Remember when we caught wind of a proposed TV series a full two years ago called 94110, via a casting call for actors to play "six leading technology executives living, learning, and loving together in San Francisco's Mission District"? And then there were these absurd character descriptions and brief snippets of monologues for use in auditions, and then two months later a video surfaced proving that this was all the work of Oakland-based prankster / performance artist Scott Vermeire? Well, two years on, the "pilot" has gone online, conveniently close to April Fool's Day, and Capp Street Crap picked up on the big reveal. Don't worry, though: The possibility of there being an Episode 2 is slim to none.
It is, pretty clearly, meant to be a parody of a possible web series about living in the Mission the laugh track should be the first tip-off as told by an artist who wants to poke fun at the absurdity of techie culture and also make a comment about gentrification you can't miss the non-sequitor shots of the fire raging at 22nd and Mission in January 2015 and the cut directly to the luxury condos that were under construction next door, now open as Vida.
There's also a ham-fisted metaphor about a "cyber baby" living with his head in a literal box, wearing a diaper, whose every need is being dictated and catered to by two tech executives, one of whom says, "We know the [things] you like best, and we'll pick [those] for you, so you don't have to decide or think anymore! And won't that be a relief?"
Oh, and at the 20-minute mark, Carlos Santana shows up, or an actor playing Carlos Santana.
I'll say that 94110 has a charmingly offbeat quality to it, kind of like the equally asinine, low-production-quality work of The Cockettes, except without the drugs and drag. But unless you imagine seeing this in a darkened gallery of a museum where you're able to get up and leave after a couple of minutes, you're probably just going to write this off as unwatchable because it kinda is! Big laughs are not so much to be had, but maybe you'll find a chuckle or two?
Maybe the funniest part about it is that the overlaid graphics, goofy jump cuts, and overall style of the video remind me a lot of the '90s, calling to mind the tensions over the first wave of gentrification in the Mission ca. 1998, when locals were using the term "dot-commers" in place of "techies" to express their disdain.
But see for yourself, and wonder, as we are doing over here at SFist, why this took two years to pull together. And do note: There are no credits.
Previously: Is That '94110' Series Just An Elaborate Prank?