Wonderfalls 1.02 - Karma Chameleon (03/19/04) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Ringwald]

I guess this was produced as the 11th episode, but the creator tweaked it to make it fit second in the timeline, there's supposed to be another one like this in another episode down the line.

I'm excited for a new episode of Wonderfalls. I thought I'd stick this new thread up here to give everyone a heads up that it's on tonight at 9/8central.

Tonights seems to be about a girl who copies Jaye in pretty much every single way. It should be interesting, and from what I've heard, is even funnier than the pilot episode, so we'll just have to see. Anyone else all excited?

 

[Jason Seaver]

Weird; from what I gather, Firefly's Jewel Staite (mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...) joins the cast after 6 or 7 episodes; so would she be in this or not? Or is she perhaps the reason the show was tweaked, to make her a regular as opposed to a guest star and thus having some of these later episodes moved back in the chronology.

But here's a silly question: Wonderfalls has an Executive Producer who used to work with Joss Whedon. How long do you expect the "previously, on Wonderfalls" segment to be? I'll place my bet for 30 seconds (Firefly was Minear's show and often did without, and I think Greenwalt really skews the Mutant Enemy averages).

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Shuffling didn't help Firefly. Anyone know why they would shuffle to have the 11th episode as the 2nd?

 

[Jason Seaver]

Early episodes of a series are often less serial than later ones, and the network probably considers important to show the best episodes early to hook the audience. Or at least, that's probably the theory.

(I wonder if there's a DARPAnet archive somewhere with people complaining about how NBC screwed Star Trek by airing "The Man Trap" before "Where No Man Has Gone Before" )

 

[Brian_FSullivan]

My understanding is that while shot 11th, the episode was always intended to air as the second episode. (And in that same regard next week's episode was the 13th shot but was always meant to air third). Since "Wonderfalls'" shooting schedule would be completed long before it actually began airing (as is the case for most midseason series), the producers had some flexibility about how production would go. For whatever reason the show's "second" and "third" episodes were pushed to the end of its production cycle. So no "tweaking" here.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

NOTE: Although this was one of the last episodes produced, exectuive producer Tim Minear says it was written to go second: "This was the luxury of not being up against air dates. I was able to look at what we had and, with an understanding that only comes with making ten episodes (and actually testing two of them -- a story I will relate after we air epsiode two), I was allowed to create TWO of the later episodes to go earlier."

from tvtome.com

I thought Jewel Staite was only set for like 4 of the 13 episodes, not as a regular cast member. Who knows.

At any rate, this show is clearly meant to be seen as episode 2, so no complaints from me.

I'm wondering if there will be any "previously" at all. If anything, I'm guessing a short one if anything.

 

[Patrick Sun]

So far, digging the "Single White Female" angle.

"She's sitting on your stool!!!"

The dialogue of this show (mainly Jaye's) cracks me up. I can't help but LOL at this show.

Way to use that Brown degree, Jaye!

Loved the "blurbs" of her family she slipped into the article.

 

[David Williams]

I didn't think this episode was anywhere near the ballpark of Wax Lion. I didn't LOL once! Maybe because I didn't sympathize at all with Jaye or Binky. I'm only a few years older than Jaye (27 vs. 24), and if I had the opportunities and wealth she has access to, I'd be making more of myself. Although by the ep's end, it looked like Jaye maybe understood how lucky she is.

Next week's episode looks like it might be a return to Wacky Land. I've got my fingers crossed anyway.

 

[Adam Tyner]

If you want to check out some deleted stuff from this episode:
http://www.fox.com/wonderfalls/_email/email2.htm

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Entertaining but nowhere near as good as last weeks.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

It was funny how Jaye kept calling the other girl a pale imitation - considering that she herself is a pale imitation of George from Dead Like Me.

 

[MikeFR]

I agree, good stuff.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Also falling in its second week was FOX's latest critically adored, audience shunned dramedy "Wonderfalls," which dipped to a 2.6/5.

Looks like it's just not working...

Playing it straight also got somewhere around 2.8/5 or so. So it dropped as well. Certain shows just aren't going to grab viewers on a friday night. I would have re-aired the pilot some other day than Thursday... maybe when it could have received a better lead-in.

I think FOX would have been wise to premiere this one during the summer along with The O.C. or maybe this summer...

Unless word of mouth picks up fast, this one's a goner...

 

[David Williams]

Actively disliking someone makes it hard to find them laugh-inducing, for me anyway. I found the episode amusing (especially when Jaye stormed into The Barrel and roughs Binky up), but not laugh out loud as I did in the pilot.

This episode seriously made me wonder where the wonder in Wonderfalls went. I have high hopes for next week (if Fox hasn't pulled it by then).

 

[Sven Lorenz]

One thing I liked about the episode is that they've already broken the formula established by the pilot.

I was really dreading that every week someone would throw a coin in that fountain and wish for something and that she would have to fulfill that wish for that person.

I just wish they had found some better actors for the sister, the mother and the brother.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It's got tough competition (the NCAA tourney) last night, and next week as well.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I like the way the writers used this episode to further delve into Jaye's background, but in a fun, stalkerish way that still gets the info to the viewers while also showing the smarts of Jaye to deal with her problem at the moment: Binky.

 

[Derek Miner]

While I would concede that the pilot was more entertaining overall than this week's episode, I must say I was extremely impressed by the intricate script of the second episode. Others might find it not very subtle at all, but I liked the contrasting of feeling out of place in a family with feeling out of place in society. But they also had a great misdirect, turning the "Joan of Arcadia"-esque help-the-girl setup into a story about rising to the occasion of an opportunity.

Too many shows just throw characters into situations where the plot will dictate one solution, and the audience knows full well the person will eventually get there. Well, in this episode of "Wonderfalls," I actually understood Jaye and Binky's hesitancy somewhat rather than just assuming they're slackers. They're characters with hopes and fears, not constructs to fulfill a plot.

It's a shame few people seem to care about this show, because I think it wants to really explore something important about young people in today's society.

Oh, and I just remembered "Joan of Arcadia" did have an episode where Joan helped someone with a stutter on their journey to being a writer... weird.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Unless word of mouth does pick up than it probably is a gonner and we can expect more reality programing.

I myself dont find myself having to sympathize with characters in order to make me laugh. If that were so, I wouldn't even laugh at Arrested Development but even though most of the characters are NOT sympathetic they are very very funny.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Well, it's produced by FOX, so maybe we can hope for a DVD release like Firefly...