Alright, just going to dive on in. Season 2. Let's do this.
But, seriously, what was that? I guess they were going with a "She just knew it was her time." type thing, but... that's nuts. On any other, non-kid show, that woman clearly committed suicide.
Anyway, Mrs. Svorski's death and the maudlin stuff it wrought was very unearned. We saw Mrs. Svorski in one episode, way at the beginning of Season 1, and she wasn't particularly compelling. This was just a way to get rid of her, use Topanga and Katy more, and have Topanga modern up the place. So... lame. Also, wasn't it so nice how Riley learned she wasn't the center of the universe? And then used an old woman's funeral to tell that old woman's friends and family all about how she learned that lesson and all about how she wasn't going to act as if she was the center of the universe anymore? (I hated that whole Riley-talking-to-the-fourth-wall-as-the-universe-swirls-behind-her thing, that better have just been for this episode)
There was a lot of fun to be had, in general, with the problems this show had. They acknowledged, in painstaking detail, what a terrible teacher Cory was, how he lets the girls get away with murder and just spend class chitchatting, while clearly ignoring everyone else. And while, sure, I guess it's nice that the writers are aware of it, them simply acknowledging it doesn't actually... fix it. Of course, I enjoyed how Riley and Maya were presented with first a teacher who just wouldn't let anyone dominate the class or really, at all, act the way they were. And then with a teacher who showed favoritism to four other students. It was actually really funny. But tomorrow, we're just going to be right back where we were. And where we were wasn't working. We turned a blind eye toward Feeny being Cory and company's teacher every year, because it was working. This isn't. And, like Charlie Brown and the football, I'm angry that I actually kind of sort of allowed myself to maybe believe that Cory wouldn't wind up their teacher because of how much they hammered it home that it was over in the beginning. Those teases.
Meanwhile, I'm sure Feeny freaking adores getting regular calls from his students just making sure he hasn't croaked yet.
Anything else? Um, Katy working at the bakery's not bad? Better than Topanga doing it. Since Katy's a waitress, and Topanga's a lawyer. So, hopefully, Topanga's just the owner and doesn't actually spend as much time here. It bothers me that the show feels the need to be so TV and make Cory the teacher and Topanga work at their hang out just to keep them involved. Cory, Topanga, and Riley all live in the same place. Just do more stuff at home. The stuff at home is everyone's favorite stuff. Also, give them their own stuff where it doesn't matter where the hell Riley and Maya are.
Lucas and Farkle were here. But they were fine. Farkle's sprouted a little bit, I think, eh? Good on him.
All I got at the moment. Sean?
God... it's just so proud of itself, isn't it? This episode is SO proud of itself for making fun of the first season. I love meta humor, but it's supposed to be subtle. We're blasting the self-referential humor at 11 from beginning to end, and I wish they turned it down to like a 3 or 4. But this show blasts everything at 11, so I shouldn't be surprised. Then again, I love Eric Hollywood. I can't exactly pinpoint why, but the self-parody in Eric Hollywood just feels different from this. Is it different or am I just completely biased?
Corey Fogelmanis is actually in the opening credits now. Good for him.
Peyton Meyer is still in the opening credits. The dream is dead. But I like that cracks have appeared in his shell of perfection, as he was unable to deal with seeing Riley. I guess they didn't hang out all summer? That seems odd.
I have it paused here at 8 minutes where Riley is talking to the audience in front of a green screen. I'm dangerously close to turning it off, running away, and never stepping foot near this series again. I agree with you Christian, if that happens again after this episode, Michael Jacobs will be receiving a very angry anonymous letter.
Oh okay, it was only pseudo breaking the fourth wall, like the Boy Meets World episode "They're Killing Us." But that... doesn't make it any better. Why is Riley giving this speech at this funeral? This seems terribly terribly out of place. Christian already said exactly what I want to say about this. I NEED TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN WHY I'M NOT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. What a gargantuan misfire. It's a shame, too, because the individual threads were fine. Riley and Maya learning that they're not that important (in particular their stint as "side characters"), and Katy/Topanga taking over the bakery were both compelling and well-founded. And then they decided to mash the two stories together without any real cohesion, resulting in a hauntingly uncomfortable funeral scene. WHAT IS THIS? WHY IS IT STILL GOING? I WANNA SEE MISTER FEENY, PLEASE STOP RAMBLING.
