TGI – Episode 404 “Fishing for Virna ”

00:00:18
Speaker 1: You guys want to hear a crazy press release that recently came out. Yes, Starting on Monday, February fifth, the hit nineties sitcom Boy Meets World will air throughout the Freeform formerly ABC Family schedule at various times, mostly between ten thirty am and one thirty pm on certain weekdays and early mornings on weekends. The series will be the channel's weekday mid morning sitcom.

00:00:46
Speaker 2: Now, whoa wait before? Actually, I think in.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: The past we had I think been on free Form, but it is being newly added on February fifth as a new show in their mind up to be airing Monday through Friday and then on early morning weekends.

00:01:03
Speaker 3: This is the show that never ends.

00:01:08
Speaker 2: Friends.

00:01:08
Speaker 3: This is.

00:01:11
Speaker 2: Not Girl Meets World, but.

00:01:13
Speaker 1: Boy Meets World. So they will be selling advertising against You know, we've got this show, it's called Boy Meets World. Have you heard of it? Where we could do ads for during that so, I mean.

00:01:25
Speaker 3: Freeform where we're supposed to then do our new sitcom apparently so well, write from the Boy Meets World into the new show. Think they produced, do they not?

00:01:35
Speaker 2: No? They do like single camera stuff, really, I don't think they do any multicam Wow.

00:01:40
Speaker 1: Well, now that it's going to be on free form. What are you guys gonna do with all the money. What are you gonna do it? What are you gonna do with it? What are you gonna do with it? Writer? You canna buy more books.

00:01:52
Speaker 2: I'll buy a book. I'll get some more used books.

00:01:55
Speaker 3: And well my free forms show, that's no ormshelf, two books, this is.

00:02:05
Speaker 1: This is the book the used book. Used So we got an email recently from Lauren C and she wanted to say, first off, she loves the podcast and she loves all three of us so much. She said, I have a question, though, there is something I noticed in the last episode of season three, Brother Brother, when the whole gang is in Chubbies for Eric's goodbye dinner. When Alan steps over to ask Corey if he wants to say something to Eric, Corey responds that he doesn't have anything planned. But at the same time we see Sean pull a folded piece of paper out of his pants pocket and I know, writer, you noticed that, and it made Lauren wonder if Corey did actually have something prepared and he lied about it. No comment has ever made about what the paper is, and Shaan never does anything with it except gesture to Tapanga with it, So she just wanted to know what we all thought about it, or if we even noticed it. From I'm a super detailed fan.

00:03:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that makes sense that that Corey that there was Corey had a plan, and then based on how he's feeling, he decides to bail on doing a speech, and then because then later in the scene he says, Okay, I actually do have something to say, right right, So I think the idea is that they're all supposed to say something at some point, maybe even Sewn's supposed to have his own sp I don't know, but that probably Corey. And then the idea is that he doesn't want to do it because he's feeling so abandoned by his brother and abandoned Topanga. So he's in a horrible mood. So he decides not to do it when Alan asks him to, and then later in the scene says, you know what, I do have something to say and does his whole life does off kil trivy.

00:03:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, I thought it was just a grocery list.

00:03:44
Speaker 1: M h, guess eggs, milk, eggs, he needs to Yeah, I.

00:03:49
Speaker 2: Mean it's it's actually apropos to the episode we're about to talk about, because I have no idea what I'm doing in one scene. Really, I watched it four times and I'm fit. I could not see what is physically. I'm at the table with my dad and I can't figure out what my character is doing. It looked like I'm dealing with props and I can't figure it out. I freeze framed it. I went back. I watched it like five times. I was like, what am I? It looks like I'm painting something or working on a model, like I have a paintbrush or a pen in my hand, and then there's this white thing on the table. So weird.

00:04:23
Speaker 3: Still, So anybody does any idea When we get to the scene, I'll point out.

00:04:27
Speaker 1: The way, please do Wow. Well, yeah, I agree with you, writer, I think it would make sense.

00:04:32
Speaker 3: I'm not sure.

00:04:33
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if they There must have been if it was something Corey was supposed to read or hit what he was going to say. There must have been a line that then eventually got cut where it was somehow explained why Sean has it, or just some sort of like, what are you talking about, Corey? You wrote this something that must have gotten cut. I have no memory of it, but I know that you did point out the piece of paper. You were like, did you guys see this piece of paper I have in my hand? What is it? What do you think it is?

00:04:57
Speaker 2: I'm sure there was a line. I probably had, line like Corey, do you want to give your speech? Or whatever? And they just cut in editing, you know, I mean, so much stuff gets cut, yeah, in the script stage, but also stuff gets cut at the editing stage, you know, especially when things are running long, because you can only account for so much in an episode, and then the laughs and the audience reaction adds time. So in the edit you end up pulling stuff constantly, like just little lines. You're like, oh, that doesn't actually pay up. Oh it doesn't matter. And I guarantee you that it was one of those examples.

00:05:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I think you're probably right, So thank you for pointing that out. Lauren. Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel, I'm rather strong, and I'm Wilfordell. Today we are recapping season four, episode four, Fishing for Verna. It originally aired October eleventh, nineteen ninety six. The synopsis at long Last Sean's mother, Verna, has returned to town, but she's not quite ready to return home, and Corey learns to appreciate loved ones when the school's beloved lunch lady unexpectedly passes away. It was directed by Jeff McCracken. It was written by Matthew Nelson. I am I continue to be amazed by Matthew Nelson's scripts.

00:06:21
Speaker 3: Oh you love this episode?

00:06:23
Speaker 1: Love it interesting? Do you not like it?

00:06:25
Speaker 3: I this was not one of my favorites. Wow on this episode really really weird, just really really like solid.

00:06:33
Speaker 2: I mean, I just feel like Season four is firing on all cylinders and this one was just con in a great tradition of very It wasn't bad.

00:06:41
Speaker 3: It was just very bizarre to me. A lot of really a lot of the character choices were very weird, a lot of storylines that went nowhere. It was very yeah, very strict. Again, I didn't dislike wasn't like God, this episode was terrible. It just was very jarring for me. It was very very Oh.

00:07:01
Speaker 1: I I cried first of all, cried three times. I absolutely love I think every single moment of the script. I just love it. I loved everything about this episode.

00:07:11
Speaker 2: It is a pretty perfect script. I think it doesn't there the balance.

00:07:15
Speaker 3: There's nothing was funny in the entire show.

00:07:17
Speaker 2: No, but I don't think it was intended to so yeah, I mean, I agree, it's it's a more dramatic episode. But I thought like in terms of everything, China and I thought it tied up everything except for the Frankie stuff. That was like the only kind of.

00:07:31
Speaker 3: Stuff was there was no nothing for Betsy at all. I thought that whole thing was very strange where there's no but there's no resolution in any way. Shake a thought him one person sitting down and eating breakfast with her of where she's making a ridiculous amount of breakfast every morning, with people running out was very weird to me.

00:07:52
Speaker 2: Storyline, that's what.

00:07:53
Speaker 3: The y I didn't no, I get. I got that they were going with it. It was just very all of a sudden, the cafeteria being a giant cafeteria lunch room which had never existed before. A lot of it was very weird. Ben wearing a suit to the thing, but then not a suit at the end, like a lot of it was. There were some really weird choices made in this that some of them were very small but really weird, kind of like why that. Yeah. Again, didn't hate it by any stretch of the imagination. Acting all on point. Blake's amazing. The woman who played Verna was incredible. I thought Ben was good in the episode, but I thought a lot of the storylines were just very strange. Wow.

00:08:31
Speaker 1: Okay, well let's jump into it. Let's go through our guest stars. We have mister Anthony Tyler Quinn is back as Jonathan Turner. But don't blink you might miss him. He's in the Choice.

00:08:43
Speaker 3: There you go.

00:08:44
Speaker 1: Well, Clark returns triumphantly as Chet Hunter. Sharene Mitchell as Verna Hunter in her first of three Boy Meets World episodes. She has appeared on Melrose Place, Er, Charmed, and in the movie Out for Justice? Writer, do you remember working with her? Much about her?

00:09:03
Speaker 2: When I saw her on screen, I was like, oh God, she's a good actress. Like I remember thinking like, oh, I remember looking at this person's face and loving working with her. But I don't remember anything about her personally, if that rights sense? So like I have like a I have a sense memory of enjoying being in scenes with her, and but I don't. I mean, and I'm sure we got along, but I don't really you know, no, I don't remember her personally, not the way, not the best.

00:09:28
Speaker 3: It's not the best movie in the world. But if you want to see a great performance out for Justice with Steven Siegall, she doesn't have a huge part, but she's really really good.

00:09:36
Speaker 2: She's an incredible activity and she's just got the perfect face, like you, just the sadness and she's just she just has this look about her that's it's perfect for Verna. I mean, you just see her in that hotel room in the first I was like, oh, yeah, there it is. That's Verna. She's perfect.

00:09:53
Speaker 1: Yeah. And then Ethan Sipple returns as Franky Stacchino. E J Lapaina as hermann Stachino, Frankie's little brother. Ej was also seen in Jingle All the Way and as teenager Number nine in Some forty one's fat Lip video Oh Okay, yeah a music video. And then we have Loretta Jean as lunch lady Brenda Hibbert. She was in the movie Speed as one of the bus passengers that are on the brink of explorining.

00:10:24
Speaker 3: I've got a great story about that. By the way, I've got a great story about that.

00:10:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, please tell it right now.

00:10:31
Speaker 3: We jumped in.

00:10:31
Speaker 1: Okay, do you want to save it for a seaton? Want? Fine?

00:10:33
Speaker 3: No, it's fine. So in Speed she's the woman who's you know on the bus and obviously do you know one of the passengers on the bus. I'm not sure she even has a line. I don't think she does. And in Speed they is Bust twenty five twenty five. So when we're doing trope, we did the movie Trojan War. He ends up, my character ends up on the bus for a lot of the night, and we did Bust twenty five twenty five, and to make it a synergistic thing, they brought her her back and sat her in the same seat. So in Trojan War on the bus twenty five twenty five, it's the it's her sitting there like like she was in Speed. So I got you actually in the movie before you shot this episode. So yes, I think he worked with her already before, Yes, before she got there. So I the second she popped on screen, I was like, wait a minute, she was in Speed and the Trojan War. Yeah, so same lady.

00:11:23
Speaker 1: That's so cool. She also appeared on Fresh Prince of bel Air Ally McBeal and the Shield. And then we have Mike Grief as Mort. He's a real I know that face kind of guy, featured in movies like Liar Liar and shows like Home Improvement.

00:11:36
Speaker 3: Which one was more?

00:11:38
Speaker 1: He's the guy who does the Why can't I think of it?

00:11:44
Speaker 3: Because I thought the same thing at the end, I'm like, which one was more?

00:11:46
Speaker 1: Oh, lunch lady replacement?

00:11:49
Speaker 3: Okay, but he didn't have any But he didn't have any lines? Right, he didn't.

00:11:53
Speaker 1: I don't think he says any.

00:11:54
Speaker 2: Probably he's accredited.

00:11:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, because I thought the same thing. I was like, who was Mort? So yeah, they must have he must have done something and then they cut it out.

