WHAT IF - SPECIAL 2 - CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN TIME PART 3
Author´s Note: A small warning here for a tiny use of profanity in this episode. I try deliberately to stay away from it, since I don´t think it´s in the Degrassi spirit to use it. However, since "School´s Out" was the first time that the "F Word" was used on North American television without being bleeped, I figured that it would be appropriate this one time.
With that out of the way, welcome to the third and final part of this little trilogy of episodes! I hope you´ve enjoyed the first two parts and will do the same with this one!
1. Int. Spike´s Room. Morning.
Manny is sitting on Spike´s bed, while Spike is pacing the room and tries to wrap her head around it.
Spike:
Let me get this straight. You came here from the year 2007 and you´re best friends with the teenage version of my daughter?
Manny:
For as long as both of us can remember.
Spike:
What does she turn out like? She isn´t pregnant, is she?
Manny:
I shouldn´t tell you too much. Haven´t you seen "Back to the Future", with the whole space/time continuum and all that stuff?
Spike:
Aren´t you already breaking that by telling me now?
Manny:
It didn´t hurt Marty and Doc Brown, did it?
Spike:
I guess not. Just tell me, if she´s happy.
Manny:
She is. I would tell you more, but it could change your actions and lead to unforeseen disasters in the future, I´m hopefully going back to!
Spike:
That´s nice. Sorry, I´m still trying to wrap my head around this!
Manny:
How do you think, I feel? I expected to be back with my family and friends. I miss them so much.
Spike looks full of sympathy for her and sits down on the bed with her.
Spike:
How did you ... time travel, is that the right word for it?
Manny:
I went to sleep and I woke up in my room holding a wand with a note attached to it, only it was my room in 1992.
Spike:
Only it was Tessa´s parents house back then or rather now?
Manny:
I guess Joey must have bought it, after they moved away. When I woke up again, it was in an alternate version of 2007, where everything was different and not in a good way. I used the wand, went to sleep again and when I woke up, I was back here in 1992, only now I appear to be stuck here.
Spike:
What´s it like 15 years from now? Sorry, I´m getting off topic! I´m just curious.
Manny:
It´s pretty good, I guess. Everyone has mobile phones, that they take with them everywhere and just wait until you get a load of the internet!
Spike:
What´s the internet?
Manny:
You´ll find out in your own time. Can you help me in any way? I have no idea, who else to turn to.
Spike:
I can try.
Manny looks grateful.
Spike:
What did the note say exactly?
Manny:
How to get back, when I felt like I was ready to go back.
Spike:
Couldn´t the reason that it didn´t work last time then be, that you don´t feel ready to back yet, until you´re absolutely sure, you´ve done everything, you came here to accomplish?
Manny:
It makes as much sense as anything I can come up with!
Manny looks ready to go along with Spike´s plan.
OPENING CREDITS (IN THE STYLE OF THE PREVIOUS TWO EPISODES)
2. Ext. Street. Morning.
Manny and Spike are coming up to the photo hut, where Tessa and Spike work.
Spike:
So basically, you have to make sure, that Joey is single by the end of the summer, so he can meet Julia, fall in love with her, have his daughter, lose her to cancer and get back together with Caitlin. Am I right so far?
Manny:
That´s more or less on the money.
Spike:
There must have been some event, that triggered all of it.
Manny looks like a light bulb got turned on in her brain.
Manny:
The party at the house by the lake! That´s where Caitlin finds out about Joey and Tessa and breaks up with him. That´s probably where Wheels crashes his car too.
Spike:
Isn´t that kind of a mercy kill?
Manny:
A kid in the car he hits, ends up getting killed in the accident. He goes to jail and his entire life ends up ruined because of it.
Spike:
Poor Wheels and that kid, of course.
Manny:
I have to be at that party.
Spike:
Do you want the bad news?
Manny:
What are the bad news?
Spike:
That it´s not for another month.
