Dan vs. – News & Discussion Thread

[The Huntsman]

I think it would be nice to have a thread to discuss this series outside of the episode talkback threads, so this is that thread. If you haven’t seen Dan vs., you really should check it out, as it’s one of the best – if not the best – show on The Hub. I know its premise sounds like it would get old quickly, and the main character doesn’t sound too likable, but everything just clicks and I’m constantly amused by the stuff that happens in each episode.

I said this in one of the talkbacks, but I hope we get to learn more about Dan. He lives in a cramped and filthy apartment and doesn’t appear to have a job, so how does he pay his rent? He was arguing with his grandma on the phone in one episode, so perhaps she’s helping him out, but Dan seems too educated to just be an unemployed malcontent. A popular idea floating around is that Dan was once an English teacher, as he does have an extensive vocabulary and took personal offense to the poor portrayal of Shakespeare, but I don’t think Dan would have the patience for teaching. I’m also curious about Ted, because Dan doesn’t seem like an easy guy to be friends with, but Ted was once his friend. He’s been mentioned in several episodes so I have to wonder if that is leading somewhere.

[Daxdiv]

A popular idea floating around is that Dan was once an English teacher, as he does have an extensive vocabulary and took personal offense to the poor portrayal of Shakespeare, but I don’t think Dan would have the patience for teaching.

I also remember that one time in "Vs Ninja" where a girl said "Drinking problem, much?" to which Dan replied "There wasn't even a verb in that sentence!" That does show that Dan is a very intelligent person when it comes to the English tongue.

As for Dan himself... I will say that he is an interesting case. I thought that his attitude would have been a problem from the get go. But after watching a few episodes of this show, it does make sense and doesn't come off as annoying. I thought he was going to be more paranoid than Dale Gribble from "King of the Hill" since I heard that he hates the world and thinks that everything is out to get him. I'm glad that wasn't the case. I guess it does help that Dan is right most of the time about everyone out to cause pain, like the Dentist episode.

[DeadJohNNyAngel]

I think part of what makes Dan appealing is that he seems to represent a fulfillment of the vengeful fantasies people think of when they are wronged.

Certainly many people never fulfill these dreams due to the fact that they can incriminate or simply the fact that they are mere desires stemming from the manifestations of anger or being wronged and this show is an outlet of sorts among many things. This is simply an opinion of course and yet a very valid one.

I'll agree he is very intelligent given his situation of being unemployed and living in a dingy apartment, but this adds to the mystique and allure of the shows premise. His background I hope is something with which they don't delve into very deeply if only for the fact that it may lessen the show's broad appeal.

I can't help but finding myself rooting for Dan on most occasions, after all he has a nasty temper for a reason what with being a literal bad luck magnet.

Quite possibly I rank this even above Family Guy and The Simpsons for the simple fact that it's something fresh original and clever rather than a family sitcom with almost endless targets for Dan to take aim at, especially given the writer's field of creativity.

[Infusions]

I don't know about the English teacher theory, I would imagine for something like an English class, you would at least need readable penmanship, which Dan's is far from (based on all the criticism he gets about it).

Also, he doesn't seem like the type to be able to handle children very well.

My theory about Dan's knowledge on vocabulary and such is that he probably learned it on his own so he "doesn't look stupid in the future" (Which was a quote from Dan to Chris when correcting him on a term). It seems more likely that Dan would hate something so much, like people's misuse of words or fragmented sentences, that he would learn the right way to do it to avoid being what he hates.

As for the Shakesphere thing, it could just be one of his few interests. I have a friend very similar to Dan with the only differences being that he's nice to his friends (Hates everyone else) and his apartment isn't disgusting. He has no job, didn't go to college, hsi folks pay for his (rather cheap) rent, but he has a vast knowledge on history because it fascinated him in how cool certain war events were, how civilized people were in some lands, etc.

Dan might have gotten an interest in Shakesphere because it fits him well; Shakesphere has a lot to do with revenge at times and has some brilliant schemes in the stories. I could imagine Dan reading Hamlet for the first time and going how much he likes Iago's style, or something like that.

[King_of_doom]

Also, he doesn't seem like the type to be able to handle children very well.

We already seen that in Dan VS. The Wolf-man XD,

This show was actually new to me when i first show pics of it everywhere and got curious to see what's all the fuzz about until i saw the Wolf-man and with that single episode i became a fan and really enjoyed watching all of the other episodes and my favs are Dan Vs. New Mexico, The Ninja, Animal Shelter, Traffic and Baseball.