00:12:02
Speaker 1: Okay, gotcha. Yeah. Now, before we jump into the show recap, touching on the intro, we got a lot, I mean a ton of emails from listeners, but I'm going to single out one now, David Caster, who told us that the shot of Ben Ryder and myself singing and playing guitar in the sky is from a season three syndication promo commercial for the show where we are all in a band and Will is also there playing drums. In that clip, I still have my long hair and I am playing the symbol and it also has a totally unhinged song playing about boy meets World, airing five times a week on Fox. So that's where that little clip is from Mystery Solved. Yes, airing one hundred episodes yet have I think? Yeah, I don't. We hadn't. We must We couldn't have reached a hundred anisode because it.

00:13:06
Speaker 2: Wasn't until we reached one hundred that we sold the syndication pack season season No. Right with season four? What did we if we two?

00:13:14
Speaker 1: Can we? I actually have the song? Let's play the song thet a girl on a Monday Tuesday.

00:13:21
Speaker 3: On Day Wednesday, I think we can't show. So there they be on.

00:13:30
Speaker 2: Funny Broady, on Free, on High School, trying stay like this g five time and we went five four second on Fox.

00:13:48
Speaker 3: Wow. Okay, But at the start of season four, we wouldn't have had that.

00:13:55
Speaker 1: We wouldn't have had that.

00:13:56
Speaker 3: Because I remember that shoot. I remember the shoot when we were all the band, because I remembers then setting down at the drums and you actually playing.

00:14:04
Speaker 1: It's not definitely from it because my hair is long.

00:14:08
Speaker 2: It's not that your hair grew out. No, of course, of course because it's in the bangs.

00:14:12
Speaker 1: I have bangs and long hair.

00:14:14
Speaker 3: Did you watch the promo or just listen to it?

00:14:16
Speaker 1: No, I've seen the promo before too.

00:14:18
Speaker 2: Well, I mean maybe we were just airing five days a week without a syndication package like some.

00:14:25
Speaker 1: On a Fox.

00:14:27
Speaker 2: Yeah. Like, well, Fox wasn't a full network, so Fox would have been at that point. Fox wouldn't have been like, they wouldn't have had to pay us as much because they were a syndicated network. So you know, Fox was a collection of independent networks throughout the country, so they could have were affiliates, thank you, so they could have they could have had to shoot a promo to then sell to the affiliates that wanted to buy our show for five you know what I mean. I also think because there was one, Yeah, because there was one that I wasn't in where everyone's in leather.

00:15:02
Speaker 3: Oh, then there's one too, Yes.

00:15:05
Speaker 2: No, there's one. There's also a promo that you've since seen that I wasn't in, where you guys are like in a high school and it's like kind of well shot.

00:15:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what it's like.

00:15:13
Speaker 3: Banging on the lot when I was thinking of.

00:15:15
Speaker 1: Okay, let's see this, this is it when it says September nineteen ninety eight.

00:15:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, that is definitely pre season four.

00:15:21
Speaker 3: Look at my hair and all the clips are just the first three pre seasons.

00:15:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, so they must have put us in front of a green screen on set someday.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:15:30
Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't think we were technically a syndicated show yet, but they must have.

00:15:34
Speaker 3: You know, for Fox, it had to have been because they would have if we'd made it to season five, there would have been season four clips in there, and there weren't so weird, all.

00:15:42
Speaker 2: Right, so they decided to pull from that.

00:15:44
Speaker 1: Right for the opening credits.

00:15:47
Speaker 2: Yeah. Correct.

00:15:49
Speaker 1: By the way, it does say in that clip September of nineteen ninety eight, So that promo clip thing they put together was from September nineteen ninety eight, which is after this EPP which is after season four. Very confused, it's so confusing anyway, that's where it's from. At least we now know it's they we did that at some point.

00:16:12
Speaker 2: Suggestion maybe we did that as a potential like opening credits thing that then got repackaged when we sold into syndication. In other words, we could have done a shoot on our set for cresits that never got used, and then when we sold into syndication in nineteen ninety eight, they decided to use that shoot and the clips from that.

00:16:32
Speaker 3: The only problem is but the only problem is I remember that shoot and it was not on our set. We went to a stage and actually shot.

00:16:38
Speaker 2: That, So maybe it was part of our photo shoot photoshoots.

00:16:41
Speaker 3: Yes, like a photoshoot stage. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:16:44
Speaker 2: I bet you that was repurposed for the Fox syndication package if it was nineteen ninety eight, because there's no way you would have no clips from season four by nineteen ninety eight exactly.

00:16:53
Speaker 3: Have we ever talked about Chris Volcare on this show? Do you guys remember Chris full Care?

00:16:57
Speaker 2: Of course?

00:16:57
Speaker 1: Do what he did my calendar?

00:16:59
Speaker 2: He's amazing.

00:17:00
Speaker 1: You remember UA zero and three.

00:17:02
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's gone. I mean he's since passed.

00:17:04
Speaker 1: I know he was.

00:17:05
Speaker 3: Did he He was in an accident. Something happened and he was in a wheelchair.

00:17:10
Speaker 1: He was in a wheelchair. Yeah.

00:17:11
Speaker 3: Every year we would do our photo shoots, and he was the photographer for our photo shoots, and he would always then pull us each aside and do like one artsy picture.

00:17:20
Speaker 2: It was awesome. Ever our photos for Points Wirl. That was it was outside that we were hiring him independently, Like he did work with us as a group at some point, but it was never it was not an ABC shoot something else. And then we all kept hiring him, like my brother and I hired him from multiple photo shoots because he was so talented and his wife was so nice and was awesome. That was, yeah, he was.

00:17:43
Speaker 3: He was amazing, And I still will stumble upon some of those pictures like, hey, bring a suit, and you'd be like, why we were doing an He's like, just bring a suit, and then you'd do some random like in the mirror or something that he had thought up, and it was just the greatest pictures I've ever had taken in myself.

00:17:58
Speaker 1: He was agreed. He was so cool there, and his wife, like you said, was amazing. And zero and three I was I zero remember their names, Yeah, yeah, I was. I was super super into those little doggies. All right, let's jump into our recap. We start in the Matthew's kitchen. Amy is setting out a full breakfast spread as Eric quickly runs down the stairs saying he has to go. It's his morning to open the store. Amy points out that she made a big, nice breakfast. Eric looks at the dining table and enthusiastically says, Oh, he sure did. Then he proceeds to walk right out the door. This is really the only thing there is for you to do in this whole Yeah.

00:18:31
Speaker 3: And again I'm fine with them running out, Like I I like the setup of that, of that they're just kind of, you know, bailing on breakfast. They're just starting the store there.

00:18:42
Speaker 2: I thought this was When I first saw this, I was like, Oh, this is the most obligatory, cheesy, one off cold open. And then the fact that it paid off in such a cool way. I was like, yes, what because like I feel like a lesser show because there are there are cold opens for a lot of sitcoms that have no connection to current storyline. It's like a like we just have to put some casts and have a one off joke. And I thought that's what this was. At first. I was like, Oh, this is just like a one page scene to get us in and give Betsy something to do for the episode. And the fact that it comes back, you know, two more times and really pays off at the end. I loved. I was like, oh, man, this is solf.

00:19:23
Speaker 3: Could have been better. Yeah, I thought the payff could have been better. I thought there, you know, I think by the fifth time this is happening, you shouldn't be making nine hundred pancakes in the morning.

00:19:33
Speaker 2: You know.

00:19:33
Speaker 3: It's like you know that they're going to be running past the door. So at the end, for some reason, everyone has three giant pancakes on empty plates, but she's eating a bowl of fruit.

00:19:42
Speaker 1: I ideally that she had one point, just a giant bowl of candalop. I was like, does she will not eat anything else?

00:19:48
Speaker 3: It's just a lot of It didn't make any get what they're going for.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it was.

00:19:51
Speaker 1: It was very Morgan is the next to walk down the stairs as Amy shows off the breakfast again. A car horn beeps from outside, and Morgan excitedly says, there's Tina's mom. She has candy, and she also runs out the door. Then Alan comes downstairs, asking Amy if Eric already left because he forgot the keys to the store. Amy pleads, can't you just sit for five minutes? Alan immediately tells her he'll think the store's closed and take the day off, and then he quickly leaves. Corey is the last to run down the stairs, and it's worth saying here. I love Ben's new hair highlights his hair. I know we commented on it last episode with hair Today, Goon Tomorrow, but I love his hair. It's long, it's got a little bit of like blonde in it. I think it looks so great. He says, hi, and Amy says rhetorically, you're interration, you're late, and you got to meet Topanga. Let me just make things easier for you and open the door. Cory smiles and tells her had a way to think ahead. And then we're in the John Adams cafeteria. We see the exterior of the high school with some of that brand new surfer acid rock music we've got for the open playing. Corey and Tapanga are in line for lunch and Corey grins at the sight of the lunch lady Brenda. She responds, Hi, Corey, but we've never seen it.

00:21:00
Speaker 2: We've seen that side of the cafeteria a thousand now you were on stage. We were just at a different level of tower.

00:21:06
Speaker 1: Dude, exactly.

00:21:08
Speaker 3: It's like the things that I didn't like, it's where it's it was just like, okay, what we didn't notice a giant half of the cafeteria.

00:21:15
Speaker 2: Question, how do we have we had any hallway scenes? Like I guess we are with the hair today going tomorrows in the hallway. I just the school is as we've had so many new sets like we haven't like.

00:21:27
Speaker 3: This episode were rolling in dough a just take it, just take it.

00:21:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, Disney had been purchased whatever.

00:21:35
Speaker 2: We were like, yeah, Disney bough ABC.

00:21:38
Speaker 1: They were like take all the money.

00:21:40
Speaker 3: I am going I'm going to throw something out here, okay, and and we can talk about it. You can call me crazy whatever, but you're crazy, thank you. I'm sure I am. Something went through my head where if you're gonna do it with the character, this to me is how it should have been done. The brend of the lunch room lady stuff, I get it. I understand it's the overlooked person. Totally get that, make sense.

00:22:00
Speaker 2: And next to uh, that's in the morning with the breath right, I mean totally understand where totally understand that.

00:22:06
Speaker 3: But if you're not bringing back mister Williams anyway, why not have it mister Williams that's killed.

00:22:15
Speaker 2: That's too. I think that would be too devastating for the audience wouldn't it.

00:22:19
Speaker 3: Why really? Why?

00:22:21
Speaker 2: I mean, because the point is it's somebody that Corey it's. The point is that it's somebody that you took for granted. And I think if it was mister Williams and the last.

00:22:29
Speaker 3: Year talking about how essentially mister Williams was taken for granted the entire time he was there.

00:22:33
Speaker 2: Totally, But I think for the audience that would actually like the whole point is that it's somebody that that the audience hasn't has has has not known.

00:22:41
Speaker 3: No. I mean again, I get it, I get they would have to tweak the story, but I think there's something more that could have been, something super impactful about a character we actually knew a little bit that had been overlooked, then somebody they're just introducing.

