Skip to main content

Separated at Birth: Kenneth the Page and Mel?

It's no secret that my love for NBC's comedy 30 Rock knows no bounds and I've been shouting from the rooftops whenever possible about getting people to tune in to HBO's new musical-comedy series Flight of the Conchords.

In watching this past week's Flight of the Conchords (and several episodes of 30 Rock saved on my TiVo and iPod), I couldn't help but be struck by some similarities by the series' respective scene-stealers, Kenneth the Page and Mel the Fan. (Am I alone in thinking this?)

Were these two separated at birth? Let's compare and contrast the two lovably bizarre and tragically misunderstood naifs.

Name: Kenneth Ellen Parcell (30 Rock)
Occupation: NBC Page
Marital Status: Single (though was pressured into making a move on Cirie)
Likes: Attending church at Eighth Day Resurrected Covenant of the Holy Trinity, knitting woolen bikinis for his granny, sandwiches, Jack Donaghy, ChapStick, starting every day with a smile.
Dislikes: The "evil kids" in the film Footloose, swearing, adultery (especially when it involves Pete), losing at poker, shotguns.
Hobbies: Creating imaginary television shows (like Gold Case), dancing, acting as "gay bait" while in the employ of NBC.
Favorite Facial Expressions: Wide-eyed awe, upward glances of devotion, psychopath's smile.
Celebrity Crush: Tracy Jordan; after all, he risked his life to get him to the finale on time.
Most Cherished Item: His NBC Page jacket, natch.

Name: Mel (Flight of the Conchords)
Occupation: President/Secretary/ Treasurer, Flight of the Conchords Fan Club
Marital Status: Married (to Doug, though open to relationship with FotC band member)
Likes: Flight of the Conchords, waiting in Mr. Lee's stairwell, stalking, make-your-own t-shirts, Jemaine's lips, the mating rituals of fish, fantasizing about Jemaine, use of the word "Adonis."
Dislikes: Any woman who dates Bret or Jemaine, aquarium ads that don't use proper fonts, getting interrupted in her FotC love by hubby Doug.
Favorite Facial Expressions: Wide-eyed awe, overeager smile, nervous laughter.
Celebrity Crush: Um, duh, Flight of the Conchords' Bret and Jemaine.
Most Cherished Item: Photograph of Jemaine's lips kept in her wallet.

What do we think? Are Kenneth and Mel separated at birth... or just two freaky sides of the same maladjusted coin? You decide.


On the next Flight of the Conchords ("Sally Returns"), Sally, the woman who broke both Bret and Jemaine's hearts, re-enters their lives unexpectedly and connects with Jemaine, while Murray finds investment opportunities in the stars.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ha! I think you're on to something here. One thing's for sure...these are two of the funniest supporting characters on TV!
Anonymous said…
LOL! These two are definitely separated at birth. I love 30 Rock and Flight and I'd pay to see Kenneth and Mel hook up. Not literally of course.
Matt said…
I definitely need to "research" this in more depth. And by research I mean watch more television without wearing any pants.
Anonymous said…
Just watched the last Flight of the Conchords ep again and loved every second of it. I think you are onto something here. Either they are related or these two are meant for each other. Spin-off maybe?

Popular posts from this blog

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

The Daily Beast: "How The Killing Went Wrong"

While the uproar over the U.S. version of The Killing has quieted, the show is still a pale imitation of the Danish series on which it is based. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "How The Killing Went Wrong," in which I look at how The Killing has handled itself during its second season, and compare it to the stunning and electrifying original Danish series, Forbrydelsen , on which it is based. (I recently watched all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen over a few evenings.) The original is a mind-blowing and gut-wrenching work of genius. It’s not necessary to rehash the anger that followed in the wake of the conclusion last June of the first season of AMC’s mystery drama The Killing, based on Søren Sveistrup’s landmark Danish show Forbrydelsen, which follows the murder of a schoolgirl and its impact on the people whose lives the investigation touches upon. What followed were irate reviews, burnished with the “burning intensity of 10,000 white-hot suns