Unnatural Love

Image:Unnaturallove fotc.png)]]

Murray (Rhys Darby) brings a reluctant Bret (Bret McKenzie) and Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) to a nightclub to experience "dancing music", recruiting their friend Dave (Arj Barker) to compel them inside. Finding the club overpopulated with men, the three sing "Too Many Dicks (On the Dancefloor)". Jemaine goes home with a woman (Sarah Wynter), but when he awakes the next morning, he finds himself surrounded by Australian memorabilia. He suspects he has slept with an Australian, a major taboo for New Zealanders, and attempts to sneak out, calling Bret for help when he cannot unlock the door. However, the woman catches him and introduces herself as Keitha, a rough, crude Australian.

Keitha asks Jemaine to stay longer, but he leaves and goes straight to the doctor to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Later, at a band meeting with Murray, Bret reveals Jemaine's escapade. Bret and Murray express their shock and dismay, even contemplating temporarily ejecting Jemaine from the band. Jemaine realizes he has left his wallet in Keitha's apartment and goes back to retrieve it; while there, he questions Keitha over tea about her family background to determine exactly how Australian she is. She explains that she is quite Australian, proudly descended from criminals, and invites him back to bed.

Jemaine and Keitha start dating. He introduces her to Bret and Murray, but they refuse to accept her. Later, Bret unsuccessfully attempts to fool Jemaine by poorly mimicking Keitha's voice and leaving a fake break-up message on the answering machine. Jemaine goes to Keitha's apartment, where he learns her two Australian housemates similarly disapprove of him (though Keitha states this is not because he is from New Zealand, but because they consider him a "dick" and not attractive enough for her), but that she likes him regardless. Jemaine sings "Carol Brown" to express his desire for a long-term relationship with her.

Jemaine and Keitha decide to elope to New Jersey, with the assistance of Dave, who approves of their forbidden love. However, Keitha fails to show up at their predetermined meeting spot. Jemaine realizes something is amiss when the carriage driver explains he cannot go to New Jersey, despite Keitha's earlier claims. Jemaine rushes home, where he discovers Keitha and her friends have cleaned out the apartment and duct taped Bret to the door. Jemaine hugs Bret while the latter is still taped to the door, and Bret reluctantly comforts him as he cries.

"Unnatural Love" was written by Iain Morris and Damon Beesley, who also wrote the Season 1 episode "The Actor". It was directed by Michel Gondry, who brought his characteristic visual style to the episode, particularly the music scenes.{{cite news |last= Sepinwall |first= Alan |author-link= Alan Sepinwall |date= February 16, 2009|title= Flight of the Conchords, "Unnatural Love": Crikey! |url= http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/02/flight_of_the_conchords_unnatu.html |newspaper= The Star-Ledger |publisher= NJ.com |access-date= June 30, 2014}}{{cite book |last= Dalpozzo|first= Cristiano |date= 2011 |title= Michel Gondry: Il gioco e la vertigine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9_H-2A0hDtkC&q=%22Unnatural+Love%22+%22Iain+Morris%22&pg=PA148|language= it |publisher= Istituto Universitario Salesiano Venezia|pages= 148–149 |isbn= 978-8862921589 |access-date= June 30, 2014}}

The bouncer at the night club who leads the conga line during "Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor" is Randy Jones, the original cowboy from the disco group Village People.{{cite web |title=To fill a Randy Jones role, it takes a Village People |access-date=2009-02-18 |work=Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/12/23/2008-12-23_to_fill_a_randy_jones_role_it_takes_a_vi.html |date=2008-12-23}}

The khaki shirt and shorts that Jemaine is wearing when Bret and Murray first meet Keitha is a reference to Steve Irwin.{{cite web |title=Crikey, it's khaki Friday for Irwin |access-date=2009-02-20 |work=The Age |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/crikey-its-khaki-friday/2006/09/08/1157222292164.html |date=2008-09-08}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20090218221923/http://www.avclub.com/articles/unnatural-love,23839/ "Unnatural Love" - The AV Club]

When Jemaine calls Bret the morning after sleeping with Keitha, Bret is reading A. W. B. Powell's Native Animals of New Zealand, a commonly used reference book in New Zealand classrooms. The book is an iconic piece of kiwiana{{cite web

|url=http://www.kiwianatown.co.nz/kiwiana-displays.html#schooldays

|title=Kiwiana Displays: School Days

|access-date=26 October 2013

|work=Project Kiwiana

|publisher=Otorohanga District Development Board

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.textiles.org.nz/museum/souvenirs/index.html

|title=Printed Souvenirs

|access-date=26 October 2013

|publisher=Auckland University of Technology in association with Auckland War Memorial Museum

