TGI – Episode 421 “Cult Fiction” Part 1

The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived! It’s time for the infamous (and very special) “Shawn joins a Cult” episode - and on a sadder note: the end of Mr. Turner on Boy Meets World. Rider takes us through his memories of this insane episode, with last minute re-writes and the fastest cult conversion in the history of TV. 

With an episode this intense and iconic, we had to break it into 2 parts! 
So here’s a hug in the form of a podcast, from your friends at The Centre, on an all-new Pod Meets World!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
My notes today printed so tiny.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh my god, Oh our eyes are just that bad though.
I have to like us playing the magic game.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh my gosh, I actually have to call the eye
doctor and a dentist.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
Dammit as your dentist in Costco. I know you love
that so much, Oh I do.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
I love getting bulk ice cream and a molar drilled
the and they're always like doctor Rick, like anytime it's
your doctor and then your first name you've lost, sir.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Just wait, I'm sorry, I miss it. What are you
talking about? Costco? My wife used to like buy medical doctor.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, her eye doctors, Daniel's eye doctors on like Ile
thirty seven at Costco.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
My eye doctors in the in Costco.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
And Will was like, no, no, you are not allowed
to go to any medical professional exactly inside a Costco.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
No, there shouldn't be sick all outside your oil and
you get your tired. My parents would do everything at
Costco if they can one too.

Speaker 4 (01:22):
I try to do as many things at Costco as
I possibly can. They have vacations you can book, They've
got blinds you can buy, they got my.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Gosh, preparation. I just give everything over. Just why don't
they just have houses there.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Jillie, you can buy many ADUs. You could buy many
of them. I truly I love it. I love it.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
And the only downside is that they occasionally get rid
of certain stuff that they've been carrying. So if you
think like, oh, do I need more hand soap in
a pack of four right now?

Speaker 1 (01:58):
And you think, no, I don't need it right now,
I'll get it next time, well, guess what you may
be in.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Store? Sport, you fill up, you get a storage unit
just to serve as your own.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
When we moved into this house, one of the things
that was really missing for me was proper storage, and
I eventually realized that I needed to have the entire
garage converted to storage shelves, all for Costco purchases. I
need room to store seven hundred rolls of toilet paper,
paper towels. But guess what if you need kids medication,

(02:37):
if you if you need toilet paper, if you need
paper towels, if there's ever a shortage of something that
you need and it's purchasable at Costco, melatonin, I'm never
running out meloton, right And.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
The cool thing is they loaded into her car. She's
getting her patch mirror, so it's it works perfectly.

Speaker 4 (02:55):
It's not, by the way, that's like what you put
on a bagels mirror.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Okay, I like to No, is that wrong? Oh my god?
It just got so freaked down.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
It's not like locks. It's not lots.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Can you give me a lock it up while you're
down there?

Speaker 4 (03:29):
Got it? Yeah? I do not suggest theme at Costco.
It's the one thing I don't suggest, the fine when
you go for the pap it's not it's not as tasty.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Is that true? I actually don't know. Is it pap
smear not? I actually don't know. Like now that I've
heard both, I don't know which one is wrap, which
one smear? Wait? Okay, I told you we would have
got it. I didn't even think about it. I don't know.
I just don't say that word that often.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
We don't say that's amazing.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, no, that's right. It's not like something you.

Speaker 4 (04:11):
Don't I'm shocked that two forty something year old men
aren't regularly talking about pap smears.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
I'm just but it just goes to show we should
know these words. Right, It's like you do came.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
Oh my god, we're after we're feeling good. Guys, we're
feeling great.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Break anybody else need to break?

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Welcome to pod meets Schmear. I'm Danielle Fishl.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
I'm right or strong. I'm Wilfordell.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
So welcome to this episode.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
Today we are recapping season four, episode twenty one.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
Cult Fiction Way, We're here, We're here, We've arrived.

Speaker 4 (04:55):
It originally aired April twenty fifth, nineteen ninety seven.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
The synopsis is Sean joins a cult.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
That was plus I literally wrote, that's only like Alan
finds the grocery store.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, Eric, this is just there's no be story. There
is no story.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
It's literally just I mean it could say Sean joins
a cult and then also everyone pressures him into believing
into God.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yeah, that is kind of the Bee story from one
cult to another.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
Let's get into it, Okay, let's do Yeah to Day's
the day if you've ever wanted darted it. I was
gonna keep my mouth shut, but.

Speaker 4 (05:47):
Just by talking about the b storyline about all of
a sudden making you believe in God, compare it to
the cult I said it was a Bee story. Don't
try to put this on me. How dare you You've
got the big opinion you stick with them, so anyway.
It was directed by Jeff McCracken. It was written by
Jeff Manel guest starring Jerry Levine as mister Phill Jerry Mac.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
The Great Jerry Lewis, So is this his first episode
that he was on our tes It was so we
just knew him. He was around, right, because he's old
friends with Michael Jacobs. But I also worked with him
on a show called Going Place.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
And I knew you would worked together with him, that's right.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
And so I knew him, you know, And I of
course was so team Styles.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, I was just gonna so.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
I already like had such so when he came on
as mister Mac and just I remember being so excited.
And then he ended up directing ever a lot of
Our episodes.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
Best known to the world as Styles in the classic
nineteen eighty five comedy Teen Wolf. He also appeared in
the movies Born on the Fourth of July and Wag
the Dog Ye. On TV, he appeared on Seinfeld Monk
and twelve episodes of Will and Grace. He has since
gone on to become a successful TV director. As writer mentioned,
very early on getting his start with Boy Meets World,

(07:02):
he did five episodes of Boy Meets World, and he
went on to hits like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,
Everybody hates Chris Hawaii five oh, and many others.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
So yeah, we have fond memories of Jerry. And then
he came.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
Back for Girl Meets World, right, didn't he did? He
direct an episode of Girl Meets World.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
No, I didn't direct Girl Meets He didn't. I don't
think he did. I don't think he came back around.
I haven't seen him. I ran into him at a
wedding a while ago, but that was after Girl. Yeah
that would have been I feel.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Like I saw him a girl, But maybe I'm mistaken.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
He is one of those genuinely good people, Like he
was just so nice to me, speak for me, so
nice to me, and always open and wanting to talk
about the industry and my.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Teen wolf, Like hey, can we do? He's like sure
and we sit there. I mean, he was just really
now he's the best, And he was always so excited
to talk to us about you know, not only his
his career that we were of course like fan boring over,
but also like he would sit and talk to us
about directing, Like I remember him quizzing you and me
do you remember this who? He was like, He's like,

(08:01):
here's here's here's here's something you need to think about.
You you have a scene. I'll just give you the scene.
So guy walks up down the hallway, puts the keys
in his door, opens it, and walks in. He's like,
how are you going to shoot it? That's r and
you and I were like, what do you mean? What
do you mean? He's like, well, how are you going
to shoot that? Like, well, how are you how are
you going to tell that story? Like what what you know?

(08:21):
And of course the answer is like how wherever you
shoot it? Informed what kind of story you're telling? And
I remember you said you said, ah, I want to
do it from a security camera angle, so it's like
way up in the corner. And we were like, yeah,
that would kind of make it suspense, Thrilla be something
right just by putting the camera up in the corners.
And that was exactly. And it was just one of

(08:43):
those first discussions I remember having about directing. You know,
it's seventeen or whatever, and he was kind of just
discovering directing himself. But you know, but he had obviously
been in the industry so much longer, but I just
love it. He took the time to sit and talk
with us about camera angles and storytelling, and I know,
I'm you know, I I still remember, like I always
think about that moment. It's like, right wherever you put
the camera you're telling the story, it changes the whole

(09:05):
point of view.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
We love those conversations.

Speaker 4 (09:08):
And then there's Tamara Mellow as Sherry. She's best known
as Chandler from the movie She's All That, as well
as Lily Esposito on the TV show Popular. Her other
credits include the Brady Bunch movie, Tortilla Soup, and Psych
and then after having a daughter, she took some years
off from acting, but as of just a few days ago,
she posted to Instagram that she is coming back.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
Oh cool wow.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, So we hope to have her on the pods.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
Every time I think, come out.

Speaker 4 (09:38):
And then there's Andy Falconey as Alicia. She only has
a few credits and appears to have stopped acting in
two thousand and three. So first of all, let's get
overall thoughts and then before we jump into the recap,
I want to get what, like, what does writer really
remember from this week?

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah? I actually have. Yeah, let's start with that. Do that. Okay,
So the weird Yeah, there's a lot of memories. But
the first one was that they came to me and said,
I think they told me the pitch for the episode.
They said it was happening, and they said they wanted Rachel,
my girlfriend, to be guest star. And that was the

(10:18):
whole thing, was that they wanted her to be the
girl who entices me into this cult. Because Rachel was
famous at the time, a working actress. We were together,
she was around a lot, and she wouldn't do it
really no. Yeah, well her manager was like, she's not
on a kid's show because she was like, you know,
a movie star and he was like moving on to
like adult movies and her manager was like no, like

(10:41):
you know, that's it's not part of her career path,
like it doesn't make.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Any and that, of course made you feel great about
your career.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
So many Yeah, it was it was tough, Like I mean,
I remember Rachel and I were actually pretty cool about it.
Between the two of us. There were definitely tense conversations
times like it was weird, you know, it was you
know I remember her like, yeah, it was just there
was a sense of like that I was on a

(11:09):
kid's show and that my career was sort of in
this like you know, you always probably hopefully as you
get older you have less of this, but especially at
that age, there was a sense of like, you know,
class like within the industry, like who's cool, who's especially
the good work and yeah, and the fact that she
didn't do television was like a big thing. She didn't
have to do television, especially guest starring on television, and

(11:32):
she was a big deal at the time, you know,
Like I remember, I mean, this is hysterical, but I
remember her like sitting around and she's like, oh, they
want me to audition for this Titanic. How many times
can they sink this thing? Yeah, you should probably skip
that audition. Don't worry about meeting James Cares. I don't
know if she ever actually did, but I remember her
complaining about this, so that that's the world we're in,

(11:52):
you know, where like she's getting meetings for that, you know,
and I'm on Boy Meets World and like I have
a regular gig, which is fine and yeah, but of
course Michael and all the writers wanted her to be
a part of it because it was they liked her
as a person. She was around you, obviously.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
I liked very talented.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Yeah, she was talented all the reasons, and so she
wouldn't do it. So then what's funny is that I
remember them saying like, oh, but we cast a girl
who looks like Rachel intentionally, which is so funny because
Tomorrow ended up being and she's all that with Rachel
and they kind of have a similar time, you know,

(12:28):
there's a similar type, similar vibe. But it was, it was,
it was an interesting thing. Like I remember them talking
to me about this, like we intentionally cast somebody who
looks and it's like why why? Yeah, I guess because
they just thought it would I don't know. But and
then I remember Rachel coming to set while we were
filming and being like, yeah.