00:22:55
Speaker 1: Think the other thing too, though, is that one of the tie ins for this, because at first it kind of bumped me a little bit, where, uh, Corey's like, you know, making breakfast for all those kids, some kind of life, huh, And I thought that's a weird assumption that somebody's job is their entire life, that like her, she didn't have any sort of life outside of it. And then in the next scene about it, they specifically address it. Did she have a family? It was like they they talked about that. So it ended up not bumping me at all because it ended up being more of a conversation too. For this to land as much, it really has to be that this person loved it, but it was kind of their entire life, and we had already established mister Williams as having a big producer job, and and.

00:23:38
Speaker 3: Again you'd have to tweet the whole story.

00:23:40
Speaker 2: But I just I don't think it is the same story. I mean, that's that becomes about the loss of somebody that you know that we're not supposed to feel the loss of Brenda. That's the point, Like as an audience, we're supposed to feel like Corey's sense of like, but I didn't even really get to know this person. It's yeah, right, but.

00:23:58
Speaker 3: There's two But but then led to this as thing and I get how they and again the writing is very interesting how they did this, but it led to something we have yet to see on this show. And I'm not sure I dislike it. It's just there's essentially two a stories, which is Brenda dying and then Verna leaving there's not really a B story because those two stories end up tying in together.

00:24:21
Speaker 2: Well, but I would say Corey, I would say a story is that's a good point. Yeah, I mean, I guess you're right, they are equivalent, But I would say Corey is in both right, He's he's the leader of both of them, which is really good writing. I mean for him to navigate two different storylines's.

00:24:38
Speaker 3: Two a storylines that then have to be connected. That's why the balance fe felt a little off to me a little bit, because it was it seemed like it's not that you needed to focus on one. But then I would have personally, and I get the payoff with Amy and Allen all that stuff, but there are episodes that I wasn't in. I would have personally either taken out Frankie and the Little Kid, which didn't make any s, or take out the whole storyline with Eric and Allen and Amy and do.

00:25:05
Speaker 1: That late Rinky and Herman are literally there only for the misdirect of both times you think it's Verna. Both times there's a knock at the door, the audience goes there she is.

00:25:16
Speaker 2: And I think they just needed last too, because there's no humor otherwise. Now they were like, I agree with you about the balance, but that's that's only if you think of this as a sitcom. It is, but no, I know, but I'm saying like, I think this episode is an example of Boym's World reaching and I think you either like that or don't. But I feel like this is it's it's interesting that Matt Nelson episode. I didn't quite realize that because I was thinking of it in terms of Michael J. Jacobs. This is a play. This feels very much like this, and Matt Nelson was a play right went before he joined Boyman's World. And I think that they were really feeling a if you think about the nineties theater scene in which both Michael and Matt came from, it was dominated by Sam Shepherd, which is which is sad families and parks with Southern accents. Absolutely there's a there's like I kept feeling this longing for the show to be this sort of something that it wasn't yet you know that it could be. And I saw our writers and our whole team me and included sort of stepping into this idea of like let's have a stage play, Like let's have a dramatic stage play, and it's you know, it's in her performance in particular, she's carrying it. But even if you look at the way Chet is acting, you know, Blake is kind of wasted in this episode in the sense that he's not he's he's not doing he's not doing Chet the way we were introduced to Jet. Chet is suddenly the sort of like sad patriarch of a like a Sam Shepherd play. And that was I was like kind of fascinated by it.

00:26:55
Speaker 3: It felt it did feel a little off, but I have to say, like because of her performance, Blake's performance, and like all the stuff with the Highway, like, I feel like it kind of tied together. I thought it kind of worked well. Again, I don't disagree. But when you when you're coming into a show, when you've now got you open with a new character that's dying and a new stage, a new set we've never seen. You then go to the second set we've never seen, introducing a new character with Frankie's little brother, and that's now the comic relief, this dynamic that we've never seen before. There's no there was no anchor to the world of Boy Meets World that we knew. No, but no, no, no, but but Corey was not in anywhere we'd ever seen him before. Corey's in camera angles we'd never seen before, talking to characters we've never seen before. He's in a funeral set we've never seen before.

00:27:44
Speaker 2: No, I agree, it's a stretch, but I think it works like I would much rather stretch in this direction than like Disney World.

00:27:49
Speaker 3: Oh no, you are agreed, But that's I think. Then you do some sort of a B story that's still anchored in some sort of comedy and anchored in the boy meets World world that we knew. I think I just think it would have helped the balance of the episode. I know what you're saying, but I think that, Like, yeah, I think they pulled it off. I think there's something really interesting about this this episode.

00:28:09
Speaker 1: And also didn't feel bumped by the cafeteria as much as you guys did. I know we've done a bunch I remember stuff with the bullies back kind of in that corner where at one point in time we did pretend that there was a lunch person back there. Sure, I didn't feel as bumped. To me, the cafeteria felt just like normal school like.

00:28:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, it felt weird to me because again, it's angles you've never seen before, it's Corey.

00:28:28
Speaker 1: And it's a different shots the thing, all.

00:28:30
Speaker 3: Those different shots.

00:28:31
Speaker 1: That's true.

00:28:31
Speaker 3: And again it wasn't. It's that like, I didn't dislike the episode. It just it felt like a completely different television show to me. Yeah, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was one where it took me out of.

00:28:41
Speaker 2: It a little bit.

00:28:54
Speaker 1: So she responds, Hi, Corey, my little tiger likes his gravy, doesn't he? He responds, Corey likes the way Brenda does it. Corey starts to narrate her every move. She builds a nice potato mountain, and then she turns it into a horrible volcano of doom. Tapanga looks at him confused. He continues, look at the lava running down the volcano. Run piece, hide behind the roll. He asks a disturbed to Panga, what you don't see that? Tapanga asks if there's any more cherry pie, and Brenda tells her she's sorry, but they're all out. And then Brenda realizes she accidentally hid a piece under it.

00:29:26
Speaker 2: I just know she's gonna die, right, I mean special Cory but she is also super sweet Aga.

00:29:35
Speaker 3: The only thing she's missing is the red Star Trek shirt. Like this woman's dead, like exactly.

00:29:41
Speaker 2: I was surprised.

00:29:42
Speaker 4: This is.

00:29:43
Speaker 2: I directed an episode of Girl Meat's World that was essentially this hole. Do you remember this with Chross Leachman Girl Meats Pluto. I think it was the name of the episode. Yeah, same thing. It's again. Somebody's serving food in missus the you guys and it becomes to hang out.

00:30:04
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:30:04
Speaker 2: Kowski, she's a Polish. It's a Polish and she's money. It's Claus Leechman. I got to direct Chloris Leachman and one over last school was great.

00:30:13
Speaker 1: God bless you.

00:30:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, she was a lot so funny.

00:30:19
Speaker 1: God love her.

00:30:20
Speaker 2: She flashed. She was in a movie with my brother when he was twelve, and she flashed him.

00:30:24
Speaker 1: Yeah. I was told a really incredible story and I was told by everybody, Uh, hide your hair. I'm sorry, what, Hide your hair as much as you possibly can. She does not like women with good hair. Just keep your hair away from her. And I was like, I don't understand. And then I heard a story and I won't I'll tell you the story, but I won't tell you who the celebrity is that it happened to, because the celebrity I don't think is ever publicly told the story, so I won't say who it was. But on a show, Chlorus Leachman was on the star of the show, was in the hair and makeup room and was getting her hair done and she had all of her hair over her shoulder and Chloris Leachman walked up to her and was like, you always fussing with your hair and messing with your hair, and she picked up a pair of scissors and just literally chopped a chunk of this celebrity's hair. And then they had to do extensions and the whole thing and didn't.

00:31:24
Speaker 2: Get fired because Cloras Leishman don't give up.

00:31:28
Speaker 1: She does not.

00:31:28
Speaker 2: And then want to be one of those old actors who just likes.

00:31:32
Speaker 1: Be an actor writer, you'd have to know exactly.

00:31:34
Speaker 2: Hey, I'll do it again if it could be like sixty plus walk on a set and be like, no, I'm gonna cut people's hair. She was so I mean, I love directing her. She was great to me. We'd have cue cards for her. But she was sweet and funny and you never knew what the day was going to bring in a rehearsal. I loved it.

00:31:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, but yeah it was fun anyway, Yes, you're right there, there was a Girl meets World tie into all.

00:31:54
Speaker 2: This anyway, So not only was that that storyline recycled, like almost Beatyan, you know the fact that this old, older woman who's like serving food disappears and the kid has to sort of come to terms with the fact that, like, I always took this person for granted. So like repeat that the set, the trailer set, the Shawn's house set is exactly the set when we did Girl meets Texas, where like we did going to a text which you probably don't remember. Dane, Sean and I directed two episodes of Girl. It's the same living room. It's like the exact same layout that one happened a porch. But otherwise I was like, this is crazy. Anyway, two things recycled than Girl in Me World that I'd never realized we're recycled.

00:32:33
Speaker 1: So Sean comes running into the cafeteria telling Corey he has a major problem. Corey, I'll out to Panga and Brenda tells him you never let me down. Sean. Sean asks a question we all wonder when thinking of the Boy Meets World timeline. How long has it been since I've seen my mother? Corey scoffs, you mean since she took her a little vacation. Sean barks at him. She ran away for a year. Deal with it, Corey, I have, Corey comments, and you're doing much better. Sean blurts out, I saw my mom, Corey. She was right across the street at the Trailer View Motel. She was looking through her window at our trailer. He tells Corey, his mom is back.

00:33:05
Speaker 2: Now this it has to have been at least a year and a half to two years, because it was the end of season two that she took off, right, So.

00:33:12
Speaker 1: We are working for her all season, right, all season. I think they're just looking at her.

00:33:16
Speaker 2: I established the season three lasted way longer than a year, because there was like I don't know, sorry, and because we had.

00:33:24
Speaker 1: And then there was the whole Then there was the whole summer because we you know, you were so.

00:33:28
Speaker 2: I think it's been two years since Vernon left, but.

00:33:31
Speaker 3: There was a summer where Sean and Tepanga were hooking up the whole time while Corey was gone.

00:33:34
Speaker 1: Right exactly as we all we all know that we've set that up. Then we get emotional commercial strings going into the Hunter's trailer with an exterior shot. Sean and Corey tell Chet the news. Chet is confused. He searched for her all last year over the United States and you find her right across the highway. Sean is positive it's her. Chet asks more questions how long she been there? How does she look when she coming home? And this question that he asks, how does she look? Could have been played so many ways for comedy, But I feel like the choice that whether it was Blake or he was told how to play it this way, I feel like it was like a concerned line read like how does she look? Do you think there's ever a possibility? And you we end up finding out later in the episode. Doesn't seem like it's being played that way at all. But my first thought when he read it that way was are they trying to say, like, maybe she has a drug problem?

00:34:26
Speaker 2: See it's funny?

00:34:28
Speaker 3: Sue asked if they were trying to imply as the episode went on that Blake had been physical with.

00:34:36
Speaker 2: Her, right, well, I think, but when when Chet is dying, I make references to him having been drunk a lot of my child.

00:34:46
Speaker 3: Okay, so I he was in drinker.

00:34:48
Speaker 2: The idea is that Hugh's the drinker, He's the one with the substance abuse, and potentially I don't I don't think that he's been physical with her. That seems a little dark.

