Patton Oswalt Ponders Comedy and Time in ‘True Detective’ Spoof
Patton Oswalt is promoting his upcoming stand-up special Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time by slapping on a walrus mustache, busting out his best Rustin Cohle impression and musing on the five dimensions and his Xbox username in a new promo video spoofing the hit HBO show True Detective.
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Fitting the philosophical undertones of his special’s title, Oswalt-as-Cohle ponders whether time is a flat circle, with comedy on one side amid people yakking about Florida, frozen dinners and children’s TV shows: “And all of it is crushed into a single plane of existence that only exists because we’re imagining it as it happens,” he continues to the bewilderment of his interrogators. Unstoppable talking machine that he is, Oswalt goes on about Yellow Kings, his obvious need for a hug (per his “Big Hug Mug”), and the two extra dimensions you never knew existed: cinnamon smell and Paul Anka. Heavy stuff.
Oswalt’s Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time premieres April 6th on Comedy Central.
The comedian is hardly the only one to take on the weighty musings of the show. Earlier this month, Seth Rogen and Jimmy Kimmel dove into the darkest depths of their souls and hit the streets of Austin to investigate the shocking defamation of Daniel Johnston’s famed frog mural.
As for the actual True Detective, creator Nic Pizzolatto hinted last week at some of the themes he’ll explore in the next season. “This is really early, but I’ll tell you [it’s about] hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system,” he said. As for what he learned from the show’s first season, which just ended its run, he said, “I need to keep being strange – don’t play the next one straight.”