PEPÈ LE PEW
★★★★★ (2 out of 5)
Hello, and welcome to my week-by-week review of everything in the world. Today I am reviewing Pepé Le Pew.
Usually when I see a skunk I get scared because I don’t want to get sprayed and end up smelling bad. If I were less hygienic, skunks wouldn’t bother me. I consider it a shortcoming that I let myself be ruled by harmless animals.
The only skunk who doesn’t frighten me is Pepé Le Pew. Partially, this is because he is a cartoon, and cartoons can’t come through the TV screen. Mostly, however, I feel only sadness when I see him.
On the surface, he is charismatic, confident, endlessly romantic, persistent, and has a very fancy accent. As skunks go he’s probably one of the more attractive ones. But beyond all that, there is an undeniable desperation to Pepé.
Skunks only release their noxious odor when they are scared. It’s a defense mechanism. Pepé releases his all the time, which makes me think he must be in a perpetual state of fear. What is it he’s so scared of? My guess is intimacy.
He may pretend to be vying for the affections of a female but his odor keeps her far away, preventing the two from ever truly becoming close. I’m not sure what loss he suffered but it was undoubtedly traumatic. Maybe a former lover was hit by a car.
And what about the fact that he’s chasing a cat? I know she recently had a painting accident and ended up looking like a skunk, but his his radar that far off? Can he really not tell? I think on some level he knows she’s unattainable. Even if he could capture her and make love to her, they would never be able to breed.
I used to laugh when I watched Pepé. Now I feel sad and just want to help him. I want to find him a lady skunk who hates herself as much as Pepé hates himself. It’s the only chance for him.
Please join me next week when I’ll be reviewing Lance Armstrong.
