Seven Castaways v. Eight Bradys and an Alice
A near-daily debate rages within the household of the Black family over the issue of which is better: The Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island. Actually, it’s not all that much of a debate since Blacky is really the only hardline supporter of Gilligan and major hater of the Brady family. This divergence of taste is situated as one which puts a ridiculously idealized version of harmonious unity among the family against the survivalist isolation of the castaways. Ultimately, this is pretty ironic since both sitcoms famously are about individuals working together for the team.
Brotherhood
Working together for the team is, of course, the central issue at stake in the novel. This is ironically characterized by the nickname that Blacky has contrived for his older brother, Tim. He refers sardonically to him as “Team-Man” because he is routinely named by his team the “Best Team Player” yet when it comes to his own family is always and only out for himself.
Responsibility
Big brother isn’t the only repository of irony in the family. Blacky’s father is a really big proponent of taking responsibility around the house. The irony lies in the fact while the old man is really quite good at dispensing this advice, he is quite terrible as following it himself. It is irony based on hypocrisy.
Is There Anything Sports Can’t Teach?
The characters in this novel belong to one of those niches in society so prevalent around the globe in which almost literally every aspect of life revolves around sports. (For the sake of comparison, think soccer in hooligan-prone cities of England or any town with a high school in Texas.) The selling point of athletics which is constantly pushed to justify such obsession is that it builds character through both competition and teamwork. Several episodes in the story reveal ironic truth that everyone just sort of ignores: competition among members of a team often results in far worse manifestation of human behavior than competition between teams.
Tim and the Team
Blacky’s nickname for his brother Tim carries the irony of his not being a team player when it comes to his own family, but in reality it has been invested with a broader sense of irony. The nickname derives from Tim’s always being honored with the season-ending award of Best Team Player but the meaning of that award is tied to intent rather than performance. Tim goes above and beyond all other players during training and practice, but come game time, he fails to live up to that promise. So, with great irony, the best team player is not the best player on the team.
