PRODUCTION/CULTURAL REFERENCES (written 7/26/20)
-So, after eight years and 192 episodes, here we are.
-Fun fact: This show has the exact same number of seasons and episodes as Full House, one of my all-time favorite shows and one of Thank You, Heavenly's influences.
-When it came to the series finale, it took a long time before I even had an idea of what I wanted to do. Even near the end of the season, nothing was set in stone. Part of it is because I didn't want to set up this big, over-the-top finale that I end up not following through on or dropping the ball on. Another reason is because I was deliberately avoiding it. Even as more episodes came out over the last couple months, the series finale wasn't my main priority. The only thing I knew that I wanted is for the kids to graduate from elementary school.
-Ever since last year, when I initially announced that the eighth season would be the final season, I wanted the series finale to be two parts. It was natural and it was the only option that made sense. Every show I could think of had a double-length series finale. And when I say that, I mean they had a proper series finale that was planned ahead of time, not an episode that just so happened to be the last one because the network decided to cancel the show. In my mind, I wasn't thinking that this had to be the best episode I ever wrote, but it had to bring closure to the series. It also had to show where the kids were headed. But again, I didn't have anything finalized for a long time.
-After a while, with the constant delays and other episodes that needed attention, I realized that a two-part series finale was no longer going to work. There was no story I had to push it further. Other than the kids graduating, the episode didn't feel like it was about anything. Part of what made this difficult was the fact that Thank You, Heavenly is a traditional sitcom with episodic plots. There was nothing that needed to be resolved before the series was over. There were no long-running storylines that needed to be wrapped up, no secrets revealed, no mysteries solved. I tried to at least set up something with Wade wanting to go to FDA VIII, but it was still a small piece of something much larger.
-I decided that I should just wrap things up with a regular episode instead of trying to go for something bigger. "The Graduation from Hell" feels like a finale in some ways, but it doesn't. It was centered around Sparky and Halley, and while I believe it did wrap certain things up, it still wasn't the finale I wanted. The last episode of the series had to revolve around Sparky, Buster, RK, Wade, and Jaylynn. These are the characters I spent the most time with, these are the stars, and they deserved their own sendoff. So, at least I had something else to work with.
-I knew the series finale was going to be quieter and more low-key than other episodes, mostly because of how I set things up. "The Time Machine IV" was the last over-the-top, insane episode of the show, and "The Graduation from Hell" was the episode that finally got the kids out of iCarly Elementary, so all this one had to do was just be entertaining and close the book. I wanted to capture the feeling of those last days in school right before summer vacation, and especially those last days after graduating. You still have to go to school, but your job is done, so you're just cleaning up, making sure your yearbook is signed, and watching things become emptier in the hallways and classrooms as the year comes to an end.
-I ended up writing the story to "Heavenly Life" one night, at least a couple weeks before it came out. I knew I couldn't do something like have one of the kids move away, or even tease it, so I decided to use summer vacation as a way to do the things you would normally see in a series finale. The RV trip is a way for the kids to have one last adventure together before junior high, but plans come up that might get in the way.
-Because it was the series finale, I wanted to include some old characters, which is why Dr. Osborne, Billy, and Billy's mom show up for the last time. I had an episode planned in April that was most likely going to be Anja and Lynne's last appearance, but I ended up not finishing the episode so I knew they had to show up in this episode somehow.
-Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to write at least some of the finale at my local library. Between 2013 and 2016, I wrote several episodes from seasons 2-4 at that library. I would get off early from school on Fridays so I would almost always go to the library and spend a couple hours there before going home. It would have been a way of bringing back those old memories.
-I fully planned on releasing the episode on July 5 (after all those delays), but I wasn't even halfway done with it by July 3 and I didn't want a lackluster finale so I put it off for another week. As you would expect, I didn't finish the episode until the day of, but I was at least able to finish the script in the daytime and rewrite it at night.
-The episode title is a reference to the Nas song "Beautiful Life," which was featured in this episode. It's the closing song on Nas' compilation album The Lost Tapes II (2019). Unlike almost everything else about the series finale, I had the title locked in for months and never thought about changing it.
-RK finding out that Disney+ messed up the episode order of the ninth season of The Simpsons is based off an actual event. There is a pop culture website called The Avocado and for the past few years, a guy has done weekly reviews of classic Simpsons episodes. Currently, he is on season nine. A couple weeks ago, I was expecting a review for "Lisa's Sax" but it ended up being "Lisa the Simpson." The guy explained the situation to his readers and that's when I realized that this is exactly the kind of thing that would bother RK specifically, so I knew I had to include it.
-Buster references the Nickelodeon animated series Dora the Explorer (2000-2019).
-Wade giving Buster the complete series DVD box set of the NBC sitcom Wings (1990-1997) is a callback to the pilot episode of the series, "The RK Feline Fiasco." In the opening scene of that episode, Buster is convinced that Wings is airing on the Bounce channel, but Wade tells him that it isn't.
