Tag: television

“We create our own purpose in life. Now go create yours.”

From: Justice League Unlimited

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Lex Luthor

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the DC Comics animated series, Justice League Unlimited. This was the last series to be produced for Bruce Timm’s shared DC Animated Universe (DCAU for short).

The quote comes from the end of Justice League Unlimited episode entitled, “The Return.” The episode revolves around the android Amazo, after being in deep space for years, has evolved and become incredibly powerful. The android is on a quest to return to Earth and take his vengeance on the one who took advantage of him, Lex Luthor. The Justice League attempt to stop Amazo but to no avail. In a last ditch effort to hide Amazo’s target, The Atom shrinks himself and Luthor into subatomic size. But Amazo, having nearly God-like powers, easily find them.

Surprisingly, Amazo doesn’t attack his target but, instead, asks him why he keeps going on. Luthor then surmises that Amazo is indirectly asking what the android’s purpose in life. After a conversation talking about philosophical theories, Luthor delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: Mankind has always asked others what is the meaning of life. What is the purpose of being alive. The question is actually moot as one’s life shouldn’t be determined by others. One’s worth or what one will become should not be dictated by another. Rather, it is up to each and every individual to find that out for yourself.

In fact, the question “What is the meaning of life” is the wrong question to be asking. The correct question is should be “what is my meaning of life.” We all have to look deep inside ourselves to seek the answer to that question.

“We said ‘meh’!” “M-E-H. Meh!”

From: The Simpsons

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Bart Simpson

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from The Simpsons’ episode entitled “Hungry Hungry Homer” which is the 15th episode of the 12th season of the long running cartoon. The episode is actually all about Homer Simpson staging a hunger strike when no one believes him when he tries to tell everyone that Springfield’s baseball team, the Isotopes, is movie to Albuquerque.

However, like all Simpsons episodes, things start of rather tamely. The Simpsons family is watching television when a commercial for Blockoland, a theme park much like Legoland, is shown. Thinking that the kids would love going there, Homer asks his children, Bart and Lisa if they would want to go there. He unfortunately gets a rather unenthusiastic response…

Geek wisdom: At times, we can get excited over the things that interest us and we try to share our love for those things to others. However, we do have to realize that some people may not feel the same way you do. They may feel totally disinterested in it or even hate whatever it is.

We can’t really get mad at them because all of us have different likes and dislikes. People are all different and will feel differently regarding different things. We have to respect their opinions and not force them to like or dislike something to conform with our own ideas.

“…the points don’t matter.”

From: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Genre: Television

Who said it?: The various hosts of the show

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the incredibly long-lived improv comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? The basic premise of the show is that the host gives a panel of four comedians a series of various scenarios to act out improv-style. He may then ask the comedians to perform various other things on the fly, like changing the personality in the middle of the scene. The humor is usually derived from how the comedians react and how they react to each other.

The quote is usually said by the host to explain that, although it’s supposed to be a game show, the points are just arbitrarily on a whim. The original UK show (hosted by Clive Anderson) doesn’t mention this often. However, when the show moved to the US, hosts Drew Carrey (during the show’s intial 1998-2005 run) and Aisha Tyler (who is currently the host of the revival since 2013), make it a point to mention the quote frequently.

Geek wisdom: Social convention will try to tell us what makes us a success. They will try to pound into us there is a series of tick boxes you have to fill in to say that you’ve made it in life. Have a family. Have a high paying job. Own your own house. But these things may not mean anything to others… maybe even you.

We try to compare ourselves to these “points” even though they may not matter to us because society tells us so. We don’t have to follow the normal convention of success as the measure of a man’s success depends on whether or not he met his own personal goals or not.

“I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.”

From: Firefly/Serenity

Genre: Television/Movie

Who said it?: Hoban “Wash” Washburne

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from Serenity, a film sequel of sorts to Joss Whedon’s (sadly) short-lived sci-fi television series, Firefly. The film’s title is derived from the name of the Firefly-class spaceship the crew uses.

The quote comes from near the end of the film. In order to break through an Alliance barricade, Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds lures a horde of Reaver ships to the Serenity’s position to distract the Alliance ships. While this does work to a degree, the Serenity still has to find a way to slip through the Alliance forces. This is when Hoban “Wash” Washburne summons his courage to actually pilot the Firefly-class ship against seemingly impossible odds…

Geek wisdom: It’s incredibly easy to psyche ourselves out when under pressure. It’s easy to talk ourselves out of doing of even attempting to perform complicated tasks. In order to actually do them, confidence is key. We have to believe in ourselves whenever we do anything. Whether it be relatively mundane activities or extremely complex processes, we have to believe in ourselves that we can actually do it.

“Annie’s pretty young. We try not to sexualize her.”

From: Community

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Jeff Winger

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Community. Initially, a sitcom on NBC, the show was cancelled, dashing hopes for the dream of it getting “six seasons and a movie.” But, with Yahoo! Screen coming in for the save and picking up the cult show, all that’s missing now is the movie. The story has evolved from Jeff Winger (played by Joel McHale) trying to get a law degree from Greendale Community College to him actually becoming a faculty member. But Greendale is still the crazy school it’s always been.

