Everything Sucks - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Everything Sucks Here!

[OtterMommy]

Release date: February 16, 2018!

 

When sexting was numbers....hee hee!

[paulvdb]

New trailer:

[OtterMommy]

I'll admit it...the AOL connection and Dancing Baby sold me.

[OnceSane]

On 2/7/2018 at 8:06 AM, OtterMommy said:

I'll admit it...the AOL connection and Dancing Baby sold me.

This.  And that it's set in Boring.

[veronicalodge44]

i found this first episode charming, and i especially find the actors playing luke and kate to be very engaging. 

 

i also like the show's ability to veer from comedy to pathos, and the scene in the garage where kate tells luke about her childhood and losing her mother was very well-done (and i appreciated the way it was shot, and the use of luke looking through the video camera lens, too).

 

some of the reviews i read—all of which were positive—described the show's use of '90s paraphenalia (music, soft drinks, clothes, fads, etc.) as OTT and one of the few flaws of the series.  however, when watching this episode, i didn't find the 90s allusions to be intrusive nor 'too much'.  and now i'm wondering - is it because we have less distance (time-wise) from the 90s, that we are inclined to notice every reference to its time period in a pop culture text that takes place then, in way that we would not, for example, if the setting was the 60s, 70s, or 80s?  (and think about how with mad men, it was deemed a pleasure to notice the immersion in the time period and all the details that were involved.)  at any rate, as someone who was already out of high school by the 90s, i feel like it was a lot more recent than it actually was, and i don't have the same sense of it as a coherent "decade" as previous ones, so for me, it's nice to have those culturally and temporally specific reminders.

 

that said, i also am enjoying the storylines, even if they are not super-duper unique so far, because of the execution.

 

i'm off to mini-binge...

[Valny]

I'm not usually a binger, but I've seen six eps already. I just had to keep clicking on the next ep after each one.
The Luke character is really sweet, love that kid.  
I didn't know any spoilers so I didn't expect to see the Kate sexuality angle coming into play at all. I was like, "whoa!" when she in her room with the Playboy(?) magazine. (does no one lock doors?!)
The Tyler kid I thought I may have seen him before, but looked him up on IMDB and this is his first series.

I kind of can't stand the two drama kids.  They're a bit much for me.

Really enjoying this so far.

[OtterMommy]

I binged the entire season today...and I am not a binge watcher.  I thoroughly enjoyed this series and was especially impressed by the young actors.  There was some tough stuff they had to perform and they all carried it off expertly.

And it looks like they are setting up for a season 2.  Shows set in high school tend to have a short life--no more than 4 seasons.  But, if they keep up this level, I want everything they can give me.

[small potatoes]

25 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

I binged the entire season today...

Me, too. I liked it. Reminded me of Freaks and Geeks. 

[viajero]

I also thoroughly enjoyed this series.  I agree that the young actors did a great job.  Plus, the writing was good, the plot was well structured, and the music was pretty fantastic.  It probably helps that though I'm more than a decade older than these kids, it reminded me so much of my early high school years.  It really is almost uncanny.  Not only did I have two geeky girl-crazy best friends, but we even made a couple of amateurish short movies.  I also had my first big crush and went on my first date with a girl who it later turned out had been in the process of figuring out she was gay.  We eventually went on to become really good friends, to the point where I think I was one of only three people she came out to while still in high school.  I once even snuck away (with a different girl) to see a concert in Portland.  Needless to say, I really hope there is a Season 2.

Edited February 18, 2018 by viajero

[Samsnee]

Watched this all yesterday as well. If I didn’t go to high school in the 90s I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it. It relies a little too much on 90s nostalgia in the early episodes. But the characters all grew on me around episode 6. 

 

The only person I didn’t really like was the principal. He seemed too desperate to me that I didn’t really buy that he liked Luke’s mom, so much as the idea of her. Similarly to what Kate told Luke after the Tori Amos concert. 

Overall I would watch a second season. And Kudos to actually casting kids that look age appropriate for high school *coughFreaksandgeekscough*

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, Samsnee said:

The only person I didn’t really like was the principal. He seemed too desperate to me that I didn’t really buy that he liked Luke’s mom, so much as the idea of her. Similarly to what Kate told Luke after the Tori Amos concert. 

