Themes In Tim and Eric’s “Celery Man”

Work Is Dangerous- What you see just before the sketch ends in a drop of milk squirt out of Eric’s nipple and into Paul’s coffee. As Paul is walking on a narrow path on top of a ditch, coffee splashes onto the floor, missed by Paul by only centimeters. Paul is very near to stepping on the spilled coffee, and if he was to slip on it he would have fallen in the ditch and killed or injured himself. This represents how his work can be doing more harm than good.

Alteregos/Multiple Personalities- 3 dancers reside Paul’s computer; carefree Celery Man, rebel Oyster, and seductive Tayne. These are three qualities Paul admires, but is too shy and introverted to posses (origins of the name Paul are “humblr” and “small.”). Or these are three of the faces Paul puts on. “Computer” is his ego pressuring to be these three people.

Narcissism- The three dancers on his computer are played by Paul, which he watches with adoration. At one point Paul desires to see flirty dancer Tayne nude. This represents how the internet has helped us love ourselves even more by video-sharing sites, social networking, and blogs making posting pictures of ourselves and writing about ourselves.

Christ- A ring of light around Paul’s head shows he views himself like a Christ figure, or other holy figure (the name Paul originates in cultures of Christian heritage). This signifies how Paul covets himself like a god.

Lost Time- The circular office Paul is in rotates in different directions from time to time. This shows lost perception of time when your are on the internet.

Unnecessary Work- It’s ambiguous if Paul is working or not (his job consists of useless tasks like printing out pictures). If Paul is actually getting work done, this shows that office cubicle work is not very important.

Sin In The Office- Nude Tayne and the NSFW announcement can represent pornography viewing in the office, but it can also represent a that warns you before you commit something sinful, “computer” being the voice in your head and nude Tayne being the sin.

Dissatisfaction With Yourself- When Tayne finally bares himself, Paul is in horror of what he has seen. Nakedness can symbolize revealing true emotions and feelings, like confessing or seeing yourself for who you really are. Tayne, who is played by Paul, bares himself to Paul so now he sees himself for who he really is and appears horrified.

People Are Machines- The sphere shaped office works like a machine, and the computer and printer are machines. This can represent how Paul works like a machine. Even his alteregos are digital.

HAL 9000- “Computer” can be a reference to HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Tim and Eric are self proclaimed Stanley Kubrick fans. That’s all.