S04.E08: Go Flip Yourself

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The mansion gets a makeover.

Airing Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

[Galileo908]

Oh my god they completely nailed how cringey those home renovation shows are. I loved this so much. They really need to play with the format more often. Loved Nadja hypnotizing the camera crew and "all the other nerds." Of course the renovation was going to be an open floor plan with lots of natural lighting....which would be hell for vampires. Gotta love Gizmo getting rid of Nadja's gold toilet to make room for his own living space. I wonder if he'll sleep in the big closet now?

Toby died in the first minute, and Guillermo burying him in the background was the moment I knew this was gonna be a great one. Hell, there was lots of great stuff in the background.

Was dying at Nandor talking about getting dicked behind the bar. And the outfits were all amazing. Laszlo in plaid being the highlight.

It was great seeing the witch hat again. Oh my god I was NOT expecting that the whole show, the renovation, Toby, everything, was just a ruse by Simon the Devious to get the witch hat back! Well fucking done, show. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Galileo908

[voiceover]

Two years for a joke payoff!!!!

All hail, and welcome back, Simon the Devious & crew!  How I’ve missed you and “Newww Yawwwwk CITY!”   They never saw it coming.

And I laughed til I *choked, which feels right for this ep.

That coda with the gang celebrating the redo so that they could get the money?Chef’s kiss, baby.

[libgirl2]

That was hysterical! 

[Galileo908]

5 minutes ago, voiceover said:

That coda with the gang celebrating the redo so that they could get the money?Chef’s kiss, baby.

lol they spent $2000 on just the poofs (Nandor likes the poofs) just to get $1200 from the show. I love it.

6 minutes ago, voiceover said:

How I’ve missed you and “Newww Yawwwwk CITY!”

"That CANNOT be our house!" was another terrific Matt Berry line reading.

[peridot]

I make it a point not to watch previews for next week's episode, so I wasn't expecting the home renovation crew and the format of the episode.  I was worried that them being vampires would get out into the public, but I wasn't expecting for it to be a ruse!  I love that Simon always introduces his 20-man crew whenever he appears.

I wonder why Laszlo seems to despise Guillermo.  He was constantly cursing at him this episode.  Poor Guillermo, the septic tank is flooding his room? Ugh!

I was surprised that Marwa seems to be more than Nandor's puppet this episode.  Good on her for taking the man-cave for her own.

[Galileo908]

8 minutes ago, peridot said:

I was worried that them being vampires would get out into the public, but I wasn't expecting for it to be a ruse!

If no one cared that one episode had an asshole on screen, no one's gonna bat an eye at vampires.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Are their coffins still there?  Did the closet replace Nadja and Lazlo's room?

[voiceover]

Okay, now that I’ve watched it three times (and because I need to correct my previous quote; it should read “Neww Yawk CITYYYY!!” 🤭), it occurred to me, this ep is a Russian nesting doll: fake reality, within mockumentary, within TV show.  Plus Simon the Devious, possibly my favorite guest star.  Mind, blown.

Also: who knew Nadja would learn to love the idea of a gold toilet??  This could be something the gang gets for her next birthday! (with a teeny gold bidet for NadjaDoll)

[Galileo908]

21 minutes ago, voiceover said:

This could be something the gang gets for her next birthday! (with a teeny gold bidet for NadjaDoll)

I loved Doll Nadja having her own space in the giant closet.

22 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Okay, now that I’ve watched it three times (and because I need to correct my previous quote; it should read “Neww Yawk CITYYYY!!”

Something I caught on the third watch: Bran says "Neww Yooooooork" like Simon does before getting cut off by Toby.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, peridot said:

I wonder why Laszlo seems to despise Guillermo.  He was constantly cursing at him this episode.  Poor Guillermo, the septic tank is flooding his room? Ugh!

Laszlo is the one who loves Go Flip Yourself and can't wait to change their house any way the show wants; Guillermo's the sensible one who understands they can't change their house the way the show wants. I think that's where the cursing was coming from. Even the show itself was calling him "Grumpy Guillermo."

