Can't Hardly Debate Adventure...?

Hello whoever might be out there, 

I have been watching The Great North recently (full review coming shortly once I have actually finished the show now it has been officially cancelled, rest in peace) and the episode I have just finished particularly peaked my interest, just how the debate themed episode of Bob's Burgers also piqued my interest.

This is your official spoiler alert if you are particularly invested in The Great North but haven't yet watched season 5 episode 6.

I love debating, that comes as a surprise to nobody. Yes it does annoy me when TV shows have a cop out instead of having an actual final debate, but I recognise that I am a part of the minority audience that would find a debate on the privatisation of Alaskan national parks more interesting than what actually ended up happening.

The episode, in short, is the newest Tobin family member (Aunt Dirt) becoming the Lone Moose debate team captain in order to date a lunch lady. That is as brief as I am going to keep the boring non-debate stuff. They seem to use a very simplistic debate format consisting of one, one-minute speech each, so the actual debate component is rather lacking. Aunt Dirt suggests three core elements of a speech: deny, distract, victimise. I can honestly say, they are not totally terrible, especially in a less formal debate, sometimes all it takes to win is to throw your opponents off the rails a little.

Judy Tobin in this episode once again proves why she is me and I am her and I love her with my whole heart. I'll do a whole ramble about this in my full review but she's honestly the main reason why I'm still going with this show.

The clips we see of their debates do also sound plausible for an actual debate with the only major difference being how they're oddly eloquent for being so impulsive (yes I know it's a show and it's script writing, I just enjoy my in-world immersion).

The rivalry between the posh school is something I relate to on an insane level. My private school alter ego was called Clementine and we would all pretend to be posh when walking around private school grounds for competitions. These schools have resources my school could never, and yet we kicked ass anyway. Because you could have hours and hours of practice and all the money in the world, but a good coach is irreplaceable. Aunt Dirt may not be a professional at debate - hell she didn't even know the rules - but she had the skills that the team benefitted from learning.

I hate comparing The Great North and Bob's Burgers because they aren't the same, just like how The Simpsons and Futurama aren't the same, but I feel as if comparing the two debate episodes is valid. I think I prefer The Great North's. The Bob's Burgers episode was very romance centric, which is understandable because it was Tina, and the debate speech we did see was very good, but The Great North seems more authentic with their debate team. They all had a genuine desire to debate and improve, and technically they did not break any of the actual debate rules until the snobby school called them out for the rubbish (that would never actually happen - like, not at all). Both episodes were good, but in terms of the debate theme, The Great North takes the cake.

But we aren't talking about debate. We are talking about... classism! And us humble proletariat are victims to the capitalist regime.

Aunt Dirt would be proud.

Yours faithfully, 

MD