[AYAOTD? Recap with Erin Callahan] Season 1 Review!

Troy: Wow, we reached the end of season one and I’m surprised at how solid the show is right from the start. Most series experience growing pains as cast and crew figure the show out. As an example, look back at the early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation - Picard’s too grumpy, Riker’s baby-faced, the uniforms are weird, and Denise Crosby has Worf’s job - or early Big Bang Theory episodes – Sheldon is a human who makes masturbation jokes, Raj can speak in front of Penny, and the girl gang doesn’t exist.

Erin: It probably helps that this is partially an anthology series, but fair point. The Midnight Society is strong from the get-go and the actors seem to fall pretty effortlessly into their roles. Do you think the kids got a lot of input when it comes to their characters?

T: Doubtful. The campfire scenes were filmed in a lump separate from the weekly stories, so I’d imagine scripts had to be fairly locked in well ahead of casting. That’s not to say that getting to know the actors couldn’t have helped shape the next season’s scripts.

T: There still are some noticeable kinks that get smoothed out from the early days, like how they try different openings until they settle on the iconic attic shot. Gary calls David “Dave” a few times, and I’m curious to see if that carries over into season two, because he’s so not a Dave, and Gary’s the only one who calls him that. Maybe Gary knows him from before the Midnight Society and he’s the one who inducted him into the gang.

E: Maybe Gary was trying to make Dave work as a nickname and is too proud to call it quits. *channels Regina George* Stop trying to make Dave happen, Gary. It’s never going to happen!

T: We need to talk about DJ MacHale for a minute. He’s the co-creator of the series, and what we’d call a showrunner today. He also wrote and/or directed every episode this season. But wait, you’re saying, according to the credits, Chloe Brown wrote a bunch of episodes. Well, there is no Chloe Brown, and that’s just how DJ MacHale is credited. And of course, episodes that he didn’t write, he still script edited.

E: Holy wow. This is clearly the series of his heart. Any idea why he adopted a pseudonym for some of the episodes? Is there a notable difference between the DJ episodes and Chloe episodes?

T: I’d bet “Chloe Brown” exists for a very mundane, business reason to do with union rules or something along those lines. In many ways, DJ MacHale is the unsung hero of the series. He’s actually an American who made this show in Canada and didn’t speak French. Most of the crew were French-Canadian who didn’t necessarily speak English. He said it took a season for them to develop their working language.

E: Okay, I’m about to get all sentimental for a sec. MacHale clearly poured his soul into AYAOTD? and, as a fellow storyteller, I love that people actually connected with it. It could’ve been a shout into the void. Instead, it’s a cultural touchstone that makes thousands of thirty-somethings instantly nostalgic. *wipes away tears*

T: From the interviews I’ve read/heard, MacHale’s still very enthusiastic about the series and loves hearing from fans. He’s done a lot of TV work besides Are You Afraid of the Dark? and is a multi-award winning author. You may know his series Pendragon or Morpheus Road. I recommend everyone check out www.djmachalebooks.com.

E: Do you think he’s read our recaps??? *glances around*

T: As cool as that’d be, I’d imagine the fandom comes to him, and he doesn’t have to seek it out.

T: Another change from the early days is the crazy roster of the Midnight Society. There’s no need for there to be seven members. The rest of the series will fluctuate between five and six, and even the revival is advertised with five. Sadly, I think it’s proper time to pay our respects to the Midnight Society member who vanishes between seasons and doesn’t even get an on-screen explanation: Eric.

E: Noooooooooo! Now he and Kiki really do need to start that podcast.

T: Eric’s one of my favorites, and his stories are solid, but it does make sense. There’s more boys than girls, and Gary’s the leader, Frank was just introduced, and David’s got a romance plotline with Kirsten. Eric’s antagonist shtick is shared with Kiki, so he’s the lone wolf cut from the series. Although, actor Jacob Tierney co-starred in a movie right after he left the series, so that may have been the reason.

E: It’s honestly a testament to the fact that there’s not a single weak link. All the Midnight Society members are distinct and bring something important to the circle. I would’ve been sad to see any one of them go.

T: This brings us to our first MIDNIGHT SOCIETY ACTOR SPOTLIGHT. Jacob Tierney! He was the most experienced actor at the time – even before playing the bad boy of the Midnight Society, he co-starred on Dracula: The Series, and a Canadian show called Watatatow. He left the series to co-star in the film Josh and S.A.M. and continued to pop up in Canadian film and television, including The Hunger, a horror anthology hosted by David Bowie. He’s currently been on the hit comedy Letterkenny (which he’s written and directed).

E: Impressive! And now I have yet another reason to check out Letterkenny.

T: But wait, there’s more. In 2010, he wrote, directed, and appeared in Good Neighbours, a fantastic thriller starring his good friend Jay Baruchel (who we get to chat about several months from now), Scott Speedman, and Xavier Dolan. Some of the Canadian politics were lost on me, but it’s well worth checking out. The point is, besides acting, Tierney’s had a solid, consistent career behind the camera writing, producing, and directing.

T: Erin, What surprised you the most about this season? Besides that I rated a Kristen episode higher than you?

E: That really is surprising given that we all know she’s not your cup of tea. I think I was surprised by how weird and dark some of the stories are. I remember them being weird and dark, but I thought maybe that was just because I was a kid who hadn’t yet been exposed to a lot of horror. But no. Even the stories that are inspired by classic horror seem to bring their own strange flair to the table.

T: Awards time. Best Villain Award goes to *drum roll* Peter Kirlan, “The Tale of the Captured Souls.” Zeebo is disqualified because he’s actually an antagonist, not a villain. He’d win the Best Antagonist award, but sadly that’s not a category this year. Hey, I didn’t write the rules (I did. I wrote the rules).

E: Is he really an antagonist? The kid in that one is suck a dick I was rooting for Zeebo the whole time.

T: The Queerest Moment award goes to: Sardo! Every scene with him. Well done.

E: Yay Sardo! When are we getting a Sardo musical? That needs to be a thing.

T: The Best Storyteller Award goes to (according to my scientific rankings of our average episode ratings): Kiki! Well deserved. She only told one story this season, but it was a stand-out. I look forward to seeing more from her.

E. Kiki. Is. The. Tits.

T: The Best Story Award goes to: “The Tale of the Dark Music” which we both gave a 10.

E: That one really is so solid. From now on, every time I see someone being a bully, I will silently think, “Feed him to the basement monster.”

T: On the flipside, the Worst Storyteller Razzie goes to: Frank. He only had one story this season, and I’m optimistic he can outdo himself.

E: I have high hopes.

T: The Worst Story Razzie goes to: “The Tale of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice” as told by Betty Ann. Very surprising. She told the most stories this season (three), and had one of the best, but the following tanked her average. The thing about Betty Ann I like is she’s the weird girl. She takes chances and swings hard. Sometimes that pays off, and sometimes it doesn’t, but respect for not playing it safe.

E: Sadly, I think I might like the whole idea of Betty Ann more than her actual stories. But I do appreciate that she’s a risk taker and has a thing for gore.

T: I’m looking forward to season two. I’m expecting it to be a little more polished and to turn out more high-quality stories (with the occasional stumble because all creators are only human).

E: Bring it on!