I liked the principal, but it took me a while.  Part of me felt like instead of playing the part, the actor was trying to play Bill Pullman playing the part.

[Clare]

I loved this series.  Watched the whole thing yesterday.  I thought it was really sweet.  It reminded me of Stranger Things without the supernatural.  I loved all the kids.  The drama vs the AV club cracked me up.

I loved the Kate and Luke friendship.   It was so sweet and just what I needed to watch after this week. I liked the parent relationship too.  I thought it seemed real.

[Zima]

I was in high school in 1996, so I'm really liking this so far. I'm watching it with a friend who wasn't born until 1992, and he has been saying that all of the 90's stuff is OTT, but I think it's the best part of the series. 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Zima

[Zima]

Wonderwall came out in 1995, so the fact that no one had ever heard it before (as this takes place is 1996) kind of took me out of the episode.  Other than that, it was pretty great. 

[Zima]

I'm watching this with a friend who is 12 years younger than me, and he was like, "Nobody actually said 'All that and a bag of chips, did they?'" I had to inform him that yes, people definitely said that. Haha.

[Valny]

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 6:33 PM, veronicalodge44 said:

some of the reviews i read—all of which were positive—described the show's use of '90s paraphenalia (music, soft drinks, clothes, fads, etc.) as OTT and one of the few flaws of the series.  however, when watching this episode, i didn't find the 90s allusions to be intrusive nor 'too much'.

I agee veronicalodge44.  The references didn't hit me over the head and I never thought it was too much. Unless I just wasn't paying attention! :)

I've watched all the eps(in less than 24 hours!) and I'll just say the person I hated the most, well....I didn't feel that way come the finale.

[OtterMommy]

Happy nostalgia feels or two much of the 90s?  Bartles & Jaymes or Zima? Discuss here.

[OtterMommy]

In the s01e01 thread @Zima (perfect username, by the way) wrote:

Quote

all of the 90's stuff is OTT, but I think it's the best part of the series. 

I agree, and I don't think the 90s nostalgia is to heavy handed.  I think they've done a great job of using all the references to create a very realistic world for these characters.

Plus, this is a show about KIDS.  If these characters were adults working in a cube farm, I could see how the references would be too much.  However, teenagers have always been very clued into social and cultural elements,  To not have these references would make the characters unrealistic.

[MissEwa]

I adored this show from the first episode and was sad when I realised I'd finished it. I can see how the 90s references in the first few episodes might have felt a little on-the-nose but as someone who was 16 in 1996 it rang true to me - and I liked that the music wasn't all 'cool' 90s indie music that most people had barely heard of, but a combo of more indie stuff and the more commercial songs that everyone knew (even if we wished we didn't). 

I loved all the characters, especially from about episode 6 onwards. They all felt real and... well-intentioned, even when they messed up it was in relatable ways. I also loved how it avoided the soapy miscommunication cliches so many teen shows gravitate towards. I was expecting the worst when Emaline watched Kate and Luke leave from the hotel and you *knew* she was jealous and hurt - but instead of outing her or hooking up with Mcquaid out of spite, she... was just sad for a while, then went and actually ASKED Kate about it. It wasn't what I expected and it was refreshing and nice, and I love them as a couple. 
 

The finale did leave a whole lot of loose threads, which was a bit frustrating, but I'm crossing my fingers for a season two. 

 

[Zima]

2 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

In the s01e01 thread @Zima (perfect username, by the way) wrote:

I agree, and I don't think the 90s nostalgia is to heavy handed.  I think they've done a great job of using all the references to create a very realistic world for these characters.

Plus, this is a show about KIDS.  If these characters were adults working in a cube farm, I could see how the references would be too much.  However, teenagers have always been very clued into social and cultural elements,  To not have these references would make the characters unrealistic.

Haha! I didn't even think about my username being super appropriate for this! It's my real name. When the ep where they were drinking Zima came on, I was like, "Oh god, is this what it feels like for people who have super common names? Hearing other people say it over and over again? How annoying!"

As for the rest of your post...that's a great point, and I completely agree. 

[Haggisahh]

Hey guys,

when watching Everything Sucks, it reminds me more and more of a Swedish movie from 1998 called Fucking Åmål (and distributed internationally as Show me Love). It is almost to the point where I feel it's too close to be just a tribute or inspiration. I am not sure to what degree people in the US are aware of this movie, but for Swedish people this might be the most memorable movie of the 1990s.

