[AYAOTD? Recap with Erin Callahan] Season Four in Review!

T: Season four is in the can, only three seasons to go! Paradoxically, it feels like we just started these, and at the same time like we’ve been at it for decades.

E: I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when we wrap this up. Good thing there are several seasons to go!

T: And now that TV productions are starting back up, maybe we’ll have a whole new season before we’re entirely caught up.

E: Wouldn’t that be magical? Make it happen, Nickelodeon.

T: In seasons two and three, there are tweaks with the Midnight Society, like the cast and the filming techniques, but I feel like they’ve settled in by now. They know what they’re doing and they’re sticking to it.

E: We’ve definitely seen this show settle into a more consistent style, the way most long-running series eventually do. As the subject matter moves from young artists to pirates to aliens, each episode still feels like AYAOTD?, like even when the show is talking about different things, it’s speaking the same language with its sets, camera work, editing, makeup, etc.

T: That said, this season has the only two-part story in the series. “Cutter’s Treasure” isn’t perfect, but it is fun, and it’s nice to see them flexing the boundaries of the storytelling traditions.

E: Definitely fun. And I commend them for trying out a two-parter, but I can see why they never went that way again.

T: Back in season one, each story basically took a little break to check in with the Midnight Society, but they phased that out in season two. It was pretty common for the storyteller to give a little narration mid-story to move things along until season three. If I’m not mistaken, that’s completely done away with this season.

E: I think you’re right, and this seems consistent with the show really finding its footing, its language. The writers eventually realized a mid-episode Midnight Society break literally takes viewers out of the main story. The bookending approach is much more effective. The Midnight Society sets the stage, sends us off on a journey, and then brings us back to reality.

T: After season three’s impressive guest cast, we only have Will Friedle and Charles S. Dutton this season. They feel less shoehorned in than, say, Bobcat Goldthwait. I wonder what celebrities (at the time) will pop up next season.

E: *wiggles with glee* OMG I think I know OMG OMG OMG.

T: What surprised you most about this season, Erin?

E: I think I was surprised by how adventurous the show continues to be. Though not every episode works, season four mines all sorts of topics for scares. You’ve got interesting twists on the traditional ghost story with “Fire Ghost” and “Train Magic,” cyberpunk sci-fi like “Renegade Virus,” pirates, time travel, aliens, comic book dimensions, and even sentient scarecrows.

T: That’s a good point. I think the traditional ghost stories tend to feel a little samesey, but you can’t expect them to have thirteen episodes outside the box. And those ghost episodes always feel very AYAOTD? to me.

E: Alas, there are only so many ghost tropes.

T: Sadly, we have seen the last of Dr. Vink. So time for my fan theory – he’s a trickster. He’s neither heroic nor villainous, but a chaotic entity. Tricksters in mythology are gods, fairies, or shapeshifters, etc. We know Vink is supernaturally old from “Midnight Madness” when it’s established he made silent era horror movies. “Cutter’s Treasure” also hints that he worked as a barber in the 1800s. In “Cutter’s Treasure” and “Dangerous Soup” he demonstrates preternatural knowledge, knowing information that he shouldn’t be privy to. And there’s the Wild Boar connection. Some tricksters, like from African folklore (like Anansi) or Native Americans (Coyote), are connected to animals. Dr. Vink is a boar trickster, how’s that sound?

E: Yes! He’s totally chaotic neutral, with a boar motif! Though he does come close to being a villain in “Dangerous Soup.” Sardo is arguably also chaotic neutral but in a way that’s less intentional and more due to incompetence.

T: I’ve noticed something. The episodes we rate low tend to be clumped together in each season. Season four definitely has a slump between the highlights of “Water Demons” and “Ghastly Grinner.” I’ll be curious now that I’m paying attention to that to see if season five follows the same pattern.

E: Ooooh -- interesting. “Long Ago Locket,” “Silent Servant” and “Room for Rent” all fall into the trap of trying to do too many things. Focus is key when you’ve only got twenty minutes of airtime.

T: And you get that even in feature length productions. A story deserves a central idea. When two are competing, you’ll end up with a winning story and a losing story. No writer wants one of their stories to be a loser.

E: Poor little loser stories.

T: AYAOTD? has a whole slew of episodes in which there’s no real villain, like it’s a ghost who needs closure, and most of the rest of the episodes have a male villain, but this season gives us two solid women villains in Mercy McGregor and Mrs. Briar.

E: Mrs. Briar is definitely the more fleshed-out of the two, but I enjoyed them both. I hope we see more next season!

T: I can think of a couple waiting for us next season. We’ll see how they stack up.

E: *quivers with anticipation*

T: Were there any Midnight Society member developments or lack thereof you found interesting?

E: I still can’t believe Kiki and Sam are good enough friends to borrow each other’s clothes. I may never get over that. It seems like they don’t quite know what to do with the Sam/Gary/Frank love triangle? She obviously digs Gary more, but Sam and Gary never quite become a thing, and she’s still got tension with Frank. I’m one hundred percent cool with Sam being single but they keep hinting that something’s going to happen and then it never...quite...does?

T: I feel like they might have been avoiding repeating the Kristen/David dynamic. They were never “officially” a couple, but were paired up real quick and it ended up making it hard to think about either character without the other (Kristen less-so, which is unique to have the female character more fleshed out - yay!). As to Sam and Kiki, I think it makes sense. Sam has that leather jacket and very eclectic fashion sense. I could see her rocking a skirt one day and wearing a pantsuit the next.

E: Oh interesting. So she digs Gary but not enough to wear him every day.

