TGI – Episode 519 “Eric Hollywood” - Pod Meets World

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I had a very strange memory out of nowhere. I
don't know what inspired this, but it's something I completely
forgot about, and it was worth bringing up on the
podcast because we've talked a lot about Angel and VICKI.
Oh yeah, you know our personal trainers Slash, who we
hung out with then. Right, So I remember I got

(00:42):
my first speeding ticket when I was sixteen, and I
remember going. I it was on my way back to
work from lunch. I was on Sunset Boulevard and I
think I was going like fifty or fifty five and
like a thirty five it was. It was bad, right, okay,
And I got the ticket, and you know, I was
such a rule follower, like I was such a you know,

(01:02):
and I was just a bad driver. It just literally
probably wasn't even thinking. I still don't, as we talked
about on this podcast, just drive anyway. So I got
pulled over, I got the ticket. I showed up back
at work and I was just you know, shaking. I
just felt so bad. Yeah, And I remember like David
Combs and everyone being like, yeah, you made me feel

(01:25):
bad too, and I was just like it just felt awful,
you know. And then I was hanging out with Angel
and VICKI either later that day or maybe another day
in the week, and I was like very much like
just like so shameful, like oh, I got my first
speeding ticket. And the two of them laughed and and

(01:46):
Angel patted me on the back and he said, ah,
the hardest ones, the the first one is the hardest
one to get. And they just like they were like,
don't worry about it, and it was it's one of
those memories. I remember being like, Oh, there are grown
ups who aren't going to like super mad at me
and like make me feel horrible. And I was thinking
about it as just this moment of like, right, that's

(02:08):
the space they occupied, right, It's like they were grown
up who I respected and I knew did grown up things,
but they were also kind of like friends who could
make me feel better about it, and they were like,
you know, and I remember Angel being like, I've had
like four speeding tickets. It sucks, you know, but I've.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Been arrested a whole bunch of times. It's just the time.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
And that's why this memory is tricky, because it's like,
on one hand, it's a positive memory in then that
like I kind of needed that like I kind of
needed to be told. On the other hand, there's this
responsibility question of like, well, I shouldn't have been speeding.
I shouldn't you know, getting the speed Yeah, he is
kind of a big deal. I should take it somewhat seriously.

(02:50):
And so I just thought it was like such a
weird example of like how those kinds of people entered
our lives and like the space that they occupied socially,
which is like I always think of it as like
a super positive, supportive thing that I was so glad
that these like grown up friends I had made me
feel better. But in retrospect, I'm also like, maybe maybe
they shouldn't have.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Right, No, how many have you gotten?

Speaker 4 (03:13):
Since?

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Not many? I mean I got well, no, this last summer,
I got what three? I actually officially only got one,
but I got pulled over three times last summer. But
you know, I was also driving for.

Speaker 5 (03:26):
Six your life right driving?

Speaker 1 (03:28):
But yeah, and as I talked about at our live show,
one was definitely a speed trap where you cross the
state line and the speed limit drops twenty miles per hour.
Just yeah, you go from like in whatever. Yeah, but yes, no,
I mean like that, and then I got speeding tickets.
But before this summer, I had not gotten a speeding
ticket since I was eighteen, so you know class tickets

(03:49):
the age between sixteen and eighteen, I got two speeding
two or three speeding tickets. Three? Right, I had to
go to traffic school.

Speaker 5 (03:56):
Did you really fun?

Speaker 4 (03:57):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, well, because you have to get you know, you
get too many points.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Before before you could do traffic school online, we used
to have to go in the traffic school classes.

Speaker 4 (04:07):
The best thing is being late for traffic school, so
having to speed there. Yes, that's that's like I was.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Understand, had a few drinks. No, no, no, yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
I think it's funny because I I am much more
of a rule follower now than I think I was
as a kid. It is funny to think about the
difference between you and I as kids. Because for sure,
the minute I got a speeding ticket, I was like.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Oh my, can you believe this? What's the big deal?

Speaker 2 (04:44):
There was nobody even on the road. For sure, it
was it was I can't believe we do this. It's
so stupid. It wasn'tbody was even on the road. They
were sitting there just clocking people.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
As we went by.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
And meanwhile, you were like, I felt so bad. I
was with shame, and meanwhile I was indignant.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
I was kind of in the well, I mind so
much worse because I didn't get my first ticket till
I was in my thirties, And the first thing I
thought about was.

Speaker 5 (05:13):
God, my parents are going to be so disappointed.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh yeah, you.

Speaker 4 (05:18):
Garry read a little angel on your shoulder too that
I was like, how am I going to tell my parents?

Speaker 5 (05:22):
And I was like, why would I.

Speaker 4 (05:23):
Even tell I'm in my thirties.

Speaker 5 (05:26):
Well, I'm never going to call my parents and have
them round me Like I was like, man, my parents
are going to be so disappointed.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
Like what are you thinking of?

Speaker 3 (05:33):
What?

Speaker 1 (05:33):
What?

Speaker 4 (05:35):
I Also this also made me realize how like police
officers must spend their day and how they must get
grief over and over and over again, because I got
pulled over as on Laurel Canyon and I get pulled
over and the guy was on a motorcycle and he
came up to me and he's.

Speaker 5 (05:48):
Like, do you realize how long I was chasing you?
And I was like what. He's like, I was on
you for like more than a mile. I was like,
I'm so sorry. I swear to God I didn't see you.

Speaker 4 (05:57):
I had my music on, like, and he's like, no, no, no,
but I I can't not.

Speaker 5 (06:00):
Give you the ticket.

Speaker 4 (06:01):
I already started writing. I was like, I totally understand.
That is my penance for not, you know, being responsible.
I totally get it, but I'm so sorry. He hands
me the ticket.

Speaker 5 (06:11):
He looks at me. He's like, so, uh, what do you.

Speaker 6 (06:13):
It up too lately?

Speaker 5 (06:14):
Like just working and everything. He's like, all right, well
you have a great day.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
And I watch him in my rearview mirror as he
gets on his bike, tips the bike up and then
puts the bike back down, gets back off his bike
and starts walking towards me again.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
And I'm like, oh no, man, I'm getting arrested.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
And so he comes up.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
He's like, I just wanted to take a minute to
thank you for how polite you were to me. He's like,
it's just we deal with so many people all day long,
like Danielle Fischel, who are indignant. He is like, I
just want to end It's if I could take the
ticket back.

Speaker 5 (06:45):
I's like no, I totally says, I just want you
to know I really appreciate it. I was like he
came back to think me. He gave me a ticket,
then came back to thank me.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
Have I told you our family's horrible story like that?

Speaker 5 (06:56):
Oh? No, please do.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
So when I was a kid, really young, before we
moved to Calabasas and I started on Boy Meets World.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
So, but my brother was alive.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
We're four years apart, so I think I was like eight,
My brother was four, and we were in the backseat
of my mom's car and we were on our way
to school and we were running late, and my mom
was speeding and she got pulled over, and the police
officer walks up talk stories like, I do you know
I pulled you over? And she's like, I was probably speeding.

(07:25):
I'm taking my kids to school. We're running late. I'm sorry,
it's my fault. I needed to leave earlier. And he
was like, oh, you know, it's okay. And he's also
on a motorcycle and he walks away and he starts
writing the ticket and he comes back and he's like, man,
I feel really bad giving this to you, but I
had already started writing the ticket. And once I start

(07:45):
writing it, it's in my book, and so I can't
I can't do anything about it. Because it's you know,
this book gets checked by other people. My mom's like,
it's okay, I deserve it. And my mom was worried
about my dad. You know, Oh gosh, it's going to
be expensive. My mom gets ticket, goes about her day.
She comes home that night and there was a message
on the answering machine from the police officer. Hey, Jennifer,

(08:09):
this is Officer so and so. I pulled you over
this morning. You were speeding. I just wanted to let
you know I ripped up my end of the ticket.
Go ahead and rip up yours. All day it was
weighing on me. I felt bad. You were just a
mom trying to get your kids to school. I just
want you to know I've ripped it up on my end.
Go ahead and rip it up on your end. Hope
you have a great day, and we're like.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
Anyway. One week later, that officer was killed in a
car accident.

Speaker 1 (08:41):
Oh, come on, this story was you know, I honestly
thought he was going to hit on her or something. Oh.

Speaker 5 (08:48):
I thought she was going to rip up the ticket
in trouble for it.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
In the paper a week later, and she was like
that because she remembered his name, because he had left
his name on the machine, so like she had his
voice in her head saying his name, this is Officer
so and so and so when she.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
Read it in the paper, devastated.

Speaker 5 (09:08):
Oh that's anyway, terrible.

Speaker 1 (09:12):
Morning everyone.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
When you come to us, you only get the most
uplifting so depressing anyway, writer speeds and welcome.

Speaker 5 (09:26):
We got we all got pulled over together once. That's
something that ended well.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
That that ended, that ended well. Nobody died.

Speaker 5 (09:32):
Yeah, god, oh, welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (09:37):
I'm Dan Yell official, I'm right strong.

Speaker 5 (09:39):
And I'm Wilford Dell.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
We have a real fun episode for you today, Season five,
episode nineteen.

Speaker 3 (09:48):
Eric Hollywood.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Apparently after the Scream episode, we entered Metawaland and there
is just no turning back.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Ye No, just had so much fun, Like, oh yeah,
they had so much fun with a scream episode, you know,
and then we went right back to drama and the
serialized story and then it was like, I mean heavy
drama too, but it was a drinking episode and like
very special. And then they were like another that, let's
go back to the fun we had with the Halloween

(10:16):
up or the Scream episode, and we just went nuts again. Yes,
which is fine. It just feels it really does not
feel of a piece, you know, like the way the
fourth season was so unified. This last fifth season, I
cannot wrap my head around.

Speaker 5 (10:29):
I know they said it was a little willy nilly.

Speaker 4 (10:31):
We've had some writers on there are like, hey, we
didn't arc out the entire season, but there had to
have gone a couple episodes ahead. You've got somebody somewhere
had to have gone scream Sean drinking Eric Hollywood.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
Yeah, it works, I know.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
I mean I wonder I wonder how much of it
is because I deal with that on this on shows
I direct, now how much of it is? Air order
is different than production order, Like you can you can
be in production and you're doing the script. Whatever script
is done or most ready to be shot is what
you're working on. But then later when you're actually planning,
in what order do we want to air these? So

(11:06):
I wonder how much of it was just kind of.

Speaker 7 (11:08):
Like accidental bananas.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
It originally aired March twentieth, nineteen ninety eight. The synopsis,
A network executive discovers Eric in a school play and
brings him to Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sean and Jack get the
chicken box and what Banka takes care of them.

Speaker 1 (11:26):
Did you remember this, Danielle?

Speaker 3 (11:27):
Did you remember that? Not at all?

Speaker 1 (11:31):
I couldn't believe that I didn't remember the chicken pox stuff.
When the dialogue at the end, I was like, oh, yeah,
I do remember saying some of this, but like, I
don't remember makeup on my body or playing that were
sick or any of that me neither.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
I only remembered the Eric Hollywood stuff. The you know,
I remember that.

Speaker 1 (11:48):
I did not remember seeing Eric. I knew nothing about
the Shakespeare. Where are we? What is going on? I
never saw any of this. I felt like, you guys
must have done it. I don't know day when we
weren't there.

