So we get a lot of emails, as I have mentioned before, and one that came through recently reminded me of something we have to circle back to because it's something right or mentioned that then we've never gone back to. And I think it's very important. Christian Are wrote us to tell us which Ninja Turtle we'd each be okay, and it reminded me that writer had said there is a he knows which Ninja Turtle he is. So I wanted to see what with what christian Are said, how it matches up with what you guys think. So Christian said that Danielle would be Leonardo, that my my host abilities show real Leo trade. It's also leadership quality. Writer would be Donna Tello. He's intelligent and studious, a real brain. That was always my idea. Will would be Michaelangelo with his quick sense of humor, and Phoenie would clearly be Splinter. Absolutely all right. I like it. I can I tell you. As a voice over actor, I've gotten a chance to be involved in almost every one of my favorite cartoons from the time I was a kid, and I've never from the fifty times I've auditioned for them, never gotten to play a ninja turtle. It kills me. I've never used being a ninja turtle on one of them too, Like I want to say, like eight years ago. God, I I don't. It wasn't Donna Tello though, I think it was Raphael, which is the one. I don't know, but I was definitely up for. I went back like three or four times. I was like, this would be fun. Yeah, it's amazing, and it's the one I can't cry. Well, there's still time. Well, there's still time. Um. Welcome to pon Meet's World. I'm Daniel Fishel, I'm right or Strong, and I'm Wilfred. I'm glad that our pre show chatter was short today because I feel like this recap episode we're about to jump into is going to be one of our longer recaps. And maybe I'm wrong, Maybe I'm wrong, but it is in my notes. It is multiple multiple pages, and oh my god, I'm so serious. I really liked this episode. Allo. Wow, I'm actually really glad to hear that, because this is my least favorite episode any episode I have seen so far. And Mr Joy, yes, I would not say my least favorite, but it is definitely not. Several times, I'm so, I'm so glad that you did, because I'm dying to hear your perspective, because I'm I several times paused the show to go what and then like wait, what, what's happening? And then let me just recap it out loud and like, am I understanding this correctly? And then it led to a really interesting fifteen or twenty minute discussion between producer Jensen Carr husband at the end of the night about like which just cre now it depends with him its producer correct Then he's producer Jensen Carp And that's that's why it came up this way, because we were discussing more as producers than than as husband wife, and then and then yeah, so anyway, we are discussing Season two, Episode four, Me and Mr Joe. Original air date October four. The synopsis is that Corey and Sean learn a lesson about having something to lose when trying to stage a student walk out in protest of an English literature exam. Also, Eric still has a demanding girlfriend. Oh, she's awful and I hate her and we'll get into that later. She's a torturous score, she's awful, she's awful. But that's why this episode is not very good. I think she's supposed to be awful. That's the like I couldn't Yeah, anyway, that's that's what I couldn't stand. I was like, what is this? It's a she's awful like Jason was funny choked choke while Yeah, okay. So it was directed by David Trainer, written by Jeff Minnel. It guest stars Jason Marsden as Jason Marsden and Sydney Bennett returns as Desiree Um. I'm sorry I should say it correctly, desiree Emmeline Hollinger Boumon. So we start this recap in the Matthews kitchen. Amy is impressed that Corey is reading The Grapes of Wrath a two pounder and that he's almost done with it. Corey then flips the page, explaining that he went from page five eighty two to five eighty one, exposing that he's reading the book backwards, so he already knows what happens. Eric runs down the stairs to leave and he's going to meet his I mean, I didn't, I just it was kind of funny. It was, Yeah, you're setting it up like look what he's done. He's oh my god, he's almost done with the grapes of wrath. It's that's incredible, Okay, and now I'm on five eight one. I mean it was it was a good tea up. It was an interesting take a joke I hadn't seen before giving giving that joke credit. Uh. Eric runs down the stairs to leave. He's going to meet his new girlfriend, Desiree, the controlling Southern Bell we met in the last episode. Let's just talk about how crazy physical will your physical humor is just top about. But you and and we had so much fun. This clearly actually pushing back, but it was I was like, oh my god, we were having a blast with us. And then it was kind of like we were working out the different beats and then um I did started to do the foot shuffle thing, and she's and and so we're we were really enjoying working with each other. It was a ton of fun of kind of getting to work with Betsy. You know, it was not yeah, that is not fake, like that is all like real good choreography, and like when you fake her out and do the twist to get out, I was like, this is this feels real in such a fun way. I thought it was fine. I also liked just deciding to button one button at the very bottom of my shirt man V which was which was a yeah, it reminded me this physicality that you guys did. We talked about this in a previous episode of Boy Me It's World, about how Michael was very big on physical humor needing to be very real, and it did. It felt like you two with this choreography and the way you guys worked it out, it was no matter what, just pushed back against each other, just make this real. There was and it works. That's exactly why it works, is that when when yeah, it was really fun and you could see by the way she's gripping your arm that she is genuinely pushing against you. We were having fun. Yeah, it's a very it's very cool. So she says she doesn't care what Eron's desire is making you do. You were going to sit down and eat breakfast and then just sorry, Wow, this is one of those you know, we we've talked a lot about like why couldn't it be Betsy, Like this could have easily been Alan, It actually would have made more sense. But it's so good that it's Betsy. It makes it so much funnier, so much more interesting. She's most of the episode, and Rusty doesn't show up until later. Like I had the same thought, it was weird that he just walks in at that he had finals. But yeah, but this could have easily been a physical like Dad versus son physical thing. But the fact that it's her makes it so much better. Well, yeah, Rusty finals. Honestly, it's I wonder if he had another job or something like It's seriously, it felt it felt like a weird gap that he just kind of shows up at that one scene. I was like, oh, yeah, he's on this show. But there's a perfect example of how it easily could have been Betsy. It was, and it was great. Yeah, it worked really well that it was her. Um Amy asks what kind of control this girl has over Eric and then his pager goes off because as are a needs conditioner. Eric avoids his mom and rushes out the door. Um and we explain what pages are to our young Were these things you wore on your belt and reminded you that no, I had no friends, that you guys have pages? During this of course, yeah, right, we all did right, because as kid actors, we were lucky enough to like get pagers. Uh, but like I did most kids have them, I guess maybe like by late nineties, everybody or a sidekick. Wasn't