"Internal Combustion" Discussion - *SPOILERS*

Yeah the way Greg talks about Papa Olaf, it is as though he has already passed away.
 
I enjoyed this episode. I was a bit surprised that Ray featured so prominently in the beginning, and then did we ever see him again after that? Someone mentioned Sara's jacket, and I too loved that! I kind of guessed ahead of time that the uncle/shop teacher had something to do with it, since I've seen him as "the bad guy" in so many other things. But it was nice to see him not as inherently "bad" as he's been in other roles. Here, he just made a very bad mistake in challenging his niece to a race.

One quibble, and this has to do with TV shows in general: Other than at a ballgame, parade or pep rally, how often do you see a cheerleader actually wearing her uniform? Thinking back to my high school days, and then years of teaching high school color guard, my answer would be: never. The only times I can recall cheerleaders wearing their uniforms was at the previously mentioned events, mainly because, at least back in my day, you had to have them dry-cleaned. So you wore them as little as possible to keep them clean. You certainly didn't casually wear them around school, at rehearsals or outside of school.

So why, oh why do TV shows insist on showing cheerleaders in their uniforms outside of those specific functions? Rhetorical question: It's an easy ID of a cheerleader. But it's also inaccurate ... at least in my experience. (Same thing with marching bands; they almost never rehearse in their uniforms. Yet how many times have you seen a TV show or movie cut to a marching band rehearsal, and there they are in full uniform? If marching bands did that, the cleaning bills alone would be astronomical!)
 
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Yay for continuity! Papa Olaf plus a recurring character. A recurring character who happens to be Scully stalker Donnie Pfaster.

Plus, Wendy was amazing. The Greg joyriding story was wonderful, and it was great to see Nick & Greg working together. They always work so well together.
 
The Greg joyriding story was wonderful, and it was great to see Nick & Greg working together. They always work so well together.
I, too, enjoyed that. But I have a question about Greg's story: He said he almost ran over his own foot while parking the car in the driveway. This is probably another case of me not getting out enough, but how do you run over your own foot?
 
I, too, enjoyed that. But I have a question about Greg's story: He said he almost ran over his own foot while parking the car in the driveway. This is probably another case of me not getting out enough, but how do you run over your own foot?

He probably forgot to set the brake and the car started rolling. Or something like that.
 
One quibble, and this has to do with TV shows in general: Other than at a ballgame, parade or pep rally, how often do you see a cheerleader actually wearing her uniform? Thinking back to my high school days, and then years of teaching high school color guard, my answer would be: never. The only times I can recall cheerleaders wearing their uniforms was at the previously mentioned events, mainly because, at least back in my day, you had to have them dry-cleaned. So you wore them as little as possible to keep them clean. You certainly didn't casually wear them around school, at rehearsals or outside of school.

So why, oh why do TV shows insist on showing cheerleaders in their uniforms outside of those specific functions? Rhetorical question: It's an easy ID of a cheerleader. But it's also inaccurate ... at least in my experience. (Same thing with marching bands; they almost never rehearse in their uniforms. Yet how many times have you seen a TV show or movie cut to a marching band rehearsal, and there they are in full uniform? If marching bands did that, the cleaning bills alone would be astronomical!)

When I went to high school our cheerleaders wore their uniforms in school. If I remember correctly, the days the wore their uniforms during school was when it was a game day or it was an every Friday thing. Don't exactly remember, but ours did wear theirs during a school day.

I liked the episode. I like Langston, but we have seen too much of him, however I do like his scenes with Doc Robbins, I think they work great together.

I liked the little race at the end with Nick and Catherine. After all Catherine beat him the last time the raced and well I'm sure Nick needed to stroke his ego. :lol: I always loved Nick and Catherine together, they play off each other really well.

The Greg joyriding story was wonderful, and it was great to see Nick & Greg working together. They always work so well together.
I, too, enjoyed that. But I have a question about Greg's story: He said he almost ran over his own foot while parking the car in the driveway. This is probably another case of me not getting out enough, but how do you run over your own foot?

Greg said he was 'rolling' the car into the drive, so he was probably pushing the car into the driveway so Papa Olaf wouldn't HEAR the car. The car probably sorta got away from Greg and it rolled over his foot.
 
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When I went to high school our cheerleaders wore their uniforms in school. If I remember correctly, the days the wore their uniforms during school was when it was a game day or it was an every Friday thing. Don't exactly remember, but ours did wear theirs during a school day.
Interesting, I don't remember that happening at all at my school (except for special in-school functions like pep rallies). But maybe uniforms don't have to be dry-cleaned anymore, so they don't worry as much about getting them dirty?

Greg said he was 'rolling' the car into the drive, so he was probably pushing the car into the driveway so Papa Olaf wouldn't HEAR the car. The car probably sorta got away from Greg and it rolled over his foot.
Good point; I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!
 