Speaker 4 (12:46):
I mean, I'm not totally surprised that what we're What
I'm really hearing here is that the underlying current for
some of our writers, or maybe one person in particular,
was that women couldn'tsorcele you into making bad decisions if
you're attracted to them, and so the whole and I
think maybe an underlying theme of this is that Rider

(13:09):
or Sean was drawn into this world because of the
lure of a beautiful woman, and so in his mind,
Writer is attracted to Rachel. It's his girlfriend. We have
to find somebody who has the look that.

Speaker 1 (13:25):
Sean.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
It's just yeah, I mean I think, I mean, let's see,
like I think the obvious the thing behind Rachel was like, oh,
that's meta and kind of cool and like Writer's girlfriend.
Maybe it should have just been easy and fun and
she would have done it and it would have been
a fun the same thing exactly, and so I think
there's just that. And then when that didn't happen, I imagine

(13:47):
they probably just held auditions and saw Tomorrow and we're
like that she kind of looks like Rachel, and that
was like part of the final decision, was like, well,
why not get somebody who you know, maybe there's more
chemistry with Rider as an actor because he obviously will
like that. But it's it is weird that they were
talking to me about my teah totally, like just that
a sixteen year old boy was being talked to by
forty something year old guys like hey, we gotta go,

(14:07):
that's your type, so it could you know, that is
a little weird, but I can see the logic behind
it too, and a sort of you know yeah, And
then I remember the day of the table read was
insanely stressful. We were still KTLA and I remember coming
out of school and we didn't have the script wow

(14:29):
and the yeah, and it kept getting delayed and we
literally sat down and they ran the scripts from the
printer half of the script. They were still hot. Wow.
I believe we either started reading without the second half
of the script printed or whatever. But I it was
an entirely cold reading, and everybody knew it was an

(14:50):
entirely cold reading. When I got the monologue of like
three pages of like you know, finding God and crying
about Turner, that was cold reading. At the table read,
I remember in some ways being kind of like cool, Yeah,
like this is this is good because I didn't have
to like prepare and a thing. I could just like
roll with it, and like I've always kind of been
better in those situations with me too, and so I

(15:11):
remember going well, even though I remember kind of being
like where's this going. Oh my god, I'm talking for
a lot, I'm still talking. Oh now it's supposed to
be breaking down. Like I remember having all that realization
live and everybody knowing it, and its being sort of
like a thing like, all right, we got through a
really dramatic episode together cold but yeah, it was a
last minute rewrite, like everything was, you know, just getting

(15:32):
in in time for the table rod. So I remember
it being very stressful. But then I remember none of that.
I don't remember this week.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
All I rememberly you had quite a bit of heavy
lifting too.

Speaker 3 (15:42):
I remember Jerry, and I remember one thing that happened
on the set with Jerry, and that's it for the
entire week. I don't remember Tony being Tony's last episode.
I don't remember anything. I don't remember the set. I
don't remember acting in that set, like I don't remember
acting with Jerry. At first, when I sat down to
watch it last night, I said to it was like,
I don't think I'm in this episode. I think this

(16:02):
is like maybe I have a line, And then it was, oh, no,
I'm actually in this.

Speaker 4 (16:06):
I wonder how much of it is truly, like the
fact that this was Tony's last episode, and Tony was
really the closest person to you, how much of this.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
Point though maybe I don't know because this.

Speaker 1 (16:17):
Is his last episode, this season.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
So episode, and I didn't didn't really see him at
all this year, so I don't. I don't know. It
was just yeah, it was like watching it for the
first time.

Speaker 1 (16:29):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
I mean I I did remember being in the hospital set,
which is I think the only time I'm in the episode.
And I did remember. I did remember that, like waiting room.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
I didn't you're throughout the episode when you talking about
you in the class there.

Speaker 1 (16:43):
I'm in the classroom. I forgot about the classroom stuff.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
And I think, are you in the backyard too?

Speaker 4 (16:48):
No, No, I don't think I'm ever in the backyard.
I meet them at the hospital.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
I also confused the waiting room with the waiting room
for when Seawan's dad does.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
I don't remember that at all.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
That's the one I thought. It was like, oh, this
is is this the first hospital we've had?

Speaker 1 (17:05):
I think.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
So we had Corey in the hospital with with Feenie
he had the sore throat a tonsils removed, and then
there was another one at the beginning where either were
Feenie where he thought he killed Feoenie right.

Speaker 4 (17:18):
Season one with Fannie at the hospital. Yeah, and those
those were very clearly different hospitals. This one does kind
of keep the same feel for the next several hospital episodes.
I think once they settled on this, they were like,
this is the Matthews Hospital finally.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
Opened, a good hospital in town. We can go.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
Together, we can go to this one.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yeah, it's like, you don't want to go to the
bad Denny's, go to the good Denny's in town.

Speaker 4 (17:52):
Overall thoughts on the episode, I actually really I really
liked it. I would say I in my mind it
was way more dramatic than it actually turned out to
be when I watched it. Yeah, I had more dramatic
and even more dramatic in my mind.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
But you know what the what does that mean?

Speaker 5 (18:12):
How does it?

Speaker 1 (18:13):
I'll tell you why.

Speaker 4 (18:14):
The drama is really amped up in the hospital.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
But in my mind, the entire.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
Episode was super dramatic, and I kept waiting for like
the real lay it on thick drama of it all,
and I didn't feel like I got it until we
were in the hospital, and so I think I just
thought maybe the entire episode. But I actually really liked
like writers. The way writer performed all of the stuff

(18:43):
about the cult.

Speaker 1 (18:45):
I thought was really good.

Speaker 4 (18:46):
My only complaint about the episode is that the time,
the sped up timeline of it all, yeah, is so weird.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
He's in a cult in like an hour.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
It literally one hour.

Speaker 4 (18:58):
He couldn't they couldn't even make it a day later
where he changes his shirt.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
He goes from being very level headed where.

Speaker 4 (19:05):
He's like, oh, I see what this is, gotta go,
I'm fine, really smart with it to them just being
told don't judge us, and him going all right, that's
a fair I can give you that, to one hour
later the same shirt.

Speaker 1 (19:21):
He is like trying to hug are you centered, Corey?
And I'm like, wait a.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
Minute, so that is the same Dan shirt.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
Everyone's in the same shirt. It's literally one hour because
Corey even says to you. Corey says to Sean, you
were there for like an hour?

Speaker 2 (19:37):
Wow, I didn't, so that's mine. That scene really bothered me,
but like, yeah, maybe it was subconsciously recognizing.

Speaker 4 (19:46):
I would have felt really kind of like wow, if
it had been a week, if it had been like Sean,
if Corey came in and was like, Sean, where have
you been?

Speaker 2 (19:56):
I haven't? Why didn't they do that?

Speaker 4 (19:59):
Then?

Speaker 2 (19:59):
I don't know. It seems so easy to just say, like,
you know, yeah, it's been a week. And you know,
because it doesn't take me any more time out of
the episode to just say, like, Sean, I haven't.

Speaker 1 (20:08):
Sean have been looking for you know?

Speaker 4 (20:10):
I called you, I asked if you wanted to play basketball,
and like where have you been?

Speaker 1 (20:13):
And then for you Sean.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
Does move in to the place, right, So it could
have just easily been like storied about you moved out
or are you centered?

Speaker 1 (20:21):
Or that he even instead of just asking are you centered?

Speaker 4 (20:23):
Well, you know, to be honest, I I don't know
that I should hang out with you anymore.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
I think I know why. I think I know what
I think because because there was that weird moment when
Alan has to say, Sean, you're staying with us.

Speaker 1 (20:36):
We're going to take your parents are on vacant parents
have to.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
Be out of town, so it has to be quick
enough for because if they they couldn't bring them back
without having to pay for two extra guest stars in
an already filled episode. So I think budgetary story wise,
they were like, we don't want to get into Chet
and Verna, right, we just want we want the Matthews
to be the characters that that confront This is so
the whole thing has to take place in the course

(21:00):
of a time that I'm staying with the maths.

Speaker 1 (21:02):
A way.

Speaker 4 (21:04):
For Chet and Verna to be on a road trip
for several weeks wouldn't have thrown me. I wouldn't be like,
oh yeah right, as if they would do that, they
would for sure have no problem taking off in the in,
you know, for a couple of weeks.

Speaker 1 (21:16):
I just think it could have made the episode a lot.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
More realistic, feeling that like, we lost we may be
losing one of our family members to this thing. He's
now spent a week there, They've really gotten into his head.
He's had time to develop relationships with people where he's
starting to put I don't know that spent up timeline
was the most crazy thing to me.

Speaker 1 (21:38):
That really just threw me the most.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
And actually, now that you pointed out what's funny about
that is like the joke of Eric is how quickly
he gets Yet that's also exactly what happened to Sean.
So why is that funny?

Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, yes, exactly, So that's that was it, But that
was fine.

Speaker 3 (21:54):
I felt the same way. The episode obviously is very
very melodramatic. Yeah, over the top, melodrama.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Uh there.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
I also I don't And I was okay with this
because I understand that obviously they they really didn't have
the time to explain in any way, shape or form.
But we have no idea what the center is meaning.
There's no there's no philosophy behind it, so there's nothing.
It's just are you centered?

