# Wilfred, with Elijah Wood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732 "2011-07-29T14:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/41 "2011-08-12T22:07:41Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > So from the above comments, I can assume there’s never been a scene/POV where Wilfred is an actual dog? > > [Charles Esten](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0261595/),the jogger at the beginning of the hospice episode, was the boss of the Stamford branch that Jim transferred to. Ryan saw Wilfred as a dog in the first episode. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/42 "2011-08-12T22:26:01Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > Ryan saw Wilfred as a dog in the first episode. No he didn’t, he saw another dog and thought it was Wilfred then he turned around and Wilfred was right there. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/43 "2011-08-12T22:26:46Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > No he didn’t, he saw another dog and thought it was Wilfred then he turned around and Wilfred was right there. Was that really it? My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/44 "2011-08-12T23:25:38Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > So far, the show has never shown Wilfred as anything other than a man in a dog suit and I hope they never do. Me too, although I do for some reason want to know what kind of dog Wilfred is. I’m also curious, if Elijah Wood sees a photo with Wilfred in it, what it will look like to him. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/45 "2011-08-14T04:19:05Z")
I don’t like the show much, but the laser pointer sceen was hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/46 "2011-08-14T04:34:34Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I love it, but humor can’t be too dark for me. Watch the original Aussie version. It’s much darker - it is less certain whether Wilfred is being friendly at all. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/47 "2011-08-14T06:08:11Z")
So did anyone get a little choked up at the end of this week’s episode? Because I absolutely did not. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/48 "2011-08-14T06:43:42Z")
> [@Strainger](#): > > So did anyone get a little choked up at the end of this week’s episode? Because I absolutely did not. Not really, though his dog looked a lot like my own so there was a familiarity aspect. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/49 "2011-08-14T07:11:34Z")
> [@Strainger](#): > > So did anyone get a little choked up at the end of this week’s episode? Because I absolutely did not. LOL. I assume you mean the “Ghost” slow dancing scene? I tear up a little at that. I found it amusing that Elijah enjoyed “spooning” with Skippy but was uncomfortable when it was Wilfred. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/50 "2011-08-14T12:55:00Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > “Why is grass gray? Why is a rainbow dark gray, light gray and medium gray? Some things just are.” Wait, wait – you’re citing this as an example of how the show is “preachy”? I think it’s a very, very funny line – the DOG saying why is everything **gray**?\* I find the show often very raunchy (the semen-covered teddy bear, for instance) but there are enough really, really funny lines to keep us watching. And it doesn’t matter why Ryan sees Wilfred as a man in a costume; it’s just the premise of the show that he does. I’ve assumed Wilfred is an Australian sheep dog. Why not? \*OK, the Straight Dopist in me says that the idea of dogs not seeing color is urban legend: [Are cats and dogs really color-blind? How do they know? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/366/are-cats-and-dogs-really-color-blind-how-do-they-know) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/51 "2011-08-14T14:27:42Z")
For me, there is no possible explanation that would make sense. It’s not like they could have an episode that explains why Ryan sees a dog as a foul mouthed Australian guy smoking a cigarette and I would say “oh, okay, now back to the show.” The show is based on an insane premise and you just have to roll with it, I never expected Warner Brothers to explain why Bugs Bunny could talk. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/52 "2011-08-14T15:23:42Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Wait, wait – you’re citing this as an example of how the show is “preachy”? I think it’s a very, very funny line – the DOG saying why is everything **gray**?\* I don’t think Sampiro was the one saying the show was preachy. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/53 "2011-08-14T17:36:44Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Wait, wait – you’re citing this as an example of how the show is “preachy”? I think it’s a very, very funny line – the DOG saying why is everything **gray**? No, I was just quoting a favorite line. I don’t find the show preachy. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/54 "2011-08-21T17:02:12Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > So far, the show has never shown Wilfred as anything other than a man in a dog suit and I hope they never do. They came close to breaking this recently, in the episode with Ryan’s mother. His mother’s cat, Mittens, is a cat when Ryan and Wilfred see her, but turns into Rhea Perlman in a catsuit when his mother talks to her. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/55 "2011-08-21T17:15:30Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > They came close to breaking this recently, in the episode with Ryan’s mother. His mother’s cat, Mittens, is a cat when Ryan and Wilfred see her, but turns into Rhea Perlman in a catsuit when his mother talks to her. I totally didn’t recognize Rhea. I thought it was Frau from _Austin Powers_. There’s apparently an episode coming in which Somebody else can see Wilfred Though the clip could be a red herring. ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/56 "2011-08-21T18:24:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Either Wilfred and Ryan really have a link, or Wilfred is Ryan’s Tyler Durden. Or perhaps his Harvey, either in the Elwood P. Dowd sense or in the David Berkowitz sense.\* Whichever, I don’t suspect it will be a plot point soon. We just have to accept that he sees/hears/interacts with Wilfred uniquely. > \*In spite of the _Son of Sam_ moniker, the dog that Berkowitz claimed gave him orders (while demon possessed) was named Harvey. Yeah, the first thing I thought of when I watched the first episode was that it was a dark comedy version of Harvey. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/57 "2011-09-12T15:09:42Z")
So I believe last week was the season finale, since Sunny & Archer premiere this Thursday. Finale took a dark turn. I was happy with it right until the very final scene: Ryan opens the door to the basement where he and Wilfred spend so much time together, only to find it’s just a coat closet. So now we’re supposed to believe it was all in his mind after all? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/58 "2011-09-13T04:28:32Z")
My guess is in the season premiere- if it returns- we’ll find out that Wilfred put up sheetrock and a coat rack just to fuck with Ryan And we’ve also learned that Ryan is not the only one who can see Wilfred It was good getting Ryan’s back story from when he was his father’s “archaeologist”. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/59 "2011-09-13T12:20:51Z")
On your second spoiler - which episode was that? ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732/60 "2011-09-13T12:48:40Z")
I just think it’s the luckiest $4,000, overnight-script, Tropfest entry _evah_. The original’s crap (like most Tropfest finalists) and the series has its laugh-out-loud moments. Overall, I think I give it 5. And three quarters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilfred-with-elijah-wood/590732.md?page=4)