TGI – Episode 519 “Eric Hollywood”

00:00:19
Speaker 1: I had a very strange memory out of nowhere. I don't know what inspired this, but it's something I completely forgot about, and it was worth bringing up on the podcast because we've talked a lot about Angel and VICKI. Oh yeah, you know our personal trainers Slash, who we hung out with then. Right, So I remember I got my first speeding ticket when I was sixteen, and I remember going. I it was on my way back to work from lunch. I was on Sunset Boulevard and I think I was going like fifty or fifty five and like a thirty five it was. It was bad, right, okay, And I got the ticket, and you know, I was such a rule follower, like I was such a you know, and I was just a bad driver. It just literally probably wasn't even thinking. I still don't, as we talked about on this podcast, just drive anyway. So I got pulled over, I got the ticket. I showed up back at work and I was just you know, shaking. I just felt so bad. Yeah, And I remember like David Combs and everyone being like, yeah, you made me feel bad too, and I was just like it just felt awful, you know. And then I was hanging out with Angel and VICKI either later that day or maybe another day in the week, and I was like very much like just like so shameful, like oh, I got my first speeding ticket. And the two of them laughed and and Angel patted me on the back and he said, ah, the hardest ones, the the first one is the hardest one to get. And they just like they were like, don't worry about it, and it was it's one of those memories. I remember being like, Oh, there are grown ups who aren't going to like super mad at me and like make me feel horrible. And I was thinking about it as just this moment of like, right, that's the space they occupied, right, It's like they were grown up who I respected and I knew did grown up things, but they were also kind of like friends who could make me feel better about it, and they were like, you know, and I remember Angel being like, I've had like four speeding tickets. It sucks, you know, but I've.

00:02:25
Speaker 2: Been arrested a whole bunch of times. It's just the time.

00:02:29
Speaker 1: And that's why this memory is tricky, because it's like, on one hand, it's a positive memory in then that like I kind of needed that like I kind of needed to be told. On the other hand, there's this responsibility question of like, well, I shouldn't have been speeding. I shouldn't you know, getting the speed Yeah, he is kind of a big deal. I should take it somewhat seriously. And so I just thought it was like such a weird example of like how those kinds of people entered our lives and like the space that they occupied socially, which is like I always think of it as like a super positive, supportive thing that I was so glad that these like grown up friends I had made me feel better. But in retrospect, I'm also like, maybe maybe they shouldn't have.

00:03:11
Speaker 3: Right, No, how many have you gotten?

00:03:13
Speaker 4: Since?

00:03:14
Speaker 1: Not many? I mean I got well, no, this last summer, I got what three? I actually officially only got one, but I got pulled over three times last summer. But you know, I was also driving for.

00:03:26
Speaker 5: Six your life right driving?

00:03:28
Speaker 1: But yeah, and as I talked about at our live show, one was definitely a speed trap where you cross the state line and the speed limit drops twenty miles per hour. Just yeah, you go from like in whatever. Yeah, but yes, no, I mean like that, and then I got speeding tickets. But before this summer, I had not gotten a speeding ticket since I was eighteen, so you know class tickets the age between sixteen and eighteen, I got two speeding two or three speeding tickets. Three? Right, I had to go to traffic school.

00:03:56
Speaker 5: Did you really fun?

00:03:57
Speaker 4: Oh?

00:03:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, because you have to get you know, you get too many points.

00:04:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:04:00
Speaker 2: Before before you could do traffic school online, we used to have to go in the traffic school classes.

00:04:07
Speaker 4: The best thing is being late for traffic school, so having to speed there. Yes, that's that's like I was.

00:04:16
Speaker 1: Understand, had a few drinks. No, no, no, yeah.

00:04:23
Speaker 2: I think it's funny because I I am much more of a rule follower now than I think I was as a kid. It is funny to think about the difference between you and I as kids. Because for sure, the minute I got a speeding ticket, I was like.

00:04:40
Speaker 3: Oh my, can you believe this? What's the big deal?

00:04:44
Speaker 2: There was nobody even on the road. For sure, it was it was I can't believe we do this. It's so stupid. It wasn'tbody was even on the road. They were sitting there just clocking people.

00:04:56
Speaker 3: As we went by.

00:04:57
Speaker 2: And meanwhile, you were like, I felt so bad. I was with shame, and meanwhile I was indignant.

00:05:05
Speaker 4: I was kind of in the well, I mind so much worse because I didn't get my first ticket till I was in my thirties, And the first thing I thought about was.

00:05:13
Speaker 5: God, my parents are going to be so disappointed.

00:05:15
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you.

00:05:18
Speaker 4: Garry read a little angel on your shoulder too that I was like, how am I going to tell my parents?

00:05:22
Speaker 5: And I was like, why would I.

00:05:23
Speaker 4: Even tell I'm in my thirties.

00:05:26
Speaker 5: Well, I'm never going to call my parents and have them round me Like I was like, man, my parents are going to be so disappointed.

00:05:32
Speaker 1: Like what are you thinking of?

00:05:33
Speaker 3: What?

00:05:33
Speaker 1: What?

00:05:35
Speaker 4: I Also this also made me realize how like police officers must spend their day and how they must get grief over and over and over again, because I got pulled over as on Laurel Canyon and I get pulled over and the guy was on a motorcycle and he came up to me and he's.

00:05:48
Speaker 5: Like, do you realize how long I was chasing you? And I was like what. He's like, I was on you for like more than a mile. I was like, I'm so sorry. I swear to God I didn't see you.

00:05:57
Speaker 4: I had my music on, like, and he's like, no, no, no, but I I can't not.

00:06:00
Speaker 5: Give you the ticket.

00:06:01
Speaker 4: I already started writing. I was like, I totally understand. That is my penance for not, you know, being responsible. I totally get it, but I'm so sorry. He hands me the ticket.

00:06:11
Speaker 5: He looks at me. He's like, so, uh, what do you.

00:06:13
Speaker 6: It up too lately?

00:06:14
Speaker 5: Like just working and everything. He's like, all right, well you have a great day.

00:06:18
Speaker 4: And I watch him in my rearview mirror as he gets on his bike, tips the bike up and then puts the bike back down, gets back off his bike and starts walking towards me again.

00:06:27
Speaker 3: And I'm like, oh no, man, I'm getting arrested.

00:06:29
Speaker 5: And so he comes up.

00:06:30
Speaker 4: He's like, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for how polite you were to me. He's like, it's just we deal with so many people all day long, like Danielle Fischel, who are indignant. He is like, I just want to end It's if I could take the ticket back.

00:06:45
Speaker 5: I's like no, I totally says, I just want you to know I really appreciate it. I was like he came back to think me. He gave me a ticket, then came back to thank me.

00:06:53
Speaker 3: Have I told you our family's horrible story like that?

00:06:56
Speaker 5: Oh? No, please do.

00:06:59
Speaker 2: So when I was a kid, really young, before we moved to Calabasas and I started on Boy Meets World.

00:07:03
Speaker 3: So, but my brother was alive.

00:07:04
Speaker 2: We're four years apart, so I think I was like eight, My brother was four, and we were in the backseat of my mom's car and we were on our way to school and we were running late, and my mom was speeding and she got pulled over, and the police officer walks up talk stories like, I do you know I pulled you over? And she's like, I was probably speeding. I'm taking my kids to school. We're running late. I'm sorry, it's my fault. I needed to leave earlier. And he was like, oh, you know, it's okay. And he's also on a motorcycle and he walks away and he starts writing the ticket and he comes back and he's like, man, I feel really bad giving this to you, but I had already started writing the ticket. And once I start writing it, it's in my book, and so I can't I can't do anything about it. Because it's you know, this book gets checked by other people. My mom's like, it's okay, I deserve it. And my mom was worried about my dad. You know, Oh gosh, it's going to be expensive. My mom gets ticket, goes about her day. She comes home that night and there was a message on the answering machine from the police officer. Hey, Jennifer, this is Officer so and so. I pulled you over this morning. You were speeding. I just wanted to let you know I ripped up my end of the ticket. Go ahead and rip up yours. All day it was weighing on me. I felt bad. You were just a mom trying to get your kids to school. I just want you to know I've ripped it up on my end. Go ahead and rip it up on your end. Hope you have a great day, and we're like.

00:08:35
Speaker 3: Anyway. One week later, that officer was killed in a car accident.

00:08:41
Speaker 1: Oh, come on, this story was you know, I honestly thought he was going to hit on her or something. Oh.

00:08:48
Speaker 5: I thought she was going to rip up the ticket in trouble for it.

00:08:52
Speaker 2: In the paper a week later, and she was like that because she remembered his name, because he had left his name on the machine, so like she had his voice in her head saying his name, this is Officer so and so and so when she.

00:09:06
Speaker 3: Read it in the paper, devastated.

00:09:08
Speaker 5: Oh that's anyway, terrible.

00:09:12
Speaker 1: Morning everyone.

00:09:14
Speaker 3: When you come to us, you only get the most uplifting so depressing anyway, writer speeds and welcome.

00:09:26
Speaker 5: We got we all got pulled over together once. That's something that ended well.

00:09:29
Speaker 3: That that ended, that ended well. Nobody died.

00:09:32
Speaker 5: Yeah, god, oh, welcome to the show.

00:09:37
Speaker 3: I'm Dan Yell official, I'm right strong.

00:09:39
Speaker 5: And I'm Wilford Dell.

00:09:43
Speaker 2: We have a real fun episode for you today, Season five, episode nineteen.

00:09:48
Speaker 3: Eric Hollywood.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: Apparently after the Scream episode, we entered Metawaland and there is just no turning back.

00:09:56
Speaker 1: Ye No, just had so much fun, Like, oh yeah, they had so much fun with a scream episode, you know, and then we went right back to drama and the serialized story and then it was like, I mean heavy drama too, but it was a drinking episode and like very special. And then they were like another that, let's go back to the fun we had with the Halloween up or the Scream episode, and we just went nuts again. Yes, which is fine. It just feels it really does not feel of a piece, you know, like the way the fourth season was so unified. This last fifth season, I cannot wrap my head around.

00:10:29
Speaker 5: I know they said it was a little willy nilly.

00:10:31
Speaker 4: We've had some writers on there are like, hey, we didn't arc out the entire season, but there had to have gone a couple episodes ahead. You've got somebody somewhere had to have gone scream Sean drinking Eric Hollywood.

00:10:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, it works, I know.

00:10:44
Speaker 2: I mean I wonder I wonder how much of it is because I deal with that on this on shows I direct, now how much of it is? Air order is different than production order, Like you can you can be in production and you're doing the script. Whatever script is done or most ready to be shot is what you're working on. But then later when you're actually planning, in what order do we want to air these? So I wonder how much of it was just kind of.

00:11:08
Speaker 7: Like accidental bananas.

00:11:11
Speaker 3: I don't know.

00:11:12
Speaker 2: It originally aired March twentieth, nineteen ninety eight. The synopsis, A network executive discovers Eric in a school play and brings him to Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sean and Jack get the chicken box and what Banka takes care of them.

00:11:26
Speaker 1: Did you remember this, Danielle?

00:11:27
Speaker 3: Did you remember that? Not at all?

