2023 Holiday Special feat. Family Matters, Soul Man and The Nanny!

[00:00:00] Coming up on That Was a Show?

[00:00:04] For the 2023 very special holiday episode, the Toys team watches Christmas episodes from

[00:00:10] three classic shows, a very successful show, Family Matters, a failed or forgotten show,

[00:00:17] Soulman, and a wild card episode of a show with a particularly unusual format, The Nanny.

[00:00:25] And learn more than they ever wanted to know about Stefan or Kell.

[00:00:30] Join Brynn, Aaron and Barry as they usher in a nice relaxing holiday season.

[00:00:38] We grew up during peak sitcom, Seinfeld, Friends, The Fresh Prince.

[00:00:43] But those shows were diamonds in the rough.

[00:00:45] This podcast is not about those diamonds, it's about the rough.

[00:00:50] Some sitcoms were briefly popular in their time,

[00:00:53] some were canceled almost immediately.

[00:00:55] You probably won't recognize most of these, and you'll ask,

[00:00:59] That Was a Show?

[00:01:05] That was a show?

[00:01:09] The podcast about failed or forgotten sitcoms from the 80s and 90s, starring…

[00:01:15] Brynn Bernie

[00:01:17] Aaron Yeager

[00:01:18] And Andrew Helmer as Barry

[00:01:23] A Radio Gizmo Production

[00:01:32] Hey everyone, this is where we pretend that we haven't been chatting for 10 minutes already

[00:01:39] just because we started recording.

[00:01:41] Joy in the well.

[00:01:42] Yeah, Feliz Navidad.

[00:01:45] And welcome to our 2023 holiday special episode

[00:01:53] of the show.

[00:01:55] It's a show coming at you live.

[00:01:57] Yeah, spectacular is a lower case.

[00:02:01] Yeah, it is.

[00:02:03] Also, it's not coming at you live.

[00:02:05] It's a lot to tape.

[00:02:07] As soon as I…

[00:02:09] It's like, it's like, my mouth.

[00:02:11] This isn't live.

[00:02:13] This is our most chill holiday special episode ever because we didn't overthink it.

[00:02:19] We didn't overplan it.

[00:02:21] It doesn't have a huge theme or anything.

[00:02:23] We're just going to be cozy and we're going to be chatting about festive episodes of television

[00:02:31] of the days of your…

[00:02:33] And by the days of your, I mean, of course, the 80s and 90s.

[00:02:36] Yeah, indeed, indeed.

[00:02:38] Every year we've done something a little different for the holidays.

[00:02:42] This year, the three of us are reviewing three very different holiday special episodes from 90s sitcoms.

[00:02:48] One show will be a holiday episode from a very famous show that everyone's heard of and

[00:02:54] probably most have seen.

[00:02:55] Another will be from a failed or forgotten show that we recently reviewed.

[00:03:00] And the third will be what I'm calling a wildcard episode, something particularly

[00:03:05] weird or unusual in format.

[00:03:08] But before we kick things off, let's just settle into our holiday groove with a little…

[00:03:14] Yeah.

[00:03:15] A little self-reflexive chit chat of our 2023 year in podcasting and year in consuming popular culture.

[00:03:28] Okay.

[00:03:28] Yeah.

[00:03:30] I was thinking it would be interesting if we just kind of thought back at some of our favorite

[00:03:36] or least favorite moments from 2023.

[00:03:40] I can start us off or…

[00:03:41] Go ahead, Aaron.

[00:03:42] Or one of you can.

[00:03:44] By all means, my favorite moment overall was when the three of us met up by

[00:03:51] happenstance in Dublin, Ireland.

[00:03:53] And we were able to record a greeting for our father Ted episode.

[00:03:58] Yeah.

[00:03:58] That was definitely a highlight.

[00:04:00] Tues goes to Ireland.

[00:04:02] Yeah.

[00:04:02] It's one of our most listened two episodes, at least according to YouTube.

[00:04:08] Yeah.

[00:04:08] I mean, because of father Ted, because it's such a like popular show internationally.

[00:04:13] It's huge.

[00:04:16] Yeah.

[00:04:16] So I'm mad because I'm like, there might be a father Ted Christmas episode.

[00:04:23] I mean, there probably is.

[00:04:25] I mean, there's always next year.

[00:04:28] Yeah.

[00:04:28] Who's to say that we won't watch that next year?

[00:04:30] Yeah.

[00:04:31] So we've got to…

[00:04:34] Another favorite moment for me personally was getting to imitate Bob Newhart

[00:04:39] for our episode about the show Bob.

[00:04:42] Yeah, that was good.

[00:04:42] It wasn't so much my imitation that was great.

[00:04:45] It was the way the two of you reacted to it that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[00:04:50] It was…

[00:04:51] It was something else.

[00:04:52] It was like, it was really something to experience.

[00:04:58] Yeah.

[00:04:58] I committed to a bit.

[00:05:00] And I wanted to see how long it would take for each of you to catch on anyone listening

[00:05:05] who hasn't listened to our Bob episode.

[00:05:08] The best way to understand what I'm talking about is to just listen to that episode.

[00:05:14] My least favorite show to review, I was trying to think like, do I have a least favorite?

[00:05:20] I don't know if I have a least favorite, but shows that kind of

[00:05:26] annoyed me the most were probably either Dr. Doctor or going places.

[00:05:32] Yeah.

[00:05:32] That's a pretty good.

[00:05:33] Yeah.

[00:05:34] I mean, I was thinking that we'd been almost lucky in that like,

[00:05:39] I haven't…

[00:05:40] Nothing's really annoyed me that much, but you're going places really dead.

[00:05:46] So…

[00:05:46] Yeah, compared to previous seasons of That Was a Show, none of the shows we reviewed this year were

[00:05:54] like offensively bad, but some of them were at least not as much as some in the past.

[00:06:00] But…

[00:06:00] Dr. Doctor was…

[00:06:01] Dr. Doctor was…

[00:06:02] Dr. Doctor was…

[00:06:03] Yeah, a low point.

[00:06:05] Yeah.

[00:06:06] That was probably the closest to one where I'm like, I don't know.

[00:06:10] And it's not even…

[00:06:11] I don't know if I wanted to watch this.

[00:06:13] It's not even like that we always joke about Davis rules,

[00:06:18] but that was like a fun episode to do, whereas I found Dr. Doctor just like

[00:06:24] inseparable on all levels.

[00:06:25] Like I guess we had fun talking about it, but I was like,

[00:06:29] but not that much fun talking about it.

[00:06:30] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:06:31] I know what you mean.

[00:06:32] Davis rules was a bad show that was fun to talk about.

[00:06:36] Yeah.

[00:06:37] And…

[00:06:37] Yeah.

[00:06:38] I don't know. Dr. Doctor was not so fun to talk about.

[00:06:43] Neither was…

[00:06:44] I don't know.

[00:06:45] For me, going places was just…

[00:06:48] I think my problem with going places was

[00:06:51] the premise set me up for much higher expectations.

[00:06:54] Yeah.

[00:06:55] And then they were not fulfilled.

[00:06:57] Yeah.

[00:06:58] So I think in both of those shows cases, it's not that those shows are like

[00:07:02] so especially bad compared to a lot of things we've reviewed over time.

[00:07:06] It's just the gap between expectation and delivery was particularly stark.

[00:07:12] There.

[00:07:13] Yeah, it's very fair.

[00:07:14] Do either of you have any favorite or least favorite shows to add?

[00:07:19] Maybe a favorite show?

[00:07:20] I mean, I don't know if it's a favorite show,

[00:07:23] but my favorite revelation from…

[00:07:25] Because everything was fun this year.

[00:07:27] Like the wild thing is I was looking back kind of at our catalog of this year

[00:07:32] and I'm like, whoa, we did all of this this year.

[00:07:35] Like some of it time is so confusing because it felt like

[00:07:39] we did some of these two years ago.

[00:07:40] Like it's very odd.

[00:07:42] But I think my favorite…

[00:07:45] My two favorite things to talk about were Liz Knight,

[00:07:48] the Discover of Liz Knight, which we're going to follow up on next season.

[00:07:53] And just talking about the nanny bunch was fun, which no spoilers,

[00:07:59] but we'll be mentioning again today.

[00:08:03] Yeah, so that's like the two highlights that I had.

[00:08:08] And then I would say I just kind of echo what you have to say about the least favorites.

[00:08:14] Pretty much I'm aligned with you on that.

[00:08:16] And like, yeah, I don't think there's anything like I liked

[00:08:21] like less than Dr. Dr. Oh, the one thing I'll say is I found the George…

[00:08:28] So it was fun to talk about the George Carlin show because George Carlin is such a

[00:08:32] carlin is such a legend.

[00:08:34] But I didn't like the show.

[00:08:36] Like I found the show was like very disappointing because it was…

[00:08:40] It was a rough one.

[00:08:41] Yeah, because it was so mean-spirited.

[00:08:43] Like it was just like not even…

[00:08:45] That's a very good point.

[00:08:46] It's like actually, you know what?

[00:08:49] I might revise my vote for least favorite show because George Carlin…

[00:08:54] I had such high hopes for that show because of him.

[00:08:58] That show was so disappointing.

[00:09:01] And to me it doesn't detract from the amount that I like.

[00:09:06] Carlin because in like reading about the aftermath of the show,

[00:09:10] I think he recognized the mistakes that the show made perhaps.

[00:09:15] And it sounds like it may have been a bit of a like career turning point for him

[00:09:20] towards some of his better work coming after that.

[00:09:23] So, you know, that was a…

[00:09:28] Yeah, that was a rough one to…

[00:09:30] Okay, there.

[00:09:31] Your turn.

[00:09:31] What do you have to say?

[00:09:34] Yeah, I was going to throw a carlin is my favorite one probably.

[00:09:38] But, you know, there was a lot of ones that I enjoyed

[00:09:41] that I found myself surprised by.

[00:09:43] Like, you know, I did…

[00:09:46] I liked the single guy.

[00:09:48] I thought that was a lot fun.

[00:09:49] That was fun.

[00:09:50] Yeah.

[00:09:50] A lot funnier than I was anticipating.

[00:09:52] Yeah.

[00:09:52] Yeah.

[00:09:53] And a better collective cast than…

[00:09:57] I like love and war a bit because I really like the rhythms of it.

[00:10:03] Yeah.

[00:10:03] And I liked how it was like, you know,

[00:10:05] a real stage play over show.

[00:10:07] Yeah.

[00:10:08] There was a lot of good stuff we did this year in general.

[00:10:10] I didn't care…

[00:10:11] You know what I didn't care for?

[00:10:12] I didn't care for the crew.

[00:10:13] I didn't have the crew.

[00:10:15] I just looked down at my phone and saw a picture.

[00:10:18] And I was like,

[00:10:18] Oh yeah, that.

[00:10:20] Somehow completely forgot.

[00:10:21] It was probably only two months ago.

[00:10:23] So…

[00:10:24] Yeah, 2023…

[00:10:25] I did like…

[00:10:26] I did like soul man.

[00:10:27] So, hand spoilers…

[00:10:29] Again, 2023 has been a bit of a blur.

[00:10:32] Like, looking back at all the shows we reviewed.

[00:10:34] And it's a very wide variety of types of show.

[00:10:39] Like,

[00:10:39] Yeah, we did.

[00:10:40] We covered a lot of ground this year.

[00:10:43] And I hope you all enjoyed what we brought forward.

[00:10:48] You know, we had fun.

[00:10:49] We always have fun.

[00:10:50] But I think doing the show has become so much easier

[00:10:54] like in terms of just getting it together.

[00:10:57] Like, we've really gotten into a good groove

[00:11:00] and we've really found our…

[00:11:03] Yeah.

[00:11:04] We've really kind of found our way with it.

[00:11:06] So, yeah, here's to another great year of podcast.

[00:11:10] Cheers indeed indeed.

[00:11:13] Now…

[00:11:13] Yeah.

[00:11:15] Yeah, I mean, let's…

[00:11:16] Let's dive into it.

[00:11:19] Dive on in and kick off this three-ghosts of Christmas past

[00:11:23] that are these shows.

[00:11:27] That's a great segue.

[00:11:28] Okay.

[00:11:32] Well, what are we doing first?

[00:11:34] I think we should kick things off with Brynn talking to us

[00:11:38] about a very successful show

[00:11:41] that if you were alive in the 90s,

[00:11:45] you've probably seen at least some of this show.

[00:11:48] Yeah.