The quote comes from the first season episode, “Investigative Journalism.” Buddy (portrayed by guest star Jack Black) attempts to join the study group. He then makes a sexual comment directed at Annie Edison (played by Alison Brie). Jeff quickly takes him aside and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: We tend to put people on pedestals. We worship people celebrities and fantasize that our crushes have perfect lives. What we fail to realize in situations like this is that these people are people, too! Sometimes, our own imagination tends to get the better of us and we don’t realize that they may have their own problems and their lives, while it may seem perfect, isn’t a great as we think.

“Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!”

From: Batman

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Narrator

The story behind the quote: While I’ve already created an earlier entry for the 1966 Batman camp-fest, that was for the movie. This time, the quote comes from the television series.

The 1966 Batman television series (starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin) followed the style of the older serial films. As such, each story arc was broken up into two episodes. The first episode will always end in a cliffhanger with Batman and Robin in some sort of jam. The episode will then end with the narrator summing up the Dynamic Duo’s predicament and advising viewers and fans to make sure to watch how they’ll save themselves.

Geek wisdom: In this ever changing world filled with uncertainty, it’s always nice to fall back on something you can rely on. It’s comforting to have something consistent.

“You’re in my spot.”

From: The Big Bang Theory

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Sheldon Cooper

The story behind the quote: The quote comes the very successful sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The story revolves around a group of four nerds/geeks who love nerdy/geeky things. Among the four, Sheldon Cooper (played by Jim Parsons) proved to be the show’s breakout star due to all of his quirky mannerisms and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

One of results of this obsessive-compulsive behavior is the need to sit on a certain part of the sofa. While he does have valid reasons for liking this spot (it’s never too cold/hot, great viewing angle of the television, etc.), Sheldon made it a rule that no one else is allowed to sit on it and he will chastise anyone if they do attempt to take his appointed seat. In fact, he says the quote so many times it’s become one of his more popular catchphrases.

Geek wisdom: We all have our own routines and we do get settled in our own ways. Sometimes, these little consistencies help us go through the turbulent and ever-changing world.

Yes, change may be a good thing. But there is something to be said about being able to return to something familiar as well.

“You know what really grinds my gears?”

From: Family Guy

Genre: Television, Cartoons

Who said it?: Peter Griffin

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the extremely popular cartoon Family Guy. Fun fact: the show was initially cancelled after three seasons due to poor ratings. However, after the show started being aired on Cartoon Network and DVD sales went through the roof, Fox quickly pushed through with a new season… four years after it was initially cancelled.

The quote comes from the first part of the two-part series, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. In the episode, Stewie has a near-death experience and decides to become good. His future self goes back in time to tell him what happens to him if he goes down that path.

However, the quote does not come from Stewie Griffin but actually from Peter Griffin. In the side story for the episode, Peter gets hired by a local news program after he delivers an angry tirade at a video store. Peter gets his own segment where he rants about everything that upsets him…

Geek wisdom: There will always be somethings that will upset you. It could be really something huge that affects the entire world. It also could be something really small and minute that other people will question why it bugs you so much. The thing you have to do, however, is not let the small stuff get you so riled up.

“No sir. I don’t like it.”

From: The Ren & Stimpy Show

Genre: Cartoons, Television

Who said it?: Mr. Horse

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the 90’s Nickelodeon cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show. Ren is frail Chihuahua who is prone to violent outbursts. He’s usually accompanied by Stimpy, a dim-witted and cheerful cat. Although targeted at kids (it is a cartoon after all), the show became controversial because they would show some adult humor which would go over children’s heads.

The quote comes from one of the supporting cast, Mr. Horse. The quote is actually Mr. Horse’s catchphrase of sorts. Generally, whenever Mr. Horse is asked to give his opinion about anything, he would express his negative feelings regarding it.

Geek wisdom: You can’t always be agreeable with everything and/or everyone. Each of us has his own opinions regarding various topics. However, even though something goes against popular opinion, that doesn’t mean that person’s viewpoint is invalid.

We like and dislike things to different degrees. We have to be tolerant with how other people feel on certain topics.

“I love it when a plan comes together!”

From: The A-Team

Genre: Television

Who said it?: John “Hannibal” Smith

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the 80s television show, The A-Team. The basic story of the show is actually told in the intro of the show. Essentially, a special commando unit was tried unjustly of a crime they didn’t commit. After escaping the group, consisting of John “Hannibal” Smith (leader and master of disguise), Templeton “Face” Peck (suave con man), “Howling Mad” Murdoch (delusional ace pilot) and BA Baracus (the team’s strong man), now lends their services as soliders of fortune called The A-Team. The show was a massive success, partly because of the entertaining interactions between the characters as well as Mr. T’s charisma and popularity at the time.

The quote is actually Hannibal’s catchphrase. As he’s the one who lays out the schemes and works them to suit each team member’s individual strengths, he’s able to create ingenious and unorthodox strategies that, against all logic, work out in the end.

Geek wisdom: We like to rush things out and hope for the best, hence, we love to just fly by the seat of our pants and let the chips fall where they may at times. Of course, when something goes wrong, we have to keep improvising quick fixes instead of finding solutions. This can prove to be costly and a waste of time when, if you actually tried to resolve the issue by creating meticulous plans, these problems could’ve been avoided.

“Winging it” may work sometimes but nothing beats a good plan.