Manny tries to take it in.
Manny:
I have to stay here for a month?
Spike:
Think of it this way. Now you have plenty of time to prep them for the big day. Plus, 1992 isn´t all bad, is it?
Manny is trying hard to be enthusiastic.
3. Montage - Music: "All the Lovers in the World" by Gowan
We see Manny working day after day at the supermarket and mostly being bored, but at least she´s making a great friend in the younger version of her future foster dad and they have plenty of fun goofing around, when the boss isn´t looking.
We see her enjoying herself with Tessa and it´s clear, that the two of them aren´t all that different, even if Tessa is innocent with a large I. Manny clearly enjoys every second of being sort of an older sister to her just as much as Tessa does having an older sister figure in her life, although they´re close to the same age.
We see her helping Wheels with his car and she has found out that the easiest way to stop him from drinking, is to make out with him in stead. It also helps to relieve the loneliness of not having JT around to do it with and since it´s the past, plus for a good cause, she doesn´t feel too guilty about it.
We see her and Spike playing with the two year old version of Emma. She can´t hide how much she enjoys it and it helps to make her forget a little, how much she misses Julia and Angie.
We see her lending a friendly ear to Caitlin and wanting to tell her, but biting her tongue, so that Caitlin doesn´t find out, until it´s the right time. Caitlin is just glad to have a friend to confide in though and Manny is more than happy to be that friend to her.
We see her being so desperate for some internet, that she tries sitting down at one of the now ancient looking and rather enormous sized PC´s of the day (down at the library, since only very few people could afford to buy even the cheapest PC models back then) and typing in "Internet Explorer" in the DOS (the only PC operating system we had before Microsoft Windows came along FYI) command prompt. It only gives her the message "Syntax Error" and she hangs her head in defeat!
We see her spying on Tessa and Joey together. She almost feels bad, that she has to break them up, because they really are a very cute couple, who on the surface almost look like they were meant to be together. When things get a little too hot and heavy between them though, she conveniently interrupts them and puts an end to it, to especially Joey´s frustration.
4. Ext. Snake´s Parent´s House. Day.
Wheels, Joey and Snake are getting ready to go to the house by the lake, when they see Manny and Tessa coming towards them. Joey isn´t all to happy about it.
Joey:
You didn´t!
Wheels:
What are you worried about?
Joey:
That Tessa will tell Caitlin, what we´ve been doing?
Snake:
You only kissed her a little, didn´t you?
Joey:
It´s still bad enough!
Manny:
Hi, boys! You don´t mind, if Tessa comes along, do you?
Wheels:
The more, the merrier, is what I always say!
Tessa and Joey smile nervously at each other.
Tessa:
I can leave, if you don´t want me there, Joey.
Joey looks like he´s about to tell her to leave, but a sharp and unmistakable look from Manny quickly changes his mind.
Joey:
No, it´s fine, really.
Manny:
Good, because we wouldn´t have cared, what you wanted anyway!
She gives Wheels a small kiss on the cheek.
Wheels:
Now do you see, why I like her so much, Snake?
Snake:
We could have used you three years ago, Manny. Just think of all of Joey´s blabber, we wouldn´t have had to listen to!
Joey:
Very funny, guys! Let´s hit the road!
They get into Wheels´ sorry excuse for a car. Joey is last and takes a deep breath of courage, before going in.
5. Ext. Lake House. Day.
The party is well underway and some are playing beach volleyball, some are going swimming or canoeing in the lake, while some are just drinking and/or swapping stories with their friends. Everyone looks to be having a great time, though.
6. Int. Lake House. Day.
Manny and Tessa are enjoying themselves, while Snake and Wheels are play fighting. Bronco (a slightly nerdy looking African American guy) looks annoyed at it and comes over to them.
Bronco:
If you´re gonna fight, take it outside.
Wheels:
We´ll stop.
The boys stop fight and look tired anyway. Bronco just shakes his head at their immaturity, before going back to tending to the party.
