April 16, 2007

Last night on "King of Queens" (CBS), Doug befriended a chicken, and subsequently stopped eating chicken. He told a friend, "Hey at least it wasn't a cow", upon which the friend shows him graphic footage of cows being slaughtered (only his reactions were on camera). Doug eventually becomes an animal rights / environmentalist FREAK and drives everyone around him crazy.

There was a subplot about competing hamburger companies trying to outsell each other, eventually, Doug does slip and eat a burger, but in the final scene, he is seen rescuing his old chicken friend from a Chinese market.

It seems that our people in the screen writing biz are getting their paws in the door little by little. the episode was very funny without ridiculing the principles being presented. the scene of him watching the slaughterhouse video was brilliantly conceived and executed.

There are indeed ways to put the hard facts in the public's face without having them look away, but it takes brave, talented writers & artists.