}} and is frequently cited as an inspiration by New Zealand visual artists.{{cite news

|title=Story of a young Kiwi convert

|last=Hughes

|first=Alistair

|date=27 December 2011

|work=The Dominion Post

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.channelmag.co.nz/features-mainmenu-8/webpage-264/shore-art-philippa-bentley-s-insect-collections

|title=Shore Art: Philippa Bentley's Insect Collections

|author=Channel Editorial

|access-date=26 October 2013

|work=Channel

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.matarikinorthland.co.nz/matariki_events_area_list.htm#Hokianga

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610214149/http://www.matarikinorthland.co.nz/matariki_events_area_list.htm#Hokianga

|archive-date=10 June 2008

|title=Kohukohu: Art Exhibition 'New Works' by Liz McAuliffe

|publisher=Tai Tokerau Maori and Cultural Tourism Association

|access-date=26 October 2013

}}

The following songs appear in this episode:

After Dave asks Bret and Jemaine to give him more space on the dance floor, the band sings this dance track about a nightclub populated by too many men. Arj Barker as Dave provides a guest rap.

Flight of the Conchords included "Too Many Dicks" on their 2009 album I Told You I Was Freaky, and several reviewers singled it out for praise. Jamie Crossan of NME called the song "undeniably the highlight" of the album.{{cite news |last= Crossan |first= Jamie |date= October 26, 2009 |title= Album review: Flight Of The Conchords - 'I Told You I Was Freaky' (Sub Pop) |url= http://www.nme.com/reviews/flight-of-the-conchords/10935#S2HLSQfbrzCqSgWE.99 |newspaper= NME |access-date= March 26, 2014}} Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic similarly considered it one of the album's stronger tracks.{{cite web |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-told-you-i-was-freaky-mw0001313332 |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |last1= Lymangrover |first1= Jason |date= October 20, 2009 |website= www.allmusic.com |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= March 26, 2014}} David Gassman of PopMatters particularly praised Arj Barker's guest appearance as elevating the song's humor.{{cite web |url= https://www.popmatters.com/review/115036-flight-of-the-conchords-i-told-you-i-was-freaky/ |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |last1= Gassman |first1= David |date= October 28, 2009 |website= www.popmatters.com |publisher= PopMatters |access-date= March 26, 2014}} Zach Kelly of Pitchfork approvingly called "Too Many Dicks" a "trashy B-more club bounce" that worked even outside the context of the episode.{{cite web |url= https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13570-i-told-you-i-was-freaky/|title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |last1= Kelly |first1= Zach |date= October 20, 2009 |website= pitchfork.com |publisher= Pitchfork Media |access-date= March 26, 2014}} Similarly, Maddy Costa of The Guardian found it one of the songs that holds up well regardless of prior knowledge of its musical references or the episode.{{cite news |last= Costa |first= Maddy |date= October 29, 2009 |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/oct/30/flight-of-the-conchords-i-told-you-i-was-freaky |newspaper= The Guardian |access-date= March 26, 2014}} On the other hand, Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club considered the song "hilarious in the context of the T.V. show", but believed it ran together with other similar songs when devoid of the visuals.{{cite web |url= https://www.avclub.com/review/flight-of-the-conchords-ii-told-you-i-was-freakyi-34240 |title= Flight Of The Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |last1= Koski |first1= Genevieve |date= Oct 20, 2009 |website= The A.V. Club |access-date= March 26, 2014}}

Jemaine's budding romance with Keitha inspires him to sing "Carol Brown". In the lyrics Jemaine details the various ways his previous girlfriends left him, including the titular Carol Brown, who "just took a bus out of town". He is accompanied by a chorus of all his ex-girlfriends, who appear in video projected behind him to sing about his many deficiencies as a boyfriend. Jemaine and Bret play contraptions consisting of guitar necks attached to video editing equipment; Bret's device affects the scene as he moves its controls.

The song was written by Clement and McKenzie with series co-creator James Bobin. Sia, Alison Sudol, Inara George, Nadia Ackerman, Jo Bobin, and Victoria Bobin provide vocals for the chorus of ex-girlfriends.