- The title of Fucking Åmål is a reference to the movie taking place in Åmål, possibly the most Boring town in Sweden.

- Fucking Åmål is about a shy girl called Agnes, who looks and behaves a LOT like Kate, and Elin, a charismatic blonde bombshell. The movie depicts their burgouning relationship and the reaction it elicits in a small town in the 1990s.

Has anybody else noticed this? How do you feel about it?

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by Haggisahh

[MissEwa]

Some of the references may be a little heavy-handed but I'm easily pleased when it comes to anything 90s. That whole conversation about Ironic in the first episode had me giggling uncontrollably in recognition. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

McQuaid: Luke, you do realize that A/V Club is the lowliest of electives? It's beneath choir. It's beneath weather club.
Tyler: They should combine choir and weather club. Weather choir.

Jessica: In world news, President Clinton has signed the Defensive of Marriage Act, defining marriage as one man and one woman.
Scott: Well, that's a shame because I was gonna marry a Taco Bell burrito.

Tyler: You're out of your mind! Luke, settle this.
Luke: Settle what?
McQuaid: That ridiculous song. Winning the lottery and dying the next day? The subject is 98 years old. There's nothing ironic about dying at 98. Rain on your wedding day?
Tyler: It's ironic because they chose that day to get married!
McQuaid: Well then they're morons, and they deserve each other! Do these people not have five day forecasts? What kind of fairy tale world does Alanis Morissette live in?
Tyler: Canada!

Tyler: High hopes, low expectations. That's what my step dad always says. Then again, he's an unemployed alcoholic who named his dog after a psychopath. 
McQuaid: How is Charles Manson?
Tyler: Oh, farts a lot.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E1:

The Impression That I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Whoomp! (There It Is) - Tag Team
Run Around - Blues Traveler
Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis

The show definitely set the 90s tone by opening with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and then showing the principal trying to be cool by dancing to Whoomp! (There It Is) in a beaver costume. Gawd, remember all the controversy because Whoot, There It Is came out around the same time?

Runaround by Blues Traveler was inescapable in the mid 90s, as was Oasis, so those were great choices for the pilot. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand Oasis so the latter half of the 90s sucked for me because every station played Oasis (I was also one of the five people in the world who couldn't stand Nirvana so the first half of the 90s had a different kind of musical torture for me).

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awww, Principal Messner is such a sweetly dorky dad.

It was weird to see Kate with old foam headphones instead of earbuds or the big ear cup headphones. Just a tip though, Kate - if you're going to look at girlie magazines and/or masturbate, leave the headphones off so that you'll hear your dad BEFORE he walks into your room. Her dad took it pretty well though.

The dark flowered dress that Miss Stock was wearing was perfectly mid 90s.

OMG and Columbia House! I remember taping a penny to that stupid postcard to sign up.

I didn't find the 90s stuff over the top. I thought the show got a lot of details just right (scrunchies, striped shirts, overalls). Pop culture stuff like Alanis Morissette and the re-released Star Wars movies are what people were talking about so I found those snippets of conversation realistic too. I watched The Carrie Diaries and the first few episodes of The Goldbergs and I thought both shows went totally over the top with 80s references (which were often inaccurate because they were mixing things from different parts of the decade), but I think that this show on the other hand, is hitting it just right.

Edited February 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E2

Wonderwall - Oasis
Two Princes - Spin Doctors
Re-feel It - Bettie Serveert
Love Is Everywhere - Cicero
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something

Hahahaha, Two Princes by the Spin Doctors was soooooo 90s. I remember one of the girls who did baton with my sister had a routine to that song. 

Somewhat related side story: I was in Reno a few years ago when the Spin Doctors were playing a show. I saw a poster for it but didn't think anything of it. The wifi in my room wasn't working so I took my laptop down to the lobby so I could do something for work. While I was sitting in one of the chairs, this guy started to walk by and then two really excited women ran up to him and said, "OMG, you're the guy in the Spin Doctors!" I wouldn't have known it was him if they hadn't been shrieking about it.

I loved all the musical references we got in Luke's video for Kate. I wasn't sure how many he was going to end up using, but I remembered most of them immediately. I mean, who could forget that Blind Melon video?