Speaker 4 (12:00):
I just also didn't remember that we did. There was
like a Sean to Panga jack Bee story, but then
you also all played meta versions to yourself. I thought
it was Eric had a storyline and then everyone played
meta versions of theirself. I didn't realize there was also
a regular boy meets World story going on during.

Speaker 5 (12:21):
The middle of all this.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
I know it was a Ben's final week, That's what
I assumed. I don't know I actually was.

Speaker 4 (12:28):
I don't think so because I actually I think this
was more like I wasn't in the last episode. Remember
I wasn't in the drinking episode. So I think it
was like, we're gonna give you. Know you're not in
this one, so we're gonna give this one's gonna be
about you.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
I thought this must have been a fine I think
I think a bigger role.

Speaker 5 (12:44):
I mean again, he pre taped everything.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
No, I think we probably pre taped all the Eric Holleywood,
all the Eric Hollywood stuff, which is all he's in.
Like that, the fact that he's not in the B
story at all. He was literally his voice at the
door and see the elevator, so he didn't have to
be there for.

Speaker 5 (13:00):
But the tag was definitely in front of the audience.
I remember that. So Ben was there on tap night.
Yea percent. So Ben was there on tape night.

Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, it comes up in my notes when we see
him in the elevator.

Speaker 7 (13:13):
Is Ben having finals?

Speaker 5 (13:14):
I don't know, Maybe I don't.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
Yeah. It was directed by Alan Myerson. It was written
by Barbie Feldman. This is her second episode.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
Uh do you guys, will do you remember did you
get pitched this episode? I know you mentioned that the
last week you weren't in the script. Do you remember
them saying like, We've got a big episode for you
coming up.

Speaker 1 (13:36):
No.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
What I remember most about this, and we'll get into
is the awfulness that was the table read.

Speaker 5 (13:42):
Oh what, oh man, oh man, Yeah it was yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Oh, I can't wait to hear Do we think did
we remember that it was fun or funny to play
parodies of ourselves? I remember thinking it was very fun.

Speaker 5 (13:57):
Yeah. No, Actually, shooting it was was fun.

Speaker 4 (13:59):
I mean most I hated some of this with a
passion of a thousand burning signs, but that was me,
my own performance. Anything Shakespeare I could, I like watch
through my fingers.

Speaker 3 (14:07):
It was horrifying.

Speaker 5 (14:08):
Wow, but the I'm not a Shakespearean actor. That's a
real discipline.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
And to just throw that at somebody without them knowing
about it is a thing. Oh.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
I understand that you had, like, you know, fear, but.

Speaker 4 (14:23):
Oh no, it was more than I mean to the
point where again at the table read.

Speaker 5 (14:27):
We'll get into the story now, I.

Speaker 7 (14:28):
Guess we sat down for the table read, and.

Speaker 4 (14:31):
I came it was the first Shakespearean soliloquy I'm supposed
to do. And I get three lines into it, and
Michael for the entire room to hear, goes, are you
kidding me?

Speaker 5 (14:41):
Because it was so bad?

Speaker 4 (14:43):
Yeah, because it was so bad, and so the whole
room laughed and I looked at him. I was like,
I got this last night. I'm nineteen and I don't
do Shakespeare. What do you want from me?

Speaker 5 (14:53):
And so it was really off. It was bad. It
was bad.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
You know that he planned that, like you know that
he was like, I'm gonna call him out.

Speaker 5 (15:02):
I don't know, but it was best.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
Dude, No, that's that's so lame.

Speaker 5 (15:06):
But then that's just what I remember.

Speaker 4 (15:08):
This is where this is one of the weeks where
I was really bonded again with Alan Myerson because Alan
and I worked before after during I mean, he and
I had conversation after conversation just us on the stage.

Speaker 5 (15:23):
Just Shakespeare stuff.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
It was He was so helpful to me, and I
know we've had problems but with some of his directing
on the episode, but this week especially really cinched for me,
Like because I went to him, I was like, I
don't know to shake, I don't know what the hell
I'm doing, and he's like, we're going to work on it.
We're going to get there and he just really worked
with me. All that really that that pissses me off.
He's like, what my you know, coming into this morning,

(15:49):
I was trying to organize my you know, because I
figured Danielle would ask.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
She didn't what our overall thoughts. But yet I, you know, like.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
I'll take the blame. I'm so sorry, writer, I really
and I.

Speaker 1 (16:04):
Always go first, you.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
Know, sorry matter what were your overall thoughts?

Speaker 1 (16:09):
Thank you, Danielle. My overall thoughts were no. I I
like had this weird reaction last night where like I
stopped the episode and then I like got strangely emotional,
Like I started like tearing up because I was just
so impressed with Will's acting. I was like this this guy,
Like I mean I've been saying.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
Wow, oh he's emotional.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, I mean, you know, I've always known that Will
is great, but like it was so good and it
wasn't the Shakespeare stuff, which was also great and like
no reason to be insecure about that. It was the
control of tone, scene by scene, moment to moment, you
could you can do anything, and like the ability that
you you controlled when we were real, when we were

(16:54):
over the top, when you were Eric, when you were
Eric as a good actor. When you were Eric as
a bad actor, it was like, from line to line,
you were controlling what reality the show was in. And
I was like, this guy was like so far beyond.
I mean, it's like and you talk about, you know,
someone like Michael J. Foxby and your hero, and I'm like, well,

(17:15):
you could do anything. You mastered what he did. You
also went farther and could do like crazy, goofy stuff,
which is what I think most people remember you for.
But this episode showcases your ability to do whatever is
asked of you and like to nail it and then
carry an entire half hour of it. I was just like, man,
I hope Will knows like that this is I don't

(17:37):
know another nineteen year old in the history of like
anything I've ever seen that could do all of that
and just carry it. And I was like, man, I
just like I got emotional. I was sitting there going like,
this guy is so freaking talented, and I don't I
feel like the world is. I guess I was sad
because it felt like I had some regret that I

(17:57):
didn't recognize it at the time, and I don't feel
like a lot of people recognize it. At this time.
And that's why it pisses me off that Michael called
you out about Shakespeare at the table where, because it's like,
screw you, Like, yeah, he hasn't done it before, but
the whole point is he's gonna figure it out because
he's that freaking good. And Michael should have been supportive
of that, like instead of humiliating you and making a

(18:18):
big show out of like I know how shakespeare actors
are supposed to be and you're not doing It's like,
help him, like, if you want it to be more classical,
trained Shakespearean, teach him how to do that, which, of
course you did. You figured it out because you're a genius,
and it's like that pisses me off. But anyway, there's
no reason to be insecure. You should never have been
insecure about your acting ever, because you were so leagues

(18:40):
beyond I mean, most everybody that I've ever seen, and like,
this episode is like just a masterclass. And I don't
really like the episode for a lot of other reasons,
but I was just like, holy crap, did I not?
Because I think I in my mind, I was like, well,
Will's the funny, great comedian, but you're like a genuinely
brilliant act.

Speaker 5 (19:01):
Well, thank you, it's very sweet. It was a rough week, Danielle.
Why do you think I'm awesome?

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, I agree.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
I cannot follow that up, but I do agree with
every single word he said. I actually really did enjoy
the episode. But the only reason I enjoyed it is
because of you. I know for a fact it. Had
you not been as spectacular as you were in every
single scene, every single beat, I would have thought this

(19:31):
episode sucks. But you were so good despite all my
like well what is this and what's happening and why
is this going on?

Speaker 3 (19:38):
And this is all odd. I didn't even care about
any of that.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
I just enjoyed it because you commanded the room in
every and.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
It is the story. His shifts from tone from moment
to moment is the guiding story, because otherwise it's so bonkers.
You have no idea what's happening, but you know where
you are, and you know to feel about where you
are based on Will's performance alone, not the lines, it's
the way that they are delivered and the way he
is controlling what the how to react to the people

(20:10):
around him. It's genius. And it's like that is to
ask that of a nineteen year old is insane, but
they they they could do it because you're just that
good and like that. That's my big takeaway. I was like,
oh my god, this.

Speaker 5 (20:22):
Is very sweet.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
This was a rough week for me. I just remember
all around it being a rough.

Speaker 5 (20:27):
Week for me, the shakes. He was probably at the
table read.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
No, it was work, but you did it. You did
the work. You nailed it and you should never have
felt bad about it in the process because it's just hard.
It's just a lot to do. They were asking so
much of you.

Speaker 5 (20:41):
I mean, I loved I loved watching you guys.

Speaker 4 (20:45):
I know that sounds ridiculous, but I loved watching you
guys because it was Ben and.

Speaker 5 (20:51):
The two of you. I thought nailed it this week, just.

Speaker 1 (20:54):
Playing the alternate versions of ourselves.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
But not just the versions of yourself. Because then even
because they then.

Speaker 4 (21:01):
Shoehorned in which never should have been, there a important
story and storyline of our Sean and Tapanga friends if
Corey's not involved, which is not something that should have
been thrown away, which is not something that ever should
have been made a joke, because that is a super
important story. Whether you're dating in you're twelve, or you're
dating when you're thirty two and you get divorced. Who

(21:23):
gets the friends? Are we friends together? Do we have
a relationship without this lynchpin between us? I mean that's
actually a hugely important storyline, especially when it comes to Corey, Sean,
Tapanga Yea. And to kind of throw that in and
make it almost a fever dream within a fever dream
was kind of like, well, wow, you just you literally

(21:44):
just took what could have been a.

Speaker 5 (21:45):
Powerful a story and threw it away.

Speaker 4 (21:48):
Because a entire if you want to do a Ben
a Ben has Finals week, that would have been amazing.
It's you do an entire episode of Sean and Tapanga
trying to relate to each other minus Corey throughout.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
The day and they're like trying to be friends and
it's just being awkward and not about to act. It
would have been really I would have led to some
very funny stuff.

Speaker 5 (22:10):
Oh my god.

Speaker 4 (22:11):
And then because what happens is if you do it
the right way, Angela becomes Shank. She gets pushed in
the middle of these two people who's friends with both
of them, and now they're going to split up.

Speaker 5 (22:22):
Who does Angela go with?

Speaker 4 (22:23):
You know this affects me too, you know, her going like, dude,
am my friends with Tapanga?

Speaker 7 (22:27):
Mine?

Speaker 4 (22:28):
Now?

Speaker 1 (22:28):
Is Sean?

Speaker 5 (22:29):
So much could have been done there that I was like, well,
why are they throwing this away? Why are you taking
this and throwing this away?

Speaker 4 (22:34):
So that it was weird to me that the Beast
storyline where it was just because I thought it was
such an important story.

Speaker 5 (22:41):
There could have been such an important story.

Speaker 4 (22:43):
And I think actually, there our fans are probably yelling
at the at the radio right now.

Speaker 5 (22:47):
I think they cover.