[00:11:49] So…

[00:11:50] So, I've selected Family Matters

[00:11:54] and it is season 8 episode 13 titled

[00:11:59] It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

[00:12:01] which is of course a reference to the classic Christmas Carol.

[00:12:07] And yeah, I chose this one for several reasons.

[00:12:10] Like, A, it's Family Matters.

[00:12:12] So, it's like one of the most popular

[00:12:15] and long-running sitcoms of the 90s that everyone knows.

[00:12:20] And B, I chose purposely a late season episode

[00:12:26] because that's basically when this series really jumped the shark

[00:12:30] and when things got real wacky.

[00:12:33] And…

[00:12:34] And I thank you for that.

[00:12:35] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:12:37] I'm sure you were both rolling your eyes

[00:12:39] when you were watching it.

[00:12:40] No, because if I'm going to sit down and watch Family Matters,

[00:12:44] I don't want to watch it when it was good.

[00:12:45] I don't want to watch the shit.

[00:12:47] Yeah, yeah.

[00:12:48] So basically, you know…

[00:12:51] There's so many sitcoms, not even from this era,

[00:12:54] but other eras that were like long-running

[00:12:56] and when things just got real weird.

[00:12:58] And the first example of this is

[00:13:01] where the term jumps to the shark comes from, which is Happy Days.

[00:13:06] And the jumps to the shark is basically when

[00:13:09] Fonzzi literally jumps over shark with his surfboard

[00:13:14] when he's surfing.

[00:13:15] Motorcycle.

[00:13:16] Is it motorcycle?

[00:13:17] It's a shark in a tank.

[00:13:19] Oh, okay, so it was wrong.

[00:13:21] Anyway, it doesn't matter.

[00:13:22] It's equally dumb.

[00:13:24] It's basically…

[00:13:25] You know, it's even weirder is that

[00:13:26] I have a third version of it that I thought it was.

[00:13:29] Oh my gosh!

[00:13:30] Is it going to be a lot of water skis?

[00:13:32] Yeah, no, I did too.

[00:13:34] I thought it was in the water.

[00:13:35] I thought it was a surfing thing.

[00:13:36] Well, we're going to have to confirm this.

[00:13:37] Now I'm second-guessing myself.

[00:13:39] But at the end of the episode, we'll confirm this.

[00:13:41] But at any rate, the whole jump to shark phenomenon

[00:13:44] is basically when they run out of ideas.

[00:13:46] Oh, bear is right.

[00:13:48] See?

[00:13:49] It's water skis.

[00:13:50] It's water skis.

[00:13:51] Because I've seen it.

[00:13:53] So I knew my brain was like, no,

[00:13:56] I've seen the episode.

[00:13:57] So it's in the ocean.

[00:14:02] It's on a beach and yeah.

[00:14:05] It's that turning point in a sitcom

[00:14:07] that's been on for years

[00:14:09] and they run out of ideas

[00:14:10] and they really need to ratchet up

[00:14:12] the camp

[00:14:13] and they need to keep things.

[00:14:15] They go way too far with high concept

[00:14:18] and things just get real wacky

[00:14:20] and we're at this point in family matters.

[00:14:24] So essentially, the storyline is...

[00:14:27] No, it starts off normal enough.

[00:14:29] It's the standard.

[00:14:30] The wind's lows are getting very excited

[00:14:33] about Christmas

[00:14:35] and we open on their living room

[00:14:38] where there's an inexplicable amount of decorations.

[00:14:42] I don't even know how Harriet stored those every year

[00:14:45] because there's so many decorations.

[00:14:47] At house is massive.

[00:14:49] Well, it is a big house

[00:14:50] but it's so many decorations.

[00:14:53] That's going to be a tower of boxes

[00:14:57] and top to bottom wall to wall

[00:14:59] every square inch of every surface.

[00:15:01] Decorations.

[00:15:02] Tinsle and lights everywhere.

[00:15:04] Garland.

[00:15:05] So this...

[00:15:06] You've never seen before.

[00:15:07] So this episode aired...

[00:15:09] I don't know if I said the date

[00:15:10] but it aired December 13th, 1996

[00:15:13] and it could not be a more mid-90s setup

[00:15:17] because the decorations look exactly like things

[00:15:21] that I had in my home as a kid.

[00:15:23] Like it was like bright,

[00:15:24] gaudy, like red and green,

[00:15:26] everything.

[00:15:28] Everything kind of like

[00:15:29] was mimicking some weird old-timey theme

[00:15:32] like some sort of like Victorian era

[00:15:35] but yeah, it was still flashy somehow

[00:15:38] so yeah, it was pretty funny.

[00:15:41] So we open on Harriet.

[00:15:43] She's very excitedly putting up all the decorations

[00:15:45] and then Carl comes home

[00:15:47] and announces that this year

[00:15:48] he's going to go get a tree from the woods

[00:15:51] and it's free

[00:15:52] and that was like an ongoing joke with Carl

[00:15:55] where you know he's kind of

[00:15:58] you know not a...

[00:15:59] He never got used to the money.

[00:16:01] He's never gotten used to the money that they have.

[00:16:04] Exactly.

[00:16:04] So he's always trying to save a buck

[00:16:06] and he's very excited because some guy

[00:16:08] that he knows has like this

[00:16:10] like huge property with a wooded area

[00:16:15] and he's like yeah,

[00:16:16] go cut down an evergreen on my property

[00:16:18] like no problem.

[00:16:19] Like it's like a very heavily wooded area

[00:16:22] and some remote area

[00:16:24] and yeah, so basically Carl is like

[00:16:29] immediately telling Eddie

[00:16:30] that they're going to go out together.

[00:16:33] It's this like Winslow men tradition

[00:16:36] Steve is also there.

[00:16:38] Steve Irkall, the iconic Steve Irkall

[00:16:41] and he is upset because he wants to be a Winslow man.

[00:16:45] He's always had this weird relationship

[00:16:47] with the family.

[00:16:48] He's never had any boundaries

[00:16:50] and just desperately wants to be a part

[00:16:52] of the Winslow clan

[00:16:54] and so he's immediately asking to go with them

[00:16:57] and you know it's like

[00:17:00] it's one of these things where it's like

[00:17:02] why would they let Steve go with them

[00:17:04] eventually they give in

[00:17:05] and but Eddie also realizes

[00:17:09] that he has a conflict

[00:17:10] because he's going to be of course

[00:17:12] performing as Santa at a Christmas concert

[00:17:16] at a children's hospital.

[00:17:18] So you know, because everyone was super

[00:17:21] charitable in 90s to come.

[00:17:23] It's nice to see

[00:17:24] but not necessarily realistic

[00:17:26] for a lot of like middle class families.

[00:17:30] So basically it long story short

[00:17:35] it ends up being just Steve and Carl

[00:17:38] which is Carl's nightmare.

[00:17:39] They have a very like weird toxic relationship

[00:17:43] where they keep putting themselves

[00:17:45] in situations together

[00:17:46] but Carl has like the least amount of patience

[00:17:50] for a human being that ever existed

[00:17:53] for Steve Irkall.

[00:17:54] I truly forgotten

[00:17:56] the comic levels of Reginald Vell Johnson's rage

[00:18:00] at Steve Irkall.

[00:18:02] At this point it's just a repeating bit

[00:18:04] of Carl like blowing his top over Steve

[00:18:08] just being annoying and Steve being clumsy

[00:18:10] and it's just you know

[00:18:12] so also the bee plot

[00:18:17] here's where it gets white.

[00:18:18] Okay before before we go in

[00:18:21] I have the backstory on all this

[00:18:23] so don't worry.

[00:18:24] Oh yeah but this is where I want to loop

[00:18:27] I wanna before we go here

[00:18:30] I wanna see how much Aaron watched family matters

[00:18:33] and did he know

[00:18:35] what the fuck was going on.

[00:18:37] Okay yeah

[00:18:38] I did watch family matters as a kid a lot.

[00:18:43] Okay I also wanna say I enjoyed then

[00:18:46] and I still enjoy now Carl a lot.

[00:18:50] Yeah absolutely

[00:18:51] I love Carl Winslow one of the best

[00:18:53] Carl Winslow one of the best yep love Carl

[00:18:57] love when he blows his top love everything about him.

[00:19:00] Yeah

[00:19:01] Yeah

[00:19:02] Now they're all they're all I

[00:19:03] Harry it's great.

[00:19:04] Harry yeah they're all

[00:19:05] They're all great performance.

[00:19:07] Very very funny.

[00:19:08] Anyway so you knew okay see you knew what was going on here

[00:19:11] and

[00:19:12] and

[00:19:12] So it's not one of those cases where Aaron

[00:19:16] just knows nothing.

[00:19:17] No I know a lot about the show

[00:19:20] Steve Erkle is a character that

[00:19:23] You couldn't not know about Steve Erkle and then of course

[00:19:26] You could not know about him

[00:19:27] and I would say like my impression of

[00:19:30] where the show went off the rails

[00:19:32] which was confirmed by watching this particular episode

[00:19:37] Oh it went off the rails way sooner

[00:19:39] Yeah right two seasons earlier

[00:19:41] Yeah

[00:19:42] Basically

[00:19:43] Like Steve Erkle was a hugely successful breakout character

[00:19:47] for a 90s sitcom

[00:19:49] hugely successful

[00:19:50] But the thing is

[00:19:52] But we're not talking about Steve Erkle yet

[00:19:54] I know

[00:19:55] The thing is that

[00:19:57] Yeah

[00:19:58] Out of that came

[00:20:01] This whole thing of Stefan or Kelle

[00:20:04] Steve Erkle's alter ego

[00:20:07] And

[00:20:08] I knew bits and pieces

[00:20:10] Of that aspect of it because I would say most of the episodes

[00:20:13] of the show that I watched as a kid

[00:20:16] were like early seasons syndicated episodes

[00:20:19] that were young Steve Erkle

[00:20:22] And I have memories of his whole

[00:20:26] Clark Kent into Superman, Stefan or Kelle thing

[00:20:31] But I didn't have a clear memory of like

[00:20:33] How all of that unfolded

[00:20:35] Like what the origin of it was

[00:20:38] How far they took it

[00:20:41] So I didn't have like a

[00:20:42] I just knew that Stefan was like the

[00:20:44] The slick cool guy version of him

[00:20:47] That's like not a nerd or whatever

[00:20:48] But like

[00:20:50] I definitely disengaged from the show

[00:20:52] When they started to overdo the Erkle

[00:20:55] Stick

[00:20:56] And so

[00:20:59] Yeah

[00:21:00] It was interesting to see this representation

[00:21:02] Of how far that went

[00:21:04] So okay, so the wild thing is

[00:21:06] This is like a really jarring episode to randomly watch

[00:21:09] Because

[00:21:10] The B plot as I've started teeing up

[00:21:15] Is a love triangle between Laura Winslow

[00:21:20] Her current boyfriend Curtis

[00:21:23] And Stefan or Kelle

[00:21:25] And so I know you all are thinking out there

[00:21:28] Well how could that be

[00:21:29] How could we have Steve Erkle

[00:21:31] And Stefan or Kelle in the same episode

[00:21:35] Yes, I did think that

[00:21:36] So essentially

[00:21:38] I had to kind of go and like look

[00:21:41] At the previous episode

[00:21:43] So I had to go as far back as season 7

[00:21:46] So

[00:21:47] I remember I

[00:21:49] So I didn't do any

[00:21:50] I started watching the episode

[00:21:51] And I was like oh we're at this point

[00:21:53] Yeah

[00:21:54] My note was just like wait

[00:21:56] Stefan is a separate person now

[00:21:58] Okay, so okay, so let's

[00:21:59] Let's backtrack even further

[00:22:01] To explain to people who possibly don't know

[00:22:04] So Stefan or Kelle as Aaron mentioned

[00:22:07] Is the cool alter ego of Steve Erkle

[00:22:11] And Stefan or Kelle came about farther back

[00:22:15] Like I don't know the exact season that

[00:22:18] The first appearance of Stefan or Kelle was

[00:22:20] But basically Steve because he's a scientific genius

[00:22:24] Came up with what he called his cool gene

[00:22:26] And it was basically the solution

[00:22:28] That would like change his like DNA

[00:22:31] Or whatever

[00:22:32] And make him a

[00:22:34] A cool smooth

[00:22:37] Lithuario of a young man

[00:22:40] And basically

[00:22:42] Not a professor's it

[00:22:43] Yeah, he knows professors it

[00:22:45] That's a very good

[00:22:46] That's a very good

[00:22:48] You know

[00:22:49] Analogy

[00:22:50] So anyway

[00:22:52] Yeah, so Steve drinks the cool gene

[00:22:55] And then

[00:22:56] Becomes Stefan or Kelle

[00:22:58] And Laura Winslow

[00:23:00] Immediately becomes Gaga over Stefan or Kelle

[00:23:04] And so that's like this whole complicated thing in their relationship

[00:23:07] Because Steve Erkle has always been in love with

[00:23:11] Laura Winslow and she always has thought he was just too much of a nerd

