Everything Sucks - General Discussion

[ybrik]

As someone who was in high school in 96 I had to watch this just for the nostalgia. However, I am glad the show is good and filled with nostalgia without going over the top. 

Could definitely relate to the characters. Knew people like almost all the characters. Unfortunately I think I was probably more the McQuad of my group. 

Really like the characters of Luke and Kate. Both seem like good young actors.

Really annoyed that it seems like Netflix tried to market this like it is the same vein as Stranger Things because keep seeing all reviewers trying to compare when they are not the same. Yes both shows are set in the near past 80's and 90's with kids as the main cast but the genre of the shows are completely different. Some have compared this to Freaks and Geeks. I also think this show is kind of like the Wonder Years without the Ron Howard voiceover.

Also this did make me think of my school days so much that I kept wanting to yell at Luke to not wear his backpack over both shoulders because an older kid is going to tug on it really hard and pull him down.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ybrik

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

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...

My sister had that phone too. I thought it was soooooo cool too!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Luke: Are you sure this [illustration of a penis] doesn't do anything for you?
Kate: Oh, my God, I am so turned on.

Luke: Question four: Are you aroused by pornography featuring members of the same sex?
Kate: How should I know? I've never watched a porno.
Luke: Really? Not even Cinemax?
Kate: We don't have cable.
Luke: Wow, that sucks.

Luke: Scoring guide, let's see.
Kate: What's it say?
Luk: Well, you are "homosexual with heterosexual tendencies." Heterosexual tendencies. That's me. I'm your heterosexual tendency.

Emaline: Your appearance tells the world who you are and what you want. Speaking for myself, the goal is boners.
Kate: Gross.
Emaline: If I can make a guy hard just by looking at me, I win. That's power.
Kate: Well, maybe I don't need guys getting boners about me just to be happy.

Leroy: People are weird. The key is finding the weird that goes with your weird. The cheese for your cherry. Like when I took Sherry to Blazing Saddles. Now that movie is not for everybody. When Mongo punched the horse, Sherry baby laughed so hard, soda, it came out of her nose, onto the theater floor, I swear. I lost four bucks worth of concessions. Some people, they might say that's a bad date, but for me it doesn't get any better.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

OMG, the auditions were cracking me up, from Jessica's terrible rendition of Our Town and the monologue from A Few Good Men to the tap dancing and the Braveheart guy with the hobby horse and his lines skewered on his sword.

Loved the obligatory slow motion walk down the stairs. That's a staple of 90s teen movies!

I really like the relationship between Kate and her dad. Even though he embarrasses her, they clearly love each other and she feels comfortable enough to tell him to quit badgering her (fake) boyfriend at dinner. When she was playing the piano, seeing him get so emotional was really sweet. But Ken should be really glad that Luke's mom didn't have caller ID so she had no idea that he was calling her just to hear her voice on the answering machine a million times a day!

I knew it was just a matter of time before Luke had to call banana slug, but damn, he didn't even get through a full 24 hours!

I really feel for Kate. She is clearly struggling with her attraction to Emaline and trying to understand herself. I wish I could tell her that she is not going to find the answer in any of those books that Luke found at the library. So ridiculous but unsurprising that he thought showing her an illustrated cross section of male genitals would somehow make her feel something. Sorry, Luke, there are lots of straight women and gay men who wouldn't be turned on by that either!

One tiny detail I loved was Luke trying to decide what to call Kate's dad. I love that he didn't just default to calling him by his first name. Almost everyone I knew through college called my parents Mr. and Mrs. EB so it's always weird to me when I see high school kids on tv shows calling each other's parents by their first names.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Thanks, guys! I knew I would have remembered if it had been used in that episode!