00:11:31
Speaker 1: I couldn't believe that I didn't remember the chicken pox stuff. When the dialogue at the end, I was like, oh, yeah, I do remember saying some of this, but like, I don't remember makeup on my body or playing that were sick or any of that me neither.

00:11:43
Speaker 2: I only remembered the Eric Hollywood stuff. The you know, I remember that.

00:11:48
Speaker 1: I did not remember seeing Eric. I knew nothing about the Shakespeare. Where are we? What is going on? I never saw any of this. I felt like, you guys must have done it. I don't know day when we weren't there.

00:12:00
Speaker 4: I just also didn't remember that we did. There was like a Sean to Panga jack Bee story, but then you also all played meta versions to yourself. I thought it was Eric had a storyline and then everyone played meta versions of theirself. I didn't realize there was also a regular boy meets World story going on during.

00:12:21
Speaker 5: The middle of all this.

00:12:22
Speaker 1: I know it was a Ben's final week, That's what I assumed. I don't know I actually was.

00:12:28
Speaker 4: I don't think so because I actually I think this was more like I wasn't in the last episode. Remember I wasn't in the drinking episode. So I think it was like, we're gonna give you. Know you're not in this one, so we're gonna give this one's gonna be about you.

00:12:40
Speaker 1: I thought this must have been a fine I think I think a bigger role.

00:12:44
Speaker 5: I mean again, he pre taped everything.

00:12:47
Speaker 1: No, I think we probably pre taped all the Eric Holleywood, all the Eric Hollywood stuff, which is all he's in. Like that, the fact that he's not in the B story at all. He was literally his voice at the door and see the elevator, so he didn't have to be there for.

00:13:00
Speaker 5: But the tag was definitely in front of the audience. I remember that. So Ben was there on tap night. Yea percent. So Ben was there on tape night.

00:13:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, it comes up in my notes when we see him in the elevator.

00:13:13
Speaker 7: Is Ben having finals?

00:13:14
Speaker 5: I don't know, Maybe I don't.

00:13:17
Speaker 3: Yeah. It was directed by Alan Myerson. It was written by Barbie Feldman. This is her second episode.

00:13:23
Speaker 2: Uh do you guys, will do you remember did you get pitched this episode? I know you mentioned that the last week you weren't in the script. Do you remember them saying like, We've got a big episode for you coming up.

00:13:36
Speaker 1: No.

00:13:36
Speaker 4: What I remember most about this, and we'll get into is the awfulness that was the table read.

00:13:42
Speaker 5: Oh what, oh man, oh man, Yeah it was yeah.

00:13:46
Speaker 2: Oh, I can't wait to hear Do we think did we remember that it was fun or funny to play parodies of ourselves? I remember thinking it was very fun.

00:13:57
Speaker 5: Yeah. No, Actually, shooting it was was fun.

00:13:59
Speaker 4: I mean most I hated some of this with a passion of a thousand burning signs, but that was me, my own performance. Anything Shakespeare I could, I like watch through my fingers.

00:14:07
Speaker 3: It was horrifying.

00:14:08
Speaker 5: Wow, but the I'm not a Shakespearean actor. That's a real discipline.

00:14:13
Speaker 4: And to just throw that at somebody without them knowing about it is a thing. Oh.

00:14:20
Speaker 1: I understand that you had, like, you know, fear, but.

00:14:23
Speaker 4: Oh no, it was more than I mean to the point where again at the table read.

00:14:27
Speaker 5: We'll get into the story now, I.

00:14:28
Speaker 7: Guess we sat down for the table read, and.

00:14:31
Speaker 4: I came it was the first Shakespearean soliloquy I'm supposed to do. And I get three lines into it, and Michael for the entire room to hear, goes, are you kidding me?

00:14:41
Speaker 5: Because it was so bad?

00:14:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, because it was so bad, and so the whole room laughed and I looked at him. I was like, I got this last night. I'm nineteen and I don't do Shakespeare. What do you want from me?

00:14:53
Speaker 5: And so it was really off. It was bad. It was bad.

00:14:57
Speaker 1: You know that he planned that, like you know that he was like, I'm gonna call him out.

00:15:02
Speaker 5: I don't know, but it was best.

00:15:03
Speaker 1: Dude, No, that's that's so lame.

00:15:06
Speaker 5: But then that's just what I remember.

00:15:08
Speaker 4: This is where this is one of the weeks where I was really bonded again with Alan Myerson because Alan and I worked before after during I mean, he and I had conversation after conversation just us on the stage.

00:15:23
Speaker 5: Just Shakespeare stuff.

00:15:25
Speaker 4: It was He was so helpful to me, and I know we've had problems but with some of his directing on the episode, but this week especially really cinched for me, Like because I went to him, I was like, I don't know to shake, I don't know what the hell I'm doing, and he's like, we're going to work on it. We're going to get there and he just really worked with me. All that really that that pissses me off. He's like, what my you know, coming into this morning, I was trying to organize my you know, because I figured Danielle would ask.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: She didn't what our overall thoughts. But yet I, you know, like.

00:16:00
Speaker 3: I'll take the blame. I'm so sorry, writer, I really and I.

00:16:04
Speaker 1: Always go first, you.

00:16:05
Speaker 3: Know, sorry matter what were your overall thoughts?

00:16:09
Speaker 1: Thank you, Danielle. My overall thoughts were no. I I like had this weird reaction last night where like I stopped the episode and then I like got strangely emotional, Like I started like tearing up because I was just so impressed with Will's acting. I was like this this guy, Like I mean I've been saying.

00:16:30
Speaker 3: Wow, oh he's emotional.

00:16:33
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you know, I've always known that Will is great, but like it was so good and it wasn't the Shakespeare stuff, which was also great and like no reason to be insecure about that. It was the control of tone, scene by scene, moment to moment, you could you can do anything, and like the ability that you you controlled when we were real, when we were over the top, when you were Eric, when you were Eric as a good actor. When you were Eric as a bad actor, it was like, from line to line, you were controlling what reality the show was in. And I was like, this guy was like so far beyond. I mean, it's like and you talk about, you know, someone like Michael J. Foxby and your hero, and I'm like, well, you could do anything. You mastered what he did. You also went farther and could do like crazy, goofy stuff, which is what I think most people remember you for. But this episode showcases your ability to do whatever is asked of you and like to nail it and then carry an entire half hour of it. I was just like, man, I hope Will knows like that this is I don't know another nineteen year old in the history of like anything I've ever seen that could do all of that and just carry it. And I was like, man, I just like I got emotional. I was sitting there going like, this guy is so freaking talented, and I don't I feel like the world is. I guess I was sad because it felt like I had some regret that I didn't recognize it at the time, and I don't feel like a lot of people recognize it. At this time. And that's why it pisses me off that Michael called you out about Shakespeare at the table where, because it's like, screw you, Like, yeah, he hasn't done it before, but the whole point is he's gonna figure it out because he's that freaking good. And Michael should have been supportive of that, like instead of humiliating you and making a big show out of like I know how shakespeare actors are supposed to be and you're not doing It's like, help him, like, if you want it to be more classical, trained Shakespearean, teach him how to do that, which, of course you did. You figured it out because you're a genius, and it's like that pisses me off. But anyway, there's no reason to be insecure. You should never have been insecure about your acting ever, because you were so leagues beyond I mean, most everybody that I've ever seen, and like, this episode is like just a masterclass. And I don't really like the episode for a lot of other reasons, but I was just like, holy crap, did I not? Because I think I in my mind, I was like, well, Will's the funny, great comedian, but you're like a genuinely brilliant act.

00:19:01
Speaker 5: Well, thank you, it's very sweet. It was a rough week, Danielle. Why do you think I'm awesome?

00:19:07
Speaker 3: Well, I agree.

00:19:09
Speaker 2: I cannot follow that up, but I do agree with every single word he said. I actually really did enjoy the episode. But the only reason I enjoyed it is because of you. I know for a fact it. Had you not been as spectacular as you were in every single scene, every single beat, I would have thought this episode sucks. But you were so good despite all my like well what is this and what's happening and why is this going on?

00:19:38
Speaker 3: And this is all odd. I didn't even care about any of that.

00:19:43
Speaker 2: I just enjoyed it because you commanded the room in every and.

00:19:47
Speaker 1: It is the story. His shifts from tone from moment to moment is the guiding story, because otherwise it's so bonkers. You have no idea what's happening, but you know where you are, and you know to feel about where you are based on Will's performance alone, not the lines, it's the way that they are delivered and the way he is controlling what the how to react to the people around him. It's genius. And it's like that is to ask that of a nineteen year old is insane, but they they they could do it because you're just that good and like that. That's my big takeaway. I was like, oh my god, this.

00:20:22
Speaker 5: Is very sweet.

00:20:23
Speaker 4: This was a rough week for me. I just remember all around it being a rough.

00:20:27
Speaker 5: Week for me, the shakes. He was probably at the table read.

00:20:30
Speaker 1: No, it was work, but you did it. You did the work. You nailed it and you should never have felt bad about it in the process because it's just hard. It's just a lot to do. They were asking so much of you.

00:20:41
Speaker 5: I mean, I loved I loved watching you guys.

00:20:45
Speaker 4: I know that sounds ridiculous, but I loved watching you guys because it was Ben and.

00:20:51
Speaker 5: The two of you. I thought nailed it this week, just.

00:20:54
Speaker 1: Playing the alternate versions of ourselves.

00:20:56
Speaker 5: But not just the versions of yourself. Because then even because they then.

00:21:01
Speaker 4: Shoehorned in which never should have been, there a important story and storyline of our Sean and Tapanga friends if Corey's not involved, which is not something that should have been thrown away, which is not something that ever should have been made a joke, because that is a super important story. Whether you're dating in you're twelve, or you're dating when you're thirty two and you get divorced. Who gets the friends? Are we friends together? Do we have a relationship without this lynchpin between us? I mean that's actually a hugely important storyline, especially when it comes to Corey, Sean, Tapanga Yea. And to kind of throw that in and make it almost a fever dream within a fever dream was kind of like, well, wow, you just you literally just took what could have been a.

00:21:45
Speaker 5: Powerful a story and threw it away.

00:21:48
Speaker 4: Because a entire if you want to do a Ben a Ben has Finals week, that would have been amazing. It's you do an entire episode of Sean and Tapanga trying to relate to each other minus Corey throughout.

00:22:02
Speaker 1: The day and they're like trying to be friends and it's just being awkward and not about to act. It would have been really I would have led to some very funny stuff.

00:22:10
Speaker 5: Oh my god.

00:22:11
Speaker 4: And then because what happens is if you do it the right way, Angela becomes Shank. She gets pushed in the middle of these two people who's friends with both of them, and now they're going to split up.

00:22:22
Speaker 5: Who does Angela go with?

00:22:23
Speaker 4: You know this affects me too, you know, her going like, dude, am my friends with Tapanga?

00:22:27
Speaker 7: Mine?

00:22:28
Speaker 4: Now?

00:22:28
Speaker 1: Is Sean?

00:22:29
Speaker 5: So much could have been done there that I was like, well, why are they throwing this away? Why are you taking this and throwing this away?

00:22:34
Speaker 4: So that it was weird to me that the Beast storyline where it was just because I thought it was such an important story.

00:22:41
Speaker 5: There could have been such an important story.

