#Duncan actually wasn’t always my number two favorite but as time went on I realized that I especially love his character now!

[gwuncan-exhibit]

What was your first impression of Duncan and Gwen as characters? How about now?

It’s been such a long time since I first saw those two, I don’t even really remember my first impression on them anymore, but I do know for sure that I always liked them!

I remembered really liking their designs and thought they were pretty cool in general. As I watched more of the show (and then on my constant rewatches), I realized that I actually really love these two a lot and became super fascinated by them!

Now that I’ve grown up, I see them a little differently than how I originally saw them. I like how flawed they both are and the internal struggles that they both face, it’s something I find myself relating to a lot. Especially Gwen, I like how she’s just trying her best out there and trying to be the best person that she can be while she’s here. It’s something that I strive to do too and just like her, just try to find that happiness in this crazy world. 💓

They’re just great characters and while they have done questionable things, I still like that they’re able to make those mistakes because I like seeing how they react to them and decide on what to do next. That’s how I knew that I really liked Gwen and Duncan’s characters. 😊

[7-wonders]

Here's Where She Meets Prince Charming (but she won't discover that it's him 'til Chapter 3)

Summary: Thunderstorms do not conjure good memories for Duncan. He finds a kindred spirit in you.

Well, two people sent me asks saying that they liked the Beauty and the Beast AU, and as I am a whore for validation, I wrote an idea I had a while back. Thanks, friends!

Other works in the Beauty and the Beast!Duncan Shepherd AU: Wilted Roses Smell Just as Sweet | This Place of Wrath and Tears | A Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing Your Prisoner | This Cruel Trick of Fate | Down the Rabbit Hole | Hints of Kindness | Days In the Sun

Thunderstorms are not something that Duncan Shepherd is very fond of. While many children have a fear of storms, Duncan was not one of those children. He loved to hear the tremendous crash of thunder, counting the seconds between that and the crackle of lightning across the sky to see how many miles away the storm was. For Duncan, storms meant his mother would read him stories until he fell asleep, faking that he was frightened just so she would spend time with him. As a child, Duncan actually enjoyed storms.

But that was then, and this is now.

Now, thunderstorms conjure memories of the night where his life went to hell. When the winds begin to rage and the house shakes with the force of thunder, when rain demands to be heard and lightning lights up the night, Duncan flinches with the worry that she might be waiting on the other side of the door. After all, the witch who cursed Duncan and his entire household darkened his life on a dark and stormy night. Maybe the forced transformation into a beastly creature, being trapped on the grounds of the secluded manor with a now-invisible staff, and the reminder that he will die unless he manages to fall in love with somebody, and have that somebody fall in love with him wasn’t enough for her.

Staying in one spot is making him nervous, and he wants to make sure that, on the off-chance the Enchantress does decide to come back for him, she can’t catch him by surprise. Duncan begins to walk up and down each of the halls of the manor, checking doors and windows and only slightly flinching at a particularly loud boom of thunder. It’s worth it though, for the peace of mind that this security check provides him.

It’s when Duncan reaches the main floor that all senses are on high alert. There’s music playing from somewhere, actual music. Battery-operated devices had long since died, and electronics could not be charged, which meant that the staff was eventually unable to listen to music, their one lifeline to the outside world that they had once been a part of. When that day arrived, it came as a relief to Duncan, who loathed the tunes and melodies that haunted and teased him. Now, for there to be more than the quiet humming coming from the staff, music surely meant trouble.

He begins to follow the sound down the hall, all the while keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of a glowing aura. Eventually he reaches the library, where the source of the music is coming from. However, it’s not a witch that’s set up a perfectly-planned trap and is deviously waiting for Duncan to come to her. Instead, it’s a record player. He’s not sure where the record player came from, but it’s hooked up and spinning a Fleetwood Mac vinyl. You’re on your back next to it, reading a book in front of the fire.

Duncan didn’t think that he was going to go any further into the library, but his legs have a mind of their own. It’s only when you look at him before sitting up that he now realizes he’s halfway into the room.

“Hi,” you say awkwardly, turning the volume down on the record player. “I can leave, if you’re wanting to use the library.”

“No!” Duncan realizes that sounded a little forceful, so he clears his throat and tries it again. “No, you’re fine. I just...heard music playing, and it’s been so long since we had music here that I was trying to find the source. Where did you get the record player from?”

“I was bored and looking through closets, and I found this and a bunch of records.”

“And out of all of the records you found, you had to pick Fleetwood Mac?”

“Hey, don’t talk shit about Stevie Nicks.”

You throw your head back in a laugh, and Duncan thinks that he might actually smile. The beginnings of a rare smile are thwarted, however, when an unexpected clap of thunder makes goosebumps rise on his arms. Of course, you notice the grimace on his face.

“You don’t like storms?”

Duncan looks into the fire, not used to somebody looking at him for any amount of time. “Not really, no. Bad experience in the past.”

You nod in understanding, and Duncan believes this is the end of the conversation. Surprisingly, it’s not. “My dad would always tell me that storms weren’t meant to be weathered alone. We would spend thunderstorms together, playing games or watching movies, sometimes even just sitting together, and suddenly, the storms wouldn’t be so bad.”

Duncan hums in acknowledgement, not quite sure what you’re getting at. You sigh, rolling your eyes.

“Come and sit with me,” you clarify.

“Oh.” Out of all the things that Duncan had been expecting from you, this was not that. It takes a minute for his brain to cooperate, but he does finally sit down on the couch. It’s not exactly “sitting with you,” but you won’t argue with this. “Is...is this okay?”

“I’m the one that invited you in here, aren’t I?”

“You did.” A long time ago, he would have never been so shy and unsure of himself. If Duncan then were to meet the man beast that he had become, he definitely wouldn’t recognize himself.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“An actual question, smartass, not just permission to ask a question.”

Duncan smirks, but nods. “Why did you save me? That night where I tried to run away, you could have just let me die. That would have solved a number of your problems, but you didn’t let me die. Why?”

How was Duncan supposed to answer this question without sounding like even more of a creep? After all, he couldn’t exactly say that he saved you because you were his last chance to even potentially break the curse and save his life. Even then, he knew that this wasn’t the full answer. Truthfully, he saved you because, for some reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of you dying. It was a split-second decision, and one that had a multitude of reasons behind it.

In the end, he settles for the very beginning of the truth.

“You selflessly gave up your freedom so your friend could have his. I couldn’t let that sacrifice go to waste.” You don’t look extremely satisfied with that answer, but it’s good enough that you don’t ask for further elaboration. “What about you? Why did you give up your freedom for Jim’s?”

You raise your eyebrow. “We’re playing 20 Questions now, are we?” With a sigh, you stand up. “I’m gonna need some alcohol for this.”

//

Duncan has not enjoyed himself like this in a very long time. He’s had so much fun learning about you, from the mundane like your favorite color, to the introspective like if aliens really do exist. Likewise, he’s found himself opening up to you as well. 20 questions had turned into 40, which turned into so many that he’s lost count. With each question you took a sip of wine, leading to personal space becoming nonexistent and your body becoming boneless, that is, you were now lying right up against him and giggling. You aren’t drunk, but you’re definitely tipsy, and the wine has given you a warmth in your veins that heats you up against him.

Most importantly, and something that Duncan won’t note until later that night when he’s alone and missing your warmth, is that the storm hasn’t bothered him since he started talking with you.

“You’re tired,” Duncan states, looking at the way your blinks last longer and longer.

“A little, but ‘m okay. Besides, we’re talking.”

“You should go to bed.” His hand pauses at the last second, and he jarringly realizes that he was about to stroke your hair.

You nod, clumsily sitting up and trying to get your bearings after dozing. Duncan stands with you, beginning to walk with you to your room. “What are you doing?”

“Wanted to make sure that you weren’t going to decide the floor makes a good bed.”

You chuckle. “Y’know, you try to act like you’re a scary guy, but you’re not. You’re actually really thoughtful.”

“I’m not, but thank you.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that.” Now, he almost regrets walking you to your room, the door of which you’ve now reached. He stands a respectable distance away, ready to slip off back to his wing and wallow in solitude for the night. “I want to ask you one more question.”

“And what question is that?”

“What’s your first name? Nobody ever says it.”

