S01.E07: Live Studio Audience

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

As the women prepare for their first live match, Debbie and Ruth seek outside help with their moves, and Rhonda gives Sam a good-luck gift.

[Potanical Pardon]

Stan Bush!!! Transformers: The Movie!!! They played the whole song. Favorite episode so far, and the last one was already my favorite before.

[ACS]

Featuring my favorite 80's trope, the training montage of people sucking and improving.  Breeds hope and all that...

[thuganomics85]

 I knew something was going to happen to mess up Ruth and Debbie's big finisher, but I thought it was going to be something that caused and injury and put their future matches in jeopardy.  So, I'm glad it was just Debbie's dick husband crashing the party and being a jackass.  I still don't even remember his name, because I just see him as 80s Harry Crane.

The montage was fun and impressive since It really looked like Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin did a lot of the moves themselves.  I guess if this whole television/movie actress thing doesn't work out, they've kind of solid back-up plan with wrestling!

Carmen's got a case of stage fright!

Move over, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler!  Sam Sylvia is the new king of color commentary!  Too many hilarious lines to mention, although pretty much his entire reaction to Cherry and Tamme flipping the script, and making their tag team match against the KKK, was the best.

Have a feeling the conflict with Justine and Rhonda is far from over.  Although, I did like that Rhonda didn't get mad, but tried to explain to Sam what is going on (jealousy), and he needs to try and let her down gently.  Of course, since it's Sam, I'm not sure that's going to happen!

Best episode yet.

[OnceSane]

On 6/21/2017 at 5:04 AM, The Crazed Spruce said:

Rhonda gives Sam a good-luck gift.

I honestly thought this would be chlamydia.

LOVED this whole episode, except Debbie's asshole husband ruining the end of the match.  Wolf Lady only knowing one song, the KKK flip of the script, Carmen's stage fright and the whole montage at Carmen's house.  Brilliant!

On 6/24/2017 at 9:38 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Best episode yet.

Agreed.  It had it all.

[teddysmom]

Quote

Wolf Lady only knowing one song, 

That was the theme to "Exodus", a movie about the formation of Israel.   it was based on Leon Uris' book.  

That song was required if you took piano lessons back in the day.  I was dying every time she started playing it. 

Here it is played by an orchestra. It's actually quite beautiful.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEPZ1ef2g_A

Edited June 26, 2017 by teddysmom

[Lady Calypso]

I'll be honest; if Stacey and Dawn disappeared, I wouldn't miss them. I think the cast, sans those two, are perfect, but I haven't been able to warm to them. 

This was a lot of fun and a great episode. Montage! Plenty of fights! Character development! It had it all! We have all fleshed out rivalries that don't feel shallow.

Rhonda/Justine's conflict really defines their maturity level at their different points of their lives. Justine's very young and very immature, so her stealing the camera and tried to frame Rhonda for it was very transparent that Rhonda knew what was going on. Meanwhile, though Rhonda isn't the most mature woman who makes the smartest decisions, her maturity in trying to help Sam let Justine down gently while not engaging in petty fights did show her age more.

I love the Ruth/Debbie stuff. Maybe Sam needs to be hiring Carmen's brothers to be coaches. Cherry's good, but she's obviously too safe and she doesn't quite know the dance of wrestling like Carmen's family. Plus, her brothers are pretty cool. I laughed at one of them saying that Ruth scared him when she yelled. 

Speaking of Carmen, her having stage fright was surprising yet it makes sense. I'm kind of loving the little bond that her and Bash have. It doesn't seem so big right now, but he seems to be closest to her.

Somehow, the tag team fight was a lot better than I thought it would be. I loved the flip of the script and Sam's monotone commentary made it hilarious. 

The ending was solid. Of course Debbie's asshole husband showed up to ruin everything. And I loved that all the women came together to conclude the show.

[The Companion]

The Ruth/Debbie stuff was amazing and looked super painful. Poor Debbie was finally having fun and along comes her awful ex to bring everything down like a sudden case of diarrhea. 

Poor Justine brings back all of the uncertainty and impulsiveness of being a teenager. You don't know if you want to hug her or yell at her. About right. 

I enjoyed the optimistic beat at the end. The entire live performance was incredibly entertaining. 

[tennisgurl]

Oh my God, Sam's color commentary was so great that I hope it becomes a regular feature of the show. "Justice is served, and Jessie Jackson is going to be our next president".

That was such a good episode, I had this big dumb grin on my face when they started winning the crowd at their first event, and when it went from sad to a big success. Everyone (the goths, the homeless guy, even thee studio guy) were getting so into it! I've never been a wresting fan, but this show is actually selling me on its appeal more than really anything else I've seen.

Ruth and Debbie were doing so great, and than stupid 80s Crane showed up to be a dick and ruined everything. 80s Crane is just such a dick. At least Ruth, Sam, and Bash are funny dicks and clearly have some nicer moments.

