Tourette’s, Cussing, & Why Laughing at Life Matters
A Review of "Baylen Out Loud" (Things That Matter #2)
Some shows sneak up on you. You go in thinking, “Alright, let’s see what this is,” and before you know it, you’re already three episodes deep, quoting the main character, and wondering if you should be concerned about how much you relate to them. That’s kind of what happened to me when watching Baylen Dupree in her recently launched show “Baylen Out Loud.” Baylen is a young woman in her early 20s with Tourette’s Syndrome and with that comes various other challenges.
For instance, Baylen also has coprolalia (as a linguist by training, I’d never even heard that term until now!), which means a lot of involuntary swearing. Okay, I know what some of you are thinking: what a gift! For Baylen, as much as the coprolalia is funny, she views it as one of the things that embarasses her most. She doesn’t want it to happen. I imagine it could be very frightening, whether as a family member or friend or just Baylen, suddenly cussing at people and then waiting for a response. I’m sure it doesn’t always go well. She never means ill by it (at least that’s how it seems). Of course, the problem with “cuss words” anyway is not that they are somehow inherently wrong or bad or sinful; it’s the intent behind how they might be used. That, in fact, is the case for any word from any time from any language at all. Intent is everything in language use. And sometimes Baylen letting one fly totally breaks the ice and is downright hilarious.
And that, I think, is one reason this show actually matters: it’s not just funny; it’s real. It’s messy, unpredictable, and unfiltered in a way that most of life is. Baylen and her family remind us that sometimes, much of the time even, things don’t go the way we want. Our bodies don’t cooperate. Our health doesn’t do what we want. Our circumstances aren’t ideal. We struggle. And in those moments, we have two choices: we can either get angry about it, or we can laugh. I know which one I’d rather do, even though I don’t always do it. But as I say all the time, my motto as a comedian (and as human for that matter) is: laughter is greater than outrage. And with that, laughter is greater than pain and greater than struggle.
I’ve watched a lot of reality TV. A lot. I’ve always viewed it as something that helps me turn my brain off in the evenings, something that doesn’t really make me think. But unlike most reality shows, this one doesn’t feel as staged. Of course, I know that some of it, without a doubt, is; that’s just TV. But for the most part, it actually feels like you’re watching real people navigate real life, which is rare in a genre where people normally say things like, “We need to talk” while dramatically staring at a sunset.
No, in this show you see Baylen’s mom caring for her in an intense moment at the aiport. You see moments with doctors. You get a peek into a home riddled with challenges. The hope is that, if there’s a season two, they don’t change that. Reality shows tend to go from “spontaneous and raw” in season one to “more scripted than an HR training video” in the second season and beyond. I have some friends (probably more like acquaintances) and they had their own family business reality show and they lamented that, while season one was partially scripted, the network pushed for season two to be very scripted. So, they opted out of renewing the contract. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen here, because part of the show’s charm is how unpolished it feels.
Another thing that makes the show matter is that it’s not just Baylen’s story. Her family, her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s family, and her best friend all get their moments. That’s refreshing. Too often, reality shows feel like they’re only focused on one person, but here, everyone gets a voice. And Baylen’s dad? He’s the low-key MVP. When he basically tells her boyfriend, “Don’t mess this up or you’re out,” it’s the kind of protective dad energy that makes every good father in America nod in approval. Some dads fish, some dads grill, some dads give lectures about changing the oil in the car, but this dad, while standing in front of numerous chainsaws, lets her boyfriend know that hurting his daughter is a one-way ticket to him finding you and making your worst fears come true.
The first season follows Baylen gaining independence in different ways, figuring out how to live with Tourette’s while still, well, living. Sure, some of the episodes get a little repetitive, but that’s fine. It’s one way to internalize some of Baylen’s hilarious quips. Some of her sayings are so funny I wouldn’t be surprised if people start using them in everyday conversation. Here are some you’re sure to hear:
You’re done!
You’re bald!
For Narnia!!!
Weehoo, weehoo, weehoo
Tippity-tap-that rotisserie chicken
Butter your own biscuit, fat***
Wind it up
Joe Biden is buried in my backyard
Sir, Yes Sir! Drop and **** Off
Those might not seem laugh-worthy here but, in the context of the show, they will make you laugh. Baylen’s tics essentially force her to make these statements over and over. And there are many more. In the last episode, as she starts one, the camera pans to her sister who is mouthing all the words to one of Baylen’s sayings. Watch up to that point and you’ll be able to do some of them, too. But again, the repetition isn’t all that bad. It kind of becomes endearing. And let’s be honest, most of us have watched reruns of the same sitcom episode like “The Office” numerous times. A little repetition never killed anyone. Okay, that’s not true; I can think of a dozen things right now that refute that statement (drugs; wars; gunshots; etc.). But you get the point.
Anyway, why does this matter? It matters because everyone is dealing with something. Everyone has something. Maybe it’s not Tourette’s, but it’s something. Life throws unexpected, inconvenient, even unfair things our way, and many times we don’t get to choose that or even whether or not we are going to deal with it. But we do get to choose how we respond. Some people get bitter, some people get angry, some people get sad. And some people, like Baylen, make a TV show and keep laughing and reminding us to laugh, too. That’s my favorite thing about this show.
And look, this probably won’t be for everyone. Some people will be put off by the language. Some people just don’t like reality TV. Some people think laughing at anything remotely uncomfortable is wrong. Those, by the way, are all the same people who are exhausting at parties. But this is a show I consistently found myself literally laughing out loud at. Like, I laughed out loud a lot. Not many shows get me to that point. This one did.
So, for those who get it, “Baylen Out Loud” is worth watching. It educates, entertains, and reminds us that life is unpredictable, ridiculous, and occasionally full of involuntary swearing. If there’s a season two, I’m watching. Because this matters. The world is hard enough. Life is hard enough. Why not laugh in its face every chance you get?!
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