"Carol Brown" earned Flight of the Conchords a Creative Arts Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2009.{{cite web |url= https://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/emmy-loves-30-rock-mad-men-and-hbo-7440 |title= Emmy Loves '30 Rock,' 'Mad Men' ... and HBO |author= | date= September 20, 2009 |website= www.thewrap.com |access-date=March 26, 2014}} Television critic Alan Sepinwall enjoyed both songs, but considered the "Carol Brown" sequence "perfection", finding that director Michel Gondry's handling of the visuals complemented the music particularly well. The Conchords included "Carol Brown" on I Told You I Was Freaky, and several reviewers identified it as a highlight of the album. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe called it "the album's masterpiece", writing that its "fun mash-up of lo-fi alterna-folk Casio tones and swell Burt Bacharach backing vocals" humorously undercut the downbeat subject matter.{{cite news |last= Rodman |first= Sarah |title= Album Review: Conchords' 'Freaky' is a charmer |url= https://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2009/10/19/flight_of_the_conchords_freaky_is_a_charmer/ |newspaper= The Boston Globe |access-date= March 26, 2014}} Huw Jones of Slant Magazine called the song "conceivably the Conchords' most formidable piece of songwriting to date".{{cite web |url= https://www.slantmagazine.com//music/review/flight-of-the-conchords-i-told-you-i-was-freaky/1886 |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |last1= Jones |first1= Huw |date= October 29, 2009 |website= www.slantmagazine.com |publisher= Slant Magazine |access-date= March 26, 2014}} Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club called it one of Flight of the Conchords' "best individual tracks". Mike Diver of BBC Music found it one of the album's better songs, calling it "subdued of arrangement and all the more delightful for it".{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pfwx |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky Review |last1= Diver |first1= Mike |year= 2009 |website= www.bbc.co.uk/music |publisher= BBC Music |access-date=March 26, 2014 }} Jamie Crossan of NME praised it as "lush LOLsome twee pop". Zeth Lundy of the Boston Phoenix commended "Carol Brown" for emphasizing songwriting more than other "Weird Al-style" musical parodies on the album.{{cite news |last= Lundy |first= Zeth |date= October 14, 2009 |title= Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was Freaky |url= http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/91259-Flight-of-the-Conchords-I-Told-You-I-Was-Freaky-/ |newspaper= Boston Phoenix |access-date= March 26, 2014}}

"Unnatural Love" first aired on HBO February 15, 2009. It received over 826,000 viewers.{{cite web |url= http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/02/18/nba-all-star-festivities-the-closer-wwe-raw-and-monk-lead-week-damages-to-return-despite-ratings/13021/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120830055354/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/02/18/nba-all-star-festivities-the-closer-wwe-raw-and-monk-lead-week-damages-to-return-despite-ratings/13021/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= August 30, 2012 |title= Updated: NBA All-Star festivities, The Closer, WWE RAW, and Monk lead week, Damages to return despite ratings |last=Seldman|first=Robert |date= February 18, 2009|website= Zap2it |publisher= TV by the Numbers|access-date=March 27, 2014}} The episode was well received by critics. Time television critic James Poniewozik gave it an "honorable mention" in his list of the best television episodes of 2009, the only Flight of the Conchords episode he included.{{cite web |url= https://entertainment.time.com/2009/12/08/top-10-episodes-of-2009-the-best-and-the-rest/ |title= Top 10 Episodes of 2009: The Best, and the Rest |last1= Poniewozik |first1= James |date= Dec 8, 2009 |website= Time |access-date=March 28, 2014}} Critic Alan Sepinwall wrote in The Star-Ledger that both the comedy and music in "Unnatural Love" represented Flight of the Conchords "functioning at peak level", finding that the strong songs and their associated video sequences set the episode above others of the second season. He also appreciated Gondry's direction and the humorously stereotyped characterization of Keitha, as well as the "unexpected judgmental side" she exposed in Bret. Similarly, Kyle Ryan of The A.V. Club considered the music to be an improvement over previous Season 2 episodes. He further praised the Australian jokes and the contributions of Gondry and Arj Barker, giving the episode an A−.{{cite web |url= https://www.avclub.com/flight-of-the-conchords-unnatural-love-1798205660 |title= Flight of the Conchords: "Unnatural Love"|last1= Ryan |first1= Kyle |date= February 16, 2009 |website= The A.V. Club |access-date= March 28, 2014}} Matt Fowler of IGN rated the episode 9 out of 10, praising the over-the-top portrayal of the Australian-New Zealand discord and the song "Carol Brown".{{cite web |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/17/flight-of-the-conchords-unnatural-love-review |title= Flight of the Conchords: "Unnatural Love" Review |last1= Fowler |first1= Matt |date= February 17, 2009 |website= www.ign.com |publisher= IGN |access-date= March 28, 2014}}

"Unnatural Love" earned Clement a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009.{{cite web |url= http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/09/final-complete-list-of-episodes-to-be-viewed-by-emmy-judges.html |title= Final, complete list of episodes to be viewed by Emmy judges |author= |date= September 17, 2009 |website= Los Angeles Times |access-date= June 30, 2014}}{{cite web |url= http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/08/dueling-emmy-predix-alec-baldin-vs-steve-carell-for-best-comedy-actor.html|title= Dueling Emmy predix: Alec Baldwin vs. Steve Carell |last1= Beachum |first1= Chris |last2= Licuria |first2= Robert |date= August 6, 2009 |website= Los Angeles Times |access-date= June 30, 2014}} It also earned two Creative Arts Emmy nominations, one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "Carol Brown", and a second for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation.

{{Reflist}}

{{Flight of the Conchords}}

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Category:2009 American television episodes

Category:Flight of the Conchords (TV series) episodes