PRODUCTION/CULTURAL REFERENCES
-This was one of three potential episode ideas that could've potentially aired on December 1...potentially. It was part of the "Viewer's Choice" campaign alongside "The Bad Boys Club" and "Cinema Thieves." It was no contest. "The Bad Boys Club" easily won the voting. But this was the second-strongest idea so I decided to write it and air it for January 19. Buster and Wade were the perfect characters for this because they're, in a nutshell, the perfect opposites: Buster is keen to believe in what the media says while Wade tries to keep away from conspiracy theories.
-Wade's views are my views, but don't expect that to happen a lot because I believe in any character thinking what I think at any time. That's something you can appreciate about Thank You, Heavenly. All main characters (especially Sparky and RK) are my creations so they'll agree and disagree on certain things. Well, Jaylynn is more of an import, but I'm not friends with the girl in real-life so I only have the blueprint of her to work with. I'd love to think that RK is who I intended to be the animated version of me, but I'm not as delusional as him or come up with crazy schemes. Actually, I think he's an exaggerated version of me.
-I didn't start to write "Illuminati's For Idiots" until right before 2013 ended or maybe after 2014 got underway. Anyway, I watched a YouTube interview with Charlamagne Tha God about how he doesn't understand why black people are always tied to the Illuminati, especially successful ones. He sees the Illuminati as a way for people to justify their failures. He also said that Illuminati means "the enlightened one," and if it was real, he would love to be part of it so he could increase his intelligence and know the secrets to the world. I'm really glad I watched it because not only did it influence this episode, but it changed my views on the Illuminati. I still don't think it's real. At least not the one people go on about. I think there really is a secret society of enlightened people that exist in the world. We may never know, but I'm a believer.
-As for the made-up Illuminati, I have no sympathy for people who believe in it. I honestly think someone created the Illuminati years ago as a test to see how stupid people really are. But like I said, we may never find out about the real Illuminati, if there actually is one.
-"Illuminati's For Idiots" can be compared to the South Park episode "The Mystery of the Urinal Deuce" and the Family Guy episode "The Splendid Source."
-I'm not sick of RoundTable, but politics mixed with pop culture is what the segment lives and breathes on. And lately, I haven't heard a lot of interesting topics so I decided to just give you another edition of Classic Music Videos. Since you're just reading a script at the end of the day, a fun way to get into the TV show experience like I have is to watch the music video when you get to the segment, and then resume reading when you're done. That way, you don't have to think it's just time-consuming and skip it. You might hear a good song.
-It took me about a day to really get into "You Gots to Chill." I think EPMD had to record a new version for the music video because if you listen closely, it doesn't sound like the album version. Like how it starts at the very beginning, and E-Double's first and second verses. And the music video is much shorter than the album version. Either way, it's a hot track and the best on Strictly Business, without question.
-Yup, Jaylynn has officially come out of the closet. I think I did a bad job trying to create suspense. A person would've easily noticed her homosexuality a long time ago, but at least the Wade storyline bought me some time. I imagined pairing up RK with Jaylynn, but then I said no. Actually, let me tell you a story.
-I had always planned to make Jaylynn a main character in Season 2. But there are a couple things you should know. Originally, before the summer run and "Viva Las TSE," there was going to be a two-part season premiere (airing individually) that focuses on Jaylynn's move to Seattle. Sparky would, of course, welcome her with open arms, but Buster, RK, and Wade all thought that she was too different from them and plotted to get rid of her. After Wade falls for her, it's up to Buster and RK to send her back to Portland. In the end, they welcome her into the group.
-Initially, Jaylynn was going to be the main focus of Season 2. RK would've also fallen for her and compete with Wade for her heart. Yeah, I know, it's the Jack-Eric-Rachel thing from Boy Meets World all over again. She would have gotten several A-plots or at least been involved in the B-plot. I'm telling you right now that it didn't take me all that long to squash those ideas. Jaylynn would've shoved down your throat and you would've been forced to accept her. So, I retooled or completely cancelled several Season 2 episodes. Once in a while, I'll give Jaylynn the star treatment but it should always be the boys that carry the show. Besides, "Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014" taught me that Jaylynn and KG make a great team. Putting them together when a plot is needed might actually be a good thing.
-I'm not saying Jaylynn is simply an acquaintance to the boys, but I don't think giving her a bigger role is going to help. It's just nice to have a regular female character on this show. Not a recurring one like Ashley or Halley, but one who can carry storylines and appear most of the time with the boys as an equal. I hate the real-life Jaylynn's guts, but the cartoon Jaylynn is A-OK. I'm glad I put her in TSE.
-Sparky and RK's conversation at the lockers was initially going to be the exact conversation that Tony and Jonathan had in the Who's the Boss? episode "Your Grandmother's a Bimbo" when Tony was doing his philosophy homework. However, I would've had to break the fourth wall just to transition to the real conversation so why the hassle? Just play it straight. It DID start out like the original conversation.
-The "my wife and kids" joke was something I saw on Facebook. It was a picture of a woman with semen on her face with the words "MY WIFE AND KIDS" on the top. Get it?
-The Four Seasons/raincoat sleeve joke was taken from the Family Guy episode "Into Fat Air."
-Someone should have let Sam know what he did was creepy. Of course, Clarissa's dad acknowledged that once by saying, "Why doesn't that kid ever use the door?"
-Wade didn't need to break the fourth wall, but it's nice for Buster to acknowledge what he was doing.
-Guess what Ernest did to Cody. Originally, Ernest was going to be the camper. Then I found out Ernest was an adult.
-"The costumer is always right" was taken from the Arthur episode "The Play's the Thing."
-Buster made a reference to Rush Hour 3 when introducing himself to President Obama.
-Buster's experience on the plane was exactly what happened to me on the plane ride to Europe for a school trip and the plane ride back. I had loads of fun in Europe, but there's a reason I'm not a plane person. I don't watch Community like that, but it looks like it deserves the praise it gets.
-I just think the Alex Mack thing is funny. And valid. I was watching "The Creeper," and I was amazed at how reasonable Alex was being. She accepted the weird kid at first, and even though he was a complete stalker, she didn't just stop talking to him completely after confronting him. Alex did her best to solve the problem and even apologized for her perfectly justifiable behavior. I was stunned because I know a lot of girls, and almost none of them would have done what Alex did in a million years. That's the kind of guy Sparky is, and that's why this Alex Mack thing is going to stay.
-Buster taking Wade's dollar bill and passing it off as a magic trick was a reference to the first-ever Homey D. Clown sketch on In Living Color, where Homey did the exact same thing.
-The episode was dedicated to James Avery, who was best known for his role as Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Avery (68 at the time of his death) died on December 31, 2013 in Glendale, California at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, from complications after an open-heart surgery.