He could choose to ignore your question, or tell you that that’s something he likes to keep private. He doesn’t feel like he deserves a first name anymore. First names are for people who aren’t monstrous beings cursed by a vengeful witch. But you’re looking at him with a waiting smile, and you’ve both shared so much tonight.

You think this question is a lost cause as the silence continues to stretch on. As you start to turn the doorknob open, ready to mumble apologies, he speaks.

“My name is Duncan.”

You turn around, grinning, and for the second time tonight, the warmth with which you look at him almost takes his breath away. “Goodnight, Duncan.”

Duncan wishes you goodnight as well, waiting until the door shuts before finally going back to his wing. In the empty study that he used to use, the enchanted rose, which wilts more and more each day and continues to lose petals, glows with a long-forgotten hope.

[lobsters-on-their-heads]

OB Rewatch: Gag or Throttle

The episode from whence my thumbnail image came.

My first watch review can be found here: https://lobsters-on-their-heads.tumblr.com/post/163333202396/gag-or-throttle 

I loved

Exploring Rachel's character, background, and motivations. She'll never be my favorite character, but she is one of the most interesting characters. 

Two minutes later after seeing young Rachel talking with the Neos, adult Rachel introduces Kira Manning to the board, wearing the same outfit, at the same age, but rather less curated than Rachel was.

Fucking adorable Charlotte sitting wrapped in a blanket with her mug of cocoa or whatever, so proud that they “escaped on a boat with only a map and compass”

I love that Rachel had a real reason to side with the sisters, in her discovery of PT's eye-cam tablet. Although maybe it wasn’t so much siding with them as siding against PT.

The steady drum/ bass beat that starts once Rachel sits in her video room drinking herself numb. Season 5 doesn’t have quite the same spot-on soundtrack as previous seasons, but this was great.

“Fell from a punt and drowned” – “probably also alcohol poisoning”

The climax of this episode takes us back to earlier seasons. There’s horror and genuine suspense, and Ledas working together. 

And Kira, who can feel Rachel’s emotions, asking “Who hurt you?” and Rachel’s response - “All of them.”

Tat plays drunk so well. Finding little details fascinating, dragging the glass across her lap.

I love that Rachel ripped out her own fake eyeball, which was connected by actual tissue to her head. She will do ANYTHING to have control over her own body. I’m reminded of Leekie in Season 2 saying something like, “Rachel takes insult very personally.”

I liked

The opening flashback to young Rachel, with her almost robotic recitations of clones' tag numbers paired with picking her fingernails bloody. Although they seem to have CGI’d something onto Matt Frewer’s head.

There’s a great contrast of Rachel in this ep – vulnerable, undignified (two pelvic exams and a shot of her wiping the lube from between her legs while wearing a paper gown), talked down to – with the Rachel we met in Seasons 1 and 2 – meticulous, formal, controlling. 

“Liver deep” indeed. We've seen Alison put down some booze before.

I did like Mark's “oh for fuck's sake come 'ere” man hug of his mom.

They're giving Skyler Wexler much meatier material, which is great. They're not keeping her in ��cute little kid who rests her chin on her hand” land, as other shows do with their token child. She’s not the greatest actress, but they hired her at the age of, like, 6, and she’s acting opposite Tatiana Maslany, so any less-than-perfections are totally forgivable in my book. 

Rachel keeps the bracelet Kira gives her and wears it for the rest of the episode!

I didn't like

S immediately busting out her handgun bundle when Sarah said they were making her wait until tomorrow to talk to Kira. Siobhan's been the calm one, as Sarah points out. It’s not the first time Dyad has taken Kira, not the first time things have seemed hopeless.

Cosima's reunion with Scott made me uncomfortable. Sure, I’m glad they had a reunion, and yes, they would be happy to see each other, but the zooming in on faces, the lingering embrace.... eh. [funny, I enjoyed this scene in my first watch]

The whole tired “married man rushes to clean the house moments before his wife gets back” schtick. I mean, okay, it fits here, since Donnie's been living totally alone and I would make a mess, too, and plus, maybe he didn’t have much notice that Alison was returning, but it’s a cliché I’d like to not see for a bit.

Alison's return. I like Alison a lot, but this isn't Alison, and this plot line doesn't work here at all. Nothing about her absence or sudden life change makes any damn sense at the end of Season 5. And she threw away her craft supplies! I mean, listen, I teach essay writing for a living, and one major point we stress is that you don’t bring in extra information in the conclusion unless it directly connects to something you wrote before. We’re in Episode 7 of 10, the final stretch, and Alison’s changes don’t connect.

I don't give a shit about Mark and Gracie. I do think the subplot of no one trying to cure the Castor men is an interesting one, but Mark and Gracie don't do it for me.

There's a lot of bouncing around / sudden scene changes / “gasp!” reveals that aren't gasp worthy.

Other notes

Interesting word choice - “our most curated subject... Rachel Duncan.”

I don't know enough about Dungeons and Dragons to know if Hell Wizard's comment about “DnD in real life” makes any damn sense.

Very telling that Rachel signs a document promising her freedom from the experiment, much like she pressure the sisters into doing in Season 1, but she thinks that this one is for real.

Canon confirmation that Leekie has seen Rachel's vagina. Or very close to it.

Imagine jerking off into a cup and knowing that you're going to be giving that cup to the woman you call your mother. The Castor men really are just as “curated” as Rachel’s been.

It took me a second to realize the implication of this shot the first time I watched it. I am not always smart.

Leekie shows real fascination and care for the clones when he discovers Rachel's autopsy of Miriam. He sees Miriam as a human being, not simply a lab rat. However, I think half of his anger towards Rachel is due to her going behind his back, not due to her “encouraging” Miriam to die.

I forgot, again, that Rachel and Cosima are played by the same person.

I am super impressed that Rachel managed to text while looking with one eye. Anyone who's received text messages from me can attest to the numbers of typos I make while looking at my phone with both eyes.

Speaking of eyes, I couldn't watch. Eyeball horror skeeves me out more than anything.

I have questions

Did Rachel believe PT’s story about his age and background? She’s pretty blasé when Sarah emails her that obit.

What is keeping Rachel's top up? I have so many questions about shirts/ dresses like this. As always, women’s fashion confuses me.

Rachel Duncan went to summer camp?!?! And had a friend!?! I need more information about this!

Were the friendship bracelet and questions about Rachel really all Kira's idea / natural personality? Did she intuit that Rachel was a good person inside? Or was it part of the hustle?

What is the issue, exactly, with Charlotte's leg? We see her on the bed with seem to be crossed legs, her brace on the bed beside her.

What the fuck happened with the revolt on the island last episode?

Why do the Castor boys all have distinct last names?

Do the Neolution symbles have meaning?

Did Coady leave Rachel's chart up on the computer on purpose? Did she want Rachel to see it?

In what room did Rachel perform that autopsy of Miriam?

So PT can hear everything too? Does the eye have a receiver, or has he just tapped her phone?

I would've liked to have seen

An entire episode devoted to Cosima and Charlotte escaping on a boat, with just a map and compass, and then sending the boat back out onto the water and making their way from the shore to the Rabbit Hole. I like to think that maybe they stopped somewhere for donuts on way back.

[richardhandelcarpfishing]

My Journey Through The Old Skool Days

I started my Carp fishing in the early ’80s, after leaving school.  I discovered there was more to fishing than small local rivers with only Roach & Dace and the odd Perch in the offing.  At this time, I was living in Ipswich and there where only a couple of tackle shops.  These shops had a very basic, limited range of carp gear which the majority of which was match kit and when I say carp gear, it’s not as you think of it today.  The choice of hook was poor (to say the least), I stuck to size 8 hooks.  They were pretty good and served me well for many years.  Rods on the other hand; were a mixture of all sorts, as I could only afford one at a time.  I started with an SS6 and a bodex, this was an early carbon rod if my memory is correct.  I also had a cork handle rod that my dad got for me.  I then got myself a pair of ss7’s, which were the bees knees, as far as I was concerned, they were secondhand and reels were a mish-mash as well.  I can’t actually remember or even recognize them in the photography.  At the time I lived at home and didn’t get paid that much, I gave my mum & dad a little bit of rent and saved the rest for bait.  This has always been a key factor in my view.  If you have the best kit in the world you will not catch fish, however, with the right bait and a good selection of bait, this is the key to catching carp.

