“Home Movies” Series Rewatch Talkback

[[classic swim]]

*DETOUR/THE LOST SUBMISSIONS*

Home Movies rewatch is coming to an end on Xmas Eve.

I mentioned back in August that I’d redo/repost submissions for 1-5 by the end of the year right before closing the books.

To the best of my ability, anyway. It won’t be as exact as it was back in January.

I’m gonna try to be as brief as possible when parroting my old thoughts. I’ll surely have some hefty things to say about Focus Grill soon. I’ll return to edit if need be.

__________________________

*Week One Delay*

[Get Away From My Mom]

Synopsis: Brendon learns the awful truth - that his mom is dating his soccer coach.

The one that put it all together.

I really talked this one up and down back in January. It’s charming, the humor’s there from the get-go, and just the kind tone they put in place.

I remarked upon how Coach even mentions to Paula in his own way what a good kid Brendon is. Paula, McGuirk & Erik for the sake of this pilot all agree that Brendon’s a genius.

There’s also just no forgetting the beginning where Coach reveals his product mascot tattoos he got when drunk.

Even more special that McGuirk was originally meant to be a one-and-done character. This alone was enough to help define the series and justify McGuirk’s lasting mark on HM.

“I really want us to have a good season this year. Even though that’s not gonna happen. ‘Cause none of us can play soccer on our team.”

__________________________

*Week Two Delay*

[I Don’t do Well in Parent-Teacher Conferences]

Synopsis: When Paula discovers that Brendon hasn’t done any homework during the year, she is less than eager to attend a parent-teacher conference.

Wonderful introduction to not only Ron Lynch, but how McGuirk & Lynch became somewhat frenemies. The scenes with the break room are all you need.

Even when Brendon goes the school year without doing any homework, Lynch still gives him some credit just like the other adults.

Dwayne/Duane’s brought in as well. Became an iconic mainstay just because Brendon & Loren needed some metal for the show.

__________________________

*Week Three Delay*

[The Art of The Sucker Punch]

Synopsis: Brendon challenges the town bully after Jason gets picked on.

One of my favorites from the very early stuff besides the pilot.

This and the one after it are great for kids being kids. Only this introduces Shannon the Cannon, played by Emo Philips.

Brendon’s petty victory at the end gets me every time. Shannon’s still the most eccentric TV bully there is. The only one who first appears wearing a kitchen apron.

__________________________

*Week Four Delay*

[Brendon Gets Rabies]

Synopsis: The neighbors’ cat run away on Brendon’s watch- with dire consequences for both of them.

The phrase “making cotton candy” to describe a rabid animal being put to sleep. That’s enough to stay ingrained in my mind.

__________________________

*Week Five Delay*

[Yoko]

Synopsis: Brendon meets Lonnie on a camping trip, and things go well until he is stung by the whimsy of her favor.

The last of the UPN run. The use of silhouettes for part of the infamous camping scene helped the crew get past production restraints.

Gold lies with Eugene (Mirman) peeing in McGuirk’s canteen.

 

[[classic swim]]

*The Final Week*

Movin’ Out, Brendon’s Song (and his camera)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Focus Grill]

Synopsis: Brendon, Jason and Melissa find their unfinished first film, and new endings are tested on Addleburg, Fenton, Walter and Perry - a rather hostile focus group. Coach McGuirk helps Paula pick out and assemble an extremely large backyard grill. It’s called America.


The ending. Full stop. The last minute or two stays with you forever, and this really isn’t an episode I’ve revisited much in the past couple decades to begin with.

It’s bitter, and it’s absolutely the perfect end for being bitter.

Home Movies was a mesmerizing show I enjoyed until it just stopped being there. I’d watch those lousy 5AM rerun timeslots in the summer before sunrise some few years later, and I would still be taken aback by this show I basically graduated high school with.


I came back to this show on hard times. I’ve honestly been wondering all throughout the year if I’d really even live to see 2025. Let alone 2024.

When I was younger, this was an escape. And I believe Home Movies can very well still be an escape. Not only that, but also an enlightenment. Home Movies is the foundation of what makes great dialogue, comedy, and even storytelling.


The characters made Home Movies. They talked like real people and they sometimes comically dealt with cruddy mundane stuff like real people.

There wasn’t a happily ever after set for these characters for the same reason that the show didn’t end in outright misery. It was just life for them. That... and it’s a TV show. But Loren’s avidly talked about how much these characters mean to each other, and I see it now more than I ever have before.