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[paulvdb]

I have watched the movie and I can see some similarities between the stories of Kate/Emmaline and Agnes/Elin (putting the names close to each other made me notice that Emmaline's name could even be inspired by her Swedish counterpart). But it's not unusual to see similarities in stories in the same genre because apparently Mark Twain said "There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages." And that was a long time ago, so it becomes more and more likely that you'll find that a new story is very similar to something that was done before. So the creators of this show were probably consciously or subconsciously influenced by the movie when they wrote the story of Agnes and Emmaline and when they cast the actors to play the roles. But I still see more than enough differences between the two stories so it doesn't come across to me as a copy of the movie.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E5

Devotion - Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf
Here Comes the Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze
Rocket Man - Elton John

Hearing the Hotstepper song brought back some memories! Na na na na na na na na na na na na!

I knew that hearing Kate sing would be enough to push Luke over the edge into banana slug territory. That's hard to resist!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E6

Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos
Broken Heart - DJ Peti
Someone You Love - Popguns
Silent All These Years - Tori Amos

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Kate. I felt bad for her that she had to spell everything out for Luke, despite the fact that Luke was the one who suggested that he be her FAKE boyfriend knowing that she thought she was a lesbian. Luke is the one who called banana slug and then bought her tickets for a date. He was acting like if they just hung out more, she would slide over from "hanging out with her fake boyfriend" to "in love with her real boyfriend."

Mr. Messner was pretty ballsy to smoke confiscated weed in the high school parking lot. Does Sherry really like him or is she just humoring him?

I saw BOTH of those no parking signs when Kate parked the car. I hope Sherry isn't going to be too upset that Leroy's car is gone. Heh, and I hope that they didn't need it to shoot any more scenes for the movie.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was laughing and cringing at Ken's hilarious dad dancing.

Kate is really brave to pierce her own nose. When my sister was in high school, there was a guy who used to park his van behind 7/11. He would pierce underage girls.

And who hasn't wanted to rip down a JTT poster? Hee, the Ryder Strong poster cracked me up.

Kate was so sweetly excited when Ken said that he'd met someone.

It was also very sweet to see Oliver and Emaline hug Tyler after Luke yelled at him.

1996 dial up internet!

Emaline looked so different without all her usual eye makeup.

Emaline and McQuaid listing different spices to use to get high was hilarious.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E7

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something
Anenome - Brian Jonestown Massacre
Sforzando! - Sebado

Finally, that damn Breakfast at Tiffany's song! Maybe if I got to watch Ken dancing around like a dork every time I heard this song, I would like it better!

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sherry: Okay, is there a pipe?
Ken: No, I don't think so.
Sherry: Oh, wait, I have gum in my bag. We can use the wrapper.
Ken: We can chew the gum after.

Ken: This is incredible. I can actually feel my brain working. Conducting my body like a perfectly calibrated orchestra.
Sherry: I bet a lot of the great scientists were stoners. I mean, how else is Sir Isaac Newton gonna spend all that time thinking about gravity and stuff? That is stoner thinking.
Ken: Uh, he did more than think about it. He discovered the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Sherry: Our feet would still be stuck to the ground whether or not he said so.
Ken: Oh, don't undersell Sir Isaac. The man was the father of modern physics. He wrote the laws of optics, the laws of motion. I mean, he invented calculus for fun! The beauty of his mind. I wish I was that smart.
Sherry: I don't. I think it'd be lonely being that smart, you know? No one else in the world who really gets you. Life's lonely enough without having to be the father of modern physics.

Kate: Look, my whole life, I have been the freak. The girl who nobody picked for dodgeball. The girl who didn't have a mom. The girl who dressed funny because it was her dad buying her clothes. And then tonight I looked at these people and I thought maybe there's a future where I don't have to be a freak. Maybe I can be who I am and that's okay.
Luke: I never said you couldn't be who you are. I told you, whoever you are, whatever you are, it doesn't matter to me.
Kate: Luke, it matters to me. 
Luke: Okay, so now what? Go and tell everyone at school that you're a lesbian. You don't think they'll call you a freak?
Kate: The only thing that matters is that I know. 
Luke: You had a great time with me. 
Kate: I had an amazing time.
Luke: Okay, so why can't we keep hanging out? Having amazing nights together? Why are you doing this to me?
Kate: Because it's not about you! I told you how from the beginning how I felt, and you wouldn't hear it because all you care about is yourself. 
Luke: I like you. 
Kate: No, you don't. You like the idea of me. You like the idea of having a girlfriend. But you're just using me to make yourself feel better about everything in your life that sucks. So just leave me alone.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E8

Leave Them All Behind - Ride
Beautiful Life - Ace of Base
Connection - Elastica
London, England - Corduroy

Hahahaha, the look on Stargrove's face when that girl popped Ace of Base in the tape player was priceless.

A+ for "Leave Them All Behind" as the background music as Oliver left town.

And Connection - that was a blast from the past!

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oliver: Nutmeg? That shit you put in eggnog?
Tyler: "Users who in-" McQuaid?
McQuaid: "Users who ingest an approximate doseof at least 37 tablespoons may experience hallucinogenic effects." 
Everyone: Nutmeg! Nutmeg! Nutmeg!

McQuaid: As I suspected. You've all been boned by the World Wide Web.
Tyler: No, no, no way. Why would someone put that on the net if it wasn't true?

Emaline: I don't feel squat.
McQuaid: Maybe next time you should try cinnamon.
Emaline: Cumin.
McQuaid: Oregano.
Emaline: Paprika.
McQuaid: Garlic powder.

Oliver: You know what I like? Monologues. Monologues are to an actor what cheesecake is to a fat man. They are delicious. They are nutritious. They are absolutely necessary. You know what? We need to give Blorg more monologues.
Tyler: How many more?
Oliver: Seven. Seven monologues. Distinct monologues. Uh, perhaps one about his childhood and how his family never understood him and still doesn't. Maybe another about his first love. And maybe one about the death of his father.

McQuaid: You still feel nothing? 
Emaline: Zippo. But as long as Oliver is having fun. His fun is more important than my fun. You have to be selfless when you're in a mature relationship like ours.
McQuaid: Right.
Emaline: I mean, you could almost say that his fun is my fun. Like, we're one, you know? It's like we're connected.
McQuaid: Okay. You sure that nutmeg isn't working yet?

Emaline: How come you never smile?
McQuaid: I smile. I smile often. I'm a degenerate smiler of smiles. 
[McQuaid "smiles"]
Emaline: Okay, wait, that is not - no, that is not a smile. That is a creep face.
McQuaid: Alas, I suffer from creep face.
Emaline: You're such a weird freshman, McQuaid.
McQuaid: But it's true. All the McQuaid men have creep face dating back hundreds of years to when the Cossacks were chasing us.
Emaline: You don't laugh either.
McQuaid: Laughter's not the only way to show that something is funny. 
Emaline: Is that a fact? 
McQuaid: Sure. Do something funny. I'll react without laughter.

McQuaid: Never mix drugs with heights.

Leroy: I re-watched Ghostbusters. Here's what I figured out. Aside from the ghosts, there's really just one other bad guy - the EPA guy. And I'm thinking, "How is this guy the bad guy?" This guy is doing his job. This guy is protecting the environment while the Ghostbusters run around and blow up ballrooms. I mean, I bet I could write a whole movie where the EPA guy, he's the good guy. I mean, heck, from his perspective, he is the good guy. That's interesting. We're all the heroes of our own story. Without even realizing, we're probably the bad guy in someone else's.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Leslie: Did anyone bring any music?
Tyler: There's a tape up there.
Leslie: Oh, sweet. Ace of Base.

Luke: Give me Pacino, give me De Niro! 
McQuaid: Get him.
Tyler: Dude, that's Christopher Walken.

McQuaid: Emaline, I got you a Mountain Dew.
Emaline: No, thanks.
McQuaid: I was wondering if you wanted to watch television with me in my room.
Emaline: Go beat off into a sock.

Luke: You're not my girlfriend and you're never going to be and yet you keep finding new ways to break my heart.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I wish I could say that I was surprised that Oliver just took off without telling anyone, but I'm not. He said in one of the first episodes that he was going to get the hell out of Boring and go to New York. It sucks that he bailed in the middle of shooting their movie and it really sucks that he didn't tell Emaline. That's a shitty thing to do to the rest of the cast and to his girlfriend.