that The other thing that people would have in the late nineties or early nineties, it was drug dealers and child actors exactly often one and the same. So you would get you would get a page which somebody could call you from their phone and then punch in any number to tell you to call him back. But of course that instead of just putting the number to call back, they became an elaborate system of codes, so you would have like your own pager code, and then you would have like, you know, yeah, all these like elaborate way you know. Of course drug dealers had elaborate codes for everything. Um, but let me walk you through some. So if you wanted to please as a child actor, it would usually be like if we were at if I was at my regular school and I got a page, it would usually say like one, and that would mean you have an audition. And then the next set of numbers was usually the time my mom was coming to pick me up, and so I would just look down I'd see the number one, no, I have an audition, and then it would say like one fifteen, and I'd know, okay, I've got to meet her in the nurses office at one fifteen and that's where you know she's going to pick me up to go to. Of My pages were low battery. I just had no it did. It proved to me that I had no friends like oh man. So the coolest page or code was my brother, whose name is Shilo. You could actually spell Shiloh one backwards, yeah, seven one four at four five right, so if you turn that upside down, it spells. It was his very long, convoluted patriochude. But it worked, okay. I love seeing it brought me back. I know, well, because they did have cool neon cases. I remember one of my favorite cases was a neon case. But I also had a clear case, which was so cool. Um. And then Corey goes back to his book. He continues to read and ends with a joke. I guess you want to call that a joke. He reads a quote from like a famous quote from Grapes of Wrath and then says, well, that came out of nowhere. Because he's reading the book backwards. Yeah, I didn't think that was like a probably better button, probably could have a Yeah, is there a defense? Is that like will did you think it was particularly funny or are you like that one? I was still talking about how awesome I was with my foot work and Betsy, so I'm not even registered that part of the scene if I'm honest. Okay, got it, I get it. That makes sense. You and Sue were still like, man, yeah, the wife listen, I get it. So wife mine, we actually watched this at like midnight. She was asleep by when I think the joke he said one. She was out already by that, right, right, Yeah, she was already asleep. Yeah, I'm glad she likes the show. She does, so Mr Turners, We're in Mr Turner's classroom. Mr Turner asks who can explain what is happening so far in the Grapes of Wrath. Corey puts his hand up and Mr Turner asks if it's a muscle spasm, but Corey wants a shot. Corey explains it perfectly, and everyone is shocked that Corey knows what's happening, and Sean says that he's a disgrace to the back row, which is funny because he's not in the back row. Only Sean is in the back row, which I thought was kind of funny. He's in front of you a little row, three rows right, and he's not in the one you referenced. So, yeah, it was great. Mr. Turner says the book is a perfect example of how the powerful will always exploit the powerless. When Korey and Sean asked what they need to know for the test, Turner says he doesn't want to hear people asking about the test anymore. He says that as long as everyone reads the book and engages during the class discussion, there will be no test. Everyone like jumps up, no test, and they run out of the room, And then we're in the school cafeteria. Are just very quickly to writer's point. For the last run through, the last walk through we did did you did you get a Turner tie reference? Oh yeah, I forgot. I didn't see it in this one. I meant to go back and look. The next one is way better. The next one. Yeah, we'll talk about the next one. We're building up. There's such a thing. How did we know? Because it's very remarkable? Yeah, it is. It is clearly a choice that either Tony or Sarah or together they were making like we're going to yeah, yes, yeah. So in the school cafeteria, Mr Feenie is sitting with Mr Turner. Phoenie comes to the table with just a tray of coffee, the whole tray with one thing on it, with a saucer and some good business guys. This whole series, this is him acting the crap out of putting sugar in that tea. It was also cream. That's why. And actually husband producer Jensen carp did say when I said, is that just a tray of coffee? He said, I think it's tea? And I said, well, are they trying to let us think that he's British because he's coming there with black tea that then he's putting cream in. Thank you, thank you, And you wonder why we were confused as children? Yeah, you get it. Thank I love this scene because this is I mean, this whole storyline is the payoff of what was established in that first episode of the second season. And I remember when we were talking about it, I said, I hope they developed this because it's really a great dynamic. The Phoenie Turner divide. You know, I love it, and hummus is a good joke. Yeah, hummus is a pretty good joke. It's just a funny word. It's kids aren't sitting there in seventh grade eating hummus normally in Philadelphia, so it's that's to me, it was a funny joke, especially the way Tony kind of nailed that word. It's like, okay, this is this is funny. I writer cannot wait to discuss with you whether or not this is because I love the dynamic between Phoenie and Turner as well. I thought this was not the episode for it. I didn't get it. I like it was so such a waste and at the end of it, I was like what and I want to I'll bring it up at the end, but I'm going to plant the seed now. This would not surprise me if this was originally a season one script where Turner just wasn't in it at all and it was a storyline where Corey was the Turner piece and Phoenie was the always Phoenie piece. Because this just feels well, we'll talk about it, just planting the seed. We will go, we will go about the episode and we'll see what happens. So Mr Phoenie sits down with Mr Turner. He says that Mr. Turner's fourth period English class sure seems unusually chipper, and Phoenie asks if it had anything to do with Turner's innovative no test policy. Turner says it's not a policy, but as long as kids do the work and know their stuff, he doesn't have. He doesn't believe that they need a test. Phoenie says that without a test, students will come to school tomorrow knowing nothing. Turner disagrees, and Phoenie asks if he's willing to try his theory, setting up the very first you know, Turner Phoenie's storyline. But the stakes for the storyline are just if you win, I'll respect you, and if I win, you'll respect me. Yeah, maybe that's why it didn't work for me. I just I mean, I I like that they're exploring this, but I found this an incredibly boring storyline, just not interesting. I was not invested, and I love these two actors. I love these two characters, and yet whatever reason, this tension just fell completely flat. The writing just didn't bring it to the surface like it just felt okay. It was supposed to be tension. I thought it was just look, it's new school teaching versus conflict. Yeah, but but it doesn't make any sense because Phoenie is is a new school teacher, like he always creates crazy life experiences to teach lessons, like the idea that maybe, I mean, maybe I could buy that, but I don't know why. It just