00:34:57
Speaker 1: The fact that Verna mentioned so many times, she never even says that he needs to be a better husband. Her big thing is the father thing. She mentions like, we were all unhappy. We were three people who were unhappy living under the same roof. And if I'm gonna stay there, I need I want to be a better wife, and I want to be a better mother. But if I'm gonna stay I need to know that he also wants to be a better father.

00:35:21
Speaker 2: Right, which is what he sort of does through the course of this episode. But looking at if she becomes more interested.

00:35:25
Speaker 1: In me because and that's what she says, she wants to see with her own two eyes. That's why she's watching from across the way. She wants to see is he really engaged?

00:35:32
Speaker 3: And I think that's it was very interesting how they brought that up. But it if you and again, families are families. But if they allude to the fact that Chet is a drinker, and she doesn't want to be around that. Why leave your kid with that to see if the alcoholic becomes a better dad, Why don't, know, take your kid with you.

00:35:53
Speaker 1: I know, the only thing in this whole episode that bumped me is when Corey compliments her for being a good mother, right. I bumped me because I was like, let's not go too far. You might say, it's really great that she's come to the realization that she and she knows that she did the worst thing ever by leaving. Like it's self aware and yes, for she.

00:36:15
Speaker 3: Saw it a little with the letters she'd actually been writing Sean the entire time.

00:36:18
Speaker 1: Though, But if you're gonna leave, you take that kid with you. The abandon your husband, you don't abandon your kid.

00:36:24
Speaker 3: That's what I thought too.

00:36:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, but I think that that's the point, right, And I think she's she's trying to be I mean, that's what I love about I mean, that's what I think Shawn's family offers that you know, Corey's family can't like the idea is that the Matthews are the platonic ideal of the American family. Like that, and and so to a degree that they can be flawed. They can't be like bad parents ultimately, whereas Sean's parents can be bad parents ultimately. And I think that that that's sort of a great diconomy that boy Mean's world offers. And you know, this is why I think people them up to me all the time and are like, you're You're the one I related to on the show because I felt like I had messed up parents or I you know, even if I felt loved, they couldn't do it. They couldn't do their job the way they knew that they should. And that's what I love is that. But both Chet and Verna are not actually bad people. They're not villains. They're actually funny, they're charing, they're sensitive. They just also can't do the thing that.

00:37:25
Speaker 3: I think that's great actually, but they also I agree if they'd written to that more, but it seemed like they wrote it in a way where they tried to make it towards the end seem like what she did was actually altruistic. I left my son because it was the best thing for our family, and it's like, no, you just ditched your kid.

00:37:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I agree, I don't. I don't think they tried to make it. See. I I don't think they tried to make it seem altruistic. I do. I agree with writer that I do think they I think they did a really good job of making them extremely flawed.

00:37:55
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I love the brokenness.

00:37:57
Speaker 2: It's great without. But here's the thing. It's brokenness without because if it had been too specific, like if it had literally been like you beat our son, or you punched me that one time, or you drank too much and got in jail, like, then we're veering into I think what's positive about the sort of Like usually in good Storytaellling, you say specificity is better, right, Like you want to be as specific as possible. But in this case, on a kid's show, if there's any really like solvable problem or something broken that one person did, it becomes too specific and kids are no longer going to be able to relate to it. And I think the way it's sort of written for Sean and Corey's point of view, it's written for a teenager to be able to look at their parents and say, my mom might still love me even though she did this thing that hurt me a lot, and that is more valuable overall at the storytelling than like detailing why exactly she did something right or wrong?

00:38:52
Speaker 3: Do you remember? Do you remember in the next couple episodes she's in Do you remember at all? Because Sean is obviously gone after Blake a few times with you weren't there for me? Or you did this or you took off? Does he ever have that moment with Ferna too? Do you remember if is.

00:39:07
Speaker 2: There ever a moment of like I remember, I don't remember.

00:39:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wish he has that for some reason, And.

00:39:11
Speaker 2: Maybe it's just because I watched this episode. I feel like Ben ended up interacting with Vernon more well way more did not just in this episode. I feel like that happens a lot like for the rest of you. Yes, I'm trying to remember. I don't know, Like I don't. Yeah, I wonder.

00:39:25
Speaker 3: If he goes after her too, where it's like, you know, yeah he was a bad father, but you you also took off.

00:39:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wont be interesting to see if that comes up.

00:39:33
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:39:34
Speaker 1: So Sean admits he hasn't gone over there yet. He's afraid he's going to chase her away again, and Cheat assures him, you didn't chase her away. You're the only reason she stayed here as long as she did. Sean feels touched by this, and he thanks his dad for saying it. Jet questions why she's over there spying on them. She's probably after his secret plans. Corey's confused. What secret plans? Nice try, Corky, Jet replies. Corky returns, I was I love that.

00:39:56
Speaker 3: Me too, Daniel screamed, I'm sure.

00:39:59
Speaker 2: Corky, I love it. But I also love this distinction because then she remembers Corey perfectly. And I love that, like we've already established a chit as nice as he is as Truman is no clue who Shawn's best friend is whereas And it's a really good technique to make her instantly more sympathetic because she did run away, right, But then she's giving.

00:40:18
Speaker 1: Her likable qualities.

00:40:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, keeps track of Sean's life. She knows who his friends are, and you know she is mothering in a way that Chet has not been fothering. I don't know, it's complicated, it's complicated absolutely.

00:40:29
Speaker 1: Corey reminds them, you've been looking for this woman for a year and now you found her. Now go get her before she leaves again. Chet immediately turns this down. He compares Verna to a beautiful butterfly that sat down on a branch next to you. If you so much is breathe wrong, it'll fly away and you'll never see it again. Sean agrees it's a very delicate situation. He tells Chet what they need is someone who won't be thought of as a threat. They both look over at Corey, who magically has two monarch butterflies perched on his hand and his shoulder.

00:40:55
Speaker 3: It's the shoulder one that got me on the hand, that's first, and then it's just the shoulder too.

00:41:01
Speaker 1: I didn't even see it at first, and then I went back. I was like, oh my gosh, there's a second one talking sweet to the little creatures. This is peak Ben Savage. It is just beautiful, brilliant. Sean and Ched are both thinking the same thing. Corey unknowingly asks what, And then we're at the Trailer View Motel, another news set. Corey knocks on hotel room number nineteen and Verna new character reveal alert answers. She says, come on in, Corey, I've been expecting you. Corey asks her you were Yeah, She explains she saw him through the window crossing the turnpike, Corey touches his heart and earnestly says, then you know how lucky I am to be alive. Verna kisses his cheek. It's nice to see him. He's growing up to be real handsome. And then I love this moment because Charene, the actress, notices that she left the lipstick mark on his cheek, and she reaches over and she wipes it off his cheek.

00:41:57
Speaker 2: Naturalistic acting moment, just real.

00:41:59
Speaker 1: Moment where she also knows if I don't get this lipstick off his cheek, it's gonna screw up continuity and it's and it's a maternal thing to do. It worked so perfectly. Actor love it. Corey awkwardly explains, look, I'm just here to tell you on behalf of them, and then under his breath he says, couple of chickens, which I thought was great. That they miss you very much. She tells him she misses them too. Corey questions, well, if they miss you and you miss them, then why aren't you guys together? And she sighs she could just go over there for a big emotional reunion, but after five minutes, then where would we be and Corey answers, you'd be a family. Verna shakes her head, saying no, we'd just be together. I left because we were three unhappy people living under the same tin roof. Just being married doesn't make you a good husband and wife, and just having a little boy doesn't make you a good father and mother. I love this, I love it.

00:42:52
Speaker 3: It's great. It's great. It means so much more with Chet too, when you remember, which is something that is used as a joke, but it's part of the continuity that there's also a Stacy, and there's also a Jack So, and there's also an it was it Eddie. He's got like four kids, right, so that's you know, he's maybe trying to make it okay with Sean now, but you forget that this man has fathered four children. So yeah, there's there's a lot more there, a lot of layers.

00:43:21
Speaker 1: So Corey understands. Verna admits, I know I have no right to hope for anything because I left my family. But in that time I learned that all I want to be is a good wife and a good mother. But I need to know that Chet wants to be a good father too. Corey says, he can go back and tell them that Verna breaks it to him. It doesn't help coming from you, but for my family, I need to see it happen in its own time. Corey asks how long that'll be, and she smiles, telling him, if you want to take back a message, tell Sean I love him, and you give him a big kiss right on the lips for me. Corey awkwardly nods, assuring he will do some version of that, And then we're back in the Hunter's trailer. And in this scene, I don't know if you noticed it too, but I noticed the skyline of New York on his wall.

00:44:04
Speaker 2: The wall pictures are so interesting, but I'm weird. Pretty sure this is the one where he comes back in and I'm at the kitchen table with Jet.

00:44:12
Speaker 3: There's no idea what I'm doing.

00:44:14
Speaker 2: What am I doing.

00:44:15
Speaker 3: I'm sitting didn't even notice.

00:44:17
Speaker 2: It looks like I'm holding it, looks like I have a model in front of me. Something white is on the table, and.

00:44:21
Speaker 1: Maybe you're putting together a paper airplane.

00:44:23
Speaker 2: I have no idea. I thought I was waiting for it to come back, like, oh, I got to get back to my school project or building my model of the trailer park or whatever, and it's like, never reverent. I'm clearly engaged with something at the kitchen tables, Like that is the weirdest.

00:44:36
Speaker 3: I wonder if it was you or it was props. I wonder if it was you going like I need something to do.

00:44:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, I definitely need something to do because we're just sitting around waiting. He's like reading the paper, I think, and I'm at the kitchen table. But there's like I was like, what what what? Why? What am I doing? So weird? But I guess Sean couldn't be reading right, that doesn't fit the character.

00:44:54
Speaker 1: So these these these pictures on the wall. One of the reasons I always notice them. There's such time capsules because the skyline of New York is very obvious. Twin towers photo.

00:45:05
Speaker 3: There's a car, there's there's around bus, there's a desert scape. It was a weird like, yeah, it was all like sort of generic like stuff. I was like, there's no family photos.

00:45:15
Speaker 2: And also like, I don't know, it felt like Chet would have a little bit more of his own personality in there, like a little I don't know what, but like, yeah, it's generally felt that they dialed back the chetness of this entire episode and Blake. I can tell that Blake is you know, I mean he he I remember him telling me that like he felt changed by the experience of Boy Meets World as an actor because he had never done he was always playing joke characters, you know, he was always and especially when we did his death, I remember him like, you know, giving me a big hug and being like this has been a life changing, Like this has been so great to be able to act with you, and and and I could feel him in a good way, uncomfortable, do you know what I mean, in a way that that like Chet is not you to this, and I think Blake wasn't quite used to it doesn't act for these kinds of scenes to be having to like have these conversations and and and look an actress in the eye like her, and you know, it's just it's good. It's like yeah again, I feel like we're stretching in a way that is weird for sure, but I I know where it's coming from, you know what I mean, Like it's coming from the play. The play tradition that the and.