Snake:
I could use some fresh air anyway, to help me catch my breath!
Wheels:
That was the most exercise, I´ve had in months!
Snake:
Are you coming?
Wheels:
No, I´m getting a beer instead. The clever folks say that rehydration is important after a good work out.
Snake walks out, just as Joey and Caitlin comes down from upstairs. They look happy together and are holding hands. There´s also a certain, unmistakable glow to them, that Manny, who´s standing next to Tessa, immediately picks up on.
Manny (whispering to Tessa):
Can you guess, what they were doing up there?
Tessa looks shocked.
Tessa (whispering to Manny):
He wouldn´t!
Manny (whispering to Tessa):
I know that look, when I see it!
Wheels comes over to them and puts his arm around Manny, who doesn´t mind.
Wheels:
What are you two whispering about?
Manny:
Girl business!
Lucy passes by them.
Lucy:
I´d stick to that one, if I were you, Wheels!
Wheels:
You don´t need to tell me.
Tessa can´t help looking jealous, as she looks at Joey and Caitlin being happy together. It´s interrupted by screaming from outside and everyone starts to instinctively run out there. Tessa stops Catlin though, by grabbing her arm. Joey doesn´t notice and follows the herd out there.
Tessa:
Can we talk, Caitlin? There´s something you need to know about Joey, before you go any further with him.
Caitlin turns to look at Tessa, curious as to what it´s about.
7. Ext. Lake. Day.
Snake is using his lifeguard skills to help a pretty blonde girl named Allison get back to shore, after her and her BFF Amy´s canoe capsized. He hands her off to Simon and BLT, who bring her onto the shore and to safety, where Amy is already waiting for her and the two girls hug after their big scare. Manny and Wheels look impressed, as Snake gets helped back onto the shore.
Wheels:
Way to go, Snake!
Manny:
He´s a bona fide hero! I never would have guessed.
Wheels:
Me neither. I´m getting another beer.
Manny:
I´ll get it for you. I need to use the little girl´s room anyway.
Wheels:
I´ll be right here waiting for you.
They smile at each other and she heads into the house as Snake smiles while everyone applauds him and he gets a huge hug from both Allison and Amy as thanks for saving their lives.
8. Int. Lake House. Day.
Manny comes up to the open door, just in time to see Caitlin talking to Tessa. Caitlin is looking pissed off, like we´ve rarely seen it before!
Tessa:
I thought, you needed to know.
Caitlin:
That piece of shit!
Tessa:
It´s my fault too ...
Caitlin:
Don´t make excuses for him! You´re clearly too young and naive to know, when you´re being taken advantage of and that´s exactly what that son of a bitch did! Fuck him!
Tessa:
Caitlin ...
She doesn´t get to say any more, before Caitlin storms away and walks up to Manny.
Caitlin:
Do yourself a favor, Manny. Stay single!
She storms outside and Tessa comes over to Manny.
Tessa:
Should I have told her?
Manny:
You did the right thing.
Tessa:
I probably blew my chance with Joey.
Manny:
Trust me, it´s for the best. You´re a million times better off without him.
Tessa:
You really think so?
Manny:
Tessa, you´re an amazing and wonderful girl and the fact that you´ve managed to still be so unspoiled by the world, only makes me love you more.
Tessa gets shy at all of the praise, she´s getting.
Tessa:
I´m not anyone special.
Manny:
You so are and not only to me. Somewhere in the world, there´s an extremely lucky guy, who will be happy to treat you the way you should and deserve to be treated. He also won´t use you to cheat on his girlfriend, like Joey did. This is all his fault and don´t you forget it!
She gives Tessa a big hug, that she clearly wasn´t expecting.
Tessa:
Manny! People are looking!
Manny:
So what if they are?
Tessa smiles and hugs her back.
Manny:
Do you want to check out the big break-up, while we can? It´ll make you feel better, I promise.
