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Post by classicswim on Aug 6, 2023 5:05:06 GMT -8
*Week Thirty Two*
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[Renaissance]
Synopsis: Brendon, Jason and Melissa are performing the musical King Arthur Meets Robin Hood at a medieval fair organized by Mr. Lynch. A sci-fi convention is going on next door to the fair, and there’s a lot of tension between the two groups.
You know? I was kinda shocked actually to find out people weren’t digging this episode.
One of my top favorites from the third season, and a very memorable episode overall.
They chose a fun little theme and stuck with it. BEAUTIFUL musical sequences. They gave logical reasoning as to why everyone’s there (Brendon’s play/McGuirk’s drunken financial risks) and also provided you with the most feasible medieval fantasy for this awkward comedy world.
I don’t think it’s that much alien from what the show would typically do.
Maybe the scenes with Fenton could’ve been trimmed down just a tad.
I think more time could have been spent showing more of Brendon’s general annoyance as King Arthur at this fair besides just the medieval vs sci-fi feud.
They were really going somewhere when Lynch made a spectacle of Brendon’s king role for the rest of the fair participants, but that only lasted for a few shy little scenes.
In the commentary, Brendon even mentions his research of Renaissance fairs and how people get super into it. Basically never breaking character. I don’t know if I could do that. No role playing unless I’m in bed.
I still very much enjoy McGuirk & Lynch’s bickering, and also Lynch just being a total pompous ass while he’s playing Wizard Merlin for the day.
Had Coach not have been in the worst possible shape for the entirety of the episode (again, it’s only fitting he’d be a complete trainwreck in this show of all shows they’ve done), I’m certain he could’ve caused even more problems for Lynch.
People apparently didn’t like Coach’s puking and stinking up the porta potty. My issue’s that there are more eventful ways to put a spin on McGuirk’s defiance and refusal to play along.
Still loved McGuirk’s part of the Renaissance, but I also acknowledge they could’ve achieved much more. This episode was a “special” after all.
I think Renaissance is still lots of fun! I guess maybe people felt the formula of Home Movies was getting a bit more predictable by this point? But that formula is part of what makes the show funny, so...
I also forgot upon rewatching how they wanted to write a clever twist for who would be the traitor at the convention. So kudos to that!
Extra notes:
- Vomiting not allowed by censors. You only see the remnants from McGuirk’s mouth.
- Patton Oswalt killing it as the Super Nerd.
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Post by classicswim on Aug 13, 2023 6:17:56 GMT -8
*Week Thirty Three*
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[My Cheatin’ Heart]
Synopsis: Brendon is forced to take up golf after his father pressured him into playing a father-son round with an important client, only to discover that he’s terrible. Brendon also has trouble convincing Jason and Melissa to make their latest film backwards.
Didn’t I say awhile ago that Andrew Small would appear one last time and he’d be gone forever? Yeah, this is the one. Bye-bye, Louis.
Handful of bits from this week’s show which I adore. Coach getting hit by that lady on the range, and Melissa responding enthusiastically to Coach’s shouting, to name a few.
Bagger McGuirk’s got a legacy to maintain. Wasting everyone’s time so he could have an ‘effect’ with the sun behind him.
I saw a comment suggesting Coach helped Brendon ace the game out of sheer hatred for Andrew, and I didn’t get that vibe at all.
This episode wasn’t met with the same depth as “Pizza Club,” but what I got here was McGuirk helping Brendon be a cheater because that’s just the unspoken nature of their friendship.
There’s that moment at the end of this too where Coach is telling Andrew what a good kid Brendon is.
Mr. Small couldn’t help John out on his latest charge, but regardless there’s a decent (and humorous) exchange between the two. The fans know McGuirk to be the boy’s real parental figure at the end of the day. Having those specific characters end on good terms was never a given, so I was satisfied.
It’s cool also how it wasn’t just Coach helping Brendon cheat. You got Jason & Melissa aiding from behind the bushes. It’s endearing they all had his back while he just sucked ass at golf. But, so did Andrew! Cheating runs in the family!
I guess that’s what made this not so bad for a belated story arc conclusion, if you could even call it that. It would be bitchy if Brendon disappointed his pops on their last episode together. But because his dad’s already a screw-up himself, it’s okay!
From a comedy standpoint, those few scenes with Louis and Benjamin together. I enjoyed revisiting and noticing how dialed back Andrew would always be once he was forced to engage with McGuirk.
Andrew was awkward with just about everyone on the show, but any time he was faced with Coach’s presence; I could just see this flash cartoon character internally roll up into a ball of uneasiness. Was always something to watch.
Small described the second season webbing perfectly. How Brendon was coming to terms with these new jerks (dad and stepmom) that had just hijacked his show. And I think what made Andrew work so well in that regard... was how he knew he was out of place.
Like that scene near the end of “Pizza Club,” Andrew’s just screaming like a dope for Brendon & McGuirk to break up their fight. He had this very unique approach to being the straight guy and trying to ring everyone together, while also being anything but confident in that approach. That’s at least what I felt I valued most with that character in the end.
Lastly, I think Brendon’s “make it all backwards” angle for this episode was cute. They would’ve gone the extra mile had they actually made Brendon’s golf story somehow backwards instead of the intro and outro wraparound, but the movie sketch did a well enough job.