Speaker 4 (22:48):
It a bit in upcoming episodes, if memory serves.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
But I mean, I remember the wedding episode ends up
being kind of about Sean and Panga or Sean accepting
Topanga and stuff. But I feel like they never, like
as much as this episode sort of highlights, I don't
think it ever gets that developed. Because I was thinking
about Girl Meets World and was like, what, yeah, Like,
I don't think we ever even had like moments on
Girl Meets World where Sewan and Tapanga.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
It was always just the joke of like yeah, and.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
It's like, right, we never And you know, I think
the writers just didn't trust that Danielle and I could
carry a story as two characters like together, and that's
to me on them like that they didn't develop specifics
of the character. Character is enough they're dynamic enough to
like find a relationship, because even here it just kind
of becomes drama and it just becomes like and let

(23:38):
me express to you how much I love you, And
I'm like, well, yeah, but what, let's see that love,
Let's see it in story, Let's see the friendship. And
it still isn't there. It's still just kind of talked about.
So I don't know. It's yeah, I agree, yeah it was.

Speaker 5 (23:50):
It was a weird.

Speaker 4 (23:51):
So here's here's my overall take of the episode. I
didn't like it strictly for personal reasons. I can completely
see how fans would, if that makes sense.

Speaker 5 (24:01):
It is a romp.

Speaker 4 (24:02):
Seeing us break the fourth wall, hearing both you and
Ben call me Will at the end is really strange
and jarring in a kind of a wonderful way. So
I liked the personal memories of us shooting this and
having fun. As an episode, it was tough for me
to watch because it was a tough week. So and
it started literally I was ninety seconds into it when

(24:22):
Michael kind of cut my legs out from an interview
with that sucks.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
How do you pick up and go from that?

Speaker 4 (24:27):
Alan Myerson though, man, he was a rock star with
me this week and I just it was a it
was a wonderful whodos to Allan he was he really
stepped up this week and it was I owed him
a lot for this week.

Speaker 6 (24:37):
It was great.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
Well. Guest starring guys, get ready for this one. We
have Robert Clohess.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
He is Matt Frasier, now best known as Sid Gormley
on Blue Bloods for the past fourteen years.

Speaker 4 (25:02):
He was also in My brother Greggs movie, My brother
Gregshaw independent film, and he was in and I went
to the set years ago and he's like, Will still
working for ABC.

Speaker 5 (25:10):
Like he was like right back, Ard, such a nice guy.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Yeah, that's so funny.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
Well, back in the eighties he was Officer Patrick Flaherty
in Hill Street Blues and in the two thousands he
was Officer Sean Murphy on OZ. He has been on
everything from Roseanne to Boardwalk Empire and in movies like
Angels in the Outfield and The Avengers.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
This is a face you definitely recognize.

Speaker 5 (25:32):
Huge actor.

Speaker 3 (25:33):
And then there's.

Speaker 2 (25:33):
Aubrey Morris as Professor Cookmand. The British actor had a
career that spanned six decades and was best known as
mister Deltoyd Alex's probation officer in a little Stanley Kubrick
movie called A Clock Were Orange. Yep, did either of
you talk to him about that when he was on set?

Speaker 7 (25:51):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (25:51):
I want to say that I did. He and I
because and I didn't know who he was and what
he's in, and you don't. You can't google stuff at
the time. And I think Alan or one of the
writers wanted to producer. Somebody was like using Clockwork Orange,
and then I went back and watched Clockwork Orange and
I was like, oh my god, this guy's brilliant. He
also helped me with the Shakespeare. Was kind of like
the two of them talking to me. I mean, obviously
being British or he wasn't.

Speaker 5 (26:11):
He was from Pittsburgh. The accent was bulled, but.

Speaker 4 (26:15):
You know, being British he was he had some of
the Shakespearean experience.

Speaker 5 (26:19):
So yeah, the two of them were very helpful.

Speaker 2 (26:21):
He was also in My Girl Too, the original Wickerman,
and TV shows like Deadwood and A classic The Prisoner.
Morris passed in twenty fifteen at the age of eighty nine.
And then we have Deborah Kellner as Judy Eric's co star.
She had appeared on TV shows like Weird Science and
Unhappily ever After, but would later show up in a
ton of big movies like Blast from the Past, A

(26:41):
Night at the Roxbury, Mighty Joe Young, and Catch Me
if you Can.

Speaker 3 (26:45):
And it appears.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
She quit acting in two thousand and two, and in
twenty nineteen directed a documentary called Inside My Heart about
the difficult plight of refugees. And then we have Matt
Kirkwood as era medic. We have Marshall Rad Duziner. I
don't know how you say his last name, Rad Designer
as writer Dylan. His only other credit was The Wonder.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Years and Boy Meets World was his last acting gig,
so he only worked on Savage Brothers. Probably one of
the kids, Yes, I think he's one of the kids.

Speaker 5 (27:20):
Uh So he's got to be the writer's kid then
or something. Weren't they all writers and directors kids or someone.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
He must have been related to somebody or a friend
of the savages, That's what I guess.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
That's why it was all the writers kids and.

Speaker 5 (27:36):
Because then we have Jeff wasn't it writer, wasn't.

Speaker 3 (27:40):
Yes, we have David Jacobs as David.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
Yes, that's Michael Son. We have Rachel Jacobs as Rachel,
also Michael's daughter, a writer who appears to have had
some quick exits because she's the one who says I.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
Got fired again. We have Joshua Jacobs as Joshua.

Speaker 4 (27:56):
I think it's amazing though, that all these kids were
cast with well By with names that they already had
on the is that Weird played.

Speaker 5 (28:06):
David and Rachel played Rachel.

Speaker 4 (28:07):
That's I mean, the coincidence of that, but let alone
with like seven of them is well.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
And that they had to audition for it.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
They beat all those kids all exactly incredible, exactly right.
There's Dylan McCracken as Dylan, that is Jeff McCracken's son,
and Claire McCracken as Claire.

Speaker 3 (28:25):
So yeah, like we said, these kids had to beat
out so.

Speaker 5 (28:29):
Many other McCracken is there the clown.

Speaker 1 (28:32):
But so there is one kid who is not their.

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Friend, Red Duzoni or or something who I don't know
you say his last name.

Speaker 3 (28:43):
Who he plays.

Speaker 2 (28:45):
Dylan, uh, and he the only other credits he had
were boy meets World and wonder yourself.

Speaker 3 (28:50):
That's a friend exactly all right.

Speaker 2 (28:53):
Jumping into our recap, we are on a college campus
theater Renaissance music plays as Eric or some backdrop for
what looks to be a production of Romeo and Juliet.
He begins to brag to a beautiful young co ed
cast member, July, who is being fitted for some extravagant wardrobe.
Without me, your pretty little legs wouldn't have a balcony
to stand on. She asks if it's secure, and Eric

(29:16):
boasts that baby's as secure as I am. She gives
him a look and Eric nervously asks, you don't think
I'm secure. Then we hear a crash and a boy
screaming the balcony has completely fallen apart. Judy runs over
to see her co star Dylan lying on the floor
underneath a collapsed castle. She holds him as he cries out,
I have no feeling in my arms or legs. Judy

(29:37):
huffs with no remorse, Oh great, now I have no
Romeo and drops his head to the ground. Then an
old man marches onto the stage. It's the director of
the play, Professor Cookman, and he's demanding to know who
built the balcony. Eric says, Okay, in retrospect, it might
have been foolish of me to consider paste the nail's
silent cousin.

Speaker 4 (29:56):
You learn now the balcony is supposed to have collapsed
on him, right, he is not supposed to have been
on the balcony, because Romeo's not on the balcony.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
I think it's collapsed on him. Okay, yeah, I think
he was under it and it fell off.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
So he just just my walking past.

Speaker 5 (30:17):
Yeah, that makes it.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
I just love that Eric doesn't even really feel that
bad on me.

Speaker 5 (30:24):
All right, gotcha?

Speaker 2 (30:27):
The director shouts, I have four hundred people coming. Not
to mention, mister Jeffreymaneau.

Speaker 1 (30:32):
That's the best.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
Esteemed the esteemed theater critic from the Penny Saver. Huge
laugh in my house.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
Hearing jeffreymanel an esteemed theater critic from the Penny Saver
kills me.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
So he asks Eric what can solve this problem? And
Eric looks him up and down before declaring, you're really old.
Why don't you retire? The man is insulted. He runs
over to the injured Romeo, now on a stretcher. And
asks if he's sure he can't go on. Paramedics then
administer a defibrillator, jolting his lifeless body. It jumps in
the air, and.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
This is I mean, that's a pretty extreme I mean
to go, I'm like a balcony. He might be dead.
And I thought, oh, this is actually very smart because
it automatically sets the whole show into a rock Yeah. Otherwise, otherwise,
if we're supposed to take it seriously like that, Eric
can keep You're just the Eric. Because the next couple
of scenes are like, wow, we shifted into like this

(31:28):
is going to change Eric's life, but we know it's
all absurd because we've seen the defibrillator. It's like exactly,
you know they talk about the beginning of airplane when
you can see the shark thin of the airplane as
like an indicator of like, don't take any of this.
It's like, I feel like that's our moment right now.
It's like, Okay, we know what world we're in.

Speaker 5 (31:47):
It's the next line though, killed me.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
The defeated director asks what about just the machinee what
about just the machine?

Speaker 5 (31:56):
It's just so great.

Speaker 2 (31:59):
The paramedics wheel him off without a response. Eric chimes in, okay, okay,
I'll just get some tids and take these funny little booties.
Here he pulls Dylan's shoes right off of his feet.
The director scoffs you, Romeo, tis to laugh. Eric mocks him,
tis it? Then he dramatically jumps into a scene from
the play, totally nailing it, And we can see the

(32:20):
director changing his mind in real time. And so this
was the moment and the table read ranches.

Speaker 5 (32:25):
This is the second I opened my mouth, was I
just are you kidding me? And that and that was
and everybody laughed, and I was like, what do you
want from me?

Speaker 4 (32:33):
You know, you hand somebody Shakespeare the night before, and
it's like, I'm sorry, I'm not. It's a completely different
discipline as an actor. I'm not a Shakespearean trained actor.

Speaker 5 (32:42):
Sorry.

Speaker 2 (32:42):
Well, it's more just like exactly what writer said, you know,
to be on the side of I can make a
laugh at this person's expense in front of this whole room,
versus saying immediately you know, looking at you and going
we will help you.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
We will get here. It's going to be amazing.

Speaker 5 (32:58):
We'll figure it out.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
Wanted to take credit for your final performance and this way.
He cut your legs out, just like you said, and
then he could say, look, we got him. There, I
did it. Our team, I got it. And that's like
the thing is like you should never have been insecure.
I mean I used to feel the same way, like
Shakespeare always felt like this big high pressure. Well because
because I because we started as kids, you know, and

(33:22):
when you start as kid actors, you don't get a
chance to experiment with Shakespeare the way that most adult
actors by the time they graduate high school and they've
been you know, acting in like less pressure, and they
get to try out Shakespeare. And what you realize is
that it's just a matter of getting comfortable with it.
And you know, the way you played this is exactly right.
It's not. Yes, there are Shakespeareans out there who would

(33:42):
insist that there's a certain intonation, there's a certain that
you're supposed to cadence, but I I I think that
maybe that's all worth learning. But I also don't think
it's necessary, right, Like, there's a very the key is
to just oblige the language and to play it at
like you would any other scene. Yhich you did perfectly.
You look this guy in the eyes, and you play

(34:04):
it with such clear intensity, and like what you're doing
is you're not worried about how you sound or what
you correct look like. You're focused on the person in
the scene with you, and you that is great acting.
It doesn't matter what's coming out of your mouth. You
deliver the Shakespearean dialogue. But you're you're so focused and
clear on your objective that we believe you. I believe
you in this moment, I'm like, oh my god, Eric
is suddenly like intensely in love with the person he's

(34:26):
talking to, which is all that you need to do here.
But you were intimidated because you hadn't had the experience
of like if you did it, if you if we
all did it. I mean I haven't, so I still
am kind of intimidated the same way. Yeah, but it's
like that you get over that as an actor. That's
just the way. But we never had that opportunity because
when you're a kid actor, you just do you know, dialogue, Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (34:48):
Once Eric's emotional soliloquy ends, the professor compliments him that
was exquisite. Eric snaps back into reality and shrugs, Yeah, well,
I've been building that balcony since the first rehearsal. So
I can do the whole play. I can do Lady
capula It, I can do Friar Lawrence. I can do Cartman.

