Gunning’s reading on gags touched upon how the operational aesthetic reflected a fascination with the way things worked, particularly innovative or unbelievable technologies, and that comic gags represent the human blend with the unconscious functioning of the machineries of physical laws. I found ‘the internet’ gag from the British workplace comedy sitcom, The It Crowd, to be an appropriate example of this concept.
In the provided clips, Jen’s character (Katherine Parkinson) is the relationship manager of her workplace’s IT department, despite lacking any knowledge of computer technology. Her coworkers Moss (Richard Ayoade) and Roy (Chris O’Dowd) attempt to use Jen’s unfamiliarity against her by gifting her a black box with a blinking light for her to present during her Employee of the Month speech and falsely claim it to be the internet, which she believes. Jen is arguably the victim of this gag’s set-up, whilst Moss and Roy fulfil the rascal role by deceiving her for their own amusement and seek to set her up for embarrassment in front of the shareholders of their place of work. However, the joke continues as the shareholders are revealed to be just as uninformed as Jen and panic in a comically dramatic manner when ‘the internet’ is damaged (this is caused by another detour that is the result of a different gag which is set-up separately in the episode’s B plot).
Unlike classic comic gags which are visual and rely more on the humorousness of characters’ physical actions and behaviour, part of the humour of ‘the internet’ lies within the verbal exchanges that indirectly establish the gag to the audience. This gag’s setup is based on Jen and the shareholders’ ignorance as the audience, alongside Moss and Roy, are aware that the box with the blinking light isn’t actually the internet. Here, the comic detour is taken through an inanimate object (‘the internet’) combined with an extended action which further develops the narrative (the shareholders’ reactions). The narrative of this gag makes use of both an elongated action and the audience’s heightened anticipation as they await the results of the preparatory action. Additionally, the presumed reaction to the gag set-up also creates a satisfying feeling of inclusion for the audience. Regardless of how much or little they know about computers and digital technology, they get to laugh alongside the knowledgeable rascal duo, Moss and Roy, and separate themselves from Jen and the shareholders’ stupidity and naivete.
I think you have given a perfect example of the rascal and victim not needing a physical gag. It shows how humour has changed over a century, and how it has not. It seems like we favour witty dialogue over slapstick these days, but we can still get laughter out of prank-like shenanigans.