Tessa:
Sure!
The two girls head outside.
9. Ext. Lake House. Day.
Manny and Tessa come out to see Caitlin being majorly pissed at Joey! She throws a volleyball at him, that he has to duck to not get hit by.
Caitlin:
You´re such an asshole! How could you do this to me?
Joey:
I´m sorry! It just kind of happened.
Alexa:
Did she fall on your lips?
Caitlin:
You fucked Tessa Campanelli, didn´t you?
Joey:
No, I swear!
Caitlin:
I don´t believe you! You and me and this engagement is over!
She takes off her ring and throws it at him, before storming off in anger. He´s left looking dumbfounded, as she walks away from him.
Manny and Tessa smile at the sight of it from a small distance away.
Tessa:
You were right! This was precisely what I needed!
Manny:
Your mister right exists. It just isn´t Joey.
Tessa:
Here comes yours.
Wheels and Lucy come over to them with grins on their faces.
Lucy:
That is a sight, I will never forget!
Wheels:
We´re going on a snack run. Are you coming?
Manny:
Have you been drinking?
Wheels:
It´s only a small trip to the store ...
Manny:
Have you been drinking, yes or no?
Wheels nods.
Manny:
Then you´re not going anywhere, unless Lucy is driving.
Wheels:
Really?
Manny:
I´ll dump you on the spot, if you get behind the wheel.
He hands the car keys to Lucy, who finds it funny.
Lucy:
It´s easy to see, who wears the pants in your relationship!
Lucy walks off towards Wheels´ car.
Wheels:
Are you done emasculating me?
Manny:
Those are my rules, take it or leave it!
Wheels:
You´re lucky, that you´re so hot.
He gives her a kiss on the cheek and follows after Lucy.
10. Int. Manny´s Room. Morning.
Manny is in bed, counting down to work up her nerve to open her eyes.
Manny:
3, 2, 1.
She opens her eyes and smiles, before jumping out of bed.
Manny:
Yes, yes, yes!
She gets her phone from the nightstand and kisses it.
Manny:
Thank God! I guess, that it was all a dream.
She looks happy none the less.
11. Int. Kitchen. Morning.
Manny comes down to the kitchen to find Angie munching away at her cereal, JT reading the comics in the newspaper, Caitlin making her own breakfast and Joey getting ready to go out. She smiles widely at the sight of it.
Caitlin:
Hi, Manny. Did you sleep well?
Manny:
Like a stone.
Joey:
That´s nice.
JT:
I hope, I didn´t keep you up with my snoring.
Manny:
No, it´s okay. It´s a small prize to pay for having such an amazing guy as my boyfriend!
She gives him a big kiss so big, that Angie whistles at them. He smiles widely.
JT:
I don´t know what I did to deserve that, but I´ll take it!
Angie looks at her a little weirdly, which Manny notices.
Manny:
Why are you looking at me like that, Angie?
Angie:
I could swear that your hair was half an inch shorter yesterday!
Manny:
I´m afraid that´s only something you´re imagining.
Caitlin sits down with them, bringing her breakfast with her.
Caitlin:
I read an Asterix comic as a kid, where they gave the Romans a magic potion, that made their hair grow like crazy.
Manny:
As far as I know, I haven´t been drinking any magic potions lately, so I´m calling it at being Angie´s imagination.
We hear a horn honking from outside and Joey looks out the window.
Joey:
It´s Wheels. I gotta go.
Manny bats an eye at what she heard, now realizing that she has changed the future, but otherwise plays it cool. Joey kisses Caitlin goodbye, before hurrying out the door. Manny sees the chance to make a quick check, without alerting the others.
Manny:
I didn´t think, they spoke anymore.
Angie looks at her like she´s crazy.
Angie:
What world have you been the living in? Dad, Snake and Wheels have been best friends since Junior High.
Manny:
Silly me!
Angie:
Are you okay, Manny?
