A Pynchon on the Tube

[LARSSON at VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU]

As someone posted earlier, there's a new sitcom this season, PEARL, which
features a character named "Pynchon."

Not much relationship to Our Hero.  This P is one *Stephen* Pynchon, an
arrogant Humanities (!) professor, played by Malcolm MacDowell, squaring
off against a "non-traditional" working-class student, played by Rhea Perleman.

The result is kind of CHEERS meets EDUCATING RHEA, and I've seen worse sitcoms.
MacDowell and Perleman are competant performers.  But I do wonder college
the writers here went to.  *My* students sure wouldn't put up with this guy--
they'd be whining to the Dean at the first chance.  And Pynchon seems to
spend all his time in the classroom (which doubles as a biology lecture hall?).

Give this guy an office!

Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)