00:22:43
Speaker 4: And I think actually, there our fans are probably yelling at the at the radio right now.

00:22:47
Speaker 5: I think they cover.

00:22:48
Speaker 4: It a bit in upcoming episodes, if memory serves.

00:22:51
Speaker 1: But I mean, I remember the wedding episode ends up being kind of about Sean and Panga or Sean accepting Topanga and stuff. But I feel like they never, like as much as this episode sort of highlights, I don't think it ever gets that developed. Because I was thinking about Girl Meets World and was like, what, yeah, Like, I don't think we ever even had like moments on Girl Meets World where Sewan and Tapanga.

00:23:12
Speaker 3: It was always just the joke of like yeah, and.

00:23:17
Speaker 1: It's like, right, we never And you know, I think the writers just didn't trust that Danielle and I could carry a story as two characters like together, and that's to me on them like that they didn't develop specifics of the character. Character is enough they're dynamic enough to like find a relationship, because even here it just kind of becomes drama and it just becomes like and let me express to you how much I love you, And I'm like, well, yeah, but what, let's see that love, Let's see it in story, Let's see the friendship. And it still isn't there. It's still just kind of talked about. So I don't know. It's yeah, I agree, yeah it was.

00:23:50
Speaker 5: It was a weird.

00:23:51
Speaker 4: So here's here's my overall take of the episode. I didn't like it strictly for personal reasons. I can completely see how fans would, if that makes sense.

00:24:01
Speaker 5: It is a romp.

00:24:02
Speaker 4: Seeing us break the fourth wall, hearing both you and Ben call me Will at the end is really strange and jarring in a kind of a wonderful way. So I liked the personal memories of us shooting this and having fun. As an episode, it was tough for me to watch because it was a tough week. So and it started literally I was ninety seconds into it when Michael kind of cut my legs out from an interview with that sucks.

00:24:25
Speaker 3: How do you pick up and go from that?

00:24:27
Speaker 4: Alan Myerson though, man, he was a rock star with me this week and I just it was a it was a wonderful whodos to Allan he was he really stepped up this week and it was I owed him a lot for this week.

00:24:37
Speaker 6: It was great.

00:24:50
Speaker 3: Well. Guest starring guys, get ready for this one. We have Robert Clohess.

00:24:56
Speaker 2: He is Matt Frasier, now best known as Sid Gormley on Blue Bloods for the past fourteen years.

00:25:02
Speaker 4: He was also in My brother Greggs movie, My brother Gregshaw independent film, and he was in and I went to the set years ago and he's like, Will still working for ABC.

00:25:10
Speaker 5: Like he was like right back, Ard, such a nice guy.

00:25:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's so funny.

00:25:14
Speaker 2: Well, back in the eighties he was Officer Patrick Flaherty in Hill Street Blues and in the two thousands he was Officer Sean Murphy on OZ. He has been on everything from Roseanne to Boardwalk Empire and in movies like Angels in the Outfield and The Avengers.

00:25:29
Speaker 3: This is a face you definitely recognize.

00:25:32
Speaker 5: Huge actor.

00:25:33
Speaker 3: And then there's.

00:25:33
Speaker 2: Aubrey Morris as Professor Cookmand. The British actor had a career that spanned six decades and was best known as mister Deltoyd Alex's probation officer in a little Stanley Kubrick movie called A Clock Were Orange. Yep, did either of you talk to him about that when he was on set?

00:25:51
Speaker 7: Yes?

00:25:51
Speaker 4: I want to say that I did. He and I because and I didn't know who he was and what he's in, and you don't. You can't google stuff at the time. And I think Alan or one of the writers wanted to producer. Somebody was like using Clockwork Orange, and then I went back and watched Clockwork Orange and I was like, oh my god, this guy's brilliant. He also helped me with the Shakespeare. Was kind of like the two of them talking to me. I mean, obviously being British or he wasn't.

00:26:11
Speaker 5: He was from Pittsburgh. The accent was bulled, but.

00:26:15
Speaker 4: You know, being British he was he had some of the Shakespearean experience.

00:26:19
Speaker 5: So yeah, the two of them were very helpful.

00:26:21
Speaker 2: He was also in My Girl Too, the original Wickerman, and TV shows like Deadwood and A classic The Prisoner. Morris passed in twenty fifteen at the age of eighty nine. And then we have Deborah Kellner as Judy Eric's co star. She had appeared on TV shows like Weird Science and Unhappily ever After, but would later show up in a ton of big movies like Blast from the Past, A Night at the Roxbury, Mighty Joe Young, and Catch Me if you Can.

00:26:45
Speaker 3: And it appears.

00:26:46
Speaker 2: She quit acting in two thousand and two, and in twenty nineteen directed a documentary called Inside My Heart about the difficult plight of refugees. And then we have Matt Kirkwood as era medic. We have Marshall Rad Duziner. I don't know how you say his last name, Rad Designer as writer Dylan. His only other credit was The Wonder.

00:27:09
Speaker 3: Years and Boy Meets World was his last acting gig, so he only worked on Savage Brothers. Probably one of the kids, Yes, I think he's one of the kids.

00:27:20
Speaker 5: Uh So he's got to be the writer's kid then or something. Weren't they all writers and directors kids or someone.

00:27:25
Speaker 2: He must have been related to somebody or a friend of the savages, That's what I guess.

00:27:31
Speaker 1: That's why it was all the writers kids and.

00:27:36
Speaker 5: Because then we have Jeff wasn't it writer, wasn't.

00:27:40
Speaker 3: Yes, we have David Jacobs as David.

00:27:42
Speaker 2: Yes, that's Michael Son. We have Rachel Jacobs as Rachel, also Michael's daughter, a writer who appears to have had some quick exits because she's the one who says I.

00:27:51
Speaker 3: Got fired again. We have Joshua Jacobs as Joshua.

00:27:56
Speaker 4: I think it's amazing though, that all these kids were cast with well By with names that they already had on the is that Weird played.

00:28:06
Speaker 5: David and Rachel played Rachel.

00:28:07
Speaker 4: That's I mean, the coincidence of that, but let alone with like seven of them is well.

00:28:11
Speaker 3: And that they had to audition for it.

00:28:13
Speaker 2: They beat all those kids all exactly incredible, exactly right. There's Dylan McCracken as Dylan, that is Jeff McCracken's son, and Claire McCracken as Claire.

00:28:25
Speaker 3: So yeah, like we said, these kids had to beat out so.

00:28:29
Speaker 5: Many other McCracken is there the clown.

00:28:32
Speaker 1: But so there is one kid who is not their.

00:28:37
Speaker 2: Friend, Red Duzoni or or something who I don't know you say his last name.

00:28:43
Speaker 3: Who he plays.

00:28:45
Speaker 2: Dylan, uh, and he the only other credits he had were boy meets World and wonder yourself.

00:28:50
Speaker 3: That's a friend exactly all right.

00:28:53
Speaker 2: Jumping into our recap, we are on a college campus theater Renaissance music plays as Eric or some backdrop for what looks to be a production of Romeo and Juliet. He begins to brag to a beautiful young co ed cast member, July, who is being fitted for some extravagant wardrobe. Without me, your pretty little legs wouldn't have a balcony to stand on. She asks if it's secure, and Eric boasts that baby's as secure as I am. She gives him a look and Eric nervously asks, you don't think I'm secure. Then we hear a crash and a boy screaming the balcony has completely fallen apart. Judy runs over to see her co star Dylan lying on the floor underneath a collapsed castle. She holds him as he cries out, I have no feeling in my arms or legs. Judy huffs with no remorse, Oh great, now I have no Romeo and drops his head to the ground. Then an old man marches onto the stage. It's the director of the play, Professor Cookman, and he's demanding to know who built the balcony. Eric says, Okay, in retrospect, it might have been foolish of me to consider paste the nail's silent cousin.

00:29:56
Speaker 4: You learn now the balcony is supposed to have collapsed on him, right, he is not supposed to have been on the balcony, because Romeo's not on the balcony.

00:30:07
Speaker 2: I think it's collapsed on him. Okay, yeah, I think he was under it and it fell off.

00:30:12
Speaker 1: So he just just my walking past.

00:30:17
Speaker 5: Yeah, that makes it.

00:30:18
Speaker 1: I just love that Eric doesn't even really feel that bad on me.

00:30:24
Speaker 5: All right, gotcha?

00:30:27
Speaker 2: The director shouts, I have four hundred people coming. Not to mention, mister Jeffreymaneau.

00:30:32
Speaker 1: That's the best.

00:30:34
Speaker 3: Esteemed the esteemed theater critic from the Penny Saver. Huge laugh in my house.

00:30:41
Speaker 2: Hearing jeffreymanel an esteemed theater critic from the Penny Saver kills me.

00:30:48
Speaker 3: So he asks Eric what can solve this problem? And Eric looks him up and down before declaring, you're really old. Why don't you retire? The man is insulted. He runs over to the injured Romeo, now on a stretcher. And asks if he's sure he can't go on. Paramedics then administer a defibrillator, jolting his lifeless body. It jumps in the air, and.

00:31:05
Speaker 1: This is I mean, that's a pretty extreme I mean to go, I'm like a balcony. He might be dead. And I thought, oh, this is actually very smart because it automatically sets the whole show into a rock Yeah. Otherwise, otherwise, if we're supposed to take it seriously like that, Eric can keep You're just the Eric. Because the next couple of scenes are like, wow, we shifted into like this is going to change Eric's life, but we know it's all absurd because we've seen the defibrillator. It's like exactly, you know they talk about the beginning of airplane when you can see the shark thin of the airplane as like an indicator of like, don't take any of this. It's like, I feel like that's our moment right now. It's like, Okay, we know what world we're in.

00:31:47
Speaker 5: It's the next line though, killed me.

00:31:49
Speaker 3: The defeated director asks what about just the machinee what about just the machine?

00:31:56
Speaker 5: It's just so great.

00:31:59
Speaker 2: The paramedics wheel him off without a response. Eric chimes in, okay, okay, I'll just get some tids and take these funny little booties. Here he pulls Dylan's shoes right off of his feet. The director scoffs you, Romeo, tis to laugh. Eric mocks him, tis it? Then he dramatically jumps into a scene from the play, totally nailing it, And we can see the director changing his mind in real time. And so this was the moment and the table read ranches.

00:32:25
Speaker 5: This is the second I opened my mouth, was I just are you kidding me? And that and that was and everybody laughed, and I was like, what do you want from me?

00:32:33
Speaker 4: You know, you hand somebody Shakespeare the night before, and it's like, I'm sorry, I'm not. It's a completely different discipline as an actor. I'm not a Shakespearean trained actor.

00:32:42
Speaker 5: Sorry.

00:32:42
Speaker 2: Well, it's more just like exactly what writer said, you know, to be on the side of I can make a laugh at this person's expense in front of this whole room, versus saying immediately you know, looking at you and going we will help you.

00:32:57
Speaker 3: We will get here. It's going to be amazing.

00:32:58
Speaker 5: We'll figure it out.

