4

In the Community episode "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care" (S06E02), there's a recurring joke where Dean Pelton exclaims "Jesus wept" while marveling at his abilities in the virtual reality world.

I know that "Jesus wept" comes from the Bible, and I've noticed that when the Dean first uses the phrase, he says, "And Jesus wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." This seems to be a mix-up of the Biblical quote with one attributed to Alexander the Great.

Interestingly, according to the Wikipedia article for "Jesus wept," it's used as an expletive in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. However, since the Dean and the other characters in the scene are American, I reckon he's not using it in this context.

Is there more to this joke than just combining two unrelated quotes and using them in an absurd context? I get that it's funny because it doesn't really fit the situation he's experiencing and is annoying Jeff, but I'm wondering if there's a deeper layer to the humor. Is there perhaps some American cultural reference that might not be obvious to viewers from other countries?

Improve this question
4
  • 3
    It's a minced oath. See "Use as an Expletive"
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 3 at 14:32
  • Yep. Back when ah were a kid, oop t'north in Yorkshire and Lancashire, "Jesus wept" was often used in place of various expletives, such as "f***ing hell".
    – user25730
    Commented Aug 4 at 22:24
  • @Valorum `@user25730 Interesting. It seems that its use as an expletive is mainly a UK/Ireland/Australia thing. Given that the Dean and the other characters in the scene are American, was the Dean using "Jesus wept" as an expletive?
    – galacticninja
    Commented Aug 15 at 7:29
  • 1
    @galacticninja - No, he's repeatedly misquoting Alexander the Great in an increasingly grandiose way, entranced by his apotheosis
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 15 at 7:55

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

The main joke is that it’s a ridiculously over-the top response to a very trivial achievement.

The misquote of substituting “Jesus wept” for “Alexander wept” just adds to the absurdity.

Both the Alexander quote and the biblical verse are quiet responses to events of great significance. This contrasts to the dean’s minor achievement of… increasing a font size.

The fact that “Jesus wept” is sometimes used as a mild expletive just serves to make the quote more annoying to the other characters, which adds to the joke.

There is another layer of reference that is almost certainly deliberate: in “The Lawnmower Man”, the name Jesus is used a lot as an expletive. As the titular character’s power grows, he declares himself to be a god, and ultimately (in a memorably cheesy line) “CyberChrist”. Anyone who has seen that particularly daft movie will appreciate the reference.

Improve this answer
6
  • There is no misquoted "Alexander wept"; the Dean connects quotes from the Bible and Alexander the Great by saying "And Jesus wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." Your answer seems to (very well) point out how the joke works, but not if or how it has a greater significance (which there simply might not be). I think the Dean being the only actor in a primordial but classical-looking world plays a role, too. He sees himself as a god.
    – Joachim
    Commented Aug 16 at 8:29
  • It is a misquote. The original (and obviously the intended quote in the context of this minor triumph) is “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." Jesus wept when he heard of Lazarus‘ death. It’s completely irrelevant to the events in the show. The disconnect makes the misquote funny.
    – jsm
    Commented Aug 16 at 13:46
  • Yes, I get that, I just meant that the Dean never says "Alexander wept", but just "Jesus wept" (from the Bible) and "for there were no more worlds to conquer" (from Alexander). I just meant that the particular misquote you speak of doesn't exist ("The misquote of substituting “Jesus wept” for “Alexander wept”"), even though there is the misquote "And Jesus wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer".
    – Joachim
    Commented Aug 16 at 17:29
  • The Dean indeed never says Alexander wept. And he should have. That is the misquote.
    – jsm
    Commented Aug 16 at 21:49
  • But then, unlike your answer mentions, there is no misquote in substituting "Jesus wept" for "Alexander wept", right? And, moreover, "Alexander wept" would be a misquote in and of itself. I have the feeling I can't get my point across.
    – Joachim
    Commented Aug 17 at 17:42

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .