I have an update on my cat situation. What was there a cat?
What cats?
I got cats? You guys, situation that's getting an adoption? Made it sound like it was we got it. We got an updated. Okay around, give up? Okay, all right? Pick Pickles got out and this it was the wor Tickles went out. Pickles got out went wild. No, So we were so, we had a gathering, We had people over, people stayed late. We were like, did everybody close the door where the cat's? Okay? Yeah, yeah, we're fine. Wake up the next morning. Cannot find Pickles. Lucky, who's usually
out and about and is the way more social. We're like, Lucky, where's pickles? Can't find Pickles? Can't find pickles? Okay, so Alex has luckily we have trackers on there, you know, but of course the tracker is not working in the house.
So all we can get is a like the tracker to make a noise, like you push a button and you hear a yeah, but it's and we Alex can hit the button and sometimes deep somewhere in one of the rooms in the house, Alex Indy's bedroom, we hear a distantly and we're like, okay, Okay, she's got to be under the house. She's got to be under the house. So I go down through the crawl space. Nothing cannot
find Pickles can't. So then I'm like, oh god, real problem is Pickles doesn't me out, Like Pickles can't make sound for whatever reason, like she just she can barely go, like, so we can't hear anything. So we're like Pickles, Pickles. So I'm bringing food down. I go under the house about seven times, yeah, because I know it's here, like
we can hear the thing, right. And then I finally, let me say if I can share a photo with you guys, I finally crawl to the what is the end of my crawl space, like I'm seeing the cement foundation under my house? Yes, And I see a little hole like you know where the house ends. And then it seems like there's more going on, and Pickle sticks her little face down from this hole and I'm like, how did you get up there?
Where are you?
And I'm like, oh my god, she's under the deck that's like off the back of our house. So then I'm like, all right, we gotta we gotta lift up the deck because she can't come down where I can see her face poking through. She can't like crawl down and then up. I'm like, so, how did you get there in the first place. So then I'm like, so then I have to find the right tool to pry up the deck. Of course, the deck is not with
regular screwdrivers. It's like these weird star screws, and I have to like get the special screws, and so, like, you know, forty five minutes, I finally start unscrewing the deck when we get like some of the deck off and I lift it up and there's just pure dirt under it, Like what, so she's not where is she? And then I realized there's a whole section of the house that I can't access, like a crawl space. Like basically, at one point somebody added onto our house and like
didn't create cross space. So my crawl space ends where I'm like growing in the dirt, you know. I'm like, like, you know, it's only a foot under their house, and then it just ends where I can see her little face, but there's more beyond that, and I don't know how she got there. It's Narnia, right, No, So that is at this point, it's been six six hours of like leaving food out, trying to get her out. I've been under the house so many times, and I'm finally.
Like, what do you do?
You have to like call animal control? Like I don't know how, like do they have to destroy part of our house? Like she got stuck in there somehow? So I'm like calling all the different you know whatever phone numbers I can find online delight to see what she can do that could help. Well, there should be like a cat rescue team, right, because you feel like an idiot department. You need the patrol patrol, right, it seems
like this happens anyway. I finally I get like the right animal people and they're like talking to me, and you know, they're having me send photos, which I would love to send this photo to you guys if I can. How do I do that? Gosh?
Now we really do have a cat situation. I see before there was no cat situation. It was just as you know, we adopted cats. We had a cat situation. This is the definition of a cat situation.
You need the paw patrol or god forbid, the CRT, the cat rescue team.
I know the best part about this photo, and I don't know if it's going to come through. Is that it's one of those live photos. Oh so you can see that it's just a hole, and then she sticks her little face down, like if you watch it in the live it's.
Obviously pickles God under there probably from outside, you know. She how it's a she right, she got in there? So how how so you walked around the outside of the deck looking to see if you could find her entry point, you couldn't.
So under under the house, I find like a rapper that has been chewed out, and I'm like, oh, maybe she got in there and then couldn't get out that way. And I'm like that's the only thing I could think. So I get the people on the phone, I you know, finally get the call from like the guy who's like, well, oh wow, yeah, so she sees she can stick her head there, but then there's a whole little like valley between me and her that she still can't get Like.
No, she can't get her bought yeah yeah, yeah right.
And she's not coming when I put a food right there. So anyway, I get the person on the phone who's like, okay, we'll calm you know, we'll we have a trap. Is there a way to get a trap and they're like no, like I can't. I don't know how to get and they're like, okay, well we'll figure it out. We'll have to like break maybe break down like wall I like figure out how to like take this all apart. And
I'm like okay. And then and then luckily my friend Ocean was staying with us, and he's like, wait, wait, wait, there's an entrance to that section under the house that she must have crawled in, and it was completely blocked in the side the house, and we're like, oh my god, this is it. Like this goes to that crawl space. And I had to move all this crap, like she had dodged all these piles of things to get in to find this way, and so I'm like, oh, so this is the access point. There's no cross So I
finally moved that. I put the food down, and Pickles comes walking out, and then of course I'm terrified that like she's gonna run away, but she's been there for at this point, like eighteen hours, like all.
Night and like baby Jessica, oh yeah.
So I finally get her close enough where she's eating out of my hand, like grab her. But anyway, long story short, we saved Pickles. It was my entire day. And then like now, luckily, the cats are so terrified if the door opens and like you know, they peek out and like Pickles just runs back inside because.
Like not today, Satan.
In the future.
One of the things you could have done is you get another cat that looks just like Pills and you pretend you.
Call it and just don't Yeah, just don't tell Indy exactly. That's a lot of people could do that too. So yeah, yeah, poor was so distraught. It was like, you know, the worst, but oh man, we made it. But yeah, man, having cats and you love them, it is a cat situation.
You'll break your heart and not care what they're doing it either. That's the thing about cats.
Yeah, you I think the problem really isn't the cats. It's that your gatherings didn't respect the cats.
Well, this is the hard No, here's the problem. Our cats are so stinking cute. When we have people over it, they always want to hang out with the cats. So when we had like Indy's birthday party, all the kids want to take turns going in to say hi to so even we lock them in a room because we know people are going in and out to use the bathroom. Even though we're having the party outside, people are coming in and out. We we can't just always be yelling.
We put the cats in one room. Invariably they get out because kids are always going to pet the cats, say hi, they want like there there are kids who come just to see our cats, like they kind of don't care about it. Sounds like a terrible petting zoo.
I'll be honest with you, just the two cats in a room is just the worst petting zoo.
Ever or the best or the best I guess. Oh wow.
Now cats I know can jump really high, but command is suggest a baby gate of sorts at the door, so that if the door that you don't worry about the cats like running just in between feet, they'd have to actually make like a leap over.
I don't know if you do get that most cats are not bill size and can easily clear.
I know, but what I'm saying is the quickness of like leaving a door open a crack and then a cat sneaking out on the bottom, versus like if you have a pretty tall baby gate that somebody maybe couldn't even step over, then if the door is open, I don't know. In order for the baby gate to work, you do need to be able to step over it, because then they don't have to take up and down the baby gate. So yeah, I don't know. Bill can Bill, even though he weighs like twenty five pounds, he's got ups.
It's the radio because he's radioactive. I know his superhero. A totally separate note.
Soon and I are having date night tonight, and hopefully Pickles is getting out.
That's all I got to say about that.
Wow. Yeah, remember when you said Pickles got out and he said, is that of euphemism? He's been holding.
On to that. Yes.
Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Daniel Fishl.
I'm right or strong.
So welcome to Season six, Episode three, Ain't College Great? It originally aired October ninth, nineteen ninety eight. The synopsis. Now Enrolled at Penbrook, Corey eagerly signs up for classes without real zing what he's getting himself into. When he visits his guidance counselor to try and fix his mistake, he calls on an old friend for help. Meanwhile, Eric and Jack find their sensitive sides for Rachel.
Can we what can we talk about titles for a second? Is this a reference to something? Ain't college great? Is that like a is there a song? Is there a TV show? I bet got to be something?
Right?
Isn't isn't there something? Ain't something grand? Is that a thing? Ain't ain't life grand? Is that what? It sounds like a thing like that? Maybe I don't know. I never understood our titles, Like we never knew our titles when we were doing the show, remember, like did we the titles?
We knew the numbers and we never talked. But then of course in you know, post post DVD life, everything is streaming, everybody searches for so the episode titles have become way more important than I remember, and they're strange to me, Like how the time I don't get the reference or it sounds like familiar. But I don't know if that's just because I remember it when we were shooting it or what like. But yeah, like this title just struck me as weird.
Again, if you google anything like it, it just goes to our episode.
Yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't feel like it's a direct reference.
So we ain't gonna spray let us know more, right, yeah, I knew that one. Yeah, and then yeah, I dream of FEOENI you know obviously that that's like an idea genie. Like there are some that I get and then other times I'm like, yeah, I don't get this one either. But remember that was.
One of the things that Michael used to always do, is that he would give these really obscure references to things where we were like, what the hell are you talking about?
So this is probably like.
