Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

uncanny

2022-01-12 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
uncanny
Votey panel for uncanny
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

This comic takes place in a medical setting where a doctor is about to tell an elderly patient something, but first feels compelled to disclose that he once fell into a vat of plastic and emerged looking like a "disturbing imitation of a real human being." He tells the patient that if it's easier, they can communicate through text in a "straightforward, say, chat once-over."

The patient says "So..." and in the next panel, the doctor appears with a much more cartoonish, clearly artificial appearance, saying "HELLO!" -- and the patient appears more at ease.

The comic is a joke about the uncanny valley -- the well-known phenomenon where things that look almost-but-not-quite human (like realistic CGI or humanoid robots) are deeply unsettling, while things that are more obviously artificial or stylized are more comfortable to interact with. The doctor who looks almost real is creepy, but when he reveals his clearly fake appearance, the interaction becomes less uncomfortable. The title "uncanny" directly references this concept.

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