I like all 3 characters, Dan maybe annoying and sometimes exaggerates on his revenge plots yet you can't stop at laughing at his antics and sometimes you feel happy for Dan that he got his revenge like the Salvation Armed Forces. Chris is your typical push over friend who he always disagrees to Dan's revenge schemes he does it anyway, what i like about Chris is that he's always hungry and laugh that he always get poison alot which i feel he will be immune just like Dan with Tear Gas. Elise's secret life is always interesting to watch and i like that she does agree to come along with Dan and Chris when Dan wants to get his revenge on something/someone.

[Master Toon]

As far as Dan's intelligence goes there's no doubt that he's smart. His decisions aren't dumb, they're just radical and not thought-out carefully. He's just an angry, somewhat delusional person. He kinda reminds me of me at times.

Elise's secret life is always interesting to watch and i like that she does agree to come along with Dan and Chris when Dan wants to get his revenge on something/someone.

Speaking of her, I normally don't like those types of characters because they tend to be the Mary Sue type (Hope I'm using that term correctly) but she seems to struggle with her personal and secret life as you would expect from any normal human being.

[King_of_doom]

As far as Dan's intelligence goes there's no doubt that he's smart. His decisions aren't dumb, they're just radical and not thought-out carefully. He's just an angry, somewhat delusional person. He kinda reminds me of me at times.



Speaking of her, I normally don't like those types of characters because they tend to be the Mary Sue type (Hope I'm using that term correctly) but she seems to struggle with her personal and secret life as you would expect from any normal human being.

Dan's intelligent and has some knowledge to a few things yet people always make a big deal about his hand writing XD.

I don't consider Elise as a mary sue since she does struggle with both her normal and spy life and not to mention she's running out of excuses when Chris's suspecting something.......well mostly since he does act a bit dumb lol.

What i like about the latest episode The Beach is that Elise dated someone before meeting Chris yet i don't buy the whole life guard dating, i believe that Elise was dating a fellow spy agent which he had a horrible accident, with Chris i think since's just a regular and caring guy she believes its easier that only one of them take the risky bussines of a spy life and whe n she comes home she feels a warm welcome with Chris at her side.

[AJ Skyterra]

Dan Vs. is the type of show that I'd love and usually would expect to see on Adult Swim. Fun dialogue, eccentric but believably-human characters, and humor that stems from the characters, dialogue and the situation rather than just random pop culture references. I could almost perfectly see this being paired on a timeslot with Home Movies or Futurama. I read some people's reactions who watch it online and they think the show is awesome, yet for those who don't have basic or extended cable, they don't want to pay to get a package they wouldn't fully enjoy. But anyways, I love its place on The Hub and I think it's one of the things that make it an amazing channel, because it sticks to motto of being fun for the whole family.

[GatorMan92]

What I love most about the show is the great voice acting. I thought Curtis Armstrong would play Dan a little too broadly, but he knows when to pull back and when to let him off the leash. Paget Brewster goes a good job as Elise as well, but the voice actor that knocks it out of the park for me is Dave Foley as Chris, no suprise considering he batted a 1.000 doing voice-over work before (A Bug's Life).

And I don't how anyone else feels about it, but I can't help but think about Donald Duck when I see Dan in his escapades.

[SammyT]

I love watching Dan and his henchman, er, I mean Chris. It's one show where it's hard to stop laughing.
Also I've been thinking and I've noticed something intriguing. On one episode Dan was yelling at his grandmother on the phone. Then on another he was complaining about a funeral taking too long. And then on the beach episode when Dan thought he was going to die he said, "I'm coming for you grandma, YOU JERK!"
Coincidence, I think not.

[Infusions]

I love watching Dan and his henchman, er, I mean Chris. It's one show where it's hard to stop laughing.
Also I've been thinking and I've noticed something intriguing. On one episode Dan was yelling at his grandmother on the phone. Then on another he was complaining about a funeral taking too long. And then on the beach episode when Dan thought he was going to die he said, "I'm coming for you grandma, YOU JERK!"
Coincidence, I think not.

Ha-ha, I just read this comment and thought about it. While it may be intentional or not by the writers, Dan caring more about his favorite TV show than his grandmother's death made me nervously laugh.

I mean, him yelling at his grandmother or insulting I can handle, but him openly not giving a damn on the day of her funeral.... Now that's screwed up.