[00:23:16] And never gave him the time of day

[00:23:17] But the cool version of him

[00:23:19] She's like desperately in love with him

[00:23:22] So yeah, so Stefan or Kelle

[00:23:26] Kind of pops up here and there

[00:23:27] And then eventually Steve takes his

[00:23:30] Transformation technique even further

[00:23:32] And creates a chamber

[00:23:34] In which he can transform into Stefan

[00:23:37] And then later into Elvis Presley

[00:23:39] And then later into Bruce Lee

[00:23:41] And then all these other really ridiculous

[00:23:45] And if the audience goes

[00:23:47] And if the audience listening right now

[00:23:49] It isn't familiar with this show

[00:23:51] If you're thinking

[00:23:52] Maybe this show was just across the board

[00:23:54] Something very fantastical

[00:23:56] With a lot of surrealist elements

[00:23:58] It was meant to be a grounded sitcom

[00:24:00] Five seasons deep

[00:24:02] Is when it starts going off the rails

[00:24:04] Yeah, so okay

[00:24:05] So now we're at the point in

[00:24:07] In the season where

[00:24:10] Okay and again we have to go

[00:24:12] We have to jump ahead now to season seven

[00:24:15] So there's the season finale of season seven

[00:24:20] Steve

[00:24:22] Comes to a new scientific

[00:24:25] Breakthrough where he is now able to clone

[00:24:28] So oh no

[00:24:30] Clones himself

[00:24:32] And then reeks havoc on the Winslow family

[00:24:35] Because the oh my gosh there's two Steve

[00:24:38] So it's double the annoyance, double the treble

[00:24:41] And then Laura comes up with a scheme that

[00:24:44] Okay, here's the perfect solution

[00:24:47] Because of course I think

[00:24:48] Myra's in the picture at this point

[00:24:50] In Steven's in season seven

[00:24:53] And myra is actually in love with Steve

[00:24:56] So she loves Steve Erkel for who he is

[00:24:59] Laura is still obsessed with

[00:25:02] Stefan or Kel

[00:25:03] So there's always this push and pull of like

[00:25:06] Which a version will he be

[00:25:08] And which woman will he

[00:25:09] Or like

[00:25:10] Be with

[00:25:11] And then Laura just suggests that they change

[00:25:14] The clone into a permanent

[00:25:17] Stefan or Kel

[00:25:18] So that's what they end up doing

[00:25:20] So

[00:25:21] Yeah

[00:25:22] So it's to live a whole separate life

[00:25:24] Is Stefan or Kel

[00:25:26] Yeah

[00:25:26] And then just becomes a reoccurring character on the show

[00:25:29] Yeah so Stefan becomes a permanent fixture

[00:25:32] That's so much dumber than I thought it would be

[00:25:34] Yeah yeah yeah

[00:25:35] I assumed

[00:25:36] But wait for it

[00:25:37] You're not running out of the woods yet

[00:25:39] Oh okay

[00:25:40] Then at the beginning of season eight

[00:25:44] Okay

[00:25:45] Steve then has another breakthrough

[00:25:50] And is able to like to transport people

[00:25:54] With another machine

[00:25:55] No

[00:25:56] Yeah so he's able to send people across the world to Paris

[00:26:01] Why

[00:26:02] So he sends himself

[00:26:03] And the entire Winslow family

[00:26:05] And Stefan

[00:26:06] No

[00:26:07] To Paris

[00:26:07] No

[00:26:08] And it's a three-part episode

[00:26:10] No

[00:26:14] And okay

[00:26:15] And so basically what happens

[00:26:17] By the end of the three-parter

[00:26:19] Is Stefan is recruited to be a model

[00:26:23] A male model

[00:26:25] A model

[00:26:27] And decides to live in Milan to pursue the dream

[00:26:31] What

[00:26:31] And breaks Laura's heart

[00:26:33] And Laura has to go back to the states

[00:26:35] And then we're now

[00:26:37] The rest of the season is Laura

[00:26:39] Then kind of dating this Curtis guy

[00:26:42] As a rebound from her heartbreak from Stefan

[00:26:46] In her like long-distance thing

[00:26:48] And then Stefan comes back

[00:26:51] In this episode that we're talking about now

[00:26:54] So that's why it's like a love triangle

[00:26:56] And even before that there was like a love triangle with Curtis

[00:26:59] Because her friend Maxine was also into Curtis

[00:27:02] So it's like this whole thing

[00:27:04] Where Laura has this complicated love life

[00:27:06] Poor Laura

[00:27:07] You know

[00:27:07] Poor Laura

[00:27:08] The man of her dreams is simply a clone

[00:27:10] Of her annoying childhood neighbor

[00:27:13] And you know

[00:27:14] But how does all

[00:27:15] But how does all that end

[00:27:16] Do you remember

[00:27:18] Well they eventually get engaged in Disney World

[00:27:21] Or

[00:27:22] Oh no

[00:27:24] Steve

[00:27:24] That is

[00:27:25] Stefan

[00:27:26] No, Steve

[00:27:28] Yes

[00:27:29] Sorry

[00:27:30] Stefan proposes

[00:27:31] Steve and Laura end up being the one that engaged

[00:27:34] She chooses Steve over Stefan

[00:27:36] I don't remember that part

[00:27:38] But that is wild

[00:27:39] The show basically ends with Steve and Laura

[00:27:42] Have finally gotten together

[00:27:44] The next season was going to be their wedding

[00:27:47] They were cancelled

[00:27:48] So and so

[00:27:49] And just so I can confirm this

[00:27:51] So

[00:27:52] Steve Irkall and Laura

[00:27:54] Get engaged

[00:27:55] Stefan or Kell in this scenario

[00:27:57] Still exists as a cool guy clone

[00:28:01] That's correct

[00:28:01] And he is presumably

[00:28:03] Off cavorting with whomever else

[00:28:05] I mean you

[00:28:06] We see that he does

[00:28:07] The international man of the life

[00:28:08] We see that he does just fine on

[00:28:10] So he's doing fun

[00:28:12] He's getting offered modeling contracts left and right

[00:28:15] But like I forgot that he's not like

[00:28:18] I think I expected a tune in

[00:28:20] Be like yeah man or Kell

[00:28:23] He's not that cool

[00:28:24] No he's so dope

[00:28:26] I

[00:28:27] This is what's wild after we watched this episode

[00:28:30] I had to watch the clip of the first

[00:28:33] Like that first episode with Stefan

[00:28:35] Where you know

[00:28:36] They're they're they have the party

[00:28:38] And he's kind of seducing her with his dance moves

[00:28:42] And I'm like this is literally the dorkiest thing

[00:28:44] I've ever seen

[00:28:46] Yes, I remember him

[00:28:48] But at the time we were supposed to believe like

[00:28:50] Whoa this guy's smooth and he's cool

[00:28:52] I think when I was

[00:28:53] I think when I was 12 or 13 or whatever

[00:28:56] I did think he was cool

[00:28:58] But watching it now I'm like

[00:29:01] This is just someone

[00:29:02] Like Pepe La Pue and human

[00:29:05] Lifeform

[00:29:06] But also it's so

[00:29:07] But also it's so try hard

[00:29:09] Like someone who's someone who's actually cool

[00:29:12] Doesn't need to put on such a show

[00:29:14] Yeah

[00:29:15] Like doesn't mean you need to act like such an intense presence in the room