00:33:00
Speaker 1: Wanted to take credit for your final performance and this way. He cut your legs out, just like you said, and then he could say, look, we got him. There, I did it. Our team, I got it. And that's like the thing is like you should never have been insecure. I mean I used to feel the same way, like Shakespeare always felt like this big high pressure. Well because because I because we started as kids, you know, and when you start as kid actors, you don't get a chance to experiment with Shakespeare the way that most adult actors by the time they graduate high school and they've been you know, acting in like less pressure, and they get to try out Shakespeare. And what you realize is that it's just a matter of getting comfortable with it. And you know, the way you played this is exactly right. It's not. Yes, there are Shakespeareans out there who would insist that there's a certain intonation, there's a certain that you're supposed to cadence, but I I I think that maybe that's all worth learning. But I also don't think it's necessary, right, Like, there's a very the key is to just oblige the language and to play it at like you would any other scene. Yhich you did perfectly. You look this guy in the eyes, and you play it with such clear intensity, and like what you're doing is you're not worried about how you sound or what you correct look like. You're focused on the person in the scene with you, and you that is great acting. It doesn't matter what's coming out of your mouth. You deliver the Shakespearean dialogue. But you're you're so focused and clear on your objective that we believe you. I believe you in this moment, I'm like, oh my god, Eric is suddenly like intensely in love with the person he's talking to, which is all that you need to do here. But you were intimidated because you hadn't had the experience of like if you did it, if you if we all did it. I mean I haven't, so I still am kind of intimidated the same way. Yeah, but it's like that you get over that as an actor. That's just the way. But we never had that opportunity because when you're a kid actor, you just do you know, dialogue, Yeah, exactly.

00:34:48
Speaker 2: Once Eric's emotional soliloquy ends, the professor compliments him that was exquisite. Eric snaps back into reality and shrugs, Yeah, well, I've been building that balcony since the first rehearsal. So I can do the whole play. I can do Lady capula It, I can do Friar Lawrence. I can do Cartman.

00:35:05
Speaker 5: Another sign for another another South Park.

00:35:08
Speaker 3: Reference, rattles off a snippet of his cartment impression. I'm not fat in festively plump.

00:35:19
Speaker 1: So think about what we've just done in like thirty seconds. In thirty seconds of dialogue, Will has taken us through a spectrum of performance that is mind boggling yes, and carried the audience and made us believe every single one of these steps. He's gone Shakespeare Eric sitcom character then, and he continues to do this throughout the rest of the episode.

00:35:41
Speaker 2: I know it doesn't just stop in this opening. I know it's incredible. The man nods and asks him to please go put on his tights. Eric agrees, but he wants to clarify I did get the part right. The man just stares at him blankly, and Eric runs off.

00:35:55
Speaker 1: I love that is like, you're gonna go put the tights on either way, because what does that mean that moons you are putting the tights on?

00:36:02
Speaker 5: You can do the part an right after the type? What is the question. What would we go from? There is the question we're asking. Yeah, right, I love it.

00:36:10
Speaker 2: Then we cut to Romeo and Juliet, now on stage, up and running. Jack, who is apparently playing Tibbalt, walks across the stage with a few other actors. When Eric aka Romeo and Russia onto the stage.

00:36:22
Speaker 1: What is this a college play?

00:36:24
Speaker 7: It looked like a college play.

00:36:26
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, He pushes Jack forcefully and asks mercutio slain. The boys begin to circle each other, displaying their contempt for one another. Then Jack whips out his sword and Eric follows. Shortly after they engage in a sword fight.

00:36:42
Speaker 3: Do you remember rehearsing this way?

00:36:44
Speaker 5: I do, Yeah, I remember Matt having fun, and justin I felt like.

00:36:47
Speaker 2: I would have loved you guys circling each other to be a little slower. Yeah, I just I felt like you were on camp. The way it was set up. I was really impressed with the blocking, Like the way it was set up, how it was perfect that you as you were turning.

00:37:00
Speaker 3: Almost your entire line was on camera, And had we been a little slower, it would have been the whole thing.

00:37:08
Speaker 2: But but still, for all the times we've said, what's up with this weird blocking.

00:37:14
Speaker 3: I really enjoyed this blocking.

00:37:16
Speaker 1: And this whole set is really complicated because you also have behind the scenes, you know, when they're on stage and after the curtain falls, so you're shooting from two sides. So very tough, and Alan did a great job of man, really good job. It would have been a disaster if I saw that script as a director, I would have been like, how having conversations on stage at the audiences and hearing they're talking of just so many levels. One.

00:37:39
Speaker 4: I was thinking about this as I was watching the episode. You know, one of the reasons why I think he nailed this direction is because this hearkens back to the show that he won Emmys for, The Larry Sanders Show.

00:37:49
Speaker 5: Behind right, it was part.

00:37:51
Speaker 4: Of the show, and then behind the scenes of the show, and then the life it was. It felt like that to me. It felt like a Larry Sanders episode which he was great. So you saw it, you really saw it in this episode.

00:38:02
Speaker 3: Yes, So Eric leans in close to his roommate and exclaims in a funny whisper voice.

00:38:07
Speaker 2: Prepared to die Jedi Master. And now after the play the cast is receiving their ovation. The director loudly applauds his Romeo and snatches a bouquet of flowers out of Judy's hands for Eric. The Professor beams, I haven't seen such raw talent since I had directed Meryl Streep in the nineteen seventy seven Senior Class production of The Meryl Streep.

00:38:29
Speaker 5: He's got her own show.

00:38:32
Speaker 7: Unbelievable.

00:38:33
Speaker 3: It cracks me up. Judy agrees and calls Eric amazing.

00:38:37
Speaker 2: Eric snaps back, you didn't like me at all before I became Romeo, did you. He grabs her hand and brings her to the front of the stage for more adulation. He says, through gritted teeth, but now all these people are applauding for me, and that impresses you. You know, there's a name for people like you. Judy responds back, really what, Eric swavely responds, missus?

00:38:57
Speaker 7: Eric his bow?

00:39:01
Speaker 1: If you the way that you deliver the joke and then the most like shikespearean bow I've ever seen. It's just genius, And that's like just you, that's just you adding an extra like layer to a bout.

00:39:18
Speaker 4: Yes, so Sue and I So Sue's favorite thing I've been doing since we started dating is occasional should look at me, should be like, I didn't have the best day.

00:39:27
Speaker 5: Can you thank the audience for me?

00:39:29
Speaker 4: And so it's the straight up actor like run out after show, you're out of yet and you're like you do this.

00:39:37
Speaker 5: And you're like you're like thanking everyone around you, and then you do so occasional should look at me. She'd be like, can you just thank the audience for me?

00:39:46
Speaker 1: And I'll leave.

00:39:47
Speaker 4: I'll leave the room and come back.

00:39:52
Speaker 5: I come back and then you walk out. So there was there were moments of that in this just.

00:40:00
Speaker 3: Talks me up. Then we're in the Matthew's kitchen.

00:40:03
Speaker 2: Eric bursts in while Amy, Allan and Morgan are gathered at the kitchen table.

00:40:07
Speaker 3: He proudly tells his family, I have finally found my niece famous line alert.

00:40:14
Speaker 1: I never knew where this came from. I honestly thought we created that.

00:40:18
Speaker 3: In Girl World. I know, I didn't remember it either.

00:40:21
Speaker 4: Oh no, I knew it was from Boy Me throw because because there's it comes back with Feenie later with That's a place with Squirrel's thing where he says right on girl though on boy, it starts on boy says, and that's where I behind him, like pretending he's drinking.

00:40:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so Alan corrects him, you mean niche. Eric pauses and then admits probably. Alan shakes his head, unbelievable. Amy looks at the newspaper and awe, these reviews are incredible. Eric warnser if you're gonna pay attention to the good reviews, you gotta look at the bad ones. Morgan points out there are no bad ones. Eric grabs her and giddily yell's I know. Amy reads some reviews out loud. Matthews is king Lee your rules. Matthew's performance would tame any shrew. So wait, you're also doing King Lear.

00:41:05
Speaker 1: He's done three different shows exactly. Yeah, come on, master Thesbian.

00:41:11
Speaker 2: She looks at her son and pleads, promise me, you won't let these things go to your head. Eric is surprised by this. He scoffs never. Then Amy looks through the newspaper and excitedly points out that Bloomingdale's is having a white sale. Eric furiously grabs the paper and crumples it up.

00:41:25
Speaker 3: That's not about me.

00:41:27
Speaker 5: I think I surprised that with that, because you can see it looks.

00:41:30
Speaker 4: Like like like laugh.

00:41:34
Speaker 1: She's just staring at you, and even.

00:41:36
Speaker 5: Betsy looks like she's about to lose it a little bit, so I think I.

00:41:40
Speaker 3: Then we're in the guy's apartment.

00:41:41
Speaker 2: Sean's putting on his black leather jacket and yells out to Jack, come on, Corey's gonna be here in the doorbell buzzes like now and you jump over the rolls.

00:41:51
Speaker 3: Cat. But where a baby?

00:41:57
Speaker 4: But from that set, that wasn't a small leap, decent size drop.

00:42:01
Speaker 2: No, listen, he was so upset by not being able to roller blade, he was like, watch me do it.

00:42:06
Speaker 5: As the character finding stuff to do.

00:42:12
Speaker 3: He opens the door and is stunned to see Tapanga.

00:42:14
Speaker 2: She confesses there's something I want to talk to you about and makes her way into the apartment. Sean breaks the news we were just on our way out, but to Pega in or Jack's I just want to make sure you and I are okay. I know since Corey and I broke up, things have been kind of weird between us. I care about being your friend. Just then Jack walks down the stairs and to Panga yells in terror, what happened to your face? Jack's taken aback. Apparently she doesn't care about being my friend. Sean tells Tapanga, they're on their way to the basketball game, so now is not the best time to make that comment. Tapega shakes her head. No, you're not going anywhere. These look like chicken pox, do they itch? Jack, who we now see has read dots on his face, winces as he stares at himself through the reflection of dishware. He admits the ones on his face don't itch, but the ones on his arms are a little irritating.

00:42:59
Speaker 1: You don't remember this at all.

00:43:00
Speaker 5: You don't remember getting the makeup. You don't remember any of this.

00:43:03
Speaker 1: But you know it makes sense. We wouldn't remember the makeup because that would just be on the tape day, right. We have been just rehearsing regularly.

00:43:09
Speaker 4: But I would figure you, with how much you don't like taking your shirt off on camera and stuff like that, would remember like having to hold up your stomach and get the I was shocked.

00:43:16
Speaker 1: I was like, what is God? I don't remember this all?

00:43:18
Speaker 4: Wow. And then Danielle, my other question was are you and Matt dating?

00:43:22
Speaker 5: At this point? That's what I found. Huh, you can see it, see it a little bit.

00:43:27
Speaker 3: I saw it. You guys not know. I see it even on the show.

00:43:33
Speaker 5: I could kind of see it.

00:43:34
Speaker 4: I was watching with Sue and I was like, I think they're dating at this point.

00:43:38
Speaker 5: Yeah they are.

00:43:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, we were definitely dating.

00:43:42
Speaker 7: Okay.

00:43:43
Speaker 6: Uh.

00:43:44
Speaker 2: He reveals even scarier marks on his body to Beannga gets serious. If Jack doesn't take care of these chicken pox now, he could get really sick.

00:43:51
Speaker 3: Jack is terrified. I don't want to die.