I thought Emaline already looked different in the previous episode but it was even more dramatic in this episode when she had straight hair and almost no makeup.

Loved how triumphant everyone was when they blew up the fake alien!

Heh, Stargrove got some loving from the park ranger and that was enough to make him like Ace of Base!

All those hormones running wild were bound to cause problems, especially with everyone in such close quarters. Now we have a love polygon? Luke & Kate, Kate & Emaline, Emaline & McQuaid, Tyler & Leslie.

So what made Luke think that his dad is an asshole? That he works at Blockbuster? That he didn't recognize his own son?

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

McQuaid: How can someone seem to like you one second and then tell you to beat off into a sock the next?
Luke: What is that, a riddle?
McQuaid: Life's cruelest riddle.

Jessica: Don't forget, Beavers! Tickets for Boring High School's first movie are now available! The premiere will be Saturday in the auditorium amidst renovations so bring a hard hat. 
Scott: You can expect this movie to be no less than garbage, considering I was not cast in it.
Jessica: What a shame. From those who were cast in it, we can assure you it's gonna be da bomb diggity.

Tyler: How come I'm losing all my friends to girls? Is it me?
Leslie: No, definitely not. You shouldn't blame yourself. Truth be told, you never stood a chance. The female species is extremely powerful and highly mysterious. Sometimes we quietly saddle up right next to you and before you even know it, you're ours.
Tyler: Like a spider.

Kate: So the best memory I have of my mom was this one day she took me to the county fair. She checked me out of school that morning and told them we had a family commitment and we just went. Just the two of us. I remember feeding the goats in the petting zoo and the way my mom laughed when they licked at her palms. At one point, I got lost in the funhouse and I started crying so she bought me balloons. And then we were at the highest point of the Ferris wheel and she told me to let them go. So I did. She said to me, "Kate, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't still there. " She just held me. That night we got home and she cooked us spaghetti. But it was surprising because she hadn't cooked in months. And then she asked us if we wanted ice cream. She got the keys and left to go get some. And she drove out here to this bridge. And she stopped her car in the middle of the road. And she climbed over the railing and she let go. In the obituary, my dad just said her death was related to illness. So you see, I don't have the luxury of getting mad at my mom over petty bullshit. I just have a dad. And I don't know what you did to screw up the happiness he found with your mom. I'm so mad at you, Luke. You're not the only one having a hard time.

Edited February 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E9

Real Love - Mary J. Blige
Season of Suffering - Jailhouse

Heh, Ken dancing to Real Love in his underwear was amazing! Luke is probably scarred for life.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Leroy: I keep thinking about Close Encounters. At the end, Richard Dreyfuss, he says goodbye to Earth and he gets on that UFO. He has to. Gotta say goodbye to your friends and family for the great unknown. That's a hero. That's an artist. And a real artist doesn't need friends or family.

Tyler: So you nervous?
McQuaid: Nervousness is an irrational feeling that has no practical application whatsoever.
Tyler: So, you nervous?
McQuaid: Very much so, yes.
Tyler: Yeah, I thought so.

Cedric: Yo, blueberry! Let's jam.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One of the things I liked from the first episode is that the freshmen look like freshmen. You can tell that the actors playing Luke, Kate, Tyler, and McQuaid aren't 30 year adults pretending to be 14. But the trade off when you hire teen actors who look their age is that sometimes their acting isn't as good as it could be. Thankfully, I did not find that to be the case with this cast, particularly the younger actors who were all very natural as their charcters.

But this episode showed what an amazing actor Jahi Di'Allo Winston is. He didn't say a word while Kate told him about her last day with her mom but his face said everything. First he smiled, happy that she was talking about a happy memory with her mom and then as she got further into the story, you could see every emotion on his face. That last scene between the two of them was amazing.