But wow, using that Cicero song at the very end of the episode was perfect!

The internet says that Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something was used in this episode but I don't remember hearing it. I haaaaaaated that song so I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it if they had used it, but I'm leaving it on the list just in case I blocked it out.

Edited February 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

McQuaid: He's going to ask out Kate Messner because she called him cute.
Tyler: Holy shit. How you gonna do it? 
Luke: I don't know. Any ideas?
McQuaid: Do it while jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Oh wait, that IS what you're doing.
Tyler: Remember in Point Break when he jumps without a chute? He's like, "Gyah!" Then he jumps. He breaks both his knees, but other than that, it turns out okay.

Tyler: Can't you just invent like a robot that will read this to me or something?
McQuaid: I wish. Not with my limited knowledge and resources. But when the robots do take over, none of this will matter. We'll just be brains floating in tanks, slaves of virtual stimulation and synthetic automated nourishment.

Luke: Ooh, you're jealous.
McQuaid: Jealous?
Luke: Yes. Jealous. That's why you've been negative about this, right?
McQuaid: That's absurd. I'm always negative.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Luke is adorably awesome. The fact that a 14 year old boy took the time to chop strawberries and bananas for his mom's breakfast warmed my cold dead heart. The way he got up to get a fork for her after seeing her eat them with her fingers was so sweet. I don't know how healthy it is to have Diet Coke with your breakfast fruit.

His list of ways to ask Kate out cracked me up: skywriting, singing telegram, fax, or telepathy.

I know it's only been two episodes but my first impression of McQuaid was Haverchuck on Freaks & Geeks (I swear, it's not just the glasses). I loved that when Luke asked him to be supportive, he jumped in and helped him make that video to ask Kate out. Tyler I expected to do that because he is like a happy puppy dog.

I can't say I'm too upset about Oliver dumping Emaline. Karma, bitch!

I am not the kind of person who is into overblown proposals/flash mobs/promvitations, but the video that Luke made was so sweet. All the different video references totally cracked me up. The look on Scott's face after Luke asked her out was hilarious.

More perfect 90s stuff in this episode: Emaline's slip dress with a bra underneath, the black woven choker on the girl in the bathroom, Principal Messner's blue patterned tie and his baggy button down shirt. Luke's plain grey sweatshirt is more of an 80s look to me, but I'm willing to overlook it because in theory a plain sweatshirt is never totally out of style.

Edited February 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kate: I don't know what [Emaline] sees in [Oliver].
Luke: Maybe his mouth tastes good.
Kate: Yeah, right. Like raspberry Warheads and cigarettes.

Tyler: My stepdad rented it. It makes Species look like FernGully. 
Luke: What does?
McQuaid: Showgirls. According to Tyler, Jessie Spano shows her ...things.
Tyler: And her pussy. I mean, she totally does it with the guy from Dune. Like actual sex!
McQuaid: No, it isn't.
Tyler: Yes, it is!
McQuaid: No, it isn't!
Tyler: You haven't seen it. Why would it be NC-17 if they weren't actually doing it?
McQuaid: Can I borrow it? For research purposes.

Luke's mom: At this age it's like we speak different languages.
Kate's dad: Uh, da bomb?
Luke's mom: All that and a bag of chips?  
Kate's dad: What does that mean? My favorite is oh, snap. I'm here, I say, snap what? Snap my fingers?
Luke's mom: My sanity?

Tyler: Gentlemen, feast your eyes on this!
McQuaid: What is it?
Tyler Twelve layer dip. Beans, sour cream, Pace, olives, pickles, cheddar, chicken nuggets - you're welcome - honey, Apple Jacks, sliced apple and a second layer of cheddar.
McQuaid: That's eleven layers. 
Tyler: Oh, the top layer's oxygen.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 2/18/2018 at 8:18 PM, Zima said:

I'm watching this with a friend who is 12 years younger than me, and he was like, "Nobody actually said 'All that and a bag of chips, did they?'" I had to inform him that yes, people definitely said that. Haha.

I remember when I saw an old rerun of a tv show and I asked my mom if people really dressed like that back then.

Thank goodness the drama kids at my high school weren't the attention whores that Emaline and Oliver are. Seriously, STFU.

