Call me pervy, but I found myself highly amused by last night’s subplot on My Own Worst Enemy in which Christian Slater’s superspy Edward breaks out a (presumably?) fictitious sexual technique called "The Hummingbird" on Angie, the wife of his hapless suburban alter-ego, Henry. Mind you, part of me was just thrilled to see the underrated Mädchen Amick (an actress I’ve enjoyed on such failed series as Central Park West and that late ’90s Fantasy Island remake) doing fine work on a show that’s (hopefully) not going to be canceled after four weeks. But it also tickled me to see a network drama push the boundaries of good taste using little more than the name of a tiny, winged creature that’s a favorite of backyard birdwatchers. "The Hummingbird," of course, joins L.A. Law’s "Venus Butterfly," Seinfeld’s "The Move," and Ally McBeal’s "The Knee Pit" in the annals of racy television bedroom activities. Are there any others that I’m forgetting? And what did you think of the whole "Hummingbird" storyline: Amusingly racy or just plain tasteless? (If you missed the episode, I took the liberty of embedding it, after the jump.)
More on "My Own Worst Enemy":
Review: "My Own Worst Enemy"
"My Own Worst Enemy" premiere recap
"My Own Worst Enemy" casting scoop
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I like The Hummingbird subplot, too. I kept trying to imagine what it actually was. Glad to know it’s fictitious. For a moment, I was afraid I was missing out on something.
Yeah, it was amusing, but it was almost a one-trick kind of thing. It was like, “OK, good sex, lets move on.”
I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to be able to laugh, and I like how the show toggles between drama and comedy. It’s refreshing.
Don’t forget “The Squiggle” on Picket Fences! That was a funny episode…
I really hope they don’t cancel this show. I have found it amusing and fun. It great to watch Henry screw up Edward’s life and Edward screw up Henry’s life. Fav scene is Henry waking up with never ever touch my car on his hand.
It’s neither racy nor tasteless. Just a boring retread of a joke we’ve seen done a million times before on much better shows.
Don’t forget about “The Italian Banker” on Dirty Sexy Money.
I enjoy this show and enjoyed the hummingbird subplot last night. I enjoy Edward far more than Henry so I hope to see more of him than we did last night.
“Shocker” on Veronica Mars. While not quite the same thing given the context, it was still something I was a little shocked got through the censors (pun intended).
For a second, I thought this would lead into another rant with groups, but I was mistaken. If you really want to know what hummingbird means, look it up at urbandictionary.com. Even I, a twenty something halfway knowledgeable person with sexual metaphors, still get puzzled over how many of them get used in primetime tv to avoid FCC fines.
It’s not new though. Even Prison Break did it during season 2, when one of the former guards requests a prostitute if he could perform a ‘Cleveland steamer’ on her. I presumed it involved scat, but when I actually found out how it was performed (again, urbandictionary.com), I cringed.
has anyone else picked up on the fact that henry/edward is left handed? the baseball mitt given to henry in last night’s episode was for a righty…note which hand the special notes are written on after henry/edward and angie spend the night together.
definitions on web
hummingbird
when the guy sticks his hooha and middle finger into the girls cha-cha just like a hummingbird would do to the nectar of a flower
i gave sara the hummingbird last night when i realized she didnt have any underwear under her tight skirt!
hummingbird
while nawing at your no-no area…your man takes his nose and pecks like he has juts found some satisfyingly sweet nector that he just cant get enough of
I like Christian Slater so I wanted to like this show but I couldn’t get past the first episode. Why? Well someone please explain, in any way using the slimmest of logic, why superspies would be made to completely forget who they are and all their skills?? For what possible reason? Their faces are the same and anyone they have ’superspied’ against would still recongize them (as evidenced in the pilot when ‘Henry’ gets captured instead of ‘Edward’. It is just such an inane premise it ruins the whole thing for me. I owuld have preferred a show where he just pretends to be Henry as his cover but finds himself preferring that life and his wife and family and is torn or his super skills keep seeping into his normal life. Anything but this inane plot line.
