WWTGD? p7

It's time once again for another installment of my What Would The Ghouls Do?  Only, this time, I decided to flip the switch on it. We ghouls shouldn't have all the fun...right? 

Situation: I thought I was catering to one group of people, but that does not seem to be the case anymore. How can I pin down my real target audience?

Ghouls Asked for Advice: Guys Asked for Advice:  Dean and Sam Winchester

Movie Used: Supernatural ("Monster Movie" season 4 episode 5.  Episode 65 of the series)

plot: The guys go to Pennsylvania, to solve what they think is a "straight forward black and white case, but end up at an Octoberfest themed village, chasing down what ends up being a shapeshifter.

Quotes: "Big Pretzel" - Dean when arriving at the Octoberfest

"I'm a maverick, a rebel with a badge. One thing I don't do is play by the rules." -Dean trying to pick up the bartender.

"We have a lot of experience with strange." -Dean questioning a witness.

"You mean like a Dracula?" -Dean to witness

"So what do you think? Goth psycho vampire wannabe right?" -Dean to Sam after talking to witness.

"Definitely not our case." -Sam to Dean before learning of the second murder.

"Do whatever you've got to do. I'm going back to the room and get some sleep." -Sam to Dean

"Not weird enough." -Dean to bartender while talking about case.

"A werewolf? You're sure?" -Sam after learning about the second murder.

"First a Dracula, now a full on movie time wolfman. What's going on in this town?" - Dean to Sam as they enter the police morgue.

"This case just got weird enough for our department." -Dean to a witness.

"You're good here with the Mummy and the crazy?" -Dean to Sam as they investigate the third murder.

"No. The X-Files is a tv show. This is real." -Dean to the bartender.

"But I have a coupon."  -the villain of the week to a delivery guy

"Oh in the nick of time. Guy was about to Frankenstein me." -Dean to Sam as he's being rescued.

Favourite Scene:  When the villain, dressed as Dracula answers the door and the pizza delivery guy is there, and he starts asking if there is any garlic on it.

Quotes Used: "So what do you think? Goth psycho vampire wannbe right?"   and "Big Pretzel."

My Interpretation: You have to not sweat the small stuff, and be happy that you're alive. When you do what you love, the right people will start to enjoy your talents too. And if they happen to be outside of your intended audience, all the better for it. Diversity is strength, helps keep you from becoming stagnant and boring.

The big in joke is set up from the first minute with the first big line given by the character of Dean, as he comments about the black and white case. As this episode is entirely shot in black and white. I think it answered one of the biggest questions a show like this has to face; which is how do you do a Hallowe'en episode when your show is about the paranormal?  Going to the "basics" with this, having it be the creature feature of the week, and a tribute to classic monsters in general was brilliant. Other than a few lines about Dean having been rescued from hell by angels, there isn't anything to anchor it to the rest of the season, making it the perfect stand alone episode.
This is also a great way to tear down the idea of "what you think you know isn't always the truth".  Which, ironically, would become a theme over the rest of season four and most of season five. New layers and sub-plots would start to be exposed over the course of the next year of the show.

This is another example too, of me having a situation in my life that was starting to eat at my confidence. I have noticed a drastic change in my core audience in the last few months, and realized that as I waver on where I fit, it's reflected in what I do.

Check back next week, and see what kind of situation I've gotten into and whom I asked for advice.

275 Days till Hallowe'en

January 22nd 2018

Spudguns! How's everything?  Groovy I hope. Anyways, it's a Monday, and if you've noticed, as of late I've been doing a fun, silly little segment called What Would The Ghouls Do? every week.   But, I don't have one for this week.  This last week has been a mess, and I'm realizing, I'm total crap at multitasking.

I'll be back next week, hopefully on time with the next segment of it. And in the meanwhile, don't forget to stop by my Facebook page for the quizzes, polls, quote of the week, and a few recipes. At some point soon, there will be some new comedy skits and crafting videos.

Today marks 282 Days till Hallowe'en.

WWTGD? p6

Situation: Every time I try to bake something, things go wrong. What do I do?

Ghoul Asked for Advice: Prue, Piper, Phoebe Halliwell


Movie Used: Charmed ("Is There a Woogy in the House?"  season 1 episode 15)

plot: After an earthquake, the sisters discover a strange smell coming from the basement. Because of Phoebe's fear from childhood about the basement, Prue and Piper tease her. But, when she becomes possessed by something in the house, they have no other choice but to turn to Prue's boss, who is a historian and knows more about their house than they do.