Wow, Rhonda showed WAY more maturity than I expected with the Justine situation. And Bash was really sweet to Cameron when he realized that she was really upset. I like the bond they have, its pretty adorable.

80s montage!

[benteen]

I really enjoyed this episode.  The Ruth/Debbie stuff was terrific and I really liked their training montages.  The editing was terrific and as a wrestling fan I really enjoyed seeing the show come together.  Sam was pretty funny on commentary too.

Nice touch as well to dedicate the episode to Chavo Guerrero Sr., the father of the Chavo Jr. who helped train all of the actresses. 

Edited July 1, 2017 by benteen

[OnceSane]

14 hours ago, benteen said:

I really enjoyed this episode.  The Ruth/Debbie stuff was terrific and I really liked their training montages.  The editing was terrific and as a wrestling fan I really enjoyed seeing the show come together.  Sam was pretty funny on commentary too.

Nice touch as well to dedicate the episode to Chavo Guerrero Sr., the son of the Chavo Jr. who helped train all of the actresses. 

Chavo Sr. is Chavo Jr.'s father, not son.  But IA, it was a lovely touch.

[benteen]

1 hour ago, OnceSane said:

Chavo Sr. is Chavo Jr.'s father, not son.  But IA, it was a lovely touch.

Oof.  I meant father.  Corrected.

[dubbel zout]

On 6/26/2017 at 3:30 PM, teddysmom said:

That song was required if you took piano lessons back in the day.  I was dying every time she started playing it.

Same here.

On 6/26/2017 at 9:50 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I'll be honest; if Stacey and Dawn disappeared, I wouldn't miss them. I think the cast, sans those two, are perfect, but I haven't been able to warm to them. 

They're the Beatdown Biddies, right? Of everyone, I think they've been developed the least. As comic relief I found them funny, but I have no idea who they are otherwise.

On 6/26/2017 at 9:50 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I'm kind of loving the little bond that her and Bash have.

It's so sweet. I also loved how disgusted he was when the EMT told Carmen she was fat.

[Cheezwiz]

Fun episode. I absolutely loved the training sessions at Carmen's house (and what a cool looking house!) I think her brothers are fun and as mentioned upthread, should probably be the official trainers for the girls.

Fingers crossed that Sam continues his deadpan colour commentary at future matches - totally priceless.

Really hoping Carmen can overcome her stage fright and embrace her destiny! She's fast become one of my favourite characters. Bash continues to be endearing. I wonder what will happen now he's been cut off by his Mom.

Thanks everyone for the Intel on the Exodus theme. I thought they just chose something ponderous for comic effect - not having taken piano, I didn't realize that was a piano lesson staple back then. Just shows the attention to period detail they've been putting into the show. One possible anachronism: Bash mentions that he's brought his sister's karaoke machine. I don't remember karaoke taking off in North America until at least the mid 90's, and I definitely don't think they were selling machines for personal use until after that.

What an absolute dickhead Debbie's soon-to-be ex is. She didn't even get the satisfaction of serving HIS cheating ass first - no wonder she was crying - I would be furious. Run Debbie, RUN! Tuck that adorable baby under your arm and never look back!

Edited July 3, 2017 by Cheezwiz

[The Crazed Spruce]

3 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

One possible anachronism: Bash mentions that he's brought his sister's karaoke machine. I don't remember karaoke taking off in North America until at least the mid 90's, and I definitely don't think they were selling machines for personal use until after that.

When I was a kid in the 80's, there was a weekend-morning show called "Kids Incorporated", about a group of kids (okay, three kids and two suspiciously mature teenagers) who were in a singing group that basically sang Kidz Bops versions of popular songs. The show was mainly designed to hock The Singing Machine, which was basically a pricey home karaoke machine. So, yeah, they were on the home market back then, and I could easily see a rich family like Bash's having one. Granted, I don't know if they'd call it a "karaoke" machine....

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 6/26/2017 at 9:50 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I'll be honest; if Stacey and Dawn disappeared, I wouldn't miss them. I think the cast, sans those two, are perfect, but I haven't been able to warm to them. 

Not sure who these people are but it's so funny that these names are ripped from The Baby Sitters Club (published 1986-2000.)

On 7/2/2017 at 2:17 PM, dubbel zout said:

Same here.

They're the Beatdown Biddies, right? Of everyone, I think they've been developed the least. As comic relief I found them funny, but I have no idea who they are otherwise.

It's so sweet. I also loved how disgusted he was when the EMT told Carmen she was fat.

To be precise, he said if you're worried about your heart, try Weight Watchers.  

Edited July 4, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[dubbel zout]

Sounded bitchy and it wasn't meant to, so I deleted.

