Victura

1. Steve Brill said they extended the invitation to everyone and set up the storyline to include as many original ducks as possible, but a lot of people couldn’t come due to Covid quarantines, jobs, etc. https://www.slashfilm.com/the-mighty-ducks-writer-steven-brill-interview-game-changers/ I think it was just a coincidence that the 5 besides Wu were the ones that were in all 3 movies, aside from Charlie and Goldberg. The actor who plays Ken Wu lives in Vancouver, which is where they shot. 2. I’d like to think Banks did make it to the NHL and just became a public defender after he retired, since he would be in his 40s now. On the whole, I thought the episode was well done and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time they were on screen. Those hugs with Emilio at the beginning of the pizza parlor scene seemed so genuine too, which was so lovely to see. I really hope this show gets more seasons and we'll be able to check in with more ducks in the future.

There were some references to Belding - Zack asked Toddman if he was Belding when the gang didn’t remember him, and there was a reference to his catchphrase “hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?” being the principals’ handshake. I was surprised no one mentioned what’s going on with Belding now though, and it looks like Dennis Haskins’s social media hasn’t been updated in a year. He’s always been active in SBTB things, so hopefully he’s ok and will have at least a cameo if there’s a second season.

The actresses who play Claudia and Mary Anne (Momona Tamada and Malia Baker, respectively) seem to both be Vancouver-based.

This was one part that I found a little odd because I’m pretty sure in the books the parents were addressed as Mr. or Ms. or Dr. Among my friends, we all addressed our friends’ parents as such and even today as an adult, I can’t seem to address those parents any differently. 😂 It somehow feels odd, like calling your school teachers by their first names. Is it common for tweens/teens these days to call other parents by their first names? As for Claudia’s handwriting, it wasn’t super messy but was quite small, so I wonder if it looks better in a bigger font size? I did notice that her email to Kristy about the logo had a few misspellings. I hope this goes on for a few more seasons, and perhaps some of the book storylines that seem too mature for 13-year olds would be more suitable for 15 and 16 year olds. Like everyone else, I loved this series and thought the modernizations worked so well, despite being somewhat skeptical when I first read about them. Even the more serious topics (diabetes, bullying, stroke, internment camp, divorce, remarriage, etc.) all felt like they were woven in so naturally and not as some sort of lesson to be beaten over one’s head. This was just such a refreshing surprise and so comforting to watch in these times. It made me smile and tear up and laugh, and now I want to reread some of those books!

Out of curiosity (and as someone who’s never seen Black-ish), what does adult Johan do as a profession? And how are these characters different on Black-ish?

I wondered that too, but apparently the original order had 13 episodes. https://deadline.com/2019/10/mixed-ish-stumptown-the-rookie-back-orders-abc-emergence-remains-renewal-contention-bless-this-mess-1202770143/ I couldn't agree more. Her character is just over the top and annoying. This show reminds me a bit of the family-friendly sitcoms from the 90s but with a twist. Mark-Paul Gosselaar comes across as a very sweet dad.

As someone who is part of the skating community, trust me when I say that Mirai is absolutely beloved. She won Nationals at age 14 and essentially grew up in people's eyes and had a very endearing way of answering honestly to interviewers' questions when she was younger. (The one really funny example I can remember is when she made the Olympic team the first time and said she was excited about all the free stuff they were going to get.) There was a huge uproar when she won the bronze at Nationals in 2014 but was passed over for the Olympic team in favor of Ashley Wagner (who placed 4th) due to "body of work." Tons of people were thrilled when she got her redemption and went back to the Olympics this year. Adam is also quite loved, but he was a little lucky to make it onto the Olympic team this time because he placed 4th at Nationals and Ross Miner (2nd) was bumped in his favor. This was a controversial decision by USFSA, but Adam did very well at all the competitions leading up to Nationals and had one bad competition. I get the feeling that Mirai might've been a last minute replacement too and wouldn't think anything of Meryl and Charlie retweeting Adam. There was something else one of them retweeted that had them both.

I was wondering this too. It seemed odd to have a cast on a leg in a bent position. Did they specify what kind of injury it was that would require that?

Madison was in one of the first episodes where Kate also gets angry at her and several others in the group. She said that she has body dysmorphia / body distortion (where she thinks she's extremely overweight and that's what she sees in the mirror) and admits to the others that they probably think it's a joke that she's there.

I actually bought Jesse's struggling. I mean, there were 5 kids (including two babies) to one adult. At any age, that one adult would be completely outnumbered.

I don't know anything about Pittsburgh, but I have to say I rolled my eyes at the idea that one would go to New York for knee surgery and stay after to recover, because it's the absolute last place I would want to be if I'm not very mobile. That is, unless one had tons of money for a private driver, which perhaps Jay's mom does have? There are some good hospitals in New York, sure, but it'd be quite the hassle to get around.

A bit late to the wedding conversation, but I saw Candace Cameron Bure was at Maks and Peta's wedding and found that odd since she was Mark's partner and seems to be on good terms with him (even posting about the release of his album recently). Was she close to Maks or Peta? And did any of the judges or Tom attend either wedding?

Interview with Kevin Falls, who talks about the possibility of an epilogue episode and what he would've done differently. Sounds like he thinks moving it to a mid season show would have been helpful. They didn't even shoot an alternative ending because all the signals pointed to them coming back. http://ew.com/tv/2017/05/16/pitch-goodbye-episode/

Even though a lot of this episode was weird, the explanation about Jessica wanting them to continue to struggle because that's all she knew and wanted them to continue to strive for better rang true to me. I think for a lot of immigrants, even basic things can be a daily struggle (particularly if there's a language barrier) that over time, one just gets used to it. Also, once you've obtained a goal, it's hard to find a new way to live (a bit like what athletes face after having achieved Olympic gold and not knowing what else to do with their lives after because training and improving at their sport is all they've ever known.) Many immigrants also move for the purpose of finding a better life elsewhere, and working hard, pinching pennies, and striving for better whether through academics or business is all part of finding and obtaining a better life. She has big dreams for their family, so I can see why she wouldn't want them to get complacent after just moving to a big house.

Kevin Falls was on this podcast that's well worth a listen. The written portion on the site is only a small fraction of what he said, which included what being in limbo was like and the support they received from Fox, some season 2 plot lines they were considering, what the show meant in terms of empowering young girls, and perhaps some chances for closure down the line. https://theringer.com/pitch-return-unlikely-kevin-falls-ringer-mlb-show-interview-2389290ca5ff