Until I could save up money to buy better stuff, I just stuck to what I had and get the odd bits second hand from friends.  At this point in my life, I had not discovered mail order or even fishing magazines!  All of my money went on bait, beer and trying to save up for a pair of rods.  As for buzzers, I had the right mixture of a Heron and a rolon.  This was rubbish, if you got a screamer in the night, you would need to check with a torch first.  You had to check which line was going – if the line was pulled tight, it would set the alarm off.  This was fun until I realized what was going on.  I then managed to get together enough money for a pair of Optonics.  I was planning on doing this first, as sitting up all night listening out for coins to drop off my spool a tin was taking its toll on me.  Trying to do nights in the week and the odd two nigher at the weekend was putting years on me!  I even had my ever faithful fairy bottle top bobbins. I have even done a week trip in the early ’80s like this.

The lake I was fishing was a club water,  at this time consisted of 4 lakes over a massive area.  They were full of bars and gully back bays which were full of pads.  There were only a handful of carp anglers, I think there were about 6 fully kitted out carp anglers.  They had clearly been fishing for some years and had a greater understanding of the lake.  In though’s days, they clearly were never going to help you.  They were still a friendly bunch of lads and we all enjoyed pike fishing over the Winter months.  It was perceived that carp didn’t feed over these months, the social pike trip helped us bond with the lads and finally started getting the odd snippet of information handed down.  I started to catch the odd fish, at that time 1 or 2 fish a season was good going.  My best year was 7 carp, I was amazed and totally hooked on carp fishing.  One year, I had a take on the opening day and lost the fish around the corner of a point.  This was the only carp take for that year, it was very hard going, to say the least.

I could never afford a bivvy, so I started off with bits of plastic sheeting tucked up around the spokes of a brolly, this helped until the wind blew (as there were no pegging points).  I slept in a large sail bag my dad had given me.  This was when I started seeing what other anglers were using as I was being allowed to look inside their bivvy’s.  You had to be invited in and not just peer in – it was just not done.  You can imagine my face when I finally spotted the old Argos sun-loungers, that bit of kit jumped to the top of my list.  They were a death trap though, we had watched people collapse in them and finding it very hard to get out.

The best way around the lack of bivvy problem was to go halves with a friend and then double up on a swim together.  If they couldn’t fish that weekend, you got it to yourself, then you both just needed to save up again to get another one.  This worked well and slowly we started to look a bit more like carp angler’s or as we called ourselves Specimen Hunters.

Those first few years on Barham pits (near Claydon), is where the carp bug really kicked in and is still well and truly with me.  We had some laughs in though’s days.  There was no barrow other than a wheelbarrow, which I hadn’t seen anyone use yet.  We used an old pram base was perfect until we got bored and started to race them up and down, you can guess the rest!  Let’s just say the wheels all buckled up and that was the end of that!  We did muck about somewhat back then, I will come to that later on.

This was the time also when I discovered PVA Bags, at this time they were made by Duncan Kay.  Wow!  How they changed my fishing.  After playing around with them, I realized that if you left the air in them and got the wind in the correct direction you could drift a bag under overhanging trees and pick up fish that way.  Inevitably, it would be a tench or bream.  This was a bit frustrating and costly but occasionally worth it if you spotted a fish in these swims.

By 1984, I had sorted out my kit (well sort of), I had better rods but they were still not a pair.  Other kit had become more important, we then moved on to Weybread pits on the Suffolk Norfolk border.  There was a small pit in the middle of the complex, where we settled on for a few years.  This enabled me to hone the art of carp fishing and was more of a runs water.  This was a very valuable period of time in my carp fishing life.  I had learned so much from other anglers and the group of friends I was with.  This was where a couple of lads could empty the lake most weekends.  We learned the art of floater fishing, we went through a stage of trying to capture a carp floater fish on all the rods we owned one by one.  This sounds crazy and it did at the time, but it gave you a greater understanding of how to play fish.  The minimum and maximum pressure you could put on them without getting a hook pull and margin fishing is the key to a lot of fish captures.

To this day, this is still my favorite style of fishing.  It is the most rewarding and possibly the most intense you can get from carp fishing.  We had discovered that black-eyed peas were an amazing bait.  They were very cheap to buy, easy to prepare and you could easily color/flavor them and they stayed on the hook.  Also at this time, we had started to play around with boilies.  I did have a go around 1980 but without much success.  It was hard to find any information regarding ingredients at first, so I just stuck to stuff out of my mum’s kitchen!  Things then started to kick off in ’84 – I purchased the odd book, which for the life of me I can’t remember the names.  Unfortunately, over the years I moved around a lot and I so wish I hadn’t binned so much stuff.  I used to keep everything there was to do with carp fishing; I read so much, just sat and made up bait recipes.  So many in fact, that I never ever used them all!  Somewhere very successful for me, others not so much but it just was a fantastic time to be in the carp fishing world – a voyage of discovery.  I do miss bait making these days but with work, kids and family stuff I just don’t have the time.  Also the ready-made frozen bait market so advanced today, why bother?  Use your time to go fishing!  I do like to play around with hook baits, stick mixes and ground bait, in the past two years they have got me very excited again, there is just so much choice, back to the ’80s.

Transport in those days was also great fun.  We use to share lifts for a couple of years and I still can’t believe we would get all that tackle for two people in my Mini Clubman estate.  It was bigger than my mates one but he still got two people’s kit in.  They were stuffed to the gunnels but we got it all in and it worked well.  I would like to see you get today’s kits in an original mini, now that would be fun!  I ended up with an Escort estate, much to the dismay of my girlfriend, as everyone else had flash Escort, she just didn’t understand carp fishing!

In the photo you can see my first proper bivvy and a pair of rods, you may have spotted the third.  We hoped the bailiff never did, if he did, he mostly turned a blind eye, which was a help.  I had an old groundsheet as a sleeping bag cover, landing net in though’s day’s where very heavy and hard to move about, unlike the modern slimline ones.  We were good at cooking on the bank, that was one thing that wasn’t too bad.  There were plenty of options for cooking as camping equipment was very common.  Most of the summer months, I would kip out under the stars, this was just an amazing time to be fishing, I did have a brolly pole just in case the weatherman was wrong!  I sorted out the issues with the Argos sun-lounger by cutting a V at each end of a piece of wood, this stopped the bed collapsing but in the end, I found the best way was to dig a groove in the ground for the legs and use pegs to peg it hard into the ground.  This worked well and worth the effort – no more trapped in a bed with a rod trying to play a fish and get out.

Weybread Middle Pit was where I honed my skills and I certainly had plenty of carp in the first year there.  I remember turning up the day before June 16th and we were all set up by 8 am, we just sat feeding the carp bread in the margins most of the day.  They were just everywhere.  The following morning was a different matter, we had carp but not in the numbers we were seeing the day before.  The carp had learned about pressure even then.

It was hard to find a lake with twenty’s in, let alone a 30+ and then you needed people to tell you about them and the location.  This all took time, part of the complex we fished had 1 and I’m not sure to this day, why we started on middle pit but there were 2 or 3 twenty’s.  I think we must have thought it was a better option.  I had over 53 carp that year.  I learned so much, watercraft was a key factor, understanding the topography of the lake and the feeding patterns.�� I was up there every weekend from Friday to Sunday, even if I worked Saturday morning, I would go straight after work and set up.  The more you are there, the more you learn and that is certainly true today.

Fish care was in the long grass in though’s days.  We did all had a sack to retain the carp in and tried to do our best.  There has always been an urge for me to look after the fish and return it safely for the next person to catch.

They may not have all been the biggest fish in the world but back then, we certainly thought they were and took photographs of them all.

There was another thing that I remember about the ’80s, that has all but been forgotten –  playing tricks on each other (and scoring points for the idea of the trick and the reaction of the person).  Some of the best ones I can remember was turning the bivvy around, giving them a run and watch them try and find their way out in a sleepy daze or removing the elastic bands from under the bed chair a putting string to just hold the material in place, then watching them lay on the bed and fall onto a nice hard floor.  Other ones I can remember, putting food coloring into beans, blue and green were the best, switching the rod’s over and leaving the line in its original buzzer was a fun one.  Never leave your keys about as someone would put something in your car which would generally be horrible.