Kate has always had this tightness to her, like she's a coiled spring. In the first episode, I couldn't tell if it was the actress or the character but after seeing her story over the course of the season, I can see now that it was Kate the character feeling awkward and unsure of herself. The contrast between that and her anger at the end of this episode or her laughter in previous episodes was really striking because most of the time, Kate is holding herself in so those rare moments when she lets her emotions out are great.

[Haggisahh]

That's a good point. I guess what bothered me a bit while watching the tv show was that it felt a bit paint-by-numbers. The show has a slightly plastic feel to it in my opinion, where you can quite clearly spot the influences and the references are just extremely on the nose. That being said, I still enjoyed the show, its fun to start seing shows that are nostalgic about a decade you actually remember :-)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought this was a sweet little show. I didn't mind the loose threads at the end because that's how life really is.

I'm glad that Luke and Kate have made up. I really like them as friends. And yay for Kate and Emaline!

I like that Sherry knows what a dork Ken is and likes him anyway. Now he and Luke can tell silly dad jokes while Kate and Sherry lovingly roll their eyes.

I hope the kids don't get too much taller before they film the next season!

On 2/20/2018 at 6:14 AM, marny said:

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

Heh, count yourself lucky!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E10

The Freshmen - The Verve Pipe
Lovefool - The Cardigans
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
In the Meantime - Space Hog

The songs in this episode were so perfectly mid 90s. I remember that there was draaaaaama because "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve came out a few months after "The Freshmen" by the Verve Pipe (as people would have a hard time telling the songs apart just because the names of the band had one word in common).

[tennisgurl]

Ken and his dorky dancing was both hilarious, and delightful. It was also sweet to see how excited Kate was that her dad met "a girl" and how happy she was for him. That piercing looked nasty though! 

Oh my God, the 90s dial up sounds! Oh memories. "Why would someone put something on the net if it wasn't true?" 

Emaline and Oliver hanging out with McQuaid and Tyler was surprisingly fun, and even sweet. I laughed at the pine-cone too. And Oliver's "I am a gold god!" moments. 

[OtterMommy]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

1996 dial up internet!

Not gonna lie...I was disappointed that the Dancing Baby was not the payoff for the connection wait.  THE SHOW TRAILER LIED TO ME!

[OtterMommy]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I wish I could say that I was surprised that Oliver just took off without telling anyone, but I'm not. He said in one of the first episodes that he was going to get the hell out of Boring and go to New York. It sucks that he bailed in the middle of shooting their movie and it really sucks that he didn't tell Emaline. That's a shitty thing to do to the rest of the cast and to his girlfriend.

 

Someone said in another thread that they had never met anyone like the drama kids (and I replied that I had).  And, in fact, we had that guy in the drama club who was overly "artistic" and walked around in a trench coat.  While he made it to graduation, he took off the next day....  So, yeah, I was not at all surprised that Oliver took off...

[OtterMommy]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Mr. Messner was pretty ballsy to smoke confiscated weed in the high school parking lot. Does Sherry really like him or is she just humoring him?

I think she really likes him.  She was in a bad relationship (which I think was far worse than we've seen) and she had made mention about how she is objectified at work.  Now, here is a guy who is interested in HER and who cares for her son--and someone who can empathize with her plight as a single parent.  We may see Messner as dorky, but he probably seems perfect to her.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, Haggisahh said:

That's a good point. I guess what bothered me a bit while watching the tv show was that it felt a bit paint-by-numbers. The show has a slightly plastic feel to it in my opinion, where you can quite clearly spot the influences and the references are just extremely on the nose. That being said, I still enjoyed the show, its fun to start seing shows that are nostalgic about a decade you actually remember :-)

Taking my reply to the nostalgia thread...

