the-snake-show
Explanation
The Joke
The comic retells the story of the Garden of Eden with a modern media twist. Eve tells Adam that the snake show is on, and Adam is not sure he wants to watch it. The snake (the serpent from Genesis) appears on what seems to be a TV program, saying that the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil have not been proven safe but also have not been proven dangerous, and that he is "just giving you the facts" so "you can decide for yourselves." Adam and Eve end up eating the fruit, and then blame the media.
The Humor
The joke satirizes the modern media practice of "just asking questions" or presenting "both sides" of an issue in a way that is deliberately misleading. The serpent from Genesis is recast as a cable news pundit who uses the language of balanced journalism ("I'm just giving you the facts") to manipulate his audience into making a bad decision. The final panel where the humans blame "the media" is a commentary on how people often blame media outlets for their choices while simultaneously consuming and being influenced by sensationalist content. It draws a parallel between the biblical serpent's temptation and modern media manipulation techniques.
References
The comic references the Book of Genesis, specifically the story of the serpent tempting Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). It also alludes to the contemporary debate about media responsibility and the "we're just reporting" defense used by outlets that present misleading or dangerous information under the guise of neutrality.