I’ve thought about the old theory about Coach and Paula eventually settling together.

McGuirk’s a good dad to Brendon and that’s what’s most important. That’s the heart of the series. The main reason you’d really want McGuirk to get with Paula anyway would be so he could stay in Brendon’s life.

The final episode begins with Melissa asking out loud if Coach is gonna be Brendon’s dad.

And besides that, the puzzle pieces are definitely there. McGuirk bringing a tent to Brendon’s backyard was absolutely not about the grill. It was building up for awhile that Coach just needs this family.

Maybe he still could be there for Brendon? Maybe he’d stay as the elementary school coach and mentor other weird kids like Brendon?

That’s honestly what made John rule besides being a funny belligerent cartoon drunk. He was a loner helping out other loners. Their take on him honestly wasn’t as cynical as it appeared on the surface.


That one Clarence cartoon on CN took it upon itself to directly have an older Brendon Small. One who has visible teeth. That outcome was very optimistic, as Brendon was working a video store and clearly happy with his younger self.



I thought much of Home Movies’ general end was about Brendon growing up, when it’s not even really that.

The filming. What was once a crutch and a source of comfort for Brendon’s familial situation ended up being something he just didn’t really need anymore.

He went from making movies connected to his dad and stepmom, to just actively avoiding movies altogether so he could focus on actual kid stuff while he’s still able to. And I think there’s a slow realization altogether that Melissa and Jason only wanted to keep Brendon as their ringleader and friend more so than just keeping up the movie charade.



Ending kinda leaves you hoping the best for a trio like that. They might not have kept tabs as that’s how life goes, but they were bright kids. I’m sure they did fine.



All that aside, gotta love how simple the humor is in this episode. You have Fenton, Addleburg, Walter & Perry as the show detractors the entire time for the main plot.

Oh, and McGuirk ends the gnome gag by crushing one with the grill.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Commentary notes + more of my own prolonged thoughts:

The entrance of Eazy Trikers made Bouchard & Small poke fun at the idea of Muppet Baby Home Movies.

“I miss all the times I made love to these episodes.” - Eugene Mirman



•• Going back to the movie montage at the end, there’s something very specific I like about how that was cut. Eazy Trikers was the “first movie they ever made” for the sake of this episode, but Dark Side of The Law from the pilot was the second-to-last shown in the Squigglevision sprinkled clip montage.

The final clip they showed before the kids went upstairs was taken from Starboy & The Captain of Outer Space. Amazes me how they chose that to be the transition used before leaving the basement behind for good.

Ending it with the pilot clip would’ve been enough, but it further adds that they’ve done so much more since they first started. That, and it’s specifically Brendon & Jason at possibly their happiest.

The scene’s hilarious for how they call themselves weird, and still manages to be an emotional goodbye. ••


Loren, Benjamin, Brendon & Melissa (and Mirman maybe?) all thank you for watching the series! As do I.


Farewell again, Home Movies. It’s been fun.

 

[Fone Bone]

Your final review has touched my heart. I am so glad you are still here and I'm glad about how much the show means to you. You mean a lot to me too. Thank you for always being there and thank you for these reviews.

 

[[classic swim]]

Your final review has touched my heart. I am so glad you are still here and I'm glad about how much the show means to you. You mean a lot to me too. Thank you for always being there and thank you for these reviews.

I’m nothing but grateful that you were the one to stick around for it all. From when I made the original thread, to the proboards one for the bulk of the year- to this end.

I’m sure you could chalk it up with simple friend support, which again means a lot. I’m curious to know just how much of what I’ve said on HM you found crucial or agreed with most. Even though that might be better left unsaid.

I created + stuck with this goal for a few reasons and the main one being that I just want Home Movies to continue being celebrated. I don’t expect any Soup2Nuts vet to find this useful, but the fact you find it useful is all that I need!

Thank YOU for being here!

 

[Fone Bone]

You go further in-depth on the series than I ever did. I do own the series on DVD and planned to watch and review it at some point (and I'd use this thread for it) but I love all of the details you take notice of. These are all things I'd need to be on the lookout for.

 

[[classic swim]]

Looking forward to a potential second wave by you here someday!

I spent every week absorbing this damn thing and it nearly whipped me outta shape a couple times lol.

 

[Fone Bone]

I got the slim-box. All four seasons. You've sort of talked me into tackling it soonish.