There was a group of five of us that fished together back in the early ’80’s; Mike, Carl, Paul, Andy, and I.  It was probably one of the best periods of my carp fishing career.  For the company and laughs, the innervation and discovering so much between us all.  Without a doubt, without this group of people, I think the start of my fishing career, wouldn’t have been that much fun.  Unfortunately. I had to move down South and time changes with family and stuff – we lost contact with each other.

I have fond memories of the ’80s and the old skool kit.  I wished I’d kept more of it but this wasn’t to be.  However, I love the modern day carp kit and the advances which have happened over the years.  As I get ever closer to 55, I am glad of my Aqua bivvy and 5 season sleeping bag.  How well would we be at sleeping on the Argos sun-loungers?  I bet we would all be doubled up with back pain and walking with a stick.  I could go on about all the other inventions and improvements.  The key one for me has to be bait.  As the ’90s began, fishing tackle started to take a leap forwards with proper bivvy, Kjc Rod pods, Wavelock brolly.  Winter fishing became a thing of the future for all carp anglers.

Not sure if you class the early ’90’s as old skool.  However, looking back at the amount of money I could send on carp fishing.  It was certainly a turning point for me.  The tackle I could buy and the lakes I discovered, the industry was starting the beginning of great things to come.

I hope this has been an incite to old skool fishing and my time through the ages.

Until Next Time

Richard

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My Journey Through The Old Skool Days My Journey Through The Old Skool Days I started my Carp fishing in the early '80s, after leaving school. 

[vrmbles12]

Total Drama First Generation Cast Ranking

My Choice- I’m just using seasons 1-3. I haven’t re-watched 5 since it aired, but I don’t think it affected these standings. Ridonculous Race didn’t affect these either

1- Duncan- Duncan has been my love since episode one. So he was definitely getting a top three spot. We got so much characterization from him though, making the merge every season. Of course characterization is how I like you or not. Plus I just loved his bad boy but secretly good side, it was a fun line to see throughout the seasons.

2- Noah- I love his sarcasm. He’s been my favorite for about five years or so, whenever I started becoming really sarcastic.

3- Lindsay- Honestly, I’ve been re-watching and really love Lindsay. I wanted to bump her up higher, but I love the other two as well but for longer. Though just saying that Lindsay could honestly have made a contest for number 1 (Sorry Noah you were either 2 or 3), if I hadn’t loved Duncan since episode 1. Her TDI elimination deserves it’s own spot.

4- Heather- If you asked me to make this in 2008, now way would Heather have been anywhere but the bottom. Season 3 though with the introduction of Al made it so you wanted Heather to win, at least for me to win. As I rewatch the first season, I do have to respect her playing the game for all the times except for Lindsay’s elimination, because as Duncan said “that’s cold”. I do like her manipulation tactics in the game.

5- Gwen- Gwen I always felt was the sane character of TDI when she was first introduced. Which to childhood me, was not what i thought of for goths. I thought of them as scary (like everyone’s reaction to Ennui and Crimson’s outfits in the air guitar challenge from RR). She just seemed like an honest, relateable character.

6- Al- Al is like Justin 2.0. I felt like Justin disappointed me as a villain (more in his section), but Al improved. Al was able to take his looks and his words to turn himself into a threat. He also knew how to play the game as well as Heather, if not better. He made me start to cheer for Heather, something I used to think impossible. At the same time, I was cheering for him. What can I say, he did his job good.

7- Owen- I loved Owen as the comedic relief. Though sometimes I thought the fart jokes were over used, he provided some other great examples, like Mr. Coconut (The real number one of this list. I forgot to add him and renumbering is too much work). Like Gwen, he seemed like a relateable guy that you might hang out with in real life. I mean I love Duncan, but he’s not the kind you’d hang out with. Owen you would. I also loved to see him in all of the alliances or friendships he had.

8- Cody- I loved Cody season three. He turned into someone I came to love that I was rather indifferent towards earlier. After Duncan got eliminated, I wanted him to be the winner. He’s just a fun, awkward, dork, and who doesn’t love someone like that?

9- Izzy- Can’t deny that Izzy was whack. That’s what made it fun to watch her. She started off as slightly crazy, and even season one had her as on hte RCMP list. I also really love how she was able to cheat the system to come back in season two by competing as E-Scope, not Izzy. My only problem was that you knew she was always going to be eliminated and come back, after the first season. She was never a competitor that I felt you honestly would think would win. She was fun to watch, but because of that fact, it limits her.

10- Leshawna- I loved Leshawna and Heather’s fights, mostly in season one. I felt like that was where they were the strongest. Throwing her off the cliff was great.

11- Geoff- Geoff was a bro, and not like the douchy frat-boy bro. He was the relateable one that you could probably be friends with. I don’t like him as much as the ones above, but he’s nice and relatable, so he’s got to be higher up.

12- Harold- Harold was someone I grew to like over re-runs. I used to like Courtney, so he was disliked for quite a while for eliminating her. I actually like that now, not because of my stance on Courtney. I liked that because it made Harold seem like he could have actually been a threat to others in the competition with doing that. Sadly he gets eliminated the next episode and doesn’t get a chance to act similar to this again. I would’ve loved to see a new direction of him to be an evil dork, but it wasn’t done.

13- Courtney- I know some people will hate this, but Courtney is my middle. She’s not here because I’m indifferent towards her. She’s here because sometimes I like her, like most of TDI, and other times she would get on my last nerve. I’d think about it for the week after the episode. She’s a character that I want to like when I see season one, but in the other seasons I start to lose that interest. So 13 was halfway since she’s either liked or my bottom.

14- DJ- DJ is a fine character. I liked seeing him in the guys’ alliance. Though I did get confused why he’d help or be okay with pulling pranks on Harold then later turned into the ultimate sweetheart. Like it almost seemed out of character, but it’s how it started. It could’ve worked if he saw Momma and she told him she was disappointed with him, thus why he turned more soft. But it sometimes seemed like that edge of him was gone. I mean you can pull a prank but be an over all nice person, but the 2&3 seasons didn’t want that to be for DJ.

15- Sierra- Sierra was an alright character. I mean I understand her obsession with tv characters, but sometimes it got annoying. Since she only appeared in episodes with Cody, we didn’t get much to see her without that. Yeah she’s a X generation basket weaver, but that’s not personality. I know 5 dealt with that more, but I’m not including that here. She’s also middle because she only got one season of the original three to develop her. If she had more, she might have moved positions.

16- Tyler- I loved him with Lindsay, or the time before when he tried to flirt with her. Dumb jock who was a comedic relief when he got the pain. I just felt like he got sent home so early in season 1, and didn’t compete in 2 that it limited his character. He got to grow in 4, but he didn’t get enough.

17-  Bridgette- Bridgette I used to really like when I first watched the series, mostly in the time of season one. I lost that attraction as time went on and never gained it back. I don’t hate Bridgette, I’m just not necessarily a fan of hers. She’s nice, but eh, I don’t feel her.

18- Trent- I used to love Trent, especially season one. Well until that Heather kiss. Yes Heather kisses him, but he melds in, no rejection. Had he pushed her away I would’ve liked him longer. I loved that ship as a child. Also season two I didn’t like the whole number nine thing. I think it would’ve been cool if it was executed better. You first see Trent’s obsession and he’s eliminated the next episode later. I felt like it was thrown in last second as a reason to get rid of him. Good idea, execution not so much. Also the fact that he wasn’t cool with Gwen and Duncan being friends. Like yeah I know that was a jump from last season, but that was only two days after the last special. Clearly you would’ve all been at playa des losers, and seen it grow. (You the longest since you were the first eliminated out of the three). Like there wasn’t really much space for them to hide and start anything without you or the cameras. Plus in a house of 22 teens, no one would’ve seen anything (Looking to Tyler at season 3). Had Trent stayed calm like season 1, I would’ve liked him more. 

19- Zeke- Zeke I don’t necessarily like. As himself he’s pretty neutral. Yeah I didn’t appreciate the sexist comment, but you do see him realize his mistake by the episode between seasons 1 and 2. He can agree to not be sexist to be part of a team. So he does get growth. Obviously he’s always eliminated first episode so not much characterization is given to him so he can’t be high. I just liked the transformation he got as a fun thing to watch. It brought in fun to the series. 

20- Beth- I don’t really have anything for or against Beth. She’s not my favorite but is in no way a bad character. She’s here because everyone else I like more (well except when I don’t for Courtney), and basically everyone below I dislike. Just need some neutral ground here. She’s the bottom here for the ones I’m fine with but don’t hate because I’ve just never got into liking her. Not like dislike form of not liking, I just don’t necessarily care for her one way or another.