Speaker 2 (22:19):
And hugging?

Speaker 1 (22:20):
That's but we know we know what kind of it's
spelled center are e.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
But it's like are they Canadian? What do they know?
What is it about? Like?

Speaker 3 (22:32):
What what is other than are you centered? Here's some
hugs and don't judge me. That doesn't sound like a cult.
That just sounds like how you kind of want to
live your life. So I would like I would have
liked something, oh see, but something a little cultish whatever
or no, But like we all have the same time,

(22:53):
I mean, something to where it seemed like it was
nefarious or it was it was in some way negative
because other than Sean saying don't judge me and joining
the cult in a half an hour, it seemed like
a place for kids to hang out, you know what
I mean? It was like I would like to have
something weird where it's what maybe she says, you know, oh,
I moved in.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
We all live here, Oh we don't see our parents.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
So they kind of they allude to it a little
bit at the end where he's saying, yes, mister mac
told me you'd say that or that, so you can
tell he's kind of implanting things in their mind. But
I would like to have that ratcheted up just a
little bit to where it's like, oh, this place is
super dangerous.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
But but but what I.

Speaker 4 (23:33):
Love about it is if Colts did that, it would
be a lot harder for people to join cults. If
scary person is like I'm scary.

Speaker 2 (23:47):
One of the best quotes is nobody joins a cult,
right right, Like nobody sets out to join a CRT.
What you join is a community business opportunity or a
community center that just allows you and then it eventually
works on.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
One thing to where it's because it's Phoenie's been trying
to shut this place down, right, So maybe it's Bill
saying and so it's they don't show it, but maybe
it's it's Feoene saying like I've lost kids to this,
or they're known for blah blah blah something where it's
like this.

Speaker 2 (24:13):
It's interesting they will because I wonder if that then
takes away the value of like, because I think in part,
what's what's what's cool about it is that we don't
we kind of don't need to know. Like the point
is that anything that draws you away from you know,
and isolates you and takes advantage of your feelings of
like being lost or like anything that is not great,

(24:37):
right and like, and we don't need to know the
particular philosophy or that's what I mean.

Speaker 3 (24:41):
That's why I said, I'm trying to give us Okay,
I guess they didn't have the.

Speaker 2 (24:44):
Time to show what the philosophy was. But I think
the problem is then it's so obviously negative to all
the characters that there's a little bit of like, well, why, like,
you know, why is Phoene trying to shut this sound
so desperately? And it doesn't, It doesn't. We don't ever
really get to know why. We just know that the
alternative is is better, you know, God is better. Like,

(25:07):
we just know that that there's something about the center
that is anti right God right, and that that's the problem,
But we don't actually hear the center of express and yeah,
and I think so in a weird way of like
if it had stayed neutral on both sides, Like if
you had just sort of been like, there's a problem
with the center, and it's not pitted against our religion,

(25:27):
it's just pitted against healthy living and like our community
and our community. But instead it's very actively pitted against
God's religion, you know, religion and and and when we
haven't heard that it's anti religious to begin with, that's
feels like, well, what is it? Or it's another religion? Yeah,
so yeah, I mean yeah.

Speaker 4 (25:47):
I think you know, we growing up in LA we
are very familiar with scientology, and I think this was
I think this was written.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
Is that you think it was? You think that I did.

Speaker 4 (26:00):
It's a direct reference to the Celebrity Celebrity Celebrity Center,
Celebrity Center. It's called the Celebrity Center, and I think
it's you know, for our writers, it was a very
odd to them. It was so such an obvious nod
to scientology, where you know, you when you go into scientology.
From what I've heard, I don't. I've never been to scientology.

(26:21):
I've never had anything to do with scientology. But from
what I've heard, it starts off with stuff that is
very self self helpful, and you feel very good when
you start going and you feel like, wow, there's some
really good tools here. But that's how they get you.
They start with you know the aliens are coming for you.
They start with actual, real tools that could help most people.

(26:45):
And so I think this was a very direct like
you know people who there are either people who are
in scientology and love it, or there are people who
are not in scientology who go, oh, I don't know
exactly with their philosophy.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
Is, but I know it's not good.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
Yeah, or it's not for me.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
It's not for me. It's it's not for me, and
it's not good and I don't want to be a
part of it. And this was the warning to all
the people who were like, well, I'm open to anything,
just tell me more. And Sean is the I'm floating
between things, and whoever can sink their hooks into me,
I'm willing to go that.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
Direction really quickly. In an hour, one hour.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
Give me the.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
Brochure and I'm in. I don't even need to read
the book, just the leaflet and I'm down.

Speaker 4 (27:33):
Just bring me a pretty girl. We don't even need
to kiss anymore. I could just hold your hand and
hug you, and I'm in sour salt.

Speaker 2 (27:41):
Oh. I was also thinking the entire time.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
The funny thing is is because, especially back in the day,
Writer such a hugger.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
I know, I thought that is hilarious, will that you
said that?

Speaker 4 (27:53):
Because the minute I saw Writer giving very writer hugs
on screen, I was like, that's such a that was
so right, and it's a big bear hug.

Speaker 1 (28:05):
He gives great hugs and you can yeah, totally fell funny, guy,
that is so funny.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah, it's so funny because when I was watching it,
all I felt was like, Corey is harsh. When he
pushed on, like away from it, I was like, why
don't we hug a lot? I was like, didn't we
hug all the time on this show? I was like,
And then I was like, oh, I guess maybe just
in real life.

Speaker 4 (28:26):
Yeah, just that's very funny, not on the screen. I
actually did think the same thing Writer. When I saw
him do it, I thought, what have we never seen
them hug?

Speaker 3 (28:33):
Like?

Speaker 1 (28:34):
I was a little thrown off by it.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Also, this is this is they've set this up now
to where they are the ultimate romance and it was
a straight up homophobic moment, which was weird, I know,
very jarring.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
Well, it begins with when the guy hugs me at
the center, and I'm like, okay, yeah, okay, I didn't
have a problem.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
I don't remember there. Who did he actually say football company?

Speaker 4 (29:02):
Because that one didn't bother me as much because you
don't know this guy, he's.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
A stranger gives me, but I don't say it with
the girls. Well, girls hugging me is fine. They're also
your age though, but that's what But it's not of
course that's there. Now got a guy girl giving.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
You a hug.

Speaker 4 (29:18):
That's not gonna Also, she's not a stranger apparently, well
the other the other girls are, but Sherry is apparently
a long term girlfriend that we just meet right now.

Speaker 2 (29:27):
She's also a lurker. By the way, we'll get into that.

Speaker 4 (29:29):
I saw that a let's jump into the recap. We
start in Turner's classroom.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
I've not given over so sorry.

Speaker 2 (29:37):
No. First of all, Danielle, I can't believe that, you know,
I did.

Speaker 1 (29:41):
I really thought it was.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
Over dramatic thing. I've everyone like, oh my god, there's
never been I mean, so far in boy meets world,
we have not achieved this to me, this level of
like intensity and commitment to melodrama, and I think it's
like crazy making like it's bizarre, and it really reached
heights of like I mean, I I think we just

(30:06):
become a soap opera and the and you know, the
the drama aside the actual like upheaval in hospitals and
da da da da, and they're just there's not that
many lasts. It's how funny of an episode is not
And that was a bummer to me. I was like,
where's the because when I think about the abuse episode,

(30:26):
which could be sort of lumped in the same category
as a very special episode, it was genuinely funny and
nuanced and had all these angles that and this is
this is just not nearly successful in my opinion, Like
this is so far in the you know, pushing then
the soap operatics to an extreme that like I was

(30:47):
like wow. And then of course my performance is just
so committed in that way. I mean it's bonkers, Like
you know that I have a monologue where I'm like
full on losing that and it's like it's just it's
it was really really hard for me to watch like
really painful for me to watch like that was. I

(31:07):
was so uncomfortable with it. I mean, you know, in
some ways, I'm like, great, go for it, you know,
do it right, or like, oh I.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
Thought the performance was really good? Do I think?

Speaker 4 (31:15):
Do I think the storyline itself is very over the top? Yes,
But performance wise with what the words are that you're saying.

Speaker 1 (31:26):
I couldn't imagine a better performance for you to give. I.

Speaker 4 (31:31):
So, if I'm gonna if I'm going to feel negatively
about the soap opera aspect of it, it's because, yeah,
we decided to do a soap opera episode, which, honestly,
I am not opposed to doing an episode where a
beloved figure in someone's life possibly dies.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
I think that, you know, go for it, do an
episode like that.

Speaker 4 (31:54):
I I love the idea truthfully, that Turner is in
a car accident and you have to come to terms
with potentially losing someone that you have definitely taken for granted.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
You know you've this is anybody else.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
This is a terrible thing to ask, but I'm going
because I was thinking it throughout the episode.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
Does anybody else think Turner should have died?

Speaker 5 (32:20):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (32:22):
Well, I mean in a way you kind of did.

Speaker 3 (32:24):
I mean, it's his last episode. They know it's his
last episode. It's a kid sitcom. I don't know how
often that's been done. It could have been very powerful.
Part of me sitting there was like a man, if
he's not coming back anyway, there's a power to actually
killing off the care.

Speaker 4 (32:40):
Well, we have the ability of hindsight to know he's
not coming back. But I don't think they would have
wanted to.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
They won't.

Speaker 1 (32:45):
They don't want to do that.

Speaker 4 (32:46):
They want to be able to have the opportunity to
have him bring back if it suits there.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
I mean they also wanted Sean to have the assurance
that he's okay, right at the end of the day, right,
I mean that is that like, well, it's because you
talked like knowledge transcendent knowledge of like I've read.

Speaker 3 (33:03):
Answer you you you taught you had a relationship with God.
You found your relationship with God, and God answered you.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
That's what that is.