00:46:21
Speaker 3: I love that I love that I still think would like to have had a little bit of a boy meuts world anchor to it.

00:46:25
Speaker 2: That's all I'm saying.

00:46:26
Speaker 3: But here's the other thing, logistically, is that the trailer that you grew up in she took off with that. Did Jet ever get that back? Because yeah, because there wouldn't be family photos like it would just be like they moved into another trailer at the at the trailer park. Right if he didn't get I can't remember if he says he got it back or now.

00:46:49
Speaker 2: I mean, none of it makes any sense because the real the truth is when people live in a trailer in a trailer park, you're talking about mobile homes or like prey fab homes, and they're not built on wheels most often, like they're usually just like the way this looks, you know, they're they're not ready to roll. They're actually just prefabouts.

00:47:05
Speaker 3: Actually there are wheels.

00:47:07
Speaker 1: Yeah, sometimes there are.

00:47:08
Speaker 2: Sometimes there are most of the time.

00:47:11
Speaker 1: Apparently we got a lot of Instagram comments from people saying that Chet did get the trailer back. It was apparently at some point other people heard we did not remember it, but that there was like a throwaway line about him getting the trailer back.

00:47:25
Speaker 3: Okay, it might be when he was on the phone at the gas station. Maybe yeah, something like that. Okay, So it's so it is the trailer.

00:47:30
Speaker 1: So the idea, the fan theory is that it is the original trailer.

00:47:35
Speaker 3: So this the first time we saw this trailer, I think is the first time we saw the inside.

00:47:40
Speaker 1: So Chet and Sean here angry car horns, just as Corey angrily pushes his way into the trailer. Eight lanes and not one stinkn island. You gotta be Moses to get across that highway, and it's just recurring.

00:47:50
Speaker 2: I love and again this feels very theatrical, like the idea of having an off screen action sequence that you just reference with dialogue were referring to, and then it becomes a joke, and then it becomes kind of a metaphor. Yes, that's great writing.

00:48:04
Speaker 1: I love I love it.

00:48:05
Speaker 3: I would have added car horns. I would have added the car screeching in the car horns and then him coming like all disheveled like.

00:48:13
Speaker 2: And when Frankie is like saying goodbye and giving off his worm. I hope that I'm not the idea of this like terrifying frogg Or freeway right outside the door I love it so brilliant.

00:48:23
Speaker 1: I know it's so good. So Chet cuts right to the chase. Well, Moses, is she in or is she out? Corey tells them the only thing I can tell you is she's going to be watching you from right where she is. Chet declares, that's creepy and somewhat exciting.

00:48:46
Speaker 2: I love it. I love so clever, totally tossed away. But I was like a little love it. I love a Disney show, but I love it.

00:48:56
Speaker 1: Here Sean asks what now, and Chet answers, guess. We stand next to the window and try to look appealing. They get real close to the window and force a smile, arms around each other trying to get her attention.

00:49:06
Speaker 2: And you're right, there are awkward camera angles in this and this is one of them. They're like outside of the trailer, and there is the idea that we literally turned towards the cameras and the windows right there. Yeah, so like yeah, yeah, felt very close, right, felt like we were a little too deep into the set for I don't know.

00:49:22
Speaker 1: But I mean, but it is a trailer, so you figure, how deep could it possibly be?

00:49:26
Speaker 3: Right?

00:49:26
Speaker 1: You know, it's it's not going to be It's not going to be a house. It's not gonna be the Matthews.

00:49:31
Speaker 2: I just wish we were taking a step towards the cameras and then moved off camera and then you cut to outside. Something about it just as awkward. But yeah whatever, anytime sitcoms try and do fourth wall stuff, it gets weird.

00:49:42
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I I thought this was so cute, and I love those little smile and the way Blake does little like it is just it. I loved it. So then we're back at John Adams Cafeteria to Pega wonders where Brenda is. She's never been s a day in her life. Corey, back in a collared shirt, tight jeans and a structure belt, thinks she's probably playing hooky. Topanga asks where would a lunch room lady play hooky, which is just a weird thing to ask. She would play hooky where everyone else plays hooky, which is at the Tapanga Mall with an ice splendid shopping for bras at the Tapanga Mall. Like that's yeah, that's where she would everyone does.

00:50:20
Speaker 3: That's three thousand miles from Philly to Tanga Mall.

00:50:23
Speaker 1: That's just me, that's just you interesting. Well, Phoenie walks into the cafeteria asking for everyone's attention. He informs the students that Brenda Hibbert their lunch room lady Steve Hibbert away.

00:50:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, Steve Hibbert, who's joined our staff this year. I think so.

00:50:36
Speaker 3: He's a new writer.

00:50:38
Speaker 1: They used his last name, A.

00:50:39
Speaker 2: Great writer of chick like me.

00:50:40
Speaker 3: And again not to not to do the things that we did. All I know, people are getting sick of us talking about why Alex was an on a Rining visit. But Tony Quinn is obviously in this episode. Why not throw him into the cafeteria scene right or two? He's there?

00:50:53
Speaker 2: Probably did, man, I mean, there's so much dialogue in this episode. They're just cut. But I mean, just if he's.

00:50:58
Speaker 3: Just there wine in the time, I mean, there's no reason for it, no reason for it.

00:51:04
Speaker 1: Honestly, probably a favor to him, the fact that he's not there, if he's not going to speak, the fact that he's not.

00:51:11
Speaker 2: Well, he's a guaranteed amount.

00:51:12
Speaker 1: Of episodes exactly they were we.

00:51:14
Speaker 2: Guaranteed like nine out of thirteen or whatever, you know, whatever, put him in.

00:51:18
Speaker 3: Nine efforts, then actually put him in nine episodes. Don't put him in for one line at the end of a tag, It's like, come on.

00:51:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, so Cory's in disbelief, mister Feoenie, she was just here yesterday doing the lava on my mashed potato volcano. He apologizes and asks for a moment of silence and her remembrance. Everyone bows their heads and closes their eyes. Once the moment of silence is up, the students go right back to their daily routine. Corey is still rattled. Phoene starts to walk away, but Corey stops him. Aren't we going to do something here, like have an assembly or a ceremony. Phoene pats him on the shoulder. No, there's nothing planned At the moment, Corey and Tapanga are both rattled. Back in the lunchline, Corey gets served his mashed potatoes from a tatted man. It's possibly even an inmate. I don't know. He's taking Brenda's place.

00:51:59
Speaker 3: Did you notice by the way this poor woman passes away, there's nothing planned for her, and yet the blood drive is still going on.

00:52:08
Speaker 1: There as two posters behind. Everybody happen no matter what. I don't know what happened to her, but she did not need.

00:52:13
Speaker 3: To transfusions because there was a blood at John.

00:52:17
Speaker 1: And I'm sorry, so there's no gravy lava flow. Corey is shocked. It's a sad scene.

00:52:24
Speaker 3: This is.

00:52:26
Speaker 1: We give a lot of flack to Corey when we think he's unlikable. I find Corey so likable.

00:52:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, very sweet, And this whole episode is.

00:52:41
Speaker 1: At every step he is caring, concerned, questioning. I even love I wrote it. Later, when Verna does ask him for his opinion, it removes any possibility that anyone could say he's overstepping his bounds with with the Hunter family. The fact that she says, well, you've been watching us for a while, now, what do you think this is? Truly makes me love Corey. Everything about this episode I love.

00:53:14
Speaker 2: I would say this is probably Ben's best performance so great since season one, and I think maybe the best performance ever. And it really starts in the next kitchen scene. After this, I was like, I wrote down, oh my god, Ben is killing the scene, and then it just kept getting better and better, and that, like his stuff with vernon the hotel, Like as the episode end, I ended up, I was like, this might be Ben's greatest performance of Boy meets World History. I think he's so good. It's not just the writing, it's Ben's performance. It's phenomenal, and his balance between those like goofy Corey moments we've already seen a couple of them, and then his ability to thread the needle of sentimentality, like because it's a very sentimental episode, totally very full of expositional dialogue. Everybody's just sitting around talking about how they feel and analyzing themselves as characters in that very boy meets worldway, and that's hard to do and Ben nails it in this episode. And part of it is that he really responds to the actors that he's working with. They just have a chemistry. But he is so solid, so solid.

00:54:19
Speaker 3: Well, the thing that's interesting is, at the end of the day, with everything going on, it's a Corey episode. Yeah, yeah, which is which it doesn't it shouldn't be, and it's it, but it is. It's a Corey it's Corey finding new things.

00:54:30
Speaker 1: But it is the anchor that you need. It is like you had said, it is. It does feel like he's the thing that anchors you, reminds you this is boy meets World. So then we are back in the Hunter's trailer. Chet and Sean are still standing by the window. Chet says, this look and appealing is starting to hurt my face. Sean reminds his dad they just have to wait. Chet declares, I don't wait. Well, I say we get her. You go around the back so she can't escape. I'll steal her tires. Chet tries leaving, but Sean blocks him. You chased her across the country for a year, and that was no good for any of us. Check questions, what do you mean any of us? Sean admits it was bad enough losing mom, but I figured at least during that time you and I could have gotten to know each other.

00:55:06
Speaker 2: Mope, Mope, Sure, I don't think you're mope. It's a little it's these moments. It's the guilt trip be like and you don't love me. It's like, just like the second it becomes about the letters, I'm like, great, now I have like an actual thing to say, like, look here's your mom did that I you didn't do, and like when I have an objective in the scene, it's fine. But when my objective is to just give puppy dog eyes and like I know that my mouth or I am hating it. I hate it.

00:55:37
Speaker 1: Writer, not your objective. Your objective is Listen, I'm really happy you're back, but can we have a dialogue about the fact that you left? Like he chat's all about Vernon and I'm chasing her and let's we got her here? What about you?

00:55:52
Speaker 2: What about?

00:55:53
Speaker 3: Oh?

00:55:53
Speaker 2: I love that, But I want as an actor to have a real objective, like if my objective is to just look somebody in the eyes and make them feel bad, which is what often happens with Sean me as an actor playing Sean, which is both a fault of the writing sometimes but mostly it's a fault of my acting. It's just bad. It just feels like, oh, God, slap the kid like I don't know, like or just like let him go cry, like why like why are you making it everyone else's problem? Whereas when I go and grab the letters and I'm able to say like here, here's here's you know, then I have like concrete, actual objective, like I'm trying to show you something and get something from you. I don't know, you know, of course I'm super.

00:56:30
Speaker 1: You're too hard on yourself because also you say the same thing basically like three times in the scene, which is my point that your real objective is to not let him weasel out of the answer, right, And you go at the end of the at the end of the scene, you flat out say why didn't you want to stay? Dad? So to me, you bring it up, and he goes, hey, I made the decision that school was best for you and starts to walk away, and you go, no, no, no, no, come back. I want to talk to you about it again. Look what mom did, because even if you had to leave, look what mom, Even the way.

00:57:01
Speaker 2: You're saying that is better than my performance, because like I feel like I feel like I feel like writer the actor is aware like what you're because like what I wrote is like asking rhetorical MOPI questions and and and because I know that the scene's gonna end before I'm gonna get an answer, and so you can see me as an actor telegraphing to the audience. I want to ask my dad this tough question and nail him to the wall. And that's the whole point of the scene, as opposed to, hey, Dad, can you answer me? Can you tell me what the hell? I'm not proplaying it that way. I'm playing it like.

