The Guild Season 3 Episode 8: +10 to Bravery
By WorldofHiglet
As a special treat there are two videos out today. S3 Ep 8 and a new gag reel, too.
Felicia Day has blogged about her favourite parts of this episode. You can view them streaming on MSN, download them on Xbox Live or via Zune. All the links are on the WatchTheGuild.com website.
Episode 8:
Gag Reel:
Disclaimer: this is a REVIEW and therefore will contain spoilers about this episode (and possibly previous ones). Just so we’re clear on that.
The truth of the devastating cliff-hanger from last week is revealed at the beginning of the episode – Bruiser has been intimate with Bladezz’ mom and left her with a smile…
This is upsetting for everyone in The Guild, not least Bladezz himself who is in a state of shock about the whole affair. When Clara asks if he can prove it, Bladezz puts her straight: “It’s my mom!! Just thinking about proving it traumatized me again!”
Zaboo then creeps everyone out by oversharing, then Clara continues to slather on the pain when she hears that Bruiser was in a cop uniform: “Cop uniform? Yummy! I bet your mom was an easy drop.”
Codex is taking action. She’s emailing Fawkes so they can talk face-to-face (well, the online equivalent) and sort it all out. Like Adults. Or something. Because that has worked out so well in the past.
Her feeble plea to Vork to return as Guild Leader is roundly dismissed. Vork has stumbled upon the perfect wi-fi spot. And this time it doesn’t involve young boys. There is, however, a snag. When confronted with a bemused lady Vork handles things in his own inimitable way which, naturally enough, ends with the lady asking a perfectly reasonable question:
“Are you seriously sitting in my driveway, using my Internet asking me about penis?”
Of course he is – he is aka Vork! Cue a non-too-swift exit and another trashcan casualty.
Meanwhile, Codex has made contact with Fawkes, who is in a playful mood. Well, it could pass as his playful mood. He seems to be under the impression that Codex is crushing on him, even if she isn’t aware of it. When he confronts her about her being scared of her sexuality, Codex is adamant: “Sexuality does not scare me. I am…very…adequate in that area….”
Fawkes takes offense at Codex’ attitude and he turns nasty. Nastier. Badasserer. Now Codex has gone and done it….
After burning her bridges in one direction, she seeks help from the only other person less likely to help her than Fawkes. Tink. They meet on the field of battle…
Okay, it’s a netball basketball court, really. In a truly hilarious face-off Tink (yes, she’s back!) and Codex verbally parry while Codex leaps and flails like the athlete she isn’t and Tink runs rings around her. Even though Codex tells her everything that the Axis of Anarchy has done to The Guild and Bladezz, Tink is still angry as all heck at Bladezz over him deleting her character.
Codex boldly states that if the AoA continue then the Knights of Good will retaliate. Tink finds this an amusing proposition but is tiring of so much actual real-life conversation. She plays the master card. Codex, with her palest-of-the-pale skin, is exposed in every possible way. Tink presses home her advantage: “Two freckles just grew together! They’re forming a pod!…Run!”
We then catch up with Zaboo, who has been preparing for a very special date with Riley. He is primped and preened and ready for some romance. Poor, trusting, Zaboo. While he is talking romance and trying to give Riley a special gift, she is busying herself constructing something hard and metal and shiny. Oh look – it’s a gun! And she’s shot him! And again!
Although it’s only a paintball gun, it looks like it hurts. And anyone who’s ever done paintball will tell you those suckers really do hurt, especially from such a short range. She takes the ring at gunpoint and then gives him a 45 second headstart and some helpful advice: “Run in a ‘Z’, sweetie!”.
Zaboo is understandably confused but gets the message. And she doesn’t even give him 45 seconds before opening fire again…
Okay, where to start with this one? Firstly, lots of outdoor action today and it made the whole episode go by very quickly. That and the myriad plot twists. Where are we up to?
Firstly, Bruiser really did get busy with Baldezz’ mom. Vork is still in search of wi-fi and the truth about his loss of leadership powers. And he is leaving an ever-widening swathe of confusion and dead trashcans behind him. His exchange with the wi-fi lady is very funny and Jeff Lewis’ capacity to straightface the most ridiculous lines with such conviction is amazing.
The online meeting between Codex and Fawkes is also penned to perfection. Wil Wheaton switches from amour to anger in a delightful manner and he really does come across as an all-round git. And that’s because he is ACTING, acting really, really well. I love all the time he is onscreen, even while wanting Codex to punch him (and yes, I realize she couldn’t punch him over the Internet, thank you very much….). Ms Day’s comic timing is, as always, spot on and her delivery of the sexuality lines is masterful.
And we have Tink! It’s great to see Amy Okuda again, and she has the serious skillz on the court. She still has that look – the one that tells you and everyone else that she wishes you would shrivel up and die and in fact you might already have done that because you are so insignificant and OMG you totally smell, too! Yeah, that look is still there.
There might have been a momentary blip when Codex told her about Bladezz’ mom, but she quickly covers it and goes on the attack. Her use of Codex’s Achilles’ heel, was expertly done and the timing between the two was wonderful. Great editing, to be sure, but the acting is totally perfect.
But…Riley. Riley, Riley, Riley. What is to be done with her? Zaboo has gone from lapdog to bait to prey and she must be done with him now. And I surely hope she has because I, for one, have had enough of her shenanigans. Come on, Zaboo! It’s not you, it’s her!!!