didn't come to life for me, Like I don't know, I just did not come to life like I I get the forces at work, but it didn't have any sparks for whatever reason. I mean, for one thing, like you said, it could be that there are practically no stakes. It's just, well, what happens If I win, then I'll consider your methods. Well what if I win, then I'll consider your methods. That may be part of it. But to my point of maybe this is like feels more like a Season one script. Imagine if Corey was in the Turner position of listen, as long as we're doing the work, we don't need to take a test, and Phoenie saying, how would I ever know what you've learned without a test? And it becomes a thing, Well, let's do it. Let's not take a test. And let's see what happens if it's now a bet between the two of them. I feel like that would have been I don't know, I feel like that's kind of what we came to expect from season one, a little bit of like and then the situation that comes out of the episode at the end, the payoff of Turner saying you know, well we did and we found it all out without a test, and Phoene then saying did we so again, We'll get to it at the end, because that that also is the reason then didn't work for me. At the end of the episode, Turner, thanks Phoenie, and I'm like, for what you will right all along? He created a whole mess in your class and and created a whole hoop lot and for what, like, what are you thanking him for? Exactly right, because Turner's point is made the very next scene when we all show up and we've all read the book and well, yeah, so it's over done. It's done. Okay, So we're in the Matthew's kitchen, Jason Marsden barges in and asks Amy if she's guest starring on Baywatch because she's so hot. Eric enters and says he has to bail on their basketball game because something came up. Jason, Yes, I love shorts over sweatshants with the mullet. The mullet shorts over sweatpants. I didn't know that I saw that. And then of course it comes back later when Will shows up. Why did you do that? Why did people do in Philly? It's Philly? Oh, because it's cold outside the shorts, then do the pans and keep you for being well. I don't know. Maybe you're playing indoors, but you have to be outdoors before you get to indoors, So maybe the shorts are what you end up. Maybe you take your sweatpants off to play inside, but then you have the sweatpants on. I don't know, but then you have to take the shorts off to take the take your pants off. Why wouldn't you just carry the shorts with you your sweatpants exactly? This is a choice. This is a fashion. Choice is a fashion? But is that just a boy these world thing? Or like? Okay, dear listen, please write to us if you or anyone you know has ever worn sweatshirts shorts over sweatpants. Is that a thing in particular? Our Philly Listeners producer and husband Jensen Carp played basketball a lot. Did you ever Jensen where he said? Never was California. He's like California. Okay, we just we need our East coast listeners Connecticut aside. But again, basketball, and you wore shorts and then you take a pair of sweatpants and you put them over your shorts. So that at the walk from the car and it was a car, not a horse to the but exactly it was to the to the gymnasticum because we didn't have the right word, um what was you then take off your sweatpants and you have your shorts on to play game new fangled game called um. So, yeah, I didn't. I Also, he's and I love Jason and I think he's very good in this this show. But I think he just pushed. He was so Eddie Haskell like they're now making him so Eddie Haskell in the episode where it's again like Mrs Smith's s yeah, and it's like, wow, oh god, what are you doing? So it's it's a lot, Yeah, it's a lot. So Jason takes a wild guess that vampire Vampira or Vampira is the reason Eric is busy. Jason gives Amy his condolences for the loss of her son. Amy says, send the money to the foundation of the terminally whipped, which I thought was kind of a funny joke, and she hit the word whipped whipped. I know it was very funny. Eric doesn't understand why Amy and Jason are so down on Desiree, and then Eric's pager goes off. Jason steals the pager and says, it's Desiree. She's in the driveway and she wants water. As Eric goes to the sink, Amy blocks him and then sprays Eric with water. Um. Eric goes running upstairs. Desire enters and asks Jason to fetch Eric, and then Jason says he was in the shower when his pager went off and it wasn't pretty that he's basically dead. Eric then walks downstairs and has a towel tucked into his pants to cover the water, which I why was there a kitchen towel upstairs? And why didn't you change your pants? Not change your pants? I don't understand that you run upstairs to get a towel from the kitchen. Kitchen? Yeah, what the hell was the point of that, I don't know. It was also you were gone for a little longer, Like you were gone long enough that you could have changed your pants. You think, Yeah, at least thrown on a good pair of pants under a pair of shorts, which would have been great. And she could take Jason's shorts. Still, you can still be wearing clothes. You could have pulled shorts off. I don't know Sydney Bennett at all. We hung out these not even hung out. We worked together these two weeks. I do not know her. I'm sure she's a wonderful person. It's the character, but every time she's on screen, I just wrote, she's awful. You hate her so much that it's not funny hate. Also, I didn't write this until and so I wasn't gonna bring it up until like the later the hallway scene later. But what I wrote down was like, is this funny? Does anybody find this funny? Is this entertaining? It's in the slightest, but this whole storyline is just it's it's it's you know. It reminded me of the girls in the Trucks Are when when the car breaks down during the first season, until they like manipulate the junkyard guy with the it's like this stupid gender like women have all the power. Look at guys being hopeless to a hot woman joke that is just not funny, and they're pushing I mean, okay, fine, we did one, but we already did an episode of this storyline. So now we have an entire another episode. What is the point of this? I don't think, Like I honestly was like, I know all the jokes before they happen. I know Jason is gonna be whipped in his way, I know, you know all the things. So is there literally a single moment of this that is funny? Like I just couldn't find it. And the other I wonder how long they were going to actually keep or on the show, if she was supposed to be on longer than this, because again, they brought me into audition with this woman, Like the character was so important to them that they brought me into read with her several times. So I'm wondering if this was supposed to be another recurring character that just didn't land, because it didn't land it was because yeah, it's not her fault, Yeah, not not sitting his fault. It's the character. It's because if you take the idea of like, oh will like or sorry, Eric is willing to put up with an awful person because it's he gets to day to senior, right right, There's so many cool ways you could go with that and like have having him having to keep compromising his values in order to appease some woman. That could have been subtle, dynamic and interesting, and you could see like the slow erosion of Eric's character, but instead it's like done from the moment we see the situation the last episode, it's like established, and then they just keep reiterating the same thing over. There's no development, there's no change. It's just okay, And I just didn't find he says something. It says something in the accent. Jason walks up and is you know, I can't believe you're doing this, and then Eric chooses her until he doesn't. It was Yes, it was over and over again, the same jokes, so dumb. Yeah, I agree, I agree, I agree. Jason begs Eric to play hoops, and desire say Jason is a little petite to play basketball. This triggers Jason to go off on Desiree, and Eric decides to defend Desiree in the argument. Jason then leaves desire says Eric now has a decision to make between his Elphin buddy and her. Jason then runs back in and says he's not Elphin, and then he does an impression of the elephant man, which I don't get. That I didn't get at all, Like it almost seemed and I could be wrong. It almost just seemed like I was going to say Jason ad libbing, but I doubt in his second or third episode he would have. I don't think he ad lib but I think maybe they had written I am a human being and he was delivering it straight, and then on this take decided to do a complete impression but either which is not a good impression, but it also just doesn't make any half. It doesn't make any sense, like either he's defending himself I say I am a human being, which is funny, or it was so confusing to me that before I turned the subtitles on, which I did turn the subtitles on, I figured out how to do it on the new TV and I had to do it for this episode because there were that many moments that I went what what? What did they just say. When he did the elephant man impression, I actually thought she must have just said instead of elephant, she must have said elephant elephant friend. And I was like, did she say your elephant friend? That doesn't make any sense. And then and then so, anyway, what I like this episode less? Now I was gonna say, are turning great? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you watched it at midnight I did. I'm gonna be totally honest you. I forgot to do my homework last night, and as I was getting into bed, I was like, oh, I have to watch an episode of Boy Meets World tomorrow. Yeah, exactly. Thank god it is dry January. That's all I have to say. I was able to. Luckily, I was like, Okay, I can stay up to watch this, but yes I might. I might have so again, if you want boy funny Man midnight half asleep boy is great? Oh my gosh. Okay. So then we are in Mr Turner's classroom. Mr Turner is lecturing about grapes of and a wonderful shirt about brown tie ye seventies style that, man, I think we should start naming them. Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm in for a name. I did not come up with a name, but I did think that it looked like the pattern on the shirt twisted around and got dizzy and like fell into the tie. Yes, exactly, it's a pattern on a pattern. And yeah, it was like the shirt was like it's carcasso to the shirt. I already just saw the cut that's going to be on the internet. So so really doesn't jump up to where you know exactly what it's going to be, but there you go, Hello Instagram, Hello inst So. Turner talks about the violent and bloody battles in the book, and Shawn says it sounds like bingo night at his trailer part Again, the Vernons thing that you were talking about. Will it's like the whatever crazy reference I can make to my home life. That's that's the joke. It's so funny. Yeah it is. It's really funny. And that was a fun That one made me laugh. I thought that was funny. Turner says, in a similar struggle, they have to prove to Mr Feenie the boss that they can learn the material without taking a test, So he passes out a paper with questions on it that he calls a survey survey. Corey says Turner gave them his word, and Sean admits he actually read the book this time, which I love that. So you read the whole five hundred and eighty two pages. We don't even acknowledge. That's why my head still hurts. I guess. Uh. So Corey turns in the blank paper and says he's not taking the test. Everyone in the class follows him and we have a revolt. And when he when he hands in the test and then turns back, it's pretty funny. I remember it. Yeah, So he hands in the test like I'm not taking this and he turns back with this worried face like I can't believe. I just didn't want to walk back to Sean. I do remember that. It was funny. Um. I also somewhere in this moment was like, where's Dusty. Dusty I missed? But has he been in any of this season? He must don't think he has. But this episode I remembered so many of these background actors when I saw them, because we worked with them so much in this episode. In particular, I think they were there earlier in the week because, like a lot of them, because we had to do all the stuff in the cafeteria, like marching and chanting and stuff, and so I recognize him and I remembered their personalities. I was like, oh my gosh, we talked. I remember hanging out well. And there's the one actor who is kind of the writer stand in. He looks like it looks a little like writer and he's he's the character in the Scream episode. Different. M yeah, that's a different guy. Are you sure the same haircut? He just has the writer hair different. It's the same. It's it's the guy who took the mask off it no, no, do you know are we thinking? Are you sure you're not thinking of the wrong person that I'm talking about. I'll send you a picture of him, the same guy. I saw the guy from behind in this episode. I was like, that haircut is exactly me. And then when they showed from the front, and I definitely remember the guy who was in the Scream episode. It's a completely different background actor who also had the same haircut. This guy is not that guy. I thought they just it was the pular haircut and other kids had it. People in our show had a middle part, middle part, middle part. Okay, um, so Mr Feenie comes in and realizes everyone refused to take the test. He asks He asks Turner if he's out of his mind, calling him earring boy. I thought Bill and Tony were really funny in this episode. I just think it feels false, like the comedy work. Comedy works for me, not for me. Yeah, it worked for me. The build builds who you're going to take this test or die? Like all that stuff I thought was really funny. And yeah, I thought I liked a lot of the comedy in this. I thought the die line was pretty funny. I didn't I didn't laugh at earring boy, um Poenie. This part I thought was funny. Foenie tells the class they're delicate little flowers just beginning their high school blooming and I love it. Cut to a reaction shot of Ben and Writer and writer. I don't know if you noticed your reaction to Phoenie saying this, but it was hilarious to me. Phoene says the line, you know, you're delicate little flowers just beginning, you're high school blooming. And the reaction shot is you going you actually have like a little pouts your leave a little pouty lip and you do a little shoulder shimmy, and I don't I couldn't tell if you were kind of grost weird out, but I think it's almost like a yeah, yeah, I'm in my performance in this episode. I'm sorry. It was very big. You got really really just like really entered awkward goofy phase of adolescence, and I was just so uncomfortable with my face and my body. But it was at this episode. The writing in this episode was was went for you especially? I feel like, but I stay here for a while, like until season four. I think I'm in this like dumb sewn goofy phase that I'm just not looking forward to watch him. I thinking I think it'll it'll come down to earth faster than you think it does. I think so too. Don't judge