Manny smiles at her.
Manny:
I couldn´t be better, Angie!
Angie smiles her cute smile back at her.
JT:
It´s almost time to drive Julia to kindergarten. Do you want to wake the little sleepy head up or should I?
Manny:
You can do it, if you want.
JT:
Sure thing.
He leaves them and she smiles at how lucky she is to have him. probably appreciating it even more now, than she did before.
Manny:
Say, Caitlin. You wouldn´t happen to know where Tessa Campanelli lives, do you?
Caitlin:
It´s been ages, since I last heard that name! Have you looked her up on-line?
Manny:
It´s worth a try.
Manny looks happy to be back in her own world, or close to it, at least.
12. Int. Emma´s Room. Day.
Manny is surfing the web for info on Tessa on Emma´s PC, with Emma sitting next to her.
Emma:
What are we doing this weekend? I´m going to the movies with mom and Snake tonight, but with Sean putting in overtime at work, most of the rest of my weekend is free.
Manny:
We´ll think of something. Here she is.
A picture of an adult Tessa in a doctor´s uniform comes on the screen.
Emma:
She looks very professional.
Manny:
That´s the girl, who got between Joey and Caitlin.
Emma:
What girl? I´ve never heard that story before!
Manny:
It´s ... never mind! She lives right here in Toronto.
Emma:
Why do you care? It´s not like you´ve ever met her, have you?
Manny:
I´m just curious about some things.
We end the scene with the picture of a smiling Tessa on the computer screen.
13. Ext. Street in Suburbia. Day.
Manny is waiting for something and looking at a house. The adult Tessa comes out and with her come two kids, a girl that´s around 10 and a boy, that´s a few years younger. They walk down towards their car by the curb, as Manny walks over to them.
Manny:
Tessa?
Tessa has almost the same reaction Spike had in the alternate universe, when she sees Manny.
Tessa:
Get in the car, kids. I´ll be a moment.
Girl:
Don´t be too long. I don´t wanna be late for ballet class again.
Boy:
It´s more important that I get to soccer practice on time!
Girl:
Is not!
Boy:
Is too!
Her kids get in the car, as Manny and Tessa smile nervously at each other.
Tessa:
Manny? No, it can´t be you, you should look much older!
Manny:
You still remember me?
Tessa:
Of course, I do! We were like sisters, you and me. You´re really holding up well for your age, I gotta say!
Manny smiles to herself.
Manny:
Thanks. You look good too.
Tessa:
Not like you! What happened to you? One day you disappeared out of the blue and I never saw you again.
Manny:
It´s a long story. Even if I told you, you wouldn´t believe me. I´m still not sure, that I believe it!
Tessa:
Huh?
Manny:
Never mind all of that! All I want to know is, are you happy?
Tessa smiles at her.
Tessa:
Happier, than I ever imagined, I would be. Of course, if it hadn´t been for a certain girl, who kept feeding me great advice, at a time when I needed to hear it more than ever, I don´t think it would have ended this way. I have so much to thank you for, that I don´t even know where to start.
Manny:
You don´t need to thank me. I´m just glad that this is how life turned out for you. You deserve it.
Tessa:
Are you happy with your life?
Manny:
Am I? That´s a tough question. I´ll tell you one thing, though. I wouldn´t change a single thing about it, even if I could.
She gets a text, that makes her smile.
Tessa:
Is it from your special someone?
Manny:
No, it´s from another old friend. One I used to know around 15 years ago.
Manny looks like she looking forward to meeting this person.
14. Ext. Spike and Snake´s House. Day.
Manny knocks on the door and it´s opened by Spike, who greets her with a warm smile.
Spike:
Hi, Manny. I´m guessing, that you have a lot of questions.
Manny:
That´s an understatement of epic proportions!
Spike:
Would you like to get some answers?
Manny:
Am I gonna like the answers?
Spike lets her in.