Speaker 5 (35:05):
Another sign for another another South Park.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Reference, rattles off a snippet of his cartment impression. I'm
not fat in festively plump.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
So think about what we've just done in like thirty seconds.
In thirty seconds of dialogue, Will has taken us through
a spectrum of performance that is mind boggling yes, and
carried the audience and made us believe every single one
of these steps. He's gone Shakespeare Eric sitcom character then,
and he continues to do this throughout the rest of

(35:40):
the episode.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
I know it doesn't just stop in this opening. I
know it's incredible. The man nods and asks him to
please go put on his tights. Eric agrees, but he
wants to clarify I did get the part right. The
man just stares at him blankly, and Eric runs off.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love that is like, you're gonna go put the
tights on either way, because what does that mean that
moons you are putting the tights on?

Speaker 5 (36:02):
You can do the part an right after the type?
What is the question. What would we go from? There
is the question we're asking. Yeah, right, I love it.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
Then we cut to Romeo and Juliet, now on stage,
up and running. Jack, who is apparently playing Tibbalt, walks
across the stage with a few other actors. When Eric
aka Romeo and Russia onto the stage.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
What is this a college play?

Speaker 7 (36:24):
It looked like a college play.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
Yes, yeah, He pushes Jack forcefully and asks mercutio slain.
The boys begin to circle each other, displaying their contempt
for one another. Then Jack whips out his sword and
Eric follows. Shortly after they engage in a sword fight.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
Do you remember rehearsing this way?

Speaker 5 (36:44):
I do, Yeah, I remember Matt having fun, and justin
I felt like.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
I would have loved you guys circling each other to
be a little slower. Yeah, I just I felt like
you were on camp. The way it was set up.
I was really impressed with the blocking, Like the way
it was set up, how it was perfect that you
as you were turning.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
Almost your entire line was on camera, And had we
been a little slower, it would have been the whole thing.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
But but still, for all the times we've said, what's
up with this weird blocking.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
I really enjoyed this blocking.

Speaker 1 (37:16):
And this whole set is really complicated because you also
have behind the scenes, you know, when they're on stage
and after the curtain falls, so you're shooting from two sides.
So very tough, and Alan did a great job of man,
really good job. It would have been a disaster if
I saw that script as a director, I would have
been like, how having conversations on stage at the audiences

(37:36):
and hearing they're talking of just so many levels. One.

Speaker 4 (37:39):
I was thinking about this as I was watching the episode.
You know, one of the reasons why I think he
nailed this direction is because this hearkens back to the
show that he won Emmys for, The Larry Sanders Show.

Speaker 5 (37:49):
Behind right, it was part.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
Of the show, and then behind the scenes of the show,
and then the life it was. It felt like that
to me. It felt like a Larry Sanders episode which
he was great. So you saw it, you really saw
it in this episode.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
Yes, So Eric leans in close to his roommate and
exclaims in a funny whisper voice.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Prepared to die Jedi Master. And now after the play
the cast is receiving their ovation. The director loudly applauds
his Romeo and snatches a bouquet of flowers out of
Judy's hands for Eric. The Professor beams, I haven't seen
such raw talent since I had directed Meryl Streep in
the nineteen seventy seven Senior Class production of The Meryl Streep.

Speaker 5 (38:29):
He's got her own show.

Speaker 7 (38:32):
Unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (38:33):
It cracks me up. Judy agrees and calls Eric amazing.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
Eric snaps back, you didn't like me at all before
I became Romeo, did you. He grabs her hand and
brings her to the front of the stage for more adulation.
He says, through gritted teeth, but now all these people
are applauding for me, and that impresses you. You know,
there's a name for people like you. Judy responds back,
really what, Eric swavely responds, missus?

Speaker 7 (38:57):
Eric his bow?

Speaker 1 (39:01):
If you the way that you deliver the joke and
then the most like shikespearean bow I've ever seen. It's
just genius, And that's like just you, that's just you
adding an extra like layer to a bout.

Speaker 4 (39:18):
Yes, so Sue and I So Sue's favorite thing I've
been doing since we started dating is occasional should look
at me, should be like, I didn't have the best day.

Speaker 5 (39:27):
Can you thank the audience for me?

Speaker 4 (39:29):
And so it's the straight up actor like run out
after show, you're out of yet and you're like you
do this.

Speaker 5 (39:37):
And you're like you're like thanking everyone around you, and
then you do so occasional should look at me. She'd
be like, can you just thank the audience for me?

Speaker 1 (39:46):
And I'll leave.

Speaker 4 (39:47):
I'll leave the room and come back.

Speaker 5 (39:52):
I come back and then you walk out. So there
was there were moments of that in this just.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
Talks me up. Then we're in the Matthew's kitchen.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
Eric bursts in while Amy, Allan and Morgan are gathered
at the kitchen table.

Speaker 3 (40:07):
He proudly tells his family, I have finally found my
niece famous line alert.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
I never knew where this came from. I honestly thought
we created that.

Speaker 3 (40:18):
In Girl World. I know, I didn't remember it either.

Speaker 4 (40:21):
Oh no, I knew it was from Boy Me throw
because because there's it comes back with Feenie later with
That's a place with Squirrel's thing where he says right
on girl though on boy, it starts on boy says,
and that's where I behind him, like pretending he's drinking.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
Yeah, yeah, so Alan corrects him, you mean niche. Eric
pauses and then admits probably. Alan shakes his head, unbelievable.
Amy looks at the newspaper and awe, these reviews are incredible.
Eric warnser if you're gonna pay attention to the good reviews,
you gotta look at the bad ones. Morgan points out
there are no bad ones. Eric grabs her and giddily
yell's I know. Amy reads some reviews out loud. Matthews

(40:59):
is king Lee your rules. Matthew's performance would tame any shrew.
So wait, you're also doing King Lear.

Speaker 1 (41:05):
He's done three different shows exactly. Yeah, come on, master Thesbian.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
She looks at her son and pleads, promise me, you
won't let these things go to your head. Eric is
surprised by this. He scoffs never. Then Amy looks through
the newspaper and excitedly points out that Bloomingdale's is having
a white sale. Eric furiously grabs the paper and crumples
it up.

Speaker 3 (41:25):
That's not about me.

Speaker 5 (41:27):
I think I surprised that with that, because you can
see it looks.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
Like like like laugh.

Speaker 1 (41:34):
She's just staring at you, and even.

Speaker 5 (41:36):
Betsy looks like she's about to lose it a little bit,
so I think I.

Speaker 3 (41:40):
Then we're in the guy's apartment.

Speaker 2 (41:41):
Sean's putting on his black leather jacket and yells out
to Jack, come on, Corey's gonna be here in the
doorbell buzzes like now and you jump over the rolls.

Speaker 3 (41:51):
Cat. But where a baby?

Speaker 4 (41:57):
But from that set, that wasn't a small leap, decent
size drop.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
No, listen, he was so upset by not being able
to roller blade, he was like, watch me do it.

Speaker 5 (42:06):
As the character finding stuff to do.

Speaker 3 (42:12):
He opens the door and is stunned to see Tapanga.

Speaker 2 (42:14):
She confesses there's something I want to talk to you
about and makes her way into the apartment. Sean breaks
the news we were just on our way out, but
to Pega in or Jack's I just want to make
sure you and I are okay. I know since Corey
and I broke up, things have been kind of weird
between us. I care about being your friend. Just then
Jack walks down the stairs and to Panga yells in terror,
what happened to your face? Jack's taken aback. Apparently she

(42:37):
doesn't care about being my friend. Sean tells Tapanga, they're
on their way to the basketball game, so now is
not the best time to make that comment. Tapega shakes
her head. No, you're not going anywhere. These look like
chicken pox, do they itch? Jack, who we now see
has read dots on his face, winces as he stares
at himself through the reflection of dishware. He admits the
ones on his face don't itch, but the ones on
his arms are a little irritating.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
You don't remember this at all.

Speaker 5 (43:00):
You don't remember getting the makeup. You don't remember any
of this.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
But you know it makes sense. We wouldn't remember the
makeup because that would just be on the tape day, right.
We have been just rehearsing regularly.

Speaker 4 (43:09):
But I would figure you, with how much you don't
like taking your shirt off on camera and stuff like that,
would remember like having to hold up your stomach and
get the I was shocked.

Speaker 1 (43:16):
I was like, what is God? I don't remember this all?

Speaker 4 (43:18):
Wow. And then Danielle, my other question was are you
and Matt dating?

Speaker 5 (43:22):
At this point? That's what I found. Huh, you can
see it, see it a little bit.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
I saw it. You guys not know. I see it
even on the show.

Speaker 5 (43:33):
I could kind of see it.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
I was watching with Sue and I was like, I
think they're dating at this point.

Speaker 5 (43:38):
Yeah they are.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
Yeah, we were definitely dating.

Speaker 7 (43:42):
Okay.

Speaker 6 (43:43):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (43:44):
He reveals even scarier marks on his body to Beannga
gets serious. If Jack doesn't take care of these chicken
pox now, he could get really sick.

Speaker 3 (43:51):
Jack is terrified. I don't want to die.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
Sean assures him that no one's dying and they're going
to the game. Then the doorbell buzz is. It's finally Corey.
Tonga darts to the door. No, Corey, don't come in here.
She latches the extra lock so we can't enter. Corey's
confused and pushes the door open. What's the panga doing there?
Tapega slams the door shut again, and Sean yells she's
trying to keep us from going to see the Sixers.
To Penga shouts to her ex boyfriend, they have chicken pox.

(44:16):
Run away or you could catch them. Sean moves her
aside and unlatches the lock. Corey's not going to listen
to her. He opens the door and we see the
elevator doors closing.

Speaker 1 (44:25):
Corey is there ever an explanation that, like why to
Panga's not worried about getting it herself.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
Because I mentioned I already had it, Yeah, you did,
I say, when I had it.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
But then Corey's never had it.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
I guess not. I guess none of you have ever
had it. And to Pega knows that because I thought
the same thing. I was, like, would know whether or
not Corey, I'm sure, so.

Speaker 7 (44:47):
Go away, Yeah exactly.

Speaker 4 (44:49):
Both my brothers got got chicken pox multiple times. By
the way, My oldest brother had chicken pox three times
as a kid. What Yeah, and then my middle brother
had it twice.

