Eerie, Indiana rewatch 2015: episode three, ATM with a Heart of Gold

[froodle]

Strap on your Sky Monsters part 2 (with bubble sole!), and strut like a sky-walking machine down to First Eerie Savings to sing 99 Bottles of Beer with Mister Wilson. Ladies, gentlemen, ain't it good to know you got a friend? Put your white plastic cash dispensing hands together for... ATM with a Heart of Gold!

Comments

[diello.livejournal.com]

Mister Max Hedroom Wilson!

[froodle]

So terrifying! So utterly utterly terrifying!

[diello.livejournal.com]

I was totally Simon - so desperate for any friend, inanimate or just using me, didn't matter. Anything that showed the slightest bit interest in hanging with me.

[froodle]

Ugh, I had the same reaction watching it again as an adult - it had a really uncomfortable resonance with early-teens me.

"Yeah, you guys can come to my house for a sleepover because I live on the same street as the town hall where the cool boys in our class are playing in their shitty bands. No, you don't have their talk to me at the actual concert. And its fine that you carry on bullying me at school come Monday."

Ugh, 13 year old Froodle. You didn't even like those bitches!

[diello.livejournal.com]

I was also a little bit of Marshall, too. The popular girls were finally starting to notice me, and so were some cute boys, who were not THEIR brand of cute, so when my crush asked me out, they convinced me to shoot him down. Because I wanted to be one of them. And I still wasn't let in.

[froodle]

thats what makes the whole thing so sad in retrospect - all that effort, all the time spent denying who you really were, turned out to be pointless in the end. I wish I could go back and tell baby me that, but I know baby me wouldnt have listened anyway.

[diello.livejournal.com]

Good job on the face of hurt feelings :(

[froodle]

Why. Are. You. Hurting. Me. Like. This. Simon.

Talk. To. Me. Simon.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

What exactly does Things Inc. do? Employ random crazy inventors like Marshall's dad and move them to Eerie? What's the endgame there?

[froodle]

He says in the first ep that Things, Inc. is a product testing company, but those companies don't invent stuff themselves... there's something else going on there.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

Maybe the reason Edgar fits so easily into Eerie is because latently, he's a mad scientist, he's just not come into his own yet. He did just somehow manage to create AI...

[froodle]

Things, Inc have had a hand in creating, off the top of my head, petroleum-based banana flavouring (which they were going to add to the water supply!!), experimental coffee cake, Mister Wilson, and a new blender that has a speed between whip and frappe.

I'm thinking, with the death of Walt Wilson, Betty's rapid aging, and the most likely abdication of Bert and Ernie as heirs to the Foreverware throne, Thing, Inc. is looking to move into the domestic sphere and fill the void that the Wilsons once occupied - weird, creepy household products that people find they quite literally can't live without, which makes it easy to gather a cult following around.

So they start recruiting America's best and brightest (Edgar says he got a scholarship to MIT, from NASA) and recruiting them, probably unknowingly, to their nefarious purpose.

You know the episode of the Simpsons where Homer goes to work for Hank Scorpio? That, basically.

It's going to be pretty brutal for Mars when he realises his dad.is actually part of the problem in Eerie.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

Is that the ep where Homer makes the car? Are you suggesting that Edgar is sabotaging Things Inc's nefarious plan without even trying? At least his remote control worked....

What if he actually gets better though? And he comes home to visit his family after travelling around Europe and finds that his dad now has converted his old room and spends all his time locked away in there and occasionally burning a hole in the wall with a lazer.... oops.

[froodle]

No, its the one where they all leave Springfield and Marge has a house that does all the housework for her and she starts day-drinking. At the end, Hank Scorpion is fighting off the government forces and Homer comes in and gives his notice while Hank is just gunning down US troops. Its awesome, they're both so nonchalant. I think the ep is called You Only Move Twice.

And he comes home to visit his family after travelling around Europe and finds that his dad now has converted his old room and spends all his time locked away in there and occasionally burning a hole in the wall with a lazer.... oops.