And yes, Svorski absolutely killed herself.
The final scene justified everything bad about this episode though. I'm sorry but I can't even pretend that I'm going to be watching the episodes this week for Riley. You can put whatever you want for the first 21 minutes, I'll always come back for that last minute if it's gonna have Feeny.
I'm not sure what else to say. Christian hit pretty much everything spot on. The biggest point is that the meta humor is enjoyable until you realize that nothing is going to change. "We know, but we're not going to change it." So that's frustrating.
I think we're pretty solid on this writeup. Not much to talk about as we're still waiting for the important stuff. I'm all set if you want to close this one out.
Also I think I missed the part of the episode where Girl met Gravity.
Yeah, it's not aptly named. A lot of these episodes aren't. I'm not a big fan of the "Girl Meets..." titling conceit. I tend to never like that when shows do a theme. Like Friends with its "The One Where..."
Yup. You hit the nail on the head with them being so proud of themselves. "Look how in touch we are. We know what you're thinking. See how we talked about it?" Lampshade Hanging (TM TV Tropes) has its place, but what we really wanted was to have it fixed. To be aware of the problem and be actively unwilling to fix it is worse than not knowing there's a problem. There are some that are of the opinion that the very act of them acknowledging the problems means they intend to fix them. We'll see....
Eric Hollywood never went too far with the meta humor. Most of their jokes were about the entertainment industry in general, not specifically Boy Meets World. And, for the Boy Meets World jokes, well, they were funnier jokes and when you're that far in a successful run you get to do that.
Was "They're Killing Us" only pseudo breaking the fourth wall? Who did it turn out they were talking to? I can't remember for the life of me. Was it some premarital counselor or something? I hated it in that episode too.
After Lucas and Riley had their awkward exchange, Maya said "All summer." implying this had been going on all summer. Reminds me of the break between Seasons 6 and 7 of BMW where both main couples were in flux but apparently they didn't talk all summer to decide how things were. I get that you can't have had major advancements take place offscreen. I just wish they... showed some summer episodes. I mean, we're going into summer now. This isn't a normal September to May network season that corresponds to a school year. You can do this in any order you want. Do a summer episode or two. Leave the classroom mercifully behind. Looking back on it, I think there are exactly three episodes in Boy Meets World that take place during summer vacation - "You Can't Go Home Again", "His Answer", and "Her Answer". That's it! They should've done more. That's a big aspect of childhood they glossed over, and shows like this in general gloss over.
Other than that, you hit on everything I did. My final verdict is...
Episode Rating: C+ (Was certainly not a total failure - funny parts, a great final scene, and I'll never totally hate a meta episode, but just so much here did not work and pissed me off)
Episode MVP: Must you ask? William Daniels.
Alright... 20% through Hellweek. Stay tuned.... later today for the beginnings of the "Girl Meets the New World" review. Love all the comments we've been getting, keep them up!
In one of the most self-satisfying moments of my life, I merely had to check my review of that episode to answer your question. "The mockumentary style thing turns out to be Cory and Topanga speaking to the other characters on the show in the Matthews living room. ... During the credits, they break the fourth wall for real to invite the viewer to their wedding." So it's almost exactly what happened in this episode.
God... it's just so proud of itself, isn't it? This episode is SO proud of itself for making fun of the first season. I love meta humor, but it's supposed to be subtle. We're blasting the self-referential humor at 11 from beginning to end, and I wish they turned it down to like a 3 or 4. But this show blasts everything at 11, so I shouldn't be surprised. Then again, I love Eric Hollywood. I can't exactly pinpoint why, but the self-parody in Eric Hollywood just feels different from this. Is it different or am I just completely biased?
Corey Fogelmanis is actually in the opening credits now. Good for him.
Peyton Meyer is still in the opening credits. The dream is dead. But I like that cracks have appeared in his shell of perfection, as he was unable to deal with seeing Riley. I guess they didn't hang out all summer? That seems odd.