Speaker 5 (44:57):
Yep. Not weird.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
It is weird. What's really weird is that nobody gets
it anymore. It's because your vaccination, right, I know, like
as a kid, you just had to get it, Like
I remember, it was like you have to were encouraged around.
Yes exactly, yeah, and I remember it was being awful.
My brother and I have it and it's just been oh.

Speaker 5 (45:15):
Yeah, week.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
God, I remember it too.

Speaker 5 (45:17):
I don't remember it at all. I know I had it,
but I don't remember it at all.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
I want to go back to ride or going. It's
so crazy that nobody gets it now and will going
because there's a vaccine.

Speaker 4 (45:30):
Yeah, but shingles is more is more prominent now though.

Speaker 6 (45:33):
Isn't it.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
She is just like a grown up version of chicken.

Speaker 4 (45:37):
Yeah. If you had chicken pox, right then you have
the shingle.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
That viral thing is lying dormant in your body.

Speaker 4 (45:44):
By the way, shingles, it's just as shingles like piles.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
It's too close to pringles. Pringles are delicious. Let's not
ruin them.

Speaker 1 (45:53):
Yeah, sound like it should be a positive thing, like, oh,
it's the Christmas season, time for shingles. It's all needs
some should shingles.

Speaker 5 (46:03):
It's delighteful.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
He turns to Tobanga in shock. I can't believe how
whipped that boy is. Then he asks, what do you
mean they have chicken pox.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
Jack, feverishly itching his spots, blurts out from the other
side of the room. I don't want to die.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
To Bega insists they won't die because she is going
to stay there and take care of them. She tells Sean,
Jack has full blown chicken pox and you have half
blown chicken pox. Sean can't contain his laughter. That is
so ridiculous. If I have chicken pox, Where are my dots?
To Benga lifts his shirt and reveals red dots all
over his stomach. She sarcastically asks, should I connect them
for you? Jack, who continues to itch, groans, oh man,

(46:43):
you're dying worse than I am. Sean blows them both off.
I feel fine, so I have dots. She explains that
he only feels fine now because it hasn't hit him yet.
When she got sick, she had dots a fever, and
she couldn't stand on her own two feet. Sean sarcastically wonders,
at any point doing the sickness, did you ever get quiet?

Speaker 4 (47:04):
To?

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Panga excuses the attitude because she knows he's sick. Sean
fights back, I am not sick. I have never felt better.
He takes a few steps and gets wobbly. Or perhaps
I have here just a Panga to put her arms out,
and then he collapses onto her, forcing them both to
land onto the couch.

Speaker 4 (47:22):
Mister, great joke there they did not you, which is
it's been done a thousand times. But because it's been
done a thousand times, that's what's so good? Is you
going put.

Speaker 5 (47:30):
Your arms out? You need to catch me and then
you fall forward forward.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Yeah, it works everything, and then we're back in the theater.
Another performance has ended, and Eric jogs out from backstage.

Speaker 4 (47:55):
This is the entrance to thanking the audiences. That the
jump the fake jumped to then running to the end
of the stage. That's our Suan is like, you're thanking
the audiences, like I know.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
They give him a round of applause and congratulatory hugs.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
Alan even awards him a compliment. The real tragedy at
tonight is that William Shakespeare couldn't be here to see
how good you are. Eric casually responds, he'll come tomorrow.
I mean we're here all week. Alan looks at him,
stunned again. Unbelievable. Amy in disbelief of Eric's raw emotion
on stage. She can't believe he wept when jumping into
Ophelia's grave. Where did he get his motivation? Now you're

(48:32):
doing Hamlet, of course? What is this a medley.

Speaker 5 (48:39):
Shakespeare?

Speaker 4 (48:40):
We in our college Shakespeare weak?

Speaker 5 (48:43):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (48:44):
Eric pulls a book out of his pocket right here
in the script. Look, he points to a page, weeps openly.
He laughs, I mean.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
They tell you what to do. Femie appears and just
pats Eric on the back and sarcastically calls Eric a truth.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
Lesbian referts to the fact that Bill hated being told
what to say or how to react to the stage.
Remember it was a giant. It was like a not right,
how do you weep or laugh or whatever? So I
think they threw Bill into that moment like a little
in joke, like yeah, because he hated that so and

(49:20):
everyone knew it, so they would avoid writing stage.

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Stage directions for him.

Speaker 5 (49:23):
It's hysterical.

Speaker 2 (49:25):
Just then, the director calls out to his star Eric,
there are some gentlemen here to see him. They'd like
to talk to Eric about his future. Eric asks, are
they gypsies? Which yes, acknowledging is offensive. Now a group
of suited white dudes introduced themselves. First is Randolph Dixon
from Juilliard. Eric shakes his hand and asks, POENI, what's that?

(49:47):
He tells him it's the most prestigious acting school in
the country. Next is Sir Ralph Kremendenson from r SC.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Ralph Cranendon from from The Honeymooners.

Speaker 5 (49:57):
But they just add.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
Eric asks again, what's that? Phoene responds Royal Shakespeare Company,
the most famous theatrical company in the world. Then a
man from the back pushes through. He's Matt Fraser from ABC.
This time, Phoene asks, what's that Eric is beside himself.
It's the American Broadcasting Company, the number one network alphabetically.

Speaker 3 (50:20):
In the world, a little dig and our own.

Speaker 2 (50:24):
Network network because we were this morning I NBC would
have been burst, destroying, destroying.

Speaker 5 (50:32):
Fox was coming along, but I don't think they were
there yet.

Speaker 4 (50:34):
So NBC because we were first when we started, because
they had Home Improvement, we.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Brought him back.

Speaker 3 (50:45):
Were doing well, don't worry, we will, We'll take.

Speaker 5 (50:48):
Care of it.

Speaker 1 (50:49):
Yeah, you like, CBS really rose with with reality and
crime stuff, which.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
Yes, it would have been their serialized you know, n
c I S whatever that for sure.

Speaker 1 (51:01):
Yeah, I don't know whatever.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
They had during that time.

Speaker 4 (51:03):
NYPD Blue and then the entire NBC lineup.

Speaker 5 (51:07):
I think PD Blue, NBC I don't remember, but yeah,
so that was I mean, they were.

Speaker 4 (51:13):
Yeah, perfectly balanced network at the time, and then yeah,
ABC was starting to flill.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
Matt asks if Eric would like to come to Hollywood
and be on television.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
A wide eyed Eric shouts me in the TV Matt
nods and Eric turns to Feeneye jaw dropped and ready
for his close up, and then we're on a Hollywood lot.
We get a montage as Eric is hanging onto a
golf cart which is being driven around by Phoene. Exciting
music plays as he looks around the lot in awe.
They passed the Seinfeld and Third Rock from the Sun sound.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
Stages CBS Radford. Remember the spots, they know exactly where
we are.

Speaker 4 (51:51):
But it was also this is what it was like.
And here's what I mean by that perfect example. We're
shooting this episode and Bill's driving around in the cart
and we pull over into a shady spot right at
the right near the lot as they're setting up another shot,
and these two arms go around Bill from behind as
he's sitting in the cart and give him a hug.

(52:12):
And we turn around and it's Jeff Goldbloom. Oh, and
he's like, hey, Bill, how you doing. We sat and
talked to Jeff Goldbloom for about ten minutes.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
He leaves.

Speaker 4 (52:19):
John Cleese walks by because he's on Third Rock from
the Sun at the time.

Speaker 7 (52:22):
Wow, this is what it was like.

Speaker 4 (52:24):
So like the joke of like you're seeing people dressed
like cowboys. You're seeing famous people walk by. That's what
it was actually like. Yeah, and I had that moment
of just like, just talk to Jeff Goldbloom.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
Oh hey, look at that. That is not my experience.
Oh really, I just had my head down my car
to the stage. I didn't know who anybody was. I
didn't care. I wanted to be so anti Hollywood that
I wouldn't even look at anybody. I didn't talk to anybody.
I mean, now I would be like, let's go meet
these acts, let's say hi, or tell them we appreciate

(52:54):
their work, or anybody.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
Nope.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
Back then, I would have just been like.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
Oh, I was talking to everybody. I was walking around.
You'd see people like dressed like not drinking coffee. It
was like, oh, I sucked in every moment of it. It
was great, so much health.

Speaker 5 (53:08):
Just like that.

Speaker 7 (53:09):
It was just like that, so fun.

Speaker 2 (53:12):
Eric runs up to a payphone, but two men, one
of them being our very own Mark.

Speaker 3 (53:16):
Paper, push him away.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
They grab the phone and pick it up and move
it elsewhere. It was only a prop, and Eric is amazed.
Feeneye watches on and rolls his eyes.

Speaker 4 (53:28):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (53:28):
Then Eric is distracted by an actress dressed as a princess.
Then he runs back to Feenie in the golf cart.
It drives past some actors and clothing racks, only to
land at a sound stage. Four kid gets acquainted with
the universe. The logo looks like a parody of Boy
Meets World. Eric declares, I'm home. This is where I belong.
He thanks mister Feene for coming along. It would have

(53:50):
been so uncool if it was with his parents. Phoene
reminds him that he's only there to make sure Eric
has settled in. Keep both your feet on the ground.
This town is swimming with sharks. Eric's offended. Stop attacking
his town. People in La are really down to earth,
good kindly folk than you. The golf cart is rear
ended and jerks forward. A girl roughly shouts, hey, get

(54:12):
out of my space. Eric tells Poenie, there's one of
them now, he waves high. Nice person.

Speaker 1 (54:18):
She must have been so stoked.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
Then stop.

Speaker 5 (54:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
The girl, who we recognize as Morgan with sunglasses, yells
what do I have to do?

Speaker 3 (54:29):
Call my attorney? Get out of my space, so.

Speaker 1 (54:32):
She I don't know if you guys remember this, but
we originally were not supposed to play ourselves or alternative versions.
They actually cast lookalikes for really, yes, And I know
this because I was going to college with the guy
they cast as the Rider the Schneider what yes, and
he occidental. Yeah, it was at I mean just you

(55:00):
like you like processed like ten jokes and then like
selected the best one and like it's like a joke
AI brains cal so insane. Yeah, So I was going
to I was going to call it with the guy,

(55:20):
and he like came up to me and we talked
about the fact that he was going to be playing Schneider,
the other version of me, and then and he did.
He kind of looked like me. He used to get
recognized as me. And I remember Michael being like, yeah,
we cast the perfect guy to play you and the
perfect you know everybody, and then for some reason they
decided not to do it. And I still don't know
exactly why. But as much as I had fun playing Schneider,

(55:44):
I think it would have been better if it wasn't us. Yeah,
And I think and again that is another makes me
think it also was Ben's finals and that they Ben
wouldn't have been in anything except the tag if another
person had paid played Ben Sad, so I think something happened.
Maybe Ben didn't have finals and they were like, let's

(56:04):
just use the kids or you know whatever. But it
was a change. That guy ended up being on the
show later because they felt bad that they had so
they brought him in for like a line or two.
So we'll see him in a couple episodes, I think,
or the early next season because they you know, he
came in an auditioned again for another part. But yeah,
but he had been cast. They had cast people to
play us, and I was watching this going as much

(56:27):
fun as it is, it's so like mind breaking, like
you're watching the show. Yeah wait, we're in the same
sets and we're playing the same actors. It's just it's strange.
It's it's like meta and strange in a way that
like because I don't know, I mean, I guess it
kind of works. I'm curious how the audience I love.