00:57:33
Speaker 3: I want you to know that I feel bad, and like that's just a different object that's just bad acting as opposed to being like, can you answer me?

00:57:40
Speaker 2: Why won't you? But I know as an actor that the scene's gonna end, the sitcom's gonna fade away, and we're not gonna get that answer.

00:57:46
Speaker 1: I'm so teenager, You're you're talking from the perspective of a forty four, forty three year old man who can say, listen, dad, I'm not like, this is the day. I'm not gonna let you weasel out of the conversation. But you're not that prepossessed as a teenage boy. Sometimes you just have to Sometimes you do go, you hurt me, daddy, And then he doesn't answer you, and you go, but did you hear me? I said, you hurt me, daddy?

00:58:12
Speaker 2: Right, So then I guess the better way it would be like to actually play the moping Like I guess I'm kind of caught in between this like direct confrontation where I'm seeking an objective, I'm seeking an answer and a sort of demonstration of my emotionality, which would have been slamming a door or taking a sight or you know, like that actually makes more sense. Dramatic dramaturgically is that the word yeah, Like it makes more sense for Sean to to storm out or like be upset with him or whatever. But instead the show's kind of trying to have it both ways, where it's like I'm nailing you to the wall, but I'm not gonna let it sit for the next twenty minutes until we can resolve the situation in a good sitcom form it, you know, like it's just a def. I don't know. Yeah, I know what you're saying.

00:58:50
Speaker 1: I loved it. I felt like I got it. I knew what you were doing, I knew that there was This is the this is the way teenagers demand when they know that they don't really it's hard to demand from a parent when you're a teenager. You don't feel like you have power. And so the way I demand is I keep saying, I keep repeating myself until you maybe show me that you're gonna give me an answer or not. So I liked it. So I just think you're too hard on yourself. But okay, Chet laughs this off, saying they know each other fine. Shawn tells them, if you knew me at all, you would have known not to leave me. Or at least taken me with you. Check gets defensive. He wanted to keep him in school, and besides, he called every couple of weeks to check up on him, and Sean nods, yeah, every twenty three days like clockwork. Chet makes the excuse that he was out of state. Maybe candas Bergen can make all those long distance phone calls, but he can't worth noting kandas Bergen was the spokesperson for Sprint long distance calling from nineteen ninety one to nineteen ninety eight. So anybody who doesn't understand that joke, that's where a costar'm long distance calling Candisburgen Sprint. Sean tells Chet a postcard might have been nice. Chet responds, hey, am I here? Am I better than a postcard? Did your mother send you any postcards? And Sewn tells him no, no postcards. He then but she sent me letters. Though, love this bombshell that we find this out, do you?

01:00:05
Speaker 2: I felt a little revisionist to me, hold on, where did where did she send the letters? After? Yeah? I was like, and also every day is a little much.

01:00:14
Speaker 3: I agree again they're trying to save her. This is where to me? It got a riddle like you were just trying to make her to redeem her, and and I thought it would have been more interested, more interesting if she wasn't really fully redeemable yet where it is something where it's it's you know, Sean coming back with yeah, and trust me, I'm gonna have a conversation with her about that when I see her. But we're talking about us right now, you know, something like that where yeah, she wrote me a letter or two, but the kind of now they're trying to make her seem like she was this you know again, I did this for you, and I'm gonna I miss you, Sean, I'm writing you every day and again it's just trying to make her seem like she wasn't all that bad and and well but.

01:00:52
Speaker 2: The take the take that that Chet, you know, maybe not necessarily abusive, but was a horrible husband, right, you know, and that that she can't say that to Sean without also ruining his dad and his eyes. It's sure interesting. So yeah, it's.

01:01:06
Speaker 3: So it's very complicated.

01:01:07
Speaker 2: It's tricky. You know, it's a calm format. How do you so basically show a dysfunctional family without actually making all the characters unlikable that's the challenge of this episode, right, It's like, you have to want Sean, to want Verna, Verna to want to be back to Sean, but also have a complicated family dynamic where none of that's possible, right, right, right?

01:01:26
Speaker 3: I didn't, But the whole life she's written me a letter of days.

01:01:28
Speaker 1: I liked it. It's like, Okay, I'm hook line and Sinker for the entire thing. I like it. I agree that one a day feels like one too much. One a day is a little too much, but still I love it. I love that that Sean hasn't been has the box has saved them all.

01:01:44
Speaker 3: So she knew when he went when, she knew where to send the letters. She knew when he went to Turner, she knew when he was at Cory, she knew when he.

01:01:50
Speaker 1: Was really had an eyeball from across the highway the whole time. I don't know. I don't know where she was, but yeah, I know. Maybe he didn't receive one every day. Maybe she wrote one and then wouldn't know where he was for a while, and then would find out this is where he is, and she'd mail thirteen of them at it. Once she knew and he would then get them. All we don't know. But all I'm saying is none of that bumped me. Even if I think it's a little obsessive or a little too much with every day I love it, I still just love it. So Chet is surprised how many letters Sean tells him one every day she's been gone. Chet laughs, thinking it's a joke. Sean grabs a box filled with letters and slams it against Chet. They say she loves me, that she thinks about me every day, and how sorry she is about leaving, and she hopes that one day I'll understand.

01:02:38
Speaker 3: And she took their house, and she took where this kid lives, who like bankrupted the family. Then you grab your kid and you take off him out.

01:02:49
Speaker 2: Of schools, away from his family.

01:02:52
Speaker 3: Absolutely, if you're going to take the kids, she took his home. She didn't just leave. She took his bed, she took his clothes, she took every possession. But that's where the revisionist stuff comes in, where it's like we're forgetting that. As she was written, this woman, you woke up one day and she had not only left you, but taken everything you owned. And now they're casting a great actress and they're trying to bring that back. But no, actually she wrote a letter a day and she didn't know. Don't do that and make her that complicated lady who took your bed like that's that's a big thing. Where now all of a sudden they're trying to sit calm it up to me.

01:03:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, well it's also interesting. I mean, yeah, you're right. I can't wait to see if Sean ever confronts her.

01:03:43
Speaker 3: Because that's what I wanted.

01:03:44
Speaker 2: This episode is about Sean confronting Chit, which is such a weird little slide of hand.

01:03:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're but it's a good slide of hand because it's exactly Verna's pov. Is it Sean is doing Verna's work without even knowing that that's what he's doing. Her whole thing is are you going to be a parent? Do you know what it even means to be a parent? And and you are the person who has that conversation that brings that out of him, that shows him that even though he thinks he's he's a victim of Verna as well, he also victimized you. So anyway, but the way.

01:04:23
Speaker 3: You're the way you're going to find out how to become the best parent is by leaving your kid for a year and a half.

01:04:28
Speaker 1: I'm not saying she's right. I'm just saying she says, I just want to know before I come back. I want to know whether Chet knows what it means to be a father great and said, And because she did say that, she did say that, I I want to I need to eye, she said. I all I've known on this, on this year away or whatever is that I want to be a good mom. And she said, and just having a kid doesn't make you a good mom, right, So this is obviously your intro, her intro.

01:04:54
Speaker 2: They will maybe they will help, Yeah, because you're right, it's it's it's a weird thing that but in a in a way we have to make it about the character we already know, which is sure, right, Like, if we're going to redeem a character, a parent figure, let's redeem, let's have it be the one who we already know. Love that, Yeah, I love that, But look how much we're talking about it's great, it's great. Think about that. That's what I mean. It's like we're cramming a Sam Shepherd play into Yeah, and Corey, I mean Corey is the one like, we haven't even talked about what he's going It's yes, it's a lot.

01:05:24
Speaker 3: Again, there's a lot, a lot going on.

01:05:27
Speaker 1: So then there's a knock at the door and we all think slash, hope it's Verna. But Chet opens the door to reveal Frankie, welcome back Ethan's plate. Frankie says, I come to you and hopes that you might watch my little brother Herman. He steps aside to reveal a miniature version of him, dressed like silent Bob. Herman politely says, in his perfect ethans to plea read. I hope this will prove no inconvenience, As some would say, I am unreliable when left on my own. Sean tries telling Frankie this isn't really a good time, and Frankie tells him I know. It's a rush hour on the interstate. He gives Herman his watch in case he doesn't outrun the trucks. He warns it's a little slow. I hope I am not. Herman tells Frankie god'speat and they hug goodbye. Sean, Chett and Herman are now all in the trailer and Chet sits down to start reading some of Verna's letters. Chet tells Sean he's sorry he didn't call more or write him letters.

01:06:14
Speaker 2: What is what is this all about? Like, what is the whole Herman thing?

01:06:17
Speaker 3: Nothing?

01:06:18
Speaker 2: Nothing, It's funny and it's.

01:06:22
Speaker 1: The door, and I'm.

01:06:24
Speaker 2: Kind of like, oh, they're taking care of a kid, you know, like a kid, Like it does kind of connect. But but when he just sits down, and then I was like, yeah, shouldn't.

01:06:36
Speaker 1: It's just it's just the misdirect both times. And then obviously they come in and they have a couple of funny moments.

01:06:42
Speaker 3: Literary storyline that went to somebody else. That's it was just the funny trying to be It made no sense, It had nothing to do with the episode, and it was just it. I loved seeing Ethan back. The kid was the little kid was great, and none of it mattered. It was just very strange.

01:06:58
Speaker 1: So Sean emphasizes his mom was gone. You and I could have been together, we could have been a family, but you didn't want that. Why didn't you want that? Dad? And I again, you're not gonna let him off the hook, even though now there's Herman here and whatever. So I like it. Then we're in the Matthew's kitchen. Amy's back at the dining table with another huge breakfast spread laid out. Eric runs down the stairs, no time to eat. I got a catch Dad for a ride to work. Alan runs down next. Where's Eric? She just points toward the door and he's gone. Morgan strolls down. Good morning. Amy asks if she'd like some breakfast. Morgan pulls out a chair. She'd love some, But just as she's about to sit down, a car horn honks and Morgan has to run out.

01:07:34
Speaker 2: Doesn't she say it? Because she says, I'm.

01:07:36
Speaker 1: Sorry, But Tina's mom gets really upset if.

01:07:38
Speaker 4: I don't have bread, She cares more very funny with the eight hundred pancakes on the table, It's like a Vegas buffet in the morning.

01:07:48
Speaker 1: At the Matthews family, Corey walks down last in a shirt and dress pants. On his way out, Amy asks, aren't you're gonna have something to eat? Corey tells her the news about Brenda and admits food would hurt too much right now. Amy's She tells Corey she's so sorry. Corey explains all those years of serving food to kids who never appreciate her and then she dies some life huh. Amy takes this to heart, looking at the breakfast she's made for her family that no one has touched, and I know, will you love it?

01:08:17
Speaker 2: I think this is where it Ben shifted into a new gear as an actor, and it was just like, he owns this episode for the rest of the episode. And it's not MOPy and performative. It's like now genuinely searching and confused and sad and just awesome.