it by this episode. I really think that this episode, I'm telling you something's up with it. So we'll see, we'll see something's up with it. Um. And then Phoenie tells the class they will take this test or die. Corey walks up to the front of the class and rallies them against Phoene. He says they won't take the test, they will die together, and they become organized like the people in the book should have, and everyone says die and they start a union. They remember the song. Do you remember having everybody having to learn the song because nobody knew it? Yeah, And so it was like this like nineteen sixties referees. Remember you're doing in the nineties shows. If all the kids would have known this. Michael shocked that nobody had that. Nobody what happened? We don't know what? He's like, what what do you mean? You don't know what? And where? This is where a lot of his bizarre references that we would always joke about came from. Is these things where it was so well known in nineteen fifty six. How do you not know about that? How do you know? The union label? You had to teach like how to how to sing it and everybody singing? You know, they brought down he might might have even brought down Ray Colcord because they have anything music wise. They always brought people down and write it because it obviously is an outdated nobody knew it. I remember that nobody knew it and had none of us. It wasn't even when were those commercials airing. They must have the seventies. They were in this it was a it was a jingle from the seventies and eighties and it was it was about it was like women's rights, genes and then yeah, clothing. I think it had to do with like the garment district unions. Yeah, it was a sporting in the unions. Oh my gosh, so obscure for us, it really was. They all storm out of the class and Turner turns to Principal Phoeny and says, oh, yeah, I could learn a lot from you, all right, And Phoeny says, shut up. Were you guys weirded out by the wall extension, like the little extra bit of classroom I had to add because it was so it's so weird. Whenever, you know, they whenever we needed to like the left of the desk, basically they had they would have to bring in an extra section of wall, and you know it's added on because you can see, like there's a pipe to like to cover up the sea. It's called a pocket wall or like a wall extension they bring in. But it's so awkward in the sitcom, like because they needed space for Pheny and Turner to have their aside away from the kids and like to separate them in their own shot. But they had to bring in this extra wall. It just felt so and so some of you may be wondering, why not just extend the wall and keep it there forever. It's so that when they when the camera camera A is shooting towards the children in the classroom, the camera needs exactly you and Ben, the camera needs to be as close to the desk as possible to get good eyes, to get good exactly and so you can't just have the wall there permanently because you need a camera way up into the set. And then when you're shooting from the opposite direction of who's standing at the desk or behind the desk, if they need to be to the left of it, that suddenly you need more wall. Otherwise you're shooting off the stage. So yeah, a little shooting through the doorway. When you're shooting on the person at the desk, they're being shot through the door with the cameras actually in the doorway. Classrooms are very very difficult to shoot. And that's why I like, you see, I'm always like staggered. So Ben's like Ben's chairs one way and then my chair is like like you know, a foot further downstage, just so you can see both of us, because otherwise, like you know, classrooms do not make sense for Sitcom's Yeah, it's very hard to shoot. So we then go to a commercial. We come back in Mr Turner's classroom. Mr Feeney is looking out the window and says, Ah, St. Aligius. I looked it up. It's from Elsewhere. That's his That's yes, that's his hospital from St. Elsewhere is St. Allegis? What is hold on? It plays? It plays on multiple levels because St. Allgius is also the pat patron saint of farm workers. Interesting, okay, now that the hospital that Bill Daniel's character worked at, it was a resident at in St. Elsewhere, was St. Allegias. So he's it's a total meta joke. He's looking out the window at his old show going God, I wish I was still on that show. Okay, So so right, let me let me correct what I said. Not of farm workers. He is best known for being sat Eligia's best known for being the patron saint of horses and those who work with them. So I figured it was tying into the grapes of wrath unionizing thing. No, it's a great great joke about him looking looking back at st Elsewhere and yearning for his old show. Total meta joke. Oh it's hyster that's what. But that's what's so great is that if you are the kids watching the show, you're never gonna understand what he meant. If you're the adult watching the show, you're going to get a metal laugh because he's talking about sat Elsewhere. Right, that makes sense? Okay, Well, I'm at least glad to know that layer to it, because when I thought it was just a joke about the actual pay trans Saint, I was like, you have got to be kidding. What the hell is happening? Now that was a great joke. Okay, if you say so. Mr Phoeney tells Mr Turner that the students have demonstrated the power of labor and now they can show them what management can do. So now it's basically like, well, I guess our first conversation about this about whether or not they learned. We've already shown like we have to come up with a new mission, a new part to it. Now we've seen what the union can do, We've got to show them what management can do. Mr Turner is amused, by the display of defiance that's going on, and Turner says, if he were them, and I were them and they were there, I would have done the same thing. And it's I mean yours, Daniel, that was Do you want to diagram that sentence? And he's like, no, I can't. It doesn't make any sense. Yeah, Phoene says that as time passes, the defiance will also pass. And then we are in the school cafeteria. Corey is leading a protest in the cafeteria, saying he no longer wants macaroni in the cafeteria. He wants steak with a lobster side dish. But before we get to the lobster side dish, I did you scream macaroni? Do you remember it? I mean painfully no, I blocked this. I do remember learning the song and I knew that we had to sing it, But um, yeah, I don't remember liking doing this episode at all. Right, and I'm watching it now. I can kind of tell why doing so much over the time, like the cheerleader things. We're getting there. Why Can I ask why? Because she doesn't really do anything? Can I ask why the lunch lady is in the group of kids again. I think it's just a little bit of a joke, that is, without pointing to it at all, that she's joined them. She okay, okay, she's now part of the union. I think as they were talking about food, they wanted her there to be also like, we can't get steak or lobster like I thought, you're right, that could that that is something that someone could have thought of and made. They could have made a joke there about or they could have pointed out that's not why so I didn't get yeah, so making me like this episode less and less at half asleep. This is a funny episode. I'll try that, just kidding. I could never stay up until midnight. Okay. Phoenie, alongside of grinning Mr Turner shows up with a megaphone and says, since they want to play with George Feenie, the seventh grade dance is canceled, as well