Again, it might have been totally unintentional, but if you're a big family person and think about it, it really gives you a sinking feeling inside about Dan.

[Silverstar]

What I love most about the show is the great voice acting. I thought Curtis Armstrong would play Dan a little too broadly, but he knows when to pull back and when to let him off the leash. Paget Brewster goes a good job as Elise as well, but the voice actor that knocks it out of the park for me is Dave Foley as Chris, no suprise considering he batted a 1.000 doing voice-over work before (A Bug's Life).

Not to mention he's also been one of the funniest members of one of my favorite comedy troupes, the Kids in the Hall.

BTW, Curtis Armstrong has done previous voice-over work also: he was the voice of Scooter on FOX's The Terrible Thunderlizards. Most people probably best remember Armstrong as the actor who played Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds movies.

[Nexonius]

He's known for Revenge of The Nerds, voicing characters on Disney's The Emperor's New School, FOX's Eek! Stravaganza (The Terrible Thunderlizards segments), and other shows.

[Daxdiv]

I know him better as Snot from American Dad and Double Wide from Stroker and Hoop. I will say that Curtis Armstrong is one of my favorite VAs on this show. If only for his wide arrange of emotions shown throughout the episode compared to the others.

[King_of_doom]

I was watching Dr. Phil(there's not much on TV anyway) so the subject was "Born to Rage" where people get angry easily and quickly reminds me of Dan, would be funny if Dan gets revenge on Dr. Phil or parody of him XD.

I know its not likely but would be funny.

[King_of_doom]

Hey guys,

Have you wonder if Dan Vs. might get some merchandise? I can actually see a DVD release and T-shirts, especially Jerk shirts but what about action figures? It may sound weird but wouldn't mind getting a Dan, Chris and Elise figures also i can pic some alt. figures like Dan dress as the phantom of the opera, Man Bear Chris, Ninja Elise and of course characters that have been shown like Ninja Dave, the Dentist, the Wolf-Man.

[Master Toon]

I was watching Dr. Phil(there's not much on TV anyway) so the subject was "Born to Rage" where people get angry easily and quickly reminds me of Dan, would be funny if Dan gets revenge on Dr. Phil or parody of him XD.

I know its not likely but would be funny.

Dan is likely to get mad at anyone or anything so getting angered by a talk show is in the realm of possibility. If it's Dr. Phil they'll probably call him Dr. Bill and if it's The View they'll probably call it The Scene or something.

Hey guys,

Have you wonder if Dan Vs. might get some merchandise? I can actually see a DVD release and T-shirts, especially Jerk shirts but what about action figures? It may sound weird but wouldn't mind getting a Dan, Chris and Elise figures also i can pic some alt. figures like Dan dress as the phantom of the opera, Man Bear Chris, Ninja Elise and of course characters that have been shown like Ninja Dave, the Dentist, the Wolf-Man.

I'd definitely buy a Jerk shirt.

[King_of_doom]

Dan is likely to get mad at anyone or anything so getting angered by a talk show is in the realm of possibility. If it's Dr. Phil they'll probably call him Dr. Bill and if it's The View they'll probably call it The Scene or something.

lol hope that happens, it would be funny if Dr. Phil or even the parody would actually try to punch Dan XD.

I'd definitely buy a Jerk shirt.

Curtis Armstrong was wearing a Jerk shirt at a convention he was. I will also buy a shirt and of course the DVD and they do release some toys more even .

[Daxdiv]

I know you can buy the same T-shirt Dan wears online somewhere. Might not be official, but it's something.

[King_of_doom]

Does some of you guys have some ideas on what Dan will go up againts for upcoming episodes? I like to see the following:

Dan Vs. Hollywood: I was going to add vs. Movie Theatre but would be the same as the dinner theatre, after watching the horrible sequel "Scream 4" with the lame twist i feel that Dan would get angry at a movie he watched and blames Hollywood for wasting his time and money.

Dan Vs. DMV: I feel if they made this episode will be a classic to watch, if Megas XLR made fun of the DMV why not Dan VS.

Dan Vs. Easter Bunny: So far we haven't seen Dan going up against a holiday icon and would be funny to watch Dan going up against the Easter Bunny.

Dan Vs. Spy: I think this will go more as an Elise episode, not knowing much but shows a bit of background on her espionage life and if its true she dated a lifeguard or a fellow spy member.

So far those are the only ones i could think of if they plan something similar in future episodes.