This is the nineteen forties whatever movie you didn't know college great, like that kind of thing.
I wonder if somebody's compiled a list of like all the references that are in our titles, because that's a good idea, that would be good. We can look for that.
No.
This episode was directed by William Russ mister Rusty Russ. The second episode it was written by Jeff Manel. Before we jump into our guest stars, do you guys have any overall thoughts?
I enjoyed this episode quite a lot. Oh touch, I mean, I have major problems okay with me, and it's not just my it's not really only my performance which also but be Sean is really annoying in this episode, I would say negative Nelly, he's awful, and that whole dynamic doesn't make any sense. No, it's saved by the end. I think maybe it's the idea that you know, you like Topanga, Sean, and Angela are all like over Corey and then wait, we actually are there for him, Yeah,
which is kind of nice. But that whole first half I was like, we suck.
Now.
I don't know, like, it doesn't seem like the right. It doesn't fit with Sean to be stressed out about Corey being a dork, Like, yeah, that is anti Sean, Like Sewan is always the one who's fine. It's Corey who's stressed out. It's Corey who's nervous. Sean is like, we're gonna be fine, it's gonna be cool. You're Corey.
I'm Sean who cares. And it said Sean's the one that's like, which actually could have been a good good story of like Sean, we're more insecure and trying to be cool for the first time now that he's out of high school, and Corey's the one who's cool. Like there could been a dynamic there, but instead Chauncey just to brand and I was like, you suck. Dude, and it's just not fun to watch. It's like a weird vibe. I'm like, I'm just harshing on Martian on Corey's mellow man.
Yeah man. It's also it would have made so much more sense for all of us to be preoccupied with our own college stuff that we only have time for gentle reminders to Corey, like, oh, Corey, don't overextend yourself. I've gotta sign up for this, and I go running off and for you to be like, you know what, just need a pudding cup, Like if everyone's trying to encourage Corey to just Corey, It's okay, You're gonna be fine.
Just and when he says he's signing up for these things for us to give him gentle warnings, but we're we should be so preoccupied with our own thing that would help then set up later. Oh well, we always knew you were gonna do this. That's that's the most Corey thing you could have done. We took care of it, and here's how we fixed it. So I completely agree with you. I actually really I also I enjoyed the I enjoyed the episode. I enjoyed certainly the acet line.
I can't believe. I really can't. We're on episode three and there's still no new storyline for you at will and was.
Going to be either actually like this one though, this one was good to me because it was based in character and you got to see all three of them play to something, you know, like and it was like riffing on them, knowing who they are, what their characters are. I don't know, I thought it would work. Finally that storyline worked for me. I was like, Oh, this feels feels right, it feels comfortable, and maybe it was just a matter of getting used to each other or what.
But for whatever reason, if this had been like the first one, I know, that's kind of impossible because I had to bring her in. But like, if this had been the storyline about the two of you guys trying to compete for her, it makes the most sense and it's the most fun and you're great in it, so it's totally fine, you know, like finally like, oh, you're right.
If this hadn't been episode three of them trying to do it, it would have been no, it would be flawless. But instead I was like, we're still only doing.
This because had you realized that his Ricky impression had actually been on the show. He's doing exactly, which is like at all, Like yeah, his.
Well, your black, your.
Blast shirt like the pirate shirt.
And you're sticking your fingers in the candle. It's so funny.
You like the actor episode, him going in and out of it. He's like, dude, that's her bras one of the funniest lies. Because it's like after all of this, like I'm still just this giddy, corny little boy, Like, oh my god, no, I I enjoyed it.
I had a kind of a realization with Boy Meets World that you need to see it almost as a bunch of different sitcoms as opposed to one continuous show all the way through. So I'm starting to like this version of Boy Mets World. My favorite kind of Corey. I love neurotic crazy.
I know, season one Corey.
Yes, my favorite kind of Corey. I agree about Sean entirely. But you know, once I got that in my head that it's like, Okay, this is going to be the Beast story for the rest of time. Now it's going to be Josh, Jack and Eric going after Rachel, and they're gonna have different versions of this, it's just what it's going to be and neurotic Cory and all of us in college.
I was I was looking forward to you know.
Some of the jokes obviously were not great, but overall I enjoyed the episode.
I did thought it was I thought it was fun too. I was pleasantly surprised. Okay, guest starring. We have some character actor legends in this one. We mark Tim Shashan as guidance counselor. He was a very busy TV actor, appearing on shows like the Facts of Life, As the World Turns, George Lopez, and Er just to name a few. Will might recognize him as Phil Tatola in the Seinfeld episode The stand.
In he took it Out. Yeah, great episode.
He retired from the business and two thousand and seven and now teaches acting and is the chair and creative director of Savannah College of Art and Designs Performing Arts Department. Huh isn't that cool?
Savannah as in Savannah, Georgia.
Uh huh oh cool. And then we have William Wyndham as Ned, a well known character actor with a ton of credits, like playing doctor Seth Hazlitt on Murder. She wrote and commodore Matt Decker in Star Trek. He was also in a bunch of movies, but worth mentioning that his first film ever was To Kill a Mockingbird.
Whoa.
He also won the nineteen seventy Emmy for Best Comedic Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series for a show called My World and Welcome to It.
Huh.
William passed in twenty twelve at the age of eighty eight. Then we have keone Young as Professor, another prolific guy with an uncountable amount of credits. He appeared in movies like Private Benjamin, The Even Stephens movie, Men in Black, three and North. But name a TV show and he was in it, aleas Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Golden Girls, Small Wonder. The list is long and insane. You may
recognize him though from his time on some classics. He was Mister Wu on Deadwood and appeared in episodes of Sons of Anarchy and True Blood.
Yeah, also a voice of Gi Joe. Oh Yeah.
He is now a very active and award winning voice actor, most notably on High High, Puffy, Ami Yumi, and Samurai Jack. Jumping into our recap, Wow, we have so many new set alerts. We are in the hallway of the Penbrook dorms, which is very much before.
We go any farther.
The second guy, the guy who passed away in twenty twelve, Which part did he play?
He was the guy on the docks on the correction next to Feeni. Okay, gotcha, got jay? Gotcha?
Yes, we're in the Penbrook hallway. Dorms are designed very much like the Boy's Apartment hallway. Notice that as well, so listeners. Like when we explained the setup of the studio with the set, so maybe we could briefly explain. I don't remember the hallway either, was it.
I think it was on the other side, so like after you're facing the audience, it was to the left of the audience on the audience, on the same side as the audience that was on the same side. So if you're looking at the audience, it was to the left of them, on the same side that they were on. Yes, yes, yes, yes, the opposite the union, the student union. The student union was to Yeah. The living room was on that side, wasn't it. It was more to the right.
It was Phoene's classroom exactly.
The hallway and the kitchen kitchen. Phoenie is still there.
Yeah, kitchen, I was still the kitchen. Side yard was there, and then on the other side of side yard was student union. Gotcha, Phoene's other side of Phoene's yard, gotcha. Okay, So Corey is an overly enthusiastic high fiving random strangers and aimlessly shouting college at the top of his.
Same I love this.
I love it. Sean quickly calms him down. They don't know anyone yet. He'd rather not be known as the Woo who boys. By the way, I liked this this. This was fine to me, you saying like, Okay, let's not be known as the woo hoo boys. This is totally fine. I have no problem. Like, let's just let's scope it out first, let's get a feel cool dude.
But it would I think if Sean had been like overly obsessed with being cool cool and Corey was just sort of free and dorkey, going that's a good dynamic. But instead it's like Corey's kind of free and insecure and worried about being this and then Shawn's pissed at him.
It's just like, but that just again proving Michael right when it comes to one major note, which is anger isn't funny and you're kind of playing it angry? Yeah, and it's it comes whereas if you were like he comes in, you're like, hey.
Can you kick you know what? Why don't we get your pudding cup? Like you're the one who gives him? Well, I don't even know if it's angry. I think it's just that if if Sean is cool what he's playing, he is cool and he's judging Corey, that guy sucks. Like if he's cool and he's fine with Corey being door,
everyone loves him. But if he's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm cooler than you, Corey and he actually is sucks like he should be trying to be cool and not or I don't know, but as it is, like in this episode, he always loved Corey, doesn't know that Corey wants putting exactly think the Corey's family is going, what are you kidding me? He knows exactly what he's getting with Corey as a room mate. Why is this an issue?
And it's what he wanted? Anything, it makes Sean more cool that his friend is the antithesis of cool.
So it was a very different, Sean. This episode just completely different.
The next thing that happens, what happens.
Points to a door behind Corey. This is their room. Corey's wide eyed. We can't just walk in here. This is big. You can't just open this door. Sean's over the theatrics. We're not in high school anymore. That crap just has to stop.
I don't mind that. I don't mind that because it was like a nice callback to the first episode of high school, which was actually our first episode of seventh grade.
But yes, he opens the door and we're introduced to Corey and Sean's dorm room. It's a standard dorm room, but Corey's in awe. It's so beautiful. But Sean argues, no, beautiful is not a strong enough word. A better word is sucks.