I have it paused here at 8 minutes where Riley is talking to the audience in front of a green screen. I'm dangerously close to turning it off, running away, and never stepping foot near this series again. I agree with you Christian, if that happens again after this episode, Michael Jacobs will be receiving a very angry anonymous letter.
Oh okay, it was only pseudo breaking the fourth wall, like the Boy Meets World episode "They're Killing Us." But that... doesn't make it any better. Why is Riley giving this speech at this funeral? This seems terribly terribly out of place. Christian already said exactly what I want to say about this. I NEED TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN WHY I'M NOT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. What a gargantuan misfire. It's a shame, too, because the individual threads were fine. Riley and Maya learning that they're not that important (in particular their stint as "side characters"), and Katy/Topanga taking over the bakery were both compelling and well-founded. And then they decided to mash the two stories together without any real cohesion, resulting in a hauntingly uncomfortable funeral scene. WHAT IS THIS? WHY IS IT STILL GOING? I WANNA SEE MISTER FEENY, PLEASE STOP RAMBLING.
And yes, Svorski absolutely killed herself.
The final scene justified everything bad about this episode though. I'm sorry but I can't even pretend that I'm going to be watching the episodes this week for Riley. You can put whatever you want for the first 21 minutes, I'll always come back for that last minute if it's gonna have Feeny.
I'm not sure what else to say. Christian hit pretty much everything spot on. The biggest point is that the meta humor is enjoyable until you realize that nothing is going to change. "We know, but we're not going to change it." So that's frustrating.
I think we're pretty solid on this writeup. Not much to talk about as we're still waiting for the important stuff. I'm all set if you want to close this one out.
Also I think I missed the part of the episode where Girl met Gravity.
Yeah, it's not aptly named. A lot of these episodes aren't. I'm not a big fan of the "Girl Meets..." titling conceit. I tend to never like that when shows do a theme. Like Friends with its "The One Where..."
Yup. You hit the nail on the head with them being so proud of themselves. "Look how in touch we are. We know what you're thinking. See how we talked about it?" Lampshade Hanging (TM TV Tropes) has its place, but what we really wanted was to have it fixed. To be aware of the problem and be actively unwilling to fix it is worse than not knowing there's a problem. There are some that are of the opinion that the very act of them acknowledging the problems means they intend to fix them. We'll see....
Eric Hollywood never went too far with the meta humor. Most of their jokes were about the entertainment industry in general, not specifically Boy Meets World. And, for the Boy Meets World jokes, well, they were funnier jokes and when you're that far in a successful run you get to do that.
Was "They're Killing Us" only pseudo breaking the fourth wall? Who did it turn out they were talking to? I can't remember for the life of me. Was it some premarital counselor or something? I hated it in that episode too.
After Lucas and Riley had their awkward exchange, Maya said "All summer." implying this had been going on all summer. Reminds me of the break between Seasons 6 and 7 of BMW where both main couples were in flux but apparently they didn't talk all summer to decide how things were. I get that you can't have had major advancements take place offscreen. I just wish they... showed some summer episodes. I mean, we're going into summer now. This isn't a normal September to May network season that corresponds to a school year. You can do this in any order you want. Do a summer episode or two. Leave the classroom mercifully behind. Looking back on it, I think there are exactly three episodes in Boy Meets World that take place during summer vacation - "You Can't Go Home Again", "His Answer", and "Her Answer". That's it! They should've done more. That's a big aspect of childhood they glossed over, and shows like this in general gloss over.
Other than that, you hit on everything I did. My final verdict is...
Episode Rating: C+ (Was certainly not a total failure - funny parts, a great final scene, and I'll never totally hate a meta episode, but just so much here did not work and pissed me off)
Episode MVP: Must you ask? William Daniels.
Alright... 20% through Hellweek. Stay tuned.... later today for the beginnings of the "Girl Meets the New World" review. Love all the comments we've been getting, keep them up!
In one of the most self-satisfying moments of my life, I merely had to check my review of that episode to answer your question. "The mockumentary style thing turns out to be Cory and Topanga speaking to the other characters on the show in the Matthews living room. ... During the credits, they break the fourth wall for real to invite the viewer to their wedding." So it's almost exactly what happened in this episode.