Speaker 1 (33:10):
Through a hand squeeze, through a hand squeze.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Yeah, all right, do we Yeah, all right, I'll save
my thoughts on that subject.

Speaker 4 (33:16):
Okay, yes, all right, So we are in Turner's classroom,
short haired audition going job.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Searching, no earring either earring. This short haired Turner.

Speaker 1 (33:26):
She is a whole different person. I barely recognize him.

Speaker 4 (33:28):
Mister Turner is handing back work to his students, complimenting
everyone on doing well well except for Sean.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
He did bad.

Speaker 4 (33:34):
The bell rings, and as Sean tries to leave, Turner
stops him. He sternly reminds Sean he's a junior in
high school with apparently no goals. Sean defends himself he's
going to college in Hawaii because he figures he'll have
a better shot outside the country. I like that Joe
Turner doesn't budge the people who care about you in
this life. You can count on on one hand, so
don't blow me off. And I also thought, well, what,

(33:56):
I'm sorry?

Speaker 1 (33:56):
What happened that there's a.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
Couple of those in this scene because the other one
is he's talking to Corey and Tapanga says something and
turn around and nowhere goes whoa, whoa, whoa.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
It's like, what, whoa wha? What what are you? Whoaing?
Like what just happen? I know?

Speaker 4 (34:10):
I feel like I And again I think maybe the
the if there had been a little bit of a
seed planted that Sean's currently struggling. Any you know, this
would be a good spot with anything other than struggling.
It's true, didn't you always true? But yeah, what else
is new? Sean scoffs, I got people who care about me. Corey,
who stayed back with Topanga, joins in on the conversation.

Speaker 1 (34:33):
Turner might be right.

Speaker 4 (34:34):
They only have one year left in high school and
the humidity in Hawaii is going to make his hair
get very Poofyga says she wants to go to Penn State,
but real college, Penn State, and Corey announces he wants
to go wherever she.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Goes, So go to Yale corl what There's plenty of
other colleges within the like miles of.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
The drawn Lessons of Yale.

Speaker 2 (35:03):
Why are you out of schools in Connecticut? We don't
have much, but we do have lots of schools. So
there you go, right, I mean, I mean anywhere I know.

Speaker 4 (35:09):
Don't get me started. Let's not even go there. This
is about you today, writer, But have you really?

Speaker 2 (35:14):
But I was really intrigued by the Corey Topanga relationship
in this scene. I was like, Oh, we're like the
horn dog. Yeahs like you guys are take it out
and like you do like a late like did you
notice that? Like as you're leaving, I was like, whoa
this is?

Speaker 4 (35:32):
I know, I don't know what's going on over there,
but they are having a good time.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
Yeah, so uh, he jokingly asks, is anyone surprised by that?
Turner tells Sean the clock is ticking. Sean reminds John
he's not his guardian anymore. He's back with his parents,
so he'll be fine. Turner argues, your parents are busy
trying to work out their marriage, and then he points
to Corey into Panga, so are they. Corey and Topanga
have a little lovey dovey moment about making out in

(35:57):
the library, and then I do a weird lip thing
and we walk out.

Speaker 3 (36:01):
I think it's to show that Sean really doesn't think
he has much, Like Corey's got the panga right, and
so Sean doesn't really.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
Have much in his life. Yeah, I think that's probably
the plan. I noticed it very This is like so insider,
and I don't think it's conscious, but like in this scene,
for one of the first times I actually I keep
my back to the camera. I noticed that I didn't notice,

(36:28):
and I do it multiple times in this epiend.

Speaker 1 (36:31):
When you turn your back.

Speaker 2 (36:32):
I love that you noticed it, because isn't it. I
think it's a directorial thing that you noticed it, Daniel,
because it is. I never you never do that. You
just don't turn you to the cameras. Yeah, and I'm
doing it multiple times in this episode, and I've never
done it before. Some once I saw it, I was like, WHOA,
what's weird about this? And I think it's kind of
crazy because I think it's Sean turning his back on

(36:55):
people and like Sean avoiding being open and not being
and it's like this weird and I don't know if
I mean, maybe there was a conversation me and Jeff McCracken.
I don't know, but it really is effective. You can
see the way I'm like, it's not just turned away
from Sean, but I'm closing off from Turner. But I'm
closing off. And I was like, oh, oh that was

(37:17):
it was like I saw in this scene and then
I did it later and I was like, that's.

Speaker 1 (37:20):
Kind of I know.

Speaker 4 (37:21):
I just got chills talking about it because I know too,
so funny. So Turner now alone with Sean, or so
he thinks, continues, Sean has had security these past four years,
but that's.

Speaker 1 (37:35):
Thrown out next year. What is Sean going to do?

Speaker 4 (37:37):
Then?

Speaker 1 (37:37):
Who will he be? And then we noticed two things.
A new girl outside of the classroom listening in on
their conversation. You're like a worker like.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
One of these things from the back of the door,
and it's like, what do you what do you think?

Speaker 1 (37:51):
I was like, what is that person doing it?

Speaker 3 (37:52):
You?

Speaker 4 (37:53):
And then another thing I noticed is that the light
switch in this classroom doesn't have a three D plate.

Speaker 1 (38:04):
What it's just a painted rectangle?

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Is it? So?

Speaker 4 (38:09):
There are three switches? Are actual threes functional switches? But
then there is no plate on the wall. It's just
with green paint. They painted a rectangle to give the
appearance of a light switch plate.

Speaker 1 (38:26):
And I was completely obsessed with that. I was like, pause,
is that?

Speaker 2 (38:31):
Wow? Is that you could not do that in the
world of HD that is?

Speaker 4 (38:35):
And I was like that I don't think it is,
because first of all, a light switch plate wouldn't have
dark colored edges at but there's dark.

Speaker 2 (38:41):
Doesn't painting a square cost more than a light switch?

Speaker 1 (38:44):
Listen? Like asking the wrong person.

Speaker 2 (38:48):
Seventy nine cents for a light switch plate to.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
In Philadelphia have a very small light switch plate budget?

Speaker 2 (38:57):
Any sense that is? I really want to see it.

Speaker 1 (38:59):
That's it's very odd.

Speaker 3 (39:00):
I was.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
I was completely obsessed with it.

Speaker 4 (39:02):
I don't think anyone else in the universe cares, but
I noticed it, and I had to bring it up.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
I just wanted you guys.

Speaker 4 (39:08):
To notice that I noticed the lurker and the lights.
As Turner walks out this mysterious cutie, we learn her
name is Sherry.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
She approaches Sean. She admits that Turner did a number
on Sean.

Speaker 4 (39:20):
Only a few people care about him, she sh Cherry says,
I must have a hundred people who care about me
and care enough about me not to judge me like
that in front of everybody.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
Who's everybody Corey and Jamaica.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah, it's people else was in the classroom.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
Yeah, Sean's size was pretty embarrassing.

Speaker 4 (39:39):
Cherry asks Sean out for coffee she's buying, and she
promises not to judge him. Sean happily agrees, and maybe
there's a new potential love interest.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
And then well, yeah, because we're holding it.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
I was just gonn.

Speaker 4 (39:52):
We're in the Center, which is kind of a new
set alert, but boy, it really does feel a lot
like if Chubby's had a basement.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Yeah, by the way her walking in and being like,
I can't believe he did that to you.

Speaker 3 (40:08):
That's so embarrassing. But it's a straight judgment of Turner,
so she's already she's already judgingbody else coming in for
the rest. So I don't know about this center and
what they stand for.

Speaker 1 (40:17):
Well, Ari Center.

Speaker 4 (40:18):
Ari.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
Cherry introduces the Central to Shane.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
I wish there was just a bridge between like, oh,
maybe this girl likes me and to like like full
on holding hands walking in like I just want I
don't know, like one beat, maybe at the end of
the last thing where like she grabs my hand and
leads me out and I'm like okay or something. But
it just felt like, oh, we're like together together or something.

Speaker 4 (40:40):
Yeah, I know. I was like, I'm sorry, did I
miss something? Am I supposed to know who this person is?
It's it seems very odd.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
In general, this should have been a two part right, Yep,
it should have.

Speaker 4 (41:04):
So Sherry introduces the Center to Sean and we immediately
see video games, pinball, a foosball table and a sign
that says serenity and there is no O. J.

Speaker 2 (41:14):
Simpson jersey and a big sign that says, I look
candy and serenity. Like what a better way to say?
Like evil cult for kids. It's taken them in, it
gives them, it offers serenity, and that's it you got.
And then another one just says change. I thought it
was another candy sign, but it's a change a change machine,

(41:37):
candy candy. It's so perfect.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
The serenity is seventy five.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
This place is ridiculous.

Speaker 4 (41:47):
There are a lot of other high school aged kids
who when they see Sherry stand up and say her
name in creepy unison to greet her. Then they do
the same unnerving hello with Sean. They walk up to
Sean for a hug, one at a time. He's a
little weird, A doubt everyone knows my name. That's either
really cool or really creepy. As they walk away, Sherry responds,

(42:08):
you have a sense of humor.

Speaker 1 (42:09):
I like that.

Speaker 4 (42:10):
Sean points out that she's not laughing, and she robotically
responds laughter is a mask which denies the reality of
a situation and reveals nervousness. To this Sean laughs nervously to.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
Change the subject.

Speaker 4 (42:21):
Sean asks if there'll be a band or a DJ
for music, and Sherry explains it's not that kind of
a club. It's more of a hangout where she and
her friends get together to talk about stuff. Sean's surprised.
They're all your friends. Cherry nods, yep, and they can
be yours too if you want. Sean's happy, he could
always use more friends, but he admits he's not too
comfortable with the hugging thing, which is the first I've

(42:43):
heard about that.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
First we know about that. Yeah, yeah, well, I mean
nineties East Coast dude burnagers probably didn't hug that much.
We hugged. I mean, we hope, but we would hug.
I mean, yeah, not strange man, that way you came.
But I mean, but when you came to La you
weren't like, Wow, it's a touchy feely place. I feel

(43:06):
like that's the bomb.