Suck.
Shan would be so stoked on this road. The guy grew up in a trailer park. His room at the apartment was a literal pig style. This is the joke should be that. Corey's like, ohh and Sean is like, dude, you can you believe how big this is?
Look, seld Moon, there are walls like that.
Yeah done, Oh my god, it doesn't have wheels. Look at this, There's so many easy jokes that could have been to the same point, but instead, like they just threw Sean under the bus, like it doesn't make any sense, Like you would be stoked, dude.
You should have walked in, ripped off the sheet and gone, there's not a single bloodstain on this mattress something like that, where it's like it's Xana do yeah. There.
You know a million different things we could have made that were jokes, but not yeah, not that. Yeah, it was a very character for Sean.
It was Sean says, give me a spoon. I'm digging a tunnel right now. Corey ignores Sean's negativity and innocently opens up a pudding cup. Shawn's draw drops, wow, you brought pudding to college. Corey's taken back, what I brought one for you, which was so sweet, so cute. I bought one for you. Sean shushes him and gives him a small rundown on college. One oh one, no pudding, no woohooing. Okay, Corey catches on, this is a chance to reinvent ourselves, right, we can be anything we want.
Sean shakes his head. No, you can be yourself, just without the pudding, because I swear on my mother wherever the hell she is, if I get to be known as pudding Boy's best friend, I will kill you.
Would have been ten times funnier if I actually took putting from him walking yeah, like literally, if I was like, okay, after this, we're don and then Sewan would have been likable, because then it would have been like yours, you want to be cool, but flail in. You actually want the pudding too? Would It's such an easy fix and same dialogue. But I'm eating the pudding while I'm giving him the speech perfect you know what, like.
I brought one for you? Oh thanks, so.
Sweat anyway, no more pudding. How funny is that?
Exactly? It's so funny. Cory is as jolly as can be. You can't ruin my mood, Sean. Then Alan, Amy and Morgan appear at the door. Alan is rolling in a giant trunk. I think when you bolted from the car, yelling college college, you forgot something. Corey's eyes light up my pudding trunk. Sean dramatically cringes, and Amy believe her little boys in college. Then Corey breaks in awkward silence. Hey, thanks for raising me. See you, Morgan pipes up. Come on, guys,
let's go. Time is money see you in four years.
Of course, she's dressed like a real kid her age exactly. Thank god. It was like, oh she wasn't in footy pajamas?
How great? Well, how grades and propeller head.
She's just holding the lollipop. Okay, I'm off to the sandbox. So funny, I was.
I've never obviously I'm the oldest of two, but I would imagine my feeling is that as the youngest, when your siblings are both out of the house, that's got to be a fun feeling.
It's awesome. She's got to have a new sibling born. I know that's the different.
Yeah, I became Yeah, I became an only child, which both my brothers were at college, and it was just my parents and I forever.
It was great, love my brothers. But it was still a lot of fun to be Oh.
Yeah, so I'm like, she's got to be stoked. Corey admits I'll miss you, Morgan. Her tone changes, that's not fair and she runs to runs to him for a big Amy and Alan pyle on and look to Sean to join them. He grins, Ah, sure, why not. They all embrace. Then Amy starts to get emotional. I'm going to miss my baby boy. Corey says she didn't get like this for Eric. Amy suddenly turns serious. He doesn't know we're here, does he? Alan quickly bolts for the door.
Let's get out of here. They're gone as quick as they arrived, leaving Corey and Sean alone again.
So I have a question.
So Susan actually had a question, and it was one I'm not sure was ever answered. Do we ever establish how close Penbrook is to where we live?
No? Man, it's all Philadelphia, right, So.
Right, so they're still in Philly, the apartments close to where they grew up, the apartments close to the apartment to the college. But we never say it's like, hey, you're a mom of only a half hour from home, Like we don't ever get that specific.
No, but it should be right, because I feel like Penbrook would be in Philadelphia City center. And how do we establish that the Matthews there's like two towns that would kind of narrowed down to right, Oh, Chester and no, you guys remember Westchester? No, don't remember what it was. I don't remember what they were. Don't remember they were. They were about thirty to forty five minutes from Philadelphia, proper, Okay,
so figure probably half less than an hour. I will assume, right, because it's a suburb that they I mean.
We also in just the last episode, will Eric had gone from his apartment, which we're assuming is close to Penbrook, his apartment, back to the Matthew's house, and back, all within the span of a night. When we thought.
It's Sitcom walking distance.
Yeah, okay, just like one thousand miles from Philadelphia, North is still in the continental United States.
Yeah. Corey turns to his best friend so excited, we're here. We're in college. Sean grinns, Yeah, it's pretty cool. Then to Pank and Angela up here at the door to Panga playfully announces they found some college guys. Corey alerts Sean. She means us. Corey states the obvious, Well, the four of us are here at Penbrook, and Angela suggests they check it out. The girls leave together, but Sean keeps Corey behind. We're in college. Now, nobody knows us be cool.
Now back in the hallway with a student playing an acoustic guitar. Corey tries to act casual. We have hallways, rooms and co ed bathrooms. Just then a girl walks into the bathroom. Corey smirks at Sean. You see Seannie. In college, girls are not called girls, they're called co eds.
But then a man walks into the same bathroom. Corey whispers to his friends a joke that would not fly now, boy is she butch Angela clarifies that the co ed bathroom is for men and women at the same time to Pega ads just like on Ali McBeal, just another show that's on at the time.
It was a huge hit.
Whatever show.
Oh yeah, I never watched it.
Oh I loved that show.
Do people still love it or is it one of those things that was like it was a big cultural moment that came and went.
Right, Yeah, yeah it was. That was Dan Baby and all that right, he knows whistling, and there's.
A lot of life.
And also her very short skirts for business. It was like a real like, oh my gosh, do you see this woman who's a professional woman, she's wearing these very small skirts. It reminds me of the inspiration for Topanga. When she cut her hair that outfit that what you called my skirt a belt. And then when we saw Tapanga in the mailroom with Phil Leads, when she was like, I suggested something and it became a law. I was
also wearing a short skirt. Then it was like Topega's business attire was heavily influenced by Alan McBeal, Corey mocks her and Worth, noting the subtitles say like Cartman, I was.
Gonna say, it's Cartman.
It's it says it even in the subtle it's so so do.
You think I said Cartman voice in the script or do you think Ben just did Cartman?
I think Ben just did that.
I think it just said what wouldn't have been otherwise, Like it's so not Corey to mock to Peg totally bad, is totally fat, Like he might have just done it, Like I feel like the line was not even there, and because.
He may have just said let her go in let her go in there, and then they.
I don't think they would have written that except that Ben would have just done it and it's funny. We all would have laughed and then yeah, he was like can I say this? And they're like, yeah, yeah, funny.
Angela assures him it's no big deal, and Sean says he's going in the three enter as Corey stays behind and Winds come on. I just got comfortable going in front of guys. And then we're a college registration. There are tons of background actors here and our four new students are all signing up for various college classes.
Student union looking weird because it has that like desk in the front, so it's a strange introduction to the space. But it's a big set though.
I mean, do you remember that the cavernous set all because you have the eating area, you had.
That, the pool table, the outdoor table, the outdoor table. That was an enormous set. It's a it's a really I was interesting to be seeing it for the first I'm ever, you know, or since I was in it and thinking, because it reminded me a lot of Girlley's World sets. Yeah, actually reminded me a lot of the
coffee shop set from Girlmy Tour. Like I didn't realize how much that coffee shop was modeled on this because it had the outdoor table just like this and the couch with the you know, it's like, wow, this is clearly.
You're you're both in the production side of television, and maybe it's such a different aspect of television that you.
Might not know the answer.
But what is something like a set like this cost? Is this one hundred and fifty thousand dollars?
This is a million dollars? Like, how much does it cost to build a set like this? Fifty thousand? You think to do the whole set? Okay, yeah, I like that much. The most expensive part is like the paint and the fixtures, you know, because the walls are just plywood, so.
It's sure most of it's rented. Probably, right.
I can't tune you in here. We did get some emails last time you had this conversation. They said that network is closer to what writers saying and shows that have to be a little scrappy or can do that for twenty to.
Thirty Okay, right, good, good to know. Interesting.
Our four new students are all signing up for various college classes like psych one oh one, introductory business, and one apparently called Let's Make Bread, which.
Is the only class I wanted to take. Did you see that? That's great?
Corey looks around the room with admiration. This is where we will determine who we are and what we know for the rest of our lives. Sean tells him to shut up again, and Tapanga reminds him they're only freshmen. There's really no big decision to make yet. It's just anything that says one oh one or intro two. Corey disagrees that's the safe route. He was studying his course guide last night, and the old Corey would have gone
down that road of safe and easy courses. But he refuses to be trampled by the masses registering for a little course he likes to call introduction for mediocrity. Sean asks if he's done with his diatribe. He is. They all dispersed a register, leaving Corey to look around at the various options. He lands it a course that no one is in line for. He nods at the professor sitting there and jokes that the rest of the students are cattle.