That would be awwweeeeesommmme. The more we talk about what life for Mars as an aduot would be like, the more I need fic about it...

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

Poor Simon. It must be tough knowing that you're so much smarter than Nick and Eddie, and more than a fair weather friend, but still have to watch your older and probably only friend chose them over you because you're not cool...

[froodle]

It's super heartbreaking, and more so because most of us have probably been on both sides of that deal at some point, both the mate that got ditched because our friend was suddenly invited to hang out with people somehow "superior" to us, and the mate that did the ditching because our "embarrassing" friend was suddenly holding us back from spending time with a better class of person.

I love how Mars's voice over during that scene makes it really clear that the show knows what a dick move he's pulling, even if Mars isn't mature enough to acknowledge it to himself - "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. [Simon would] understand some day" is weak as shit in terms of justification, and Eerie pulls no punches in saying, "If you''ve done this, then at that moment in time... know that you were a cunt."

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

It helps that they manage to make Nick and Eddie complete Bevis and Buttheads that barely manage to say an intelligent thing between. It not only makes them entertaining enough for the viewer to want to see more of them, but also shows sharp contrast between not only them and Simon, but Marshall at all. There's no doubt that the only reason Mars is entertaining them is because it doesn't crick his neck to talk to them.... XD

[froodle]

I love how afterwards Mars is like, "Ace's girlfriend was lame"; it sounds like the whole thing was just a massive exercise in tedium for him.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

And Simon's dad is cheating on his mom... And Simon is.... oblivious? Or just so used to it he treats it like normal?

[froodle]

Accepts it, is my feeling. The way he says "my mum's not home" sounds sad and resigned, not casual.

Mars definitely gets it - Omri Katz puts a world of awkward into that "Oh."

[froodle]

I love how enthusiastic the municiple powers of Eerie are about new stuff they get for the town. They have bunting and music and a girl in a bathing suit twirling batons bedecked in ribbons... for a cash maschine.

Okay, the actual citizens of Eerie aren't that fussed, but Mayor Chisel is ridiculously pumped about it, and about Edgar for inventing it.

Also, I love how Marilyn is so proud that she kind of launches herself on Edgar during the unveiling. It's a bit silly when the Mayor is so happy over a cash machine, but it's lovely that Marilyn is so happy for him, and Syndi and Mars are there to share that moment with him, even though Mars is a bit non-plussed internally.

Eww, Mister Wilson giving the side-eye, so creepy.

So Simon's name on a keypad is 74666. I wonder if the last 3 letters of his name didnt correspond to 666, would Mister Wilson even have reacted?

So Edgar programmed Mister Wilson to be "not unlike" himself. I hope that doesn't mean Edgar is also clingy as shit... "Welcome, friiiieeeeennnnddddd..."

Eeeew, look at that old dude in the background creeping on teeenage Miss. Eerie. Also, they have a Miss. Eerie. I bet that gets pretty murderous in the final stages. That fourteen year old girl has probably killed like a dozen classmates already.

First introducion of Mr. Radford One/Fred Suggs, compulsive imposter.

There's an episode of Adventure Time where Jake uses that line about his big guts eating his little guts. I have no problems believing the people who write AT as adults were fans of Eerie as kids.

Ugh. UGH. That thing where you hang out in a group, and they talk about somethi g you're not familiar with, and when you ask about it they make fun of you. Sorry for a) not knowing everything and b) not just pretending I know it to fit in. Especially because most of Nick and Eddie's dialogue revolves around quoting adverts, so it's hardly something to be superior about.

The big brothers name is Ace. I already think he's a tool. Also, are his parents in the Congo, or gone to a condo? I can't quite make it out.

How horrible is that scene where Simon wheels his bike home and you can not only hear his parents screaming at each other, but smashing crockery too? And the next scene is him wandering around the town late at night, alone, in the dark.

Why does the cash machine have options for users to tell Mister Wilson they're having a shitty day, only to have him offer platitudes in response?