21- Eva- Eva actually seems like she could have been a fun character to watch. Never someone I’d probably like, but her anger was fun to watch. Only problem was she basically never appeared in the series, and all she was only ever angry. Katie and Sadie could be dumb but have a fight, but Eva didn’t get the chance. She had potential and didn’t annoy me so she’s up here.

22- Katie- Katie and Sadie are two characters that pretty much equally annoy me. They were tolerable for like the two seconds they were introduced or whatever but not really otherwise. Katie is ranked higher only because from one of the later episodes when she calls Sadie too fat for the bus, it made me laugh. Just gave me one line to like her more so she’s just so slightly higher.

23- Justin- I just never felt anything with Justin except annoyance. I mean season one he doesn’t speak and is a theme song and was tolerable for not lasting long, but season 2 I just remember being annoyed by him. He was someone I was open to liking, but it came off to annoy me. Only because of Katie’s one line making me laugh, thus a moment of not annoyance is why she’s higher.

24- Sadie- Sadie along with Katie, are just frankly annoying and irritating. Sadie had more screen time and failed to impress me in any way, shape, or form.

25- Blaineley- Blaineley’s here because she wasn’t on the show that long. She’s appeared in ten episodes on the series and only spoken in six. Only two of these was she a contestant. I live in America, where we never saw the aftermaths (You had to know they were online and I didn’t. Never saw in reference to being on tv.) So her speaking lines for me were shorter. I just felt like with Celebrity Manhunt she was boring, and I only got two more speaking episodes from her. She didn’t wow me with her words enough to be higher because she didn’t have much of a character, though more than Justin in TDI.

[milady-milord-lj]

Community Re-Watch Season 1: Advanced Criminal Law and Social Psychology

Community Re-Watch:  Season 1 Hello everyone! Once again, watching in intended order. Which means this week we've got "Advanced Criminal Law" and "Social Psychology" (yes in that order). Advanced Criminal Law

Commentary by Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, and Andrew Guest (co-writer with Dan)

Dan says the script for this episode was pretty much written on-set. Andrew confirms that the script went through a lot of changes. There was originally a secondary story involving Professor Duncan. According to Dan, Duncan just had a paper published called “Born to Leave,” which was about why women always leave men. Andrew clarifies that the comedy about the paper was that it was clearly Duncan publicly grinding an axe.

Dan says that a lot of people didn’t get the exchange between Jeff and Duncan where they talk “in code” using sitcom titles. Joel is kind of shocked by that statement.

Dan admits that Abed is loosely based on a friend of his (side note:  original Abed did make an appearance as one of the custodians during S5 in “Analysis of Cork-based Networking). He said Original Abed (the guy’s name is actually Abed) is incredulous. That was the basis of the Abed-Troy storyline in this episode. Joel points out that Original Abed actually read for the part of Fictional Abed.

Starburns’s first line in the entire series is said in Spanish class. It’s, “My name is Alex, dude.” According to Dan, this exchange was originally longer and descended into a huge argument between Chan and Starburns. Unfortunately, NBC hated the argument and it got cut as a result.

Gillian said during the day they were shooting in the Spanish class, Ken Jeong was doing a lot of Andrew Dice Clay impressions.

Joel actually doesn’t remember which episode he’s commenting on. He sheepishly admits that during the break when no one is talking he was quickly looking up on his phone to see which episode it was.

Dan once again repeats that this is one of the episodes where Jeff gets his one-on-one with each character in the study group. This episode is meant to be Jeff’s one-on-one with Britta. This is the episode where we discover that Britta is a character who cuts and runs “because she’s a skank.” Gillian cheerfully agrees that Britta is a skank-y, cheating, ‘ho, “which is what the people want.” Dan assures Gillian that she is selling herself short, and that he is in negotiations about that stuff with “the people.”

Dan says there were multiple re-shot scenes between Pierce and Annie at the piano while Pierce is trying to write a school song for Greendale. He mentions that some of the scenes will be included in the DVD extras. The point was to say something about Pierce (not Annie, apparently). Dan repeats that Pierce is Dan’s avatar representing him as an artist. Namely, that he’ll shut himself up in a room and procrastinate, then go around and lie about what a genius he is.

Joel notes that Alison’s neck is bright red in the scene where Chang threatens to flunk the class unless the cheater comes forward. Gillian points out that it’s because Alison just screamed. Joel asks Gillian if the same thing happens to her, and Gillian confirms that it does. She adds that she bruises very easily.

Gillian says that during the scene where the class throws balled up paper at her, some of the extras in the scene whipped the balls at her pretty hard. Dan admits that he ended up debating the scene with Joe Russo during editing. Joe wanted a beat before people starting flinging paper at her, and Dan wanted it to happen right away. Dan won.

Joel calls the scene where Jeff approaches Britta in the Cafetorium as “the battle of the awesome coats.”

Dan asks if Joel was the one who ad-libbed the line that a dirty bum is higher on the totem pole than Britta. Joel and Gillian say that the line was actually in the script.

Dan says that Jeff is based on a combination of his friends. In addition, Jeff Winger is both the voice of “the dorky writer who created him” and Joel McHale. He credits McHale with really highlighting Jeff’s “pomposity, narcissism, and shallowness.” (Umm, compliment? I guess?)

Dan says the dirty bum line to Britta was the point at which he realized that they had managed to successfully create a very flawed character as their Jeff protagonist and they had to commit to it.

Andrew says that there are a couple of different versions of the Jeff-Britta conversation that were put into the script, but that writer Neil Goldman was the one who locked it down to its current form.

Andrew also says that writer Hillary Winston came up with Britta storyline, and that she came into the writers’ room with the plot almost fully formed before they even wrote the script. Dan confirmed the storyline was Hillary’s. Although he adds that he always had the idea in his head that he wanted to do a trial storyline where the trial takes place next to a swimming pool. He notes that if the idea had come from Joe Russo, it might get shot down as being too expensive. But because Dan wanted to do it, people were willing to make it happen.

The pool-side trial was apparently a long day of filming. Gillian points out that on that day, Alison was on-set for 16 hours, and only worked for a half-hour. Turns out, Alison had a scene as a witness at the trial, and she ended up being cut from the final version of the script/episode.

Dan says that part of it was that when he went down to the set, he thought the pool-side trial scenes weren’t working. So he and Andrew basically sat on the bleachers and re-wrote the trial scenes. Then they were printing out the re-written pages to give to the actors, while they were still shooting the original script. Andrew jokes, “It’s really not the way you want to work.”

Gillian points out the guy diving into the pool in the background at the end of the first pool-trial scene made that dive 30 times.

Dan says the scenes between Annie and Pierce were originally much darker in tone. All of the scenes had to be reshot because NBC because they felt the scenes were too dark. Dan admits that NBC may have had a valid point. However, he says that the whole point of the Annie-Pierce storyline was to “find the Pierce character” that both Dan and Chevy would be happy with.

Dan goes off on a tangent and says that Chevy basically wanted to be Fletch. Dan’s argument was that Pierce wasn’t Fletch, he was meant to be a buffoon and that Chevy had been warned that Pierce was the target of jokes. But Chevy insisted that he wanted to be “Fletch-y and sexy.” So the Pierce-Annie storyline was Dan’s attempt at finding a happy medium. Pierce was written to be an angry character because he’s not getting what he wants in life.

Dan says in the original scenes between Pierce and Annie, Pierce is very abusive towards Annie throughout their storyline. In the final piano room scene between the two of them, Annie snaps and dresses down Pierce. Actual Dan quote describing the original scene where Annie finally confronts Pierce:  “You know why you have seven wives? Because everyone who gets close to you, you shit on them. Now I’m one of one of those people, and I accidentally thought you were a decent guy. Now I’m out of here too, and that’s just the way it is.” As Dan put it, Annie was supposed to be Pierce’s first real friend. Dan admits that the storyline was inspired by Malcolm in the Middle.

Back at poolside again, Gillian says she got great joy out of the seeing posters of the Human Being in his swimming form. Andrew adds that the art department did an amazing job on the set. Both Joel and Gillian pipe up and say that the set was infested by very large cockroaches.

Gillian says that it was her idea to crawl up onto the platform to give Britta’s testimony. Joel says he thought it was kind of adorable.