Speaker 3 (43:07):
But I remember the first time my brother came out
to visit Gary and he saw he was there for
the first time, and we were rehearsing and we finished
for the day and we're like, all right, see you tomorrow.
Hug everybody's hugging, and he was like, aren't you guys
seeing each other tomorrow? Is there a vacation? No, And
he's like, what the hell are you hugging for?

Speaker 4 (43:23):
I told you I had not been in I had
not been working in entertainment for many years by the
time Girl Meets World had come around, and all of
a sudden we came. We did Girl Meets World. At
the end of the taping, everybody was hugging. It was like, Okay,
I was a great taping. We're celebrating the taping. And
then not eight hours later were we there at the
table reading everybody was hugging me again, And.

Speaker 1 (43:39):
I was like, eight hours ago, I don't need to
hug you again. Just say hello and keep moving.

Speaker 2 (43:46):
Yes, it is very touchy feeling.

Speaker 4 (43:48):
It's very touchy feely here. So anyway, Sherry excitedly explains.
Mister Max says that a hug is a burst of
pure love. Sean flirtatiously leans in for a hug. Then
I'm bursting with pure love right now, and this apparently
new couple appears to get even closer. Sean asks who
mister Mac is, and Sherry says, he runs the center
on cue A middle aged man in a suit walks

(44:08):
into the room and hugs everyone. Cherry calls mister Mac
the most remarkable human being she's ever met.

Speaker 1 (44:14):
He changed her life.

Speaker 4 (44:16):
Then the man himself, mister Mack, says hello to Sherry
with one of these hugs and asks, are you centered?
She enthusiastically responds, I'm centered, mister Mac, and I thought
the same thing writer with the blocking she's hugging him
on the other side, so we also can't even see
her face when she hugs him, and she says I'm centered.
We just hear what she says, but we don't see
her face. Now, granted we see you, but even we

(44:40):
don't see her. Mister Mac, Derex's attention to Sean. Now,
are you centered? Sean let's out an awkward laugh. Nope,
I'm totally off center. Mister Max says they'll have to
see what they can do about that. Sewn wishes him
good luck with that and asks if he's mister Mac.
Mister Mack is guilty as charged. Right as he opens
up asoda for Sean, which is some impressive soda business.

Speaker 2 (45:02):
Just handing him the soda too.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
It's like, wait, a second soda opened I'm in, I've
got I'm part of this cult now, my friend, I've
been here twenty minutes.

Speaker 4 (45:10):
I am in cold beverage hugging.

Speaker 1 (45:16):
Sean remarks, it's a nice place.

Speaker 4 (45:17):
You got here, a little touchy feely at first, but
it's growing on him. Mister Mac explains, it just goes
to show you, Sean, you can't always go with your
first instincts, Sean, You've got to give people a chance.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Sean, Sean, we.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
Were really hitting that hard, like I was.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
I'm glad that he will least pointed out.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
I'm thankfully your next line is, like Sean tells mister Mack,
he seems to really like his name, mister Mac, who
apparently has no need to explain the name thing because
he doesn't.

Speaker 1 (45:45):
He doesn't say why he does it or nothing.

Speaker 3 (45:48):
I like that they kept Sean's street wisdom here where
he's there for only a couple seconds before he's like,
oh it's a cult. Yeah, like that worked, or it's
like okay that And that's exactly how I feel you
feel Sean would be if he walked into this.

Speaker 4 (46:04):
And I love that he's confident enough to point it
to not just go with it, to not just think it,
but he actually says it out loud, like, listen, I
think you guys are a little touchy feely, and I
notice you're saying my name a lot like.

Speaker 1 (46:16):
I love that he's calling all of it out. It
just goes away.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
Turns real fast, very quickly.

Speaker 4 (46:22):
So mister Mac tells him there's plenty of room here
if Sean would like to move in. WHOA, what are
you nuts? He says, Sherry butts in. This is where
she lives, It's where all of them live. Everyone around
nods in agreement. Sean says he understands what's happening here.
It's a cult. And then mister Mac let's out a
let's out a small chuckle, and all the others laugh

(46:44):
with him, and there's just yes laughter, masks reality and
shows nervousness.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
Yep, so they are showing their.

Speaker 4 (46:54):
Showing their nervousness and showing their vulnerability, which I thought
was Mister Mac walks over to his followers and tells
Sean they're a place for people who need love in
their lives. Sean tells him he already has plenty of love,
but thanks him for the offer. Either way, mister Mac
might be a little offended. He accuses Sean of judging
them the way everyone else in your life judges you.

(47:15):
Sewan admits he doesn't like when those people do that
because they don't really know him. Mister mack nods with empathy,
Sean should really get to know the people at the
center before he judges them. If he does that for them,
they'll do the same for him. Sean acknowledges, well, that's
only fair. And then we go to Chebby's, which Marke.

Speaker 2 (47:33):
We talk about the music cue at the end of.

Speaker 1 (47:34):
The seoint we didn't notice something.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
It's so jarring. No, no, it was like, man, it
was just like so like whoa, Oh my god, it's
it was so jarring. I was like, whoa, because it's
you know, it's it's actually a very that ending be
I really like, like, I think that that makes sense,
Like that's a good argument, like don't judge us, you'll

(47:58):
be open minded. Like that's the kind of thing that
totally would convince Sean, you know, to because he's sick
of being judged and I love that. Yeah. So it's
also I was thinking, well, just listening to you recap,
how much of this you're writing for children, right, or
teenagers or children to watch this. They have to be
able to know that it's a cult ahead of time,

(48:18):
like they should be able to feel creeped out, right.
So it's a really interesting line to have it be
convincing enough to get Sean, somebody that we presumably love
and you know, so identify with, to be convinced, but
then also like let the audience know like this is bad,
this is crapy, there's wrong things here. It's a delicate

(48:38):
balancing act. I think they did it.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
I think everyone saying the names together like hi should
ways to show people.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
Right, and her being sort of robotic and like no
we laughter is that's like the off putting parts that
you have to insert to make you like the alarm
bells go off for everybody watching, right, And I actually
think why, like why not just go for it being awesome?
I know what I mean, Like, like why couldn't it
just be like the greatest place ever for Sean? And
then like that's enough, because then I think the audience

(49:06):
would have been a little bit more complicated about like wait,
mister Max a bad guy. But as it is, it's
like it's all set up here so we know like
with the second Feenie's like I've had it for that guy.
We're like, yeah, I knew that guy was creepy, but
imagine if you didn't imagine if you just made it
the coolest place on her.

Speaker 4 (49:21):
Well, they definitely did not want this episode to end
up where a lot of the Eric episodes ended up,
which was with people like me going, wait a minute,
let him be with the lady in the two small
yogurt cup town.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
Wait a minute, let him date the woman with the kid.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
I don't understand.

Speaker 1 (49:38):
They didn't want to take any chances that Danielle was
going to go. I think Sean should join the go.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
We should take you what this is a great right
for Sean. The scener is amazing.

Speaker 4 (49:48):
They didn't want that, so they they didn't want there
to be This is not one of those times when
the writers were willing to say the world is gray,
and you have to figure out what your beliefs are,
and and sometime two really good people could have totally
different beliefs and it doesn't make either of them bad
or good, or right or wrong.

Speaker 1 (50:06):
Not in this episode, is anybody else.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
Think it was?

Speaker 3 (50:10):
It was predicting the future a little bit that somebody
with the last name Mac was bringing people into a cult.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
Anybody else picked that up? Oh, I didn't know Mac.

Speaker 1 (50:18):
I don't get it.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
What Alison Mack Oh that was in my head.

Speaker 3 (50:27):
Yeah, it was just kind of like, hey, predicting the
future a little bit there.

Speaker 2 (50:30):
Well, what I think, Like I remember somewhere like reading
something that was like mocking this episode in the context
of like, you know, all those cults that were a
problem back in the nineties, like a very special episode
about cults made kind of very little sense. But actually
now it's turned out to be pretty precious. Like that's
actually you know, colts cult thinking and the idea of

(50:53):
like a group that sort of you know, uh, insinuates
itself into your life and gives you ideas and like
creates a sense of community that people you know, lost
feeling a little like out of place, are gravitating. That's
turned out to be very important, Like it happens a
lot nowadays increasingly, you know, and like it is interesting

(51:13):
that like now I feel like there was a moment
when cults were everything, like seventies and eight sixties through
like like eighties, there was this kind of fear of
cults and conversations about cults and and then throughout the
nineties there kind of was right, it was dare yeah right.
But now it's you know, become something that we're investigating

(51:35):
kind of all the time now because there's so many
different forms of curls.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
It is not always just religious, it's you know, also,
I hate to say this, but like my favorite documentaries,
if it's a cult documentary, I am.

Speaker 2 (51:45):
Oh, I'm so in I know, book line, that's my cult.

Speaker 1 (51:49):
I want to join a cult just for the routine.

Speaker 4 (51:53):
I love the idea of you just telling me where
to go, where to be, what to eat, And in
my gut, I love that.

Speaker 1 (52:01):
Do we have a set time to wake up, a
set time to go to bed time?

Speaker 3 (52:04):
In the problem is when you watch the entire documentary,
it usually ends with branding and weird sex.

Speaker 2 (52:09):
So probably not not just the routine, Danielle, it's the
other stuff.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
Is it weird sex scheduled every Monday.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
Like a routine. But you know, you always if you
if you go to like what whatever awful thing a
group of people do, like, whether that's branding or like
interesting sex rituals are like polyamorous whatever, it's always like
they did what how could they be convinced? And then

(52:42):
of course what's so great about the documentaries is going
back and seeing how simple it always starts. You know,
it always is so basic, and people are are attracted
to very obvious things charisma, very oversimplifying the world into
like basic things. And then you know why, as we
see with scientology and with nexium, like Americans are so

(53:03):
susceptible to like get rich, self healthy sort of vibes
that like that works.

Speaker 4 (53:09):
The writer does want to start a cult for all
intents and purposes where communities of people live on large
plots of land when we as we aim communes.

