Episode 312: Stow A WayCast:
Brendon Small – Brendon Small
Jason Penopolis/Coach Jon McGuirk – H. Jon Benjamin
Melissa Robbins – Melissa Bardin Galsky
Paula Small – Janine Ditullo
Josie Small – Loren Bouchard
Tom Wilsonberg – Ian Roberts
Synopsis: Brendon gets inspired to run away to Europe, though he doesn't really think it through. McGuirk seeks out financial advice, and ends up gambling.
Lawn Gnomes: (Click for picture)
· Bed shot when they are talking about going to Europe on the phone.
Brendon’s Filmography:
· *”Le Artists” – Three artists in Europe are evicted from their homes, but that isn’t enough to stop the musical number.
· *”Secret #50”– Spy thriller about Secret #50 who tries to stop Coldhands from destroying the Earth.The Movie-Episode Connection:
· Brendon is inspired by his European artist film to run away to Europe.
· In "Secret #50", Brendon goes off on a tantrum and says he will "never make movies again". In the epsiode, Brendon wants a change and will "never go home again". Don't know if this was intentional or not, but it makes sense nonetheless. (Thanks to Moltrez for giving me this one)The Plotline Connection: (TheJazzFighter)
· Only real connection in this one was the Casino Boat at the end.
Songs:
· Le Artists Song
Ohhhhh….
Brendon: We Are Artists!
Jason & Melissa: Yes We Are!
Brendon: Doodley-Do!
Jason & Melissa: Yes We Are!
All: Watch us paint and sculpt and write
Brendon: We’re so creative we just might…
Sit in cafes and drink cappuccinos…
Melissa: Swat the flies (?) and swat mosquitoes
Jason: Wait around and eat burritos
Brendon: To be an artist sure is neat-o
All: We are artists and we’re blessed, by, Zeus!
Brendon: Cut! Print!
Random Observations & Facts:
· Ian Roberts, who plays Tom Wilsonberg, was a regular on “The Upright Citizens Brigade” on Comedy Central.
· Paintings in “Le Artists”: The Home Movies Opening Television Painting, Melissa as Mona Lisa, Jason in a Pollack style painting, Jason as a sculpted piece, Brendon as a Greek God, McGuirk in the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling painting,
· Brendon’s (the landlord) note says: You Are Evickted.
· Tom’s background sign says “$eize the Day!”
· People at the assembly: Brendon, Jason, Melissa, Walter & Perry, Fenton, Shannon (sleeping), and the background class characters.
· Tom’s books: “Seize The Day” and “Starting Early: The New World of Corporate Kids”
· Tom’s card: “Tom Wilsonberg – Your Ace 888-5555 Phone: 888-5556”
· Brendon’s posters: “Moulin Bleu” “Second To Last Tango In Paris”
· Brendon reads “Europe In 1 Day!”
· Paula reads “The Daily Times”
· The sound clip used when the doors close is the same one when a buddy signs off on AOL Instant Messenger. Go on, check.
· Melissa has a “Hello Kitty” bag.
· At the restaurant, the dinner consists of: Pizza, Ice Cream, Spaghetti, Bread, A Sub, a piece of Chocolate Cake and a fancy looking desert.
· In “Secret #50”, Brendon notices his orange juice can't be poured out, perhaps because Jason's character froze it (thanks to Terry)
· McGuirk and Tom go to “Diamond Lou’s Casino”
· A mouse goes by when Brendon talks about being Stowaways.
· Jason reads “Show Girls”
· The animators names in the credits:
Tim “Snake Eyes” Finn
Alan “Blow on my Dice” Foreman
Sean “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” Hagan
Lauren “Nickel Slots” Harman
Dave “Knows When to Hold ‘Em” Tata
Laura “Knows When to Fold ‘Em” Kozuh
Jamie “Knows When to Run” Mosca
Dave “Wild Card” SanAngelo
Mark “Double-Down” Usher
Past Episode References:
· This episode marks the second time McGuirk has told Brendon to run away. He first told him in Episode 112 – Law and Boarder.
· Jason calls one of the slot machines "Uncle Pedro"...which may or may not be a reference to Uncle Pedro from 202 - Identifying a Body. (Personally, I just think H. Jon Benjamin has that name prepared before any retroscripting sessions).Movie & Other References:
· The opening movie contains parodies of: The Mona Lisa, Pollack, Greek Mythology Sculptures, and The Sistine Chapel.
· “Secret #50” is a Bond parody, and Jason is a parody of Jaws (from Moonraker).
· Brendon says he "has to take karate, not at the Y", a reference to a line in The Karate Kid (thanks to Terry for this one)
· On the bus, Brendon points to the "loser" on the bus. He is playing with two action figures. These figures are the Transformers toys Optimus Prime & Megatron. (Thanks to GIJoeFan for pointing this out)
· Also in "Secret #50", Brendon pulls on strings on his coat and inflates. This is remniscent of "Inspector Gadget". (Thanks to GIJoeFan, again)End Credits: “Season Three Theme”
Reviews: WARNING: Spoilers
Jdoggg: This was a great HM, maybe the best of the season. It wasn't too outlandish, and had strong main and subplots. Best of all, though, Ian Roberts, Antoine from the Upright Citizens Brigade (the greatest sketch comedy troupe ever) played the money guy.
Superloud: Excellent. I fell off my bed laughing at the whole scene with McGuirk embarrassing Brendon on the bus, and the Seize the Day guy. A bit predictable, but still hilarious. A
Shnay: I basically have the same complaints most people have stated. First, there were too many parts that were far too predictable. HM doesn't have to have complex stories, but we shouldn't see where the episode is going to end up from a mile away. Secondly, the first half was pretty weak. There were some good moments, like Brendon's search for a reason to run away, his lack of a plan once they did run away, and the opening movie (which was a little over the top for my tastes, but still funny), but ultimatley, the first half just felt like it was taking a lot of time to set up a not-so-interesting story.