15. Int. Spike and Snake´s Living Room. Day.
Manny is led in by Spike to where Joey, Snake, Caitlin and Liz are waiting for her. She looks a little overwhelmed and confused.
Manny:
I know most of the people here, but who are you?
Liz:
I´m Liz. We met a long, long time ago.
Manny suddenly remembers.
Manny:
You and Spike were handing out flyers outside of the school!
Snake:
You have a good memory.
Joey:
Considering that to you, it must have happened over a month ago.
Manny tries to take in what is happening, as Spike gently sits her down.
Manny:
If someone doesn´t explain this to me now, I´ll lose my mind!
Snake:
We´ll explain it to you, the best we can.
Liz:
Let me start. After high school, I spent a lot of time trying to find myself and it led me to a coven, that took me in.
Manny:
As in witches?
Liz:
White witches, if you want to be exact. They showed me what the future for me and my old friends here would look like, if nothing was done to change it. I couldn´t let that happen.
Manny:
So you what? Cast a spell on me to send me back in time?
Liz:
You have to trust me, that it was for the best, for you too.
Manny looks like her head is about to explode.
Manny:
What did my other future look like?
Liz:
You´ll never have to know now, because it will never happen.
Spike:
This really is for the best.
Manny tries to take in, what she´s heard so far.
Caitlin:
Trust us, we were just as confused as you are!
Spike:
Can you imagine my shock, when the day after you left, the people at Emma´s kindergarten told me that she had made a new friend named Manny? My heart skipped two beats at least! At that moment, I was finally sure, that the girl I had befriended, actually was from the future! Before then, I still wasn´t sure that you weren´t a delusional nut job, no offense.
Manny:
None taken.
Joey:
Talk about a mindfuck! Sorry for my my language, Manny.
Manny:
No, that´s the perfect word to describe, what I´m feeling right now!
A male figure comes in through the door.
Wheels:
If anyone knows how you feel, it´s me, Manny.
She looks up at him and their eyes meet as he walks over to her and kneels down next to her, so that they´re in eye height with one another. His face has aged, but he looks healthy otherwise and like he´s in a good place in his life. They smile lovingly at each other.
Wheels:
It feels like I´m looking into a prism to the past. You´re still as beautiful, as I remember you.
Manny:
What happened to you, after I left?
Wheels:
Thanks to Spike, I got my life in order.
Spike:
I told him what you told me would happen, if he didn´t stop drinking.
Wheels:
I haven´t touched or wanted to touch a drop, since the day she told me.
Manny looks happy for him.
Manny:
You have no idea how happy I am to hear that!
Wheels:
I don´t know how to thank you, Manny. How can you thank someone enough, for saving them from themselves?
Snake:
If it wasn´t for you, he wouldn´t have met his wife and none of his kids would have been born. Me and Spike might not have stayed in touch, if we didn´t have this huge secret uniting us.
Caitlin:
I would have made the biggest mistake of my life and left Joey again a few years ago, when I got huge job offer in LA. But I knew that I had to be here to guide you along until the day came, when you were ready to go back. When we all agreed that you were, I called up Liz.
Manny:
But why me? Why not Emma?
Caitlin:
Because she doesn´t care about others, the way you do. It´s like you have a sixth sense for feeling everyone else´s pain and it makes you want to instantly help them.
Liz:
When Caitlin told me about you, I knew that we had the only girl, who was both compassionate and intelligent enough to do the job.
Wheels:
Do you feel like you´re more in the loop now, Manny?
Manny:
Kind of. Joey, did you buy Tessa´s parents old house in the knowledge, that this day would come?
Joey:
That plus the realtor gave me a fantastic deal!
Manny looks happy, except for one thing.
Manny:
I have to go back again and spend an entire school year at Degrassi, so I can build up to where I started from, don´t I?
Liz:
If you don´t, then you could destroy the fabric of the existence.
Manny:
That sounds bad! I guess that I don´t have any choice then.