Speaker 2 (53:18):
A well, I'm obsessed with alternative living situations, like that's
always something. But where where where intentional communities? And the
term is now because you got rid of communes, intentional community.

Speaker 1 (53:33):
Writers writers, cult sounds right at my alleys.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
But that's the thing, like, you know, it's like you
can't say any of this without it going right to
let's mock it, let's make a joke out of it's
a cult or it's a thing, and it's like, right,
I'm fascinated by the gray area with all of this,
and I think that that's partly why America was founded
and why America is so great is that we can't
pursue alternative things.

Speaker 3 (53:57):
And yes, I think most of the you know, the
alternative living is one thing. I think what most of
the quote unquote cults have in common is a leader
who supposed to transcend human existence. That's where it's like,
you know, you get an like vanguard. It's like, really, come.

Speaker 5 (54:13):
On right strong exactly he'd have they come up with it.
Oh you mean the light like they just call him
something like that. Yeah, the King, the King. Yes, m
I'll help you start a cult. It'll be great.

Speaker 4 (54:26):
Honestly, I'm joking that it's not a cult, but it's
it's so smart. It's true his idea. And I mean,
I'm one of these people, which is why I think
it's really smart, is that I'm one of these people
who's like, please, I like having friends as long as
I never have to see them or.

Speaker 1 (54:37):
Talk to them.

Speaker 4 (54:37):
And and writer is like, that's not what we're supposed
to be doing. We isolate ourselves as we get old,
and then when we need help and we need community,
we actually should be in places where we could help
each other. Also with kids, the idea of living in
a place where trusted adults, people I knew who had
like minded ideas around child rearing, educate kids and raise

(55:02):
kids and give them freedoms and all that stuff. I actually,
I'm super on board with writer's idea. I'll never do
it because I'm going to completely isolate myself.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
And now I think it's really I think it's super important.
I think that the American twentieth century idea of family
is pretty backwards, yes, And I think that we are
so inculturated that we are buying into that cult. I
think it's really unhealthy, like the cult of individualism in America,
which has driven us to isolate as nuclear families, even

(55:29):
isolate from our own parents. You know the fact that
like we move out from our parents and leave, drive
across and live across the country or wherever, and then like,
wonder why we have a lack of community, Wonder why
we don't feel fulfilled, And you know, I think it's
really dangerous. And of course the Internet has rushed in
to fill that void, but I don't think it's working.
So yeah, So I mean, I'm really I'm always investigating

(55:52):
this stuff, and I'm pretty serious about it. As I
get older, Like, you know, we're tribal. We're tribal creatures,
that's what we are. So we need fams, we need tribes. Like,
but how do you drew that without you know, creating
an authority area and or cult like system. That's awful,
Like that's that's a quest.

Speaker 3 (56:09):
Example is something like senior living. You know, that's when
I hit fifty, I'm moving in.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
I want to move into one of those places.

Speaker 3 (56:16):
By the way, it's like a year from now, so
that I want to be, you know, with everybody.

Speaker 2 (56:19):
Eats together and you you had the retirement communities, that's right,
and retirement communities have gotten like really interesting. Like now
there's so many different types of retirement communities that you
can kind of find, you know what I'm talking about,
and within that's what I mean.

Speaker 3 (56:32):
It's an word example that I can't wait to be
in a leisure living situation.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
I can't wait for the pod meets World retirement home.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
Oh my god, that's great idea.

Speaker 1 (56:44):
I love it. All Right, we have to jump back
into our recod.

Speaker 4 (56:46):
I love you both, but I've got a real cult
to talk about. So Sean is studying with some other
attractive members of the cult. When Corey walks up, Sean
jumps up to give him a huge hug, and Corey

(57:07):
pushes him off.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
What the heck are you doing? Sean explains he's just
saying hello.

Speaker 4 (57:11):
Corey's a little shaken up and asks him to never
say hello again like that, which is a little harsh.

Speaker 2 (57:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (57:17):
Sean asks if Corey.

Speaker 4 (57:19):
Is centered, and then Corey, noticing the three pretty girls,
jokes obviously, not like you. Sean explains that they're from
the Center and they're helping him study. Sean explains in
a very sincere way, he likes the Center.

Speaker 1 (57:29):
A lot Corey.

Speaker 4 (57:30):
Corey is concerned and asks the three girls to excuse them.
Once alone, Corey asks what the Center is. Sewan immediately
blurts out it's not a cult. Corey is now suspicious,
but Sean tells him not to judge. Corey thinks Sean
is talking crazy. He was only at the Center for
about an hour, which is a valid point.

Speaker 1 (57:47):
Yep, yeah, Sean responds.

Speaker 4 (57:49):
The length of a journey has nothing to do with
its ultimate value. Corey gives a worried smile.

Speaker 2 (57:55):
And I've already memorized you. Yeah, that's yeah, I didn't
like this scene. I really hated this scene, and like
now I'm kind of realizing why. Like I thought it
was just I felt myself being uncomfortable with all this
like cult argument speak. It just felt phony. And this
is why it's phoney, because it's been so quickly.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
You're in the same shirt exactly the same scene, in
different wardrobe, and say if the first line say there
you are shot.

Speaker 4 (58:23):
I haven't seen you in weeks exactly even just a week,
like where you know for now for the entire time
your parents have been on vacation, but you know, yeah,
you're right, and that they couldn't really do that because
then the Matthews would be like, you're we're watching you.
You can't be spending the night somewhere else. They wouldn't
have ever allowed that.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
But or rewrite this scene. So Sean just does one
or two things that are really off and out of
character and can't explain it yet. Isn't like because when
I start dropping center speak right, it's like so over
the top, it's so like whoa you know? And I
think it could have been more sophisticated because like the
next scene with Turner, I feel like Sewan is giving

(59:03):
more clever arguments and like he's not relying on like
Babbel like the same way that he is in this scene.
So yeah, this scene could have used to read it.

Speaker 4 (59:12):
But yeah, Corey gives a worried smile and a that's nice,
which is a straight Michael Jacobs rereet Yep. He tells
Sean that throughout their entire friendship, they've talked about everything,
but they've never talked about what Sean believes in. Sean
proudly states, I believe that I finally found a place
where people let me be who I am without trying
to change me. Sean fires back, what do you believe in?

Speaker 1 (59:33):
Corey?

Speaker 4 (59:34):
Do you believe in a mother and a father in
a comfortable house on a comfortable street, because that's what
you have. Sean doesn't have that, so he found one
with these people instead. And I just want to point
out that this feels like a weird thing that now
that we're supposed to believe he is other than this
week that his parents are on vacation. He is back
with his family. He fought so hard for that, he

(59:55):
wanted it so badly. He's now back with his mom
and his dad. Had they set the that Verna had
already left, that Chet was back to being out of
his life where it wasn't that his parents were on vacation,
that he was kind of alone.

Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
Gosh, that would have been such an easy thing. And
if the first scene when Turner was like asking about
the homework or bad grades on the homework, he was like,
I know your parents have been out of town for
the last two months, you know, like like, basically we
established that Sean is essentially alone again, and Turner's trying
to help him, not just judging him, but trying to
help him through a difficult time because his mom left

(01:00:30):
again or.

Speaker 4 (01:00:33):
Sean didn't tell anybody that Verna and Chet and we
find out again and he's been living alone at the
trailer by himself.

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
Because throughout the entire series, right now, we are arguably
finding Sean at his least vulnerable, right right exactly, I
mean that's this this season. It's his family's back together,
more established, and it's so it's a strange time to
now he hasn't found himself.

Speaker 4 (01:00:58):
I would have loved a big room feel that you know,
my parents aren't here they left. What that that for
that to have been a bombshell and for everybody to
feel like, oh my gosh, had we known that he
could have stayed with us, we would have never let
him be alone. But it makes sense that he has
been alone and he fell into this.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Even to make the story more gut wrenching at the
end is his parents have been gone for a month
and he's back with Turner for a while. And so
if he's staying with Turner and then Turner gets into
the accident and they're staying together.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
I mean, yeah, crazy. I think it's you know, I
think they're just relying on the sort of shorthand of
Sean as the kid, right this is and I do
think that it's it's good, Like it's really That is
an important thing to recognize is that you know, people
join these situations, whether coltie or you know and like

(01:01:50):
literally a religious cult or even just you know, a
pyramid scheme or whatever out of a sense of like
feeling lost and feeling like they you know, don't have
a family, they don't have other support systems that probably
would be filling that void for them. And so I
like that because Sean does seem like he would be
vulnerable for something like this, and like a lot of
people are but the least amount of vulnerability right now.

(01:02:15):
I know, but you know, it's a if it was
if it was a serialized modern day drama show, right yes,
But as I say, call we got it, just like oh,
a character we know. So I think having Sean mentioned like, oh,
I don't have the things that you have, Corey, it's
nice because it's true.

Speaker 4 (01:02:42):
Corey raises his voice, but who are these people? And
now the three girls have crowded around Shawn's protection. Sean
tells Corey to stop trying to take away what he has,
and then Sherry actually interrupts Sean, they have to get going.
I thought it was really nice that it feels like
you're very much about ready to talk more, and she
truly cuts you off off yeah, and says we have
to get going. As they're leaving, Corey says he still

(01:03:03):
has a lot of questions about this place, and Sean
turns back and offers, then you should check it out sometime, Bud.
And then we're back in Turner's classroom. Turner in a
great tie just for old time's sake and Sean are
alone in the class Turner asks what the center is
and Sean scoffs, I'm not going to talk to you
about something that you're never going to understand. Turner asks,
so you can understand it, but somehow it's beyond me.

(01:03:25):
Seawn argues that Turner is just as judgmental as everyone else,
but Turner reminds him that he's the one who judged
him first by saying he wouldn't understand it. Sewn shrugs,
I'm centered, you're not.

Speaker 1 (01:03:35):
End of story.