I, too, enjoyed that. But I have a question about Greg's story: He said he almost ran over his own foot while parking the car in the driveway. This is probably another case of me not getting out enough, but how do you run over your own foot?

Greg said he was 'rolling' the car into the drive, so he was probably pushing the car into the driveway so Papa Olaf wouldn't HEAR the car. The car probably sorta got away from Greg and it rolled over his foot.

Yes that is probably exactly what he was doing and why he said that. If it was a race car it would have had a noisy engine.
 
Yay for continuity! Papa Olaf plus a recurring character. A recurring character who happens to be Scully stalker Donnie Pfaster.

Plus, Wendy was amazing. The Greg joyriding story was wonderful, and it was great to see Nick & Greg working together. They always work so well together.


So nice to know that I'm not the only X-Filer on this board!
 
So is Papa Olaf alive or not? And remember when Greg was writing a book, about old Vegas and had a date to see the editors? then Warrick was killed, and we never head about his book again:confused:
 
So is Papa Olaf alive or not? And remember when Greg was writing a book, about old Vegas and had a date to see the editors? then Warrick was killed, and we never head about his book again:confused:

I remember one of the directors - or was it a writer? - that said they didn't much care for continuity. They basically ignore stuff said in previous episodes. I don't think they contradict it, they just don't acknowledge it. They try to keep the show as episodic as possible, I think.

Basically, I think the directors/writers pick and choose which parts of a character's past/personal life they want to touch on and probably only if it fits nicely into the story being told that week. It had been several season's since we heard a Papa Olaf reference. It might be another season or two before we find out about the book. I guess it just depends on which director/writer liked the idea and how they can fit it into an episode.
 
So is Papa Olaf alive or not? And remember when Greg was writing a book, about old Vegas and had a date to see the editors? then Warrick was killed, and we never head about his book again:confused:

I remember one of the directors - or was it a writer? - that said they didn't much care for continuity. They basically ignore stuff said in previous episodes. I don't think they contradict it, they just don't acknowledge it. They try to keep the show as episodic as possible, I think.

I know Danny Cannon (who possibly comes under the category heading of writer, director and producer!) has said that about continuity (it's on the commentary for Shooting Stars and he was basically griping about having to shoot Nick having trouble going down into a dark, claustraphobic bunker only about five months after being buried alive :rolleyes:). I can kinda-maybe-if-you-squint see not wanting to constantly reference minor facts (like Papa Olaf), but complaining that you had to follow up something as traumatic as being buried alive just makes me go WTF in so many different ways.

Given that there is supposed to be something in the wind for Greg this season, though, it might be reasonable to assume that we're going to finally hear about what happened with the book.
 
I can kinda-maybe-if-you-squint see not wanting to constantly reference minor facts (like Papa Olaf)
These writers need to get out more. Don't they grasp that a lot of fans enjoy spotting references to past episodes or incidents in the lives of the characters? It enhances the experience. :rolleyes:
Sad that they think it's a hardship to have to provide more satisfaction to the viewers.
LaSquisita
 
It's not like they have to reference a past event in every single episode... but when the storyline is about a vic being buried alive, it would be irresponsible not to make some kind of reference to Nick's experience. It kind of ticks me off that someone in a director/writer/producer status on the show would make such a comment. It seems unprofessional to me to make that comment where fans can hear it. And if they don't want to have to use continuity on these shows then they just need to go write/produce/direct a movie (one that isn't gonna have any sequels) rather than a tv show, that way they won't have to worry about continuity. For the fans, lack of continuity in a TV show is both frustrating and highly annoying.
 
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I can kinda-maybe-if-you-squint see not wanting to constantly reference minor facts (like Papa Olaf)
These writers need to get out more. Don't they grasp that a lot of fans enjoy spotting references to past episodes or incidents in the lives of the characters? It enhances the experience. :rolleyes:

Oh, I agree entirely *grin* And, to be fair to the REST of the writing staff, I think they actually don't have a problem with it (heck, listen to Carol Mendolsen [I think it is - and whose name I'm sure I've just gloriously butchered!] on the commentary for 'Viva Las Vegas' as she just sits there and points out every single reference that they managed to squeeze into that first scene at the lab!), they just don't necessarily want to insert it into every episode.

GregNickRyanFan, when I heard his comment I quite literally sat there going "WAT?!" for about five minutes straight. It just blows my mind as a writer that you wouldn't want to follow it up. To me, half the fun of writing a series is doing exactly that kind of character continuity.

Tis worth noting that Danny Cannon also wrote Shooting Stars so, presumably, wrote the scene he was griping about, so maybe he gets a few points for doing it even though he doesn't like it.
 
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