Who else expected the bakery to be renamed Chubbie's? It wasn't, but dammit, I expected it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think even they would go that far. Plus Chubbie's just doesn't sound like a very 2015 name. But, Mrs. Svorski did strongly suggest Topanga change the name. But, like... what kind of monster would Topanga have to be to change the name of this place that bears Mrs. Svorski's name right after the woman dies. Just keep calling it Svorski's, show.
Delete"This will always be 'Svorski's,' Mrs. Svorski"
Delete*two days later*
"Oh, Cory, make sure the contractor finished up the 'Topanga's' sign by the end of the day!"
"Yeah, okay. What kind of a name for a bakery was 'Svorski's" anyway?"
"I know, right? Awful"
Svorski leaving Auggie a suicide note was fucking brutal.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, does spoiler pics for us West Coasters (it's amazing Hollywood gives so little respect to the West Coast given that...they're on the West Coast).
ReplyDeleteSo....About your thinking that Mrs. Svorski killed herself? ....Don't you think that sometimes people know when their time is coming to an end, and would prepare for that. I ask you to watch Mrs. Svorski's final moment again, as she's walking away, she's touching the counter, the walls; feeling everything, as if not wanting to let go, but also accepting that there is no choice in the matter. And, the first thing she touches is Auggie(pinching his cheek)---beautiful moment, by the way. ....And, Auggie turning back around, in the doorway, at Mrs. Svorski walking away; I felt a balance of emotions here; Auggie's acceptance, as well as the appropriate sadness. As for the note she leaves for Auggie, I think this was just going off the idea of Mrs. Svorski wanting to modernize her bakery, and changing the name is apart of that, and also going off the [2-episode,] recurring joke, "It's not Ukrainian bakery, it's Mykrainian", while also portraying the bond she had with Auggie.
ReplyDelete---The thing I think this scene could have done without is the dialogue between Riley/Maya, at the end, they should have just been shown in the booth as the scene zooms out, maybe ad-libbing to each other..
Certainly Mrs. Svorski didn't *actually* kill herself. Disney simply wouldn't allow such a thing. But, in real life, her behavior should have been setting off MAJOR alarm bells in people. Signs that people have made the decision to kill themselves often include: giving away treasured items, setting certain affairs in order, and often a sense of peace. All of these things Svorski demonstrated. And then there's that note. Whatever the reason for the note, it was wildly inappropriate to leave such a note for Auggie. That kid is six years old. Do you have any idea how traumatizing it would be to receive a note like that at that age, right after you know the person who gave it to you is dead?
DeleteThe only other explanation I can accept is that Mrs. Svorski had a terminal illness and knew she wasn't long for this world. That could be. I have heard of people, on their death bed, knowing it's their time. But by and large, people who are walking and talking and going about their business, like Mrs. Svorski was, no, do not have some innate sense that their number is up.
I don't know. Just that whole episode with her I was kind of looking at the cast members going, "Uh... guys? Are you guys going to ask about her? She's... something's going on with her, guys."
_"Why is Riley giving this speech at this funeral? This seems terribly terribly out of place. Christian already said exactly what I want to say about this. I NEED TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN WHY I'M NOT THE CENTER OF ATTENTION."_By Sean
ReplyDelete....So, the thought I had, is what if this wasn't the actual funeral, but the wake(reception) that usually follows a funeral. I'm still not saying that everything Riley was saying was entirely appropriate, but there is a different perspective with this now...Right?
You're almost certainly correct that it's the wake. I said "funeral" without really thinking about it. And perhaps that's a more appropriate place for speeches to be made, but the fact that Riley is the one doing a speech is still pretty weird. Auggie or Topanga would be a better fit based on what we saw in the episode.
DeleteAnd I stand by the part I wrote in caps, which Christian mentioned as well. It's contradictory to have her as the absolute center of attention while giving a speech about not being the center of attention in an episode about not being the center of attention.
Yeah, I'm with Sean on this one. I agree, it's the wake and not the funeral, as funerals are generally held in a church, while wakes are often held in either peoples homes or even in restaurants like this and are more storytelling based. But Riley's actions are still... ridiculous inappropriate. I almost can't imagine a more narcissistic action than making a woman's funeral (or wake) all about yourself. Riley didn't even know Mrs. Svorski. The woman meant nothing to her. But she hijacks the woman's funeral to give a whole, I don't know, Powerpoint presentation about a valuable lesson she learned? "I'm Riley Matthews... in Greenwich Village.... in New York... in America... in North America... on Earth... in the universe... in the mind of God" SHUT UP! SHUT UP NOW! YOU ARE THE WORST! I hope to God everyone in that place but the Matthews clan was exchanging glances like "The hell?"