01:08:33
Speaker 1: Yep, momy, Yeah, I like it too. Then we're back at the Hunter's trailer. Sean and che are sitting on the floor wearing the same clothes we saw them in yesterday, eating pizza. Looking at old pictures, Chet pulls out a picture. Here's when me and your mother were teaching you to write a two wheeler. Sean smiles. So our family wasn't messed up all the time, was it, dad? Chet tells him no, they had a Kodak moment or two. Corey looks at the photo and notices it looks like he's writing indoors. Chet nods, yeah, that's toys r Us. That's Sean writing down Aisle five. Sean explains that couldn't actually afford a bike. Chet apologizes money was pretty short that year. Sean tells him, doesn't matter to me. Fun is fun. Corey asks, you guys have been up all night looking at pictures, and Chet nods. Time really flies when you stick around and hang out with your son. Chet pulls out another photo showing Sean on a bear rug. He laughs and points, there's your butt.

01:09:20
Speaker 2: I forget. Oh yeah, I don't know, but it is so funny.

01:09:26
Speaker 3: It was.

01:09:30
Speaker 1: So cute, and Corey is clearly touched by this father son moment. His best friend is having uh and again, these Matthew Nelson's scripts. I was like these these moments. Matt knew how to write about family, complicated family in a way. I don't know if, like anybody else did. I just I love that.

01:09:52
Speaker 2: He had a way of like I mean again, it's sentimental. He has a very sentimental streak, but he has also dark like dark right, but also like declarative declarative sentimentality, like I care you know, like this certain like Matt was a very sensitive person, and he was always so open with his positive feelings and his negative feelings, but mostly his supportive positive feelings, like as a person. He would always writer, you think like this, and you really are good at that. And I always noticed it, and I can hear that in this you know. I mean, he's the dream try do good writer like that is Matt Nelson, right, And you can hear it in the rhythm of these lines like sometimes fun is fun and fun doesn't matter money, you know, like these very like you know it's it's moralizing to a certain degree, but in a good, in a very positive way. Ah, I love it.

01:10:44
Speaker 1: I love it too. And then funeral home sad news set alert. Peneus stand in front of Brenda's casket as Corey walks in, and Corey thinks he's the undertaker. Uh, it's my first time in a funeral home. Could you please tell me what it is that I'm supposed to do. Phoene turns around and responds, you're supposed to be in school, mister Matthews. Corey is startled. Mister Feeney, don't do that to a person, especially in a place like this. He admits, I didn't even know her. All I know is that she served us food.

01:11:20
Speaker 2: Were choice to not just that the audience sees phoene.

01:11:25
Speaker 1: Before instead of to also not think it's someone else.

01:11:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, it should have just been his back, right, That's the way I feel like it was written.

01:11:33
Speaker 2: And then at some point Jeff McCracken or whoever was decided it's not worth it, you know what. It was actually kind of refreshing, I have to say.

01:11:40
Speaker 1: Tried to put a side pony on Phoene with a beret, but they figured they decided it was Yeah, it was two friends.

01:11:50
Speaker 2: I guarantee you they tried it and they were literally like, well, it's so obvious that it's Bill. That's That's what I'm saying.

01:11:56
Speaker 1: Instead of putting a beret on a pig, let's just lipstick on up big.

01:12:04
Speaker 3: But Corey is also in a suit and tie here can't suit and tie very nice? Decides not to wear it at the end when he comes back to the same funeral home.

01:12:14
Speaker 1: I feel like, though it's because well, I don't know, we'll talk about it, because I actually didn't notice it, but I'll talk about now. I just thought of a reason why that maybe it.

01:12:22
Speaker 2: I know why, because all the other kids are coming in from school.

01:12:25
Speaker 1: I think it was a last minute plan. I think it was also it was it wasn't his plan all along. I think he he when he asked Phoenie, there's nothing else, Like, there's nothing else. He at some point in this day thought I'm going to do this, and at that point he had already taken off his tie and his jacket.

01:12:40
Speaker 2: It's the next So is this supposed to be the same day? You know, it's the next day. They put her body on ice.

01:12:46
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying, Like, how long has this been very cold in there? The airs conditioning is blessed?

01:12:53
Speaker 2: Poor woman.

01:12:53
Speaker 3: It's like she's a president and she's she's remaining in state.

01:12:57
Speaker 2: It's like, what the hell is.

01:13:01
Speaker 3: I mean?

01:13:01
Speaker 2: Can we talk about just I had this thought where watching this sea and I was like, how many kids sitcoms? Just out of Coffin.

01:13:08
Speaker 3: Freight Center is right there. It's the whole set built around a dead body. I was like, Wow, blay meings world. That's good with nobody there. That was the other thing is very They also made the choice to have nobody there. That's very done on purpose.

01:13:22
Speaker 1: And well, Corey says, there's got to be more to a person's life than that, and Phoene assures him, don't lightly dismiss something that meant the world to this woman. When anyone would ask her if she had children, she always said, I have nine hundred. This makes Corey smile. She didn't have any kids of her own, and he responds, not everyone's that blessed, And you get the sense that Phoene is also talking about himself. So there too. Yep, he continues, but she did have a place where she where she was cared about, a place where she knew she belonged. I for one, will miss her, and I'm gonna start crying now, Corey adds. Now, all her nine hundred kids are going to miss her too. Corey stands and looks at the casket before walking away. How do you make sure people feel that they're wanted and they should be together even if they don't recognize it? And Phoene simply asks, do you recognize it? Corey says he does. Phoene says, then tell them that's what friends are for. Corey thanks him and walks off. Phoene calls after him and be careful crossing that highway, proving once again Phoene always knows what's going on in the life of everyone he cares about.

01:14:26
Speaker 2: Home right across from the trailer, Park, which.

01:14:29
Speaker 1: Is no, I don't think, No, I don't keep saying when you go to Sean. He knows what's going on. He knows Verna's back, he knows where he's going, he knows what this entire show.

01:14:39
Speaker 3: That's why he says that's what friends are for, because he knows he's talking.

01:14:42
Speaker 1: He knows he's talking about Sean, and he doesn't.

01:14:44
Speaker 3: But the one thing he doesn't say, though, is if you ever want to see the lunch Leady again, just watch Speed. And he never said that, and he should.

01:14:51
Speaker 1: That's shocking, missed opportunity.

01:14:54
Speaker 3: Just watch Speed.

01:14:57
Speaker 1: And then we're back at the Trailer View motel. Corey knocks on Verna's number nineteen door, and she answers with a smile, if it isn't the little go between boy, and what message do you carry today? Corey admits he's there on his own. Verna points out, you're awful dressed up. Do you intend on asking me to a picture show? Corey says he's dressed up because he just came back from saying goodbye to someone he really cared about. Verna says she's sorry, tells.

01:15:17
Speaker 2: Her who's slightly poor, and boy meets world has a Southern accent?

01:15:21
Speaker 3: Why is it a picture show? Who doesn't go to movies? He's bringing me to a picture.

01:15:26
Speaker 2: Show love, getting the fevers, getting the vapors, and I'm.

01:15:29
Speaker 3: Gonna go to a shout.

01:15:32
Speaker 2: Yes, it's a Pennsylvania. Poor people can be less like lower middle class and not have Southern accent. You're either from.

01:15:41
Speaker 3: The South or you're from New York. That's Philadelphia.

01:15:45
Speaker 2: No actual feeling accents, of course not.

01:15:49
Speaker 1: Corey tells her, Look, I know you left because you guys weren't a happy family, But you wouldn't have come back this far to this place unless you felt like they were still your family waiting for you across the road. Verna confesses, I did the worst thing somebody can do. I gave up and left.

01:16:03
Speaker 3: She says it admitted, She admits it. That's great.

01:16:06
Speaker 1: Corey counters, they felt like they drove you away. Verna asks, you've been back and forth between us, what do you think? And again, I'm so glad she asked. I love that she asks, and I feel very much like she cares about what.

01:16:22
Speaker 2: She wants to know.

01:16:24
Speaker 1: She wants to know. She's truly talking this out with him, which is a way on sitcoms, you never see adults and children engaging with each other where the adult is putting as much weight on this kid's opinion as if they were talking to mister Feenie. It's to her, it's the same, and I love it. It also removes any possibility that Corey is stepping over stepping his bounds. I'm not even sure if she didn't ask, I would feel like he's overstepping his bounds. I don't think I would. That she does ask is just beautiful.

01:16:58
Speaker 3: Yeah.

01:16:58
Speaker 2: I think the things that are left out are like what's actually going on between her and Chad and what's actually going on in her personal life, which.

01:17:05
Speaker 1: Is vague for a reason, yeah, because you.

01:17:07
Speaker 2: Can't get into it on a kid's show. But I do think that we can fill in the blanks substance abuse, cheating, you know, any sort of like awful thing that he adults are doing to each other that are outside of the purview of Corey, Sean and the children watching. And that's that's fine, you know. But yes, if this were a real play where a kid is going across a highway, she would be sitting there snorting lines of coke and like having this conversation with him while she, you know, like whatever, it would be like this crazy drama theater piece, but instead it's like we're able to still have those complications without necessarily going full bore, which is right cool.

01:17:43
Speaker 1: So Corey stutters, I think you can make a hole in somebody's mashed potatoes, and you can make that gravy come down just like lava, and you can do it three thousand times and they'll never appreciate it until the first day it's not there. But you, missus Hunter, are so lucky because you get to come back and find out that they've learned to appreciate it. Now. Verna asks where the hell Corey got that metaphor, but instead asks, oh no. Verna should ask where the hell Corey got that metaphor, but instead asks you think they want me back? Corey tells her, I think you'll never find out until you cross that highway and knock on the door. Verna starts to tear up, telling Corey, you know it's dangerous crossing that highway. He says, I know, but maybe once you get there you'll be happy, so you'll just want to stay. Gosh, you know, it's dangerous crossing that highway is so beautiful, right great. Corey makes his way toward the door and Verna says, Sean's got a good friend. Corey responds, he's got a good mom too, lucky guy. And I was like, h hold it, hold a friend. Let's not say he's got a good mom and he's lucky to have his mother. Then we're back in the Hunter's trailer. Chets on the phone asking questions, and once he hangs up, he says, uh oh. Sean asks, what's the matter? Check confesses I could never lie to you, so I'll just tell you the truth. Your mama exploded. Sean doesn't get it, obviously thinking literally so funny. Chet follows up she checked out of the motel this afternoon. Lord knows where she is by now. Sean asks will you be chasing after her? And Chet says not this time. Just then, there's a knock at the door. We all want it to be again. It's Frankie. He tells them, I am here with a heavy heart. Somebody has something he would like to return to you. Herman appears behind his big brother with his head hung low. He's holding a pink bottle. Chet asks all the valuable things we have in this trailer, and you steal our shampoo. What kind of weird little thief are you? Says Chet.

01:19:40
Speaker 3: What kind of weird weird Blake is being wasted in this episode in some degree because just.

01:19:46
Speaker 2: That weird little thief. I was like, yes, I want to hear more of that.

01:19:50
Speaker 1: So Herman says, I am sorry for my transgression and the betrayal of your trust. With that said, I return your g Your hair smells terrific, which is a real product?