[Vermicious Knid]

Simon said the episode would air in two years, so...was this the airing and it was actually two years ago? The Go Flip Yourself opening credits totally got the cable house reno show vibe.

As amusing as this was, didn't it violate a bunch of vampire rules? The show, apart from this episode, was filmed during the daytime. Have Simon and his crew all become immune to sunlight? He was also able to come into the house initially without being invited.

Loved that Marwa found a way around the brainwashing to create her own space, even if it was inadvertent. Because she likes everything he does she created a wonderful man cave and then locks herself in it alone. If it wasn't all a long-term scam the show could have hired her. Frankly, no idea who the Sklar brothers are.

Courtesy of AV Club, Simon the Devious' crew:

Quote

Big Vlad, Blagvad the Exsanguinator, Gunthraple, Wesley Sikes, the Freak Sisters, Mr. ’50s (who looks a lot less ’50s than he used to), Evil Steve, the “wickedly talented” Adele Dezeem, Freakfest Tony, The Silent One, He Who Shall Not Be Named (a.k.a. Greg), Desdemona the Shrieker, “that guy I still don’t know,” Elvis, Renaldo the Elder, Ken the zombie accountant, and, of course, Count Rapula. (Shockingly few of those are new additions, considering that the last time we saw them Simon’s crew was leaving him to die.)

[Ohiopirate02]

9 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Oh my god they completely nailed how cringey those home renovation shows are. I loved this so much. They really need to play with the format more often. Loved Nadja hypnotizing the camera crew and "all the other nerds." Of course the renovation was going to be an open floor plan with lots of natural lighting....which would be hell for vampires. Gotta love Gizmo getting rid of Nadja's gold toilet to make room for his own living space. I wonder if he'll sleep in the big closet now?

Toby died in the first minute, and Guillermo burying him in the background was the moment I knew this was gonna be a great one. Hell, there was lots of great stuff in the background.

Was dying at Nandor talking about getting dicked behind the bar. And the outfits were all amazing. Laszlo in plaid being the highlight.

It was great seeing the witch hat again. Oh my god I was NOT expecting that the whole show, the renovation, Toby, everything, was just a ruse by Simon the Devious to get the witch hat back! Well fucking done, show. 

I've watched my fair share of home reno shows so when it was revealed that the only two rooms to receive any kind of makeover were the attic and Lazlo-Nadja's closet, I thought the punchline was going to be that they only had the budget for those two rooms or another BTS thing that comes out of these shows--shoddy craftsmanship.  These shows really are great fodder for comedy when so much can go wrong and so much is hidden from viewers. Color me surprised to see this was all Simon.  

I died watching Guillermo attempting to bury Toby's body and Nandor coming out to warn him about the cameras.  Their slow crabwalk out of frame was hilarious.

[MrPissyPuppy]

7 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Simon said the episode would air in two years, so...was this the airing and it was actually two years ago? 

I'm pretty sure that they said something to the effect that it would be airing constantly in two years which is what a lot of the more popular shows do with their all day marathons. 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I've watched my fair share of home reno shows so when it was revealed that the only two rooms to receive any kind of makeover were the attic and Lazlo-Nadja's closet, I thought the punchline was going to be that they only had the budget for those two rooms or another BTS thing that comes out of these shows--shoddy craftsmanship.  These shows really are great fodder for comedy when so much can go wrong and so much is hidden from viewers. Color me surprised to see this was all Simon.  

I died watching Guillermo attempting to bury Toby's body and Nandor coming out to warn him about the cameras.  Their slow crabwalk out of frame was hilarious.

That was very funny! 

This episode was a delight from start to finish. Loved the man cave!

[Phishbulb]

9 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

, the “wickedly talented” Adele Dezeem

Complete with "525, 600 Minutes" T-shirt 😄

[iMonrey]

OMG. This episode was a real standout. I have never found the Sklar Brothers to be the least bit amusing but they finally did something where I could stand them. They made great MakeOver hosts. Especially since Nadja offed one of them almost immediately and the other turned out to be Simon the Devious.