He proceeds, must have been the last, like the last era of signing up in person for classes, right, because I was already doing it online. Actually I remember, I think we were doing it via phone. So you would call and they would have been right in this year, you would call and have to like enter the right like code for the right class, and then it would tell you you are registered for you know, philosophy one oh one or whatever. Yeah, that's what would you get.
Just I was like if you were trying to get into the same class as a bunch of people, and was it like trying to win concert tickets?
You know what it was is you would get assigned like a fifteen minute period that you could call in so like and that if that was assigned by what grade you were. So if you were a senior, you had like you know, the the hours, like the seniors got the first and then so it went by class so by the time, and of course that worked out because like the seniors weren't trying to get into the one on one classes around. But yeah, so it was all on the phone, that's right. And we also got
email addresses. That was like a big new thing. Yeah, email address was your your school dot edu. And then yeah, we did it on the phone. But by the time I was at Columbia, which was two thousand, everything was online. Like by that it was you.
Know, the last the last great sign up in person.
Yeah, seems fun like walk around and be like you.
Look to see like, oh, like that cute person, and when.
The professors be there, like at their table for their class.
Yeah, trying to recruit. I love this idea. Let's go back the sweet nostalgia of being in person.
Oh god, if I had a time machine to go back, the last thing I'd be doing would be going back to sign up for college questions.
Are you find it better.
To hear this writer?
The idea that you could take a classes like all the random things. Doesn't that excite you?
Like?
But it would be the list of the top machine, top of the list, top of the think of the difference.
Okay, will You'd be in a crowd, Will's automatically out, You'd be signing up for courses. Will's like, no, thanks, writer, first place I'd go back to tons of people.
The idea of like going from here to the bookstore to get the books for the class, like coming to find like I remember piling like you know, you'd get to sign up for these courses and then you just get to go and be like, oh, I need all twenty five of these books, and I just get to like make my shelf for the year. Oh it's the best. I'm look I'm gonna get to read all of this.
Oh when would you read your syllabus?
Oh?
Hey, I got it. Yeah, but you don't. That's the thing. You wouldn't get your syllables. You showed up in class, and then you'd get it and be like oh, and I'd be so excited. Yeah.
You are third on the list of picking what we do with the time machine for the record, you get Joyce.
I'm a lifelong learner. I'm going to be that old guy.
Me too.
But then, instead of using the time machine to go back to sign up for History one on one, let's just go back to the Battle of Agon.
Court and see what happened.
Okay, Corey proceeds to sign up, but only then we see that he's now a student in existentialist thought and its effect on quantum physics. And then we're at the Guy's apartment. Rachel is sitting on the couch in her robe, with tissues scattered all around her, in a bucket of cheese balls on her lap. Jack and Eric walk out of their rooms. They have to get going, so.
We gotta keep track. Does Rachel wear this robe or a short robe every episode? Every so far? Okay, every single.
Episode YEP, so far, Episode three three.
It's like, seems like it's a requirement. She's got to be in a robe at some point.
But Rachel immediately bursts into tears. Jack calls Eric an idiot for making her cry. Rachel wales, Rachel, that's what my boyfriend used to call me. The boys are confused. Eric jumps in, there's going to be plenty of time for that stroll down memory lane later, Babe, I got to get there before hooked on phonics gets filled up. Jack looks for Eric, who's scarfing down a bowl of Cereal, to show some sympathy. Can't you see she's upset? Were you eating cocoa puffs?
I have no idea, but it looked good. Is so great?
I love Cereal me too, but I don't need it, but I should what you don't need?
Don't you know? Cereal's really not good for you, so I don't. I don't. That's very very Everything.
Else you eat is so good for you, So.
Yes, thank you very much, no Cereal. I wish I would you have a say you have a twice a year?
That's true? Yeah?
Yeah, really, yeah?
I know he doesn't He like treats. Himself on his birthday, and then occasionally if we're at a con, he'll go with me. Because the problem is Sue's probably not that is as excited about McDonald's.
Of course, my personal trainer wife. No, she's not as excited about McDonald's as I am. So no, when so.
When you're around me and I'm really excited about it, you're happy to have a friend. Exactly, I got it, I got it, Okay. Eric tries to study his crying roommate. Obviously, I don't have your power of perception. Rachel looks at them with me, Scara running down her face, and Eric aggressively shouts what Rachel bursts into tears again. Everything Eric sees this is a good sign. Everything's out. Now, let's get out of here, hurry. But Rachel doesn't move. I
just don't know what I'm doing here. We had plans, we were going to live together, we were going to go to college together. Her sadness intensifies. It remembers ye that before.
Because that's actually not what they said they well, I mean, I guess she gave up Yale for their.
Toll for them to go to college here. Yeah, very similar. We were going to get a doggie. Jack sits with her and empathizes, feels like your whole world is turned upside down. Right. She doesn't answer, but she uses his shirt sleeve as a tissue. Jack continues, school's about to start. You're living with two guys you don't even know in some strange town.
Everything just got a good opportunity sert a little bit of specificity about who this ex was. It could have easily been like.
He's never going to come up again, though he's not important, I know.
But he could define the terms of this this storyline, Like this storyline is about them trying to be something they're not right right, So I don't know. It's just it's so generic.
I think the good news is so I actually she is less.
So generic. It's such a bummer, Like it could have been very easy to see, like, oh, she was dating a rock and roll guy who was really cool, and now she wants or a sensitive guy or a nerdy guy whatever, and then she could be defined somewhat.
But I'm really glad they didn't define the boyfriend to help us define her. But it would have been a really good opportunity for him to say, who were you before the boyfriend, Who were You? What do you like? Because that's that's what you have time for now, no more needing to check in with him or worry about him. You've got time for you become the best version of you who are You? But nobody cares. Nobody nobody on the show, none of the characters actually care of get
around getting to know her. No, they just care about winning her affections.
But that finally does become the point of the storyline. Maybe that's part of why I like the storyline, is that she's allowed to have a layer of like, you know, manipulated. She manipulates Eric in that scene. Yeah, too good effect, you know, and it's like, oh, she is actually smart, she is trying, you know. But that's it's just a layer.
It's not but we don't even really get to know her anymore that layer it only it's only a matter of her saying, like, no, what I like about you is that you are funny, and what I like about you is that you are sensitive. So now I've really nailed down those two characters We've already gotten to know over multiple seasons. One's really funny, one's really sensitive. Got it.
It's also it's just the object of their affections exactly. Well, that's why I'm saying it's not.
It doesn't do the Kate beckhamsale test at all, because all she talks about is boys the whole time, if either her ex boyfriend or the new guys.
Guys, and I don't I bet you. Rachel's never allowed to be in a scene with another girl and just and at all like alone without without it. I can think of I can think of one right now. Yeah, I can think of one scene. It's only the girls pang his wedding. Yeah, yeah, with the parasols.
Correctly, Yeah, I did remember that there is one with the parasols.
Okay.
Rachel says, that's exactly how she feels. She applauds Jack for being so sensitive. Eric watches on John on the floor. Rachel just wishes there was some way she could pull herself out of this, so Eric chimes in. He has the perfect thing. Jack tells him it's not a good time, but Eric insists it's always a good time for.
Will do it.
I don't remember, so they taught me this I had before is a real thing.
I don't know.
I thought maybe we had created it.
No, because I because I remember Michael and everybody like looking at me during run or during table reading. I was like, I don't know this, what is this? And so it's what in a cat.
Wood little man by windows stood saw a rabbit hoping.
By knocking at the door or something like that at the door.
Yeah, And irritated, Jack tries to interrupt, but Rachel joins in. Help me, help me, help me, he said, for the hunter shoots me dead. They look to Jack to join in, but he does not. Instead, she gives Eric a big hug. He is so much fun. Eric smiles ear to ear, yay me, yay me. Then she hugs Jack again, and you are so caring. She walks upstairs to get ready and admits, if you two were one guy, I would be in real trouble.
Set up, set up up.
Oh yes, in a cabin in the woods is a nursery rhyme.
Okay that I guess. There's a lot if you go check it out. It's yeah. I never knew this either.
I didn't either, but apparently it's a famous nursery rhyme from back in the day.
That's all because I remember everyone looking at me like sing it, and I was like, I have no idea what this is in New York and nine.
Exactly writers, exactly what town from nineteen?
How do you not know that?
Eric laughs, but then he has an idea. One guy Jack instantly stops him. No, and then our big moment, this is this feels like our first scene in the student union, because even though we saw the first the student union, in the first one, it's kind of unrecognizable. For one thing, there were how many extras do you think we're in that first student union scene?
Fifty? I know it seemed like it like it. Yeah, I recognized, so it was crowded.
It was really crowded.
And a bunch of them also went to John Adams because I recognized obviously a bunch of our extras are back, and I was like, thank god they didn't get all new extras. We still have a whole bunch of the same extra.
I did notice some very tall people, very tall, also some very built people. It was like they added some like yes, college sexuality, Yeah they did.
