Desmond is a character in Smiling Friends who was the client in the episode "Desmond's Big Day Out." He was initially an extremely depressed man living in his mother's house after having experienced the loss of his dog, who died from a heartbreak, and the abandonment of his wife and children. His happiness and purpose in life was restored after discovering that he enjoyed killing Bliblies, leading him create his very own company, Desmond's Bliblie Control.
Appearance[]
Body[]
Depressed[]
Desmond initially appeared as an overweight, balding, older man with an apathetic expression and a large revolver pressed against his temple at all times. His posture was hunched and his skin was wrinkled and blotchy. He had a large, exposed belly, drooping green eyes, and a generally unkempt appearance. He had a scar on his chest, possibly from surgery.
He was usually dressed in an undersized, dirty brown polo shirt with a dark stripe in the middle and white striped boxer shorts. During his trip to Dave Land, he wore a mint green t-shirt with Dave's face on it.
CEO[]
After his purpose in life was revitalized, his face became much cleaner, losing all of his wrinkles and blotches. He now sports a full set of neat, brown hair, and his eyebrows grew in as well. He also looks significantly younger, implying his prior decrepit appearance may have been due to his depression. He also appears slightly thinner, with less of a gut.
He now wears a formal purple suit, matching pants, a white shirt, and a yellow tie.
Personality[]
Desmond is initially portrayed as having an extremely nihilistic outlook on life, believing nothing truly matters. He is shown with a revolver against his head constantly; he was extremely suicidal, and would have likely ended his life had the Smiling Friends not shown up when they did. He argued that the things people enjoy in life are merely momentary distractions from the harsh cruelties of reality, and that they activities that he enjoyed on his "big day out" were only fleeting moments of happiness. Despite his depressing attitude, he was receptive and friendly towards the Smiling Friends and gave them a legitimate chance to make him happy.
However, after shooting and killing a Biblie, he realized how much he enjoyed it and found his calling in life. Following this, he created his own extermination company, now a confident and charismatic businessman with a passion for his line of work.
Background[]
"Desmond's Big Day Out"[]
The Boss receives a call from a mother who claims that her son has been "a bit mopey lately," and requests that Pim and Charlie go see him. They are met with his mother, who invites them in, her behavior and the decorations outside his room implying that her son is a young child. Pim and Charlie meet Desmond who, to their surprise, is a grown man holding a gun to his head. Pim and Charlie try to talk Desmond out of shooting himself, and eventually agree to do their best to cheer Desmond up despite Charlie's hesitation. Pim and Charlie take Desmond to meet Pim's family, but this ends up in chaos due to family tension. They then go to a party to meet other people and make friends, but Pim inadvertently demonstrates that people are often unfriendly. After this doesn't work, they take Desmond to Dave Land, and while Desmond says he enjoyed it, he says that it could never last long enough. After giving a depressing dialogue to Pim and Charlie, arguing that existence is futile and that people only seek momentary happiness to distract themselves from the harshness of life, Pim becomes mute and enters an existential crisis. The three head back to the office, but as they walk in, they are met with a bliblie infestation, and Allan crucified on a cross. After a bliblie spots Desmond and runs towards him, Desmonds takes his gun and shoots it. Desmond realizes that it felt good, and is later seen starting his own extermination business as a now happy and charismatic businessman, from which Charlie concluded that he just needed to find a purpose in life.
"Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back"[]
During Charlie and Pim's argument at the beginning of the episode, Pim brings up Desmond as a time where Charlie had a pessimistic attitude and Pim needed to motivate him to help.
Quotes[]
- "That... felt... good!"
- "Okay, but if you can't help me, I'm gonna f*cking shoot myself and make you two watch."
- "Who's Dave?"
- "Is this supposed to make me not want to kill myself?"
- "Are the best parts of life really just finding momentary distractions to keep yourself busy so you think about the harsh realities of life for a second? I can ride roller coasters, meet new friends, and spend time with my family all day long. It doesn't change the fact that the sun is just going to explode, and all this was for nothing."
Trivia[]
- His chest scar may imply that he had open heart surgery.
- The gun he points to his head appears to be a Smith & Wesson 500.
- He is quite strong, considering he was able to hold the gun (which weighs close to 5 pounds when fully loaded) up to his head with one hand for an entire day without any signs of tiring.
- His appearance as CEO and his Desmond's Bliblie Control company advertisement could be a reference to Better Call Saul.
4 Comments