DeleteWhen a person dies, at the funeral, or the wake, you talk about them. You tell stories about them. You can talk about how they affected you... but only if they actually affected you. Not if the abstract idea of them not being in the world anymore kind of/sort of affected you for this one episode.
But, then, this is the daughter of the guy who once interrupted a wedding between two people he didn't know (one of whom he was considering entering an arranged marriage with) to give a speech about his own life too. So... that's a Matthews for you.
_"but the fact that Riley is the one doing a speech is still pretty weird."_
Delete*I feel like Riley is doing the speech on Auggie's behalf, as he is so young. And, I love that moment between these two siblings, when Riley picks Auggie up, and then has him on her lap---Riley has that 'protective/caring-older-sibling' vibe with Auggie here.---I hope to see this more.
**I agree with you that Topanga should have probably given the speech, though... As she is the adult, with a legitimate bond with Mrs. Svorski, as well. ....Maybe it could have been a 'passing of the baton' moment between Topanga & Riley, and both could have said a piece.
***And, I don't disagree with you about the content of Riley's speech. However, I did like most of what she was saying, finding it to be well written, bypassing the realization that it's taking place at a wake.---I feel like if it was simply a narration it would've worked better. ...And, then the Topanga/Riley moment I mention above would have a place.
The show is called "Girl Meets World" the Girl in that title is Riley. And so while it seems a little contradictory to have Riley standing at the center of attention claiming not to be the center of attention, there was also a reason for it. Riley was acting as the narrator for this episode - which is a direct reference to the play "Our Town" which is lead by a Narrator more than it's lead by the actors within it. If you understand that idea the whole "Speech about me at a wake for someone else" makes a whole lot more sense.
DeleteI liked the ultra-meta humor. Sure, the beat us over the head with it, but I think that is a counter balance to the fact that the 4 kids got away with murder in every episode in Season 1 when it came to the in class parts. So, I was good with all that really over the top stuff. Now, I agree that if the girls don't learn from anything from that, and nothing changes from here on out, then I have a big problem with the meta stuff. You just tore to shreds your 1st season for no reason if the girls don't change. It would be pointless.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked Riley breaking the 4th wall. I took it to be Riley's inner voice explaining to us that she isn't the center of the universe, and just how small she really is. All that worked for me, until.....until we find out that she was making this great speech at a dead woman's wake/funeral/whatever it was. What?! That was not the time, nor place, to be making that speech. At the very heart of the speech was how small we are and how our friends and family keep us together. How they are our "gravity", the thing that holds the universe together. And if that's the speech they wan to give, why is Riley the one making it? That monologue would have been much better coming from one of Mrs. Svorski's relatives, and if not one of them, then Auggie. You know, the character that just lost his friend. Not his older sister, who barely knew the woman, as she herself admits.
When it comes to Mrs Svorski herself, I don't think she offed herself. I think she was terminally ill, and was simply getting her affairs in order. To do so, she went to her business partner to help continue the business. Once she saw that Topanga was doing as she asked, she said goodbye to Auggie, and her business, and then the next thing we know she died. I think it was simple as that.
We didn't get 5 minutes into this episode and Creepy Farkle in one of his most cringe worthy lines ever looks down at the girls' feet and yells "Naked!" Are you fucking kidding me! The one thing, above all else, that I wanted them to change was this "stalker" quality of Farkle, and they lead off his first scene of Season 2 with it. That tells me it simply isn't going away, and its really frustrating. Maya's "Eyes up here" tongue in cheek line, kinda made that scene even worse. Just...no.
Feeny made everything better the second I saw him. He's just so great that he can make me forgive the things I didn't like about this episode. For Cory to make that call after leaving a funeral/wake/whatever it was makes it that much more heartfelt. It was just perfect.
I'll withhold the my grades for now.