My high school gave out detention very liberally. If you were late to class (meaning your butt was not in your seat when the bell rang), you got detention so theoretically you could get detention six times in one day. As a result, detention was full of all kinds of kids. I also went to a really large high school so our detention was held in the auditorium twice a day (before school and after school) to accommodate everyone who had detention.

Ha, the Scott Wolf discussion was great. Party of Five! I also loved that Kate had a picture of Claire and Leo on her collage.

I love that McQuaid's requirement for movie night is a weird snack AND that he accepted Kate's chapstick as a weird snack.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E3

Kitty - The Presidents of the United States of America
Don't Take It Personal (Just one of Dem Days) - Monica
Til I Hear It from You - Gin Blossoms
Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh
Fire Water Burn - Bloodhound Gang

I didn't actually like the Gin Blossoms at the time, but now I kind of have a soft spot for them because they represent the genericness of bland 90s bands. That's why they seemed like a perfect choice to use on this show.

Edited February 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E4

Take It Like a Man - The Offspring
Time Bomb - Rancid
Pink Triangle - Weezer
Supreme Nothing - Tiger Trap

Loved that we got to hear The Offspring and Rancid in the fourth episode, but ending with Pink Triangle after Kate confessed to Luke that she thinks she's a lesbian? High five to the show's musics supervisor!

Edited February 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ken: I always wanted to throw toilet paper on a house.
Sherry: You better keep it down, Ken. You do not want people to know that you have never TPed a house!

Oliver: So then you like Jim Carrey?
Tyler: He's okay.
Oliver: Jim Carrey is the most underrated actor of our time!

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ken and Sherry's first mistake was buying Charmin to TP a house. Buy the cheapest toilet paper you can buy, damn it. Don't waste the good stuff to TP a house! I'm glad they had fun, but it was sad to see that Sherry just wanted this to be platonic while Ken obviously wanted more.

I think oftentimes students remember the teachers, counselors, and other educators who made a difference in their lives but they don't actually tell those people, so it was nice to see Dylan thank Principal Messner.

I really felt for both Luke and Kate after their first kiss. Luke was so excited and happy and Kate clearly didn't feel the same if she blurted out that she thinks she's a lesbian.

Honestly, I don't care too much about this movie they're going to make but I'm still enjoying the show and the characters. And the kick ass music!

[marny]

I liked the parent relationship a lot. Actually, I liked it much more than most of the teen storylines. I really found the Luke character annoying. I know he’s young and inexperienced, but I just found him to be so clingy with Kate and it drove me nuts and made me dislike him. Also, the McQuaid (sp?) character was so unrealistically uptight that i just couldn’t buy into him as a person. Same with the drama couple— no one I’ve ever met acts like that. 

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, marny said:

Same with the drama couple— no one I’ve ever met acts like that. 

I actually knew a number of drama kids just like that, at least like the boy (the girl seemed to be more of the mean-girl variety at first).

[viajero]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

S1.E2

The internet says that Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something was used in this episode but I don't remember hearing it. I haaaaaaated that song so I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it if they had used it, but I'm leaving it on the list just in case I blocked it out.

It was used in the scene where Kate replaces the posters on her bedroom walls and goes on to pierce her nose

[OtterMommy]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The internet says that Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something was used in this episode but I don't remember hearing it. I haaaaaaated that song so I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it if they had used it, but I'm leaving it on the list just in case I blocked it out.

I don't remember it in this episode (ep2), but it does play in a later episode.

[small potatoes]

That's interesting. Thanks for pointing it out. It would be nice if the show creators acknowledged the influence of the movie. 

[OtterMommy]

I'll be honest, I don't see much there to indicate that Show Me Love had any influence on this show.  Other than one character looking like another and it being set in the same decade, there really isn't much (based on what was posted here) in common.

[Haggisahh]

If you haven't actually watched the movie, I don't see why you would. It certainly seems the creators were at the very least aware of the movie from this quote:

"Because many of their young actors weren’t alive in the ’90s — “Everything Sucks!” star Peyton Kennedy was born in 2004 — the creators gave their cast pop culture homework. “I wasn’t really familiar with much of the music at all, so it was really great to go into that generation of music,” says Kennedy. “I prepared a lot using pop culture, [listening to] Tori Amos; [watching] ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ and a foreign film called ‘Show Me Love.’”