[00:29:20] Yeah

[00:29:20] He's just annoying in a different way

[00:29:23] From Steve Virgil

[00:29:24] He just has that

[00:29:25] And it dresses like not a normal teenager

[00:29:27] He's wearing these big boxy 90s blazers

[00:29:30] That an RMB singer would

[00:29:32] Which was partly just the style of time

[00:29:35] But like you know what it is

[00:29:37] It's like you know the trope

[00:29:38] In movies or TV shows

[00:29:40] Where it's usually a trope that they do with women

[00:29:43] Where there's like a woman who has like

[00:29:44] Glasses in her hairs in a bun

[00:29:46] And she takes off the glasses

[00:29:47] And she lets her hair down

[00:29:49] And suddenly everyone thinks that now she's beautiful

[00:29:52] That's what Stephon or Kelle is

[00:29:54] It's just Steve Virgil

[00:29:56] Takes off the glasses

[00:29:57] That takes off the suspenders

[00:29:59] And stands up straight

[00:30:01] Yeah

[00:30:02] Yeah

[00:30:03] Part of the I've always wondered

[00:30:04] And you know I could look

[00:30:06] But I'm not gonna

[00:30:07] It's family matters

[00:30:08] Part of me wonders is

[00:30:09] So the show is getting big and big and big

[00:30:11] And obviously

[00:30:13] Erkel is the reason

[00:30:14] Yeah

[00:30:14] Yeah

[00:30:15] You, Erkel didn't even start

[00:30:16] Like the show doesn't introduce Erkel

[00:30:18] For a few episodes in New York

[00:30:20] He's not there from the beginning

[00:30:22] Yeah

[00:30:22] But he becomes the big breakout

[00:30:23] And they have merchandising and all that

[00:30:25] Part of me wonders

[00:30:26] If Erkel is

[00:30:29] If it was Joliel White's idea

[00:30:32] Mostly to

[00:30:33] Being starting to worry about his career

[00:30:35] Yeah I could have been

[00:30:36] Right

[00:30:37] It really would have been

[00:30:38] Showing that he's not

[00:30:40] This guy

[00:30:41] Like Erkel

[00:30:42] Oh my god

[00:30:43] He's next level

[00:30:44] Like annoying

[00:30:45] And like

[00:30:45] He was a kid

[00:30:47] I love family matters

[00:30:48] But even as a kid

[00:30:49] I remember not liking Erkel

[00:30:51] Yeah

[00:30:52] I wasn't there for Erkel

[00:30:53] I was there for the family

[00:30:55] You would be annoyed with him

[00:30:56] Like he was

[00:30:58] I was right there

[00:30:59] With the Winslow

[00:31:00] So I was like rolling my eyes

[00:31:01] Every time he would come in

[00:31:02] And like

[00:31:04] It is such an involved performance

[00:31:06] That you can't deny

[00:31:08] That it's a great sitcom character

[00:31:10] And like he's so good there

[00:31:12] Yeah because it's so singular

[00:31:13] You know

[00:31:13] Yeah

[00:31:14] And you can't deny the talent

[00:31:16] Of

[00:31:17] Of the performance

[00:31:18] I mean

[00:31:19] The slapstick choreography

[00:31:22] Is exceptional

[00:31:23] Oh man

[00:31:23] Him

[00:31:24] Him destroying

[00:31:26] Just like destroying

[00:31:28] All the presents

[00:31:29] The high of the presents

[00:31:29] Yeah

[00:31:30] In like 30 seconds

[00:31:32] Genius

[00:31:32] Yeah

[00:31:33] It was a great

[00:31:35] Very good playing that

[00:31:37] Very annoying character

[00:31:38] Okay so we have to get into the rest of the episode

[00:31:40] We went on a big tangent

[00:31:41] Because we had to

[00:31:42] Frankly

[00:31:43] We had to

[00:31:44] We had to explain the whole reason

[00:31:46] Why Stefan and Steve were

[00:31:49] Still you know in the same episode

[00:31:51] I wish the whole episode was

[00:31:52] I wish our whole episode was about this episode

[00:31:55] So yes

[00:31:57] Let's keep going

[00:31:58] So let's keep going

[00:31:59] Okay so

[00:31:59] Steve and Carl head to the

[00:32:01] Like whatever you would call it

[00:32:03] It's not really a lot

[00:32:04] It's like a

[00:32:06] It's basically the woods

[00:32:08] Deep woods with the

[00:32:09] The absolute realist

[00:32:13] I've ever seen

[00:32:15] So okay

[00:32:16] So this is great that you

[00:32:17] Do you imagine this

[00:32:18] Because at first at the very first glance

[00:32:20] I was like oh this is a very

[00:32:22] Like a labyrinth set

[00:32:23] Like good for them

[00:32:24] But then

[00:32:25] Like the insert and shots

[00:32:26] You could see

[00:32:27] And it was like a painted

[00:32:29] I almost

[00:32:29] I almost expected like to have like

[00:32:32] Carl like leading on it

[00:32:34] Yeah and then not notice

[00:32:36] So it's like fully

[00:32:37] Like this like wood

[00:32:39] Woodland mural

[00:32:40] That's like painted

[00:32:41] Like an elaborate painted backdrop

[00:32:43] And then they put some real

[00:32:45] Some real looking trees

[00:32:47] In front of it

[00:32:48] And it's like oh my god

[00:32:49] People worked really hard on this

[00:32:51] Like you know

[00:32:52] But the depth of feel

[00:32:53] This all around you

[00:32:54] I remember

[00:32:55] So

[00:32:56] Oh my god

[00:32:57] I don't know if this would have made it better

[00:32:59] But I remember in the days

[00:33:00] When shows started

[00:33:01] Getting remastered into HD

[00:33:03] And the thing that people were commenting

[00:33:05] On the most was like

[00:33:06] You could see the the makeup on the actor's faces

[00:33:09] You could see yeah

[00:33:10] Like details like that

[00:33:12] But really

[00:33:13] That's nothing compared to how weird it is

[00:33:15] To see an obvious flat

[00:33:18] Two-dimensional painted backdrop

[00:33:19] That like on our crappy

[00:33:23] Standard definition

[00:33:24] VHS quality TV broadcasts at the time

[00:33:27] And fun

[00:33:28] It was really fun

[00:33:29] It was completely fine

[00:33:30] We bought it we bought that it was the woods

[00:33:32] You know

[00:33:32] Yeah there were no pixels to spare

[00:33:34] Where you can see that problem

[00:33:37] But we haven't seen this in glorious HD

[00:33:40] Yeah

[00:33:40] It was crisp

[00:33:41] It was crisp

[00:33:43] So okay so they go out to the woods

[00:33:46] And they find

[00:33:48] You know the tree

[00:33:49] And predictably

[00:33:50] Steve's being really annoying

[00:33:51] And and

[00:33:54] Carls like flipping out on him left and right

[00:33:56] They finally

[00:33:57] They find a tree that they like

[00:33:58] And they're about to cut it down

[00:34:01] And

[00:34:03] They do

[00:34:04] And there's like this kind of scuffle

[00:34:06] Between the two of them

[00:34:07] Because Steve really wants to cut it down

[00:34:09] With the axe and he's like

[00:34:11] Which by the way I don't think you normally

[00:34:12] Use an axe

[00:34:13] To cut down a Christmas tree

[00:34:15] Well

[00:34:16] You know the saw

[00:34:17] You know anyway

[00:34:18] So they find their tree

[00:34:19] And then they realize

[00:34:21] That it has been snowing pretty hard

[00:34:23] The entire time that they've been out there

[00:34:26] So their tracks are going to be covered

[00:34:28] And they won't be able to find it

[00:34:30] Like find their way back to their car

[00:34:32] So essentially they get lost

[00:34:34] And they're going back and forth

[00:34:36] Like when it cuts back

[00:34:38] Like obviously this is an intercut

[00:34:39] With all the scenes with the love triangle

[00:34:42] Laura does eventually break up with Curtis

[00:34:44] Forced to fawn

[00:34:45] She makes her big decision

[00:34:47] After some sage advice from Harriet

[00:34:49] We're in Harriet talks about her own love triangle

[00:34:52] So it's like lots of love triangles in this show

[00:34:55] But it is

[00:34:56] Anyway

[00:34:57] Yeah so

[00:34:59] It gets later

[00:35:00] And you know they're getting to

[00:35:02] They're starting to panic

[00:35:03] Because they really cannot find their way back

[00:35:06] And they end up

[00:35:09] Back where they were

[00:35:11] Where the tree they took down the tree

[00:35:12] Because they find Steve's scarf that he left behind

[00:35:15] So

[00:35:15] You know they they decide

[00:35:17] Okay well we need to stop and take a rest

[00:35:20] We need to light a fire

[00:35:21] We need to like

[00:35:23] You know warm up

[00:35:24] And take a rest

[00:35:25] Because we're not finding the car anytime soon

[00:35:27] So they do that

[00:35:29] And there's all this stick with

[00:35:31] You know they only have a couple matches

[00:35:34] And Steve sneezes one out

[00:35:36] And like it's you know

[00:35:38] Like the predictable stuff

[00:35:40] And they have a sentimental heart to heart

[00:35:42] They have a heart to heart

[00:35:43] Where basically I think it's because

[00:35:45] I think they're going to die

[00:35:46] And Steve is like

[00:35:48] You know

[00:35:48] Carl

[00:35:49] You're like the person I admire the most in the world

[00:35:52] And Carl's incredulous

[00:35:53] Because he's like I'm so mean to you

[00:35:56] Yeah

[00:35:57] But it touches Carl

[00:35:58] Because Carl is you know

[00:36:01] Yes he's grumpy with Steve but at the end of the day

[00:36:03] He's like a warm-hearted person

[00:36:05] So they have a nice little moment

[00:36:07] And of course

[00:36:09] The the score

[00:36:11] Just does all the heavy lifting

[00:36:12] If telling you what to feel

[00:36:14] Because it's like that sassy saxophone

[00:36:17] That the sassy is the saxophone

[00:36:19] Yeah where it's it's telling you

[00:36:20] You know you should feel

[00:36:22] Yeah you should feel like really sentimental now

[00:36:25] And then

[00:36:27] Then

[00:36:28] Ultimately they get out

[00:36:30] Because Steve notices

[00:36:32] Like the stars

[00:36:33] The sky has cleared

[00:36:34] It's like a clear night sky

[00:36:36] And Steve can clearly see the constellations

[00:36:40] And this helps guide their way back to the car

[00:36:44] And then he makes his comment

[00:36:45] Which I found kind of funny and perplexing

[00:36:48] Because he's like

[00:36:49] Carl's like

[00:36:50] Oh like what I don't know what Carl says

[00:36:52] But he's like

[00:36:53] Steve says this is like a Christmas miracle

[00:36:56] A courtesy of the big big guy

[00:36:58] And when he says big big guy

[00:37:00] It's because he calls Carl big guy

[00:37:03] So Steve is referring to a different

[00:37:05] More important big guy

[00:37:07] He points to the sky and says the big big guy

[00:37:09] And I'm like

[00:37:09] Does he mean God or does he mean Santa?

[00:37:12] He means God

[00:37:13] He means God

[00:37:14] This is not a Christian show

[00:37:15] Like it's very weird

[00:37:16] He might have meant Santa

[00:37:18] Yeah

[00:37:18] He means God

[00:37:19] No, he means God

[00:37:20] Yeah, I guess

[00:37:22] sitcoms in the 90s were very

[00:37:24] Very

[00:37:25] They

[00:37:26] They were so

[00:37:28] Catholic that they didn't even need to specify it

[00:37:30] More

[00:37:31] It was just ingrained into all of them

[00:37:35] But anyway

[00:37:36] So they get home finally

[00:37:39] And then it's like

[00:37:40] The whole family is gathered in the living room

[00:37:43] And

[00:37:44] They're decorated

[00:37:45] It's like late at night

[00:37:46] And they've decorated the tree

[00:37:48] And they start singing Oh Christmas tree

[00:37:50] And Steve for whatever reason

[00:37:53] Is crashing there again

[00:37:54] So he goes up there

[00:37:56] No, he lives there now

[00:37:57] Does he?