They added some swags. They did.
So.
Corey is reading a quantum physics textbook written by David Glazier and Peter Tulo. Do you guys know Peter toolo. No, okay, we were trying to decide. I suspected it was somebody who like owns a prop house or worked at the prop house, and so when David Glazier pitched the idea, Jensen said, he looked up Peter Tulo and he works in the same field. He's also his IMDb credits as art department on different shows.
So Glazer is the inventor of glazer Pops exactly.
Corey uh Well, deep in concentration to Pengashan and Angela arrived carrying books themselves to bank asks if he's already done registering, and Corey says yes. He even bought each of them a Penbrook sweatshirt. He lays it on the table. Go Penguins.
I want a Pembrook sweatshirt. I want an original Pembrooke sweatshirt. I wonder where they're at. Where they are I'm sure you can find them online? Right? A real one though, Like I want like one of those? Yeah, I know.
Sean looks at him with disgust. Don't ever do that to pegasifts through Corey's text, buffs like.
Why is Sean?
I know no one likes Judge Sean No, stop and never Ben judge Sean, it never happened, he wins, and for him to say, don't ever do that.
If anything, it's so cute. Yes, I love that he's like excited about Penguin to Pega sifts through Corey's textbooks quantum physics, theoretical calculus, inorganic chemistry, forensic pathology. Corey examines the sweatshirt he's laid out. Is this your son, mister.
Johnson's so funny, such a great joke.
Oh good, Angela shakes her head. Corey, how do I put this delicately? Could you be a bigger moron? He's confused. Why would you ask me that? Why? And that's again more Ben reads like for sure though, Ben with his.
Was having so much fun this week. Oh yes, this is a great episode for him. Yes, I feel like the pressure, like once the pressure is off the Corey to Panga stuff, which is so funny to think about. Like we said, these two episodes, it's like we gotta wrap up all the stuff from the last season and then it's just like reset a lot of ways. This is the first episode of the season. It's just you have to like finish up the drama from the last season.
I wish I would have so much more freeing for pen It's an actor like this is just better, this is fun.
Like I wish I would have noticed Topanga wearing an engagement ring. She wearing the ring Amy gave.
Hers didn't I didn't notice.
I wish I would have paid attention. I will make a note to pay attention next time.
So I will never I actually remember shooting this scene because it was one of the few times it's Steve hayfer Our a d gave me some honest feedback, because you know, usually we didn't get like after feedback from like stage managers, you know. But I was like, we were at we were at the audience read and it was not I was not getting laughs. And I remember just being like, man, what's happening? And like now I can see like it's just not funny like Sean is.
But I also and and I remember Steve being I was like, what's happening is I said? I asked him, I'm like what, and he was just like, yeah, it's just not as good as it was earlier in the week. He was very honest with me. He's like, yeah, you're not doing it as like I forget how he phrased it exactly, but I remember being like, oh, okay, okay, yeah it's not And now I can see like I'm pushing too hard. There's a beat where I laugh at Corey and then I like yell at him. It's like
nah no, and it's not good. It's like I'm too aggressive. It's Sean being negative anyway. I just it's one of those few memories I have of, like, you know, getting feedback from somebody who you usually don't get feedback from, being like, yeah, I know it's not working writer, and being like yeah, he's right right now, I see it. I'm like, it really still didn't work, so I didn't didn't fix it even have to get in the note.
It made me wonder something and you could tell me that I'm totally wrong. But do you think Eric me pushing the comedy so hard is making other people push their comedy too, Because I'm doing I like everything. I'm not picking my beat. But it seemed like you kind of were in this episode like I think I'm going to hit more comedy beat and I.
Do you think I'm off? No, I just think that the Sean is lost in this episode and then like me is a very small part, Like, you know, I'm only in a couple of scenes, so I think I was just checked out this week. But it just doesn't feel right. I don't like my performance, but I also still like the characters. I don't know which comes are totally different. It's not it's a totally different Yeah, it's just not fun. Like it's a bad vibe. You know, he's a downer.
Yeah, Angela responds, because your college career is over before it starts. Corey chuckles. Someone's jealous, but Tapega agrees you've taken on an impossible load that will eventually crush you to death. Corey is still grinning. I know, but I figure we'll have ten or twelve good years together. First, Sean laughs a little. That was a good one, but then he gets serious again. Right, all I wanted you to do is stop with the pudding. Do you even
know what quantum physics is? Yeah, you start to laugh, like, yeah, that's an awful beat.
It would have been so I mean, and I think what had happened is I had been getting huge laughs for that right during the week because I've probably been more natural, and then I just got more and more pushed and more and more expect didn't of like the laugh and it just sucks.
But so when are you saying you realized, like when did you ask Sean we were doing with Sean.
Steve for the right after that laugh right there?
Like yeah, but I mean on what day of the week?
Okay?
Can I peach something to you? Can I suggest something that all week? You have been getting laughs from the people who wrote the Sean this, Sean this joke. They thought it was funny, but when the audience saw it, they were like, I don't understand what Sean says. It wasn't about you, like there being something you needed to
do differently. It's just that the audience is a more honest feedback source because they know the character the same way you know the character, and the writers who you know also obviously know the character, but can decide this week, let's make Sean do this thing, and then they think it's funny, but everyone else is like, I'm sorry, I'm confused.
Yeah, so yeah, I think it's it's but either way, I pushed harder, like I just kept going, and it's like not funny. It's like, doesn't get funnier, just.
Well, it's also sitcom is very difficult in that comedy that's over rehearsed a lot of times.
Is no longer funny. And all you do in sitcom is rehearsed first, so you rehearse all week long, and you could be hitting the same joke a thousand times and it's like it just rings dead in your ears after a while, where it's like and that's that's something I had a hard time understanding, Like I never really quite understood that, Like I would think there's a way to hit the joke, and I just have to do
it the same way every time. And of course the more you do that, you lose that organic human quality that actually invites an audience in And I would I would invariably beat comedy to death because I would think, oh, I just need to hit the and it's like I wish somebody had just grabbed me and been like, hey,
you know what's more interesting being real? Like just being spong like you know in the comedy, because I would play drama for reality, but when it came to comedy, I would play it for like, let me hit the joke in the right rhythm with the right beat, over and over every time, and you can feel it with something like this, it just wasn't working. I's also a very child actor thing like you.
And you know, I learned how to say a joke when I was ten, so I have to keep saying and it's yes.
But it's also the way that we got notes. We were told like, this is the way to do it. Just do it this way and it will be funny. Yes, and that is true to a certain extent, But if it doesn't have that human quality, that spontaneous spon that's what people respond to, a spontaneity. They don't actually respond to a good performance. They respond to real life like reality, you know, and and being on the edge of not knowing what's going to happen next that draws people in. Yeah, I agree.
So Sean asks, do you even know what quantum physics is? Corey is dumbfounded. Hi, that's what they're going to teach me. If I knew what it was, I would have tooken quantum physics too, now, wouldn't.
I might be my favorite line of the whole show.
Too, Wouldn't I laugh so bad?
Sean glances at the text and tells Corey it's gibberish. Cory scoffs, it's not gibberish, you're gibberish. He gathers his things. It's new and exciting, just like me, So nuts to you, you jerks, and then he storms off every everything. It's so funny, also.
Ben Savage, acting the idea.
Of it's new and exciting, just like me, and then to use a phrase like so nuts.
To you, nuts to you, straight from nineteen thirty three, So.
Nuts to you, so nuts to you, your jerks.
So funny to me.
But it's also the joke we would always do to each other. It's like, I'm not you're gibbering, like we'd always throw the thing back. Yeah, you're the your brain's got the shell on it, like we would always do that.
But then he spots his quantum physics professor. He rushes to him, my friend seems to think I've taken on and.
Impossible speaking of head off. That's what is the worst. Why do I speaking of head off? Oh my god.
But then he spots his quantum physics professor. He rushes to him, my friends seem to think that I've taken on an impossible load with this class, and that I'm going to have some trouble with the course material. The professor says he can decide for himself if he gives him a brief synopsis on the first day we start off with and then he transitions into actual gibberish noises.
That I would have Do you think they auditioned him or do you think they just cast him? I mean, because I would have loved to have seen the auditions for this, Like you know, having like forty people come through and do their own version of gibberish would have been so much fun to see and to be able to pick whose gibberish is the funniest.
It really cracked me up and it made me I haven't tried it, but it made me feel like I don't. I don't. I could never do this good of.
Gibber I couldn't either. I couldn't either. Could yes, you could, but he was he was paid like not too fast, so it's still sounded like it's like English. It's so hard to do.
Yeah, it's so hard to do.
Have friends who used to be able to do this. They were brilliant. They they could do fake gibber and they would go They would do it for like an hour, and it was we would be dying because they could just keep it up. And they, for whatever reason, they had figured out the right consonant to vowel sounds so didn't sound like a foreign language, because that's a trick, right, You don't want it to sound like another You want it to sound like the English phrasing and the English
monotone quality, but still be completely gibberish. It's really hard to do. It's because if you're doing like a fake friendship, you can like find fake other languages. But to do fake English that isn't that is still gibberish. It's really hard.
