The Importance of Being Ernie (or why Bert is so important) - By SeanGeek

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Bert and Ernie are probably the greatest comedy team in history. Their lasting legacy built on their puppeteers  Jim Henson and Frank Oz was pure genius. But what made this duo so special and why is their legacy so enduring?

Ernie was the troublemaker, the instigator, the chance-taker, the silly one, the crazy one, the one swirling in chaos and a lack of rules. Bert was all about rules, routine, safety, taking care of things and being reliable. The were the perfect foils for one another, the ying to the yang, the order to the chaos. They each brought out the best of each other. Ernie taught Bert to be adventurous, to take chances, to laugh out loud, the skip the chores from time to time, to break routine. Bert grounded Ernie, teaching him to be reliable, to take the time to look after things, to be responsible. They were polar opposites but it was that middle ground that made each of them better, and provided the true comedy of their pairing.

They weren't the first pairing to have this dynamic, but the execution on the writing and performance from these two is what made them who they are: the kings of comedy.

But when people speak about the pair, Ernie tends to get the accolades. It's his crazy and erratic behavior that gets the laughs. He is more fun. Things happen because of him. Each crazy scenario is instigated by Ernie. But at the root of it all, Ernie is nothing without Bert. Without Bet at his side, Ernie is just a raving lunatic. He isn't funny, he's destructive. He's a menace, really. It's that play off of Bert where the true comedy lies. Without each other, the comedy falls flat. One is annoying and the other is boring.

In Meet The Geeks, my character if often played as a Bert character. And you know what? I am okay with that. Without me, the chaos that ensues with Clay and Corey have less relevance. They are just two troublemakers. And without them Sean is just the nerd.

Recently, a favorite podcast of mine lost one of their hosts. The originator of the show departed for various reasons (but left on good terms). The originator provided the play by play for the show, plotting the episodes, creating the format and executing on all of the technical sides of the show. The co-host provided the color for the show, disagreeing with the host, taking shots at him, and finding issues with everything they spoke about. He created heat on the show much to all of our entertainment. They worked well off each other, and had the Bert and Ernie dynamic.

The dynamic worked so well that the podcast became a huge hit. I subscribed to the show, never missing an episode. The topic of each show was irrelevant. Their banter back and forth was really the best part of the show. The topic just gave the two a way to perform their shtick.

With the host's departure, the foil was left behind to run the show. Another co-host was brought in fill in the gap. The dynamic completely changed. The foil of the show had no one to really play off of. Like Ernie without Bert, he became annoying. His persona on the show became trite and boring. Passing no blame on the new co-host, even though the two are friends, their online camaraderie just was not as entertaining. I have tried to give the new show a chance, not willing to let myself fall into the current troll-like Star Wars fans who are attacking everyone on Twitter these days.

So maybe I just need to breathe, accept that the show has changed, enjoy the old episodes as they were, and try to find the joy in the new version of the show. It is hard being a fan.

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