) I had the privilege of sitting at his desk once (he wasn’t there, so it was exciting, but not THAT exciting) and I learned that there is a trap door behind the desk. No one has to crouch down under the desk. They come up from a set of stairs and through the trap door. I hope that doesn’t disappoint anyone — I did say spoiler alert! I also found out that Stephen likes cranberry Kind Bars, the same ones they sell at Starbucks. There was a stack of them behind there. Anyway, even if I was under that trap door, I’d still be tempted to sneak under the desk and, um, tie his shoelaces together, um, yes, that’s right, tie his shoelaces!

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colbaby Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 6:50 PM

Mind=Blown. He’s joked many times about there being stairs under there, but I didn’t think there actually were any. I’m a tad (pun intended) bit disappointed just because it always tickled me when someone would pop up from under there like 8 minutes into the show, and I would think about them being crouched down there that long.

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susan209 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 8:51 PM

Well, depending on the gag, there are probably times when someone has to crouch down there, even if they come up through the trap door. So, please don’t be too disappointed… I feel like I just told everyone about Santa Claus. Except, of course there is a Santa, so forget that I even said that.

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colbaby Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:30 PM

Next you’re going to tell me there’s no Tooth Fairy. Yeah, like that money just appeared under my pillow. *eye roll*

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lockhart43 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:56 PM

Okay, that’s just awesome that you sat at his desk! I guess I’ve never really thought about it and just assumed that people crouched underneath there, but it makes total sense that there would be a trap door. I do have a question though: when was it that you sat at his desk? Because I remember when John Oliver was interviewed by NFZ, he mentioned the bit he did at TCR in 2008, and he said something about spending the entire first act wrapped around Stephen’s feet (and pulling at Stephen’s socks as well). Maybe the trap door was put in place after they remodeled the set? Or it could have always been there and they just needed Oliver to stay uptop for that particular segment (it could depend on the gag, like you said).

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susan209 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 11:57 PM

Hi Lockhart43! It was last year on my birthday, 9/22. My husband has a friend whose son is on the staff at TCR, and while he is not a close friend, he was kind enough to get my husband tickets for the 2 of us to see the show on my birthday last year. He let me sit at the desk and pose for a picture, which I can post (I think?) if you are interested. Stephen isn’t in the picture, of course, so I’m not sure it’s all that interesting to anyone else. I was disappointed at the time that I couldn’t meet Stephen, because it was a day or so before his congressional hearing and he was running into a meeting. I pleaded with my husband to ask for tickets again this year (9/22 isn’t all that far away) as it’s my 50th b’day, and we were able to get tickets again. So I’m very excited to go again for yet another birthday. Anyway, the staff member showed me the trap door, but he didn’t say that they always use it, so it could very well be that for certain skits, they just have people crouching, which is probably quicker.
And @ Colbaby… I am taking the Fifth on the Easter Bunny.

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Ann G Reply:
July 20th, 2011 at 12:04 AM

Only saw these responses now. I’m just a wee bit disappointed to learn about that trap door, but it does make sense. Something tells me it was something they added when they redid the studio back at the beginning of last year. Oh well. Not disappointing, exactly, just not as fun.

I also spent my 50th birthday at a TCR taping, and couldn’t have found a better way to celebrate (?) the occasion.

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- Paella?
- Go Packers!
LOVED the Tad back up

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susan209 Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 11:59 PM

LOVED the paella response, too. Paella? That was very good.

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The only thing that bothered me about the whole episode was Go Packers!! PSHHHHHH How dare you Paul Dinello!!!! *shakes fist*

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Finally….I’ve just seen this episode, a repeat on a lazy sunny afternoon. And I damn well laughed all the way through. Stephen involved in homo-erotic interplay is always delighful, and I’ll see how long it is before I refer to someone as “weapons-grade (whatever)”

I agreed with Dan Savage completely. But yes absolutely, ‘people’ would have been more appropriate than ‘women’ when he said that, even though I knew what he was getting at.

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