Yeah, really good, And then he says we focus on and then he does more gibberish noises. Corey is confused. Then another professor walks up and starts talking gibberish too.
I don't think I can try.
I say, that was pretty good, but my instinct is to do it super fast, like writer said, And the idea is that you have to. It has to sound more like worse.
Yeah, it can also be so much exaggerated him off that it's obvious that you're making a joke.
It's it's really hard.
It's tough. And you said you saw who the second professor was, Bob Tishlar. That's Bob Titslar. Oh yes, oh my god, yeah, that's amazing.
So great, so great. So Bob Tishler walks up and he starts talking gibberish, and then the teachers go back and forth with gibberish until they tell Corey, excuse me, we have a staff meeting. Corey doesn't know what to do. He slowly turns to his friends and assures them everything's fine. And then we're in the guidance counselor's office. Corey is pacing in front of his counselor, voicing his concerns, even
mentioning the gibberish he heard. He finally asks, is there any way that you could possibly get me out of every course I signed up for this year? The council wonders, you're feeling overwhelmed? Well, you are not alone in feeling that, son, And then he turns his head and takes some of a sandwich.
Such a great beat.
I love moments like that, just like hell, just this guy is so uninvested in Corey's life and story that he's like, I'm still gonna eat his sandwich. Oh, it makes me laugh so much. Corey is worried that he's ruined his entire life in a day, but the counselor assures him he can drop any course he wants and pick up anything that's open. Corey is relieved. He'll take anything that's one on one or an intro to the guidance. Counselor instantly announces those are gone without any emotion at all.
Corey understands that they're gone, but like you said, he's made a horrible mistake. He asks his counselor to fix it. The man reveals, well, I can't do that. Those courses are closed. Corey understands that they're closed, but he reminds the dean that he made a horrible decision and he takes full responsibility for that. He begs his counselor to please help him. The man calmly states, he can't do that. Those courses are closed. Do you know that one in
three students won't make it through their freshman year. Corey is freaking out. Why are you telling me that, the counselor explains, because college isn't for everyone then, and if you find simple course selections so overwhelming. Perhaps you need to consider if this is for you. Ooh yikes. Corey reminds him he's the guidance counselor. Corey gets into trouble and he's supposed to guide him out, but the man reminds him this is college, the real world. The relationship
he's talking about doesn't exist here. He gives a fake apology and then says bye bye. Corey is shook.
I don't remember there being guidance counselors in college. There were deans student deans like deans are student, but I don't remember guidance counselor die. This seam was kind of I was also like, didn't we already do this with Eric thinking that PHOENI would be at college and he's not, Like, this is the same joke as think about that. You're right, it's the same beat. In some ways, I kind of like this guy's funny, but I also think the scene could have been a lot shorter, Like the joke is
just like I want Foene, Phoene's not here. I got to go get Phoenie like that's all it is. And instead it's like I was kind of like, where's this going and why are we doing this back and forth.
Yeah, I know, but now we've got to get to Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole, Corey is scolding someone. You lied to me. You filled me with all this education, but you never prepared me for life. We pull out to reveal Feoene is sitting on a dock with a friend, both decked out and fishing gear. He simply responds, I'm sorry, have we met? And then there's a commercial break, and then we're back in Joy on a plane all the.
Way to Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole. Gotenie to come back.
Wow, yeah, well eventually.
First, well, I love how I do to explains how he got there too. It's like my favorite thing.
In the world.
Corey reiterates to Feenie that he failed him, and the teacher agrees several times.
I believe.
Corey continues, I'm in way over my head and I have no idea how I got there. Phoene grabs a few drinks from a cooler and smiles, It's good to see you, mister Matthews. Corey nods, it's good to see you, mister Phoene. That's a nice hat, pointing to a real local looking cap with lures pinned to it. His former teacher wonders, anyone know you're here? Corey asks, you mean, does everyone know? I screwed up college on my first day and flew to Wyoming on my air miles.
I love it.
Phoene wonders, air miles. Where did you get those? Corey explains, pudding labels baby got me to Omaha bust In. From there I met of a Native Native American and a militia guy. Casino's good government bat oh god, the.
Whole run was just one of my favorite things ever.
So he asks Feoene how retirement's going. Phoene says he's having a wonderful time. After forty years of teaching, setting his alarm to wake up with the sun, he now wakes up whenever he wants to. And then he has a big breakfast with some of the boys. Corey wonders, you got boys? Phoeney points to the old men fishing around him. I do, and then we do whatever our hearts desire. For example, today we decided to go fishing. Corey wonders, that's all you do all day is just fish.
Phoene explains that there's more to it than just fish. They swap stories, enjoy the outdoors, and more importantly, each other's company. The old man next to him pipes in, I had company once until my son in law stole it. Phoene responds, easy, Ned, you'll blow your pace maker. Corey doesn't get it. So if I understand this correctly, you guys, you do absolutely nothing. Phoene begins, I wouldn't characterize Ned cuts him off. Nope, he's got it. Corey assumes no pressure,
no commitments, no way to screw up at all. Phoene wonders why he'd fly all this distance just to insult him. Corey can't believe it. Insult you, No, I envy you. This is the next best thing to being in a coma. He puts his arm around Phoenie and pulls him in closer.
See, I like, I like this idea. Like I like the idea that Corey wants to be an old man. That's like, no, I could just get right to the old man party. Yeah, but this doesn't make any sense with Corey wanting to be in coll Like. The whole opening is like, I'm so excited. This is the new phase in life and I get to do things and learn a bunch of stuff, and now he's reacting to like any pressure by saying, I don't know, I just
it didn't none of this made sense. Like I like the storyline, but I feel like you could have just tweaked it a little bit. Corey's scared of college because of the responsibility. To begin with, yes, and then he gets some responsibility, and then it backfires, and then he goes here and realizes he can retire, you know, and be an old man. I don't know, this doesn't quite track. It's just like whatever it needs.
To thought of it as being that Corey is always excited at the beginning of a big life change, and then things go terribly horribly wrong, and he then goes, oh, gosh, and then he goes, oh, I guess that's inevitable when you have a big life change. So he flies to Feenie, who's also just had a big life change, and instead of it being like and Phoenie is flailing, which he is, he just doesn't know that, he goes the I mean,
there's no way to screw this one up. This is the big life change I need because I always screw it up. So to me, it just felt like to me, it just felt like the most Corey of all things to be like, you mean I could jump right to retirement. How has no one presented this to me?
Or he is one of those guys we've all met, the people whose entire life is changed by the last book they read.
And that's that's Corey. Like he's you know, they go on the honeymoon and I've got.
To open a coconut stand and I've got it, like he he's that guy where somebody says something and his whole life has changed for twenty minutes.
Yeah, yeah, So.
Well we're back at the apartment. Eric is huddled over a lone candle while wearing a black man blouse as classical music plays on a boombox.
This is peak. This is I'll never look batter than in this.
We're very tan. I was like, did Will go to Hawaii?
Tan?
Hair?
I for some reason got the nine O two one oh Mutton chops going on, like that's the look for me.
This this is peak.
Will right here hot hot Wilfred Ell.
Downhill from from this moment on listen.
I had a great season, You're gonna have a great season. I'm excited for you. It's great. It's so great, congratulations, Thank you.
I'm really excited. Thank you. Andy watched the opening credits or I started. He was going to bed and I was like, no, no, I got a watch. So then I started. He's like, wait, can I watch? I was like, no, go to bed. It was paused, and he's like, who's that redheaded girl. I was like, oh, well she just got out, and who's that. He didn't know who Matt Lawrence was. I was like, well, that's my half brother.
Men' you.
He's like, why is your hair so short, which, by the way, it looks awful and my hair looks yeah. I was like, oh, I didn't remember my hair being cut this short anyway. And I was like that's Will. He's like fats Will. Oh my god. I'm like, get out of here, go to bed. So I kicked him, but yeah, he didn't recognize you. He's like, who's that blonde guy. I'm like, that's Will. He's like highlights and everything.
Yeah, writer, I like your short hair.
I do. I like credit looks off.
I didn't pay attention to the opening credits, but like in this episode, I thought your hair looked great. At the start of the college stuff, I was like, wow, I like this short hairstyle.
Are you a fan of Eric long hair? Do you like Eric short hair better?
I like Eric long hair. Yeah, you mean you're right?
This this is the perfect missing.
Yeah, this is the perfect. This is this is peak, this is peak hot.
Yea, yeah, it's all downhill from here.
Jack walks in and stares at his roommate. Eric feels his judgment. Oh it's you get lost. Jack asks what he's doing, and Eric answers, shut your cake hole, Irene.
Just ran it will something funny to say. He'll make.