I was actually kind of hoping they would fix the house though. Obviously they can't have an open floor plan with lots of natural light but I don't know how they can even live there with the basement flooded and vines growing everywhere and a tree through the wall.

[tennisgurl]

I really hope that the show messes with the format a few more times, they absolutely nailed the home renovation show vibe while also giving the show a new energy, and that was even before the reveal that this whole series was an elaborate plan by Simon the Devious to get his cursed hat back! That's a joke two years in the making, plus the amount of time they have spent setting up Go Flip Yourself this season, I am truly impressed by how well they have laid the groundwork for this joke. 

Simon the Devious announcing his entire crew continues to be hysterical, and of course the person everyone is especially unhappy to see is Count Rapula. "Ugh, this guy..." 

I cant wait to watch this again, both because it had so many hilarious background gags, like Guillermo awkwardly trying to remove Toby's body, and because I want to look for hints about who "Bran" really is. He did seem quite interested in that hat rack, and in that cursed hat, spending a whole lot of time talking about that walk in closet. 

Hopefully one day Nadja can get her golden toilet fit for a queen for real.  

[seacliffsal]

This was such a great episode!  So very clever and well done.  I loved all of the segways and commercials just like on the real HGTV.  Hilarious that the only difference between the before and after reveals (of everything except the closet and man cave) was the addition of a million candles.  Brilliantly funny!

[libgirl2]

57 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

This was such a great episode!  So very clever and well done.  I loved all of the segways and commercials just like on the real HGTV.  Hilarious that the only difference between the before and after reveals (of everything except the closet and man cave) was the addition of a million candles.  Brilliantly funny!

Gosh, yes, the candles! 

[Ohiopirate02]

Another thing I loved from this episode--the dreaded call from the city's permit office that is a staple of HGTV shows.  My interest was piqued because it was already established that this reno was being done at night and city employees do not work a minute past 5 (or 6), but then we see Guillermo is the city employee and he is pushing his own agenda.  Not that I blame him for wanting to clean up the raw sewage.

[thuganomics85]

Was not predicting that the home renovation show that Laszlo was a fan of would end up factoring in this season!  And totally did not predict it was all a trick from none other than Simon the Devious so that he can finally get back his (unlucky) hat!  That was one hell of a twist.  Loved that Simon's entire squad (and some new ones!) were also back as well.  Hopefully he pops up again in the future because he makes for a fun antagonist.

Before the twist though, I thought the episode in general did a great job at spoofing those type of home renovation shows and all of its cliches (the obnoxious music, the over-dramatic "twists" and reveals complete with over-the-top reaction shots, the overly pepping host), but still seeing the glimpses of the normal crazy stuff like Guillermo trying to hide Toby's body (and then have to dig it back up once he realized they were going to dig up the yard!), the vampires inhuman strength when renovating, and the gang's general buffoonery.  I also liked how all of the foul language was beeped out this go around.  The writers were clearly familiar with that type of show.

Yeah, there is no way Nandor and Marwa are still going to be together by the end of this season.  At least she has her own "man cave" now!

Excellent episode!

[iMonrey]

Quote

Was not predicting that the home renovation show that Laszlo was a fan of would end up factoring in this season! 

I totally expected the Sklar Brothers to show up at some point, I didn't think they would just be one-offs for a single gag. But I didn't anticipate they would do a whole show from the Go Flip Yourself POV. Talk about brilliant.

I wonder if someone who has never seen one of those renovation/flip shows would appreciate how well this skewered the genre at every turn, from the narration to the cliffhangers leading into the commercial breaks to the little price tags on things. I loved Nadja's over the top "BAD NEWS??!??!" followed by a more mellow delivery post-commercial. 

Also loved when they were looking at the used saddles and Nandor said "John would love those." Nice call back to his beloved horse.

[Galileo908]

19 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

As amusing as this was, didn't it violate a bunch of vampire rules? The show, apart from this episode, was filmed during the daytime. Have Simon and his crew all become immune to sunlight? He was also able to come into the house initially without being invited.