Dan says that he had a real problem with Gillian’s boots. Gillian adds that he seemed upset that she was wearing heels. Dan counters that he has a problem with dishonesty, and it seems to him that if someone is short they should own it. He had a hard time wrapping his head around why someone like Britta would wear high-heeled boots, because Britta was supposed to be a character that represented practicality and honesty. So, why is Britta stumbling around on stilts? Gillian interrupts and says it’s because she’s not very good at walking in heels.

Andrew points out that this is the first episode where the writers actually address Britta’s character. Gillian agrees that this is the first episode where you see Britta is flawed (Ummm, did we forget Britta admitting to being a hypocrite in “Spanish 101?”).

Dan says that this episode is one of his favorite episodes, however, it’s also an episode that had a huge number of problems during production and post-production. There was “political” pressure on him, plus a lot of second-guessing and over-correction. For example, a lot of the act breaks got shuffled around in the edit bay to improve the flow of the episode, so as a result none of the act breaks we see are the original act breaks in the script, which seems to drive him crazy. In short, filming and putting this episode was, in Dan’s word, “a mess.” Plus he was in the middle of the learning curve of learning to work with his team and the network. There was not enough confidence on his part.

Gillian says that both she and Joel got to really enjoy watching Jim Rash, John Oliver, and Ken do improve during the poolside-trial scenes. She says that it was like being at a comedy show that never ended.

Joel says the shower scene between Chang and Duncan and Jeff and Britta was shot about 20 minutes before they were about to be thrown out of the pool. Gillian says that both scenes were shot very quickly, with only two takes for each scene.

Dan calls Gillian’s acting in the scene between her and Jeff “brilliant.”Dan thinks that looking back at the Jeff-Britta scene after 25 episodes of pounding on Britta by pointing out that she’s humorless and joyless, you realize in this scene that Britta is “a crazy person.” He says that Gillian’s performance informs that realization, because it’s “so real.” Britta is the character on Gilligan’s Island who sticks out because she’s different from “all these sitcom characters.”

Andrew says that the Jeff-Britta scene was shot at the end of a 16-hour day and Joe basically had to tell Gillian, “Okay, this is your big scene!” Gillian repeats that they had to do the scene in two takes.

Dan’s still complaining about act breaks.

First appearance of Leonard (By the fabulous Richard Erdman! I recommend you see him in one of his most famous roles in Stalag 17. Great movie! Somehow it served as the inspiration of Hogan’s Heroes. If you squint, you can kind of see it.).

Everyone talks about how Dan almost drowned Richard. Gillian says it was fascinating to see two people swim out with Richard to guide him to his mark and then he’d sink about five inches down the second they let him go. Dan says “the legend” is that Richard had to do 20 takes of his “Busted!” line, but the thing is, he nailed it on his first take while Dan was in the bathroom. And then when Dan came back, he kept asking for more takes. Eventually, the first assistant director took Dan aside and said, “He’s going to drown!” Dan admits that the ended up using his first take. Gillian starts laughing that Richard is basically “eating water” during his scene.

Dan starts singing Richard’s praises and urges people to look him up on IMDb to see what he’s acted in and what he’s directed. He’s basically a museum of early television and a living legend. Gillian says that Richard was Marlon Brando’s roommate at one point when they were both starting out in Hollywood. Dan says everyone on the set should salute Richard when he comes on set. Gillian says he’s always in a good mood, and is always happy to be there.

Gillian says that she loved watching Danny shoot his scene where he’s pretending to be an alien communicating with his home world. She says that for the “alien twin,” Danny insisted that make-up draw in his eyebrows really heavy so he’d have a more alien look.

Dan says the scene between where Troy confronts Abed about trying to fool him into thinking he is an alien was re-shot as well. Originally Troy bought it, but Dan thought it was too implausible that Troy would think Abed was an alien. Andrew jokes that now the writers know Troy well enough that they’d probably go for the original storyline.

Dan says that in the first season of any freshman show, everyone involved has the correct feeling that it’s their job to save the show. This sometimes leads to the equivalent of a car crash at a four-waystop. But the thing is, everyone is right because it is everyone’s job to save the show. So everyone has to learn to work together. Eventually people learn over time. But early on “you think you’re writing the Constitution and everyone if Thomas Jefferson.”

Gillian says that Chevy loves playing the piano. Joel adds that he’s actually very good at it.

Dan clearly isn’t feeling the scenes between Annie and Pierce and calls them “watered-down.” However, he adds that writer Liz Cackowski did a good job re-writing the scenes between the two characters. Turns out that Annie’s final speech to Pierce about being a cheerleader is actually taken from a combination of Hillary’s and Liz’s real lives.

Dan says he actually loves Annie’s cheerleader story because it’s so specific of a backstory and it allowed them to learn stuff.

Andrew says adapting the Bruce Hornsby song “The Way It Is,” came about because someone in the writers’ room thought the name of the song was “That’s the Way It Goes.” And they got to talking about what if Pierce thought that was the name of the song.

Dan says they tried to get Bruce Hornsby and The Range to play the closing song of the episode, but was turned down. Dan adds that he hopes to get Bruce on the show at some point.

Gillian says that Luis Guzman posed for the Luis Guzman statue.

Dan thanks Luis. He adds that he originally asked Mark Hamill to pose for it. Although Mark said no, Dan still got an awesome letter in response to his request. Dan said it actually made him love Mark, because he he’s one of the few people who can say “no” without coming off like a dick. He said Mark came across as fairly reasonable in his rejection.

Social Psychology

Commentary by Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Anthony Russo. Danny Pudi watched them do commentary from outside the recording booth.

Anthony states that the episode was aired out of order. It was moved up, which resulted in a rushed post-production.

Dan says that Liz Cackowski wrote the draft. It was apparently a big milestone for Dan. He felt that this was the first script that was just “ready to go” and he felt from the start that they could actually do this story.

First appearance of Vaughn (Erik Christian Olsen). Yvette notes that he’s (as of when they were recording the commentaries) a full-time cast member of one of the NCIS shows. Yvette says he was a great guy.

Anthony says that commentaries were recorded out of order from when the episodes aired. Apparently they had just finished commenting on later episodes and this was a return to the earlier episodes for them. Antony says that part of the fun of the early episodes is that you’re getting to know the characters, and in this case, exploring the relationship between Jeff and Shirley. He adds that another part of the fun is finding characters outside your core cast. Some of those characters wound up having “lives” in the first season, despite the fact they were originally cast as a one-shot guest.

Everyone loved the character of Vaughn, and they’re kind of sorry they didn’t get to explore him more. Dan mentions about making Vaughn a musical rival to Pierce (which only sort of happened).

Yvette says the nice thing about this episode is that she got to spend time with Joel. She says that just as Shirley and Jeff were getting to know each other, she and Joel were getting to know each other at the same time.

Dan credits Liz for coming up with the idea that the basis of the friendship between Jeff and Shirley is their mutual love of gossip, specifically talking smack behind people's backs.

Dan repeats that this is part of the series where “in the first six episodes” (umm, it took longer than six episodes for Annie,just sayin’), where Jeff would interact with each member of the study group and become inextricably tangled in each character’s life. This was the Jeff-Shirley episode. The problem they were trying to overcome was how to make that happen with Jeff and Shirley. That’s why they leaned into the whole thing where Jeff says at the open of the episode that he hates walking with Shirley and making small talk with her. However, he likes the fact that Shirley is the first to really bond with Jeff.

Yvette points out that Jeff and Shirley are really toxic together, so does that mean that they shouldn’t be together in future episodes? Dan disagrees, since the whole point is for “the family” to grow together so much that, if they want, Shirley moves up from being Jeff’s “least favorite family member” to someone he likes more.

Joel points out that the name of the coffee shop is Hot and Brown. Dan says it was tough coming up with a new coffee shop name after going through 15 names of coffee shops used on other sitcoms. Yvette jokes that she thought it was in homage to her. Dan points out that it’s racist. Yvette asks how it’s racist. Dan says, “It’s not racist if you say it.”

Yvette says that John Oliver has the cutest dimples ever. Joel adds that comedy just flows out of John and Jim Rash like a broken Roman fountain. Dan says that both John and Jim are amazing in different ways. He calls Jim “a machine” who hits every mark in exactly the same way if you want him to, which makes it easy to edit his scenes. John does a different thing every time and it’s amazing every single time.