as the entire football season. Phoenie then clarifies to Sean that that also means no cheerleaders, and Sean is just heartbroken. They're taking Yeah. Corey explains that Shan needs to take sacrifices in a strike, but Sean is crying, but he's taking my girl girls officially horribly girl crazy now because you know, yeah, we hadn't even yeah, I mean in the last episode, if I'm not mistaken, like two oh three didn't really have a whole of Sean with girls stuff. So now you have to go back to like two oh one, too oh two, and remember that Sean is now officially girl crazy. I'm having flash forwards of what this podcast is going to be like with Writer in certain episodes coming up. I'm having forwards of Writer just like aiding this so much and just like I don't want to I don't even want to talk about it. I don't even want to talk about it. Yeah, because the truth is, like I I don't think I'm like horrible, you know, like I'm committing I'm doing the thing. Yeah, I just this is not what I wanted to be doing as an actor. And they were writing these crazy, over the top things and I would do it and I would get laugh and I would not be having fun, Like I wouldn't be enjoying this. But I was doing the thing, and you had fun and show nights though, didn't you. I mean being in front of the audience and that that kind of energy we had and all that stuff. I mean that was fun. I remember us enjoying that quite a bit. Absolutely, No, there's so much fun stuff. I just know that like have to do like you know, falling to your knees and screaming about the cheerleaders going away like I was probably felt the same way I feel now, which is like, what, like is this funny? I don't know, I don't think it's that funny, but very just very very quickly so, and not to bring Mash into it when I'm going to I've been listening to a Mash podcast and one of the things that struck me so amazing, So it was amazing is they're having all the actors come back and they're talking about their table reads, and their table reads used to be sitting around a table reading the script and then a note session. But the note session was the actors giving the writers all the notes here's what I would do, here's why my character wouldn't have done this, here's why I think, and the writers would sit there quietly and they take all the notes and they'd go back and rewrite the script. Amazing that that sort of give and take is incredible. Obviously you're dealing with adult, established adult comedic actors. Yeah, I mean, if you know, I think a lot of a lot of what I'm feeling is just that I didn't feel in control. You know, I didn't sure creative control, and I just had to like perform and do this guy, which you know was the job. It makes me uncomfortable because I didn't really like it, and you know, I didn't like I didn't like this sort of goofy dumb sean like I didn't like playing dumb. I never liked it. Um, it never made sense to me. I never was that funny to me, like you know, and so it just didn't I don't know, but I think we're gonna live here for a while, Like if I remember my guess again, I think it's going to be less time than you think, because they're already showing splashes of Eric being dumb, and there was almost no time where you and I were dumb together. It was like, so they turned work dumb, and then they turned because again they probably saw that you were uncomfortable, that you didn't like it, that while you were committing it didn't seem to work. Whereas when I was playing dumb, I i liked it like I was. I could just find the comedy in it, so they gave it to me. And then so, I don't think you're gonna live here as long as you think you are. Frankly, maybe maybe the next few episodes, but it's not gonna last as long as you think. I also think dumb. Sean doesn't isn't as good of a partner for Corey otherwise, sorries just like like, yeah, what so I think you're right. I think well, I think you're right. I think it's going to turn back before I'll take the dumb you give me the dumb writer. That's when that one set of footsteps is when I was carrying you. Mr Phoeney gives everyone the opportunity to go back and take the test within five seconds, and everyone starts to leave, but Corey says Phoeney can't punish the seventh grade class if there is no seventh grade class. Corey begins his pro union song again and tries to walk out of school, and Sean follows him, but Corey asks if anyone following, yeah, you guys doing the tune of the union song, start having your own conversation about how nobody is following you, and Shawn says he wants to go back. This is like Ben is barely singing, and yet I remember Ben loved musicals. Do you guys remember, Like Ben would say a lot back. I remember him and Betsy would talk about musicals all the time. Ben was really into I guess, but I'm I'm trying to remember. I guess he didn't really sing that much himself. No, I think he just liked musical He just liked musicals. But but yeah, because he's like barely singing, the Union song doesn't necessarily have like it's kind of a talking song. It's a chance, it's it's meant so a bunch of people can go and chant it as opposed to No, it's not melodic, isn't it. I thought that's what it was. I thought so. I think in the original commercial it's like an actual sjingle, like it it's a real song. We just made it into the sort of chant. Yeah. I maybe it's just because I only knew your version of it, and you're right, no one's really singing it. I was kind of thinking like, oh, it's it's more of a chant, really quite a song. Yeah, me too, well, Corey pulls Sean out of there, and the rest of the students are ushered back to class by Phoenie and Turner. But now Phoenie says he has to go nuclear on Seawan and Corey, and that means calling their mommy's. So we're in the school hallway. Eric asks Jason how the basketball game was. In case you forgot, there's still a Bees story going on, and guess what. Guess what's going to happen. She's going to be awful and he's gone same scene basically just a new location, is it? I just it's exactly the same location that the last scene took place. There was also the scene in the kitchen, so I don't necessarily know. You know, she's been awful in the kitchen, She's been awful in the hallway. She's now awful in the hallway again. Um, So Jason asks if Eric is in for the next game or if they have to find a replacement, and then Desiree just steps directly in front of Jason and asks Eric if they can go to a new mall on Thursday, and Jason acts like she's a vampire behind her. Eric asked little, a little big, but you know what. Okay, Uh, he's trying to save it. He's trying to save it, is what he's doing. He's trying to save the grounded story. You know, he's trying to save the comedy though you could tell so. Eric asks if they can go on another day because she plays basketball on Thursdays, but Desire says she prefers Thursday. Eric stands up to Desire, telling Jason he'll play basketball on Thursday. Eric says he's been her slave for a month and asks what he was ever going to get out of it, and then Desiree French kisses Eric and says goodbye forever. And then you guys decide that you're in agreement that you're an idiot for breaking up with her because you have gotten could have gotten more kisses, because girls, because girl, Yeah, I honestly do not remember kissing this woman at all. I was going to ask you if Jill was jealous. I honestly don't remember kissing this girl at all. I have not know when she kissed. I was like, huh, yes, we kissed. Your sleeping wife was next to you, and you're like, hey, I