I like this show. My main focus while watching it is trying to figure out how Edward is proving free will via Henry.
Don’t forget the friends episode when Monica and Rachel teach Chandler the 7 erogenous zones (Chandler: 7??) and create a winning combination for him!
I agree with Kat. I do like the show, but the whole dual personality thing as a cover makes no sense to me either. I have to force myself to ignore the ridiculous logic so I can enjoy the show.
I’m loving this show! Yes, there are some plot holes, but I’m totally hooked. It’s heading into a direction I didn’t expect — the whole morality thing is going to be tricky, and it looks as if it’s getting murkier, what with the doc’s demise… I’m really hoping they don’t cancel it!
kat. . . regarding the dual personality thing, i think it’s actually the perfect cover just in case the agent gets picked up. henry, the alter ego would never divulge any information, even under intense torture, since he has absolutely no recollection of anything. CIA has the best cover!
The dual personality “thing” has been explained in the show and now on the board.
So what if they have the same face.
Haven’t you been told you look just like someone else? Or seen two people that could pass as twins?
With the dual personalities they’re at least safe.
Both the agent and the company.
Henry, if he hadn’t broken, wouldn’t know anything about what Edward did.
He couldn’t get himself in trouble, nor could he let slip any valuable information.
Also, the baseball mitt was a lefty’s. (almost 100% sure, just watched it)
I wouldn’t call it racy or tasteless…just amusing, especially when Tom was showing Henry the info on it on the work computer.
In regards to the mitt: It’s a right-hander’s glove. Throw with the right hand, catch with your left. I thought Edward was left-handed too, considering the notes were written on the right hand, but maybe Henry’s supposed to be right-handed? His right hand does seem to be the dominant one (he uses his right hand to crack the eggs when he’s making breakfast).
One little quibble I was thinking of…Henry wants the chip removed from his brain. But isn’t the chip Henry? I mean, it’s really Edward’s body and he/AJ Sun created Henry. Remove the chip and it’s just Edward. I love the show, but that’s been bugging me since I watched it last night.
The second personality is for protection, Henry can’t be tortured for info if he has no idea who Edward is or what he does.
Henry wants the chip removed because he doesn’t believe he is a part of Edward, he just wants Edward gone.
Henry is right-handed, Edward is left handed (as is Christian Slater.)
Yeah- a completely insane premise– RIGHT. The Bourn movies have done pretty well; and that is about someone trained to be a spy/kill and then forgets it.
It’s very entertaining to watch Henry flounder through his created life, struggle with the fact that another man, himself, can make his wife happier than he can. Everyone has multiple personalities that we see on different days. I like the show a lot so far.
I patented The Hummingbird Technique years ago via my relationship column on Last Story. I hope the show producers realize this and will give the Novanator due credit.
The chip isn’t henry, the chip is what is supposed to stimulate and wake up (and put to sleep) the henry personality. The personality is generated not by the chip but by manipulating the brain’s functions to do what normally happens in multiple personality disorder, that said the chip has memories and such of henry’s life but the physical person henry is a part of his brain segmenting memories, the chip provides a back story to his memories
Now what is this hummingbird??????
What, no Mexican Cartwheel?
There is no actual confirmation that “the hummingbird” mentioned in the story is actually Mr Nova’s “hummingbird”…they dont go into any details about the sexual position/technique so it could just be a creative phrase they made up by the sensuality displayed between a hummingbird and a flower. Maybe they are using the same technique and maybe they arent…it would be hard to get any recognition for it if they were…at least not without a legal fight….but who knows, maybe they will…….i actually hate hot big pockets steal art and ideas from others and dont compensate the inventor/artist…or for the very least give them credit.
I watched the first episode and I thought the show probably wouldn’t make it… that is until I saw the second show, then the third. Now, I’m almost biting my nails to see the next one! I love this show. Is it Monday, yet?
my personal opinion is that television shows such as this are hardly ever really worth watching, let alone paying for.
but that’s probably just me.
enjoy your puny little lives