According to Dan, there were a lot of shots (that were cut) where Duncan was leering at Annie, and it just made him feel very uncomfortable. He is very protective of the idea that Annie was an innocent little girl.

Yvette says that during this episode, a writer from Entertainment Weekly was on the set.

During S1, the exterior shots were shot at LA Community College. They also did outdoor shots on the Paramount lot. The Paramount lot was dressed to mimic the exterior of LA Community College. In this episode, they were shooting on the Paramount lot.

Joel points out that during his and Yvette’s first walk-and-talk scene, they were walking across the street from the office of the President of Paramount.

First official onscreen appearance of Garrett (Erik Charles Nielsen) is in Duncan’s group of lab rats for the Duncan Principle! (Although, he does also appear in “Advanced Criminal Law,” but from an airing order perspective, this episode is his first appearance.) Dan admits that in this episode, Garrett didn’t have a name. He was just a background character in the scene. Dan says Erik is “a darling of the underground stand-up comedy scene in LA.”

Troy’s meltdown was completely improvised by Donald Glover, to the point that the script only said "Troy melts down." Everyone on the commentary track just bursts into laughter. Yvette says that Troy's meltdown just makes her happy.

Dan notes that this episode runs longer than all the other episodes in S1, because NBC let them “super-size” the episode. Anthony says that even with the super-sizing, this episode was eight minutes too long. NBC waived the length requirements on the episode because this episode got moved up in the airing order, which meant they had a very short post-production window. So NBC took pity on them. Anthony says the version on the DVD is the as-aired longer NBC version. However, on streaming sites, they use the chopped-down syndicated version that’s only 22 minutes.

Yvette is convinced that Jeff is in love with Britta.

Dan feels this episode has a weird effect. He notes that the critics had a weird reaction as well, because they commented that suddenly Jeff Winger is Jim Halpert from The Office, and it’s now a rom-com and Jeff is so devastated because some girl he likes is making out with another guy.

Dan feels that Jeff is very, very inexperienced when it comes to feeling anything genuine about women. He’s had a crass, collector mentality when it comes to women. That as soon as he gets what he wants from them (he calls it “validation”), they become disgusting to him and he moves on. However, Britta, for whatever reason is different. He’s got a big crush on Britta, he likes her, he’s attracted to her “dirtiness,” and the eclecticness of her. In short, (and this is Dan’s actual words) Jeff “believes Britta is the girl he’s supposed to be with.”

Joel asks Dan if he thinks Jeff leaning his forehead against the vending machine was over the top. Dan admits they cut it down, but that he likes the fact that privately, Jeff is bummed out that Britta is “the one that got away.”

Joel says that when he read the script he was heartbroken in a “how could she” kind of way.

Dan says that Britta reminds him of so many of his ex-girlfriends. That one of things he finds attractive is that Britta is that tough girl you can throw into a suitcase and bring with you around the world. Then she turns out to be a mattress full of bed bugs and gives you ringworm. (This is greeted by groans and admonishment from Yvette.)

Dan admits that Duncan’s breakdown is him doing a "take that" against doctors and therapists because he hates people in white coats.

Yvette said she was very nervous about making Shirley making fun of Vaughn because she’s not really a physical comedian and she had to physically make fun of him.

Erik (Vaughn) was wearing tiny fake nipples. Anthony said that they weren’t actually prosthetic nipples. It was actually a trick of the make-up because they couldn't really afford the prosthetics.

Dan really likes the scene of Jeff and Britta sitting on the couch together. Dan mentions that the focus groups had a really simplistic view of Britta and the Jeff-Britta relationship. Focus groups felt that Britta was “the normal one” in the ensemble. Also, they really weren’t on board with the will-the-won’t-they between Jeff and Britta, but they liked the sibling vibe when they hatched schemes together and hung out as friends.

(Dan is obviously unhappy with that feedback as he stumbles a little bit over his explanation over whether or not to pay attention to the feedback. On whether or not Dan really wanted to know what the focus groups said, and he admits that early on he did. He kind of closes the discussion with “to me, you could get good feedback form a fire hydrant.” Anthony adds that NBC never “misused” the focus group information. They only shared the feedback.)

In the scene where the study group reassembles in the study room and the shit hits the fan, Joel jokes about Alison’s costuming by saying that she walked onto the set directly from her audition for Dukes of Hazard II. Dan adds that it’s subtitled, The Prep-ening.

Dan says that the study room scene is the first time they had a “shit hit the fan” scenario, and he now considers it a Community staple. Dan and Yvette said they both felt bad during this scene. Dan points out that in this scene, Vaughn becomes the most likeable character. Dan says it was also part of his “beating up on Britta to make her more likeable” campaign so she'd become the group Charlie Brown. It’s also the point where you realize the Study Group is made up of bad people.

Yvette says the scene following the Britta-Vaughn break-up scene was hard to do with Joel. However, it was due to behind-the-scenes reasons. Joel was being a sarcastic ass, and Yvette thought he was being mean to her. (She stresses that at this point they didn’t know each other very well.) Joel admits that he makes jokes and is sarcastic with people he doesn’t know people all that well. Dan points out that Joel just admitted that his defense mechanism is to be an ass.

Dan comments that Joel and Yvette have good chemistry. Yvette jokes with Joel and asks when she’s going to be getting a kiss.

Dan says that the scene between Annie and Abed where she gives him the apology DVD set was longer. In the cut scene, Duncan comes back and tells Annie that she’s brilliant and wants her to come with him to help him continue his work. Annie turns him down because she decides that she’d rather watch the DVDs with Abed. Anthony says that the point of the scene was to show that Duncan realized his meltdown actually confirmed the Duncan Principle. By cutting it, the storyline didn’t get paid off. Plus, Anthony adds, it was one of the funniest scenes that John Oliver had ever done. Dan says that this was part of the learning curve of learning how long a script needed to be to essentially make a 20-minute movie. The tragedy was they had to “kill their children” early on, the children in this case being scenes and jokes.

Dan says that a lot of the cool songs in the show comes from Joe Russo’s Ipod.

The tag between Troy and Abed was shot at 4 a.m. Joel says he had to leave directly from the shoot to catch a flight to New York.

Anthony said the episode needed to be locked two days later on a Saturday at 9 p.m., so he was up for 36 hours straight in editing to make the deadline.

[stillinstyle]