Michele Boyd looks like she is enjoying every moment and it is hard to believe she hasn’t always been part of the team. I’ll be very sorry if she leaves The Guild completely because she has been a real asset. And Sandeep Parikh gives Zaboo a fragile likeableness that really strikes a cord. Zaboo MUST take a stand. He is a man not a mouse. Or moose. Surely now he’ll see that their relationship is not going anywhere good.
What will happen next? The AoA is now in full battle mode and ready to unleash something Codex won’t be expecting. But Codex has also said that the Knights of Good not going to sit back anymore. And it’s not just about the Smores. At last – there is a (tiny) ray of hope!
In Felicia’s blog she says: “…I see a lot of people commenting that they want the Knights to start fighting back, well, wait til next week!…” This tells us two things. One, Felicia still does read what people are saying about The Guild so if you like what you see (or not) then say so somewhere where she will look (like, er, on The Interweb). And B), next week might see the worm turning (and I don’t just mean Zaboo).
Time will tell!
Oh yes – and totally check out the Gag Reel. It has some classic cussing from Vork (won’t somebody think of the children), Felicia driving a bus and lots of happy blunders.
WorldofHiglet is the online persona of writer Mary R. Higgins, a born-again geek reclaiming her heritage bit by bit. A youth filled with sci-fi, horror and adventure fare (TV, films, computer games and books) was crushed by years of office grind. Buffy brought her back into the fold after years of denial. Discovering Firefly sealed the deal. Now she geeks fulltime on her blog ‘the last geek bus home’ and her first novel ‘Turning left at Albuquerque” is currently looking for a home in publishing-land.
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Yeaaaah, Riley can definitely go away now. She seems to be getting bored with Zaboo anyway, and Wade should be back from Vancouver soon, right?
I'm so used to reading Wil's blog and seeing him as himself – a nice, dorky guy – that I sometimes forget what a good actor he is. Fawkes (and his episode of Criminal Minds last year) is an uncomfortable reminder how talented he is and how creepy he can be when he puts his mind to it.
I hope Codex can convince Tink to return to the KoG. As much fun as she seems to be having with the AoA (which doesn't seem to be much, really), I miss her acerbic interactions with our guildies. Although how she has time to play while in med school I have no idea.
Ferny Chien (who plays Wade) keeps insisting that he is not in S3 but I'd love him to come back from Vancouver and kick some sense into Zaboo. And yes, I mean Zaboo, because he seriously needs to stop being a doormat (and moving target). Riley is wrong on all kinds of levels but she probably isn't going to change because it's working so well for her. What we need to see is Zaboo growing a pair that are bigger than Riley's.
Wil is brilliant at playing Fawkes. And you know what – people are hating on him for it! I know – unbelievable! (see this Tweet from @wilw http://twitter.com/wilw/statuses/5028464505) On behalf of the sane fans of The Guild I'd like to assure Mr Wheaton that we are very much aware he is acting and LOVE what he's doing as Fawkes (and those other roles you have are super-cool, too).
Will Tink return? I hope so, but the way things are going nothing can be certain. Yeah, I totally blame Felicia.
Yeah, I saw Wil's morose tweeting. That sucks. I don't know why so many people have trouble separating fiction from reality. Maybe he should talk to Nathan Fillion's publicist and play up his super-nice-guy-who-gives-good-douchebag angle. Next time he's in the area (hopefully PAX East in the Spring), I'll have to make a point of telling him that some of us do get it. Maybe by then I'll have convinced myself that I can actually afford an Axis of Anarchy shirt.
I, too, LOVE Wil Wheaton on this! Did you happen to see his episode of The Big Bang Theory this past Monday? He was hilarious and really, really douchey.
Wheaton is great, and I love that he's sort of hitting on Codex now.
As for Riley and Zaboo – yes Zaboo needs to get on growing some balls. The end.
I have it on DVR and can't wait to see it! Wil is teh awesome.
How will it all end….?
To be honest, my "character of the week" award has to go to Zaboo. Between the "TMI" moment, and his oblivious innocence to Riley's predatory ways, he had laughing the whole time. Hopefully Zaboo will come to his senses, FINALLY! The look on his face when he realized Riley's true plans seem to hint of ballage to come!
My "runner up" has to go to Codex. Pasty white skin, freckles, and random flailing were FANTASTIC. It was also nice to see the brief flicker of guilt/sympathy/whatever on Tink's face, before she shut it off and put up her "go away barbarian" facade. She's got something under the braincase… time will tell if it's enough to bring her to act! I mean, c'mon – Bruiser got it on with Bladezz's Mom!
All in all, with the amount of craziness and drama that has been going on, I'm definitely looking forwards to the conclusion of the story arc. The Axis of Anarchy and Riley have "it" coming to them, in spades! (…and by "it", I mean "revenge", "justice", "karmic balance", "the hammer o' doom", etc.)
Zaboo really is a trooper and I hope he does find himself (or the bits that appear to be missing) very soon. It's a testament to Felicia's writing and Sandeep's acting that they manage to make him a sympathetic character, because he could so easily be just an annoying jerk.
Codex – lovely, pasty, ineffective, neurosis-girl – *is* making progress. She hasn't given up, even in the face of her cruelest enemy, the Sun. Whether that's a sign that she is so obsessive about the game that she can't bear the thought the The Guild might fold or whether she is growing as a more rounded person, only time will tell!
!!!Vork!!! There really isn't much to say other than that.
Good point