Edited July 4, 2017 by dubbel zout

[Clanstarling]

On 7/3/2017 at 0:18 AM, Cheezwiz said:

Thanks everyone for the Intel on the Exodus theme. I thought they just chose something ponderous for comic effect - not having taken piano, I didn't realize that was a piano lesson staple back then. Just shows the attention to period detail they've been putting into the show. One possible anachronism: Bash mentions that he's brought his sister's karaoke machine. I don't remember karaoke taking off in North America until at least the mid 90's, and I definitely don't think they were selling machines for personal use until after that.

The only link I have to the Exodus theme was some comic (I can't remember who) who had a bit about a coach revving up a football team - and just as they're about to go on the field, he plays the theme to Exodus. I got the bit because of the way it was set up, but I don't think I'd knowingly heard the theme until this episode.

I don't have a problem with the karaoke machine, myself. Rich people have access to lots of things not typically available for home use. He had some games(Centipede? And I believe something else was mentioned) that also weren't commonly sold for personal use. If a business can buy it, a rich person can. He and his sister probably travel around the world, and bought whatever tickled their fancy.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Clanstarling

[Corgi-ears]

I love how Cherry flipped the script, but I'm not sure I really believe that an 80s audience would boo the KKK so vehemently -- or at least that this was the fight that would have been the second biggest crowd pleaser. The decade wasn't that enlightened. And the crowd seemed like it might have been a bit more...ambivalent when it comes to a fake race war. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by Corgi-ears

[dubbel zout]

Wasn't the crowd mostly made up of minorities? That would skew things, IMO.

[Milburn Stone]

I just happened to watch this episode tonight of all nights, after the horrible events in Charlottesville today.

The two black chicks beating the shit out of the Klanswomen? I needed the catharsis of that.

[auntiemel]

I loved seeing Debbie in that Mary Lou Retton-y leotard! Also, as a former theater geek, I laughed out loud at the following exchange:

Ruth - Is that places?
Sam - Yeah, OK, places, whatever.
Ruth and Debbie, automatically - Thanks, Places.

Such a great, authentic little moment!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It was so fun to see the first match after all the hard work that everyone has put into training so far. Although Rhonda's song was super cheesy, seeing all the girls climb into the ring to join in and bond in their moment of glory was great.

LOVED the 80s training montage, which would have been great on its own just in principle but adding Carmen's brothers helping them just made it even better.

It was also great to see Ruth and Debbie learning to trust each other as they practiced. In wrestling, as in dance, it's very difficult to partner with someone if you don't trust them. If you are tentative in any way, it shows and it can affect how your body moves, which was very clearly illustrated by Ruth and Debbie doing that jump move over and over. It looks terrible if you don't fully launch yourself 100% at the other person and you can actually hurt the other person if you don't go full out with certain moves.

I like Bash and Carmen's continuing growth as friends. Bash can be douchey but he and Carmen have a nice relationship.

On 7/3/2017 at 3:34 AM, The Crazed Spruce said:

When I was a kid in the 80's, there was a weekend-morning show called "Kids Incorporated", about a group of kids (okay, three kids and two suspiciously mature teenagers) who were in a singing group that basically sang Kidz Bops versions of popular songs. The show was mainly designed to hock The Singing Machine, which was basically a pricey home karaoke machine. So, yeah, they were on the home market back then, and I could easily see a rich family like Bash's having one. Granted, I don't know if they'd call it a "karaoke" machine....

I loved Kids, Inc.! Who would have thought that little Stacey would go on to be the most famous cast member? Well, Mario Lopez if we're counting the band/backup dancers. My family was not rich but we had a version of the karaoke machine which was basically a double tape deck with two microphones and a big speaker.

[aradia22]

Lol, glad Rob is bringing his entire coven. 

Keith and Cherry are so cute. This show better not have them break up. It's nice to see one couple in a good relationship.

I still hate Tyrus but at least Tommy and Kurt seem like a package deal so I can just focus on Kurt in their scenes. And it is a little satisfying to see him pretend to get hurt.

Carmen's reactions are amazing. I'm really loving that actress.

Love Ruth and Debbie finally working on their routine. Training is an underrated part of shows/movies. I like seeing the process. Doctor shows and lawyer shows always let you see people at work but so many of these shows that should be about specific jobs skim over the job like that's not the reason you're watching that show and not another show so they can waste time on interpersonal drama. 

I still don't get the she-wolf character but that actress does so much with so few lines. "Is that the only song you know?" "It is." XD

I love that Bash was going to chew her out and then immediately swerved when he thought something might actually be wrong with her. 

I laughed at how the clan thing finally got a reaction from the crowd. It was weird though that neither side talked much during the match.

Amazing. Loved Zoya's hair under the hat. 

It was disappointing that Debbie's husband showed up to ruin things.