Nano Day 3

With my buddies out of the picture and no drink in my hand, I felt more out of place then ever, so I decided to do what any good, faithful friend would have done in that situation - wait an appropriate amount of time, then sneak on over to where Tart and Lark were talking, close enough to eavesdrop but not close enough to look like a creepy stalker who collected his roommate’s shed body hair in the shower. Yeah, I complained all the time about Tart’s constant fixation on Lark Clarentine, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t invested in his attempts to win the girl. Plus, I told myself, if he ever got her to agree to go out with him, we might get a three day hiatus from the mooning. It did not take me very long to realize that it was not going well. “I don’t even know why you’re wasting your time,” Lark was saying. Her tone was so bored there was no way it wasn’t affected. No one, in any situation, sounds that bored without trying. I know this for certain because I made Gentry sit through a twenty-five minute practice run through of my science fair project last year, and even he didn’t manage to sound as utterly disinterested as Lark did. “I feel like I’ve made it pretty clear, even to someone as thick-headed and, frankly, slow as you, that I am one girl you will not be adding to your little collection.” “Collection?” Tart spluttered. “Lark, it’s not like that, okay? I don’t have any kind of collection. I’ve barely dated anyone. I’m not this playboy or whatever.” Lark looked pointedly at the kisses on his cheeks. They started to turn pink. “What, this? This isn’t…we’re just playing a game. It was Gentry’s idea. You know, see which one of can get the most girls to kiss him by the end of the party.” “Fun,” Lark said dryly. “And not at all misogynistic.” “No, no, it’s not…I mean, if it’s misogynistic I didn’t realize…it was just a stupid game, it’s not like these are like, real or anything.” Tart took a deep breath. I noticed his cup trembling a little in my hand, and was struck by how nervous he was. “Can I start over, actually? I’m gonna start over.” “By all means,” Lark crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. “Thrill me.” “I’m glad you’re here tonight,” Tart said. “I watched every episode of Madam President this summer - that’s your favorite show, right? I heard you talking about it last semester and - I mean, I did other stuff this summer too, not, like, just lamely sat there and watched a show about a woman President…not that that would be lame. Or even if it is, you can think I’m lame. I don’t mind being lame if it’ll get you to talk to me or…whatever.” Tart was rambling again, which was his go-to move when he was wracked with nerves, but from the outside I noticed something Tart probably didn’t. As he went on making a fool out of himself, Lark’s brow had softened, and her arms had relaxed. She wasn’t smiling - definitely wasn’t smiling - but she wasn’t glaring anymore, either. When it came to Lark and Tart, that was a huge improvement. “You watched Madam President?” she asked. Tart nodded. “Uh, yeah, I mean…yeah, I watched it. A few times, actually. I could probably put up a pretty good show in a round of Madam President trivia.” Lark’s eyebrow cocked up. “There are twelve seasons of that show.” “Well…yeah.” “You watched twelve seasons of a show I liked for…what reason, exactly?” Tart shrugged, but his cheeks turned so red Hannah Bledsoe’s kiss faded away like a chameleon. “I was hoping to have something to talk to you about.” Lark stared. “That’s kind of pathetic.” Tart laughed. “Yeah. I’m kind of pathetic.” And then, miracle of miracles, Lark Clarentine laughed - actually laughed. At Tart. Well, not at Tart - she’d done that plenty of times - but with Tart. I pumped my fist. “All right,” Lark said. “What did you think of Madam President.” A voice honked out from the crowd behind her. “Lark, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere.” I knew that voice. I heard that voice in my nightmares. We all did. It belonged to Duncan Blank. Tart’s face darkened immediately. “Hey Duncan,” Lark said, spinning around so fast her hair whipped Tart in the face. Lark’s voice had risen an octave or two, and her ears were turning red. She looked like she’d just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “I didn’t think you were coming.” Duncan scowled at her, and shot Tart a look so venomous it should have made him wither right on the spot. “Well I wasn’t going to,” Duncan said, “for obvious reasons. But I didn’t want to leave my best friend to just rot in this swamp of idiots. Stupidity is catching, you know.” Tart’s free hand was clenched in a fist, and a thin sheen of sweat was slicking across his forehead. “Guess that would make you patient zero,” he spat. “Oh, look,” Duncan said. “The king of the apes. Where are the rest of your little trained monkeys, Tart?” “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘friends’ actually,” Tart said. His voice had taken on the cold and cutting tone that only Duncan Blank could draw out of him. It fit poorly on my ordinarily kind friend. “And don’t bother pointing at Lark. I said friends, not charitable providers.” “Enough,” Lark said, and I couldn’t help but think how unfair it was that she was pointing the arrow of her anger at Tart, when Duncan had clearly started it. Duncan wasn’t going to be the one to finish it, though. I knew that for sure. Tart may have been willing to make himself look like an idiot for Lark, but he wasn’t going to let anyone else do it for him, least of all Duncan. I sighed and settled in to watch the whole scene play out, like a song I didn’t really enjoy but knew all the words to anyway. “Yeah, Tart,” Duncan said, waving his hand like he was shooing away a bug. “Go play with your little buddies. Maybe if you ask really nicely, one of them will give you a blow job.” I winced, and so did Duncan. He had made a fatal error, and he knew it. “Funny you should mention that,” Tart said, pulling out his phone. “Because I recall a certain picture making its way around the school…when was it? Oh yeah, right before the summer vacation. Let’s see if I can find it.” “Tart,” Lark warned, then turned to Duncan. “Duncan, come on, let’s go. We don’t have to talk to this idiot. Come dance with me.” But Duncan was frozen in place, his face frozen into a gray and seething mask of loathing so utterly perfect it would have made Thomas Jefferson look like Hamilton’s fairy godmother. “Oh, here it is!” Tart said, flipping his phone around and shoving it in Duncan’s face. I didn’t have to see what was on the screen. I already knew. We all did. It had been Gentry’s idea - these kind of things were always Gentry’s idea, and the more antsy, anxious, and pent up he was, the more extreme his schemes became, and the end of the year always represented the boiling point for him. Gentry’s mischief always pushed the line, but if there was ever a time he went too far, it was last year. Duncan was notoriously…awkward, and midway through last year someone noticed that they never saw him shower. Not after gym, not in the morning before class, and not in the evening before lights out, either. Most people went the obvious route when it came to weaponizing this information by making up nicknames that had to do with Body Odor, but Gentry took it a step further. Look, I don’t know why Gentry has it out so bad for Duncan. He’s a little strange, sure, and definitely not the friendliest guy, but Gentry - our Gentry, the same guy who spent a full three months last year rehabilitating a baby duckling he found sick and abandoned in the woods, who named it Goof and literally fed it from a baby bottle - just can’t leave him alone. Duncan antagonizes us his own fair share, but at this point, I don’t know which came first, the chicken or the egg, and I’m not sure I wanted to. The week leading up to the Academic Awards at the end of last year was a pretty big one, and tensions were running high. I was struggling to scrape up the last one or two tenths of a point I needed to secure my scholarship renewal for the next year (spoiler alert - I did it) and Gentry was in a neck and neck race for the top of the class in math against, you guessed it, Duncan Blanks. Gentry’s dad is pretty tough on him, especially when it comes to school stuff, but even knowing that I was surprised at how badly Gentry wanted to win this one. I’m sure it had more than a little to do with his competition. So when Mr. Oteri announced that the award would be going to Duncan, Gentry took it…not so great. Duncan didn’t help matters at all. If he was insufferable before he found out he’d be getting the award, he was downright horrible afterward. He took every opportunity to rub it in Gentry’s face, and the war went from cold to nuclear pretty fast. Gentry set up a full Carrie situation on the stage, so that right at the moment when Duncan was receiving his trophy, we tripped the wire and a full, five gallon bucket of chicken shit poured out from the rafters, all over Duncan. I still felt a little sick when I remembered Duncan’s shocked, frozen face. The rest of the school started howling instantly, but Duncan just stood there, trembling and shaking, filthy and stinking. His face was too dirty to tell if he’d started crying. He walked off the stage and disappeared out the back door, and no one saw him again for the rest of the night. That was too far, but it was only phase one of Gentry’s plan. Gentry slipped out after him and followed him to the gym, hiding in the shadows, slipping from hiding spot to hiding spot, until Duncan reached his destination. The locker room. Gentry waited outside until he heard the shower turn on, then he burst in, phone out, and snapped a dozen pictures of Duncan in the shower before he darted out, grabbing Duncan’s clothes on his way. The next day at breakfast, everyone’s phones started going off. A text from an unknown number sent a high-def photo of Duncan Blanks to every student in school, and it was both way more than anyone ever needed to see of him, and way, way less. His body looked like something a mad scientist had sewn together - bony shoulder and legs, a concave chest, and a flabby, ugly gut hanging like extra skin. But everyone’s eyes went to one body part, and it was very, very, very small. I couldn’t see it, but I knew that was the picture Tart was brandishing at him. “Oh, Tart,” I muttered, shaking my head. Duncan was a cockroach for sure, but I wished Tart didn’t always let Duncan turn him into the worst version of himself.   “So you wanna talk about blow jobs now, Duncan? Cause from the looks of it, it’ll be a good long while before you find a girl - or a guy, or anyone, really - who’s willing to suck you off through a straw.” A crack rang out over the party then, timed exactly right, between two songs, so that everyone heard it, and a hundred heads whipped in our direction at once. Lark was standing in front of Tart, fists balled at her sides. The lipstick on Tart’s cheek had smeared, and a bright, angry hand mark bloomed over it. “You’re disgusting,” Lark spat, and from the look on Tart’s face, the words hurt him a lot more than the slap did. “You and your little friends can all go fuck yourselves.” Lark took Duncan’s hand and stomped out of the kitchen, Duncan stumbling behind her. Just before they walked through the door, Duncan looked back at Tart, and gave him the most hateful, victorious little smirk I’d ever seen. Tart coughed to clear his throat and pull himself together. “Well, you’re welcome,” he said, putting on that million-watt Colgate smile of his. “Don’t worry Gloriana, you had a nasty little cockroach in your party, but I got rid of him for you. I’ll just bill you for my pest control services later.” Gloriana laughed and shook her head. “Tart, you are so terrible,” she smiled, eyes shining. “Now come on, isn’t anyone going to start the music again?”