00:43:54
Speaker 2: Sean assures him that no one's dying and they're going to the game. Then the doorbell buzz is. It's finally Corey. Tonga darts to the door. No, Corey, don't come in here. She latches the extra lock so we can't enter. Corey's confused and pushes the door open. What's the panga doing there? Tapega slams the door shut again, and Sean yells she's trying to keep us from going to see the Sixers. To Penga shouts to her ex boyfriend, they have chicken pox. Run away or you could catch them. Sean moves her aside and unlatches the lock. Corey's not going to listen to her. He opens the door and we see the elevator doors closing.

00:44:25
Speaker 1: Corey is there ever an explanation that, like why to Panga's not worried about getting it herself.

00:44:30
Speaker 2: Because I mentioned I already had it, Yeah, you did, I say, when I had it.

00:44:34
Speaker 1: But then Corey's never had it.

00:44:35
Speaker 2: I guess not. I guess none of you have ever had it. And to Pega knows that because I thought the same thing. I was, like, would know whether or not Corey, I'm sure, so.

00:44:47
Speaker 7: Go away, Yeah exactly.

00:44:49
Speaker 4: Both my brothers got got chicken pox multiple times. By the way, My oldest brother had chicken pox three times as a kid. What Yeah, and then my middle brother had it twice.

00:44:57
Speaker 5: Yep. Not weird.

00:44:59
Speaker 1: It is weird. What's really weird is that nobody gets it anymore. It's because your vaccination, right, I know, like as a kid, you just had to get it, Like I remember, it was like you have to were encouraged around. Yes exactly, yeah, and I remember it was being awful. My brother and I have it and it's just been oh.

00:45:15
Speaker 5: Yeah, week.

00:45:16
Speaker 3: God, I remember it too.

00:45:17
Speaker 5: I don't remember it at all. I know I had it, but I don't remember it at all.

00:45:21
Speaker 3: I want to go back to ride or going. It's so crazy that nobody gets it now and will going because there's a vaccine.

00:45:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, but shingles is more is more prominent now though.

00:45:33
Speaker 6: Isn't it.

00:45:34
Speaker 1: She is just like a grown up version of chicken.

00:45:37
Speaker 4: Yeah. If you had chicken pox, right then you have the shingle.

00:45:40
Speaker 3: That viral thing is lying dormant in your body.

00:45:44
Speaker 4: By the way, shingles, it's just as shingles like piles.

00:45:48
Speaker 2: It's too close to pringles. Pringles are delicious. Let's not ruin them.

00:45:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, sound like it should be a positive thing, like, oh, it's the Christmas season, time for shingles. It's all needs some should shingles.

00:46:03
Speaker 5: It's delighteful.

00:46:07
Speaker 2: He turns to Tobanga in shock. I can't believe how whipped that boy is. Then he asks, what do you mean they have chicken pox.

00:46:14
Speaker 3: Jack, feverishly itching his spots, blurts out from the other side of the room. I don't want to die.

00:46:21
Speaker 2: To Bega insists they won't die because she is going to stay there and take care of them. She tells Sean, Jack has full blown chicken pox and you have half blown chicken pox. Sean can't contain his laughter. That is so ridiculous. If I have chicken pox, Where are my dots? To Benga lifts his shirt and reveals red dots all over his stomach. She sarcastically asks, should I connect them for you? Jack, who continues to itch, groans, oh man, you're dying worse than I am. Sean blows them both off. I feel fine, so I have dots. She explains that he only feels fine now because it hasn't hit him yet. When she got sick, she had dots a fever, and she couldn't stand on her own two feet. Sean sarcastically wonders, at any point doing the sickness, did you ever get quiet?

00:47:04
Speaker 4: To?

00:47:04
Speaker 2: Panga excuses the attitude because she knows he's sick. Sean fights back, I am not sick. I have never felt better. He takes a few steps and gets wobbly. Or perhaps I have here just a Panga to put her arms out, and then he collapses onto her, forcing them both to land onto the couch.

00:47:22
Speaker 4: Mister, great joke there they did not you, which is it's been done a thousand times. But because it's been done a thousand times, that's what's so good? Is you going put.

00:47:30
Speaker 5: Your arms out? You need to catch me and then you fall forward forward.

00:47:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, it works everything, and then we're back in the theater. Another performance has ended, and Eric jogs out from backstage.

00:47:55
Speaker 4: This is the entrance to thanking the audiences. That the jump the fake jumped to then running to the end of the stage. That's our Suan is like, you're thanking the audiences, like I know.

00:48:07
Speaker 3: They give him a round of applause and congratulatory hugs.

00:48:10
Speaker 2: Alan even awards him a compliment. The real tragedy at tonight is that William Shakespeare couldn't be here to see how good you are. Eric casually responds, he'll come tomorrow. I mean we're here all week. Alan looks at him, stunned again. Unbelievable. Amy in disbelief of Eric's raw emotion on stage. She can't believe he wept when jumping into Ophelia's grave. Where did he get his motivation? Now you're doing Hamlet, of course? What is this a medley.

00:48:39
Speaker 5: Shakespeare?

00:48:40
Speaker 4: We in our college Shakespeare weak?

00:48:43
Speaker 5: Yes.

00:48:44
Speaker 2: Eric pulls a book out of his pocket right here in the script. Look, he points to a page, weeps openly. He laughs, I mean.

00:48:51
Speaker 3: They tell you what to do. Femie appears and just pats Eric on the back and sarcastically calls Eric a truth.

00:48:58
Speaker 1: Lesbian referts to the fact that Bill hated being told what to say or how to react to the stage. Remember it was a giant. It was like a not right, how do you weep or laugh or whatever? So I think they threw Bill into that moment like a little in joke, like yeah, because he hated that so and everyone knew it, so they would avoid writing stage.

00:49:22
Speaker 3: Stage directions for him.

00:49:23
Speaker 5: It's hysterical.

00:49:25
Speaker 2: Just then, the director calls out to his star Eric, there are some gentlemen here to see him. They'd like to talk to Eric about his future. Eric asks, are they gypsies? Which yes, acknowledging is offensive. Now a group of suited white dudes introduced themselves. First is Randolph Dixon from Juilliard. Eric shakes his hand and asks, POENI, what's that? He tells him it's the most prestigious acting school in the country. Next is Sir Ralph Kremendenson from r SC.

00:49:53
Speaker 1: Ralph Cranendon from from The Honeymooners.

00:49:57
Speaker 5: But they just add.

00:50:01
Speaker 2: Eric asks again, what's that? Phoene responds Royal Shakespeare Company, the most famous theatrical company in the world. Then a man from the back pushes through. He's Matt Fraser from ABC. This time, Phoene asks, what's that Eric is beside himself. It's the American Broadcasting Company, the number one network alphabetically.

00:50:20
Speaker 3: In the world, a little dig and our own.

00:50:24
Speaker 2: Network network because we were this morning I NBC would have been burst, destroying, destroying.

00:50:32
Speaker 5: Fox was coming along, but I don't think they were there yet.

00:50:34
Speaker 4: So NBC because we were first when we started, because they had Home Improvement, we.

00:50:41
Speaker 1: Brought him back.

00:50:45
Speaker 3: Were doing well, don't worry, we will, We'll take.

00:50:48
Speaker 5: Care of it.

00:50:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, you like, CBS really rose with with reality and crime stuff, which.

00:50:55
Speaker 2: Yes, it would have been their serialized you know, n c I S whatever that for sure.

00:51:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know whatever.

00:51:02
Speaker 3: They had during that time.

00:51:03
Speaker 4: NYPD Blue and then the entire NBC lineup.

00:51:07
Speaker 5: I think PD Blue, NBC I don't remember, but yeah, so that was I mean, they were.

00:51:13
Speaker 4: Yeah, perfectly balanced network at the time, and then yeah, ABC was starting to flill.

00:51:19
Speaker 3: Matt asks if Eric would like to come to Hollywood and be on television.

00:51:23
Speaker 2: A wide eyed Eric shouts me in the TV Matt nods and Eric turns to Feeneye jaw dropped and ready for his close up, and then we're on a Hollywood lot. We get a montage as Eric is hanging onto a golf cart which is being driven around by Phoene. Exciting music plays as he looks around the lot in awe. They passed the Seinfeld and Third Rock from the Sun sound.

00:51:45
Speaker 1: Stages CBS Radford. Remember the spots, they know exactly where we are.

00:51:51
Speaker 4: But it was also this is what it was like. And here's what I mean by that perfect example. We're shooting this episode and Bill's driving around in the cart and we pull over into a shady spot right at the right near the lot as they're setting up another shot, and these two arms go around Bill from behind as he's sitting in the cart and give him a hug. And we turn around and it's Jeff Goldbloom. Oh, and he's like, hey, Bill, how you doing. We sat and talked to Jeff Goldbloom for about ten minutes.

00:52:19
Speaker 3: He leaves.

00:52:19
Speaker 4: John Cleese walks by because he's on Third Rock from the Sun at the time.

00:52:22
Speaker 7: Wow, this is what it was like.

00:52:24
Speaker 4: So like the joke of like you're seeing people dressed like cowboys. You're seeing famous people walk by. That's what it was actually like. Yeah, and I had that moment of just like, just talk to Jeff Goldbloom.

00:52:33
Speaker 1: Oh hey, look at that. That is not my experience. Oh really, I just had my head down my car to the stage. I didn't know who anybody was. I didn't care. I wanted to be so anti Hollywood that I wouldn't even look at anybody. I didn't talk to anybody. I mean, now I would be like, let's go meet these acts, let's say hi, or tell them we appreciate their work, or anybody.

00:52:55
Speaker 4: Nope.

00:52:55
Speaker 1: Back then, I would have just been like.

00:52:57
Speaker 4: Oh, I was talking to everybody. I was walking around. You'd see people like dressed like not drinking coffee. It was like, oh, I sucked in every moment of it. It was great, so much health.

00:53:08
Speaker 5: Just like that.

00:53:09
Speaker 7: It was just like that, so fun.

00:53:12
Speaker 2: Eric runs up to a payphone, but two men, one of them being our very own Mark.

00:53:16
Speaker 3: Paper, push him away.

00:53:20
Speaker 2: They grab the phone and pick it up and move it elsewhere. It was only a prop, and Eric is amazed. Feeneye watches on and rolls his eyes.

00:53:28
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:53:28
Speaker 2: Then Eric is distracted by an actress dressed as a princess. Then he runs back to Feenie in the golf cart. It drives past some actors and clothing racks, only to land at a sound stage. Four kid gets acquainted with the universe. The logo looks like a parody of Boy Meets World. Eric declares, I'm home. This is where I belong. He thanks mister Feene for coming along. It would have been so uncool if it was with his parents. Phoene reminds him that he's only there to make sure Eric has settled in. Keep both your feet on the ground. This town is swimming with sharks. Eric's offended. Stop attacking his town. People in La are really down to earth, good kindly folk than you. The golf cart is rear ended and jerks forward. A girl roughly shouts, hey, get out of my space. Eric tells Poenie, there's one of them now, he waves high. Nice person.

00:54:18
Speaker 1: She must have been so stoked.

00:54:22
Speaker 3: Then stop.

00:54:23
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:54:24
Speaker 2: The girl, who we recognize as Morgan with sunglasses, yells what do I have to do?

