[AYAOTD? Recap with Erin Callahan] 2.9 "The Tale of the Full Moon"

RECAP

There’s a full moon out and it’s been exactly one year since Frank first joined the Midnight Society. Naturally, he tells the gang a full-moon-themed story.

Jed and Hughie are two young pet detectives making bank due to a string of missing cats. Jed takes the opportunity to start price-gouging because he wants to buy a puppy. While on the hunt for “Misty,” Mrs. Neville’s precious fluffball, Jed finds discarded pet collars outside a recently purchased house. He sneaks inside, sees the fridge is full of raw meat (eek!), and barely makes out it before the new owner, Mr. Ankers, discovers him. He starts spying on his new neighbor and begins to suspect he’s a werewolf. His investigation is temporarily stymied when his mom makes him stay home for dinner so he can meet her new boyfriend, who turns out to be—gasp—Mr. Ankers! Jed and Hughie then sneak into Mr. Ankers’s house to get proof of lycanthropy. When they confront Mr. Ankers, he reveals that he’s not a werewolf—but his twin brother is! Turns out Jed’s mom knew the whole time and Jed finally gets the dog he’s always wanted. Sort of.

The gang top off the evening with roast franks because puns are hilarious.

REVIEW

T: It’s officially been one year since Frank joined, so we get shout-outs to “The Tale of the Phantom Cab” and Dr. Vink. This is the third story Frank’s told all year, but Kristen tells three stories a month.

E: I’m really curious to know how the writers went about divvying up the storytelling. Did they write the stories and then “assign” them to a storyteller instead of the other way around? This would explain why not every member of the Midnight Society gets equal time in the storyteller’s chair.

T: I think the stories came first, and then they decided who made more sense to tell. Like if they come up with a ghost story, it goes to Kristen, if it’s about a sad sack, it goes to David, if it’s magical, it goes to Gary, etc. And perhaps that influenced the final draft of the story.

E: Yes, I like this theory, especially the bit about all sad sack stories going to David. So what’s Frank’s theme? Buddy comedy meets Faustian bargain? Dr. Vink is a more straightforward trickster character than any of the antagonists in “The Tale of the Full Moon,” but essentially the universe tells Jed, “Hey, kid, you can have that puppy you’ve always wanted! One tiny catch. The puppy is a werewolf.”  

T: Just two episodes after “The Tale of the Whispering Walls” and it’s another full moon. Although this episode confirms that we’re missing meetings of the Midnight Society. It’s been a year since “Tale of the Phantom Cab” which should be fifty-two weeks, but it’s only been twenty-two episodes.

E: Great point! Now I’d love some intel about the “missing” stories. This is also the second episode in a row to feature one of the protagonists taking a bath.

T: We’re deep into season two, and there’s some fantastic new shots of the Midnight Society here. I applaud them for continuing to try new filming shots to keep it from going stale.

E: Yes! I’m so glad that Nickelodeon gave this show time to find its footing and step up its game. Nowadays it seems like shows need to be mindblowing out of the gate or they don’t get renewed. Which makes sense, given the amount of content available and the generally high quality, but it makes you wonder how many shows are snuffed out before they really come into their own.

T: I’m pretty sure I had Jed’s red button up shirt that goes down to his knees. I wore it until I went to college because when you get something eight sizes too big, it’ll always “fit.”

E: LOL. Buying clothes a few sizes up was very popular back then. Now clothing is so cheap I don’t think that’s still a thing. Then again, the ’90s are making a comeback among young teens, so maybe that trend will return.

T: The 1950s tone works so well. The aesthetic, the music, the bizarre bits. I wonder how many kids in the early ’90s would have gotten half the references to the time period?

E: I think it’s much more ’60s than ’50s, especially with the eye-popping color schemes, and I totally dig the vibe. It’s like Tim Burton meets John Waters. But for kids. It feels very distinct from most of the other episodes, but not in a way that bothers me. Plus the fridge full of raw meat is such a nice detail.

T: The noir-ish detective angle is very ’50s though. And just think, AYAOTD? did a pet detective episode a year before Jim Carrey shot to stardom in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

E: I still don’t understand that movie’s cult classic status but I digress.

T: This episode is basically “The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors,” only a campier take with a werewolf instead of a vampire, and it works so much better for me. The twin-brother-twist is great while the Lex-is-the-vampire-twist fell flat for me.

E: I’m still a fan of “Nightly Neighbors,” but the camp and kitsch of this episode are oh so charming. And I also love the twist, but I think I enjoyed the sibling dynamic of “Nightly Neighbors” more than the best friend dynamic of Jed and Hughie. I’m just a sucker for that kind of thing.

T: The makeup sure looks good though. It’s not a typical werewolf design or even that canine. He’s more like a weregoblin. I approve.

E: Same! And even though the transformation happens off-screen, the editing is really effective.

T: Lastly, we can’t not mention Jed’s mom. She’s everything here. And her “creep” line about Jed’s dad just comes out of nowhere in a brilliant way.

E: Ellen is precisely the kind of single mom I aspire to be. I adore that not all the grownups and parents on AYAOTD? are perfect or flat or one-dimensional. Even when they don’t get much screen time, many of the adult characters are given an impressive amount of personality with just a few key lines or quirks. In addition to Ellen with her love of mid-century kitsch and sassy single-lady status, we’ve got the teacher/donut connoisseur from “Dream Machine” and batty Aunt Dottie from “Lonely Ghost.”

QUEER OR NOT?

T: Super campy, but not super queer. Though Hughie doesn’t exactly read as heteronormative. Just look at that great shot of him in the bathtub wearing a shower cap and goggles. He could have just been sitting on his bed in a boring shot, and it would have been fine, but production goes the extra mile.

E: I actually thought both protags read as a little queer. The John Waters vibe is also pretty queer, and isn’t there something kinda queer about the Mom Dad Kid & Werewolf family that forms at the end?

TRIVIA, USELESS TRIVIA

T: Speaking of “Tale of the Nightly Neighbors” again, the werewolf is played by Carl Alacchi, who previously played Mr. Braun.

E: I knew he looked familiar!

MODERNIZE ’90s CANADIAN KIDS

T: I’d go the reverse, and actually set this in the ’50s instead of just the vibe.

E: You mean ’60s, not ’50s. Haven’t you seen Mad Men? But I love this idea. You really don’t see enough period pieces on kids TV. (It sounds like I’m being sarcastic but I swear I’m not.)

T: Can we settle on late ’50s/early ’60s? The fashion may be newer, but the vibe plays on those older cheesy flicks like Plan Nine From Outer Space.

E: *rolls eyes* I will begrudgingly let you have this one.

JUST GIVE IT A NUMERICAL RATING ALREADY

T: The zany vibe really works for me. The actors are great and it’s just plain fun. 8.7 OUT OF 10 CAMPFIRES.

E: Definitely a solid episode, and I love the whole “let’s roast Frank/franks” bit at the end. LOLOLOLOL. 9 OUT OF 10 CAMPFIRES.