Quotes: "Just because I protect the innocent, doesn't mean I have to be innocent all the time." -Phoebe

"It was scary and it was real." - Phoebe

"I'm making Coq au Vin and I need that bottle more than you." -Piper to a rival in the store

"Don't worry, I can handle it all myself. It's me the culinary pachyderm." - Piper talking to herself after everyone abandons her

"Try cooking a feast when your own kitchen is attacking you." -Piper to Prue after the blender doesn't work.

"Sabotage. I'm being sabotaged." -Piper

"I don't know what it is but it's like the house is possessed." -Piper after yet another kitchen accident.

"I don't know, but I can't cook this mean in this kitchen." -Piper to Prue as the dinner guests arrive.

"Dinner has been changed. We're having it somewhere else." -Prue to the guests

"Our house has turned against us." -Prue to Piper after spending the night on the lawn.

Favourite Scene: When Piper is freaking out in the kitchen after everything has broken down.

Using the Quotes: "Try cooking a feast when your own kitchen is attacking you."   and "Our house has turned against us."

My Interpretation: Things are suddenly going horribly wrong, and it feels like a really bad supernatural joke. There most likely is a logical reason for the sudden craziness, but anything is possible.

This is the first time in the series where we're introduced to the idea of the Hollow/Nexus. Which becomes a major sub-plot in the rest of the series. This is also the first time we see them write in the book of shadows.
There isn't really a lesson here unfortunately. This was one of those episodes created just to get a lot of  "a character's back history" into play for future episodes. In this case, the history of the house itself. 

I have to admit, I rarely sit down to watch the earlier episodes, as I find season one extremely cheesy. I think the show really didn't become interesting until the fifth season.

I picked this episode today, because I actually have been having some crazy kitchen issues. After asking everyone I know for their advice; I decided to break down and use my own situation for the gimmick. Sad to say, not even the cheesy comedy of Charmed made me feel any better. Or help in any real way.

Come back next Monday, see what kind of situation I've gotten myself into and whom I turned to for advice.

289 Days till Hallowe'en

WWTGD? p5

Situation: I've been told I'm too old to believe in things like the Easter Bunny, fairies and nice people. What should I do about it?

Ghouls Asked for Advice: Morticia and Wednesday Addams

Movie Used: Addams Family  "Hallowe'en Addams Style" (season 2 episode 7; series episode 41 original air date 10/29/65)

plot: While the Addams are spending Hallowe'en playing games, Wednesday is upset because the neighbour's told her there is no such thing as witches. To help easy her mind, Morticia decides to hold a seance to prove there are, by contacting their dead aunt. Only, when Ma-Ma finds out, she gets Lurch to pretend to be their dead aunt in order to help. This only makes things worse, as now everyone is waiting up for Aunt Singe's late night visit. When another neighbour comes knocking on their door in costume, they mistake her for their dead aunt.

Quotes: "First one to get an apple in his mouth wins the Hallowe'en prize."  -Morticia to both Gomez and Uncle Fester

"No no dear. They want little goodies." -Morticia explaining to Gomez how trick or treating works.

"Ma-Ma. How's the porcupine taffy coming?" -Morticia

"I didn't scare anyone." -Wednesday in tears referring to her costume of a princess.

"What a terrible thing to tell a child." -Morticia after hearing what the neighbour said about witches not being real.

"I better go up to bed. If you can't believe in witches, what can you believe in?"  -Wednesday

"Uncle Fester, you do not make friends by whipping people." -Morticia

"Of course there are darling. Remember our great great great aunt Singe. She was burned at Salem." -Morticia to Gomez when he needs to be reassured witches are real.

"If we could only get one witch to sit down and explain thing to her."-Morticia

"Maybe their telephone numbers are unlisted?" -Morticia to Gomez and Fester when looking in the phone book under W.

"What right thinking witch would turn down a child on Hallowe'en?" - Morticia

"She maybe cinders but she's a lady." - Morticia not realizing it's actually Lurch answering her during the seance.

"But I'd rather have a spider." -Wednesday after Gomez gives her a pet horse.

"Whatever she told you about the holiday rush is quite true. She flew right out the window." -Morticia after mistaking the neighbour for their aunt.