01:20:00
Speaker 3: Is it really?

01:20:01
Speaker 1: It really is? Yeah? And then Chet leans in and smells the boy's head. You use some didn't je Herman nods, I am shamefaced. Frankie announces, come, Herman, we have other trailers to visit. Chet assures Sean that everything's going to be okay because they still have each other and they've got his secret plans. Sean laughs, don't start with the secret plans. Chet responds, No, all your life, I've been telling you that I had these secret plans that could make us rich. Well, I think it's time I let you in on it. For the rest of my life. I'm gonna be the best father you could have. But I guess till now I've been keeping it a secret. Chet hugs his son and we see Sean's eyes get wide, and Sean tells him, I think your secret's out. Chet turns around and we reveal Verna has been standing in the doorway. She asks, with tears in her eyes, if she can come in. Chet and Sean just stand there, speechless, and I was in tears.

01:20:51
Speaker 3: I was in tears because I hope Chet is as good a father too as other children.

01:20:57
Speaker 1: We don't care as much about them. They're not there about her. This show boys meet World exactly. And then we're in the Matthew's kitchen. Amy is setting up yet another breakfast spread for her family, but she already knows she's defeated. We hear a car horn honk, and Morgan comes running down the stairs. Amy's one step ahead of her, opening the back door for her to run out. Eric and Allen walked down together. Eric's asking his dad if he can close up the stork back door. He said it, I did, I said, I did. The back door. Side door, not a side door, it's a back door. It is definitely a backdoor. Eric and Allen walked down together. Eric's asking his dad if he can close up the store tonight because he scored a date with sweet Cinda. Alan asks, why do you talk like that? Why can't you just say the young lady's name Cindy. Eric clarifies because her name's Cinda. Alan rolls his eyes, kisses Amy goodbye, and the two we ride.

01:21:49
Speaker 2: Now we'll have this entire episode.

01:21:51
Speaker 3: She's like, where as Will I didn't like see this is what I didn't like about this is I didn't like the only person that has any kind of respect, it seems like for Amy after all of this is Corey. I would have loved for Corey to do what he obviously did with all the people at the school, which was to get them to go and pay their respects to So Amy comes down and all of a sudden, all the sitting around they're all sitting around the table waiting for her to come down. Maybe they've made breakfast for her. Something to where Corey went to the family and was like, yeah, we can't be overlooking this person anymore. The way he obviously went to his friends in school and did that and the whole family around the table is to me a better way of doing it.

01:22:34
Speaker 2: I disagree because I feel like that would have been Corey trying to get props for it or to make a scene, whereas this is like he's making a personal choice to like respect the person who has been feeding him or to just like let somebody know, one to one, I appreciate you. And I think that's way more of a personal arc.

01:22:51
Speaker 3: But then why not do the same, Why get all his friends to come at the end to go pay respects to her?

01:22:55
Speaker 2: That's just because that yeah, I agree, Like, but he already went to the funeral home. He already did the personal thing there, right, you know, recognizing his mom and her effort here is to ye.

01:23:07
Speaker 3: I would have preferred it was if the whole family came together and realized because it still makes Eric look like it still makes.

01:23:14
Speaker 2: Alan, to be honest, I just think it's just the way none of them, everybody the fourth or.

01:23:21
Speaker 3: Fifth time now, none of them have noticed a huge table full of food and Amy just resigned with her head down opening the door. Not a single person in the family notices that one not that.

01:23:33
Speaker 1: I just think they don't necessarily know that everyone is leaving. Eric's usually the first person out the door, so he doesn't know necessarily that Alan doesn't stay and eat something that Corey doesn't stay and eat something that Morgan doesn't stay and eat something.

01:23:44
Speaker 3: And I think the.

01:23:47
Speaker 2: Countertops in my house every day all I like, all our obsess over count clean countertops, like I want the kitchen table, all the tables. No one in my family, the two other people in my family ever notice. They never say people walk into our house and they're like, wow, house looks great, writer, And I'm not thank you every single day of my life. And I will do it until the end of time, I guess.

01:24:11
Speaker 3: But it's a totally different thing. Clean house is a different thing than coming down, than walking past a table full of set plates with food covering the entire table every single morning.

01:24:26
Speaker 2: Well, it's a sitcom, so it's cartoony.

01:24:28
Speaker 3: I think it doesn't. That's what I'm saying. You know, I would have liked them to sit and have a meal. That's all I'm saying. That's it. I just I would like to have said because again, I.

01:24:37
Speaker 2: Would have removed Corey's It would have removed the power what Corey is doing because and what I love about band's performance is it's subtle. He just sits down. He's just like Hi, Mom, I'm just gonna eat with you and appreciate you today. It's not a huge thing. Amy's not that upset about it. It's I.

01:24:53
Speaker 3: Would like to have had it bend the whole family. I just I would have.

01:24:56
Speaker 2: You just don't like the way it makes you look.

01:24:59
Speaker 3: That's one of the reasons I don't like the way it makes Eric look. I also don't like the way it makes Alan look. I mean, Morgan is one thing, but we just we just got off of an episode where Alan where Amy made this sacrifice for the family and is like, I'm gonna pick and pick this store, and it's this beautiful thing. And now we're cutting to everybody blowing by her every morning, not giving, not caring at all about this woman. And so I think at the end, them sitting down and taking a moment as a family with Amy is a nice thing. So the fact that Corey's the only one who recognizes it and doesn't pass by the three hundred dollars worth of food she makes every morning is a little was a little much for me, and I would like, Yeah, I would like to have seen them all around the table at the end, and then Amy just kind of like looking around as her entire family is there. I think that would have been nice.

01:25:48
Speaker 1: So Amy sits at the dining table by herself, looking disheartened, surrounded by the fruit plates. Then Corey walks down the stairs, Polo ty Jean's belt and goes straight to the table to eat breakfast. He looks her in the eyes and says, Mom, thanks for making me breakfast. Amy stares at him, shocked until they said cut, which appeared to be a very long time. Y, there was long time I would have My one thing was I would have wanted to I wanted to see the shock go to appreciation and like there was like a she was like this, hold oh, I was like smiled something, Yeahray feel good? Like let's I want to know that you feel good in this moment.

01:26:26
Speaker 3: I mean the calculations in her head of if you notice how many nights again, everybody getting fourteen scrambled eggs?

01:26:34
Speaker 1: How many did I send on the seat?

01:26:35
Speaker 3: Same amount of food on the table.

01:26:37
Speaker 1: And then we're in the tag. We're at the funeral home. Corey, Phoenie, and mister Turner are all at the funeral house together. Phoenie admits to Corey, normally, your little schemes alarm me, but I must say with this one, you've outdone yourself. Turner agrees. I still think you take your mashed potatoes a little too seriously, but nice work. Corey says the woman did have nine hundred children. I just thought they should all get their chance to say goodbye. And then the camera pans to s on to Panga, Frankie and all of Brenda's children, each holding a lunch tray with a flower on it, took place on her casket, and I cried for a third time.

01:27:09
Speaker 2: A very clever idea look at what a what a what a great writing like metaphor whatever. I don't even know. It's not metaphorical. I guess it's just like what a great writing thing like? Did have the tag be lunchline with flowers?

01:27:24
Speaker 1: Very clever, so just beautiful. So I just want to say, I know for me, season four episodes must be very impactful because, and I mean this with absolutely no disrespect, I have barely noticed that mister Turner is not in the episodes. I until I shot him in the tag and I was like, oh gosh, Tony. And so the fact that we we all through season two, Season two and three. It is Sewn and Turner, Shawn and Turner, Shaw and Turner and now just out of it. And I haven't even gone, you know, I really am missing.

01:28:04
Speaker 2: These episodes are so strong, there's so much going on, there's so I mean, everybody, yeah, no, I mean we have just hit our stride as a show.

01:28:12
Speaker 3: So what do you think happened? What do you think happened to make such a difference between the last season in this season, because again I have my problems with this episode, but it's still a solid episode that's essentially four for four, yes, where it's really good everything. Did producers change? Did writers change? Like what happened? Is Kendall still with us in season four?

01:28:39
Speaker 2: Good question?

01:28:39
Speaker 3: Or did he only do two and three?

01:28:41
Speaker 2: He was directing after season four, but I'm not sure if he was still producing. I know that Michael had left seasons two and three to go work on other shows, so he might have recommitted to coming back to our show, and so he might be overseen season four more. We had more money, obviously, that makes I think we were more confident. I think the show had just hit its stride. I think every every you know, I think it's just the time it takes to become a team and to become a confident show like you can. You could see in season two and three, these like forays into oh, let's make it a Sean episode, Let's make it an Eric episode, Let's make it to Panga. We're kind of all and now I feel like we've done a lot of exploring and everybody's pretty So it's like we built the foundation for all these characters, right, and all these different you know, even even Alan, like having the store. Now it's like it just feels like the foundation has been laid. Now we can just do good storytelling.

01:29:35
Speaker 3: I don't know, yah, I just didn't know if there was some kind of change. And by the way, I'm not saying that, Oh God, Kendall left so it got better Kendall. We loved Kendall. It's amazing. I'm just wondering if there was any kind what kind of the changes were, because it's I mean, you look at the first four episodes of season three next to the first four episodes of season four. I mean there's no comparison. I mean, season four is nailing it every week. So I'm just wondering what the differences were The money helped.

01:30:00
Speaker 1: I'm sure, yes, throwing money at us seriously, yeah, And I do just think we've all hit our stride as far as feeling comfortable, and we're all yeah.

01:30:09
Speaker 2: You know, I feel like Danielle and I are acting like we're we have characters, were there. Danielle is a regulars.

01:30:17
Speaker 1: This is the episode of We've hit it. This is peak Danielle, this was this was This is all downhill from here at this point. No, no, this, this probably the rest of the season is all the best it'll ever get.

01:30:30
Speaker 3: Oh okay, so we got some more time before you just start really starting.

01:30:33
Speaker 1: You'll eventually start to see it where it's just wow, turn it off. But this from from this moment on is where it's just gets better.

01:30:43
Speaker 3: Okay, all right, fair enough, So join us.

01:30:45
Speaker 1: For our next episode. Season four, Episode five, Shallow Boy. This is the episode we have been told the most about by fans going into season four. I don't remember one thing about it.

01:30:58
Speaker 2: I can quote. It's like Shallow Boy and Chick Like Me are probably two of the greatest, like just tight, perfectly written episodes, perfect remember everything.

01:31:08
Speaker 1: I don't remember a single thing. I can't wait to watch it because maybe stuff will come back to me, but I don't remember. I don't know anything about what the storyline is. I know nothing. So I'm very excited to see it and thank you all for joining us for this episode of Podmeets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Podmeets World Show. You can send us your emails Podmeets World Show at gmail dot com, and we have.

01:31:26
Speaker 3: Merch where you merched to a picture show.

01:31:31
Speaker 1: Pod Meets Worldshow dot com writer send us out.

01:31:34
Speaker 2: We love you all, pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast producer hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tarasubash, producer, Maddie Moore engineer and Boy meets World Superman Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at Podmets World Show, or email hello us at hodbeat World Show at gmail dot com