Laszlo mentioned sending in a tape, so I'm assuming that counts as an invite.

I need to rewatch the Go Flip Yourselves scenes, but I don't think ANY clip, even the one at the end, was filmed during the day.

[TexasGal]

So, Nandor DIDN’T get his “Home is where the wine is” sign?  Terrible!

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

Complete with "525,600 Minutes" T-shirt

Ha! I missed that. The show really does pay attention to details. Also, Adele Dezeem jokes never get old.

[formerlyfreedom]

23 minutes ago, Galileo908 said:

I need to rewatch the Go Flip Yourselves scenes, but I don't think ANY clip, even the one at the end, was filmed during the day.

I noticed on rewatch that it looked like all the scenes with homeowners in the beginning showed Toby (not Bran) - which I thought was a nice way to get the killed-in-the-first-minutes Sklar brother some screen time, but now I'm wondering if that's how they worked around Bran being Simon and not being able to be in the sun? I am probably thinking way to hard about this though...

[Stats Queen]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I totally expected the Sklar Brothers to show up at some point, I didn't think they would just be one-offs for a single gag. But I didn't anticipate they would do a whole show from the Go Flip Yourself POV. Talk about brilliant.

I personally loved the Sklar Brothers when they did Cheap Seats. I ask my husband - do you think they flipped a coin to set which one wouldn’t die?

This whole episode was brilliant (as most of them are).

[Mulva]

I loved Lazlo's plug for Milwaukee tools.

[Blakeston]

The hat is not only cursed, but it's probably made of witch's skin and it has an asshole on it! I was dying laughing at that.

[NeenerNeener]

I could swear that's the voice of the narrator for Love It or List It. If it's not her it's somebody doing a spot-on imitation.

ETA: I looked up the cast for this episode. Tina Morasco was the narrator, and she DID do narration for Love It or List It from 2008 to 2013.

Edited August 25, 2022 by NeenerNeener

[Ohiopirate02]

11 hours ago, TexasGal said:

So, Nandor DIDN’T get his “Home is where the wine is” sign?  Terrible!

I hope he finds it next season when the gang stumbles upon a Home Goods type store.  It'll be like Lazlo in the Best Buy redux.

[Catfi9ht]

I don't get this show anymore. The show used to be about vampires who lived in a museum of a mansion, couldn't relate to the modern world, and found humans inanely mundane.

This episode turned both the house and the vampires into the very thing they despised at the beginning of the show. The set decoration for that house was stunning and they turned it into some "live laugh love" bullshit. They've dumbed down Nadja to the point where she's unrecognizable. Her big plot line was being excited about having a golden toilet, something she can't use?

They might as well add laugh tracks and bring on Chuck Lorre as a showrunner at this point. 

[Eliza422]

28 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

 The set decoration for that house was stunning and they turned it into some "live laugh love" bullshit.

Except for the man cave and closet, they didn't change anything - they left the downed tree, the sewage, all of that. They just added lots of candles.

[libgirl2]

53 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I don't get this show anymore. The show used to be about vampires who lived in a museum of a mansion, couldn't relate to the modern world, and found humans inanely mundane.

This episode turned both the house and the vampires into the very thing they despised at the beginning of the show. The set decoration for that house was stunning and they turned it into some "live laugh love" bullshit. They've dumbed down Nadja to the point where she's unrecognizable. Her big plot line was being excited about having a golden toilet, something she can't use?

They might as well add laugh tracks and bring on Chuck Lorre as a showrunner at this point. 

I think it is even funnier but everyone has there own opinion. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I need to rewatch the Go Flip Yourselves scenes, but I don't think ANY clip, even the one at the end, was filmed during the day.

All the scenes were filmed at night. There was even reference to it in the dialogue - I don't remember what it was specifically, something about working around the clock and doing a lot of work overnight. 

Of course, they didn't end up doing much work at all in the end. Apparently Marwa built the Man Cave (all by herself? LOL) and Simon's crew did the walk-in closet.