[OtterMommy]

In the Small Talk thread, @Haggisahh wrote:

Quote

That's a good point. I guess what bothered me a bit while watching the tv show was that it felt a bit paint-by-numbers. The show has a slightly plastic feel to it in my opinion, where you can quite clearly spot the influences and the references are just extremely on the nose. That being said, I still enjoyed the show, its fun to start seing shows that are nostalgic about a decade you actually remember :-)

The way I look at it is this:  This is an American show and Americans have always loved nostalgia.  If you look back at what was popular in TVs and movies, it seems like there was always a yearning for 20-40 years earlier.  In the 80s, the 50s were huge.  In the late 90s/early 00s, it was the 70s.  Now, it's the 80s and 90s.  I appreciate that maybe some of the references were a bit "on the nose," but that actually seems to be what this market wants.  Plus, as I said earlier, shows about kids in these periods really do need these references to be realistic.  Kids are social creatures, so cultural elements are a big part of their lives.

Honestly, I think the nostalgia in this show is far less "over the top" than what you see in Stranger Things.  I don't want to compare the two shows because, other than the facts that they focus on kids and they are set in the past, they are vastly different shows.  But, I do think that this show does a better job of weaving the period elements into the story.

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, I totally knew drama kids in high school who were like Oliver. Super dramatic, constantly smoking, and most of them left town pretty quickly too. Come on though Oliver, at least make it until graduation. Or let your girlfriend and parents at least know your going somewhere. It was weirdly sweet that he left his trench coat to Tyler though. I can totally see him showing up in season 2 after New York turns out to be harder than he thought it was going to be. 

So Emaline has feelings for Kate too? Didn't see that coming. 

Laughed so hard at the park ranger joining the movie, and everyone cheering when the alien blew up. And Stargrove got some! 

Ace of Base is an absolutely dangerous ear worm generator. 

I think what pissed Luke of was that not only did his dad not recognize him, but he didn't go to Hollywood to work in movies or do something super cool that kept him away from his family, he just works at a Blockbuster. His dad could do that in Boring still with his family, but he chooses not to. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

30 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I can totally see him showing up in season 2 after New York turns out to be harder than he thought it was going to be. 

Same here. When Cedric said that Oliver would get all the hotties in New York, I thought eh, maybe but it’s more likely that New York will chew him up and spit him out. He will probably have a part time job as a caterer and spend his spare time going to auditions for off-off-off Broadway shows and lamenting the fact that his talents are being wasted. Then he will show up in Boring for some kind of holiday weekend claiming he’s got this great career in New York. Later he will get drunk and confess to Tyler that he hasn’t been cast in a single role yet. 

[tennisgurl]

That last scene was absolutely brutal. The actress playing Kate nailed so many emotional changes, from telling this happy story, to sadness about her mom, and this super tightly coiled anger towards Luke. And Luke's expressions kept changing the whole time too, it was just a great set of performances. Luke looked like he was full on slapped at the end. They really lucked out with the young cast. They both actually look age appropriate for young teens, and are also good performers. 

The kids are stuck in a full on love quadrangle now. High school is a whole land of spiders. 

Of course McQuaid thinks Tyler is a super cool dresser, and thinks he has to look cooler, now that he actually likes a girl. Too bad Emaline is more into Kate than she`ll ever be into him. Oh the high school drama! 

That trailer looked amazing actually, I would totally watch that movie based on that trailer. 

[ybrik]

I was actually glad that it wasn't the dancing baby since all I heard since the previews were complaints that this isn't how gifs loaded. 

Really like how Luke is being portrayed as a pretty realistic teenage boy. Definite moodiness. His anger probably was over the top but I do remember being the same way as a kid. Also glad that he and Kate did make up because they are good together as friends.

Man I found myself singing along with Ken to Breakfast at Tiffany's. I feel so dorky. Liked that let Kate actually keep the piercing. They have a great relationship. Loved that Kate was excited about him dating as well.

Kate you could have kept the puppy and just ripped off JTT. 

Liked the dynamic with Oliver/Emaline/McQuaid/Tyler. I remember when I was part of a school play that I hung out with kids I usually wouldn't hang out but then of course after the play was through didn't really hang much with them. 

The continual change with Luke's father is really good even if it just a short video every couple of episodes.

[tennisgurl]

That was a super adorable show, a great mix of nostalgia and a meaningful little coming of age story. The actors were all great, especially the young actors. They really hit that mix of sweetness, self contentedness, and awkward that seems to be so common in teens. And they actually felt their age, not like 24 year olds playing high schoolers. 