Thanks for Plump Fiction and Reservoir Cats.
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Post by classicswim on Aug 20, 2023 4:32:19 GMT -8
*Week Thirty Four*
FREAKY! OUTTIE!
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[Guitarmageddon]
Synopsis: The Kids ignore the fact that they have no musical experience or talent and decide to start a band. At the same time, Duane enters a guitar contest where he will face his archrival, Jimmy Monet.
Hall of famer episode, although I remember it being a lot more magical in my mid 2000s head.
Maybe an example of my nostalgia glasses going against me, but I still say this episode was very important.
A show centered around Dwayne/Duane by this point was long overdue. In hindsight, Dwayne was robbed, and they said as much by the end of the show.
Should go mentioned that from the showrunner perspective, this was less about the 100% epic of Dwayne and more of just incorporating Small’s humble beginnings with the guitar as a teenager. People got caught up in the cliche plotting when this does show some personal merit.
I also can’t completely rule out Brendon setting up his own band, because that side of the episode definitely had its place in humor. But at the same breath, I could only imagine how much more this could’ve been, had the main characters been not so prominent. Or better yet, removed from the episode altogether.
Point being that Dwayne really deserved his own full episode. My biggest takeaway from this will always be him showing everyone off at the contest.
And the fact that I feel this way just goes to show what Loren & Brendon accomplished by adding Dwayne in as early as they did.
Dwayne was introduced to Home Movies as this mindless skit character who could be in the basement, or the pet store with no explanation needed.
Dwayne was implemented purely as a way to show off Small’s instrumental capabilities. And doing so not only supported the very molding of Home Movies, but such a small decision would shape Brendon Small’s career for decades.
You probably don’t wanna hear me reference Metalocalypse for the tenth time, but yeah.... Metalocalypse. “Army of The Doomstar” is right around the corner. And even though there might be better, more vivid displays of metal in HM such as Director’s Cut, and even Renaissance from weeks ago; Guitarmageddon demands to be mentioned in that light.
Not much else to say. Jimmy Monet was a perfect one-off villain, and now you know who’s been calling Clarice “Lil Mama.”
It only makes sense for Jason to be the Murderface of Brendon’s band. Love how all it took was Melissa claiming the Chocolate Factory for Jason to call her a huge bitch.
Oh, and the cow bell at the beginning you’ll recognize as the Soup2Nuts sound.
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Post by classicswim on Aug 27, 2023 4:07:25 GMT -8
*Week Thirty Five*
“Double Lame-o donkey f-*EEEK*! Sucking on the witch’s *EEEK*!”
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[Storm Warning]
Synopsis: McGuirk tries to convince Paula to pose as his fiancée while his sister is visiting. Meanwhile, the kids are trying to decide whether they want to make a mockumentary about making a movie or a mock-making-of a mockumentary movie or just a movie.
I knew I would like this episode going back. The next two, plus the S3 finale were some of the downright best from this season. But watching this episode again, I’d actually rank this even higher.
What “Storm Warning” has over what I covered the last few weeks is that this episode has next to no dead weight.
Story wise, it’s not my favorite, but I consistently laughed at almost everything from beginning to end. They had the best flow in this episode. The soccer field scene went on for a good set of minutes, and it was hilarious without it *just* being McGuirk.
I DO remember Walter & Perry’s petition to save the oak tree; self-signing 400 Walters and 400 Perrys. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I stand by this being Walter & Perry at their peak.
The scene I laughed the hardest at was after being in panic about the tornado, McGuirk freaking out informs the kids that a tornado can drive a three inch nail into a tree.
I also think this episode divinely handled previous existing threads. For a ‘McGuirk as Small patriarch’ episode, I find this one funnier and much cuter than “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.”
Paula continues to be not so successful in her creative writing endeavors, but this was the type of comedic distress she was meant for. And it’s not something to heavily weigh over her shoulders like how it was back in the second season.
I can honestly say I love this episode even more.
Not the biggest Spielberg fan, but even seeing Brendon in that getup is worthy of a smile.
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SPECIAL Q&A COMMENTARY NOTES:
Brendon & Loren use this episode’s commentary to go over viewer mail.
- First thing the two did was reaffirm the show had been finished. Commentary was recorded a couple years after the fact.
-Interesting hearing Loren suggest fans wanted more Sealab instead, when Sealab was torn over their own show tanking as well.
-Fans ask about previous season DVDs, even offering thanks.
-Loren mentioned how forum discussion on Home Movies was partially high school riddled angst. I reminisced on that time of my life in one of my earliest submissions, and I agree this show resonated with me heavily during that era. Was only a freshman back during those first set of episodes and I digged it.
-It’s great when Small reads out “why doesn’t Adult Swim pimp your show more?” Also laughing when the viewer says he thinks Home Movies is just as good as Family Guy and Robot Chicken. Me concur!
- Creators confirmed Benjamin HATED having McGuirk interact with his other character, Jason. Which is why Coach is less involved with Jason other than sometimes telling him to shut up.
- Small credits Teletoon broadcasts in Canada for Home Movies exposure.
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