Those ice cream troughs are insane. Also, check out Marilyn's face when Simon opts to hamg around with Nick and Eddie, but only after they check he has money left. She is just itching to lay down some maternal advice. By the time the Lost Hour rolls around, she's including Simon in references to "our kids", but I guess at this stage she doesn't know him well enough and is making the effort not to overstep.

Edgar, only one person is using Mister Wilson because you gave him a weird uncanny valley face, you programmed him to be needy as fuck, and when he dispenses money he does an eye-popping bow-tie spinning thing that makes him look like an old Tex Avery cartoon of a guy getting a blowjob.

"Mister Wilson: he's better than Brussel sprouts." It lacks something. Ask Nick and Eddie,seems like all they do is watch adverts and receipt them verbatim, maybe they can give you some hints.

Love the Julia and Keifer cake. That completely slipped by me the first time I saw it; I didn't actually get it until my mum was watching it with me and started wetting herself laughing. Fortunately she's not Nick and Eddy, so she actually explained it to me I.stead of making me feel like a loser for not.understandi.g Hollywood scandals that happened before I hit double digits.

"My mum's not home." Ugh. UGH. Right in my heart, Simon, you are breaking me.

I love how Justin Shenkarow says "yeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" when the money falls out of his cupboard. It just really makes me laugh.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

So Simon's name on a keypad is 74666. I wonder if the last 3 letters of his name didnt correspond to 666, would Mister Wilson even have reacted?

Woah...... Nice attention to detail on your behalf! I hadn't noticed the buttons he was pressing! Did the writers realise that would be what he'd press ahead of time, or was it a happy coincidence I wonder?

I knew I'd heard that line about the big guts and little guts eating each other somewhere! Awesome! Its nice to think there might be some influence crossover there.

[froodle]

The camera kind of zooms in on him hitting the last three numbers, and this was early enough from the shows inception for me to believe it was probably deliberate. If they wanted it enough to put it on the town sign in the opening credits, and they had the idea for this epiosde planned ahead of time, he may have been called Simon specifically for that reason.

[diello.livejournal.com]

Population 16661 ;)

[froodle]

Joe Dante does love throwing his number of the beast references in...

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

That's a good point. A writer had probably been sitting on that idea for a while and was desperate to be able to use it in some context. it makes me a little sad that modern phones tend to have their own qwerty keypads these days so Simons can no longer summon the antichrist with their names.... XD

[froodle]

Oh. OH! Remember the old Nokia mobile phones from the 90s where you really would have had to use the number of the beast to write Simon? There needs to be fic about the boys getting their first mobiles and everytime they try to mention Simon in a text, the Devil appears and Mars is like, "Oh for... FUCK OFF MATE, I am just texting me friend!" and the Devil is super bitter about it because inztead of taking souls he's just getting accidentally mis-dialled by everyone with a mobile...

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

LMAO!!! And Omri is suddenly doing a Dick Van Dyke style accent with an Inbetweeners twist XD That would be hilarious in a fic though... Like maybe a reoccuring side joke kind of thing XD

[froodle]

It would be AMAZING. Just a super irritated Old Nick and a super irritated Marshall who only wanted to call Simon to seee if he wanted to hang out and instead, HEY DO YOU WANNA MAKE A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN KID?!

[froodle]

Mars is all, oh, spending that money just didnt feel right. Don't be a dick, Marshall, Simon probably bought food with some of that cash. It's easier to be sensible with your money if you're someone who's actually grown up having it.

Slow mo, hat-throwing, cool-walking Simon! And those girls at the World o' Stuff counter hitting on Simon is so creepy - they have got to be Syndi's age. It would be like being creeped on by your babysitter.

"Use Hammerin when you wanna say 'thank God I don't have a headache any more!'" is the best headache advert ever. Seriously, that needs to be a t-shirt.

Syndi, don't be weird and flirty with the Mayor. Combined with sixteen year olds in tight skirts getting all come-hither at a nine year old, I'm way too skeeved out right now.