[00:37:57] What

[00:37:58] Yeah, his parents ditched him

[00:37:59] Like halfway through the show

[00:38:00] And he moves in with the wallers

[00:38:02] Okay, so I have to then

[00:38:04] Do a sidebar to one of my questions

[00:38:05] That I wrote down

[00:38:06] So they can just never escape him

[00:38:08] Can I ask him

[00:38:09] Do we

[00:38:10] When I say we the audience

[00:38:12] Ever meet Erkel's parents

[00:38:14] On this show

[00:38:15] No, I don't believe so

[00:38:17] No

[00:38:18] But the joke is that his parents hate him

[00:38:20] And it's kind of sad

[00:38:22] Yeah, they they moved

[00:38:24] Wow

[00:38:25] I think they moved to Russia

[00:38:27] What randomly

[00:38:27] They say they moved to Russia

[00:38:29] And they leave them there

[00:38:29] And then

[00:38:30] The winds the winds will just take them in

[00:38:32] Oh

[00:38:32] He lives in the basement

[00:38:33] Because remember

[00:38:33] That's where all his

[00:38:35] For all his inventions are

[00:38:36] Oh, that is where the inventions are

[00:38:38] He lives upstairs like

[00:38:39] Well, I don't know

[00:38:40] Maybe

[00:38:41] I don't know

[00:38:41] Maybe he lives in Judy's room

[00:38:43] Cause she ain't there no more

[00:38:44] Yeah, Judy is the middle daughter

[00:38:46] That mysteriously disappeared

[00:38:48] And Ritchie didn't

[00:38:49] Ritchie

[00:38:49] Like disappear or

[00:38:51] Oh, they mentioned him in this episode

[00:38:53] They mentioned him

[00:38:54] But he's like not shown at all

[00:38:56] So it's like very

[00:38:57] His mom is not there

[00:38:58] Yeah, so it's like what happened to Aunt Rachel

[00:39:00] Like

[00:39:02] I don't know

[00:39:02] A lot of people

[00:39:03] Like disappeared

[00:39:04] And like it's just

[00:39:05] Like a vortex in that

[00:39:07] The house

[00:39:08] Wow

[00:39:08] But yeah

[00:39:09] You know

[00:39:10] They have all these

[00:39:11] Like

[00:39:12] Steve

[00:39:13] Like Stefan

[00:39:14] And Steve

[00:39:15] All the way to the house

[00:39:16] Aside from the whole

[00:39:18] All the shenanigans

[00:39:19] Ran Stefano or Kell

[00:39:21] This was a

[00:39:22] This was a

[00:39:23] Like when you take that aspect of it out

[00:39:26] This was a classic example of a

[00:39:28] 90s

[00:39:29] Special episode

[00:39:31] With like

[00:39:32] For sure

[00:39:32] Almost like double bottle episodes

[00:39:34] Sort of thing

[00:39:35] With the

[00:39:36] With the sentimental

[00:39:37] Moralizing

[00:39:38] And the heart to heart

[00:39:40] There's always a disaster

[00:39:41] That

[00:39:42] Lost somewhere

[00:39:43] Stuck somewhere

[00:39:44] Yeah, that speaks them

[00:39:45] From like

[00:39:46] Some aspect of Christmas

[00:39:48] Festivities or

[00:39:49] Threatens Christmas festivities

[00:39:51] And that's what happened

[00:39:53] In this case where

[00:39:54] You know there's the threat

[00:39:55] Of Carl and Steve

[00:39:57] Freezing to death in the woods

[00:39:59] And you know

[00:40:01] They have to get back

[00:40:02] And

[00:40:03] You know there's some sort of

[00:40:06] Moral

[00:40:06] Like some like miracle

[00:40:08] Or some moral moment

[00:40:09] Where like they come together

[00:40:11] In a time of

[00:40:12] You know

[00:40:13] Crisis

[00:40:14] Yeah, and that's like a very

[00:40:16] Standard sort of storyline

[00:40:18] For especially this era

[00:40:20] But I think any sitcom

[00:40:22] That does a holiday episode

[00:40:24] That's the direction they go to

[00:40:26] Where it's like the true meaning of Christmas

[00:40:28] As your relationships with people

[00:40:30] And you know

[00:40:32] Telling people you care about them

[00:40:33] And blah blah blah

[00:40:35] Making good moral decisions

[00:40:36] Yeah, yeah

[00:40:37] I think it to that to that end

[00:40:39] This was a very good

[00:40:41] Choice for an iconic

[00:40:43] archetypal

[00:40:44] Well, you're welcome

[00:40:45] But I mostly did it for the whole

[00:40:46] Staphon thing

[00:40:48] Yeah, I also just want to say like

[00:40:50] You know what

[00:40:51] Bumped for me

[00:40:52] Was

[00:40:53] After Laura

[00:40:55] Comes to the recognition

[00:40:56] That she needs to break it off

[00:40:58] With one of these two guys

[00:41:00] Yeah

[00:41:00] They don't show the scene

[00:41:02] We ran too long

[00:41:03] Yeah, they don't show a scene

[00:41:05] Between her and Curtis

[00:41:07] Instead they show a scene

[00:41:09] Between Curtis and Staphon or Kelle

[00:41:12] Where Curtis is angrily confronting

[00:41:14] Stefan or Kelle

[00:41:15] And the whole like jealousy of her choosing him

[00:41:18] And I'm like

[00:41:19] I don't know

[00:41:20] I feel like the much more appropriate payoff

[00:41:23] For

[00:41:24] Would be seeing Laura do the right thing

[00:41:27] And like break off

[00:41:28] And telling the truth

[00:41:29] I was like

[00:41:30] I guess they're setting up future plotlines

[00:41:32] Of like

[00:41:33] Orkelle and Curtis

[00:41:35] Right, like are they rivalry

[00:41:36] Yeah, yeah

[00:41:37] I'm trying to set up because

[00:41:38] I was

[00:41:39] That was the part

[00:41:40] Of all of the things in this episode

[00:41:42] That shocked me the most

[00:41:43] Was the decision to not show

[00:41:46] Her payoff

[00:41:48] Yeah, that was weird

[00:41:50] Yeah

[00:41:52] I did have to say

[00:41:53] So yeah, we had the speech

[00:41:55] Are they a nice

[00:41:56] Nice scene with Carl and Steve

[00:41:59] It's a nice moment

[00:42:00] It really is

[00:42:01] Yeah, especially

[00:42:02] You know like

[00:42:02] Or even Erkel saying like

[00:42:03] Like after he's like

[00:42:05] Oh you've been so mean

[00:42:06] I've been so meany over the years

[00:42:08] And he's like

[00:42:08] I think overall you've been like

[00:42:10] Nobody's been more decent to me than you

[00:42:12] And you're like, you know, he's taken him

[00:42:13] And it was home

[00:42:14] Yeah

[00:42:15] Treats him like family

[00:42:16] Even though he hates them

[00:42:18] I really liked the scene

[00:42:20] With Harriet and Laura

[00:42:22] Where Harriet is telling a story

[00:42:25] Like she gives like a nice dramatic monologue

[00:42:28] Yeah

[00:42:28] But man did I start getting mad

[00:42:30] When they were queuing up the music

[00:42:32] Because I was like

[00:42:33] She's carrying this

[00:42:34] Yeah, just like Harriet

[00:42:36] She has the weight in her voice

[00:42:39] She gives a great

[00:42:40] Like, you know

[00:42:41] It's a hundred percent

[00:42:43] Joe, Joe Marie Payton

[00:42:45] Yeah, it's Harriet

[00:42:46] And she's great as always

[00:42:47] Because she's funny

[00:42:48] And then she can turn on the series

[00:42:50] Like that

[00:42:51] Yeah

[00:42:51] And then yeah

[00:42:52] They start

[00:42:52] The halfway through her monologue

[00:42:54] You know

[00:42:54] Like the sad music starts coming

[00:42:56] And I'm like stop it

[00:42:57] We know

[00:42:58] She was like

[00:42:59] Yeah

[00:42:59] She was an iconic TV mom as well

[00:43:01] So I was just like

[00:43:02] The Winslow's Harriet and Carl

[00:43:04] Three cheers to you guys

[00:43:05] Absolutely

[00:43:06] That's TV parents

[00:43:07] Yeah, yeah, yeah

[00:43:08] They are

[00:43:09] For all that we might be ragging on

[00:43:11] On the Steve Stefan thing

[00:43:14] The parents in this show

[00:43:16] They they're doing their job

[00:43:17] They

[00:43:18] They never like in

[00:43:20] Qualitatively

[00:43:21] They never fault her

[00:43:22] They never

[00:43:23] Not even Reginald

[00:43:24] Vell Johnson's worst Christmas

[00:43:25] I mean

[00:43:26] Yeah

[00:43:27] That's true

[00:43:28] He's just like

[00:43:29] I'm just glad I'm not working

[00:43:30] Not going to tell me plows exactly

[00:43:32] Is he in any of the sequels

[00:43:34] He's in the second one

[00:43:35] Okay, well we're going to watch that this year

[00:43:37] And then I'm gonna watch

[00:43:38] Yeah, another another small aside

[00:43:41] But I was gonna

[00:43:41] I was gonna ask you

[00:43:43] Barry if there was a particular

[00:43:45] Christmas movie

[00:43:45] You're definitely going to be watching this year

[00:43:47] Because we're definitely going to be watching

[00:43:49] Die Hard 2

[00:43:50] Which will be Brin's first viewing

[00:43:52] Of Die Hard 2

[00:43:54] I

[00:43:55] I went and saw Die Hard at the review

[00:43:57] On Friday

[00:43:58] So nice

[00:43:59] Nice

[00:44:00] Already started

[00:44:01] Veno

[00:44:01] We watched foam alone last night

[00:44:03] Oh, I'm gonna watch foam alone

[00:44:05] Yeah, I'm gonna watch Muppet Christmas Carol's always

[00:44:07] We watched Muppet Christmas Carol

[00:44:10] At my brothers

[00:44:11] When we did the tree shopping first

[00:44:13] That's become the tradition

[00:44:14] When we decorate their tree at their place

[00:44:17] We watch Muppet's Christmas Carol

[00:44:18] All

[00:44:19] And

[00:44:20] And we'll way more into it

[00:44:22] Than my 4 year old nephew

[00:44:24] Like

[00:44:24] Absolutely

[00:44:24] All of the adults there

[00:44:26] Are way more into it

[00:44:27] And we're always like looking over at him

[00:44:28] Like

[00:44:28] Ha

[00:44:29] Ha

[00:44:30] Ha

[00:44:30] He's just like

[00:44:32] Just like looking at a tablet

[00:44:33] Like

[00:44:34] I get it

[00:44:35] Yeah

[00:44:36] Ha

[00:44:37] Anyway

[00:44:38] Like let's move on

[00:44:39] Moving on

[00:44:40] So now is our quote-unquote successful sitcom

[00:44:43] So now

[00:44:44] Let's talk about an unsuccessful sitcom

[00:44:47] I believe that is

[00:44:49] That's teeing you up, Barry

[00:44:51] All right

[00:44:51] So

[00:44:52] As a

[00:44:53] Tea is the little earlier

[00:44:56] We did another episode of Soulman

[00:44:58] And starring Dan Acroid as the

[00:45:00] Motorcycle wearing

[00:45:02] You know

[00:45:03] Cool guy

[00:45:03] Priest

[00:45:04] The

[00:45:05] Mike Weber

[00:45:08] So it was a crit

[00:45:09] This was a pretty like

[00:45:12] Pretty

[00:45:12] Again

[00:45:13] Trophy I feel like I've seen

[00:45:15] Just kind of story before

[00:45:17] Basically

[00:45:18] A little bit of a take on

[00:45:20] It's a wonderful life

[00:45:21] Yeah

[00:45:22] But not

[00:45:23] But not the fantastical elements

[00:45:25] Of its a wonderful life

[00:45:26] So basically the story is

[00:45:29] You know

[00:45:30] Mike

[00:45:31] Takes his kids to the mall

[00:45:32] To see Santa

[00:45:35] And there he encounters

[00:45:36] A very grumpy

[00:45:38] Elf

[00:45:40] Gentleman playing an elf

[00:45:42] Santa's workshop

[00:45:44] Who is like

[00:45:45] You know

[00:45:45] Very

[00:45:46] Makes everybody stick to the rules

[00:45:48] And

[00:45:50] He's just

[00:45:51] Has a bad attitude

[00:45:52] He's very impressive

[00:45:53] Very salt-free

[00:45:54] And pleasant

[00:45:55] And Mike tries really hard

[00:45:57] To just sort of like

[00:45:58] Smooth things over with this guy

[00:46:00] But then eventually kind of loses his cool

[00:46:02] And just starts giving it back to him

[00:46:04] Just as

[00:46:04] Just as good

[00:46:05] And then

[00:46:06] The elf kicks the kids out

[00:46:08] At a line at Santa

[00:46:10] And then

[00:46:10] Mike

[00:46:12] Gives him

[00:46:12] You know

[00:46:14] This is obviously a little out of order

[00:46:16] Mike gives him his card

[00:46:17] And says like

[00:46:17] It sounds like you're going through a really hard time

[00:46:20] You know

[00:46:20] Come see me anytime

[00:46:22] And I can talk to you about

[00:46:23] Counseling or something like that

[00:46:25] Because you know

[00:46:26] That's one thing we see with this character

[00:46:28] Is that he is

[00:46:29] Much more

[00:46:29] He definitely embraces the counselor side of a

[00:46:33] Breast

[00:46:34] Or a Reverend Rather

[00:46:37] So

[00:46:38] They go back to the house

[00:46:39] And then the elf is

[00:46:42] At the top of the church

[00:46:43] Threatening to jump

[00:46:44] And Mike has to talk him down

[00:46:46] Off of

[00:46:47] The proverbial ledge

[00:46:50] And

[00:46:51] You know

[00:46:51] The most of the last half of the episode

[00:46:54] Is just the two of them sitting

[00:46:55] On the church just having a bit of a hard to heart

[00:46:59] Mike's afraid of heights

[00:47:00] So we get some funny elements to that

[00:47:03] And then there's a great employment

[00:47:05] Of checkoffs trampoline

[00:47:07] Where

[00:47:07] Uh

[00:47:08] Ha

[00:47:09] In the very first scene

[00:47:11] We are told that Mike is

[00:47:13] Getting a trampoline for his daughter

[00:47:15] Christmas

[00:47:16] And then that leads

[00:47:18] The uh

[00:47:18] At the end of the episode

[00:47:19] The other pre uh

[00:47:21] The

[00:47:21] Is he another reverend or is he a deacon

[00:47:23] I can't remember

[00:47:24] I wasn't

[00:47:25] I was half

[00:47:25] Half watching this

[00:47:27] Uh

[00:47:28] Falls off of the

[00:47:30] Off of the church

[00:47:32] And hits the trampoline

[00:47:33] And I remember

[00:47:34] Just almost being mad at myself

[00:47:36] For not realizing that they'd been setting that up

[00:47:38] The entire episode

[00:47:40] Because they even sort of sprinkled it in later on

[00:47:42] That all the trampolines out back now

[00:47:44] Or something like that

[00:47:45] And I was just like

[00:47:46] Can't believe you got me

[00:47:47] Yeah

[00:47:47] Can't believe you got me

[00:47:48] Yeah

[00:47:48] It was weird

[00:47:49] Cause you know

[00:47:50] Dan Akrod's always enjoyable