 

I'd be interested to hear from people who watched the movie, it's a great movie so its well worth taking the time to do so.

Edited February 21, 2018 by Haggisahh

[tennisgurl]

I have a soft spot for 90s nostalgia (my generation is finally getting their turn at nostalgia after the 80s kids have been drinking up nostalgia for the last 10 years!), and I thought the references were handled quite well. I liked seeing the pieces of pop culture and style, and it seems like the show wont be "its the 90s! Get it?!?!" and thats the only kind of nostalgia I particularly dislike. 

I like the two main kid actors, they're both really engaging. I didn't see Kate checking out the girlie magazine coming, that should be interesting with Luke having a crush on her. I also like the dorky principle dad. He seems sweet, but I can certainly see why a teen would find him to be absolutely embarrassing, especially as the other kids (and teachers!) talk about her like she has the plague because her dad is the principle. 

 I was about 6 at this time, so most of my memories of 90s culture comes from a few years later, so I hope we get further into the 90s as the show goes on!

[tennisgurl]

I forgot what an awesome song Wonderwall is. Looks like thats gonna be stuck in my head the rest of the day! Also, Emalines slip dress and hair look so 90s, its like she came out of a time capsule. 

That video was super cute and well done, and I loved seeing all of the other kids getting into it, and cheering at the ending. And, as awkward as this probably was for Kate, this will probably help her out with the lesbian rumors. It sucks that she would have to keep denying whatever her sexuality is, and obviously saying yes to a date with a boy doesn't mean you are magically not into girls, but to high schoolers, especially 90s high schoolers? Thats probably an answer right there, and she wont have to worry about that for awhile again. 

[tennisgurl]

Oh my God, I literally had the exact same phone that Kate does when I was a kid! The see through phone, right next to my bed! I loved that phone, I felt like the coolest person ever. Memories...

[tennisgurl]

I cant decide what cracked me up more, the kids bringing Zima as a peace offering to the drama club (and it working!) or the one guy losing his mind when Luke insulted Uncle Vanya. "I`ll kill him now"! I also love the kid that plays Oliver. He really nails this weird combination of arrogance, pretension, and sincerity. I especially loved his expression as Luke was explaining the plot of his movie, and the character that Oliver could play. Like he was already working out this characters entire backstory and character arc just standing there. 

I really felt for Luke and Kate after the first kiss disaster. Luke was so excited, and he so clearly likes Kate, and while Kate likes him too, she doesn't like him...like that, and now she has to hurt his feelings. 

[OtterMommy]

10 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I really felt for Luke and Kate after the first kiss disaster. Luke was so excited, and he so clearly likes Kate, and while Kate likes him too, she doesn't like him...like that, and now she has to hurt his feelings. 

Yes, that was heartbreaking.  I mean, I don't blame Kate at all, but I doubt that Luke will ever forget that his first kiss was followed by "I think I'm a lesbian."

But, I have to say my absolute favorite part of this episode was Luke's make up under the black light!

[tennisgurl]

"I`m your heterosexual tendency!" 

The girl doing Pulp Fiction with a banana! That was amazing. I hope she got a part in the movie. We even got in a classic "goofy auditions" montage. Truly, this was the 90s. 

Oh banana slug. It also looks like Emaline might be the *Kim Kelly of the show, the resident tough mean girl who has a soft side. 

*I know this show isn't Freaks and Geeks quality yet, but I do get the vibe a few times. 

[tennisgurl]

You know, maybe it would be for the best if Ken and Sherry got together. Luke and Kate might be better as step siblings than boyfriend/girlfriend. And Ken and Sherry were really cute this epiosde together. 

Their "break-up" was really sad, and I feel bad for both of them. Luke has a big crush on her, and doesn't fully get that she wont ever be into him, and while Kate likes hanging out with Luke, she wont ever be into him the way he is into her. Thats a tough situation for anyone, let alone two sheltered teenagers.

[ybrik]

Yeah not seeing the whole over the top usage of the 90's. 

As someone who literally would have been about Kate's or Emaline's age group in 96, most of the references are natural enough that I recognize them but don't take me out of the scenes. 

I do remember the whole Ironic conversation happening when the song first came out. I actually did kind of flash back to my childhood remembering some of my friends discussing it.