Spike:
´91 was a good year too. Plus, you already know who´s gonna become your best friend, when you get there!
Snake:
The schoolwork should be easy, considering that you just graduated.
Liz:
It´s not like you´ll miss any time here. Once you´re done, you can live your own future any way you please.
Manny pulls the wand from her pocket and holds it up.
Manny:
It´s a good thing that I brought this, then!
She doesn´t look too unhappy about it.
CLOSING CREDITS (TO "BACK IN TIME" BY HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS)
EXPLANATIONS
This was one of the most alternative projects, I´ve ever written and I hope you had as much fun reading it, as I did writing it, although it´s probably the one story that´s had the most rewrites and little tweaks done to it, before I released it. Whether it´s canon or way too far out to be canon, I´ll let you decide for yourselves. To me, it´s more it´s own stand alone piece than anything else.
Along with the "Back to the Future" trilogy, most of the inspiration for it comes straight from my love of the "old" Degrassi series, that I grew up with. In watching "School´s Out" for the first time again on YouTube (around 2 years ago or so), close to three decades after I watched it on TV back in the day (it was only shown a few times on Danish TV), I couldn´t help but feel a ton of sympathy for poor little Tessa.
So many fans made her out to be the villain of the story, because she came between the two star crossed lovers, when in reality it was Joey, who was mainly to blame for taking advantage of both her enormous naivety and Caitlin being blinded by love and then him being too much of a wuss to come clean about it, just like Craig did with Manny and Ashley. I chose Manny to be my Marty McFly (who´s the time travelling main character in "Back to the Future") because of how they mirrored her and Tessa´s stories so brilliantly in "Next Generation".
I also had a real life story, when I was around their age in it, that wasn´t completely like it, but not too different either (no one became pregnant, though. Let me stress that!) and I still feel a little bad about it, even if that "Tessa" was quick to forgive me and is still one of my friends to this day. We´ve talked about it many times since and we can both laugh at how young and foolish we were back then. This might be why I always try to make things better for the Tessa of the fictional story, when I´ve re-written it. "Real Tessa" ended up finding something better than my sorry butt and I´d like to picture, that the same thing happened to the "Fictional Tessa" in regards to Joey, since the TV movie didn´t do her any favors and gave her one of most depressing endings of any Degrassi character.
As far as the rules for time travel, I stole a bit from here and a bit from there to try to put something together, that made sense from a logical perspective as well. I felt like it would have been too obvious of a rip-off of "Back to the Future", if I´d written in a Doc Brown type character (even if Spike and Snake both played a little of that kind of role here), so I stole the idea of time travelling through sleep with the help of witches from the ending to the 3rd "Evil Dead" movie "Army of Darkness", where Ash is given a sleeping potion, so he can wake up in his own time. Why he doesn´t age for all of those hundreds of years is one of those things, you just shouldn´t ask too many questions about! The wand is basically the same as the phone booth in the "Bill and Ted Movies", the Delorean in the "Back to the Future" movies or any other time travelling device, that´s been shown on TV and in movies over the years, just named and in the form of something else.
As far as other inspirations go, "Freaky Friday" was another of the main and obvious inspirations for it, both the original Jodie Foster version and the Lindsay Lohan version and last but not least, the Bill Murray classic "Groundhog Day". The bit with Manny waking up in an alternate present was stolen almost directly from Back to the Future Part 2, where Marty comes back to a 1985, where everything has been changed for the worse, because of something he did during his time travels and he then has to correct the timeline again, same as with Manny in this story.
The song for the montage in part 3 was chosen, because it was used in the original TV movie and if there´s any major plot holes, that I missed, then a wizard did it! Or in this case, another wizard!
The next episode is the explanations chapter and the one after that starts off season 5, so I hope you´ll be ready by that time for another round of stories from the school we all know and love so much. I´ve already written the first episodes to it and so far, I´m very pleased with it, so hopefully you will be too!