Christian and Sean, this is just my opinion, but I clearly don't think that Girl Meets World is the show for you. I was super impressed with most of the aspects of the episode that you took issue with. Elaborating on my thoughts too much would make this comment too long, but to sum them up:
ReplyDeleteI thought the meta aspect of the episode was awesome; it clearly showed that the writers paid attention to fan criticism of Season 1. Call me crazy, but I got the sense that, despite the fact that Cory will remain the teacher, he won't be the same pushover he was before.
Overall, I felt a noticeable sense of change and growth in all of the characters, and it really felt like the show is entering a more mature, less Disney, more authentically "Michael Jacobs" space. I loved the "universe" green screen moments--they gave the episode a unique aesthetic that lent gravity (no pun intended) to Riley's speech even before we knew the sobering context of it.
To me, this episode felt much different (and better) than 95% of Season 1. It was a well-balanced mix of humor and drama that really seemed akin to BMW in a lot of ways, which is why the Feeny cameo was the perfect ending.
Well that's where it's all balanced right now. Will anything actually change? Listening to the criticism is meaningless if nothing changes. The fact that Farkle is still a sexual predator indicates that perhaps the changes haven't been made. The fact that Riley is still the center of the universe while she gives a speech about not being the center of the universe indicates that perhaps the changes haven't been made.
DeleteI'd love to be wrong though.
If you look at the previous post though, you'll see that we're extremely excited about this show. Everyone here likes the show, but that doesn't mean it's immune to criticism.
Yeah. I mean... I enjoy watching the show. Enough to write a blog about it. So, as long as that's true, I think it's still "the show for me." But, like Sean says, that doesn't mean its immune to criticism. I don't think I need to be expected to enjoy every aspect of every episode.
DeleteI'm glad some of the things we didn't care for worked for you. But a lot of that appears to be assumptions you're making about what's going to happen with the show now, and I haven't quite made those assumptions yet. Nothing in this episode gave me an indication that Cory had turned over a new leaf and was going to start behaving more like a... teacher. Riley got a new teacher that acted appropriately... she was the worst and made him leave.... and so she wound up with Cory who, it was acknowledged, would allow them to just talk to each other in the middle of class and be the center of attention. If he stops being a pushover, great, but to assume that's happening now seems to be jumping to conclusions.
As for the meta stuff... I liked some of it. And I liked all of it in theory. They just... went to the well a little too often.
I agree with you Chris! Plus it's a super bummer that people don't realize that "Our Town" was clearly a big influence on how they wrote this episode. I hope they do take the fan criticism seriously and try to make it a tiny bit more realistic, but I think this episode is a great taste of that's to come!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart a little that it felt like the show was going to address my biggest criticism of S1 head-on...and then Riley made it all come crashing down with ONE FINGER.
ReplyDeleteI was a fan of their new teacher. He felt like a stricter Turner and I could've seen him working out nicely with some sort of season-long arc of the kids generally being less center-of-attention.
Anyone else think Riley and Maya were insufferable here? Yeah, they've always dominated the classroom, but they at least had some air of humility to them. From the get-go, they're stomping around the school like they own the place ("Hellooooo, it is us!"). Isn't Riley supposed to be the "insecure" one? She was anything but here, and the girls were annoying.
Personally, I liked the universe 4th wall stuff, even if it was a little heavy-handed. Heck, I liked the revelation that it was a speech at a wake (kind of a surprising way to reveal that). I definitely agree that it was too Riley-centric, though--having Riley give a speech at Mrs. Svorski's wake isn't a horrible idea, but it needed to have more of a personal touch to it to make it not sound like "Here's what I learned today!"
It is just me or is Auggie a bit of a better actor? He seemed considerably less annoyingly precocious too.
The final scene with Feeny was the most touching moment of the series for me. A perfect, understated way to "change our perspective" regarding the previous "sun" (Cory) now becoming the Earth/moon without drilling it into our heads super-obviously. Really classy, really affecting. Big kudos for a great little scene.
*raises hand* I found Riley and Maya insufferable here. Riley more so.
DeleteYeah, I do think lil August Maturo did a little better here. Any issues I've had with his acting I've always chalked up to his age. He's doing fine.