00:54:29
Speaker 3: Call my attorney? Get out of my space, so.

00:54:32
Speaker 1: She I don't know if you guys remember this, but we originally were not supposed to play ourselves or alternative versions. They actually cast lookalikes for really, yes, And I know this because I was going to college with the guy they cast as the Rider the Schneider what yes, and he occidental. Yeah, it was at I mean just you like you like processed like ten jokes and then like selected the best one and like it's like a joke AI brains cal so insane. Yeah, So I was going to I was going to call it with the guy, and he like came up to me and we talked about the fact that he was going to be playing Schneider, the other version of me, and then and he did. He kind of looked like me. He used to get recognized as me. And I remember Michael being like, yeah, we cast the perfect guy to play you and the perfect you know everybody, and then for some reason they decided not to do it. And I still don't know exactly why. But as much as I had fun playing Schneider, I think it would have been better if it wasn't us. Yeah, And I think and again that is another makes me think it also was Ben's finals and that they Ben wouldn't have been in anything except the tag if another person had paid played Ben Sad, so I think something happened. Maybe Ben didn't have finals and they were like, let's just use the kids or you know whatever. But it was a change. That guy ended up being on the show later because they felt bad that they had so they brought him in for like a line or two. So we'll see him in a couple episodes, I think, or the early next season because they you know, he came in an auditioned again for another part. But yeah, but he had been cast. They had cast people to play us, and I was watching this going as much fun as it is, it's so like mind breaking, like you're watching the show. Yeah wait, we're in the same sets and we're playing the same actors. It's just it's strange. It's it's like meta and strange in a way that like because I don't know, I mean, I guess it kind of works. I'm curious how the audience I love.

00:56:45
Speaker 4: I loved watching you guys, so it's also because I know you so well. So watching you guys play fantasyful versions of yourself was great, right, But again, having then a real b story where you're still playing Sean and to Pang, I now is the thing.

00:57:00
Speaker 2: It was like, oh, that shouldn't I do think the bizarro world Corey to Panga Sean Jack.

00:57:07
Speaker 3: I yeah, I think.

00:57:08
Speaker 2: That would have been I think you're right right, I think that would have been better. But it could have also been that they had like nine paid guest stars already.

00:57:16
Speaker 7: Yeah, and then.

00:57:19
Speaker 3: It could have been a bunch of thing they needed to pay their children.

00:57:22
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:57:22
Speaker 4: So can you imagine if they were ballsy though, they could have cast Matt McCoy to play the dad. Oh, the original Eric to play the era. I mean it's like the original to play to Panga. But yeah, I know, I mean they could.

00:57:36
Speaker 5: Have it could have gone a totally different route with it.

00:57:39
Speaker 2: So then our bizarro Morgan rear ends the golf car so hard it actually moves out of the space. She yells out thank you, but you get the feeling she doesn't mean it. Phoeney responds, you're welcome, and who might you be?

00:57:52
Speaker 3: Little girl? She angrily shouts, I'm not a little girl.

00:57:54
Speaker 5: I'm forty two.

00:57:55
Speaker 3: I just played Little Girls on TV. She walks by air and pinches his butt. Your headh yep, wow.

00:58:05
Speaker 2: She probably couldn't have gotten to your real tush though, because you had a wallet that was like this thing.

00:58:09
Speaker 4: I do.

00:58:10
Speaker 5: I have a wallet the whole time.

00:58:14
Speaker 1: I don't have your wallet.

00:58:18
Speaker 3: Probably wallet your own wallet.

00:58:21
Speaker 2: Phoene asks Eric if he actually wants to go through with this. Eric doesn't hesitate. He wants this more than anything. And then we're back at the guy's apartment. Tabanga is sitting on the couch reading a book aloud as Jack lays his head in her lap.

00:58:33
Speaker 3: Damn dating. They're both on the verge of tears. As Topanga reads the last line of the book. He knew they would be together again someday. Jack is gasping for air in heaven.

00:58:45
Speaker 2: Tabnga nods her head, now full on crying, and hands jacket tissue. Sean watches on itching red dots that are now scattered across his entire body. He tells Stabanga, my brother and I appreciate everything you're doing for us, but we're all better now. So the next time we get chicken pox, we'll give you a call. Tapanga tells him to stop pitching. Sean's about to explode. He doesn't want her help. Jack says, I do to Banga is a good nurse. He holds his hand up to his forehead and notes my fever's down to malaria level.

00:59:13
Speaker 3: His eyes crossed as he says.

00:59:15
Speaker 2: I think I can go back to my village now, and he falls backwards into the couch. Tobanga insists he not get up, and Jack begs for her to stay. Sean tries to argue, but Tobanga speaks first. It's okay, he doesn't know what he's saying. It's the fever talking, Jackie.

00:59:28
Speaker 1: That's interesting to think that the fever actually could have opened a door for this to be a bizarro storyline too, Like the whole thing could have been over the top and dream like and like we play out like you know, interpretive dance, you know whatever. Like it could have been so funny, yeah, and still had the same message but been more you know, fitting for the rest of the episode. Let's go back and pitch it.

00:59:49
Speaker 3: Jack pops back up. That's not right.

00:59:51
Speaker 2: He doesn't want to be friends with you because you broke up with Corey. That means you were never really friends. No friends, no friends at all. He goes cross eyed again and passes out up to Panga admits it does seem to be a very perceptive fever, though Sean gives her a look of sad. Music plays in the background.

01:00:07
Speaker 5: It was very sad.

01:00:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then we are on Kid gets acquainted with the universe set Here we go. Eric and Feenie are walking around the set when Matt Frasier from ABC spots them. He gives Eric a very enthusiastic greeting and wants him to meet the rest of the cast. Hopefully this will be your family for the next one hundred episodes. I hope, I hope, I hope. Had we hit our one hundredth episode at this point, I.

01:00:28
Speaker 4: Think so, we must have been close. Yeah, if we hadn't yet, it was right around the corner.

01:00:32
Speaker 5: And it just such a personal thing to go back to look at the set.

01:00:36
Speaker 4: Like you're seeing people and you're saying, oh God, finally turned around.

01:00:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, this is what it looks like from our point of view.

01:00:44
Speaker 2: It is funny though that I definitely noticed they used a lot more background actors rather than actually using our real crew, Like I was paying attention a lot of attention to like, who is that is that somebody we know? And I was I had to actually work, I know, but I would have loved, like, well, the way.

01:00:58
Speaker 3: Mark Pabsen was thrown in there. That was so I was so fun I wanted a bunch of those, but we didn't get as many of them as I wanted. We see the.

01:01:04
Speaker 2: Cast and it's Ben and Writer sitting in the Matthews living room. Matt explains and introduces Eric, who will be playing the role of the long lost brother Ben, who is reading a variety magazine and Writer just stare at him, unenthused. The ABC execs says, Eric came all the way from Philadelphia, so they need to make him feel welcome. Matt introduces Ben Sandwich, the star of the show. Maybe you've heard of his brother, Bread Sandwich.

01:01:31
Speaker 3: His name's Bread weird. I don't know.

01:01:37
Speaker 1: Sandwich is pretty fun.

01:01:38
Speaker 2: Bread is pretty funny. Sandwich. Eric has heard of Bread Sandwich. Ben shakes Eric Eric's hand and seems pleasant at first, but gives him a stern warning. Let me tell you what this show is not. This is not long Lost Brother the universe.

01:01:58
Speaker 1: Biggest jerk.

01:02:00
Speaker 5: Yes, he did you notice the sniffing?

01:02:04
Speaker 6: No?

01:02:04
Speaker 1: Is he doing the sniffing?

01:02:05
Speaker 5: Oh he's got the He's got this kind of on the whole time.

01:02:09
Speaker 4: That is just so funny because it's so Ben, and so like, yeah, he like throws me a look a couple of times right before we're supposed to start the scene, and he gets into for he's like.

01:02:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, my favorite is his interpretation of like, that's it come acting When he's on the stairs with you. He's doing like just a slightly heightened right like because it's kind of what we were doing. But he does this just a little bit of a a And then when he does it for real at the end of the episode, you can see how Ben Savage actually would play it.

01:02:40
Speaker 5: But in here he's so good at like just.

01:02:42
Speaker 3: Modulating it just a just a little bit, a little bit.

01:02:44
Speaker 1: I'm acting with a script in my hand. It's just so so sophisticated.

01:02:49
Speaker 3: God, it is so funny.

01:02:52
Speaker 2: So he gives him a stern warning, let me tell you what this show is not. This is not long lost. Brother gets acquainted with the universe. O pay Eric's eyes widen, okay, hey, and Ben walks away. Next, Eric introduces himself to Schneider, who's in a fetal position on the couch. Schneider reveals, sometimes I get shy. Oh, people who aren't shy.

01:03:10
Speaker 5: Make me lost.

01:03:12
Speaker 1: At this point, was I shy? No, would you feel no, sensitively emotional, intense, but like this version of me is it's it was fun to play. But I was watching I was like, so, what what did the writers think of me?

01:03:28
Speaker 4: Like?

01:03:28
Speaker 1: What are they mocking about me? You know, because it's obviously playing on like me, and I guess it's just that I was always like sensitive and quiet.

01:03:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's I think it is a pretty good juxtaposition against the me who is obviously the opposite of shy. I was not at all an introvert as a teenager. I've become much more of an introvert as i've aged, but I was nothing of an introvert then I would have been. I was always everybody everybody, and I was very maternal, like even every way I feel like you were their best friends, and the way even in the B story it's played out with ME being like, nope, that's it, I'm going to take care of you. That's who very much who I was and still am as a person. So it's kind of like Danielle on both like it's the whole episode for me is very much like who Danielle is Slash was, And I guess for you, the playing opposite of that, which is like people who are too comfortable in big crowds and just announcing themselves when they enter a room. Is I'm the opposite of that. I just want to blend in. I just want to I want to be smaller groups.

01:04:38
Speaker 7: And so I think it's.

01:04:40
Speaker 2: The same shy exactly same Shai. Isn't the yeah it tortured poet is maybe the.

01:04:47
Speaker 3: So shy is the.

01:04:48
Speaker 1: Only more accurate like over the top writer would have been like really intense on the acting and like annoyed by having to do something so superficial and lame, right, which is which is just funny that they instead made it this like sensitive scared guy, like who's but and I just love that, you know, you as like the top because like we actually got along great. I love decided to make it that I am like terrified of you.

01:05:16
Speaker 2: Yes, well you they also just make you that you're just terrified because later when Ben starts screaming, you're.

01:05:21
Speaker 3: Like, make the yelling stop.

01:05:22
Speaker 2: But also it probably wasn't much of a secret you didn't enjoy yelling.

01:05:27
Speaker 1: No, so but I don't think I would have. Yeah, And I mean that's my favorite moment of the episode. Is when I transitioned from like sitcom acting to terror. You could see my whole body just wi my shoulders, and I'm like, that was good man.

01:05:41
Speaker 3: It was very fun.

01:05:43
Speaker 4: It's not just that, but the constant putting your hands through your hair too.

01:05:47
Speaker 3: Oh.

01:05:51
Speaker 5: I turned it on all of a sudden because I just started.