don't this lady, she's sound asleep by this point, thank god, No, it was. Yeah, it's it's so strange. You just don't. It happens so often, you know, there's actors that come up and you're like, oh, I guess we kissed. It's so strange. Yeah, very weird. So yeah, I just thought that you guys agreeing that this was a bad move when she was so awful. Truly, there is not one redeeming quality about her except for the fact that she has lips. And so now anyway, she arguably the worst character in the history of the show. Yeah, but that is I mean again, even bad characters we've had on usually have something about them. They're funny or there's some something. She had nothing, There was nothing there. Yeah, I I'm not going to disagree with you. I'm not going to disagree with you until this point. I mean, maybe I'll change my mind as we see more characters. But yeah, I feel and again, it is not Sydney Bennett's fault, it's not at all. Yeah, I just want to make sure we are not the actor's fault at all. The way the character is written, she's just terrible. Yeah. So in the Matthew his family living room, Corey and Shawn are watching TV. Corey is confused why every channel is covering the missing bomb story and not their school walk out. Funny Allen and Amy enter and asked Corey and Shawn what Rusty. Finally, so they asked, and do you because you're not in this episode at all, and like, are you ever in Tony's classroom? Are you in Mr Turner's class Ever? I do eventually join Mr Turner's classroom. I don't know if it's this season or if it's season three, but I do eventually join Turner's classroom. Interesting, I'm so curious if you'll just like pop up in the classroom later, like I think, Yeah, I think I pop up in the front row, just directly in front of Yeah, just always been there when we were singing the songs. I'm also guessing, I thought, And I bet you this is true budgetary wise, whenever Eric has in season two, at least, whenever Eric has a storyline where there's multiple guest casts, you won't be on the show, right because if there's Jason and Sydney, then there's no topend. And you know, I think most people will will agree that Sydney in the scope of Boy Meets World are are World is more important than essential to Eric's development? More Boy Meets World have been without right, So yeah, Amy and Allen enter and asked Corey and Sean what they were thinking starting a strike over a test and walking out of school. Sean says that maybe what they did wasn't very smart, but at least they stood up for their principles, and when Alan asks what their principles will were, Shawn says he remembers something about macar It was great. No, it should have been more real. I don't know what I liked it. I thought it was funny. I thought it was funny. And Mr Turner appears at the front door to talk to Sean, Haffa, and Costello as a line from Rusties really really nailing home the jokes to those seven year olds watching the show. Yes, exactly, they are making sure they're keeping it timely. How about the way Tony's holding that helmet, oh man, like after this time, like and he does it the whole scene. Yeah, it's like, that's not the way you would carry that kind of helmet, Like I would see if there's a full face helmet, you'd carry it like that. But like you would grab this one by the and in the suburbs, don't carry your helmet, you hang it on the handlebars and walk inside. But how else are they going to get the cool reference from Amy? Like? How else was she going to know that he was a cool teacher? Did you think for a second and he was going to flirt with this, there's going to be some kind of this is your teacher like something like that. I was waiting for that, and you know that maybe they considered it for it would have been inappropriate. I thought that safe thing. Yeah, But again, like when we talked about the other episode, the episode where Eric is in their bedroom with a girl and he has Alan has that whole thing about I couldn't be having an affair. I'm not, but I could be. Why isn't it Why couldn't Amy have made the joke of like and then Alan be like, excuse me, Like, why couldn't they have done something like that? But anyway they didn't, I would have been inappropriate if as a woman showing up in Alan, you're right the other way, Okay, Yeah, you're right, you're right, Okay, Um, but yes, I did think that was going to happen. And then so um, we're in the Matthews kitchen. Corey says, the grapes of Wrath taught them to fight for their rights, which is what they went on strike for, and now they're in trouble for it. And uh. He says, this is what happens when the little guys try to stand up to the bosses. And Mr. Turner says, no, they threw a hissy fit and walked out. They couldn't go on strike because they don't even have jobs. Their parents make their lunch and they sleep on sheets with little dinosaurs, and Corey corrects him that it is rocket ships. Rocket ships. It was great. It was I thought that was pretty cute because I was thinking, where did the dinosaur T shirts go? We've lost dinosaur T shirt? So he says they are two kids playing over their heads. Turner explains they can go to school where they are protected and abide by the rules, but then Alan walks in says, or they can go take an immediate test in the real world, which is find a job or starve. Corey says they'll go talk to feeny and Turner warns them that Feenie isn't going away. He's going to be around every corner and then Turner turns around and notices that Mr Feenie is right there in the backyard working on his garden, and he says, did you know you have a principal living next door? And Alan responds, it's not something we brag about. And then they go into the backyard. Mr Turner walks outside outside and says, you live next door to Matthew's, which and we get the joke or turn uh whole this whole episode of just watching Writer, it's great. Yeah, there's something off for me about this whole episode. I mean honestly, honestly, a lot of it is like insecurity, Like I just feel so goofy and like not in control of my body or my face or my voice. So I just I'm getting awkward with that, like uncomfortable with that. I can see the acne starting, Like I know it's coming in the next couple of seasons. It's gonna I'm just gonna hate watching myself on the show. But uh, that that that That's mostly what I'm reacting to in my storyline. But the Desiree stuff, I just think is is really bad. Like I just think it's it's the dumbest storyline. It's it's like it's just ringing it over and over again, trying to find the funny, and it's not getting any funnier. It's just getting worse and painful. Um So that that part I can definitely say I did not like at all. And I think for me it's actually the opposite. I think that this a storyline is so painful to me because it feels like such concocted like nothingness that and and and it also isn't funny. I feel very much like a little bit on the side of Corey and Sewn, like, yeah, why did you guys do all this? They they said, hey, listen, what do we need to know for a test? And their teacher told them, don't worry about a test. I just want you to study. And then so then they did study, and then they were had a test thrown at them, and now these two are in trouble and for what like it is I just And then as as an aside to that, I also don't think the B story is very funny. So it's like, I feel like this whole episode, I'm just looking for something to feel good or funny, and I'm like, well, it's just not working for me anyway. As I said from the beginning, I did not like this episode. It's