The "fourth wall breaking" thing was all a big reference and allusion to "Our Town" - a very wonderful play that they clearly relate to this episode. It is a very "simple" play with very deep meaning. It is a story that is told almost strictly through the narrator's perspective as that there is no actual stage set up, backdrops, or props.
DeleteI am also going to go with the idea that Mrs. Svorski had a terminal illness. It makes much more sense for a Disney Channel show and makes her note to Auggie much less cruel. The characters in the scene all smile and laugh a little at the new take on her old joke, and don't act like it's especially sad or cruel to a little kid.
ReplyDeleteMy final grades are similar to those above.
ReplyDeleteEpisode Grade: C+. Loved the meta stuff, and the breaking the 4th wall. Had a big problem with Farkle.
Episode MVP: William Daniels. Because he's Feeny, dammit!
Maybe I've become so worn down by Farkle, but he didn't bother me that much in this one. I didn't, like... enjoy him. But he was pretty tame for Farkle. And I kind of did like Maya's "eyes up here."
DeleteLampshade Hanging (TM TV Tropes) has its place, but what we really wanted was to have it fixed. To be aware of the problem and be actively unwilling to fix it is worse than not knowing there's a problem.
DeleteThere's also a thing called Better than a Bare Bulb (or something like that) that talks about the pitfalls of relying on lampshade hanging/meta humor to such an extent it not only carries the episode but it's almost what the show itself has become. Family Guy fell into this hard and suffered for it. So did Community to a lesser extent.
Farkle didn't bug me too much either. His "naked!" remark was over such a benign, innocent thing that it worked for me (ignoring, like, foot fetish stuff but that's obviously not what they were going for). Maya's "Eyes up here" sealed the deal for me. I'm not a huge fan of Farkle, but this feels fine to me, at least far more than his bizarre watch recording craziness from a month ago.
DeleteJust to clarify the "fourth wall breaking" thing that you guys seem to hate SO MUCH - it is all a big reference and allusion to "Our Town" - a very wonderful play that they clearly relate to this episode. If you don't know anything about "Our Town" let me give you a rundown:
ReplyDeleteIt is a very "simple" play with very deep meaning. It is a story that is told almost strictly through the narrator's perspective as that there is no actual stage set up, backdrops, or props. The actors dress in character and act so clearly that you can tell that "Mother is stirring food on the stove" or "The neighbors are stringing beans" there is some dialogue to watch, but the scenes are often introduced by the narrator explaining that "Back on this day such and such happened and let's just see how that played out". And the quote that Riley recites about where she lives "Greenwich Villiage, New York, The United States of America, Earth, The Universe, The Solar System, the Mind of God" is a very beautiful quote From the play. Also, the play is sad as that the main female character dies and gets to look back and the life she had and the people she left behind.
I understand that not very many people are familiar with this play as it's not very well known, but I was lucky enough to perform a rendition of it in high school. I personally hope that this episode encourages young people to look into the play and understand the depth and beauty of it. Also, I'm disappointed that people who want to write review wouldn't do a little more research before bashing a beautiful concept.
This one was okay, and meta humor tends to be hit and miss with me, but I guess it was fine.
ReplyDeleteI was sad they killed off Cloris Leachman, mostly because she used to be on a show with Charlotte Rae, who played Maya's grandmother last season and I wanted them to have a moment (add some 80's nostalgia into the mix! haha) but I'm excited for Topanga's as the new hangout of sorts for the gang.
Episode Grade: B
Pretty decent reference that I'm assuming they made and you guys didn't seem to pick up on: there was an episode of The Wonder Years (starring Ben Sandwich's brother Bread Sandwich!) where "Our Town" was the school play that Kevin, Winnie and Paul are all involved in (Winnie is acting, Kevin and Paul work the spotlight). Other people have pointed out other similarities or whatever, but that was the first thing that I thought of.
ReplyDeleteThe meta-humor was good but a bit ham-fisted for me. I think it's more effective in small doses (like Shawn in...Topanga's birthday "Trust me, it's the same thing"). I'm a few minutes into the next episode and they're hitting the meta stuff again, but I'm hoping they don't run to this well too much after that.
anyway other than that it was a pretty good episode in terms of humor but not great beyond that