While the episode, overall, was merely average, there were some real standouts here; which were Jason's gambling (it's always great when we see him go overboard with something) and, of course, Ian Roberts as the motivational speaker.
Condiment King: Tom Wilsonberg is great in this episode. "SEIZE THE DAY! EVERY DAY!" An inspiration speaker who gambles! What a twist. Him and McGuirk really work well together over in Vegas. Its almost sad that they end up losing everything in the end. Of course everything falls apart when they start arguing over the money. McGuirk seems to have enough luck to where he sees how much he can do and then only loses it.
I like the plot with Brendon, Melissa, and Jason running away. There wasn't really any reason for them to run away, they just try to build it up in their heads, such as Brendon making a big deal about the color that Paula was asking about for the rooms. "I need to take karate, mom. NOT AT THE Y, MOM. Not at the Y." Great. I like the fact that they think that their films would be more appreciated in Europe, just like they said that France is where all things dramatic happen all the way back in Season 1.
I liked the part where they tried to compensate the restaurant with videos of the movies they've made for their meal. Then of course we see the take on a James Bond thriller. There's something cool about seeing Brendon with his hair slicked down and his cool demeanor in the James Bond persona. The video that they try to use to pay off the restaurant isn't even one of their better movies, its one where everything fell apart and Brendon vowed not to make films again! Hahaha.
It gets even better when they get to the casino. "TWENTY ONE! TWENTY ONE! NAYSAYERS, ALL OF YOU!" Of course, Jason ends up being obsessed with something else, this time gambling all the money alloted to them. I like how Jason all of a sudden is naming all the machines and is severly addicted to gambling. Nice ending with the color. *****
StrangerAtaru: Until "Coffins and Cradles" finally comes out, this is the last episode of season 3 we have seen. And unfortunately, outside from a few things here and there, this isn't really one of the stronger episodes. Starting from the top, we have the whole plotline involving Brendon, Jason and Melissa deciding to run away to Europe in order to get better appreciations as artists, just like in the intro movie they made. (which was OK in itself, but the funny thing being the painting parodies they made such as "The Creation" with McGurk) Although this plot could have worked, it really never went anywhere and led to some rather dumb situations. I guess one of the reasons why I never really liked this plot and some of the stuff involving the kids in this episode is that it is one of the more extreme cases of these 8-year old kids acting more like adults than they should be at their ages. Sure sometimes the oversophistication of the kids can be funny, but here it is more ridiculous than funny. A couple of the scenes I did like in this whole plotline were Brendon trying to find an excuse to run away from his mom (including a classic tribute to "The Karate Kid" ), Jason saying goodbye to his mom, and the little movie that Brendon shows at the restaraunt to try and pay for their dinner, which was Brendon having another one of his outbursts during a James Bond-esque film. (although the restaraunt scene was one of the weaker sequences) It was funny watching them try and find a boat to run away on, but sadly it really falls apart in the end when they get tied up into McGurk's somewhat (but not too much) superior storyline. And my final question here was: did they really need to give Jason a gambling problem as well as all the other obsessions he has had over the last several episodes? Is there anything he doesn't get obsessed about?
Moving right along, we actually have a less gimmickly and pretty funny situation involving McGurk's continuing search for money, this time after his car breaks down and he needs an overhaul. While I have been rather critical of some of the McGurk storylines in the third season, this one really isn't as bad as the more "Fonzie" episodes. The sequence where he has to take the bus to school with Brendon is classic in itself, in that he finds out his plan while still lamenting the loss of his car. ("The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep...." ) Another key to this storyline was the introduction of the weird, but somewhat annoying, Tom Wilsonburg, which was yet another "over-maturation" I didn't like in this episode since kids really can't start their own business, especially since they are pretty much in 2nd or 3rd grade. The only part of the first exchange that I actually liked was when talked to Jason, who said he wanted to start an asbestos company, which he probably knew was the worst thing he could think of to get him off his back. Once McGurk and Wilsonburg meet, though, it becomes funny to see that this "Seize the Day" guy would suggest going gambling to get the money McGurk needs for his car. At the actual riverboat, though, it is here where Wilsonburg shows his more annoying side while McGurk has one of the better moments in the episode, especially the weird thing where McGurk was doing good at blackjack without that annoying man around him. The final battle over the poker chips between the two of them sort of crossed the line back and forth between funny and annoying, considering that McGurk was good and Wilsonburg, well, was somewhat annoying. It was a tad sad that the chips eventually fell into the river considering McGurk's situation, but I guess this is what one calls divine justice. In the end, I guess this wasn't much of an episode, but at least they did some good stuff here and there with the weak story. (and as I said, at least McGurk wasn't as gimmicky for once)
The Landstander: An all-around funny episode, but an oddly unmemorable one. Most scenes are funny, but there's nothing really great nor any huge character development.
Inspired by, well, himself, Brendon decides to run away to Europe with Jason and Melissa. The opening movie and his desperate attempt to justify running away got some good laughs, as did a failed attempt at a James Bond parody. Meanwhile, McGuirk needs a new car battery, and seeks financial help from Tom Wilsonberg. Ian Roberts really went with the flow of the show nicely, and worked off Jon Benjamin nicely. And I can't not mention Jason's plan to sell absestos.
All that being said, the episode still felt a bit unnotable. Not bad, just pretty middle of the road. Actually, and I don't quite know why, my favorite part of the episode was McGuirk meeting up with Brendon on the bus. Nothing fancy, just some great interaction. A Good Episode.