one of my least favorite boat I agree. So Mr Turner says the boys have something to apologize for. Corey says, they read the book and they learned that you should fight back for what you think is unfair. But they don't relate to the book because they're not out in the real world yet there's the stakes are much higher than their lives. Mr Feeney can tell Corey and Sewan actually read the book and he will take that into consideration. Poenie admits Corey and Shawn sound like they know the material. Mr Turner says, yet, and we found that out without a test. But phoene says that everything that happened was a test, and Turner says, well, I'd call it a learning experience. And then thanks Mr Feenie. They seemed to share a moment as co workers. And I don't understand why who learned what? Who learned? What? Why is Tony saying, you know what? Thank you, George. The learning experience that happened was that Turner was right. Maybe he's thanking him because at the end of the day, Phoenie took his advice and they didn't give them the test, and the test that he gave them was just right there as opposed to the paper tests. So he's like kind of saying to him, hey, you did you listen to me and you learned from me and I appreciate that. Thank you, George. Or maybe it's not that at all. Maybe I mean he did say at the end, Phoenie did say, it does seem as though you've taken you've you've studied, So I will take that into consideration. So maybe his thank you is less about thank you for creating this big hoop law in this episode in the next for for even though you're the old school teacher, you've given me the opportunity to show you that there your way is not always the right way, and I might have something to offer to Okay, I'll take that. I'll take that. I read it as thank you for this episode. And I was like, this episode resolution with no actual resolution. Well, when they want to resolve something on this show, they just play the music and throw off the yes friends. Now happens several times. He's just gonna go all right, I guess we're done there, we go it's it's resolved because they're frozen, and it says created by Michael Jacobs. So our tag is in the school hallway. Eric is free of Desiree and ready to play basketball, and he is also in their uniform of shorts over sweatpants. I'm shorted up. Jason isn't dressed to play. He says he's too petite to play anyway, and then a pager goes off and Eric is confused, but Jason says it's his pacemaker. Eric notices Desire's pink pager on Jason's belt. Desiree walks over and calls Jason her raisinet, and as Desiree leaves, Jason jokes and says he's only in it for the breakup. Kissa, what has the panga been doing? I think we really needed to delve into Desiree in this episode, Danielle, and I think we needed to be not always about Penga. Sometimes we needed more about Georgia, Peach and Desiree. Desiree is a strong woman standing up for her rights. Oh boy, alright, well, she woke up just in time to say what the hell is she wearing as she walked down? Okay, but if we're talking about like what is the redeeming quality of her character, it seems like they just want to put her She looks like a dominatrix walking down. She was like a caller on. I was like whoa, and just like I said, what high school student is wearing thigh high boot. Yeah, she's like just sort of carrying a writing crop walking down like whoafe. I just hear the man. But I feel like that was the point of this character. Like it's just but again, they could have you know, I think this is a really weird pushing it too far sexually, but they could have gone farther comedy wise, that way, if they wanted to almost dominatrix crazy kind of a joke out of it, right, That's what I mean. Make it more of a joke where it's just insane kind of it would have been that would have been inappropriate. It's all inappropriate. None of it's appropriate. It's it's too I mean, the whole story line is pretty terrible. But like I said earlier, there there is a version of like, you know, giving up your cell to be with a woman or an older woman that you know that gives you status. There's a version of that that could have been hysterical, of course, the slow erosion of Eric's character or the slow erosion of Jason's character, And instead it's just this over the top, ridiculous joke, one note character, one note situation, and the note is that the note is off key. It's okay if it's one note and the note is amazing. It wasn't. It's one note and it was a bad note. Wait, so let's go back really quick to the backyard scene with Phoenie. I'm sorry, with Turner and Phoenie. And instead of Turner standing there having that conversation with Phoenie, imagine it being Corey and this being a season one episode where Corey goes where Corey is like, you know, yeah, but I hey, we did it without doing a test, and Phoenie says, but did we? And Corey e then says thank you, Mr Phoenie exactly. That's what I'm saying. Like, it felt like it could have been a a Phoenie being smarter than Corey episode rather than a Phoenie somehow have in the upper hand power dynamic with Turner and like you're going to earn my respect. I don't know it just that was the discussion that producer Jensen carpet I had last No, I think I think I think the point is that the episode is trying to have it both ways, which is it's trying to have conflict between Turner and Phoenie but still have Phoenie be the all knowing, perfect teacher, right, and that that actually is way less interesting than having Phoenie adjust to Turner, which would have been way better. That's what they tried to do though, that's why try to do that. It just wasn't written right. They resolved it by just making Phoenie this was all part of his master plan, which just doesn't feel right. I think it's impossible, that's not you know. And also, and I think with Danielle is saying she's right, because what what what he was saying with the whole I'll take you know, we did write the material, and he's like, yeah, I can tell you did that, and I'm gonna take that under advisement. It's Phenie kind of saying giving Jonathan one like yes, I get okay, maybe your ways aren't awful. Again, it was written poorly, but the way that's what I think they were attempting to do. Um, it was supposed to be old school versus new school and one way is better than the other. No, maybe we meet in the middle and we find out that there's new things. That's what they were trying to do, And I just don't think that hit at all with the more. I gotta watch it in the light of day again. Um or just right, that's exactly right. Scom has ups and downs. Daniel is probably one of the first episodes where she's like, you know what, I'm really glad about. I'm not in this episode. I was not I'm not unhappy. Our next episode is season two, episode five, The Uninvited. It aired October one. Thank you all for joining us for this episode of pod Meets World. You can follow us at pod meets World show on Instagram. You can send us your emails at pod Meats World Show at gmail dot com. And I don't know if you've heard, we have merch much pod meets World show dot com. Um, and uh will, this one's yours. We love you all, postmis pod Meets World is an I heart podcast produced and hosted by Daniel Fishel Wilford, l and Ryder Strong. Executive producers Jensen carp and, Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Daniel Romo, producer and editor, Taara soup Box producer, Jackie Rodriguez, 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 Pod Meets World Show or email us at Pod Meets World Show at gmail dot com