In the acclaimed Adult Swim comedy series executive produced by Amy Poelher, which once began as a stage play, three completely unhinged housewives named Debra navigate life and friendship through sleepovers and brunch, while learning no lessons along the way. In fact, the three leads seem to get progressively more disturbed as the episodes continue, which is what makes Three Busy Debras nothing short of brilliant and endlessly fun. The series was both created by and starring comedians Mitra Jouhari, Alyssa Stonoha, and Sandy Honig, and there’s not a dull moment in any episode thanks to the buzzy writing and electric performances from the trio. However, while it might be easy to fall under the trap of thinking it’s a simple comedy show, Three Busy Debras has more nuanced layers in its execution. Every element of each scene is layered with absurdism and surrealist humor. From their small town being saturated with pastel colors to the Debras fully trying to murder each other, the series satirizes elite American suburbia in the most surreal ways.
Perhaps the most overarching form of absurdism comes through in the meticulously crafted production and costume design. The series is set in the perfectly manicured, suburban town Lemoncurd, a name evocative of something saccharine and shallow. In the pilot episode, the pool boy cleans not a pool, but a driveway, with a hollow, glassy look in his eyes. His entire vacant demeanor sets up the superficial, illogical world of Lemoncurd. In Season 1, Episode 4, titled “Barbra”, one of the Debras (Sandy Honig) opens her sleek, modern refrigerator to find absolutely everything in there to be pristine and white. Sticks of butter are stacked on top of each other, a head of cauliflower sits in the back. Moreover, the three Debras wear the same exact outfit every single day. Even if it’s a blisteringly hot day, one of the Debras (Alyssa Stonoha) is dressed in a full pantsuit and turtleneck. Part of the design of the town includes the things that occur in Lemoncurd, which are all completely surreal. In Season 1, Episode 5, “ATM (All the Money)”, the townspeople gather to watch the “natural” explosion of an ATM, allowing free money for everyone in the town. When the Debras try to decide what they’ll spend it on, one of the Debras (Sandy Honig) says, “I’m gonna do something that benefits the community, like renovating my house!” Every aspect of the Debra’s costumes and the design of Lemoncurd creates an illogical, often shallow and homogenous world, satirizing affluent suburban communities.
While the surreal design of the Lemoncurd’s physical space is in itself a satire, the dizzying dialogue from each character is also a key way that the writers poke fun at American elitism. To begin with, the simple fact that they’re all named Debra (and refuse to acknowledge it) nods to the homogeneity of their existence. However, some of the best, most absurd dialogue comes in during Season 1, Episode 2, titled “Cartwheel Club”, when the Debras find themselves feuding over a place in the town’s prestigious “Cartwheel Club”. The Cartwheel Club is led by two condescending cartwheel aficionados, Timmy and Tammy (Peter Smith and Francesca D’Uva). Timmy tells them, “You’re all here because you’re capable of executing the greatest feat the human body can perform. The cartwheel!”. The pretension and exclusivity of the club pokes fun at the clubs and societies formed by upper-class Americans, who often pride themselves on being “private” and “secret”. The satire is furthered even more by the amount of chaos and rage caused by the most juvenile thing to be angry about: a cartwheel.
As the episode progresses, the dialogue grows more dizzyingly strange. At one point, one of the Debras (Alyssa Stonoha), still in a furious state from being excluded from the club, starts talking to a tumbleweed. “Hey, where are you going? Come back, I’m talking to you!” She screams at the inanimate object. While the other Debras are at the Cartwheel Club, the dialogue from the coaches is even more surreal. “Now this won’t be easy, and you’re not going to like it,” one of the leaders tells them. Their lines are full of contradictions, such as “Not bad, but not good either” and “You’re better than everyone else, which makes you less bad than them.” The dizziness of the dialogue combined with a complete lack of logic within most of the things they say all contribute to this satirical, wholly surreal world.
The third way that Three Busy Debras uses their unique, absurd brand of humor to satirize the American suburbs is through their entirely surreal storylines within each episode. Often, the way that the stories within the series are set up comes from some kind of magical, other worldly power. Season 1, Episode 3, “Sleepover!” follows the Debras as they’re forced to have a sleepover at the other Debra’s house (Mitra Jouhari), when Debra (Sandy Honig) cannot host due to a plumbing issue. The plumbing issue itself is not a normal one, but rather, Debra sits in her house and immediately gets drenched out of nowhere. Throughout the episode, the trio continues to satirize elitism by showcasing how false the friendships between the Debras are. While they’re meant to be best friends who brunch together, the truth comes out in this episode that more often than not, they in fact can’t stand each other. “I just never thought of you as having a house, '' one of the Debras (Sandy Honig) tells the other Debra (Mitra Jouhari). The other Debra (Alyssa Stonoha) even tells her “And respectfully, I would rather kill myself than go to your house.” The writers use something as pedestrian and upper-class as brunch as the cause for such a strain on their relationship. While their mistreatment of each other is borderline sinister, it's written as blasé and nonchalant.
The satire has endless layers, extending even further. In a line that mocks the apathetic, capitalist attitude towards environmental issues, one of the Debras (Alyssa Stonoha) says “She keeps garbage in the house. Why doesn’t she throw it in the town reservoir like the rest of us?” As the episode progresses, the two Debras start to slowly turn on the other Debra, fearing that she’s some kind of psychopath. Indeed, she becomes one, but in a very specifically Lemoncurd way. She hides in corners of the house, like a monster in a horror film, but says things that only the Debras would find horrifying. “Do you think you want children? I’m considering adoption!” This immediately causes the other Debra to scream and nearly pass out in fear. Even the way they escape from Debra’s hostage situation at the sleepover contributes to the callous nature of the characters. They realize that the only way they can escape is by “opening up” to Debra (Mitra Jouhari), who just wants to be vulnerable with her friends. One of the Debras (Alyssa Stonoha) tells her, “I hyper-focus on menial tasks like cleaning to distract myself from the fact that my life is a vortex of unfulfilled potential.” And then later says “Can you believe she bought all that fake stuff I made up?”. They ignore the fact that their “lies” were in fact complete truths, further mocking the lack of depth within the world. As they walk away from Debra’s house, the episode fades out in its usual kitschy, 1950’s-esque, sitcom way. Nothing makes sense in the world of Lemoncurd. Of course, the world of affluent communities is often nonsensical, too.
The layers of brilliance within the writing continue. While the series satirizes the suburbs, the trio takes it a step even further. The show also makes fun of all the clichés in film about American suburbia – from Blue Velvet to American Beauty to The Stepford Wives. Because each one of those films is trying to say something about the darkness of the suburbs, Three Busy Debras pokes fun at them by doing exactly not that. The series is so perplexing and over the top, not a single character learning anything to “progress” in their worldview, that it pokes fun at these tropes through their use of absurdist comedy. You can immerse yourself in the surreal world of Lemoncurd and witness the masterful work of Three Busy Debras for yourself by streaming the latest season on HBO Max.