#love the little bath gags in s4

[cerealandchoccymilk]

spinning him around sunday

[book-o-scams]

Either 1. Do an analysis on the scene from Run for Your Ed where the Kanker's find that their ship-in-a-bottle is missing. Or if you don't want to do an analysis (please think about doing one though) you can just answer this question. Why is the Kanker's ship-in-a-bottle so important? * If you have any questions see the post on my blog. You have until Sunday to complete the analysis.

I’m excited to do this because ‘Run For Your Ed’ is a really great Kanker episode AND a really great LATER episode.  Season 4′s Kanker episodes have some of the most intentional character-exploration in the show’s entire run, and it’s really nice to see AKA so proactive about developing characters who are usually treated like extras, especially during an era  era where they were having trouble developing the central characters.  This season contains at least 3 episodes that begin from the Kankers’ perspective and humanize their motivations before setting them loose on the cul-de-sac, this being one of those episodes.  This season also contains ‘A Twist of Ed’, an interesting episode that begins from the Eds’ perspective but starts blending in the Kankers’ perspective when the Eds start to turn the tables on them.  It’s disappointing that we don’t really get any Kanker-focused episodes during the digital era of the show, but at least season 5 finally breaks status quo, first by having the Eds publicly declare the Kankers to be their girlfriends, and in the end by scaring the Kankers away for most post-s5 episodes.

Here’s a weird thing I noticed… for the last 3 episodes of season 4, the storyboard credit screen does not actually say “storyboard by.“  And although they are all episodes with the “Tout Le Monde“ credit--  a trend mostly used during seasons 2 and 4, while season 3 had more solo episodes and season 1 wasn’t credited very clearly, it’s a French phrase they use when all of the storyboard artists in the studio contributed pieces of the episode-- earlier instances of “Tout Le Monde“ as late as s4′s ‘Stuck in Ed’ included the “storyboard by“ line.  Kinda seems like an oversight as season 4′s deadlines got tight...  But obviously I know this is nitpicking, regardless it’s very interesting that Danny wanted the show to go out with so many group-effort episodes.  I wonder if perhaps it was to improve morale when everyone was feeling out of ideas?  Or if the artists actually disliked not receiving clearer credit?

Anyway the other reason I wanted to include this screenshot for Kanker appreciation month is that I noticed the Tout Le Monde episodes of seasons 2 and 4 (IIRC, it’s just Homecooked Eds, A Twist of Ed, Run For Your Ed, and technically the movie although it is not credited to Tout Le Monde) produced some of the most iconic Kanker moments and I think the Kankers’ group dynamics are influenced by the team spirit at AKA.

This is the first time we see the trailer park at night and the only time we see it at night without it being buried under snow.

Oh, I also have model sheets archived for this episode!  Here are some color tests using season 1 background lineart:

This episode is the only time we get to see the Kankers all sleeping in their bed, as well as the only time we get to see their pajamas.  I’m fascinated by which characters get pajamas and other sorts of alternate outfits.

So things begin peacefully enough, with Brahms Lullaby, lotsa night ambience, and a cute gag where the Kankers each have their own obnoxious snore that somehow doesn’t wake the others.

But soon enough, one crash downstairs wakes Lee and a second crash wakes Marie. 

The storyboarding seems to be intentionally framing this as the older sisters sharing a feeling of responsibility for their household.

Ohh, I also love whenever we get to see the Kankers scared shitless like this, it’s surprisingly not as rare as you’d think.

Have some cute sleepy Mays:

The girls have each others’ backs as they cautiously look down their staircase.

Thankfully I have the model sheet so we can fully appreciate this perspective:

In a subtle and effectively creepy little bit of animation, all the Kankers see is a tiny tin can rolling out of their kitchen.

Marie and May immediately turn to Lee for their next move.

LOVE this shot with the kitchen light.  Season 4 also has the hands-down BEST trailer backgrounds, we get to see so many interesting perspectives in these episodes.

Lee seemingly lets her sisters stay behind and charges to the kitchen with their wall-mounted swordfish (or is that a marlin…?).

However, the intruder has already left and we get a few more looks at the nighttime trailer park:

Relieved, Lee and Marie jump into the window and bark insults at the intruder.  Another good older sisters sequence, and this one I have a couple storyboard panels for:

They inspect their wrecked kitchen, and at first the background, Lee’s tone and the music sync up to make this look like a really depressing moment, this family with little to begin with having been eaten out of house and home.  And as fans, the next scene’s reveal that this is a redux of Ed’s sleepeating from season 1 is no surprise, and I think it’s being portrayed a bit less amusing now that it’s affecting families outside of Peach Creek’s ritzy suburbs.

