When you look back at this, in the three seconds it'll take you to turn to dust, I think you'll find the mistake was touching my stuff.

Buffy ,'Lessons'


Lovesick, my Ass!  

[NAFDA] Discussion of all Wonderfalls episodes, including the unaired ones. When discussing Wonderfalls, anything goes. Safe-words and white fonting are not needed. Spoilers for other shows are verboten. Posts with offers to buy, sell, or trade copies of episodes will be deleted.


Allyson - May 04, 2004 1:02:04 pm PDT #305 of 668
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica

Rule of thumb? If you liked it, me. If you didn't, not my fault.

I want to take Tim's ego home and give it a blanket, a dish of kibble, and a fuzzy chew toy.


Kat - May 04, 2004 1:05:12 pm PDT #306 of 668
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

If people like Kat and Allyson and Ita bristled, then there was something which merited bristling.

I bristle a lot. So maybe I'm not such a good judge of merited bristling.

I believe that. I thought it would be interesting and instructive to let you in a little on the process of doing something like this. How production realities, narrative need and concerns about sensitivities all wrestle with each other.

I like the process. To me, your explanation gets a shrug and a "Huh." (and not my usual dismissive one, but a henh, interesting, I can see that sort of thing). In much the same way that your explanation of why the flamingoes gave advice that worked counter to all of the other advice and if Jaye had followed it would have meant a missed diagnosis of Dad.

In clearer terms, I'm always more willing to buy fallibility and a story constraint over a heated defense.

I still feel sort of bristley, but also, I'm eating chocolate pudding while sitting on an ice pack contemplating my 4 Month break, so feeling too happy to belabor my point.


§ ita § - May 04, 2004 1:43:39 pm PDT #307 of 668
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Rule of thumb? If you liked it, me. If you didn't, not my fault.

So far so good, then.


Topic!Cindy - May 04, 2004 1:57:55 pm PDT #308 of 668
What is even happening?

I bristle a lot. So maybe I'm not such a good judge of merited bristling.

I never see you bristle without merit. Even without having seen it, I think there's merit to this discussion, just going on what I've read here (and mostly from you) and in the script.

How's the pudding?

So, mystical Indians outnumber mystical white people 2:1, yet white people on Wonderfalls outnumber Indians by how many?

Yes, but the main mystical person always in focus (or at least the mystically affected person) is a white woman. Isn't one of the problems with stereotypes that they make the stereotyped group somehow Other?

When watching the episode, did it look like all the Indians in the episode were sort of mystical (earnest question--I only read, and only, once)?

Basically, if white people's religion gets to be true, you're walking a dangerous path. You could end up being Touched by An Angel.

Which white people's religion? The one in which talking tchotchkes guide people, or Judaism, and the Christian denominations (which were referenced in Pink Flamingos, and Wound-Up Penguin)? I'm not being flip here. I'm not following this to such an extent that I'm not even sure I'm asking the right questions for clarification. The mysticism portrayed in the series (as far as I've seen and read--I've seen the first 4, and read the scripts I can find) seems to me to be apart from any religion. But I always figured there was a chance that when the coin bounced off the maiden statue, and hit Jaye in the head, that the maiden may have served as a trigger.


§ ita § - May 04, 2004 5:01:47 pm PDT #309 of 668
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

but the main mystical person always in focus (or at least the mystically affected person) is a white woman

She doesn't get mystical until episode 11. Supernatural, yes, but not mystical.

Which white people's religion? The one in which talking tchotchkes guide people, or Judaism, and the Christian denominations (which were referenced in Pink Flamingos, and Wound-Up Penguin)?

I may be behind on my White People Studies, but what religion has the talking tchotchkes?

Christianity was referenced, but not proved, if you see my distinction. Joan of Arcadia -- that's got proof. Touched By An Angel -- that too (although I typed Toughed By An Angel the first time -- much more fun, much more leather).

Up until Totem Mole, inanimate objects were animating for Jaye. Was she insane? Psychic? Touched by demons? Gods? That's a lot of spectrum of possibility, and I don't consider psychic mystical in the least.

In Totem Mole an outside established (although made up) religion affirms her experience. My reflexive statistical analysis is that that affirmation is more likely to come with experiential proof from a Mystical Native or a Magical Negro (probably practicing a little voudoun) than from a priest.


Kristen - May 04, 2004 5:03:56 pm PDT #310 of 668

what religion has the talking tchotchkes?

We have the bleeding/crying statues.


Matt the Bruins fan - May 04, 2004 5:04:55 pm PDT #311 of 668
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand

Don't forget the freaky-ass big-eyed kid on those velvet paintings that makes houses burn down.


§ ita § - May 04, 2004 5:05:19 pm PDT #312 of 668
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

We have the bleeding/crying statues.

I'm now visualising a crucified puppy statue talking to Jaye.

Ta, ever so.


P.M. Marc - May 04, 2004 6:25:17 pm PDT #313 of 668
So come, my friends, be not afraid/We are so lightly here/It is in love that we are made; In love we disappear

What %age of mystical white people do you see?

In Wonderfalls in particular, or in entertainment in general?

In entertainment in general, I do see a lot of mystical white people, and they're almost always Celtic. Which, as a decidedly non-mystical white-ass chick of Scottish descent, I will freely own pissed my shit off but good for a while.

And may explain why I had a more negative reaction to Doyle than most people.


§ ita § - May 04, 2004 6:32:10 pm PDT #314 of 668
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Very good point, Plei. White folk can be pagans too.

But that's where the "reality" seems to lurk. Those mystical forces can interact directly in character's lives. Judeochristianity is so much more a matter of faith.

However, per capita, I think Indians have the league locked down. Black folk don't tend to have an explicit connection -- it's more of a primal connection.