[One Imaginary Girl]

So many good lines, especially after the big twist, but I especially had to laugh at the one about Go Flip Yourself only being watched in airports and hospital waiting rooms because I've only ever seen Property Brothers while I was in a hosptial waiting room.

[Iseut]

19 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I wonder if someone who has never seen one of those renovation/flip shows would appreciate how well this skewered the genre at every turn, from the narration to the cliffhangers leading into the commercial breaks to the little price tags on things. I loved Nadja's over the top "BAD NEWS??!??!" followed by a more mellow delivery post-commercial. 

I died laughing at that! Especially as a fan of streaming these horrible home-flip shows...love not having commercials but the repeat scenes before and after the non-commercial breaks are so annoying. I love imagining how much of these shows the writers and crew must have watched to capture all of these details. And of course, Natasia Demetriou's every single line reading is so hilarious. 

[Ilovepie]

I loved how Nandor kept saying he loved French Countryside style and that man cave looked more western themed - not one ounce was French Countryside. The dog bed in the middle was perfect.

All of the cheap Home Goods/Marshalls decor mixed in with the cobwebs and gothic stuff was hilarious.

Happy to see the return of the hat and Simon - his long con filming over 100 episodes of the show just to get the hat back is as over the top as Laszlo fleeing town and turning into Jackie Daytona and becoming a bartender and girls volleyball coach just because he didn't pay a security deposit a hundred years ago. I guess when you live forever you have the time to really commit to it!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 8/24/2022 at 4:39 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Yeah, there is no way Nandor and Marwa are still going to be together by the end of this season.  At least she has her own "man cave" now!

I'm waiting to see what Nandor does with his teeny lamp and 3 wishes.  I bet it involves Marwa.

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Quote

I need to rewatch the Go Flip Yourselves scenes, but I don't think ANY clip, even the one at the end, was filmed during the day.

All the scenes were filmed at night. There was even reference to it in the dialogue - I don't remember what it was specifically, something about working around the clock and doing a lot of work overnight. 

I think there was a reference to their jobs at the railroad and nightclub somehow requiring the renovations to be done at night..

Edited August 26, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[sagittarius sue]

13 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

Except for the man cave and closet, they didn't change anything - they left the downed tree, the sewage, all of that. They just added lots of candles.

They got rid of most of the raccoons fucking under the sofa, but not all of them.

[Vermicious Knid]

As a coda to this, and a real life example of just how ridiculous home improvement shows have become, The Thunder From Down Under male revue is getting their own reno show in Las Vegas. On HGTV of course.

Only two more episodes! Booo. But according to the descriptions they'll have the payoff for the two biggest season-long setups.

[pasdetrois]

On 8/24/2022 at 2:13 AM, Vermicious Knid said:

Renaldo the Elder

I assume this is the Native American guy. I was tickled to see him. Looks like a Navajo or pueblo elder. Or maybe Hopi. Thanks for posting the list Vermicious Kind!

Matt Berry nailed this one. My eyes kept sneaking back to his contemporary outfits because they were so startling.

As someone who has a love/hate relationship with renovation shows, this episode fascinated me. It eerily copied the cheesy vibe of those shows. At times it seemed real.

[Gobi]

On 8/23/2022 at 11:18 PM, Galileo908 said:

If no one cared that one episode had an asshole on screen, no one's gonna bat an eye at vampires.

They will run it as their Halloween episode.

[iMonrey]

I just noticed at the very end when the house explodes you can see the witch's hat flying out of the explosion towards the camera.

[sistermagpie]

On 8/25/2022 at 9:11 AM, Catfi9ht said:

I don't get this show anymore. The show used to be about vampires who lived in a museum of a mansion, couldn't relate to the modern world, and found humans inanely mundane.

This episode turned both the house and the vampires into the very thing they despised at the beginning of the show. The set decoration for that house was stunning and they turned it into some "live laugh love" bullshit. They've dumbed down Nadja to the point where she's unrecognizable. Her big plot line was being excited about having a golden toilet, something she can't use?