T: This season saw a new production member: Iain Patterson. After directing season three’s “Bookish Babysitter,” Iain came aboard as a producer for seasons four and five, also directing this season’s standout “Closet Keepers,” and a few episodes in seasons five and six. I also think it’s funny that like Ron Oliver doing ’80s R-rated horror movies Prom Night 2 and 3, Iain Patterson produced Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. He’s written and directed a few other things but primarily works as a producer. There’s this little known show on Netflix that AYAOTD? fans might enjoy since it’s also a horror series about tweens and teens, you might have heard of it? It’s called Stranger Things!

E: Shut the front door! Good for Iain Patterson!

T: This season’s MIDNIGHT SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT GOES TO… Frank Moore! Sadly, we’ve seen the last of the lovable tough guy. This is the hardest departure to take because we, as viewers, joined the Midnight Society with Frank. And he’s the answer to the show. He’s the one who is afraid of the dark.

E: Frank Moore? His last name is Moore? Was he named after the semi-controversial performance artist? Anyway, as much as Frank represents the kind of macho dudebro toxic BS that I despise, he’s told some great stories and we’ve seen glimmers of vulnerability from him. Also, he loves Gary! We know he loves Gary! And it’s cute!

T: Jason Alisharen, who played Frank (the only member to have a last name), decided he didn’t want to be an actor as an adult. He had fun doing it, but wanted to move on. Season five’s filming was going to interfere with his school studies, so he reached out to D.J. and let him know that if filming could be shifted, he’d happily do one last season, but otherwise his school came first. Of course filming schedule is a machine that can’t be changed, so he left the show very amicably and still speaks fondly of his time acting on it. Jason finished his schooling and became a producer, so he’s still in the industry, but works behind the scenes.

E: As sad as I am that we don’t get any more Frank, I have so much respect for that.

T: At least we can rest assured Frank’s replacement next season won’t be awful and harass the girls…

E: *facepalm*

T: The BEST VILLAIN award goes to: damn, this one’s tough. I think we can say there’s a top tier of several villains: Cutter, the renegade virus, Mercy MacGregor, the Ghastly Grinner, and Ray Lawson with Mrs. Briar and the scarecrow right under them. This is the hardest season for me. The Grinner’s the most iconic, followed by the virus, but that’s mostly due to appearances. I think Mercy MacGregor was the scariest and Ray Lawson was the most fleshed out. What say you, Erin?

E: You rank Mercy above Mrs. Briar?? As scary as silence is, Mrs. Briar felt like more of a true villain to me -- one with multiple dimensions and an approachable facade. That said, my favorite is Ray Lawson. His backstory is so tragic, which makes him empathetic even as he’s trying to replace himself with a kid! Ice cold and yet relatable? I don’t know, I just dig it.

T: I think Mercy’s scenes are scarier and she’s more intimidating. I do really enjoy both characters. That said, it’s decided that Conductor Ray Lawson is this season’s villainous MVP.

E: MVP! MVP!

T: And our QUEEREST MOMENT award goes to: I’m going to say it’s the basketball playing lesbian Chloe sticking up for her friend to the straight white bro Billy in “Tale of the Closet Keepers.” I wish the boys in “Renegade Virus” were slightly more textual than sub-textual, because this season had fewer queer moments I think that the previous three.

E: I second your queerest moment and hope we see more queerness and feminist narratives in the next season.

T: The BEST STORYTELLER award goes to: Tucker, who was the worst last season. “Water Demons” was the only ten we handed out this season, and “Fire Ghost” wasn’t as good but didn’t drag his score down too much.

E: Look at wittle Tucker, sharpening his storyteller skills. Tucker has the most room to grow, so this makes sense.

T: To no one’s surprise since I just spoiled it, the BEST STORY award goes to “The Tale of the Water Demons.” What a fun, creepy story centered around fantastic water zombies. It’s a little campy, but that only adds to the fun.

E: The campiness serves as such a nice balance to the genuine creepiness of that episode. What full grown adult doesn’t relate to insomnia brought on by rapidly encroaching horrors? Genius.

T: Surprisingly, our WORST STORYTELLER RAZZIE goes to Sam, who was second best storyteller last season. This season, she got stuck with the soap opera’y ghost stories that just aren’t as good as “Dream Girl.”

E: Oof, poor Sam. I still maintain that “Long Ago Locket” isn’t really horror, but “Room for Rent” had a lot of potential. It just needed focus!

T: Lastly and leastly, the WORST STORY RAZZIE goes to “The Tale of the Long Ago Locket.” It’s rare we rate anything under a six, let alone under a 5, but this deserved the 4.95 we gave it. It’s slow, the character relations are muddled, and the threat would be avoided if Will Friedle just didn’t go into the woods? Maybe the story would have worked better in prose instead?

E: Also -- do I need to say it again -- not. really. HORROR! But Will Friedle’s character creeping on that teen couple while they make out is hands down my favorite awkward moment of the entire season. Runner up goes to Jewel Staite’s brother who she clearly wants to make out with in “Unfinished Painting.”

T: This is sick, but that makes me want to run a list of “Most Incestuous Couples” when the series is over. Off the top of my head, there’s the brother/sister duos in “Final Wish” and “Dream Girl” we’ve also commented on. There’s probably one or two cousin pairings too. It comes down to unfortunate chemistry between actors.

E: OMG, yes! It’s settled. We’re making this a thing.

T: See you next time when we dive into the last season of the original series before the two reboot seasons.

E: Let’s get scurrrrrred!