I don't want to hear about the muppet anymore!
POSTED BY: Killedbyriversbrain
UPDATED: Thursday, April 22, 2004 04:45
VIEWED: 7706
PAGE 2 of 3
Not only was it funny and creative, but the episode was allegorical about the state of how children are raised today to just sit infront of TVs and have their minds turned to mush. You don't get that kind of social commentary in other tv show's.
Jaymes
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I, too, really liked the puppet episode. I thought it was fairly classic Whedon, to throw in a nice, light episode just before you pull the rug out from under your viewers. Okay, maybe those episodes don't have the emotional weight of some of the others (Go Fish, anyone?), but Angel as a puppet (or Xander in a Speedo) is a nice break from the current Fred arc (or the whole Angelus mess of BtVS Season 2).
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I also loved 'Smile Time', it made me sit up and take notice of Ben Edlund, who also wrote the brilliant 'Firefly' episode: Jaynestown. I thought that in 'Smile Time' he did a wonderful job of combining humor, action, character development, and lots of metaphor goodness; a complete package that is the hallmark of the greatest episodes in the Whedonverse. Of course the episode was immediately followed by Joss' incredibly exciting 'Hole in the World' proving that Ats is currently the most brilliant and exciting television available today! JMPO
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Quote:
Originally posted by Angeldove:
Now, just an after thought, was anyone uncomfortable during the puppet stealing the childrens' souls scence, cause they thought the puppets sounded orgasmic. I know I must sound like a freak, but I cringed and looked away I found it so disturbing. Or was it just me? I ask this question knowing most people are going to respond with a WHAT? If they respond at all..
Wow... you read my mind... And, while you're there, could you tell me where I put my favorite watch?
Anyway... I also was very unsettled during the 'drain the kid's soul part'. The puppet saying, "Touch it, touch it!" and making groans of ecstacy sounds was creepy in a wrong way. A friend, who was watching with me, also thought that part ventured into the words and sounds of child molestation a bit too overtly.
So it's not just you who got that vibe, there are two more people who agree with you. Or, it means we just have three freaks now...
Other than those brief moments, I thoroughly LOVED "Smile Time". A really brilliant change of pace, and done so well.
11thHour
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"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole... bitch!"
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There's a class of TV I call "rerun viewing"; shows that for one reason or another, I don't watch on first-run, but catch after they enter syndication. The "Drew Carey" show falls into this category; I rarely watch new episodes, but I'm addicted to the reruns on my local station.
Generally, though, I first catch a glimpse of such shows on broadcast, and it's usually a special event or oddball episode. For example, I have no idea why I never got into the Buffyverse; outside of a few individual episodes (such as the resurection episode, and the musical) which caught my attention, I wasn't a regular viewer. Same goes for Angel.
But -- on the strength of the two Angel episodes I've watched, I.E. the damned muppet episode and the one with Luchidores (mexican masked wrestlers) I'm pretty sure it's going to fall into my rerun viewing category.
Don't put down the attention getters too much; sometimes it's the oddball episodes that bring in new viewers.
"You can't enslave a free man. The most you can do is kill him." -- Robert A. Heinlein
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Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I also loved 'Smile Time', it made me sit up and take notice of Ben Edlund, who also wrote the brilliant 'Firefly' episode: Jaynestown.
My brother loves Firefly and hates Angel. I've got to tell him the guy who wrote Jaynestown wrote Smile Time. Then maybe I can get him to watch Smile TIme and judge for himself.
I hope you like Guinness, sir. I find it a refreshing substitute for . . . food.
-Jack O'Neill
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Quote:
But -- on the strength of the two Angel episodes I've watched, I.E. the damned muppet episode and the one with Luchidores (mexican masked wrestlers)
I'm a Spanish major, and I despise Spanglish programming such as Much Lucha on the WB, but I actually greatly enjoyed the luchador episode, and I came into it prejudiced. Parts of that episode were absolutely amusing.
Both Angel and Buffy have some awesome arcs and anyone judging these overall stories would be hard-pressed not to admit it.
I hope you like Guinness, sir. I find it a refreshing substitute for . . . food.
-Jack O'Neill
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Quote:
Wow... you read my mind... And, while you're there, could you tell me where I put my favorite watch?
What about that one night stand you were telling me about, you know, the one after the 'Smile Time' episode, did you leave it there?
I am so going to hell
Quote:
Anyway... I also was very unsettled during the 'drain the kid's soul part'. The puppet saying, "Touch it, touch it!" and making groans of ecstacy sounds was creepy in a wrong way. A friend, who was watching with me, also thought that part ventured into the words and sounds of child molestation a bit too overtly.
Hilarious, its been awile since I saw it, and I totaly did not remember the "touch it" part. Sooo very creepy.
Quote:
So it's not just you who got that vibe, there are two more people who agree with you. Or, it means we just have three freaks now...
I am glad you confessed to the uncleanliness that is your mind, I was becoming very concerned this was only me, and that I alone was disturbed, but knowing there are two other disturbed minds out there fills me with a sense of belonging.
Lorne: 'Is there a Gepetto in the House?'
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Quote:
11thHour:
Wow... you read my mind... And, while you're there, could you tell me where I put my favorite watch?
Angeldove:
What about that one night stand you were telling me about, you know, the one after the 'Smile Time' episode, did you leave it there?
I am so going to hell
You're going to hell? Huh, I'M the one who gets all hot after an evil puppet episode...
So, I'll save you a seat.
Quote:
I am glad you confessed to the uncleanliness that is your mind, I was becoming very concerned this was only me, and that I alone was disturbed, but knowing there are two other disturbed minds out there fills me with a sense of belonging.
Ah yes, I feel SO MUCH better just knowing that there are people out there just as disturbed as I.
I look forward to sharing our next next twisted, perverted interpretation of wholesome family entertainment.
11thHour
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"You wanna talk to... the hand?"
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It wasn't the episode so much as it was the timing. Judged by itself, it's a decent episode. Not great, but pretty funny for a cheap filler episode, which you have to admit is exactly what it is.
The timing of the thing is what blew. First we see the end of a good episode and then the previews say "Next week on Angel, Spike's a Nazi!" and we're thinking 'wtf? ' then the episode comes along and it's .... well, it doesn't entirely suck, but it's my least favorite in a long time, how's that? Then after that weak episode we see "Next week on Angel, Angel's a muppet!" and we think 'wtf? what the hell is happening to Angel?' then right after that we get the news that it's cancelled.
That's how a show can go from standout to laughing stock in the span of a few weeks. Angel is still a great show, and as I said the muppet episode was pretty good for filler, but the sequence and timing were just horrible. If you only look at "funny muppet episode, then heartbreaking dead-fred episode" that looks like classic ME stuff, but by then the damage was done.
On a slight tangent, I'd love to see Angel come back next year, it's one of only 3 or 4 shows I actually watch.
t
Jayne: "These are stone killers, little man. They ain't cuddly like me."
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