Luke and Kate are super adorable as friends. And I am super interested to see where Kate and Emaline go from here! 

Ken is such a likable dork, and you can tell how Sherry likes being with someone who is just sweet and well meaning. They all seem like they would be a sweet family, but now the bio dad is here to throw a wrench into everything. I guess everything was going so well, they had to have some drama for next season. 

Tyler looks like he is absolutely drowning in Oliver's jacket every time he puts it on. 

The movie looked pretty great, and I love that Luke through in the Plan Nine From Outer Space shout out with the guy at the desk in the beginning of the movie, And all the kids enthusiasm for their dorky sci fi romance was really endearing. 

[DropTheSoap]

On 2/20/2018 at 8:14 AM, marny said:

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. 

Actually, having been in a relationship as the closeted baby gay, I can see the boyfriend trying harder to make himself the choice and wondering why she's just not into him. I rather feel I should apologize to my hs boyfriends, if I could find them. And glad to see them writing Kate pretty consistent through the story as being honest with him that it was not going to happen between them. I like the friendship that developed between the characters; I thought the young actors did an awesome job.

I sort of want to adopt Tyler. 

I did like the parent relationship. It was a bit over the top, but at the core they made a cute couple.

On 2/20/2018 at 10:20 AM, OtterMommy said:

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).

I sort of like what they did with Emeline, though. How many kids in high school use whatever power they have to mask their insecurities. When instead she was given support, it allowed her to take a chance. 

[paulvdb]

Video: Take a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of "Everything Sucks!"

Quote

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Everything Sucks!, shot entirely on handheld video cameras by the cast during production.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 2/20/2018 at 5:53 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

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).

 

I hated Oasis too, especially when the lead singer said they were better than the Beatles. What a delusional jerk.

Nirvana was OK but I liked Pearl Jam and Soundgarden better. I am nostalgic about a lot of 90s music. In spite of the soundtrack, though, this show just didn't feel "90s" to me. I graduated high school in 1990. These kids didn't seem to dress, talk or act like anyone I knew in high school.

On 2/20/2018 at 6:35 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

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?

 

 

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.

 

Pearl Jam even wrote a song called "Bee Girl" in tribute to the girl in the Blind Melon "No Rain" video.

It's funny, I liked "Breakfast at Tiffany's" back in the day, but I now realize it's kind of a stupid song.

Edited February 24, 2018 by KaleyFirefly

[KaleyFirefly]

I was class of '90 in high school. So I remember a lot of the stuff in this show. The kids just didn't seem that realistic to me though. The kids and the parents all seemed so cringe-awkward. It also seemed like they were trying too hard to include all 80s-90s slang they could think of.

Why isn't Luke smart enough to realize that the reason his dad didn't recognize him was because he left when Luke was 5 years old? How would he have recognized him?

Freaks & Geeks was a better show. This was cute in some ways but just not compelling enough for me. I REALLY want Oliver's coat though.

Edited February 24, 2018 by KaleyFirefly

[dcalley]

On 2/21/2018 at 10:55 PM, ybrik said:

the Wonder Years without the Ron Howard voiceover

Ha, you just reminded me of "The Silent Wonder Years," without Daniel Stern's voiceover:

[dcalley]

On 2/20/2018 at 6:36 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

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.

I was no longer wearing them in 1996, but I noticed Kate's shoes were ones I wore a lot a few years earlier.

Those girls in the bathroom knew about Pedro but didn't learn anything from him, dammit.

[viajero]

That behind the scenes video was fun.  It looks like those kids had a real blast filming this show.

[Pindrop]

I found this the cheapest, laziest form of nostalgia TV; the entire script revolves around people naming things that existed in the 90's, and that is it. It is obnoxious.  Also, if I ever hear the Alanis Morrissette "ironic" comedy set-piece from another show/comedian/drunkard in the pub, I am likely to scream- it had become a trope 20 years ago (and no this show does not get a pass because it is set in the 90's).   