Love how Sergeant Knight just locks Chisel up "on general principle", and how the Mayor just takes it in stride. Also, Sergeant Knight's "don't leave town, Mr. Teller" combined with a super creepy fake grin.

Oh goodie, more creepy teenage girls dressed.like Cyndi Lauper and rubbing up on a nine year old. Also, Simon's gold chain and unbuttoned shirt, oh my God.

Oh my God, when they don't even know Simon's name. Justin Shenkarow's FACE, my heart!

I'm really disturbed by the way Mister Wilson sort of checks out and starts monotonously chanting 99 Bottles of Beer when Simon gives him the money back.It really does read like someone undergoing a massive trauma and having a nervous breakdown as a result.

And Mayor Chisel gets community service, "just in case", and is still just totally chill about the whole thing.

The episode ends with Simon having a birthday party, but at the start of the episode he tells Mars he was lying about it being a birthday, only to later buy himself a "birthday" cake.

My take on this is that it really was his birthday, he mentioned it, realises Mars doesn't know when his birthday is, and pretends to have lied about it so his mate doesn't feel awkward about having forgotten. His mate that then immediately ditches him to hang out with two older kids.

There is something unbelievably heartbreaking about that; this poor kid is so used to making himself inconspicuous and not drawing attention that he erases his own birthday so that other people don't have to momentarily feel bad.

And then Simon calls bullshit on shitty friends and designer shoes. Shitty friends, definately. Designer shoes, I dunno... he's probably just more mature about shoes at 9 than I am at 31.

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

Don't be a dick, Marshall, Simon probably bought food with some of that cash. It's easier to be sensible with your money if you're someone who's actually grown up having it.

He's the same with Dash later, iirc (but hilariously has sympathy for Radford for his tax evasion.)

[froodle]

Well, Mars refusing to get eaten duri.lng the Harvest King festival is probably the reason Radford has to pay his taxes now, so maybe he feels a bit responsible for his situation at that point...

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

It struck me as weird (but funny) that Mayor Chisel is so easy going about getting arrested for something that has nothing to do with him (If you're going to arrest someone, why not someone that runs the bank?) and the just in case community service. At first I wrote it off at the creative licence allowed in a show for kids, but thinking about it now, I guess that the Mayor is actually involved in quite a bit of dodgy stuff with the town and if he kicks up a stink over stuff that he's innocent for people might just start digging into the real stuff he could get in a lot more trouble over....

[froodle]

He is feeding people to a werewolf every 13 years; compared to that, a night in the cells and a few evenings and weekends picking up rubbish for something he wasn't involved in counts as getting off lightly...

Apparently he appears in some of the books and they dive a bit deeper into the various sketchy biz he's involved in. I really need to read them at some point, but I'm worried that they won't live up to the show and I'll be disappointed,which is why I've not made the effort yet.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

I've got a couple of the books - the two that Dash appear in, specifically. I've read one of them, and its okay. It's a kids book, and it's weird to read something that doesn't care too much about details (its no G.R.R. Martin epic...) or whether something is actually possible (like, Dash flying a handglider and using a chainsaw with precision....). But its a fast read and it does reference the show and already established eps, and they seem to carry on where the show left off.

[froodle]

...does he fly a handglider and use the chainsaw at the same time? cos that might push it from dumb to so dumb its epic..

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

Yep. Both at the same time. Considering he was reluctant to even do the handglider and Marshall had to blackmail/shame him into doing, it turns out he's pretty skillful XD

[froodle]

What was that book called? Loads.of them are a penny on Amazon, I may need to invest in at least this volume...

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

"Bureau of Lost" is the one I just read with the handglider. It's book 2 Dash is in the second half of the book.

The other one that I've not started yet is book 4: "Simon and Marshall's Excellent Adventure."

I love that the covers are "torn" http://comingovertookish.tumblr.com/post/121584719925/having-binge-watched-eerie-indiana-in-a-fit-of

[froodle]

Love the creepy mis-proportioned Elvis and Marilyn inside as well!