Sensitive. All right, Rachel's gonna come back here and see that I'm sensitive and all man and not half man like you're sorry, tushy. Jack congratulate Jack congratulates him. You're officially in the idiot Hall of shame. Eric channels some zen. That hurts me, but I understand where it's coming from, and it's okay. Jack says, Rachel is going to see right through this, but Eric says he's wrong. She's gonna
fall deep into my trap of sensitivity. Jack begs him, as a friend, do not make a fool of yourself. Eric repeats the sentiment he's asking him not to make a fool of himself. Then he reveals a big grin. How is that, man, It's like looking in a mirror.
It's a face off so good. It's actually like a like the perfect impression of him.
Yes, it's perfect. And then he does the sawing of your and then it's so funny. He then makes emotions in reference to the recent Nick Cage movie Eric, Jack Jack, Eric, you don't even know who you are anymore. Then Rachel walks in. Eric immediately summons some tears. Hello Rachel. He reaches to cue the music and dramatically sits back down with his candle. Rachel wants to know what's the matter, and Eric explains it's the children.
It's right, this is Puppies and Friends today. I was like, this is where you got.
This is.
So good. The children, children, the children. It's slightly different, it's not quite fully evolved. Ricky, Ricky, you discovered here on the podcast, But my gosh, it's so fun. This is like this is what I was like, Oh, man, sitcom is so good when it's like this is peak sitcom, Like somebody a character that's so well established, no big set pieces, just a funny shirt and you're trying to do something that's out of character. We all know what's out of character, and we are with you. It is
so fun. It is like, this is what multicam can do better than any anything else, any other form. So good.
It also is like it's it's the where the Office really defined what it means to watch cringe television. This is like below that. It's a little cringey, like you're embarrassed for him, but mostly it is so along for the ride and laughing. It's like the perfect amount of gosh. I can't wait to see what he does next. It's so good.
Right, we don't have we don't have Jack looking at the camera going like, can you believe he's doing this they always needed to do in all those you know, reality but in multiicam you just have to go with it. You just like everybody's fully committed to this completely fake reality, which is so fun.
She's concerned what children, to which Eric responds, all of them, they're just so little. Please don't make me go on, because the world is a melancholy place where human relationships must rise to the forefront of our two brief experience on this insignificant swirling blue orb until we'reished, like a flickering flame. Eric touches the candle and then jumps, oh, that's hot.
That was all so I remember during the first run through, I added touching the candle and then Michael pulled me aside. Afterwards He's like, I'm gonna add ou that hot. I'm like, all perfect, So that was all Michael coming right now?
That like all right, great, so funny.
Jack scoffs at the theatrics, but Rachel gives Eric a big hug. That is the most sensitive thing I've ever heard. Jack is shocked, while Eric holds Rachel's embrace with pure glee. She asks, would you go with me to do laundry? Jack can't believe what he's hearing. Rachel admits, I'm sorry, I just need to be alone with Eric. Jack asks you do, and Eric responds she do. He makes his way to the door by pushing his friend onto the couch by his face. I feel your pain, but get
out of my way. Eric turns to his beloved and says, with a smolder, we've got to attend to the delegates. Opens the door for her, and as she waltzes right through it, he turns to Jack and drops the facade She's going to see right through me, isn't she. He grabs her laundry basket and picks up a piece of clothing. Dude, this is her bra His friends out the door.
I mean, I'm definitely a little confused with I was like, why is the laundry room where he wants to go? And then I was like, Oh, the joke is going to be that she's going to get him to do things for her, like get him to do the laundry, get him to do I thought. I thought it was going to be like she's going to make Eric do all this stuff like cook dinner. So I was like, oh, that's going to be clever because you see her make the turn, like, oh yeah, she tries to pretend right.
But then I was like, oh yeah, it ended up being something different. But I was like, why the laundry room. Why is that exciting to Eric?
Oh yeah, I think other than I guess just being alone with.
Her, alone with her and her under and her.
Unmentionables, women's bras pretty sexy, always funny, always funny.
And then we're back in Jackson Hole. Corey's now sitting in Phoene's chair, wearing his own fishing gear, possibly dozing off. Ned casually asks him, nice day, huh Walter. Corey nods yep. Then an enthusiastic Phoene appears, who's up for a movie. Ned likes the idea, but asks, why don't we wait till it rains. Phoene asks why they can't do it now, and Ned points out the obvious. We're fishing. The fish are really jumping. Phoene disagrees, no, they're not. I haven't
seen a fish once since I've been here. Corey advises, through a bucket hat that's covering half his face. Take it easy, George, We've got the rest of our lives to catch a fish. Ned agrees, Walter makes a lot of sense, George. Phoenie argues, no, Walter doesn't. I know, No, he doesn't. And his name is not Walter, it's Corey. Ned counters Corey is too young and named to be here.
Phoenie agrees, Corey's a really old time. I don't know, I just definitely don't think of Corey as like a young hip and Nam.
No, I know, definitely not him.
No.
Phoene agrees Corey is too young to be here. I'm too young to be here. He turns his attention back to Corey. I've indulged your little fantasy for a weekend, hoping you'd come to your senses, but obviously no one here comes to their senses. Ned is offended. Don't insult our way of life, Phoene admits, I'm just not ready for your way of life. Corey is unaffected. Will miss you, George.
Of Walter.
Phoene lifts Corey by the arm and pulls him off the pier. Back to school, Walter. Then we're in the boys laundry room. Rachel and Eric are doing laundry together. Eric says, I'm glad you noticed the sensitive side of me as well as the devil may care side. Rachel leans on the door, giving Eric a seductive glance. You have it all, everything a girl could want. She slams the door shut and locks it. Eric nervously thinks her, but why'd you lock the door? Rachel says, if it
was open, somebody could come in. Eric, while throwing dirty clothes onto the ground, thinking it's going into the laundry. I guess, eh, finishes her thought. Yeah, then they take the best machines.
I just don't know whether to bring up the obvious that like, this feels like a porn seed, like this is a riff on a porn seat and right, like that's the joke is that she suddenly becomes it becomes like the fantasy laundry room scene in a porn film. And I was like, oh, so ironic that the actress ends up doing.
True, except then that same joke applies to every time a woman decides to man handle a man on Boy Meets World.
And okay, but a bit like she's playing into a fantasy, which to me.
Is even more weird because you've done this for every woman at one point or another, where it's been like it's time take me, and in this case it's.
Out of character.
I also don't get they've established Eric has has had sex, so why does this now freak him out? Like the woman who he wants to have sex with now wants to have sex with him and he's now scared by it.
Well, and also he's never been with her in this situation for all he knows, this is exactly who she is. They've known her for two episodes and they've never seen her in the bedroom, so like to act like whoa, who are you? I don't know who you are. It's just it's it is pretty weird. But yes, writer, I would agree with you that this feels very porn adjacent, if not for the idea that then I would have to say every time a woman has tried to manhandle a man, lock the door behind him? Where on it?
Where a jersey?
Every episode episode? Porn adjacent is my new favorite phrase I think I've ever heard. It describes a lot of media it does. You're right, my suggested reels on Instagram's only horn Jason.
Yeah, you're you're TikTok.
It'll always just be like, bounce like a bouncing lady.
What all these women do, jump rope?
It's ladies, books and cats. You've got the strangest I g no cats, but books and butts definitely.
Rachel laughs, but her tone quickly gets serious. No, silly, I brought you here because I've never found you more attractive than I do. Right now, she aggressively hurls Eric on top of a washing machine and grabs his legs. I am so hot, are you? Eric is eager. Yeah, I'm hot. This dryer's on fluff. Rachel smirks, so am I? Then she begins to unbutton his shirt. He asks what she's doing? This shirt is clean. Rachel keeps going, I just want to smush it up a little bit. Eric agrees,
schmushing's good. I like shmushing. But then he stops her and hops off the dryer. He says, this is wrong.
She's hurt.
What's the matter. Don't you want me? Eric can't deny it. But not in the laundry room. He always figured if they ever did this, it would be in some romantic fleabag motel. Rachel is unfazed. She pushes him against the wall. If you went to all the trouble to be the perfect man for me, the least I could do is be the perfect woman for you. So there's our answer.
That's what that is? This he wants that, she thinks he wants the porn stars. What kind of right?
And it also again, what I'm pointing out is that our writers have written women to be the male fantasy of what a woman is. And so here out of the mouth of a woman, she's pretending to be the perfect woman.
Right, which is better than better than just being that right layer of depth, There is a layer. I yeah, your your point that the layers actually been utilized in the opposite direction many times on this show, Okay, And it's like why would Eric, like I think it needs just one extra touch, like one thing that she does that's a little gary to this room to make out with her at least, like he's not like why is
this freaking him out? Like that one thing like she pulls out a whip or where it's like, oh, oh now it's too far, Like I don't know what that is.
She just snaps on a rubber glove but doesn't say anything, and it's like, oh.
What could it have been? What could it have been that would have fit t GIF? Because I mean it's to me, it's the idea that she like, actually, you know, if you could imply that he was hoping to like kiss her, but she's actually going to, Like if she like cleared off a table and was like, let's do it right here, right, But I guess I wouldn't been too explicit for a kid's show. I don't know.