01:05:55
Speaker 1: That intentionally. Conversations we were having what would ride? Or do you know what's.

01:06:14
Speaker 2: Just Then Danielle bursts through the doors and gives a modelesque post huh.

01:06:19
Speaker 3: Sean whimpers, Oh no, it's her.

01:06:23
Speaker 2: Danielle sees Eric and excitedly asks are you a new guy, and immediately goes in.

01:06:27
Speaker 3: For a hug.

01:06:28
Speaker 2: She asks Eric if he's met Schneider. He is very shy. She proceeds to give Schneider a hug as he nervously chants too close, too close, too close. Danielle admits to Eric, deep down, I'm shy too, I'm a wounded bird. She gets even closer, and then the baby voices, Schneider and me are wounded birds. And we had so much fun with this. I really do remember this part just being very fun for us. Schneider whispers to Eric help me. Eric decides to walk away, but he's met by Matt Lawrence, who's wearing a black leather jacket.

01:06:58
Speaker 3: Is it me leather jacket? Is it yours?

01:07:01
Speaker 2: No, it's a different one. Okay, He gruffly asks, why do they need you? They got me already. This doesn't make any sense.

01:07:08
Speaker 3: Then he looks at his empty hands and yells, where's my banana?

01:07:11
Speaker 2: Is it or is it not? Two fifteen? He yells for his banana boy that he doesn't appear to be around. Matt looks into the distance and exclaims, mango boy, you're being promoted.

01:07:20
Speaker 3: Baby.

01:07:21
Speaker 2: Eric whispers to himself, nutty, okay, mister Feenie, these people are the Phoenie's nowhere to be seen. He calls out to him and finds him in the set of Phoene's classroom.

01:07:31
Speaker 5: Oh I love this moment so much.

01:07:32
Speaker 2: In fact, Phoenie is critiquing the layout of the classroom, telling Matt there are only nine desks? Are we supposed to believe there are only nine students in the whole class?

01:07:42
Speaker 1: So good? But yeah, this is my brain was just melting watching this. I love the Feenie is aware of that there's only nine students and yet we're gonna go back to this next week, So.

01:07:51
Speaker 7: Yeah, I can't.

01:07:52
Speaker 5: I love that. It was just like it's like him just going like, what is what is this? What do you think we're supposed to expect? There's only nine kids? Come on.

01:08:01
Speaker 2: Matt admits camera angles will make it appear as if there are more Feeney gasps. That is diabolical. Matt laughs, then strides over to the cast. It's time to show Eric how it's done. Everyone changes into their outfits as Ben Sandwich harps on Schneider, maybe you could give me a little something to play off of today.

01:08:17
Speaker 4: Okay, do you notice or so they're changing into their outfits though, just switching shirt they're trading and they're wearing.

01:08:24
Speaker 5: It's just so brilliant. It's like they're just trading what they're wearing. Oh god, it's awesome.

01:08:29
Speaker 3: You dead person, you silent freak. I'm so sick and tired of carrying the.

01:08:33
Speaker 2: Show, so it's terrible. Schneider apologizes. I'm sorry, mister Sandwich. I need this job so I can pay for college and get an education.

01:08:43
Speaker 3: Ben laughs. If this show goes for four years, I know which is true.

01:08:46
Speaker 1: I still say it like I'm still like, Hey, you know the best part about boy, But I was able to pay for college. I didn't realize I was.

01:08:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, if this show goes for four years, they'll give him an honorary degree.

01:08:58
Speaker 2: He'll be doctor creepy weirdo. The director tells them to get into their places. He calls action and they begin rehearsal. And so Matt Fraser, the ABC executive, is also the director.

01:09:08
Speaker 3: Of the show.

01:09:08
Speaker 2: Yeah he is, of course, Schneider, busting right into his sean persona reads from the script. Look, Rory, all you have to do is get the keys to your father's car and his credit card. Ben reads and responds, I don't know, Shane. I got a real bad feeling about this. I've never done anything like this before. He stops reading and shouts, we're doing this story again. How many times have we done this? One hundred thousand? He angrily throws his script on the floor. Schneider just wants the yelling to stop. Ben marches up to the director. How can I learn so much every.

01:09:37
Speaker 3: Week and still be so stupid? SU's Cort's so funny.

01:09:42
Speaker 5: Bashing our own show. It's great.

01:09:45
Speaker 1: Oh, and all of this I love it's when the writers get involved, and I'm like, yeah, that's it's too inside base. Yeah, like, yeah, that's it's funny to you know, and for the writers. But I was like that whole little this hold next to I was like, the audience must have been so confused. They're like, what's going on with this joke because they don't really understand what writers do, especially kids watching the site that there's a team of them that they are, you know, babies. I guess is the kind of the joke or I don't know, like it's just it's Yeah, there's.

01:10:18
Speaker 3: Definitely a lot of layers that are missed.

01:10:19
Speaker 2: But I do think the general audience probably understands that they're being let in on something that they really shouldn't be, which.

01:10:27
Speaker 3: Is probably kind of a fun feeling, even if they.

01:10:30
Speaker 2: Don't understand all the layers that like writers are big babies or any of that.

01:10:34
Speaker 4: You know, actors are can be mean and yeah they're not two face.

01:10:39
Speaker 1: All the actor jokes everyone can get like everyone has a way into that, especially since the episode is about acting, right, it's about Eric, but the writing stuff, I was like, this is this is too inside. I don't know if anybody's ever got this really to the degree that you know. But our writers were.

01:10:53
Speaker 5: Just mak having fun, having fun.

01:10:55
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, So Schneider's on the verge of tears. He rocks himself back and forth. Matt assures Ben, and they'll get the writers to fix it. They've got the best writers in town. Ben Yell's back, Yeah, that's all I hear. They're hip, they're young, they're fun. He runs over to the writer's Hey, do your jobs. We see it's just a bunch of it's a table full of children at work. One of the little boys looks heartbroken, and the others look at Ben and terror.

01:11:15
Speaker 3: Ben asks, oh, did I hurt your feelings?

01:11:17
Speaker 7: Good?

01:11:18
Speaker 2: Because you know what this script is poopy. The pouting little boy stands up for the group. It's not poopy, you're poopy. A little girl groans, uh oh oh boy. Another young writer grabs the little boy by the shoulder and rallies behind him. That was a good thing to say. Let's just watch what happens now. Ben screams, that's it. You're fired. All of you get out and clean out your cubbies. The defiant little boy shouts back, oh yeah, well you can kiss my diaper butt. Another young writer throws down his pencil. I am too old and too rich.

01:11:48
Speaker 3: And this is looking Jacob's playing to the camera, playing Michael Jacobs yep, and.

01:11:53
Speaker 5: Look in the lens as he says it. Okay.

01:11:57
Speaker 3: Another girl is on her cell phone, Mommy, I'm fine. Tired again. They all remember their things.

01:12:02
Speaker 7: Yeah, it took forever.

01:12:05
Speaker 5: Well it was also do you remember one of the writers I forget who who.

01:12:08
Speaker 4: Came onto the show we interviewed, said that they were up all night because Michael insisted that everyone gets the line it was.

01:12:16
Speaker 1: And this was just sitting there yes, wine reading no say it like this, no, say it like this.

01:12:22
Speaker 4: Just watching the watching the creative process at play.

01:12:27
Speaker 1: Oh, okay, you want to call it.

01:12:30
Speaker 3: It was awful.

01:12:31
Speaker 1: I just remember sitting there going this is Yeah, it was a painful.

01:12:34
Speaker 5: That was a painful scene issue.

01:12:35
Speaker 1: Which is probably another reason why I'm not a fan. Just watching it, I was bringing back painful memories, like two hours on set watching.

01:12:41
Speaker 3: Right, these kids have to be told how to say that.

01:12:44
Speaker 1: And told how to say something and get it right and over and over, just so painful.

01:12:49
Speaker 3: Well, Matt brushes this off and focuses his attention back on. Eric.

01:12:52
Speaker 2: You're playing Derek, all right, the older, good looking, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, long lost brother with a heart of gold.

01:12:57
Speaker 3: You think you can play that? Eric looks at him with a smile. Can you don't mean real gold?

01:13:02
Speaker 4: Right?

01:13:02
Speaker 2: Matt grins Just like that. He steps off the set and calls action. Eric reads to Ben ouchie mcgouchy, little bro. He then jumps into a Shakespearean accent. If I can't have my lucky tube socks, I shall never pass the astronaut tiest.

01:13:16
Speaker 3: Matt interrupts, laughing personally he loved Eric's approach.

01:13:19
Speaker 2: But don't do it. Don't do Shakespeare, do you? Eric's confused. Don't do Shakespeare. I've ever done is Shakespeare? Matt emphasizes the role is you, Eric?

01:13:28
Speaker 3: Do you?

01:13:29
Speaker 2: Eric looks at Ben worriedly and whispers to the director, I don't know how to do that. Matt gives him a word of advice. Acting is about honesty.

01:13:35
Speaker 3: Just be honest.

01:13:36
Speaker 2: Eric asks, So all I have to do is just stand up here and just be honest. Matt notots that's it. Eric's confident he can do that. Matt steps off set and calls action. Ben starts it off. I'm really sorry, Derek, but I washed your lucky tube socks, and he pulls a baby sock out of his pocket and shrugs.

01:13:54
Speaker 3: Eric looks at him with disgust. You're not sorry, Ben, out of character, leans in and asks what. Eric continues. All of a sudden, the cameras are on you. You're a different person. What's that all about? Ben looks at Matt off camera.

01:14:06
Speaker 7: What.

01:14:07
Speaker 3: Eric tells Ben, I just saw the way you were acting with the writers. You're just mean.

01:14:10
Speaker 2: He begins to Shakespearean voice again. Me thinks you shrunk my socks on purpose. He turns to Matt and happily asks like that. The executive responds by shouting God, and then we're back on the lot. Eric and Feenie are sitting outside the soundstage as the security guard closes the big elephant doors. Eric's eyes, Sorry for dragging you out to California, mister Feenie.

01:14:32
Speaker 3: I had no idea the Windy City would be so cruel.

01:14:35
Speaker 1: There's just a trash out.

01:14:41
Speaker 2: The trash, he reminds him, just because mister Fraser didn't like your performance and we got thrown out of the studio.

01:14:50
Speaker 3: Doesn't mean you weren't good. That's just one man's opinion, And I thought, wow, Michael commenting that just because he doesn't think something's funny doesn't mean it's not necessarily true. But then immediately after Eric says, well, what's your opinion in Phoenie, the one who you know? If Phoene thinks it, it must be right. Phoene quickly responds, well, the same as is nobody. We didn't get. We didn't get the moment that maybe there was gonna be a moment.

01:15:23
Speaker 1: Oh and you know what's funny and you know what's wrong, and you know what's not funny. So wow, I didn't even catch that. I didn't either. It's brilliant, pretty amazing.

01:15:36
Speaker 2: But what you have to understand is that what comes easily goes just as easily.

01:15:41
Speaker 3: He reminds Eric that to be a good actor he'll.

01:15:43
Speaker 2: Need to take classes, study for years, face rejection on a daily basis, and then after ten thousand no's, there might be a glimmer of a chance that someone might say yes. Eric nods, next, I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world.