Favourite Scene: When Lurch replies to Morticia after she rings the bell, and he's still talking in a high pitched voice, only Morticia doesn't seem to notice.

Using the Quotes: "No no they want little goodies."  and "Whatever she told you about the holiday rush is quite true. She flew right out the window."

My Interpretation: Everyone is entitled to their own belief.  There is a reason holidays are considered magickal. Centuries of people's excitement for them has added to the weight of the magick. And, there is nothing wrong with believing in the mystical.

This episode is a bit of a downer actually. What is suppose to be macabre and outrageous, doesn't feel like that now. It's one story that didn't really hold up over time.
The only real thing you can pull away from this episode, is that the neighbour had no business telling a little kid what they hold dear is not real. That was actually cruel.


Alrighty then. That's what I'm talking about (I feel better)

Come back next Monday and see what kind of situation I've gotten myself into and whom I turned to for advice.

296 Days till Hallowe'en

WWTGD? p4

Spudguns! It's a new year, and even though I managed to miss last week's segment, I'm back with another round of What Would The Ghouls Do?

Situation: There's this guy I've got a crush on but I'm shy. What do I do to let him know I like him?

Ghouls Asked for Advice: Paige, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell

Movie Used: Charmed season 5 ("Sense and Sense-ability" episode 20 of season, ep 108 of series)

plot: When the Crone decides she needs to get closer to Wyatt in order to gain information, she curses the sisters causing them to lose their senses. Paige can not speak, Piper can not see and Phoebe can not hear. They end up having to work together as one, and face their personal insecurities in order to get overcome it.

Quotes: "How do you like that, kinda like magick"  -Piper to Paige's boyfriend.

"Yeah, now he smiles."- Piper

"Better than okay, I'm going to have a love life." -Paige

"So that lovers will be stunned by you?" -Piper

"You're in love with a Kazi demon?" -Phoebe

"I'm making a stun potion so that I can maybe have a date that doesn't end in Nate you've got to leave I have to clean some demon guts off the ceiling." -Paige

"Nate, much cuter than a Kazi demon." -Phoebe

"Kinda sad when a mime is making fun of your phone usage." -Paige to Phoebe

"I blame your very handsome but very pushy boyfriend." -Piper to Phoebe

"I look forward to hearing your thoughts"- Phoebe

"Now I'm blushing and my lipstick won't match my cheeks." -Paige

"Excuse me, this is either someone's sick sick joke, or someone's working on a massive evil plan." -Phoebe

"It's strange, when it mattered most we could almost read each other's minds." -Piper to Leo

Favourite Scene: When Paige is creating the potion and the others are trying to figure out what it's got to do with her dating.

Using the Quotes: "Now I'm blushing and my lipstick won't match my cheeks."  and  "I look forward to hearing your thoughts."

My Interpretation: When in doubt, body language. Granted some people are way better at it than others, but it's true that 90% of communication is done by how we act or don't act as the case maybe. Your gut reaction to the way someone looks at you, or looks away from you, or even shuffles in their steps is always your best indication of how they feel about you.

This episode is all about communication. The beginning of the episode we see Phoebe constantly on the telephone, ignoring those around her, while Paige is trying to connect to her new boyfriend by letting him in on a big fear she has. Meanwhile, Piper is feeling insecure because everyone  else in the family has managed to decode Wyatt's cries when she herself can't. Plus, the whole reason the Crone puts her curse into motion is because she's had a vision about Wyatt's future. Instead of just reaching out to Piper and telling her what she needs, she sneaks around behind Piper's back. This episode takes a comical approach to the fact so many of us only deal with the surface of the issue because we are afraid to trust our own instincts.
There is actually a scene where Phoebe and Paige are trying to get information out of the Kazi demon, and Paige keeps pointing to a note. It's only after a few painful attacks on the demon that Phoebe realizes the demon can not read. They then change their communication style, getting the information they need.
While Phoebe's and Paige's situation centers around listening, Piper's and the Crone's centers around seeing.
There's also a little nod in this episode towards Phoebe's future power of becoming an empath and not being able to control the fact she can hear/feel other's thoughts/desires.

Alrighty, that's what I'm talking about (I feel better)

Come back next Monday and see what kind of situation I've gotten myself into and whom I've turned to for advice.

303 Days till Hallowe'en