Speaker 4 (56:45):
I loved watching you guys, so it's also because I
know you so well. So watching you guys play fantasyful
versions of yourself was great, right, But again, having then
a real b story where you're still playing Sean and
to Pang, I now is the thing.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
It was like, oh, that shouldn't I do think the
bizarro world Corey to Panga Sean Jack.

Speaker 3 (57:07):
I yeah, I think.

Speaker 2 (57:08):
That would have been I think you're right right, I
think that would have been better. But it could have
also been that they had like nine paid guest stars already.

Speaker 7 (57:16):
Yeah, and then.

Speaker 3 (57:19):
It could have been a bunch of thing they needed
to pay their children.

Speaker 5 (57:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (57:22):
So can you imagine if they were ballsy though, they
could have cast Matt McCoy to play the dad. Oh,
the original Eric to play the era. I mean it's
like the original to play to Panga. But yeah, I know,
I mean they could.

Speaker 5 (57:36):
Have it could have gone a totally different route with it.

Speaker 2 (57:39):
So then our bizarro Morgan rear ends the golf car
so hard it actually moves out of the space. She
yells out thank you, but you get the feeling she
doesn't mean it. Phoeney responds, you're welcome, and who might
you be?

Speaker 3 (57:52):
Little girl? She angrily shouts, I'm not a little girl.

Speaker 5 (57:54):
I'm forty two.

Speaker 3 (57:55):
I just played Little Girls on TV. She walks by
air and pinches his butt. Your headh yep, wow.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
She probably couldn't have gotten to your real tush though,
because you had a wallet that was like this thing.

Speaker 4 (58:09):
I do.

Speaker 5 (58:10):
I have a wallet the whole time.

Speaker 1 (58:14):
I don't have your wallet.

Speaker 3 (58:18):
Probably wallet your own wallet.

Speaker 2 (58:21):
Phoene asks Eric if he actually wants to go through
with this. Eric doesn't hesitate. He wants this more than anything.
And then we're back at the guy's apartment. Tabanga is
sitting on the couch reading a book aloud as Jack
lays his head in her lap.

Speaker 3 (58:33):
Damn dating. They're both on the verge of tears. As
Topanga reads the last line of the book. He knew
they would be together again someday. Jack is gasping for
air in heaven.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
Tabnga nods her head, now full on crying, and hands
jacket tissue. Sean watches on itching red dots that are
now scattered across his entire body. He tells Stabanga, my
brother and I appreciate everything you're doing for us, but
we're all better now. So the next time we get
chicken pox, we'll give you a call. Tapanga tells him
to stop pitching. Sean's about to explode. He doesn't want
her help. Jack says, I do to Banga is a

(59:07):
good nurse. He holds his hand up to his forehead
and notes my fever's down to malaria level.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
His eyes crossed as he says.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
I think I can go back to my village now,
and he falls backwards into the couch. Tobanga insists he
not get up, and Jack begs for her to stay.
Sean tries to argue, but Tobanga speaks first. It's okay,
he doesn't know what he's saying. It's the fever talking, Jackie.

Speaker 1 (59:28):
That's interesting to think that the fever actually could have
opened a door for this to be a bizarro storyline too,
Like the whole thing could have been over the top
and dream like and like we play out like you know,
interpretive dance, you know whatever. Like it could have been
so funny, yeah, and still had the same message but
been more you know, fitting for the rest of the episode.

(59:48):
Let's go back and pitch it.

Speaker 3 (59:49):
Jack pops back up. That's not right.

Speaker 2 (59:51):
He doesn't want to be friends with you because you
broke up with Corey. That means you were never really friends.
No friends, no friends at all. He goes cross eyed
again and passes out up to Panga admits it does
seem to be a very perceptive fever, though Sean gives
her a look of sad. Music plays in the background.

Speaker 5 (01:00:07):
It was very sad.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
Yeah, and then we are on Kid gets acquainted with
the universe set Here we go. Eric and Feenie are
walking around the set when Matt Frasier from ABC spots them.
He gives Eric a very enthusiastic greeting and wants him
to meet the rest of the cast. Hopefully this will
be your family for the next one hundred episodes. I hope,
I hope, I hope. Had we hit our one hundredth
episode at this point, I.

Speaker 4 (01:00:28):
Think so, we must have been close. Yeah, if we
hadn't yet, it was right around the corner.

Speaker 5 (01:00:32):
And it just such a personal thing to go back
to look at the set.

Speaker 4 (01:00:36):
Like you're seeing people and you're saying, oh God, finally
turned around.

Speaker 1 (01:00:41):
Yeah, yes, this is what it looks like from our
point of view.

Speaker 2 (01:00:44):
It is funny though that I definitely noticed they used
a lot more background actors rather than actually using our
real crew, Like I was paying attention a lot of
attention to like, who is that is that somebody we know?
And I was I had to actually work, I know,
but I would have loved, like, well, the way.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
Mark Pabsen was thrown in there. That was so I
was so fun I wanted a bunch of those, but
we didn't get as many of them as I wanted.
We see the.

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
Cast and it's Ben and Writer sitting in the Matthews
living room. Matt explains and introduces Eric, who will be
playing the role of the long lost brother Ben, who
is reading a variety magazine and Writer just stare at him, unenthused.
The ABC execs says, Eric came all the way from Philadelphia,
so they need to make him feel welcome. Matt introduces
Ben Sandwich, the star of the show. Maybe you've heard

(01:01:27):
of his brother, Bread Sandwich.

Speaker 3 (01:01:31):
His name's Bread weird. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:01:37):
Sandwich is pretty fun.

Speaker 2 (01:01:38):
Bread is pretty funny. Sandwich. Eric has heard of Bread Sandwich.
Ben shakes Eric Eric's hand and seems pleasant at first,
but gives him a stern warning. Let me tell you
what this show is not. This is not long Lost
Brother the universe.

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
Biggest jerk.

Speaker 5 (01:02:00):
Yes, he did you notice the sniffing?

Speaker 6 (01:02:04):
No?

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Is he doing the sniffing?

Speaker 5 (01:02:05):
Oh he's got the He's got this kind of on
the whole time.

Speaker 4 (01:02:09):
That is just so funny because it's so Ben, and
so like, yeah, he like throws me a look a
couple of times right before we're supposed to start the scene,
and he gets into for he's like.

Speaker 1 (01:02:17):
Yeah, my favorite is his interpretation of like, that's it
come acting When he's on the stairs with you. He's
doing like just a slightly heightened right like because it's
kind of what we were doing. But he does this
just a little bit of a a And then when
he does it for real at the end of the episode,
you can see how Ben Savage actually would play it.

Speaker 5 (01:02:40):
But in here he's so good at like just.

Speaker 3 (01:02:42):
Modulating it just a just a little bit, a little bit.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
I'm acting with a script in my hand. It's just
so so sophisticated.

Speaker 3 (01:02:49):
God, it is so funny.

Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
So he gives him a stern warning, let me tell
you what this show is not. This is not long lost.
Brother gets acquainted with the universe. O pay Eric's eyes widen, okay, hey,
and Ben walks away. Next, Eric introduces himself to Schneider,
who's in a fetal position on the couch. Schneider reveals,
sometimes I get shy. Oh, people who aren't shy.

Speaker 5 (01:03:10):
Make me lost.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
At this point, was I shy? No, would you feel no,
sensitively emotional, intense, but like this version of me is
it's it was fun to play. But I was watching
I was like, so, what what did the writers think
of me?

Speaker 4 (01:03:28):
Like?

Speaker 1 (01:03:28):
What are they mocking about me? You know, because it's
obviously playing on like me, and I guess it's just
that I was always like sensitive and quiet.

Speaker 2 (01:03:37):
Yeah, I think it's I think it is a pretty
good juxtaposition against the me who is obviously the opposite
of shy. I was not at all an introvert as
a teenager. I've become much more of an introvert as
i've aged, but I was nothing of an introvert then
I would have been. I was always everybody everybody, and
I was very maternal, like even every way I feel

(01:03:59):
like you were their best friends, and the way even
in the B story it's played out with ME being like, nope,
that's it, I'm going to take care of you. That's
who very much who I was and still am as
a person. So it's kind of like Danielle on both
like it's the whole episode for me is very much
like who Danielle is Slash was, And I guess for you,

(01:04:21):
the playing opposite of that, which is like people who
are too comfortable in big crowds and just announcing themselves
when they enter a room. Is I'm the opposite of that.
I just want to blend in. I just want to
I want to be smaller groups.

Speaker 7 (01:04:38):
And so I think it's.

Speaker 2 (01:04:40):
The same shy exactly same Shai. Isn't the yeah it
tortured poet is maybe the.

Speaker 3 (01:04:47):
So shy is the.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
Only more accurate like over the top writer would have
been like really intense on the acting and like annoyed
by having to do something so superficial and lame, right,
which is which is just funny that they instead made
it this like sensitive scared guy, like who's but and
I just love that, you know, you as like the

(01:05:09):
top because like we actually got along great. I love
decided to make it that I am like terrified of you.

Speaker 2 (01:05:16):
Yes, well you they also just make you that you're
just terrified because later when Ben starts screaming, you're.

Speaker 3 (01:05:21):
Like, make the yelling stop.

Speaker 2 (01:05:22):
But also it probably wasn't much of a secret you
didn't enjoy yelling.

Speaker 1 (01:05:27):
No, so but I don't think I would have. Yeah,
And I mean that's my favorite moment of the episode.
Is when I transitioned from like sitcom acting to terror.
You could see my whole body just wi my shoulders,
and I'm like, that was good man.

Speaker 3 (01:05:41):
It was very fun.

Speaker 4 (01:05:43):
It's not just that, but the constant putting your hands
through your hair too.

Speaker 3 (01:05:47):
Oh.

Speaker 5 (01:05:51):
I turned it on all of a sudden because I
just started.

Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
That intentionally. Conversations we were having what would ride? Or
do you know what's.

Speaker 2 (01:06:14):
Just Then Danielle bursts through the doors and gives a
modelesque post huh.

Speaker 3 (01:06:19):
Sean whimpers, Oh no, it's her.

Speaker 2 (01:06:23):
Danielle sees Eric and excitedly asks are you a new guy,
and immediately goes in.

Speaker 3 (01:06:27):
For a hug.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
She asks Eric if he's met Schneider. He is very shy.
She proceeds to give Schneider a hug as he nervously
chants too close, too close, too close. Danielle admits to Eric,
deep down, I'm shy too, I'm a wounded bird. She
gets even closer, and then the baby voices, Schneider and
me are wounded birds. And we had so much fun

(01:06:48):
with this. I really do remember this part just being
very fun for us. Schneider whispers to Eric help me.
Eric decides to walk away, but he's met by Matt Lawrence,
who's wearing a black leather jacket.

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
Is it me leather jacket? Is it yours?

Speaker 2 (01:07:01):
No, it's a different one. Okay, He gruffly asks, why
do they need you? They got me already. This doesn't
make any sense.

Speaker 3 (01:07:08):
Then he looks at his empty hands and yells, where's
my banana?

Speaker 2 (01:07:11):
Is it or is it not? Two fifteen? He yells
for his banana boy that he doesn't appear to be around.
Matt looks into the distance and exclaims, mango boy, you're
being promoted.