01:15:59
Speaker 3: Phoenie tells him it's time to go home.

01:16:00
Speaker 6: I love me.

01:16:01
Speaker 4: First, He's always like, great, let's go our Kema, let's go. Thanks, all right, that's next, let's go.

01:16:06
Speaker 2: We get one last shot of kid gets acquainted with the Universe logo on the side of the building, and then we are back at the guy's apartment. Jack finally has some pep in his step as Sean has passed out on the couch. He's going to the grocery store. He asks if Sean needs anything. No, thanks for asking, he seems bummed out. Jack asks, you're sure there's nothing you need, like maybe to call up a friend and tell her you're sorry. Sean, who still has some dots on his face, doesn't know what he's talking about. Jack smirks, you know the one. I mean, come on, she took care of us. She was here for a couple of days. Now she hasn't been around. Her name rhymes with.

01:16:38
Speaker 7: Manga, great line rhymes with.

01:16:42
Speaker 3: Sewn.

01:16:43
Speaker 2: Insists it's not his fault. This is what happens when you're friends with a couple and they break up. You're forced to choose sides, and Corey is his best friend. Jack shrugs, Yeah, I'm sure she realizes that Sean jokes, thanks to you. Jack defends himself. My temperature was like one hundred and twelve. I didn't know what I was saying. Sean tells him it's okay. He assumes Topanga felt uncomfortable too. There's no way she's coming back. Jack opens the door and.

01:17:04
Speaker 7: There's to pega.

01:17:06
Speaker 2: Jack sarcastically responds, yeah, you're probably right. Jack gives her a big hug. Hey, there's my favorite nurse. She purses her lips and he gives her a kiss on the cheek. And now it's just the thing that.

01:17:20
Speaker 1: I felt it. I was like, these two, they are so excited to this over your face.

01:17:33
Speaker 5: It is.

01:17:33
Speaker 4: It is.

01:17:34
Speaker 3: Listen, how you little numbskulls didn't know it was going on.

01:17:39
Speaker 1: We're so self involved and everyone's.

01:17:41
Speaker 3: So self involved attention. But now now.

01:17:44
Speaker 5: You see it, I can tell I think you were dating fun.

01:17:47
Speaker 2: As Jack leaves to Panga tells Sean, I know you're in a tough situation. Corey's your best friend, Sean says, you know, he used to tell me how wonderful you were. But guys always say great things about their girlfriends until they break up, and that's when the truth comes out and this is the only part of this that I remembered. I do remember this style that this part.

01:18:05
Speaker 1: I think it's a good turn and it's I know, I don't love the way I played it, but it's a great it's a good little scene.

01:18:11
Speaker 3: It is.

01:18:13
Speaker 2: He admits, I've waited fifteen years to find out what he really thinks about you. Do you want to know what he thinks about you now that you're broken up to Panga doesn't want to talk about that. She just wanted to tell Sean that he's an unappreciative little jerk and if he's so uncomfortable around her that they can't be friends now that she's not seeing Corey, then maybe they were never really friends at all. She wants Sean to tell that to her to her face, and Sean responds, now that you've broken up, he still tells me how wonderful you are.

01:18:38
Speaker 1: He's completely changed. This blocking so bad? Oh yeah, the fact that I stay.

01:18:42
Speaker 2: On that couch, I know, and my jacket is like blocking my arm. Why not rise to me?

01:18:47
Speaker 1: Well, no, no, think about if I instead had when you walked in and you and I just made you stand like over me, and I got up and said so you want to hear what he really thinks about you and walk to the kitchen to do some business like get myself some soup. That would teed up, Oh my god, and then you would have immediately been correct and being defensive about like basically, I don't want to hear that you're a jerky, sir, and then I would turn to you and say you're the best person and you know whatever, and then it would have felt But instead, I'm stuck on that couch. You're doing the block, You're like leading the scene, and it's like you come in with this objective to yell at me, and it's like just not as it just doesn't work. I just want to go back and be like rider, get up, find something to do in the kitchen, make it seem like you're not engaging with her, and then come back and engage.

01:19:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, you being super dismissive again would have helped set up the fact that TAPEG is comfortable being like, listen, you're an unappreciative little jerk and blah blah blah, and then.

01:19:39
Speaker 1: Like a jerk. Instead, I'm like sitting on the couch with my MOPy shan face looking up at you. And you're like, you see it coming from a mile away. It's like and so Tapanga ends up looking kind of harsh, yelling down at him.

01:19:49
Speaker 2: It's like, yeah, you're right that that's a great change, Sean responds, Now that you've broken up, he still tells me how wonderful you are. He's completely broken hearted over what he's lost to. Panga nods so am I. Sean reminds her that Corey's his best friend, but he wants to tell Tapanga to her face that if he knew they weren't going to be friends anymore, it breaks his heart too. She smiles and reaches into the grocery bag she brought him soup. He smiles, will you feed it to me? She gives a little laugh as they hug.

01:20:31
Speaker 3: Okay, cute, cute, and then we're in the tag.

01:20:36
Speaker 2: We're in the Matthew's kitchen. Eric is furiously searching through the laundry. Corey walks downstairs and asks, what are you looking for? Eric reveals my tube socks, my lucky tube socks. I'm supposed to shoot hoops and I can't find them anywhere. He asks Corey if he's seen them anywhere.

01:20:48
Speaker 3: Corey gives his brother a nervous giggle.

01:20:50
Speaker 2: Oh you're gonna find this hard to believe. But last night, for no logical reason that you could possibly think of, I did the wash instead of molos. Well, this is so funny. Corey pulls baby socks out of his pocket. I don't think they're so lucky anymore. Eric angrily notes that's not the line. Corey looks around, confused.

01:21:12
Speaker 1: Once again, Will just like changing the whole tone of our hand. Yes, with just a look and a change in his voice. It's just incredible.

01:21:19
Speaker 2: Yes, Eric reminds him the line was, Honey, I shrunk the tube socks. Ben stutters, Oh, I know, I'm sorry.

01:21:27
Speaker 7: Will.

01:21:27
Speaker 2: I was trying something new. Will mocks him, Oh, you were just trying something new. He begins to throw clothes at Corey. How about this is this new? Does this look new to you? Ben tries to shield himself in the corner as Eric now grabs plates and throws them on the floor.

01:21:41
Speaker 3: He shrieks, I quit, I'm out of here. He walks off the set, exposing cameras and crew members. Ben Sean walks through the door. Cory, Eric, guess what I blew up? Another mail box?

01:21:52
Speaker 5: Best line ever.

01:21:54
Speaker 4: Oh god, I just because the way you deliver you're like Corey Eric you not I can believe it.

01:22:00
Speaker 1: It's it's the sort of like I guess that's what's happening, doesn't make any sense.

01:22:06
Speaker 4: Layers were like, there was the Rider layer if I can't believe back to say this again, there's the Shawn layer off I can't believe another mailbox.

01:22:14
Speaker 1: When I was watching you like freak out on Ben, I was like, we used to do this kind of stuff all the time, Like we would pretend to freak out on each other all the time. So like this was this was us, Like during rehearsal, we would do these bits. We were always having so much fun, and then we would just be like it's not funny, or we would like mock each other's performances and we would be like these prima Donna acts, Like we did this all the time. So this was so easy for us in some ways to just like let's embrace the like the bad version of actors, you.

01:22:45
Speaker 4: Know, because like you say all the time, we love like bad acting.

01:22:48
Speaker 5: It's so fun to play and so fun to make it.

01:22:51
Speaker 1: But it's also such an important release vouve for actors as an ensemble to like illustrate to one another, this is what we don't allow on our this is what we don't like, and this is what bad acting looks like, and we're not going to do that. Even though we were always doing it as a joke, it was also like a community building exercise for you know, I feel like everything I've ever been a part of you find those little in jokes and codes, you know, Like I've been on sets where people often like one of my favorites is I worked with Eric Olsen in a movie and he he would talk about working with Alec Baldwin and he always said, before Alec Baldwin they would shoot. They were shooting up Pearl Harbor, I think, and Alec Baldwin when they would say rolling and then he would just go wawquaw actingquawquaw acting cuaw. And it was like this tick that Alec Baldwin did to like get his voice ready and to get his energy up, and then he'd walk on and Eric did this as you know, behind and we would and then we all started doing it before he did any scene together.

01:23:53
Speaker 3: And you're like, it works it well.

01:23:55
Speaker 1: Then I brought it up to Eric like years later or whatever, and I made it. I said, like, now I do this on sets like whenever I'm with and and he's like, yeah, I do it kind of as a joke to make everybody comfortable with the weird noises and the energies that people. So it's like you're making fun of this actor Alec Baldwin, who maybe was doing it seriously, but also it's now become part of the repertoire of like your nuance Alble for everybody to feel comfortable with their body. You know, it's just all these like codes and ways to sort of make a set comfortable because it's really weird what we're doing. I mean, it's really weird acting strange, and it takes such confidence and like commitment to something that's not real, and like that just takes a lot of And so for us like to always be making jokes or like exercising these like you know, nervous demons about like what it would be a bad at performance, what would be like and over the top, what would it be, what would really poor on set behavior be? Like we were always doing that and it was like, I don't know, So seeing us do this again was just like, oh right, that's what we did all the time.

01:24:58
Speaker 4: So I remember we did the first take of the tag and it went well, and then I called Michael over and I was like, can we make this bigger?

01:25:07
Speaker 5: Can this be like? And He's like, yes, definitely. He goes flip over the table. He goes flip over the whole table, kick the island, you know, make a move for Ben.

01:25:15
Speaker 4: And right as we're talking about that, I forget who walked over, but I might have been Steve Haye for somebody who's like, the audience is leaving in two minutes.

01:25:22
Speaker 5: Yeah, we can't match anything, we can't And Michael's like, all right, let's just do it again then.

01:25:26
Speaker 4: But he and I for like five minutes like yeah, we're gonna flip over this. We're gonna like, yeah, you can't do anything. Okay, all right, let's just do another take.

01:25:32
Speaker 5: Then, and that was too bad again?

01:25:34
Speaker 4: Yeah.

01:25:35
Speaker 2: Well, then breaking character, Sean notices the mess on the floor. He asks Ben, what did we'll flip out again? Ben nervously nods, yeah, he did. What are we gonna do? He's gonna be hard to replace, right size, Yeah, you're right. He looks off camera and yells hey Banana Boy want to be a star, then gives him a little.

01:25:55
Speaker 1: Soft button I wanted like, I agree, Yeah, better button.

01:26:00
Speaker 2: Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode of Podmeets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your emails podmeets Worldshow at gmail dot com, and we have.

01:26:09
Speaker 5: Merch tis merch for selleth there I go.

01:26:13
Speaker 3: Thank you, Pod meets the worldshow dot com.

01:26:16
Speaker 2: Join us for our next episode recap season five episode twenty Starry Night, which originally aired April third, nineteen ninety eight, will send us out.

01:26:27
Speaker 5: We love you all, pod dismissed.

01:26:30
Speaker 4: Podmeets World is nheart podcast producer and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfredell and Ryder Strong executive producers Jensencarp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara Sudbaksh producer, Maddy Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and you can follow us on Instagram at podmeets World Show or email us at Podmets Worldshow at gmail dot com.