Edited February 24, 2018 by Pindrop

[Megan]

I kinda really disliked Kate in this episode. Luke did all this to cover for her with the school and the drama club and she's acting all annoyed/embarrassed with him the entire time. I have to remember these are 14/15 year olds but ugh, stop being so put out by it all and stop being a jerkface. th reaction to the kiss just added to it. I did like the total opposite feelings with Kate/Luke and their parents.

I will say maybe I was super nerdy with no friends but no party I was ever at played spin the bottle or 7 minutes in heaven.

[Haggisahh]

Mohan: The obvious comparisons are "Freaks and Geeks" or "My So-Called Life." "Freaks and Geeks" is like the best high school show ever made. And what's so great about "My So-Called Life" is that it was one of the first times you saw characters in a very real and grounded way. But the biggest influence for our show is actually this Swedish movie from 1998 called "Show Me Love," which is just a beautiful coming-of-age lesbian story about a girl living in a small town and just trying to deal with the purgatory of high school.

 

I'll just leave this here.

[AllyB]

The faculty completely break my suspension of disbelief. If I was a teacher and some student had convinced me to play a video, sight unseen and it turned out to be a kid asking out my boss's daughter as publicly as possible. I'd be desperately going into damage control mode and wondering how to save my job not turning the camera on said daughter to further the pressure on her. I also have a hard time believing Principle Messner would be doing anything other than storming straight to the broadcast room to get everything under control.

I also really question the girls in the bathroom being so clueless about homosexuality and AIDS. It's 1996, GBFs are on trend* so you can be just as cool as Angela, Rayanne and Rickie or Cher and Christian. And while lesbians weren't as fashionable* they had plenty of mainstream acceptability with nobody assuming gay=AIDS anymore. Carol and Susan are already married, Ellen is gleefully teasing coming out of the closet in the spring and nerdy kids know just how personal it was for Ivanova when Talia was revealed as a Psi Corp sleeper agent. At the same time we were all extremely aware that HIV was a risk for anyone in a sexual relationship regardless of sexuality. It would have been far more realistic for the girls to be a bit worried that she was attracted to them and that she shouldn't share their changing room or toilets. Or that others might think they too were gay because they sat with her at lunch a couple of times. AIDS panic would be the last thing on their mind.

I want to like this but it feels really inauthentic and like it's trying to 'get in there first' on the 90s nostalgia that's not really underway just yet. But it's not hitting the right beats for me yet and none of the nerdy characters are as real as Bill, Sam and Neal were. (Though if their hearts are as broken about Ivanova and Talia as mine was, I might come around.)

*90s "progressiveness" and something I'm aware is dehumanising too but that was definitely the prevailing mood of the time.

Edited February 25, 2018 by AllyB

[sacrebleu]

Quote

 It also seemed like they were trying too hard to include all 80s-90s slang they could think of.

When the religious girl interrupted the Kate/Emmaline almost kiss with "What's cracka-lackin'?" I had serious flashbacks-- I remember that kid-- trying to use slang as a way of including themselves. Gawd high school was the worst.

 

The kid playing Luke is a treasure-- he had to convey so much-- not gonna lie-- I was having  (flashbacks)  to Michael B Jordan in his All My Children days-- I think he could be that good.

Edited February 28, 2018 by sacrebleu

[ElectricBoogaloo]

30 minutes ago, sacrebleu said:

I was having Michael B Jordan in his All My Children days

He will always be Wallace from The Wire to me! I loved him on Friday Night Lights too. But yes, the kid playing Luke is really talented.

[millk]

Jessica: Scott Pocket! (sounds like commercial jingle for Hot Pockets)

[festivus]

On 2/21/2018 at 12:57 PM, OtterMommy said:

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

That cracked me up.

Okay so I've rolled a house or two in my day and yeah, you don't buy Charmin. You buy the Kroger Cost Cutter, 99 cents a four pack! Otherwise, that scene was pretty funny. I've been there, laughing in the bushes.

[festivus]

I had that phone too. I still have it.