Speaker 3 (01:07:20):
Baby.

Speaker 2 (01:07:21):
Eric whispers to himself, nutty, okay, mister Feenie, these people
are the Phoenie's nowhere to be seen. He calls out
to him and finds him in the set of Phoene's classroom.

Speaker 5 (01:07:31):
Oh I love this moment so much.

Speaker 2 (01:07:32):
In fact, Phoenie is critiquing the layout of the classroom,
telling Matt there are only nine desks? Are we supposed
to believe there are only nine students in the whole class?

Speaker 1 (01:07:42):
So good? But yeah, this is my brain was just
melting watching this. I love the Feenie is aware of
that there's only nine students and yet we're gonna go
back to this next week, So.

Speaker 7 (01:07:51):
Yeah, I can't.

Speaker 5 (01:07:52):
I love that. It was just like it's like him
just going like, what is what is this? What do
you think we're supposed to expect? There's only nine kids?
Come on.

Speaker 2 (01:08:01):
Matt admits camera angles will make it appear as if
there are more Feeney gasps. That is diabolical. Matt laughs,
then strides over to the cast. It's time to show
Eric how it's done. Everyone changes into their outfits as
Ben Sandwich harps on Schneider, maybe you could give me
a little something to play off of today.

Speaker 4 (01:08:17):
Okay, do you notice or so they're changing into their
outfits though, just switching shirt they're trading and they're wearing.

Speaker 5 (01:08:24):
It's just so brilliant. It's like they're just trading what
they're wearing. Oh god, it's awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
You dead person, you silent freak. I'm so sick and
tired of carrying the.

Speaker 2 (01:08:33):
Show, so it's terrible. Schneider apologizes. I'm sorry, mister Sandwich.
I need this job so I can pay for college
and get an education.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
Ben laughs. If this show goes for four years, I
know which is true.

Speaker 1 (01:08:46):
I still say it like I'm still like, Hey, you
know the best part about boy, But I was able
to pay for college. I didn't realize I was.

Speaker 3 (01:08:52):
Yeah, if this show goes for four years, they'll give
him an honorary degree.

Speaker 2 (01:08:58):
He'll be doctor creepy weirdo. The director tells them to
get into their places. He calls action and they begin rehearsal.
And so Matt Fraser, the ABC executive, is also the director.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
Of the show.

Speaker 2 (01:09:08):
Yeah he is, of course, Schneider, busting right into his
sean persona reads from the script. Look, Rory, all you
have to do is get the keys to your father's
car and his credit card. Ben reads and responds, I
don't know, Shane. I got a real bad feeling about this.
I've never done anything like this before. He stops reading
and shouts, we're doing this story again. How many times
have we done this? One hundred thousand? He angrily throws

(01:09:31):
his script on the floor. Schneider just wants the yelling
to stop. Ben marches up to the director. How can
I learn so much every.

Speaker 3 (01:09:37):
Week and still be so stupid? SU's Cort's so funny.

Speaker 5 (01:09:42):
Bashing our own show. It's great.

Speaker 1 (01:09:45):
Oh, and all of this I love it's when the
writers get involved, and I'm like, yeah, that's it's too
inside base. Yeah, like, yeah, that's it's funny to you know,
and for the writers. But I was like that whole
little this hold next to I was like, the audience
must have been so confused. They're like, what's going on
with this joke because they don't really understand what writers do,

(01:10:08):
especially kids watching the site that there's a team of
them that they are, you know, babies. I guess is
the kind of the joke or I don't know, like
it's just it's Yeah, there's.

Speaker 3 (01:10:18):
Definitely a lot of layers that are missed.

Speaker 2 (01:10:19):
But I do think the general audience probably understands that
they're being let in on something that they really shouldn't be, which.

Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
Is probably kind of a fun feeling, even if they.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
Don't understand all the layers that like writers are big
babies or any of that.

Speaker 4 (01:10:34):
You know, actors are can be mean and yeah they're
not two face.

Speaker 1 (01:10:39):
All the actor jokes everyone can get like everyone has
a way into that, especially since the episode is about acting, right,
it's about Eric, but the writing stuff, I was like,
this is this is too inside. I don't know if
anybody's ever got this really to the degree that you know.
But our writers were.

Speaker 5 (01:10:53):
Just mak having fun, having fun.

Speaker 2 (01:10:55):
Yeah yeah, So Schneider's on the verge of tears. He
rocks himself back and forth. Matt assures Ben, and they'll
get the writers to fix it. They've got the best
writers in town. Ben Yell's back, Yeah, that's all I hear.
They're hip, they're young, they're fun. He runs over to
the writer's Hey, do your jobs. We see it's just
a bunch of it's a table full of children at work.
One of the little boys looks heartbroken, and the others
look at Ben and terror.

Speaker 3 (01:11:15):
Ben asks, oh, did I hurt your feelings?

Speaker 7 (01:11:17):
Good?

Speaker 2 (01:11:18):
Because you know what this script is poopy. The pouting
little boy stands up for the group. It's not poopy,
you're poopy. A little girl groans, uh oh oh boy.
Another young writer grabs the little boy by the shoulder
and rallies behind him. That was a good thing to say.
Let's just watch what happens now. Ben screams, that's it.
You're fired. All of you get out and clean out

(01:11:38):
your cubbies. The defiant little boy shouts back, oh yeah,
well you can kiss my diaper butt. Another young writer
throws down his pencil. I am too old and too rich.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
And this is looking Jacob's playing to the camera, playing
Michael Jacobs yep, and.

Speaker 5 (01:11:53):
Look in the lens as he says it. Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:11:57):
Another girl is on her cell phone, Mommy, I'm fine.
Tired again. They all remember their things.

Speaker 7 (01:12:02):
Yeah, it took forever.

Speaker 5 (01:12:05):
Well it was also do you remember one of the
writers I forget who who.

Speaker 4 (01:12:08):
Came onto the show we interviewed, said that they were
up all night because Michael insisted that everyone gets the
line it was.

Speaker 1 (01:12:16):
And this was just sitting there yes, wine reading no
say it like this, no, say it like this.

Speaker 4 (01:12:22):
Just watching the watching the creative process at play.

Speaker 1 (01:12:27):
Oh, okay, you want to call it.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
It was awful.

Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
I just remember sitting there going this is Yeah, it
was a painful.

Speaker 5 (01:12:34):
That was a painful scene issue.

Speaker 1 (01:12:35):
Which is probably another reason why I'm not a fan.
Just watching it, I was bringing back painful memories, like
two hours on set watching.

Speaker 3 (01:12:41):
Right, these kids have to be told how to say that.

Speaker 1 (01:12:44):
And told how to say something and get it right
and over and over, just so painful.

Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
Well, Matt brushes this off and focuses his attention back on. Eric.

Speaker 2 (01:12:52):
You're playing Derek, all right, the older, good looking, not
the sharpest knife in the drawer, long lost brother with
a heart of gold.

Speaker 3 (01:12:57):
You think you can play that? Eric looks at him
with a smile. Can you don't mean real gold?

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:13:02):
Matt grins Just like that. He steps off the set
and calls action. Eric reads to Ben ouchie mcgouchy, little bro.
He then jumps into a Shakespearean accent. If I can't
have my lucky tube socks, I shall never pass the
astronaut tiest.

Speaker 3 (01:13:16):
Matt interrupts, laughing personally he loved Eric's approach.

Speaker 2 (01:13:19):
But don't do it. Don't do Shakespeare, do you? Eric's confused.
Don't do Shakespeare. I've ever done is Shakespeare? Matt emphasizes
the role is you, Eric?

Speaker 3 (01:13:28):
Do you?

Speaker 2 (01:13:29):
Eric looks at Ben worriedly and whispers to the director,
I don't know how to do that. Matt gives him
a word of advice. Acting is about honesty.

Speaker 3 (01:13:35):
Just be honest.

Speaker 2 (01:13:36):
Eric asks, So all I have to do is just
stand up here and just be honest. Matt notots that's it.
Eric's confident he can do that. Matt steps off set
and calls action. Ben starts it off. I'm really sorry, Derek,
but I washed your lucky tube socks, and he pulls
a baby sock out of his pocket and shrugs.

Speaker 3 (01:13:54):
Eric looks at him with disgust. You're not sorry, Ben,
out of character, leans in and asks what. Eric continues.
All of a sudden, the cameras are on you. You're a
different person. What's that all about? Ben looks at Matt
off camera.

Speaker 7 (01:14:06):
What.

Speaker 3 (01:14:07):
Eric tells Ben, I just saw the way you were
acting with the writers. You're just mean.

Speaker 2 (01:14:10):
He begins to Shakespearean voice again. Me thinks you shrunk
my socks on purpose. He turns to Matt and happily
asks like that. The executive responds by shouting God, and
then we're back on the lot. Eric and Feenie are
sitting outside the soundstage as the security guard closes the
big elephant doors. Eric's eyes, Sorry for dragging you out

(01:14:30):
to California, mister Feenie.

Speaker 3 (01:14:32):
I had no idea the Windy City would be so cruel.

Speaker 1 (01:14:35):
There's just a trash out.

Speaker 2 (01:14:41):
The trash, he reminds him, just because mister Fraser didn't
like your performance and we got thrown out of the studio.

Speaker 3 (01:14:50):
Doesn't mean you weren't good. That's just one man's opinion,
And I thought, wow, Michael commenting that just because he
doesn't think something's funny doesn't mean it's not necessarily true.
But then immediately after Eric says, well, what's your opinion
in Phoenie, the one who you know? If Phoene thinks it,

(01:15:11):
it must be right. Phoene quickly responds, well, the same
as is nobody. We didn't get. We didn't get the
moment that maybe there was gonna be a moment.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
Oh and you know what's funny and you know what's wrong,
and you know what's not funny. So wow, I didn't
even catch that. I didn't either. It's brilliant, pretty amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
But what you have to understand is that what comes
easily goes just as easily.

Speaker 3 (01:15:41):
He reminds Eric that to be a good actor he'll.

Speaker 2 (01:15:43):
Need to take classes, study for years, face rejection on
a daily basis, and then after ten thousand no's, there
might be a glimmer of a chance that someone might
say yes. Eric nods, next, I want to be the
heavyweight champion of the world.

Speaker 3 (01:15:59):
Phoenie tells him it's time to go home.

Speaker 6 (01:16:00):
I love me.

Speaker 4 (01:16:01):
First, He's always like, great, let's go our Kema, let's go. Thanks,
all right, that's next, let's go.

Speaker 2 (01:16:06):
We get one last shot of kid gets acquainted with
the Universe logo on the side of the building, and
then we are back at the guy's apartment. Jack finally
has some pep in his step as Sean has passed
out on the couch. He's going to the grocery store.
He asks if Sean needs anything. No, thanks for asking,
he seems bummed out. Jack asks, you're sure there's nothing
you need, like maybe to call up a friend and
tell her you're sorry. Sean, who still has some dots

(01:16:28):
on his face, doesn't know what he's talking about. Jack smirks,
you know the one. I mean, come on, she took
care of us. She was here for a couple of days.
Now she hasn't been around. Her name rhymes with.

Speaker 7 (01:16:38):
Manga, great line rhymes with.

Speaker 3 (01:16:42):
Sewn.