Speaker 4 (01:03:36):
Turner sarcastically says the group of friends sound really enlightened
and open minded. When asked why he joined, Seawan explains,
all my life, I have felt like there was some
part of me missing, and I felt like everybody could
tell like there was some hole in me and everyone
could see through it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:50):
Turner says he never saw that.

Speaker 4 (01:03:52):
If Sewan would have just told him, he could have
done something about it, but Shawn doesn't want to dwell
on that. Turner, starting to get emotional, begs Sean to
dwell on it because that's what makes him a person.
Shawn assures him that the center is filled with people
who care about him, who make him feel like a person.
He puts his arms out to give Turner a hug,
but Turner stops him and pushes back. The center is
filled with lost souls who have no belief system, who

(01:04:13):
are targets for some guy to bring over to his
way of thinking. The Shawn Hunter that I know is
one of the most unique individuals I have ever met.
And if you let this place take away who you
really are, then you've made the worst judgment you could make.
Shawn's taken aback. He simply tells John, I don't know
who I am, and he storms out. This was a
good scene.

Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
Yeah, it's very dramatic. I mean, yeah, it's a good scene.

Speaker 3 (01:04:37):
Though.

Speaker 2 (01:04:37):
The writing is phenomenal and Tony is just so cool,
like yeah, I just you know, like on the heels
of the chubby scene, it's like this, we haven't had
a laugh for like so far, and this is where
I started to go, like I'm just missing a little
bit more and you know, like luckily we get it
with Will in the next scene. So but I was,
you know, this is where I started to go, Damn.

(01:04:58):
This is heavy. And also the nudging of like I
don't know who I am, Like I don't know. It's
it's good, It's it's good.

Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
It's good. I like it. I like the scene.

Speaker 4 (01:05:10):
I know, I really I up till this point, I'm
still thinking, none of this feels to me too over
dramatic for what we're talking about.

Speaker 1 (01:05:21):
Do I think the timeline feels rushed.

Speaker 4 (01:05:23):
Absolutely, But I don't feel like in this scene this
is the first kind of time we see somebody, even
for Corey, who's like, hey, man, I still have questions
Corey wasn't over the top, you know, oh melodrama and
the fact that this is the first time for Tony
or an adult to be like whoa, whoa, whoa. Listen, man,
I am very concerned about you. You do know who

(01:05:47):
you are, your special You're unique, and if you let
them take that away from you. I love the play
on words with judgment. It's all this stuff about judging, judging, judging,
and you're actually making a bad judgment.

Speaker 1 (01:05:58):
Call love all that.

Speaker 4 (01:05:59):
I'm like, I'm in other than this weird timeline, So
I love it all right. The center, Corey and Eric
have found their way into the basement of fun. Corey
reveals to his brother that this is where Sean has been.
Eric immediately judges the place, con men fakes and Charlatan's
I'd say he yells out, which one of you brainwashed
nuts validates sparking.

Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Also, what is the weather outside?

Speaker 4 (01:06:27):
Some of the girls are dressed like it's spring and
you're wearing a sweater as if it's midwinter. Corey recommends
that he doesn't underestimate these people. They did get Sean,
after all. Eric says, no offense to Sean, But it
takes a pretty weak willed and gullible individual to succumb
to this kind of blatant scam. On cue, a pretty
girl named Alicia walks up and introduces herself with a

(01:06:47):
hug for Eric. In turn and sorceled, Eric pulls out
his wallet and instructs her, here's my money. Where's my room?

Speaker 2 (01:06:54):
That's such a Michael Jacob's dream too. Where's my rooms? Michael?
That's a straight up Michael note. Oh yeah, yeah, I
mean that's like a classic like set up joke that
I it could have been so like if she just
said something like one thing that would have appealed to Eric,
you know. Instead, it's just the visual and just the insociment,

(01:07:15):
and I would have been so much cleverer if she's like, what,
oh damn you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:21):
God, No, it's not God.

Speaker 1 (01:07:25):
It's the Light, the king, leader of our cult.

Speaker 3 (01:07:28):
Yes, that's why he does it. I'll follow you anywhere, kids.

Speaker 1 (01:07:33):
Anywhere, anywhere you want to go. Where's my room?

Speaker 2 (01:07:40):
I've ensorceled you. Welcome to the podcast. It's a weird
sex Monday, done a good day.

Speaker 4 (01:07:50):
Corey grabs the wallet and says, they're not staying. Alicia
understands you're feeling lost, alone, abandoned. Eric nods, yes, my
emotional palette is missing, yellow and blue.

Speaker 1 (01:08:00):
Where's maroom? Alicia grabs his hand and lead him away.

Speaker 2 (01:08:03):
Really clever joke. I was like, whoa room?

Speaker 4 (01:08:09):
In an attempt to stop them, Corey yells out to Eric,
his brother corrects him. My new nut name is Sunflower
for Janado.

Speaker 3 (01:08:16):
This is where so other people have said this to
me at conventions and stuff, and I never knew where
understood Sunflower Fortunado.

Speaker 2 (01:08:23):
I love it, perfect, perfect name. I love it.

Speaker 4 (01:08:26):
Multiple pretty girls have now surrounded Corey. He smiles awkwardly
and holds up the Vulcan salute hello. Just then, a
concerned Shan appears. Corey gives him an exaggerated look of
surprise and holds out his arms for a hug, but
Sean explains the Center isn't the kind of place for Corey.
Corey asks, so that's it. You've chosen the Center. You're
going to live here with these juji fruits. He asks
Sean if he really can't see through this, and Eric

(01:08:48):
harsh harsh, I know.

Speaker 2 (01:08:50):
Yeah, I mean just kind of insulted, right, Like I'm
just going to call people juji fruits to their face,
like just you.

Speaker 3 (01:08:56):
Also, literally the end the last scene ended with you
saying you should check get out some time.

Speaker 2 (01:09:00):
He comes and checks it out, and you're.

Speaker 1 (01:09:01):
Like, yeah, going for you.

Speaker 2 (01:09:04):
It's like, wait, what you just told me to come, right.

Speaker 4 (01:09:07):
Especially because what he should be encouraging is thank you
for not just judging these people? Yes, right, yeah, And
then of course it's fine if Corey ultimately reveals he
hasn't been taking it seriously, he still then calls them
Jugi fruits. It's like, see, I knew this wasn't a
place for you. He can't even not judge people. But
that's really never addressed. Eric walks by with Alicia. He

(01:09:29):
says he wants to spend the rest of his life here,
and the most amazing part in the winter, he can
go to their tanning and Hugging center in the Bahamas.
Sean starts to get angry. Leave me alone. It's not
like I'm doing drugs, Corey argues, it's just like doing drugs.
You're having your mind messed with. You're not the person
I know, and everything you say is artificial. Corey assures
Sean that mister Mac can't help find Sean what he's

(01:09:50):
looking for because he doesn't know what he's looking for.
To begin with, Sean is only sixteen years old. This
is what mister Mac does. He makes you think you're
lost so he can find you, and once he has you,
he'll never let you out of his sight. Right then,
mister Mac has walked up behind Corey and we get
a signature.

Speaker 1 (01:10:07):
He's behind me, isn't he?

Speaker 2 (01:10:09):
Oh my god, it's so I mean, at this point,
I guess it's such a thing that it's funny commenting
that's kind of funny. But I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:10:20):
I mean, I'm just I am too.

Speaker 4 (01:10:21):
He doesn't The minute the minute I saw him walking
behind him, I was like, oh no, we're getting up.

Speaker 1 (01:10:26):
He's behind me, isn't he?

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):
We do so much him and do other sitcoms do this?

Speaker 3 (01:10:31):
As often as not to this extent.

Speaker 2 (01:10:36):
Not one show. I mean, we really we love it,
like so many times.

Speaker 4 (01:10:44):
So he turns to face the cult leader and holds
up the Vulcan salute again, saying hello. Also, we see
a sign that says candy. That's the first time I
noticed the big candy sign behind them. It seems like
a questionable sign when you're trying to kidnap high schoolers.
But mister Mac responds, welcome to the center. Corey turns
to Sean and admits, okay, he's very powerful. He wonders

(01:11:05):
who he makes the checkout to. Mister Mac understands that
Corey's here to see if Sean is making the right
decision for himself. He encourages Corey to check them out.
He believes he'll like what he sees. Corey looks around
and points to a door with a silver star on it.
Can I go in that room? Mister Mac says no,
that's the celebrity room and walks away.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
Great, big, very funny joke, directs of scientology reference. But
I thought that was really clever me too.

Speaker 4 (01:11:28):
Corey whispers to Sean, that's the slickest guy I have
ever seen. Sean has proven his point. He's not a
prisoner here. He can leave any time he wants. Corey says,
then they should go now. As Corey begins to walk out,
hoping Sean follows, the lights in the center dim. A
spotlight is shown on stage as mister Max stands behind
a podium. He addresses the children of the center and
encourages everyone to welcome into their family their new life member,

(01:11:50):
Sean Hunter. Everyone lets out a round of applause, and
Sean hugs all the members around him. He gives Corey
a serious look and says goodbye. And then we're in
the Matthew's backyard. Corey is telling Amy, Allen and Feenie
that he doesn't hear his best friend and Seawan anymore.
Alan suggests they get in the car head down there
and drags Sean out of there themselves. Feoene wants to
go with him. He's well acquainted with the Center. He's

(01:12:11):
been trying to close it down for some time now.
Mister Mac is a frightening message.

Speaker 2 (01:12:17):
Yeah, this is where the episode is that, I mean, yeah,
like what is happening in this scene? Like they're all
like becoming superheroes against mister.

Speaker 4 (01:12:26):
Met well, it is the it is the time when
in the Boy Meets World episode we have to show
that the parents, that the adults absolutely know the truth right,
and they have to tell the audience this is bad,
this is a frightening man. If mister Feeney says, he's

(01:12:47):
a frightening man and he's been trying to close it down,
and that Alan, who we very rarely seen get you know,
hopped up like this is like, I'm gonna drag him
out of there myself, like.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
He says, this place.

