Don't get me wrong, a very funny episode. I was surprised though that the most mature person during the funeral and the aftermath was Ted Baxter. Murray was the worst, followed by Lou and Sue Ann and of course Mary at the end.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_D-YpUx7Ak/TjMoEgX2T3I/AAAAAAAADM0/P3wUX0TByYM/s400/chuckles%2Bbit%2Bthe%2Bdust.jpg

I don't think so. I mean, like what the priest said, the guy WAS a clown! A death like that, you couldn't make up (Yeah, I know, the writers did! :P). And it was fun to see Mary, who's always so together and poised, fall apart like that was wonderful! I don't know how she, or any of the other cast members did it! I've always thought Ed, Gavin, etc. had a harder job almost than Mary's. B/c how could they NOT crack up?!

I don't think so. I mean, like what the priest said, the guy WAS a clown! A death like that, you couldn't make up (Yeah, I know, the writers did! :P). And it was fun to see Mary, who's always so together and poised, fall apart like that was wonderful! I don't know how she, or any of the other cast members did it! I've always thought Ed, Gavin, etc. had a harder job almost than Mary's. B/c how could they NOT crack up?!

I have to admit, seeing Mary crack up during the service was a laugh riot, but why did she cry at the end instead of all out laugh?

I have to admit, seeing Mary crack up during the service was a laugh riot, but why did she cry at the end instead of all out laugh?
Because she was embarrassed by what she was doing. And she realized that after everything she'd been saying before, she was actually contradicting herself now. That's always been my take!

Ted being the most mature of the group was only because he was too dense to see the humor in the situation (which was funny in itself).

Murray, Lou, and Sue Ann saw the humor initially, but then became serious at the end, and Mary, who was aghast at the snickers immediately after the passing of Chuckles, was hit by a case of the giggles at the funeral. But to me, her final crying scene was to pull it back to the fact that somebody did die...and I agree, she was probably embarrassed, too.

But what a well-written episode, covering this topic the way they did. I mean, a clown dressed as a peanut was shelled by a rogue elephant! You gotta laugh...but then they all ended up being appropriately remorseful.

And I didn't notice any mean-spirited-ness, because I got the sense that while Chuckles was a compatriot at the station, it didn't seem like they knew him that well, or at least as well as they knew/liked each other. They of course were saddened by his passing, but could see the humor in the circumstances of his death.

excellent post

Not mean spirited to me but definitely black humor. The episode also cleverly conveyed how we can have strong conflicting feelings at the same time.