I mean I think that's what they were doing with the buttoning of the shirt is like, oh my gosh, she's already trying to take my clothes off, just like trying to kiss me. I think that's kind of what was supposed to be happening, which is what makes him jump off, like, oh my gosh, you're undressing me. That's more than I was anticipating.
This is also clearly pre Jersey Shore, when smushing is what what sex was, that's what they just like, Hey, I smush, we smushed last night, we got a smush.
So it's Aron saying I like smushing. You are not ready to have sex.
It's like.
If you it's like you call it, you're not ready. Good.
I don't like it. No, you somehow always know the thing to say that makes me go too far man toom Eric.
Smoosh.
Eric wiggles out of her grip. This isn't you. I don't like this you. Rachel sternly asks, then what do you want me to be? Sensitive? Funny brunette. Eric admits, I want you to be yourself. If you're not yourself, then what are you? Rachel answers somebody else. Eric nods, and if you want to be in a relationship with me, then I want you to be there, not somebody else,
and then he realizes what she's done. Oh I get it, Rachel grins, and I want you to be the funny, wonderful person you are, because that's how I like you. Promise me you're not going to change. Okay, Eric scoffs, okay, on one condition, put me back on the dryer. She giggles and hoists him back up and they laugh at the fun So then we are in the guidance counselor's office.
Corey is back, this time with Foeni. The guidance counselor explains to him, I understand you've dedicated your life to teaching, but that was at the high school level. This is college. Phoene asks, high school serves to prepare you for college? Am I correct? The man pushes back, there are five thousand incoming freshmen who were able to register. Correctly, he wasn't. Perhaps he wasn't adequately prepared. Dt F down to fight.
Down. I frankly thought the audience was going to have a bigger reaction than they did.
It was, yeah, but I thought I was gonna be like, what a strange scene. Yeah, this whole thing is weird because I was like, are they really gonna have Phoene get Corey out of this situation? And then they don't?
Actually, no, he doesn't he doesn't have the power do anything.
You just know there's nothing we can do here. Corey. Let's go. But it's so why did you come all the way from Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole to do this and you can't do anything? And so the lesson it was a winded moment. I was like, but why do we need Phoenie to come in and like goods blazing.
It's also it's the same scene with Eric that we saw before, but Eric did it by himself. Like Eric didn't have Phoene there with him when he went to Dean Bolander, Like, this is the same.
Didn't he have imaginary Phoene? Wasn't that the episode?
No, this is the one where it was like it was the big scene with with I'm with Bonnie and I'm like, I want to come to this school. I missed my interview. It's like he did it himself.
We're Corey needs Phoenie to come and help him, and then Phoenie can't really help him, doesn't help him.
No.
I also just the joke of this being his nephew is like what where he goes? He says, okay, the inmates ooh, as Phoenie crouches down to the counselor's eye level. You know something, Myron, out of all my nephew's eye hu the most.
It's like, what, Also, how do you miss the joke of not having him eating something else when you walk.
In sandwich sandwich?
Ye as he's eating. Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if there was, like there was a major rewrite to this whole Yeah you think, I bet you. Originally Phoenie got Corey out of the situation, and then there was a network note that was like, what you can't do that. I feel like there was a rewrite where they were, well, we could keep the shape of Phoene saving Corey, but we can't actually have Phoene save Corey, so we'll just have our cake and eat it too. And it's like,
but it's a weird sequence. I don't you know. It's nice to have Foenie back, obviously, like we need to keep Phoene of course, of course.
And I do think it's the spark of Phoenie can't stay away. You know, we were able to rescue him from Jackson Hole and now he's he's back that.
Retirement that it's not for funny, Yeah, that's funny. I just don't need him in this scene.
Right, okay, Nor should he be there, Frankly, it should be Corey getting himself out of the trouble he put himself in, and he's in college now.
And he can't. Yeah, exactly, we could go right to this next part at the student union, where he's like, I already talked to the counselor, and Phoenie's like, you know, you're just gonna have to deal with it, you know. So Phoene tells Corey there's nothing to be done, and he leads him out the door. The guidance counselor calmly tells his uncle mother will be calling you, and Phoene pretends to be frightened. Then we are outside the student union.
Phoene is trudging ahead of Corey. I'm sorry, I feel like I failed you. Maybe it's just as well I retired, Corey argues back as they enter the union. No, the most important things I learned from you have nothing to do with the courses anyway. What I learned from you was mostly about life and how to make friends and how to help support the people you care about. The gang appears behind them and Sean agrees that's what she taught all of us. How you doing, mister Feenie. Phoene smiles, howdy.
To Panga chimes in, thank you for bringing my Walter home, and she gives Cory a kiss. Corey tells the gang, I'd love to chat, but mister Feenie and I we got to start studying for quantum whatever it is I signed up for. To Pang A handsom a slip of paper, and Corey's confused. She explains, it's your schedule. You have two classes with me and three with Sean. I figured you'd want it that way.
So wait, they all I hear, yes, so they all took an extra class.
Originally there are three of us, okay, we each took an extra class. Then we dropped one and made room for him. But he somehow has five classes and there are three of us. So two of us gone two extra classes.
Yeah?
Well, and also how could he Yeah, it's like it's kind of like what wait what I like the message that like, oh yeah, friends take care.
Yes, of course he's so predictable that we all said, we know what's happening. How do we preemptively fix the situation?
Yes, I also love how once again Phoenie knows everything where he's like, we got to get ready because Phoenie's got to teach me quantum physics.
He knows everything.
It's okay, okay, So Corey can't believe it. How'd you do this? T Benga explains, we each signed up for an extra class, and then Angela continues, and then we dropped one, and Sean concludes and signed you up instead, And how did you do this? To Bega smiles, Hey, we had the same teacher you did, Phoene smiles at his students's soft music plays in the background. Corey takes a look at his new schedule. So I'm ready to start college now, Phoenie nods, I think you are, mister Matthews,
I think you all are. There.
We go.
I still don't get it. I still don't get I still don't get what happened. But it's very sweet. Phoene taught us we took care of our friends. But baby, said Corey. The bottom line is Corey such a baby. You can't ever figure out life. And when Phoene's not there, we pick up the slack.
But wait, so like so like, they all went and joined So let's say making one up English one oh one, Sean joins English one oh one Topanga, then joins English one on one, knowing she's gonna drop English one on one to let Corey have English one on one?
Right? Is that the logic? Right? But how did he get registered? Like that's what I'm saying. I don't understand his registration information, and like.
Yes, then we signed him instead, right, But then why have to sign yourself up to drop it?
Why not just sign him up?
Right?
Right? I don't understand, Well, logic, You're right, I don't know, because we signed one an extra one for us, then we dropped it and signed.
We signed up in case he did what he does, which is that he signs up for bad classes because he will.
Because why would we writing our name on the list. Why didn't we? Why didn't Corey Matthews right under me?
Because then he would have known that he was signed up for that class when he was going to go sign up for all the classes he did sign up for. Okay, So the idea is that we covered his butt by signing up for extra classes that somehow I also signed up for three of them. So you and Angela signed up for three classes that I was in. Gotcha, it's a snoot.
Because the sentiment is so sweet. That's sweet, so sweet.
It's a sweet wrong. It's a swamp.
It's a swamp, all right. We jump into the tag. We're in the apartment hallway. Rachel makes Eric promise not to change who he is. He makes sure you like me how I am. She nods very much. Eric reminds her I do have a sensitive side, you know. Rachel grints, I know.
Now.
Can I have my braw back? Please? Eric tries to stay straight faced. Nope, Rachel smile wide and see you are funny and nobody should change the way they are. Then she opens the apartment door and we hear squeaking. Jack is dressed up in a clown costume, riding a little tricycle in the kitchen and squeaking its tiny bell. Eventually, Jack accidentally tips it over and falls directly onto his face. Unaffected, Eric asks Rachel laundry room. Rachel agrees, yeah, laundry room.
She helps Jack back onto his feet and drags him out the door, while Eric stays behind. Before he's pulled outside, Jack boasts Erek, I'm going to the laundry room. Eric nods before yelling, next time, ask before you borrow my bike. He recurs, of course, it was.
The scene ended with Jack going I'm going to the laundry room in the and that was the end. And everything else I just threw it in front of the audience and forget that.
Yeah, next time, just ask before you borrow my bike. He recovers the fallen tricycle and coddles it while carefully carrying it back to his room. Yep, Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode of Podmeets World. Our next episode will be season six, episode four, Friendly Persuasion. It originally aired October sixteenth, nineteen ninety eight. As always, you can follow us on Instagram pod meets World Show. You can send us your emails pod meets Worldshow at
gmail dot com. And we've got merch.
I'm gonna buy three T shirts and then drop two of the T shirts so that you can.
Have two tea merch.
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We love you all, pod dismissed.
Podmeats World is nheart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfredell and Ryder Strong executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Daniel rome He, producer and editor, Tara Sudbasch, producer, Maddie Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and you can follow us on Instagram at Podmets World Show or email us at Podmetsworldshow at gmail dot com