But then we get this dramatic shot of Marie holding the table and it always throws off the mood of this scene to me…  I still love the scene as a whole but when Marie whines “why’s it always the good ones that get away!?” while looking at a bite mark out of something inedible, it kind of implies weird things about the Kankers and adult strangers and really any trailer park weirdo who might break in…  Especially after what the Kankers do without a second thought to Bro in BPS, this is more than a bit concerning.  It’s right up there with Marie saying “I LIKE cheaters“ in her second appearance, sometimes Marie’s defining trait in my mind is that she’s somehow LESS rational than the others.. Or maybe it’s just another reference to this specific interest they’ve picked up from their mom, in men who have big appetites…

I always want to believe this is actually a more absurd gag and that Marie is instead saying it to mourn the table where she eats all her meals, in more of a “why do the good die young” way… but then Lee and Marie continue the conversation, referring to this stranger as a bum they shouldn’t shed tears over and it’s cemented as a creepy moment.

Moving on, I love this unnecessarily detailed ketchup bottle Lee shakes and then tosses on the floor:

At least Marie ends up agreeing with Lee.  Then Marie makes a joke about May being the only one to clean this up and it gets a laugh out of Lee.

I love how much the later backgrounds in the show focus on how these homes look from various standpoints… Makes the world feel very lived in.

Take note of how the front door has been eaten through by Ed, exposing their yellow car out front. Ed apparently nibbled on EVERYTHING along that wall on the right…We also see a new telephone, a Chekhov’s Gun for a later gag in this scene…

Love the trumpets blaring as the camera swirls up to the missing heirloom.

“HOLY TOLEDO!” Lee and Marie exclaim in unison to underline that this is crossing a major line.

This angle is making my mouth water.  Latter-day EEnE backgrounds are to die for.

Getting back to my favorite time-wasting Kanker gag, even at their most personally attacked and mutually motivated, the siblings have to fight over who gets to hold the plaque first.

Marie strikes first.

Yay, May called first dibs before they jumped!

OH NO

Lee looks so much like Bro in this pose…

Could these just be Toomey’s drawings?  I’m not sure how often he storyboarded or how often he changed drawings during the design phase since the show’s so close to the boarders’ styles, but I feel like these square jaws are something I keep noticing when archiving Toomey’s model sheets.

Also, I love the phrase “someone shanghaied our ship inna bottle,“ very nautical.

May is moved to tears yet again this season as she fills the audience in on how this is a family heirloom that the Kankers were allowed to play with during bath nights at their old home.  Pretty cute memory, I wish the show had flashbacks at this point!

Does anyone know what it is May calls their old home here?  I’ve always heard it as “the Ol’ Hubcap“ which is convincing enough for me as a name for another local trailer park or just a nickname the Kankers would come up with for a nostalgic home, but it’s difficult to hear through her sobs.  Another popular theory, which I see is currently used on the EEnE Wikia’s transcript of the episode, is that she just says “the ol’ homestead,“ which is a pretty old-timey phrase if you ask me.. May’s certainly not made to feel “modern“ as much as Marie or Nazz are but it also seems unusual to give her such antiquated wild-west dialogue.

Marie covers May’s mouth before she exposes any more vulnerability or personal details about their backstories.

Marie is surprisingly lawful and proposes they call the cops.  I WISH WE GOT TO SEE THE COPS THEY MENTION AND THE FIRETRUCKS WE HEAR LATER IN THIS EPISODE, AAAARRRGGGHHHHH I just want to see more emergency vehicles, this season let us have an ambulance for Pete’s sake!

HEY LOOK IT’S THE PHONE I POINTED OUT.

“WHAT’S THE NUMBER YOU DIAL FOR 9-1-1?!”

Uh.. May, put the phone down, the Little Rascals Movie’s calling, they want their joke back.  Sorry, this episode came out when I was 12 and going through a terrible Little Rascals phase. 

This episode has really good camera direction…

“NO COPS!!“  Why do I get the feeling their mom would punch a phone to prevent the cops from getting involved in anything…

Such good looking backlit sparks!  Gonna miss backlighting during the digital era.

Can’t help but notice that these model sheets have been reversing the rimlighting on the Kankers…

In this very well composed and cinematic feeling shot, Lee vows to find the crook and recover their bath toy, “Kanker Style…“

Cue maniacal laughter and end scene!  It’s a pretty self-explanatory scene, but I really appreciate all the detail put into the Kankers’ poses and expressions and home life.  Season 4 doesn’t always sit right with me, but I think this episode has a pretty fun understanding of every character.  Hope you enjoyed studying this scene with me!