Speaker 2 (01:16:43):
Insists it's not his fault. This is what happens when
you're friends with a couple and they break up. You're
forced to choose sides, and Corey is his best friend.
Jack shrugs, Yeah, I'm sure she realizes that Sean jokes,
thanks to you. Jack defends himself. My temperature was like
one hundred and twelve. I didn't know what I was saying.
Sean tells him it's okay. He assumes Topanga felt uncomfortable too.
There's no way she's coming back. Jack opens the door and.

Speaker 7 (01:17:04):
There's to pega.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
Jack sarcastically responds, yeah, you're probably right. Jack gives her
a big hug. Hey, there's my favorite nurse. She purses
her lips and he gives her a kiss on the cheek.
And now it's just the thing that.

Speaker 1 (01:17:20):
I felt it. I was like, these two, they are
so excited to this over your face.

Speaker 5 (01:17:33):
It is.

Speaker 4 (01:17:33):
It is.

Speaker 3 (01:17:34):
Listen, how you little numbskulls didn't know it was going on.

Speaker 1 (01:17:39):
We're so self involved and everyone's.

Speaker 3 (01:17:41):
So self involved attention. But now now.

Speaker 5 (01:17:44):
You see it, I can tell I think you were
dating fun.

Speaker 2 (01:17:47):
As Jack leaves to Panga tells Sean, I know you're
in a tough situation. Corey's your best friend, Sean says,
you know, he used to tell me how wonderful you were.
But guys always say great things about their girlfriends until
they break up, and that's when the truth comes out
and this is the only part of this that I remembered.
I do remember this style that this part.

Speaker 1 (01:18:05):
I think it's a good turn and it's I know,
I don't love the way I played it, but it's
a great it's a good little scene.

Speaker 3 (01:18:11):
It is.

Speaker 2 (01:18:13):
He admits, I've waited fifteen years to find out what
he really thinks about you. Do you want to know
what he thinks about you now that you're broken up
to Panga doesn't want to talk about that. She just
wanted to tell Sean that he's an unappreciative little jerk
and if he's so uncomfortable around her that they can't
be friends now that she's not seeing Corey, then maybe
they were never really friends at all. She wants Sean
to tell that to her to her face, and Sean responds,

(01:18:35):
now that you've broken up, he still tells me how
wonderful you are.

Speaker 1 (01:18:38):
He's completely changed. This blocking so bad? Oh yeah, the
fact that I stay.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
On that couch, I know, and my jacket is like
blocking my arm. Why not rise to me?

Speaker 1 (01:18:47):
Well, no, no, think about if I instead had when
you walked in and you and I just made you
stand like over me, and I got up and said
so you want to hear what he really thinks about
you and walk to the kitchen to do some business
like get myself some soup. That would teed up, Oh
my god, and then you would have immediately been correct
and being defensive about like basically, I don't want to
hear that you're a jerky, sir, and then I would

(01:19:10):
turn to you and say you're the best person and
you know whatever, and then it would have felt But instead,
I'm stuck on that couch. You're doing the block, You're
like leading the scene, and it's like you come in
with this objective to yell at me, and it's like
just not as it just doesn't work. I just want
to go back and be like rider, get up, find
something to do in the kitchen, make it seem like
you're not engaging with her, and then come back and engage.

Speaker 2 (01:19:30):
Yeah, you being super dismissive again would have helped set
up the fact that TAPEG is comfortable being like, listen,
you're an unappreciative little jerk and blah blah blah, and then.

Speaker 1 (01:19:39):
Like a jerk. Instead, I'm like sitting on the couch
with my MOPy shan face looking up at you. And
you're like, you see it coming from a mile away.
It's like and so Tapanga ends up looking kind of harsh,
yelling down at him.

Speaker 2 (01:19:49):
It's like, yeah, you're right that that's a great change,
Sean responds, Now that you've broken up, he still tells
me how wonderful you are. He's completely broken hearted over

(01:20:10):
what he's lost to. Panga nods so am I. Sean
reminds her that Corey's his best friend, but he wants
to tell Tapanga to her face that if he knew
they weren't going to be friends anymore, it breaks his
heart too. She smiles and reaches into the grocery bag
she brought him soup. He smiles, will you feed it
to me? She gives a little laugh as they hug.

Speaker 3 (01:20:31):
Okay, cute, cute, and then we're in the tag.

Speaker 2 (01:20:36):
We're in the Matthew's kitchen. Eric is furiously searching through
the laundry. Corey walks downstairs and asks, what are you
looking for? Eric reveals my tube socks, my lucky tube socks.
I'm supposed to shoot hoops and I can't find them anywhere.
He asks Corey if he's seen them anywhere.

Speaker 3 (01:20:48):
Corey gives his brother a nervous giggle.

Speaker 2 (01:20:50):
Oh you're gonna find this hard to believe. But last night,
for no logical reason that you could possibly think of,
I did the wash instead of molos. Well, this is
so funny. Corey pulls baby socks out of his pocket.
I don't think they're so lucky anymore. Eric angrily notes
that's not the line. Corey looks around, confused.

Speaker 1 (01:21:12):
Once again, Will just like changing the whole tone of
our hand. Yes, with just a look and a change
in his voice. It's just incredible.

Speaker 2 (01:21:19):
Yes, Eric reminds him the line was, Honey, I shrunk
the tube socks. Ben stutters, Oh, I know, I'm sorry.

Speaker 7 (01:21:27):
Will.

Speaker 2 (01:21:27):
I was trying something new. Will mocks him, Oh, you
were just trying something new. He begins to throw clothes
at Corey. How about this is this new? Does this
look new to you? Ben tries to shield himself in
the corner as Eric now grabs plates and throws them
on the floor.

Speaker 3 (01:21:41):
He shrieks, I quit, I'm out of here. He walks
off the set, exposing cameras and crew members. Ben Sean
walks through the door. Cory, Eric, guess what I blew up?
Another mail box?

Speaker 5 (01:21:52):
Best line ever.

Speaker 4 (01:21:54):
Oh god, I just because the way you deliver you're
like Corey Eric you not I can believe it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:00):
It's it's the sort of like I guess that's what's happening,
doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 4 (01:22:06):
Layers were like, there was the Rider layer if I
can't believe back to say this again, there's the Shawn
layer off I can't believe another mailbox.

Speaker 1 (01:22:14):
When I was watching you like freak out on Ben,
I was like, we used to do this kind of
stuff all the time, Like we would pretend to freak
out on each other all the time. So like this
was this was us, Like during rehearsal, we would do
these bits. We were always having so much fun, and
then we would just be like it's not funny, or
we would like mock each other's performances and we would
be like these prima Donna acts, Like we did this

(01:22:36):
all the time. So this was so easy for us
in some ways to just like let's embrace the like
the bad version of actors, you.

Speaker 4 (01:22:45):
Know, because like you say all the time, we love
like bad acting.

Speaker 5 (01:22:48):
It's so fun to play and so fun to make it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:51):
But it's also such an important release vouve for actors
as an ensemble to like illustrate to one another, this
is what we don't allow on our this is what
we don't like, and this is what bad acting looks like,
and we're not going to do that. Even though we
were always doing it as a joke, it was also
like a community building exercise for you know, I feel

(01:23:11):
like everything I've ever been a part of you find
those little in jokes and codes, you know, Like I've
been on sets where people often like one of my
favorites is I worked with Eric Olsen in a movie
and he he would talk about working with Alec Baldwin
and he always said, before Alec Baldwin they would shoot.
They were shooting up Pearl Harbor, I think, and Alec

(01:23:33):
Baldwin when they would say rolling and then he would
just go wawquaw actingquawquaw acting cuaw. And it was like
this tick that Alec Baldwin did to like get his
voice ready and to get his energy up, and then
he'd walk on and Eric did this as you know,
behind and we would and then we all started doing
it before he did any scene together.

Speaker 3 (01:23:53):
And you're like, it works it well.

Speaker 1 (01:23:55):
Then I brought it up to Eric like years later
or whatever, and I made it. I said, like, now
I do this on sets like whenever I'm with and
and he's like, yeah, I do it kind of as
a joke to make everybody comfortable with the weird noises
and the energies that people. So it's like you're making
fun of this actor Alec Baldwin, who maybe was doing

(01:24:16):
it seriously, but also it's now become part of the
repertoire of like your nuance Alble for everybody to feel
comfortable with their body. You know, it's just all these
like codes and ways to sort of make a set
comfortable because it's really weird what we're doing. I mean,
it's really weird acting strange, and it takes such confidence
and like commitment to something that's not real, and like

(01:24:37):
that just takes a lot of And so for us
like to always be making jokes or like exercising these
like you know, nervous demons about like what it would
be a bad at performance, what would be like and
over the top, what would it be, what would really
poor on set behavior be? Like we were always doing
that and it was like, I don't know, So seeing
us do this again was just like, oh right, that's

(01:24:57):
what we did all the time.

Speaker 4 (01:24:58):
So I remember we did the first take of the
tag and it went well, and then I called Michael
over and I was like, can we make this bigger?

Speaker 5 (01:25:07):
Can this be like? And He's like, yes, definitely. He
goes flip over the table. He goes flip over the
whole table, kick the island, you know, make a move
for Ben.

Speaker 4 (01:25:15):
And right as we're talking about that, I forget who
walked over, but I might have been Steve Haye for
somebody who's like, the audience is leaving in two minutes.

Speaker 5 (01:25:22):
Yeah, we can't match anything, we can't And Michael's like,
all right, let's just do it again then.

Speaker 4 (01:25:26):
But he and I for like five minutes like yeah,
we're gonna flip over this. We're gonna like, yeah, you
can't do anything. Okay, all right, let's just do another take.

Speaker 5 (01:25:32):
Then, and that was too bad again?

Speaker 4 (01:25:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:25:35):
Well, then breaking character, Sean notices the mess on the floor.
He asks Ben, what did we'll flip out again? Ben
nervously nods, yeah, he did. What are we gonna do?
He's gonna be hard to replace, right size, Yeah, you're right.
He looks off camera and yells hey Banana Boy want
to be a star, then gives him a little.

Speaker 1 (01:25:55):
Soft button I wanted like, I agree, Yeah, better button.

Speaker 2 (01:26:00):
Well, thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Podmeets World. As always, you can follow us on
Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your
emails podmeets Worldshow at gmail dot com, and we have.

Speaker 5 (01:26:09):
Merch tis merch for selleth there I go.

Speaker 3 (01:26:13):
Thank you, Pod meets the worldshow dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:26:16):
Join us for our next episode recap season five episode
twenty Starry Night, which originally aired April third, nineteen ninety eight,
will send us out.

Speaker 5 (01:26:27):
We love you all, pod dismissed.

Speaker 4 (01:26:30):
Podmeets World is nheart podcast producer and hosted by Danielle Fischel,
Wilfredell and Ryder Strong executive producers Jensencarp and Amy Sugarman,
Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor,
Tara Sudbaksh producer, Maddy Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World
superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton
of Typhoon and you can follow us on Instagram at

(01:26:51):
podmeets World Show or email us at Podmets Worldshow at
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TGI – Episode 519 “Eric Hollywood”

Episode Transcript

Hosts And Creators

Will Friedle

Danielle Fishel

Rider Strong

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}TGI – Episode 519 “Eric Hollywood”