[00:47:52] As he is here

[00:47:53] Yeah

[00:47:54] It was an interesting contrast

[00:47:56] To say

[00:47:57] To the family matters

[00:47:58] Where like

[00:47:59] None of the emotional stuff

[00:48:00] In this episode works

[00:48:03] And I don't feel like

[00:48:04] Yeah it's very serious

[00:48:05] It's a very serious plot line

[00:48:07] But you can't take it seriously

[00:48:09] Yeah because it's

[00:48:10] Like even when it is serious

[00:48:12] Like I don't

[00:48:13] I know they're trying to keep things light

[00:48:15] But like

[00:48:16] It's almost too joky

[00:48:18] But or not joking

[00:48:20] Like

[00:48:21] It's not really funny

[00:48:24] Yeah I know exactly what you mean

[00:48:26] Like

[00:48:26] But it thinks it's trying to be

[00:48:28] And I was like

[00:48:28] Look if you want to have a special episode

[00:48:30] Just do you know

[00:48:31] Akrod can act

[00:48:32] You know

[00:48:33] Just

[00:48:33] Have him seriously

[00:48:35] Council the guy

[00:48:36] Instead of like

[00:48:37] Continuing to joke the entire time

[00:48:39] Exactly

[00:48:40] Yeah yeah

[00:48:40] I mean totally

[00:48:41] Like

[00:48:42] I was surprised that the dark turn

[00:48:44] That the show takes

[00:48:45] Into that very serious theme

[00:48:47] You know I actually thought

[00:48:48] The the confrontation at the mall

[00:48:51] Between

[00:48:53] You know Akrod's character

[00:48:55] And the grumpy mall elf

[00:48:58] Okay by the way

[00:49:00] Is that Marklin

[00:49:02] Yeah Marklin Baker

[00:49:04] Yeah

[00:49:04] Yeah

[00:49:05] Cousin Larry himself

[00:49:06] Yeah so

[00:49:07] I from perfect strangers

[00:49:09] That's where I recognized him

[00:49:10] As gumdrop

[00:49:12] Yeah

[00:49:12] Gumdrop the the elf

[00:49:13] I found their argument

[00:49:15] At the mall pretty entertaining

[00:49:17] And so I was

[00:49:19] Surprised to see that dark turn

[00:49:22] And then when it goes into that serious thing

[00:49:24] You know

[00:49:25] When we reviewed this show

[00:49:27] We talked about that episode with John Goodman

[00:49:29] Yeah

[00:49:30] Where he had some really like dark

[00:49:32] Troubling things that he was going through

[00:49:34] And Mike is trying to council him

[00:49:36] Through it with a lot of difficulty

[00:49:39] And apart from the fact

[00:49:40] That they suddenly break into song at the end

[00:49:43] For the most part that worked

[00:49:46] Surprisingly well because of the strength

[00:49:48] Of both of them as actors

[00:49:50] And we talked about how John Goodman

[00:49:53] If you want someone who's like

[00:49:55] Really serious and hurting

[00:49:57] Like a tragic clown sort of character

[00:49:59] Where there's elements that are still funny

[00:50:01] But you can tell that the pain is

[00:50:03] It feels genuine

[00:50:05] Right

[00:50:05] And in this case

[00:50:06] It was kind of like

[00:50:07] I agree with what you said

[00:50:08] Like

[00:50:09] They could have gone funnier

[00:50:11] And made it more like

[00:50:13] Just a really dark comedy

[00:50:14] Like

[00:50:16] I found it

[00:50:16] More serious

[00:50:18] More serious and cut out the jokes

[00:50:20] I found it a little dark

[00:50:22] That he had to

[00:50:24] Basically downplay the situation to his kids

[00:50:27] Like they should just left the kids out of it

[00:50:30] But like

[00:50:30] Basically he kept like making up things

[00:50:34] Like he's trying to like

[00:50:35] Convince his kids that it was just

[00:50:38] Oh we're just kind of like

[00:50:40] Playing a game like there's not

[00:50:42] Nothing like he was just trying to like

[00:50:44] It's like elves can jump

[00:50:46] Yeah because they're magical

[00:50:48] And at one point

[00:50:51] One of the kids comes out again

[00:50:53] And is like you know

[00:50:55] Dad like

[00:50:56] You know what's going on

[00:50:57] You're still up there

[00:50:58] And he tells

[00:51:00] His son that it's gum drops birthday

[00:51:03] Because that's one of the things revealed

[00:51:05] In

[00:51:06] You know

[00:51:07] And then his son very sweetly

[00:51:09] Which is him happy birthday

[00:51:11] And kind of sings for him

[00:51:12] So it's kind of a nice moment

[00:51:13] But I'm also like

[00:51:14] That's fucked up to make your kids

[00:51:17] It's really fucked up

[00:51:18] To have your kid be the thing that

[00:51:20] Like you know

[00:51:21] You're using your kid

[00:51:22] To try to get this guy to not kill himself

[00:51:24] Like it's just

[00:51:25] Yeah

[00:51:26] Because it's like

[00:51:26] It's like look someone cares about you

[00:51:28] It's like

[00:51:29] Like that's

[00:51:30] You know

[00:51:30] There's plenty of people like

[00:51:31] Care about you

[00:51:32] And I'm like it's

[00:51:33] You're like really

[00:51:34] But it's kind of fucked up

[00:51:36] Because later in life

[00:51:37] Your kid's going to be like

[00:51:37] Hey what was up with that elf

[00:51:39] And then he's like

[00:51:40] Oh

[00:51:41] You're supposed to kill yourself

[00:51:42] That's what repressions all about

[00:51:44] Yeah

[00:51:46] Um

[00:51:47] Yeah

[00:51:47] It was weird

[00:51:48] Yeah

[00:51:49] And like I just don't feel like

[00:51:51] They really

[00:51:52] I don't know

[00:51:52] I mean

[00:51:53] Christmas is a very hard time

[00:51:55] A year for a lot of people

[00:51:56] Yeah

[00:51:56] Yeah

[00:51:57] And I think that

[00:51:59] We see a lot of that

[00:52:00] I think it's important to see that

[00:52:02] In the media

[00:52:04] And we do

[00:52:05] I agree

[00:52:05] It's a common theme that runs through holiday things

[00:52:07] It's not always happy to go lucky

[00:52:09] Especially for people

[00:52:10] Who are on their own

[00:52:12] Uh

[00:52:12] Or don't have

[00:52:13] Uh

[00:52:13] You know

[00:52:14] As much family anymore

[00:52:16] And it's very hard

[00:52:17] Very hard

[00:52:17] Especially

[00:52:18] You know

[00:52:19] Not just Christmas

[00:52:20] Specifically

[00:52:20] But the holiday season

[00:52:22] Because everybody is gathering

[00:52:23] And stuff

[00:52:24] And you're seeing things

[00:52:24] You don't have

[00:52:25] Yada yada

[00:52:26] And it's like the end of a year

[00:52:28] So you start looking back

[00:52:30] At like

[00:52:30] Yeah

[00:52:31] You just naturally get into this mode

[00:52:33] That's like a little

[00:52:34] Morose and

[00:52:35] And it's dark and cold

[00:52:36] And you're stuck inside

[00:52:37] Which does to tell

[00:52:38] Cold new stuff inside

[00:52:39] And I spent 30 seconds

[00:52:41] Saying that stuff

[00:52:42] Well like off top

[00:52:43] My head

[00:52:43] And I feel like that hit on

[00:52:45] More points

[00:52:46] Than the show did

[00:52:48] Yeah

[00:52:48] And which would have come from a writer's

[00:52:50] Ripple

[00:52:50] People who

[00:52:51] Who were like

[00:52:52] Like if you don't want to tell a story

[00:52:54] About how sad this guy is

[00:52:56] Then don't tell that story

[00:52:57] Yeah

[00:52:58] Right

[00:52:58] Totally agree

[00:52:59] If they wanted to tell that story

[00:53:01] But they just wanted him to save the cat again

[00:53:03] You know, they just really wanted

[00:53:05] Mike Weber to be a hero again

[00:53:07] More about Mike Weber

[00:53:08] Than about the guy

[00:53:10] Who's suffering

[00:53:10] And it's kind of like

[00:53:12] I agree

[00:53:12] If they wanted to tell that story

[00:53:14] There are lots of good reasons

[00:53:16] To tell that kind of story

[00:53:17] In a holiday episode of a sitcom

[00:53:19] Yeah

[00:53:19] This didn't feel like

[00:53:20] They actually wanted to tell that story

[00:53:22] Yeah we're not

[00:53:23] You know

[00:53:23] We're not

[00:53:24] We're not there yet

[00:53:25] But yeah

[00:53:26] For me to watch an episode of Family Matters

[00:53:28] Which is

[00:53:29] Very silly

[00:53:30] But then also have

[00:53:32] Like two scenes in it

[00:53:33] Which had serious emotions in it

[00:53:36] And maybe like

[00:53:37] Family matters got it

[00:53:39] Better

[00:53:39] Yeah

[00:53:39] It's true

[00:53:40] That's probably

[00:53:40] That's probably not a good sign

[00:53:42] I think that's how

[00:53:44] Yeah, that's how serious you should be

[00:53:46] In a sitcom about Christmas

[00:53:48] Where it's like

[00:53:49] It's a literally just

[00:53:50] It's simple

[00:53:51] It's low stakes

[00:53:52] It's like people are talking about

[00:53:55] Oh

[00:53:55] Acknowledging how much they care about each other

[00:53:58] And that they're

[00:53:59] You know

[00:53:59] There's sort of some acknowledgement of

[00:54:01] Maybe mistreating each other

[00:54:03] And that in the spirit of a holiday

[00:54:05] Is we should be even better to each other

[00:54:07] And express our

[00:54:09] And that's the say for a room to go

[00:54:11] Gumdrop

[00:54:12] Also disappears

[00:54:14] Yeah

[00:54:14] Like they're all

[00:54:16] So the scene

[00:54:16] You know

[00:54:17] They

[00:54:18] Talk them off

[00:54:19] Because the kids sings to them

[00:54:20] And he's like

[00:54:21] See people care about you

[00:54:22] Which

[00:54:23] I don't know if that's a really relevant point

[00:54:25] But then like the next scene

[00:54:27] Is like

[00:54:27] You know the credit scene

[00:54:29] And they're all talk

[00:54:30] You know getting ready for the dinner the next day

[00:54:32] And you're just like

[00:54:33] I don't know

[00:54:34] Why didn't you invite gumdrop

[00:54:35] Yeah

[00:54:36] Like why why weren't why

[00:54:38] Like I know that's the cliche thing to do

[00:54:41] Yeah

[00:54:41] But sometimes the cliche is necessary

[00:54:44] To satisfy the story

[00:54:46] Yeah

[00:54:46] Like he should have been

[00:54:47] And to make sure that guy doesn't actually kill him

[00:54:50] Well yeah

[00:54:50] So

[00:54:51] Also

[00:54:52] Also yes

[00:54:53] You're right

[00:54:53] The guy had no one to spend the holidays with

[00:54:56] Right

[00:54:57] So if we follow the show

[00:55:00] Don't tell formula

[00:55:01] Of of great

[00:55:03] Screenwriting

[00:55:04] Yeah, they needed to actually demonstrate

[00:55:08] Yeah giving him someone to spend the whole days with

[00:55:11] Not just saying a few nice words

[00:55:13] To like back him away from the edge

[00:55:16] And also

[00:55:17] We haven't talked about

[00:55:18] So we talked about the dark turn

[00:55:20] We didn't talk about the fart turn

[00:55:22] Oh yeah

[00:55:23] What the fuck

[00:55:25] So okay

[00:55:26] I hate

[00:55:26] I hate a fart joke

[00:55:28] I'm on the record to say

[00:55:30] Yeah

[00:55:30] I really do hate a fart joke

[00:55:32] I thought this was a pretty good one

[00:55:33] Especially because I think

[00:55:35] Again

[00:55:36] Was that a whole back though

[00:55:38] It's a cliche way to take it

[00:55:40] I feel like

[00:55:43] So okay

[00:55:43] So the whole thing is you know

[00:55:45] It's a big breakthrough moment

[00:55:47] Mike is talking a gumdrop about

[00:55:50] You know to feel

[00:55:52] You know the spirit in the air

[00:55:53] Because everybody

[00:55:54] It's a night where everybody's dreams are

[00:55:57] You know on display

[00:55:58] And everybody's feeling love

[00:56:01] And it's like this big thing

[00:56:03] And then Mike Farts

[00:56:06] And like it's a very awkward moment

[00:56:08] And honestly like I felt like the script

[00:56:11] I thought they were going to laugh

[00:56:14] And that would be what kind of snaps the guy out

[00:56:16] Yeah, to break the tension

[00:56:17] To break the tension

[00:56:19] But they don't do that

[00:56:20] They just let it sit there

[00:56:22] And I was like

[00:56:23] They want to do it

[00:56:24] Yeah, yeah

[00:56:25] It's only like I again hate a fart joke

[00:56:29] But I you know

[00:56:31] But also Farts are funny

[00:56:33] And yeah

[00:56:34] That might have been a moment

[00:56:36] Where like you know

[00:56:37] Here's this guy

[00:56:37] Trying to give his all

[00:56:38] To talk this guy off of a ledge

[00:56:41] And he Farts

[00:56:42] Yeah and the other way

[00:56:42] He says all these great things

[00:56:44] And it's the far that does it

[00:56:45] You know what I always find hilarious

[00:56:47] Is vomit

[00:56:48] So I was very disappointed

[00:56:50] I was very disappointed

[00:56:52] That the kid

[00:56:53] We didn't see him

[00:56:54] Barf on Santa

[00:56:56] Like it was a lot

[00:56:57] No, we only we were only told

[00:56:58] It was a lot of camera on

[00:57:00] I was really I felt cheated

[00:57:01] Because I

[00:57:02] Nothing gets me more than

[00:57:04] A really well timed barf

[00:57:06] Like I love it

[00:57:07] Like

[00:57:08] I

[00:57:09] You heard your first guy

[00:57:10] I guess I'm the same way

[00:57:11] Yeah, I love a good barf

[00:57:13] It just it feels

[00:57:15] I don't know if it's because

[00:57:16] It's so comedically cathartic

[00:57:19] Or what the deal is

[00:57:20] But if someone just like

[00:57:22] Like barfs out of nowhere

[00:57:24] Like and it's I just say

[00:57:25] I'm obsessed

[00:57:27] It it gets me

[00:57:29] It sends me into the giggles

[00:57:31] Immediately

[00:57:31] A couple little

[00:57:33] reactions

[00:57:34] Little side notes about this show

[00:57:37] Obviously we would probably know this

[00:57:39] If we had watched several interim episodes

[00:57:41] Between the ones that we reviewed

[00:57:42] And this one

[00:57:44] But

[00:57:44] Glenda

[00:57:46] The woman in his home

[00:57:47] Where did she come from?

