August 13th, 2013 Episode Review
Remember when the introductions were actual introductions instead of just a collection of phrases with a theme? It changed rather gradually like that, didn't it? I imagine any non-fans tuning in for the first time might be perplexed as to the current purpose of those collection of phrases at the start of the show. Maybe not.
WEIRD NEWSCASTERS
It's good to see Heather as a character! Too bad she has to be given the "girly" quirk. Has a female performer in Weird Newscasters ever been given a non-gender-specific quirk? The only one I can think of is Denny's catskills comedian. It could be worse - at least she wasn't given Wayne's quirk! Or Ryan's, for that matter.
Colin, um, you realize your "pun" is based on the phrase "Polly want a cracker," and that the word you replaced with a name was already a name? The anchor could have just as been been "Paulie Wannacracker." Maybe that would've been too on-the-nose.
I (and Colin) notice that, although it may be implied, Aisha never specifies that Wayne is playing a girl on Girls Gone Wild. Just that he's on Girls Gone Wild. Which, by the way, goes together with Jerry Springer as far as references that should probably be put out to pasture at this point. I think Ryan's quirk would've worked better as a Let's Make a Date one (Mike McShane's dog making dirty phone calls comes to mind). I would call Ryan out on repeating his "small craft warning" joke but that was back in 1998 so I wouldn't expect him to remember that.
"Special points to Ryan for sexualizing the phrase 'small craft advisory.'" I see Aisha is starting to pick up Drew's habit of repeating a joke from the game, in case anyone missed it the first time.
DUET
When she said, "Justin.." I was getting my hopes up for a Justin Bieber style song. Maybe next time! But Justin Timberlake is a new and interesting style to see and hear, too. I can't help but remember the time on The Wayne Brady Show when Wayne performed with J.T. Has Wayne ever improvised in the style of someone he's sung with before? Also, Wayne blurs the lines of singing "as" someone by singing about how he's never been into basketball but ha he's on TV now. So was that Wayne being Justin Timberlake singing about being on TV now, or was that Wayne lapsing into Wayne singing about being on TV now? As confusing as I'm making this, it was a well-done song style, and I'd nominate it as my favorite song of the new season (unless that 90210 Greatest Hits counts?)
NEWSFLASH
When I first watched this episode I closed my eyes to try to guess along with Colin. The first clue about plaque pretty much gave it away right away, and Heather actually saying the word tooth (punningly or not) cinched it. What I'm saying is they made it really obvious.
I'm going to go ahead and complain again about missing the point of the premise of a game. The idea of Newsflash is that (usually) Colin is out in some field reporting on something, and that what's shown on the green screen is what is "actually" behind him. This footage doesn't really work for the premise, then, because it means that Colin is supposedly... floating in front of a giant mouth? From various changing angles? It makes no sense. The best footage to use for Newsflash is something shot consistently at ground-level from a distance far enough that Colin still seems to be "correct size," perspectively-speaking. Good example of this are the nudist colony Newsflash, the rhinos mating, Santa Claus party, and the snow monkeys. A bad example is something that is just gross or shocking for gross or shocking sake.
WHAT IS IN THE BAG (?)
I wonder if there's any way to set up this game other than to have Wayne lying on the ground being poked at by Ryan and Colin. Well, whatever works! I think I like this game better when it's more about coming up with creative and inventive uses for everyday things and less about cheekily winking at the audience members (oooh, we're suggesting that those ladies are sexually active! How naaauuughty!!) . Maybe that's just me! My favorite part was Colin MacGuyvering the mirror to cauterize and Ryan's quick sunglasses response to it.
LIVING SCENERY
Seeing Ryan standing next to a woman as tall as him might be the highlight of this episode for me, how sad is that? Whether I'm saying that makes me sad or the episode sad is up to you.
Now let's talk (or, let me talk) about COlin calling Heather as a seat "the bony one." Because this taping's Weird Newscasters was included with this episode, Colin seems justified for that remark because it can be seen as a come-back to the bald crack at the beginning of the show. If WN wasn't shown, wouldn't it come off as a bit mean? It makes me wonder if there was much else in the way of Colin-Heather interplay during that taping (that first night of the season seems so long ago to remember!) or if that was all there was. Of course, this is just me assuming that Weird Newscasters was indeed played before Living Scenery that night, because if not (I would bet it was...the "first games" are usually done first, right?) then it changes things around to mean Heather was getting back at Colin for his crack at her! Just like on reality shows, editing sure can change people's intentions, can't it? Speaking of intentions and making fun of Heather, was Ryan's "gone flat" line about her limp posture or an innuendo about her breasts? The audience decided how they wanted to take that, anyway.
TRIVIAL OBSERVATION: At the buzzer, Heather magically teleports to one side of the stage, as if the game didn't really end at the coconut tree part, perhaps?
OVERALL
I don't need to review the credits, I don't think. While it was good to see Heather again for seeing-Heather's sake, it's too bad this episode doesn't show her out-Kathy Greenwooding Kathy Greenwood in any noticeable way. I even wonder if there are any not-as-hardcore watchers who thought it was Kathy Greenwood. Hey, if Mike McShane can change as much as he has, you never know.