Joe has watched "Grannies Gone Wild" 66 times so far this summer. Watch the episode HERE.
Two lines, both courtroom- and law-related, that appear at first glance to be clichés, and the more I think about them, the more I feel like they don't even make sense in the context in which they are presented via "Grannies Gone Wild." It feels like these are just things people say to sound lawyer-ish, and they were put in the script to give the episode the feel of a courtroom drama, and the lines are only "funny" because the studio audience has instructed us to find them funny. They are funny in the same way Charlie Kelly's "bird law" bit continues to be funny, except Barbara Jean is saying these phrases unironically, being as this is The WB Network in 2005.
1. "Justice waits for no one!"
The formal legal maxim, according to the Wikipedia page I just skimmed through, is "Justice delayed is justice denied." The phrase speaks to one of the basic tenets of law in America—that the process should be swift. For example, if cops keep a man in a jail cell for an excessive length of time before a trial, then that is "justice delayed."
The joke gets laughter from the audience because Barbara Jean is taking the phrase "justice waits for no one" and applying it to a scenario outside of the courtroom—"my husband is taking too long at his ex's house and he needs to drive me to jury duty." The joke adds a layer in retrospect when you consider the fact that Barbara Jean herself is the one delaying justice when she gets to the courtroom, with her wild tangents and outlandish behavior.
Though one should also consider the fact that time is not the only factor when considering justice. Note that the defendant of the Great Texas Gnome Trial of 2005 was given a swift trial, and then swiftly condemned to death, and yet we know (through the powers of narratorial omnipotence) that he is completely innocent. So where's your justice now, Barbara Jean?
The formal legal maxim, according to the Wikipedia page I just skimmed through, is "Justice delayed is justice denied." The phrase speaks to one of the basic tenets of law in America—that the process should be swift. For example, if cops keep a man in a jail cell for an excessive length of time before a trial, then that is "justice delayed."
The joke gets laughter from the audience because Barbara Jean is taking the phrase "justice waits for no one" and applying it to a scenario outside of the courtroom—"my husband is taking too long at his ex's house and he needs to drive me to jury duty." The joke adds a layer in retrospect when you consider the fact that Barbara Jean herself is the one delaying justice when she gets to the courtroom, with her wild tangents and outlandish behavior.
Though one should also consider the fact that time is not the only factor when considering justice. Note that the defendant of the Great Texas Gnome Trial of 2005 was given a swift trial, and then swiftly condemned to death, and yet we know (through the powers of narratorial omnipotence) that he is completely innocent. So where's your justice now, Barbara Jean?
2. "I thought justice was blind?" "Yeah, but it's not deaf."
The joke here is turning the well-known phrase "justice is blind" on its head; Barbara Jean, according to Judge Stephen Tobolowsky, is "annoying," because of the things that she is saying, and thus, because "justice" can "hear" the inane patter of BJ, "justice" thus expels her from its courtroom.
The joke here is turning the well-known phrase "justice is blind" on its head; Barbara Jean, according to Judge Stephen Tobolowsky, is "annoying," because of the things that she is saying, and thus, because "justice" can "hear" the inane patter of BJ, "justice" thus expels her from its courtroom.
The phrase "justice is blind" means that the law should be impartial, that it shouldn't matter who the person is, that person should be treated fairly according to the letter of the law. Of course, we know that's not true. Judges and jurors are humans, and humans are never impartial, no matter how hard one might try (or not).
This could mean that a struggling Texas agriculturalist is swiftly condemned to death over a gnome theft that he didn't commit, while an orange reality show host escapes punishment for attempting insurrection and treason. It could also mean something as simple as a lawyer's physical appearance and voice timbre affecting the outcome of a trial.
So really, the joke here is that the justice system is neither blind nor deaf. You thought justice was blind, Barbara Jean? How can it be blind when you're basing all your courtroom knowledge on the copaganda show Law & Order? Dismiss her! Dismiss everyone! Mistrial! There's a goddamn gnome as one of the jurors! How is this blind?!
...........I really fucking hate this episode of television.
So really, the joke here is that the justice system is neither blind nor deaf. You thought justice was blind, Barbara Jean? How can it be blind when you're basing all your courtroom knowledge on the copaganda show Law & Order? Dismiss her! Dismiss everyone! Mistrial! There's a goddamn gnome as one of the jurors! How is this blind?!
...........I really fucking hate this episode of television.
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