[AYAOTD? Recap with Erin Callahan] 2.1 “The Tale of the Final Wish”

RECAP

After Frank disses fairy tales for being weak, Kristen argues that real fairy tales are hella dark and tells one of her own.

Jill is struggling with the female equivalent of Peter Pan syndrome. She keeps disappointing her parents and getting made fun of by her older brother and the two mean girls she hangs out with. Fed up, she makes a wish upon a book about the Sandman that everyone would “leave her alone.” She then gets sucked under her bed and trapped in the Land of Nod, where everyone in her life is asleep. The Sandman explains she’s in her own fairytale, but he won’t show her the book that contains her story. Jill tries to escape by entering a number of other fairy tales, but ends up back in Nod. Despite the Sandman’s claims that she can’t change the ending of her tale, she smashes his hourglass and wakes up in her bed. She goes back to sleep, knowing she’s defeated the Sandman. Or has she?

Kristen reminds the Midnight Society not to take fairy tales lightly, since you never know which ones are made up and which ones are real.

REVIEW

Troy: Season two starts off with *drum roll* a Kristen episode. Ugh. And, of course, she’s cosplaying. At least she got serious about the Kristen Tardiness Rule since Eric was excommunicated from the Midnight Society and she actually meets David early for once. I head canon that Eric leaving was a huge event that we missed.

Erin: Oh, his departure was undoubtedly a drama-fest that nearly tore the Midnight Society apart.

T: Speaking of David, he went through puberty since season one ended!

E: Hoo boy, yeah, he did. Look at that unibrow.

T: Frank looks pretty rad rocking a stars and stripes jean jacket. I bet he really misses Eric. Pretty sure from now on, he leaves the meetings and writes Eric poignant letters explaining what he’s missing.

E: Oh damn, that is just adorable. Freric forever!

T: Jill’s bedroom is ridiculous, but at least the hands reaching out from under the bed are solid. That’s a universal fear, right? If I’m given the choice of where I sleep, I’ll take a bed with clutter under it rather than a wide-open, vacuous space. Can’t be too careful.

E: I realize I’ve already compared one of Kristen’s characters to Sarah from Labyrinth, but good god. Jill is just Sarah with Axl Rose hair. She’s got the ’80s princess bedroom, the puffy sleeves, and the incessant need to escape into a more romantic world. She dooms her loved ones with a single thoughtless wish and then has to rescue them. Too bad Bobcat Goldthwait is no David Bowie, but more on that later.

T: There’s something about the big brother wearing a flannel robe over a death metal T-shirt that cracks me up. It’s the whole feel that he’s grown and an adult, but only relatively so.

E: It’s a nice touch in an otherwise over-the-top episode. But, is it just me or is there some weird sexual tension between Jill and her brother? The incestuous vibe obviously isn’t intentional, but maybe the actors had a thing for each other?

T: It’s not just you. It might be because they actually have chemistry together and there is zero chemistry between Jill and her crush. Speaking of, the Hot Dude in this one rocks a necktie with a backwards baseball cap. Was that cool? I never saw a kid in my school wear a tie during classes. Were Canadians dapper Jerry Seinfelds? Jill’s version of “growing up” is dressing like Blossom! I approve.

E: Blossom cosplay for the win! Gotta love those flat-brim flower hats. So iconic and waaaaaay cooler than dad jeans and a tie.

T: I’m pretty sure this was the first big-name actor (at the time) to guest star on the show. Bobcat Goldthwait was best known from the Police Academy series and is a brilliant comedian. He’s written/directed superbly dark movies and the idea of putting him in this series is brilliant. But it sadly doesn’t work in practice.

E: I’m honestly in awe of how badly it went. The tween playing Jill outacts him at EVERY turn. Like, I know he’s known for that wacky voice, but is just doesn’t work here. Jeezus, they should’ve just asked Aron Tager.

T: Okay, so this is the most awkward Midnight Society ending evah! Frank jokingly holds Kirsten’s hand and David’s eyes go wild! Then they all stand and David makes sure he blocks Frank from her like a total stalker.

E: I just love that most of this interpersonal drama plays out in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fashion. It almost feels like an Easter egg for AYAOTD? superfans. Or, you know, supposed grown-ups revisiting a classic series.

T: I just can’t with Kristen. I feel like the whole ‘gory fairy tale inspired me’ thing has a Betty Ann vibe, but she would have told a much better story without dressing like a bar wench. Just saying.

E: Okay, I know Kristen’s whole thing just isn’t your jam, but I think this episode could’ve worked if it had been executed better. Like, without Bobcat Goldthwait.

T: You’re probably right there. Just imagining Tim Curry in the role, I can see the episode actually working.

E: Squeeeee! That would’ve been amazeballs. Remember when he was the Grand Wizard in The Worst Witch? That was a swell time.

T: I usually prefer less narration by the storyteller once the tale starts, but I feel like there’s a bunch here, but it works. Kristen’s narration makes it feel even more like a story.

E: *blinks* I’m sorry. Did I just hear you praising Kristen?

T: Jill’s parents come in SO quickly after she screams. Like, don’t they have to wake up and grumble, and rock paper scissor over who’ll handle it, then walk down the hall for a few minutes first?

E: As a parent, I really would’ve appreciated the show depicting that little slice of reality.

T: The ending is like a placeholder for a scary final moment. “Don’t worry, creepy kids. The Sandman will do something at some point after the story’s over. Probably. Bwahahahaha.”

E: It feels like at the last second the writers were like, “Oh shit! It’s not scary enough. Let’s throw in one last line.”

QUEER OR NOT?

T: Well, there’s zero chemistry with the hot classmate so I’m guessing he’s not really interested in the ladies…

E: Ha! Yeah, she’s got way more chemistry with her brother, though there’s something vaguely queer about him as well. With his death metal tee and old man bathrobe, he seems to be embracing a bit of alternative masculinity. Then again, maybe he’s just Canadian.

TRIVIA, USELESS TRIVIA

T: The Sandman is an old character with plenty of different characterizations through the years. In E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “Der Sandmann” (1816) the protagonist is traumatized by tales of the Sandman sprinkling sand in children’s eyes so they’d fall out and he could carry off the eyeballs to the moon, where he fed them to his children. Yeah…

E: *drops bucket of eyeballs* *casually backs away*

T: The Sandman’s yellow door reminds me of Zeebo’s door. Is that just me, or a subtle shout-out?

E: We should’ve asked D.J. when we interviewed him! Next time.

MODERNIZE ’90s CANADIAN KIDS

T: Since this is a modernization of fairy tales in general, there’s not much I would do with it. Except recast the Sandman. Or totally rewrite him.

E: Oh really? Not much? What about Jill’s AXL ROSE HAIR!!!

JUST GIVE IT A NUMERICAL RATING ALREADY

T: I appreciate what they were going for, but it falls flat for me. It feels like it’s trying too hard to be funny and creepy, which means it’s neither. I wish they’d gone full out in either direction, because this could have been much stronger either way really. I got to go with 5.5 CAMPFIRES OUT OF 10.

E: I dig the Labyrinth vibe but Bobcat is soooooo baaaaaad. And the Land of Nod isn’t dark enough to be scary, and not cheeky enough to be campy. I’m going for an even 5 CAMPFIRES OUT OF 10.