[00:57:48] Totally ambiguous accent

[00:57:50] Who's like

[00:57:51] Then kind of caps off the episode

[00:57:55] lecturing about

[00:57:56] I think she's around

[00:57:57] I think she's around

[00:57:58] I think she's

[00:58:00] I think she works for

[00:58:01] The church

[00:58:02] Okay

[00:58:03] So she's like cooking dinner

[00:58:04] So she's cooking dinner

[00:58:05] And she is

[00:58:06] I think we are to presume

[00:58:08] A vegetarian

[00:58:10] And doesn't want to prepare

[00:58:13] A ham

[00:58:13] Which is what they've all requested

[00:58:15] For dinner

[00:58:16] If you want to make some sort of lentil loaf and to make which made me so sad to hear

[00:58:20] is like to make the point.

[00:58:22] I feel bad for them.

[00:58:23] But to make the point to the kids she brought a baby piglet to the house and introduced

[00:58:29] it to the kids, so they would fall in love with the cute little pig and then the implication

[00:58:34] would be I'd have to slaughter this pig in order for you to have ham.

[00:58:39] And I thought that was that was a lot to tack on as a button.

[00:58:43] That's a butt.

[00:58:44] I feel like it must have been a bee plot that got basically in the end, they were like

[00:58:55] we only have time to just shove this into the crack because we let a few of the other

[00:58:59] scenes go along.

[00:59:00] Yeah, okay, maybe that's what happened.

[00:59:02] Actually, the whole episode was a little there was a few bits where I was like I feel

[00:59:07] like we're skipping along here.

[00:59:11] I also just want to note that the elf gum drop, the elf in the confrontation at the

[00:59:20] department store says yada yada yada.

[00:59:23] And so of course I had to look it up this episode aired December 16th, 1997, mere months after

[00:59:30] Seinfeld introduced the expression yada yada yada to the world in April.

[00:59:34] They didn't introduce it to the world.

[00:59:37] Yada yada yada.

[00:59:38] Yada yada yada has existed for.

[00:59:41] Yada yada yada.

[00:59:42] But that Seinfeld episode made it very popular for people to say at that time.

[00:59:49] I don't think you can make that connection.

[00:59:51] I think that's a reach.

[00:59:53] No, I think that this show airing six months after I think it's playing off of the Seinfeld

[01:00:01] episode.

[01:00:03] I think sitcom writers watch sitcoms.

[01:00:05] I think that's, I mean, I think that's a reach because I think the whole thing about

[01:00:10] the yada yada episode is that it's a thing that people say.

[01:00:14] Yeah.

[01:00:15] And because nobody says what's yada yada, they said you can't yada yada over sex.

[01:00:21] You know, like, I'm not.

[01:00:22] I'm not.

[01:00:23] They know what they already, it's a common saying.

[01:00:25] So it was their constant employment of it that made it fun.

[01:00:29] Well, I'm not saying that no one had ever said it before.

[01:00:32] I'm just saying that I think that this sitcom writing that line was a reference.

[01:00:41] That's my, I think so.

[01:00:42] I will let you have your own head.

[01:00:45] I will let your have your own head cannon for that.

[01:00:48] Fine.

[01:00:49] That's fine.

[01:00:50] I feel like this was a very disappointing episode television.

[01:00:55] It was the first episode of the three things that we watched that I watched.

[01:01:01] So I imagine we all watched these in different orders.

[01:01:04] Yeah.

[01:01:05] This did not get me off to a good foot like good start.

[01:01:08] I was like, oh, this is going to be torture.

[01:01:10] But then I like the nanny one and I like the family.

[01:01:15] So well, let's let's move on speaking of the nanny.

[01:01:21] Finally, we come to my pick the wild card show an episode with a weird format.

[01:01:27] I have chosen a very special episode of the nanny called Oy to the World, which is officially

[01:01:33] season three episode 14.

[01:01:35] What makes this episode so unusual?

[01:01:38] It's fully animated from top to bottom in the same cartoon style as the opening credits

[01:01:44] of the show.

[01:01:45] So for anyone who's familiar with the nanny, you can imagine what that would look like.

[01:01:49] It originally aired December 18th, 1995.

[01:01:53] It's also interesting.

[01:01:54] I just realized that the three shows that we chose were 95, 96 and 97.

[01:02:00] Three consecutive years and all released like in the December teens of their respective

[01:02:07] years, which is not surprising.

[01:02:09] Anyway, in this fully animated episode of the nanny, Brighton, the boy for whom she's a

[01:02:15] nanny of who's always the brat of the three kids is acting selfishly.

[01:02:21] And Fran wants him to be generous of spirit, aka learn the true meaning of Christmas.

[01:02:26] On their way to a homeless shelter to volunteer, they're hit with a gust of wind, causing

[01:02:31] Fran to go on a journey into a fantasy world after a classic bonk on the noggin.

[01:02:38] So she travels to the North Pole with Brighton and her dog Chester who can now talk and they

[01:02:45] go to save Christmas from the ice queen or a bomb minimal Babcock who is a representation

[01:02:51] of CC Babcock, Fran's chief antagonist in the series.

[01:02:56] I should also cut into mention that it's not like it becomes animated after she gets

[01:03:01] the bonk on the head this episode is animated from the start even before that.

[01:03:06] And then Niles as well as multiple characters.

[01:03:10] So he's like a talking snowman and he's an L and he's like it.

[01:03:15] So I'll get to that.

[01:03:16] So so Maxwell Sheffield is basically Santa and Niles is some sort of Elvis inspired singing

[01:03:23] elf, but also a whole host of other Santa's workshop characters in the end.

[01:03:30] Fran needs to warm CeC's icy heart by showing her some kind of kindness and that comes

[01:03:37] through setting her up on a date after realizing that she's lashing out at Christmas because

[01:03:41] she's lonely.

[01:03:43] So there's my capsule description.

[01:03:46] Yeah, very well.

[01:03:48] Very well.

[01:03:49] Yeah.

[01:03:50] Yeah.

[01:03:51] I either of you can jump in now and react.

[01:03:55] I generally liked it.

[01:03:56] I thought it was very kitschy and cute like it was very like campy and it kind of a lot

[01:04:02] of it was like you know based on classic Christmas specials and Christmas movies like the,

[01:04:10] you know, like the style of Rudolph and the like rank and best.

[01:04:17] Yes.

[01:04:18] Yes.

[01:04:19] That whole grouping of Christmas classics.

[01:04:22] So it was very I thought it was very cute.

[01:04:25] Like I especially loved like the animation of the the abd- abdominable Babcock.

[01:04:31] I thought that was funny.

[01:04:33] Like the way the character was styled.

[01:04:36] And actually the animation was just awesome.

[01:04:39] Like it was just like very cool, like visually especially the backgrounds as well.

[01:04:44] Like I thought it was like stylistically really well done.

[01:04:47] So I'm curious if you like looked up who animated this thing.

[01:04:50] I didn't.

[01:04:51] I should have because it looked really it was very fun.

[01:04:55] Like it was like a very like stylized like it wasn't like the house like the Sheffield

[01:05:00] House looked so cool.

[01:05:02] Like it was like well and it's a retro style of animation.

[01:05:06] That that also kind of reminds me of the Jetsons or something that's just like it's like

[01:05:10] a mid-century modern kind of like flavor to it.

[01:05:15] Yeah.

[01:05:16] Like it's it's really fun.

[01:05:18] The visual style for me was a huge win and also just like the overall concept was a lot

[01:05:24] of fun.

[01:05:25] Well, so the guy that she finally sets a Babcock up with is called the Rainman which is basically

[01:05:33] the Dustin Hoffman character from Rainman which I thought was kind of ridiculous because

[01:05:39] I'm like at this point that movie is very old.

[01:05:41] Like it what's in like a fresh that was officially the dumbest reference or joke in the

[01:05:47] whole episode.

[01:05:48] Um, I like I liked it.

[01:05:50] But it was I like definitely chuckled at it but it was kind of like well really I don't

[01:05:55] know.

[01:05:56] I mean the whole thing she's the ice queen.

[01:05:59] The rain Rainman also up in the sky controlling the weather or whatever but I don't know.

[01:06:05] I thought that was dumb but overall the animation is very cute.

[01:06:08] The concept is a lot of fun.

[01:06:10] I personally found a lot of the jokes felt like forced to me and not as funny as I usually

[01:06:17] find this show to be.

[01:06:19] And I think what it is is that like especially with uh with Fran fine with Fran Drescher's

[01:06:24] character.

[01:06:26] One of the things I like about the nanny because she does a lot of like kind of random

[01:06:31] quips and a sides and non sequiturs and jokes that are just like little commentaries on

[01:06:36] things that are not necessary pop culture references things.

[01:06:40] These are not totally necessary to the plot little funny a sides.

[01:06:44] And I think that her performance of those jokes yes people think of her as like having

[01:06:51] a funny voice.

[01:06:52] But I want to propose that her body language and facial expressions are the most winning

[01:06:58] part of why her delivery of those jokes were missed out on that with animated style while

[01:07:05] very cute and awesome artistically is not emotionally detailed the way that animation

[01:07:14] in some sort of dedicated long running cartoons hone away of like putting enough detail into

[01:07:21] the facial expressions to really sell the jokes I'm thinking like the Simpsons or whatever

[01:07:25] where for me it felt like yeah artistically it's a cool visual but it really kind of

[01:07:31] was very flat in the sense that it disconnected the delivery of the jokes for me so the jokes

[01:07:37] just became about as funny as if I like read them off of a piece of paper.

[01:07:42] And so for me like a lot of those like funny quips and a sides just didn't land as being

[01:07:47] as funny and I think it's because I was missing her facial expressions especially hers.

[01:07:53] But that said you know I don't think this is from lack of effort the love took a lot of

[01:07:58] work went into this.

[01:07:59] It would have been fairly pricey yeah looks like it was pulled I don't it doesn't look

[01:08:05] like they aired it in syndication and just ended up putting it as extra on on the DVD set

[01:08:11] so it basically aired that one time and I think they didn't air it with the regulars

[01:08:15] going forward.

[01:08:16] Yeah I was the animation was very well done I really appreciate it.

[01:08:21] I appreciate when a show like this does a switch to animation but really embraces it as

[01:08:28] animation yeah it wasn't an animated like down to earth thing like right from the the start

[01:08:36] it's very winky and they're doing things even in the house when it's just them there

[01:08:41] doing things that are already very very silly and very over the top.

[01:08:45] And you said the Jetsons very much remind me of the Jetsons yeah well they you know

[01:08:50] the how to barbarous style of like you know pratfalls and talking animals and whatnot so

[01:08:58] it was very cute.

[01:09:00] I think all you're talking about with that is honestly and this is something that only

[01:09:04] now is becoming a little bit easier.

[01:09:07] Animation is such a long arduous process for these kind of things that one of the things

[01:09:14] that I always noticed with animation growing up it was very hard to make it look spontaneous

[01:09:21] and those type of sides and things are meant to even if they are written they're meant

[01:09:26] to feel like improv lines.

[01:09:28] You're exactly right that's exactly right.

[01:09:31] So I've noticed it more and more in in current animated things that they're able to do

[01:09:37] it.

[01:09:38] And I think it's a lot of it is because you know they're recording and they're recording

[01:09:44] with each other now instead of say like recording in a in a booth by yourself if there's

[01:09:51] nobody to do an aside to it's not going to sound right.

[01:09:54] Oh you're so totally right that's what it is it's like a great sitcom would do those

[01:09:59] weird sides and you feel almost like maybe it's being improvised in the moment.

[01:10:05] And it's the energy between the performer.

[01:10:08] You're right really.

[01:10:09] You're so right and an animated show that does that pretty well that I've watched recently

[01:10:13] is Bob's burgers.

[01:10:16] Bob's burgers does it very well for example especially Gene has lots of like the gene character

[01:10:21] has tons of like random little quips and they always land and you're right it's probably

[01:10:28] because the actor did it in a room with the other performers or something like there's

[01:10:32] yeah.

[01:10:33] The spontaneity comes through in not just the voice but also the visual style the editing

[01:10:38] the pacing everything.

[01:10:40] Yeah they learn to make it work.

[01:10:42] Yeah and like John Benjamins like reaction noises to Dean or Gene's quips and stuff

[01:10:48] are always just absolute perfection and they just feel so real and like yeah.