-In the first draft, Lynne didn't appear in the episode but that's only because I hadn't found a place for her yet. All of her lines came in the rewrite.
-The McGowan Rental Agency is named after animator and writer Darin McGowan. Currently, he works on The Loud House (2016-), but he has previously worked on shows such as Futurama (1999-2003; 2008-2013) and As Told by Ginger (2000-2006).
-Dr. Osborne originally appeared on the show as RK's therapist in the season two episode "Duck Infection." He reappeared in the season four episode "Fake It," where he misdiagnosed RK with Asperger's Syndrome and was later arrested for possession of child pornography as part of a plan orchestrated by Sparky and Buster.
-Buster tells Dr. Osborne that he should have peeped the pamphlet, in reference to the subplot from "Fake It" where Sparky and Buster go on a crusade informing kids about issues such as drugs and alcohol after becoming obsessed with educational pamphlets.
-The cutaway gag in Washington, D.C. references an earlier episode this season, "A Long Walk to Washington."
-I included the Space Needle Diner in this episode for finale reasons. It was never as popular a location for the kids as Ike's was, but several episodes featured scenes there.
-While I had the basic outline of the episode, I didn't have the second half worked out until later on. Originally, I was thinking of a scene where RK fights Dr. Osborne, not Jaylynn. However, I did plan on Billy and his mom making an appearance regardless.
-Billy and his mother first made an appearance in the season one episode "A Thank You, Heavenly Christmas." They were based off a gag from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Krusty Dogs," and only appeared once a season. I can't remember if they appeared in seasons five and six, but whenever they did, the joke was always that they would see something weird happening, usually involving the main characters, and Billy's mom would warn him about the dangers of doing drugs. Their previous appearance was in "The Secret World of Buster Newman" last season.
-Buster having his hair dyed was a running gag that was referenced in previous episodes ("Quadruple Date," "11 Ways to Ruin a Birthday," "The Secret World of Buster Newman"), but it was never something he admitted to, and Sparky was the only one who knew blonde wasn't Buster's natural hair color. Until now.
-Buster references the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009-2020). Modern Family was known for having many episodes revolving around misunderstandings and characters hiding things from each other.
-Sparky references the season six episode "Wade Goes to Junior High."
-Wade being upset with RK for showing unexpected maturity and support was something I originally thought of when I wrote the story. It was meant to be a sign of how much their friendship has developed, and a moment of RK's emotional growth.
-The whole RK/Ashley plot was just something that happened when I started writing the episode. I don't think it was even supposed to go beyond that first scene, but I just went with it. It was a way to bring things full-circle since RK was initially in love with Ashley during season two.
-Shane references the season premiere "Fourth Grade Friday II: Our New Arrivals." In that episode, the fourth graders rebel against Fourth Grade Friday by attacking the fifth graders, even though the fifth graders had no intention of continuing Fourth Grade Friday. It leads to a fight between the two grades, which the fifth graders win decisively, and everyone needing to sign non-disclosure agreements so nothing gets back to school faculty.
-Sparky giving Shane the commemorative T-shirts is a reference to the season seven finale "Farewell, 4th Grade." At the end of that episode, Todd and Veronica (the outgoing fifth graders) give some "Class of 2019" T-shirts to Sparky and the guys (the incoming fifth graders) for symbolic reasons. I went back to "Farewell, 4th Grade" weeks ago and saw that scene, so I decided to include a follow-up scene here. This is also a sign of the two grades making peace after what happened at the beginning of the season.
-I always intended to include "Beautiful Life" in a montage at the end of the episode.
-Wade's uniform was the exact same uniform I wore in junior high. It was the spring outfit. For fall and winter, I had to wear a burgundy blazer, white button down shirt, and black tie.
-Buster references legendary basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.
-The episode initially ended with RK asking if everyone was done talking about the first day of school, then cut to black. I was debating how to approach it because I wanted a funny way to end the series. I thought of some dialogue where RK would notice Sparky winking at the camera, as one last fourth wall joke. I just went with RK saying goodbye in an unenthusiastic way.
-I feel like the ending represents what Thank You, Heavenly is at its core: Just five kids going through life together, taking things day by day. No matter what happens, no matter what schools they go to or what changes around them, their friendship will never change. They'll still be there on Sparky's couch, watching TV and commenting about the world. It's not the most emotional or heartfelt ending, but it's the most realistic one.
-I was thinking about including "Where's the Love" on the same day "The Graduation from Hell" came out. I never changed my decision. I noticed in almost every movie I've seen, the credits roll a lot slower than they do on television. That's why with this episode, I specified that the credits roll like they would in a movie, so the song could play for a longer period of time and the ending sinks in deeper.