There is one type of humor I appreciate a lot, it’s absurdity.

In fact, it’s not the most difficult type of humor to craft, because it’s very easy to laugh at absurd things. According to ethology master Desmond Morris, everything that surprises you can potentially make you laugh. For him, laugh is an “aborted cry”, whose origins begin when a baby starts to cry and stops right after because they realize that “this is frightening, but Mom does not appear alarmed, so it must be OK”. Often, the common denominator of humor is surprise. And absurdity usually involves a discontinuity between what comes first and is normal, and what comes next and is funny.

Great comedy writing involves a strong knowledge of time and pace. That’s what makes the difference between a good stand-up comedian and a mediocre amateur in a bar. Time, flow, punchline. And that is why I really like Scrubs a lot. The directing and acting play a strong role in the funniness of this show of course, but the constant and fast pace of absurdity make it a “funny-HA-HA” show, and it’s good.

- Hey you wanna play darts?
- Sure!
- Great, have fun. I’ll be over here.
(pause)
- Do you even enjoy spending time with me?
- “Enjoy” is such a strong word. I’m used to it. You know, like cafeteria food, or the constant threat of terrorism… You don’t enjoy hanging out with me do you?

Bill Lawrence, if you come to Tokyo someday, email me. I’d like to buy you a cup of coffee. Actually, Zach Braff, you too…