[01:10:53] So in this case I don't think it's anyone's fault the animation is great.

[01:10:57] The performers are great.

[01:10:59] It's just getting that to work.

[01:11:02] That's a challenge and maybe at that time it was not it was pretty difficult to pull

[01:11:07] that off but this definitely reminded me of a very you know basically a later one of

[01:11:13] the all time great Christmas episodes of anything ever you know Abed's uncontrollable Christmas

[01:11:19] on community and you know it's a I feel like it's a similar story you know the characters

[01:11:25] kind of get trapped in an old classic thing.

[01:11:29] So I really feel like this episode kind of walked so that one could run yeah because

[01:11:36] it's a great idea there's a few shows that do that and I made a thing like I didn't

[01:11:42] home improvement also do that yeah and it was funny because didn't they also sort of

[01:11:48] do it in the style of their opening credits to because they're opening credits were

[01:11:52] kind of animated to or am I remembering that wrong.

[01:11:55] You might feel like well they did it in the style of the the old school puppet you know

[01:12:00] that's right like they kind of stop motion claiming yeah yeah always sunny did it yeah

[01:12:07] I'm sure there's a million I'm put this probably way more because those Christmas movies

[01:12:13] are so beloved and they're just such a fun thing to like kind of pay tribute to that community

[01:12:19] episode is still just an all time great.

[01:12:22] I gotta watch that yeah I always rewatch it yeah it's been so long since I've seen it and

[01:12:26] I think I'm gonna rewatch it yeah I'm just I mean I mean really for whatever reason so

[01:12:32] in the mood to watch Christmas and like any holiday stuff like yesterday it's been rough

[01:12:39] year and I feel like it yeah I think I just need a big heaping dose of nostalgia and

[01:12:44] like warm happy feelings like yesterday we spent a lot of time watching different like

[01:12:49] Hanaka like videos who are watching like oh I wrote them down because yeah you know

[01:12:57] there aren't the the well of Hanaka movies is not very deep.

[01:13:05] There isn't there isn't one that I'm particularly planning to watch this year but from from

[01:13:10] the title of this episode I was hoping it would be a little bit more Hanaka focused yeah

[01:13:16] like they oi oi to the world yeah yeah because I I get I'm catching the the impression that

[01:13:23] the Fran character is Jewish oh yeah yeah okay so if you have a watch.

[01:13:28] She's explicitly while we talked about the one year they did a Hanaka episode.

[01:13:32] We talked about but also if you're not super familiar with the show.

[01:13:37] It's my first episode in probably about 20 years.

[01:13:39] Okay Fran is very explicitly Jewish her mother and grandmother who are also in the show

[01:13:46] are as well and if you just scroll through episode titles many many episodes have like

[01:13:53] Jewish and Yiddish references in the titles of the episodes I'm not sure that necessarily

[01:14:00] means it works its way into the plot of the episode so kind of like the way this is oi

[01:14:05] to the world but it's not really like the plot itself is just about Christmas.

[01:14:09] There are many episodes that use like titles that reference very Jewish things that I haven't

[01:14:17] watched them all so I don't know if it actually has anything to do with the plot but just like

[01:14:21] she's also one of the producers and writers of the show and it permeates everything.

[01:14:26] So the thing I hope that you'd bring up was the fact that so this

[01:14:30] this episode was written by her and her creative partner who is her ex-husband Peter Jacobson

[01:14:38] and so they're both Jewish and I think that this whole episode is like a classic sort of like

[01:14:46] tribute to the fact that so many Jews wrote classic Christmas songs and wrote like a lot of

[01:14:52] the content.

[01:14:53] So that's how I kind of saw this is like oh they're doing that fun thing of like okay we're going

[01:14:59] to bring this very Christmas.

[01:15:01] Yeah and they had a couple of funny little jokes like they had like the reindeer then instead of

[01:15:06] blitz and it was blinces blinces blinces blinces yeah well so you're going to get to work on

[01:15:14] like that's very cute and it is a trope for us like like Jews talking about their relic at

[01:15:22] least here and at least in the US and Canada talking about our experience with Christmas

[01:15:28] and what we kind of get up to around Christmas time so that is kind of like a trope

[01:15:34] and the idea of like a Jewish character who is somehow involved in saving Christmas.

[01:15:39] Like there's a movie called The Hebrew Hammer and it's not a Honaka movie it's a Christmas movie

[01:15:44] but it's like the main character is kind of like one of those private dicks sort of almost like a

[01:15:56] like a black exploitation from the 70s movies but like they call it like a Jewish

[01:16:02] exploitation version of that and he even like the clothing that he's wearing is like

[01:16:09] seven very seventies inspired I guess and like the whole plot involves saving Christmas so it's

[01:16:15] it's that is sort of a trope. So I kind of knew that this was going to go that general direction

[01:16:25] so I don't know like yeah although very very very fun but yeah you like get back to your list

[01:16:30] and I'm gonna say yeah yeah please yeah we did watch a bunch of music videos and a couple of my

[01:16:36] favorites for anyone who hasn't seen them would be puppy for Hanukkah from David digs and also which

[01:16:45] I believe is some sort of Disney production it might have been I feel like it might have been done

[01:16:50] for a TV show or a movie that's probably like a Disney Channel thing like it's meant to be like

[01:16:56] a family friendly but it's very it's very cute but it's like a hip hop like music video about kids

[01:17:03] wanting a puppy for Hanukkah very cute puppy yeah it's like the puppy that they end up using is

[01:17:09] like maybe the cutest puppy I ever see so it's like very heartwarming yeah and then the the like

[01:17:16] more sort of adult geared one would be the Hanukkah song 2.0 which is a double performance featuring

[01:17:25] Niseem black and Kosha Dills so I don't even know how to begin to explain it other than it's the

[01:17:31] most New York thing you'll ever see but go ahead and watch that one too so they're sampling Adam

[01:17:37] Sam's sampling the Adam Sandler tune yeah but then they're like wrapping over it and it's all

[01:17:45] like the lyrics are kind of like people coming together um to celebrate and peace and

[01:17:52] and it's got a very nice message uh and it's shot I think it was a pandemic time production

[01:18:00] shot very like Indy on the streets of New York and in the subways and stuff like that and you can see

[01:18:05] like random passersby some of them wearing like masks and stuff in the subway especially

[01:18:10] and they seem to be completely unaware that there's a music video being shot like random people kind

[01:18:15] of you know catching glances from them like what's going on um as these two guys are kind of

[01:18:21] going through the city and uh yeah it's very entertaining um as far as like a Hanukkah movie I

[01:18:28] I don't think I know that there have now been a couple of hallmark movies oh Hanukkah I have not

[01:18:34] I've seen one yeah I've seen them I've seen like the like little posters for them when you look

[01:18:39] at that kind of selection well Sandler did his animated yeah yeah the eight crazy nights yeah so

[01:18:47] maybe we'll watch that because I've yeah I've never seen that one but um and then there's of course

[01:18:53] the classic oh we've already talked about this on the podcast and one of our like one of our holiday

[01:18:59] episodes the christmaca the classic christmaca episode of the OC where it's Seth Cohen like yeah

[01:19:07] you know in his ultimate because he's a half Jewish half Gentile kid and it's kind of like

[01:19:14] how he combines the best of both holidays to make the ultimate holiday if there's one thing

[01:19:20] you can always count on Seth Cohen to do is to make something about himself yes exactly yeah

[01:19:26] there's some great christ christmaca episode there's there's like oh there's a weird like conceptual one

[01:19:32] later on where they do like kind of like a kind of a it's a wonderful world like alternate reality

[01:19:38] thing where like can't remember how it is but they do a crisp cup so that is like set in an alternate

[01:19:45] universe where I mean I think it's the they never adopt Ryan or something like that I don't remember

[01:19:50] speaking about high concept um just briefly going back to the show we just reviewed was there a bit of

[01:19:57] like wizard of Oz style thing going on there in the way that she gets like bonked on the head

[01:20:03] and goes on this fantastical journey yes you can make it which and that sort of thing yeah but

[01:20:09] that is I think I think if there must be like a christmas movie that has that as well there must be

[01:20:15] something um yeah I mean I was showing I was briefly showing Aaron clips from Santa Claus is

[01:20:24] coming to town which is one of those other classic and I'm like oh I really want to watch that but

[01:20:29] that it's not free anywhere you have to like rent it so I'm like do I want to spend the money on it

[01:20:35] but but it's such a wacky and classic movie that I'm like you know and it's got a nice or nice

[01:20:42] to burger you know I watched uh in the spirit of us talking about christmas shit uh I watched

[01:20:51] the new the new season of Frazier has a Christmas episode oh uh I watched that and uh it was

[01:21:00] amazing it was amazing uh it's just Frazier and because the whole the whole show is kind of about

[01:21:07] Frazier trying to reconnect with his son oh after his dad passed yeah and uh they have yeah they

[01:21:16] have kind of a cute so his son is like an adult now yeah like it in his well into his 40 or

[01:21:23] late 30s 40s yeah oh my god that's wild yeah yeah a lot of time has passed I guess he yeah I guess

[01:21:29] his son would be like our age yeah yeah I think we'll have pretty much we'll have to prioritize

[01:21:35] watching this new show because at some point in the new year I think the three of us are going to

[01:21:41] have to discuss it yeah in more detail because I mean yeah we talk about I mean me especially

[01:21:47] talk about Frazier on this podcast so much yeah it'd be crazy to not watch the uh it's certainly an

[01:21:54] interesting experiment it's it's yeah it's like as much of a departure from cheers to Frazier

[01:22:02] as Frazier to this is oh interesting well it's a whole new cast right like nobody returned yeah except

[01:22:08] for him uh and it's interesting in that there's weird things like you know obviously they don't want

[01:22:15] to imply that Frazier and Niles don't speak so they have a lot of like Frazier's texting Niles

[01:22:22] things yeah okay well that that'll be one of our resolutions for the new year yeah yeah

[01:22:29] watch that show yeah yeah you know what kind of Hanukkah movie I would like to see exist what

[01:22:34] would be a movie like die hard just a cool movie that happens to take place amidst a backdrop of

[01:22:42] a character who celebrates Hanukkah but not about the holiday just something happening

[01:22:48] and only if she's going down if only we knew people who like to write and produce and direct movies

[01:22:56] yeah you should make that movie Aaron we all help you write it you know what let's make the movie

[01:23:02] me too this is a pretty good idea yeah yeah it's a pretty good idea yeah you heard it here first folks

[01:23:08] if this movie happens you will know that this episode of this podcast was the first the the um

[01:23:17] the genesis of it

[01:23:23] old testament jokes

[01:23:25] haha

[01:23:28] uh father Mike would have loved that yeah he would have he would have indeed yeah well uh any final

[01:23:34] any final thoughts on on the three shows we reviewed no I just you know I just want to say it was

[01:23:40] really fun to have this little festive another festive episode and I love that we kind of didn't

[01:23:48] overplan it and that we just kind of like yeah there was no pressure we didn't put any pressure

[01:23:52] on ourselves just like with the holidays I think the holidays get a little bit crazy when you

[01:23:58] put too much pressure on them when you just kind of like you know keep it chill and don't over consume

[01:24:06] and don't you know just like keep it as something that should be kind of cozy and kind of nostalgic

[01:24:13] like that's like the best way to treat the holidays and then of course seeing friends and loved ones

[01:24:18] like that's you know and that's what we did today you know we just kind of revisited some shows that

[01:24:25] you know we're easy to watch and easy to absorb and got to spend the this time together and

[01:24:32] spend this time with all of you out there you know yeah that's great totally happy December 15th

[01:24:39] everyone yeah yeah so thanks for listening this will be our last episode of 2023 we're gonna go on

[01:24:46] a little bit of a holiday break and we'll come back to you in the new year with some sort of

[01:24:53] other weird show yes indeed we will I want everybody out there you know since you're hopefully

[01:25:00] listening to this before the holidays to you know have wonderful times with loved ones family

[01:25:07] friends however your family or chosen family appears to you make sure the people around you know

[01:25:15] what how you care about them it's not a bad time of year to actually say it yeah don't imply it say it

[01:25:24] so yeah happy holidays to everyone out there happy holidays happy holidays

[01:25:36] that was a show is created and hosted by Bryn Bernie Andrew Barry Helmer and myself Aaron Yeager

[01:25:45] it's a production of Radio Gizmo in Toronto Canada subscribe rate review and share

[01:25:51] follow us on Instagram and tell your friends about it that was a show