Speaker 2 (01:13:00):
Later he says he's getting order him he is, Well,
he's violent. He's actually violent with mister like it's pretty.

Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
Yeah, yes, okay. So I will say this quickly because
I know we're getting through the recap. But there was
a very funny story and this is a good place
for it. Do you remember the practical joke that they
played on Jerry during this episode.

Speaker 2 (01:13:21):
No hold on God, It's coming back, No tell?

Speaker 3 (01:13:27):
So they so we're sitting there during a note session
and Michael points out something like, you know, I don't
I didn't like this cross. Why did Why do they
have this cross going in the middle of the thing.
You've got Jerry crossing he's crossing Bill.

Speaker 2 (01:13:43):
Oh this is this is a story Jeff McCrackan always
told you, But this is because this is what happened. Yes,
do you remember this? Oh god, I remember. I thought
you were talking. Okay, yeah, this is I mean we
were just talking. I just talked about this with Jeff.

Speaker 3 (01:13:58):
So it's he sits there and he says, I I
don't like it, and Michael and Jeff start fighting back
and forth, like fighting back and forth, yelling at each other, screaming. Meanwhile,
Jerry is sitting there, dead silent and doesn't know what
the hell's going on. Jeff literally stands up and goes out.
Never forget his last line. He goes, this never would

(01:14:18):
have happened on a different TGIF show and storms off
the set and we're all going, what the hell is
going on?

Speaker 2 (01:14:26):
And the argument was over Jerry's blocking. Correct, So the
point was to make Jerry uncomfortable, like it was all
about him, Yes, yes, and Jeff because they all three
go way back, they're all old friends. And Jeff made
he said something like, well, if if Jerry doesn't do
it that way, then I don't know what to tell you,
Like I.

Speaker 6 (01:14:44):
Can't who just sat there Stone as an actor, and
they start screaming back and forth, and Jeff gets up
and walks out, and it's dead silent, and we don't
know what the hell's going on, and all of a
sudden you look over and there's Jeff smiling, and he
comes up behind Jerry and.

Speaker 2 (01:15:00):
Wraps his arms around him. It had all been a
plan with him and Michael.

Speaker 4 (01:15:03):
And then of course Jerry was like, oh yeah, I
was already pass.

Speaker 2 (01:15:07):
My god, what the hell was that?

Speaker 3 (01:15:08):
So, yeah, it was this right during run through, and
none of us were in on it, so we just
saw Jeff screaming, which we never see, never saw him
and Michael going back and forth, and it was this big, elaborate,
practical joke that they had played on Jerry, and it was.

Speaker 2 (01:15:20):
That's what I remember more from this week than anything else. Funny, yeah,
but you know Jeff's darker take on that, no, which well,
Jeff feels that that was all a manipulation because none
of us followed. Jeff, like, the whole point was that
Michael to that to Michael to prove his authority and

(01:15:40):
get us all to and he regretted playing along with
that joke from really oh yeah, I think because the
moment he finished doing it, he was like, oh, I
I just played.

Speaker 1 (01:15:50):
I just isolated myself and made Yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (01:15:52):
Just isolated myself. He said that as a director, I
don't have any power. That Michael has all the authority
on the show and everybody nobody's Wow didn't register to
me like that at all.

Speaker 3 (01:16:01):
Registered to me like two old friends having a screaming match,
which is what about this other guy who was their friend?

Speaker 2 (01:16:06):
It wasn't fun. I didn't. I didn't see a power
play in it at all. But again I wasn't. I
think that Jeff didn't until he did it too, and
then he realized.

Speaker 1 (01:16:14):
Everything has a bit of a power play in it.

Speaker 2 (01:16:16):
At the end of the day, it seemed like it
just a joke to me.

Speaker 4 (01:16:19):
Well, then, from the shadows behind them, Sean and Eric
have returned home. Amy, who's in a crop top, puts
her arm around Sean and asks if he's all right.

Speaker 1 (01:16:26):
Sean nods, of course, I am. I'm totally centered.

Speaker 4 (01:16:29):
Alan thanks Eric for bringing Sean back, and Sean corrects him, actually,
I brought Eric back. Mister Mac thought Eric wasn't sincere
and that he was just in it for the hugs,
and I wish I wish it was more.

Speaker 1 (01:16:41):
I wish there was more than that.

Speaker 2 (01:16:42):
Though.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
I wish they were like they don't want Eric that
it was not that it was about the hugs, and
it was like he is.

Speaker 1 (01:16:49):
Not one of us.

Speaker 2 (01:16:51):
Love this because it's so funny, because when you do
in the hospital too, it's hysterois.

Speaker 1 (01:16:59):
Funny. I love it.

Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
I love this whole beat, and I think we could
have expanded it, or at least just that b storyline.
You know that Eric is trying to infiltrate the cult.
He just so badly the girls and the money, and.

Speaker 4 (01:17:14):
Eric is embarrassed. Well, yeah, Sean tells everyone to have
a peaceful night. He's going back to the center. Alan shouts, WHOA, No,
you're not. While your parents are out of town. You
are our responsibility. Amy sternly agrees. That means you're staying
here in this house. And this is why we realize
we couldn't have Sean gone for weeks at a time.

Speaker 3 (01:17:31):
Right.

Speaker 4 (01:17:32):
So Sean says, mister Mack told me that people like
you would try to talk me out of my beliefs.
Amy tells Sean they love him, and Sean nods. He
said you'd say that Alan's had enough, get him in
that house and tie him up. Pheoene explains that these
aren't beliefs. This is just a way to escape a
life that doesn't have any Sean counters that's a judgment.
Pheoene responds, you're damn right it is. Sean asks what's

(01:17:53):
wrong with him trying to find something he believes in,
and Feene retorts, I'm all for your search for spirituality, okay,
but you don't seem to realize that mister mac is
conducting his own search for lost souls that he can
influence and manipulate.

Speaker 2 (01:18:05):
And why is it spiritual?

Speaker 1 (01:18:06):
I know that's the first time, the first.

Speaker 2 (01:18:09):
Time I've had any idea that, And.

Speaker 4 (01:18:13):
I feel like they do it specifically so that we go, oh,
it is that Sean is on a search for spirituality,
not that it's being forced on him.

Speaker 2 (01:18:21):
Sean's this whole time and apparently looking for God, right
and we didn't know that right which they they plant
the seed earlier, with Corey saying like we've never talked
about well you believe it, which is really hard to
wrap your head or anything like they've never understood each
other's religious backgrounds. Or like philosophies, it'll never come up

(01:18:42):
exactly like, that's intense and to me, yeah, but okay,
so that inserted this idea. But then here in this scene,
to me, it just goes off the rails when it's like,
you know, because up until now we've had an episode that,
for the most part, the value system is the danger
of colts is social, right, the danger of cults is

(01:19:04):
like that, it's going to take advantage of you and
and you know, brainwash you in some capacity. But we
haven't really gotten what the center is other than a
sort of self healthy babble. And that is to me,
I think that's good because if it was too specific,
an audience member would would just be able to say, well,
that's a joke. I would never fall for that. So
it's vague enough. But then now the story becomes less

(01:19:28):
about the danger of cults and it more becomes you.

Speaker 1 (01:19:30):
Know, the danger of being taken away from religion.

Speaker 2 (01:19:33):
Right, exactly right, and and it's like if when that
happened in this scene, I was like, whoa, you know,
and it's really right now. When Alan just turns him
and says, do you believe in God? I was like,
oh my God, right, Like, what is was that part
of this conversation because I didn't know quite. I mean
I knew because I remembered, but it was like, this
is where up until now it's really stayed in this

(01:19:56):
interesting neutral space, right, this is where I was like, oh,
this is we're going off the rails.

Speaker 1 (01:20:00):
Yes, completely agree, Yeah, me too.

Speaker 4 (01:20:02):
This is the moment Sean responds, he said you'd say that,
mister Feeney raises his voice. Yes, I'm sure he's given
you a thought for every occasion, and just then Phoene's
phones ring and he excuses himself.

Speaker 1 (01:20:13):
Corey tries to tell his best.

Speaker 4 (01:20:14):
Friend that Phoene's actually making sense, but Sean doesn't agree.
Why is Phoene attacking what he believes in? Amy asks
Sean why he needs to believe in the center so strongly?
Alan adds, before you met these people at this place,
what did you believe in? Sean says, I don't know nothing.
Allan asks if he believed in God, and Sean doesn't
have an answer, So we sit in silence, and then
feene walks out of the house. He's shaken up. Jonathan

(01:20:37):
Turner has been in a motorcycle accident Cory asks if
he's okay, and Phoene says no, he isn't. He asks
Alan to take him to the hospital, and Amy decides
they will all go. Corey turns to Sean and tells
him to come along. Sean stays behind, He'll meet them there.
Corey gets upset and Sean yells, I'll meet you there.

Speaker 3 (01:20:52):
I also find it just a little bit sad that
obviously Feenie is mister Turner's emergency contact.

Speaker 2 (01:20:58):
Yes yikes, and his family no one else in his life.

Speaker 4 (01:21:02):
They live in Connecticut, soill the other people in his
life emergency contact?

Speaker 2 (01:21:07):
Here's the emergency contact? Or do you think it's just
like the schools I think emergency contact?

Speaker 3 (01:21:12):
I do?

Speaker 1 (01:21:13):
I think so too.

Speaker 7 (01:21:15):
Thank you so much, dear listeners, for joining us as
we recap one of the most famous Boy meets World
episodes of all time, one that we affectionately just call
Sean joins a cult. But of course we talked and
talked and talked, so we had to cut this episode
into two because we could not cover everything in just
one episode of Pod Meets World. So thank you so
much for joining us for episode one, and join us

(01:21:36):
next time.

Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
For episode two. Oh Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:21:41):
Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted
by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and writer Strong. Executive producers Jensen
Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo,
producer and editor, Tara Subachsch producer, Maddie Moore, engineer and
Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen Our theme song
by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram at

(01:22:03):
Podmets World Show, or email us at Podmetsworldshow at gmail
dot com