[carolrance]

it’s that time again

time for my weekly episodes whingefest

omg i hate it

i actually….

i hate to say this but i think i’m done. i honestly dont’ want to watch any more of this season. nope. i don’t think i can handle it.

like… i don’t think you all understand how much i hate …

merc.

like his presence not only irritates me on the same level as hornet-covered poison oak in my vagina but the mere sight of him gets me right to the cusp of vomitting. no jokes. like there are very few tv characters that i loathe so intensely in the way i absolutely 1000% abhor this one. i literally hate every single thing about him. it’s to the point i don’t even like the actor. i would bathe in a tub of hot lard and diarrhea before even entertaining the idea of what sex with that man would be like.

i think that was part of the reason i enjoyed s4 (and to some degree s3) much more than S1&2–and certainly more than s5. there was very, VERY limited merc in s4. it was glorious. and truth be told, he was still gross and fucking annoying, but because there was so little of him, i could handle it. also since carol was in no danger of being roped into sleeping with him (again) i could breath easy. and really, in all total honesty, the merc scenes in the first half of s4 were quite well done and entertaining. (i’d link to clips but fucking showtime banned me from youtube (and threatened to sue me IIRC) for uploading them. yes. a few 30 second clips of your never-talked about tv programme are what’s hurting ratings. that must be it. ANYWAYYYYY.)

this season has too much merc. it also has too much matt. too much tim. too many MEN IN GENERAL. i think matt leblanc is actually really fucking great in this role but it reaches a point where i don’t want to have every scene be about him. thank god it seems like the tim shit is over. that was a huge mistake sucking up so much screentime over a gag that was done 2 minutes into the premiere episode. but merc is not going away. he’s only becoming more prominent.

and that makes me literally gag and want to die. so i honestly don’t think i can continue to watch this season because based on last night’s episode, i am almost 100% certain that they’re setting carol/merc up as endgame.

and i just

i cannot deal with that

so i’m stopping now before i have to see it. cos once it’s seen, i can’t unsee it. but i can prevent myself from seeing it in the first place. (much like i did with that doreah deleted scene. i honestly did not watch that until like years later…by that time iw as comfortable laughing at how fucking idiotic it all was and just brushed it off as bullshit.)

okay so the thing is this. this episode had carol gushing over how much better she’s feeling cos a) she’s on prozac and b) she’s seeing merc again and it’s “different this time” – that is ALWAYS AND FOREVER A RED FLAG IN ANY RELATIONSHIP. (newsflash: it is never different in the end if the person does fuck all to address their issues.) and beverly (knowing merc is engaged to morning) NOT telling her best friend, and ends with carol being idiotically pregnant. [LIKE I AM SORRY. did she just stop taking the pill? well… i guess she didn’t need to all last year whilst she was with helen but even wlw are on the pill sometimes too. alos USE A FUCKING CONDOM YOU NASTY FUCKS. liek fuck seriously. that merc is literal human garbage and fucks around CONSTANTLY. carol, do you like herpes?? cos fuck. not using a condom is just a fucking stupid ass move for a 40 year old who knows better.]

so here’s how it’s gonna go cos this show NEVER goes the way i want it to go:

carol tells him she’s pregnant with his sweaty potatobaby (disgusting)

she find out he’s engaged and cheating AGAIN (yawn)

it breaks her heart a-fucking-gain (yawn)

merc has some sort of redemption arc after some unnecessarily long and drawn out, totally unfunny and probably offensive “drama” with morning (gross)

the 2 of them probably get some stupid revenge on helen (gross)

carol forgives him and they agree to raise their nasty potatobaby together and live happily ever after (barf)

and then in the final scene he cheats on her again cos ha ha so funny right (not funny)

so yeah. i’m out.

i’m not here for that fucking shit.

if this fucking guy kept her as a secret mistress for FIVE YEARS and never cared, he’s not gonna magically change unless they write him OOC.

like i just completely loathe his mere existence and him being with carol is all sorts of AHS-levels of disturbing and annoying.

but all that aside

this week’s episode was just…

no.

the only thing i liked (other than a few clever one-liners) was that bev hates merc almost as much as i do. that was refreshing. i may have to change my url here to beverlylincoln cos i’m feeling this bitch.

i think my least fav episodes are the bottle episodes that are almost exclusively matt, bev, and sean. (last season it was the hospital episode (which admittedly had the bright shining spot of the pubey scene). this time it’s the ranch one.) i do enjoy those characters and their interactions but there’s a limit on my tolerance and interest. i love the banter (espesh between matt and bev) but it seems bogged down by the whole shitload of NOTHING that happens. the whole wild pig b-plot was so pointless and wasn’t even funny? like….why?

but let’s see what i can be offended about this week? oh. animal cruelty? that’s always a good laugh. i mean… tbh. it wasn’t close to the worst thing this week. it was just… boring? unnecessary? like WHY DID THIS WHOLE EPISODE JUST FEEL LIKE FILLER???? WHY DID THEY HAVE YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A JOKE THAT WASN’T FUNNY (shooting the pig) IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THEY DRAGGED IT OUT WAY TOO LONG?? (is that like the calling card of s5???) everything important that happened here could have been done in 6 minutes with exactly the same impact and minus the shitty unfunny too-long gag.

it’s the 4th episode of the 7-episode FINAL series….and THIS????? is what they give us?

like

no thanks.

you can keep it.