They might as well add laugh tracks and bring on Chuck Lorre as a showrunner at this point. 

Gotta say, I don't ever remember them particularly despising the type of thing they were into in this ep. Despite being vampires, they're very human, and that always sometimes meant having random things or people they decided were cool, not always knowing enough about current human trends to recognize it. In the second ever ep Nadja's bonding with human Beanie Feldstein and Laszlo and Nandor seem both interested in and dopey about the doings of the local council. I could buy that Laszlo getting into a house flipping show--even if Nadja in that ep said her favorite TV show was "Priests falling down."

[Lantern7]

I can't add much new to the thread. Great concept bringing a home improvement show to renovate the mansion. Audacious to bring in the Sklar Brothers, then kill one of them almost immediately. Having the entire thing turn out to be a scam for Simon the Devious to swipe the Witch Hat? That was . . . a choice. Given the nature of the series, it wouldn't be out of the question for Simon the Devious (I think the name is a "Colin Robinson" deal) to spend 3-4 2-3 years making a "reno" show, specifically to get to Lazlo and that hat.

[Note: I say "3-4 years" because I'm thinking that the year between seasons 3-4 means indicates an official timeskip. Honestly, I'm not going to think too hard on it. The concept is the same: Simon the Devious put in way too much work to get to our vampires. Lazlo falling in love with Go Flip Yourself was probably just a bonus]

[ETA  For some dumbass reason, I kept thinking we’re on the fifth season. That’s why I keep typing “3-4.”]

I'm thinking that if WWDITS gets nominated for Best Comedy again next year, this will be the episode submitted. No weak parts. Nadja doesn't actually need a gold toilet? Shut up@ Stop trying to water down her brand! You think Marwa has been genied into one dimension? She swipes Nandor's man cave. We got the see the vampires go mental smashing stuff during the renovations.

How many spoofs of home renonvation shows have there been? I don't watch that much TV, so the only real episode I have for comparison is "The Gang Gets Extreme Home Makeover Edition" from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I think "Go Flip Yourself" tops that.

On 8/24/2022 at 2:13 AM, Vermicious Knid said:

Frankly, no idea who the Sklar brothers are.

They're twin brothers/comics that perform together on stage. It's unusual, but it grows on you.

On 8/24/2022 at 11:49 PM, Stats Queen said:

I personally loved the Sklar Brothers when they did Cheap Seats. I ask my husband - do you think they flipped a coin to set which one wouldn’t die?

Me too! And nice that someone else remembers Cheap Seats. I think that aired on ESPN Classic, a network that hasn't existed in years.

"That is not our house!" And then Gizmo had to show Lazlo that he was looking in the wrong direction.

On 8/24/2022 at 12:30 AM, Galileo908 said:

I loved Doll Nadja having her own space in the giant closet.

I missed that bit rewatching the episode today.

Edited August 28, 2022 by Lantern7

[Eliza422]

I was laughing the whole way through the episode...and then the Simon the Devious reveal??? That just killed me! Who knew that a cursed hat could have such longevity - I love it every time the hat is a plot point. I think it's one of my favorite recurring things in the entire series. Genius!

[Kel Varnsen]

I think that is my favorite Simon he Devious episode. I love that even more than Lazlo he should know the hat is cursed but he still wants it.

On 8/24/2022 at 2:13 AM, Vermicious Knid said:

As amusing as this was, didn't it violate a bunch of vampire rules? The show, apart from this episode, was filmed during the daytime. Have Simon and his crew all become immune to sunlight? He was also able to come into the house initially without being invited.

They have been forgetting that for awhile. All those vampire assassins came in without being invited and then were killed by Guillermo. Plus the first time the guide came in their house it was as smoke.

On 8/25/2022 at 12:34 PM, Iseut said:

I love not having commercials but the repeat scenes before and after the non-commercial breaks are so annoying. 

That was really funny. I don't watch many reno shows but I have seen enough other crappy reality shows to know how that move is a standard thing for filling up time when your shows not that interesting.