The Guild Season 3 Episode 10: The Return!
By WorldofHiglet
In this eagerly-awaited episode has the tide turned at last for the beleaguered Guild? All the links to this episode are on WatchTheGuild.com and you can see this week’s episode here:
Disclaimer: this is a REVIEW and therefore will contain spoilers about this episode (and possibly previous ones). Just so we’re clear on that.
(Cue Scar’s voice in Lion King): “Codex! What have you done?”
She’s gone and broken up the Knights of Good, that’s what she’s done!
Tink and Clara have gone, Bladezz is leaving home, and Zaboo? Poor, sweet, innocent Zaboo….As Codex says: “..he digitally waterboarded someone!” In summary, to quote Bender from Futurama: “Well, we’re boned.”
Indeed.
Just as things seems hopeless, however, Vork magically appears in Codex’ apartment. And by that I mean he must have let himself in and sneaked into Codex’ bedroom without her noticing. Which, by any standards, is darned creepy…
Anyhoo, Vork is a changed man. He has seen the light and his destiny is writ large. He has discovered the answer deep within himself after questing far and wide and can use that knowledge to reforge The Guild. Yes! The $13 truth is that everyone (and their genitals) hates Vork! And with that power he can unite them.
Vork: “I can wield that unification like a glove.”
The Napoleonic way, on the field of battle.
Codex is stirred from her despair and eagerly scampers off to follow Vork into battle against the Axis of Anarchy before they can do anymore damage to The Guild in Real Life. And retrieve her hardware.
First stop is to collect Zaboo, who is playing a game designed for four-year olds as penance for his terrible crimes. Codex pleads with him but Zaboo pays no heed. He feels himself to be beyond the pale, irredeemable – and he even wants to kills the cute lickle critters onscreen.
Vork, however, is unimpressed with Zaboo’s apparent affliction and, imbued with a new sense of power and authority orders him to stop wallowing. And when that doesn’t snap Zaboo out of it, he launches into an involved metaphor (or is it allegory?) of how he wouldn’t piss on Zaboo if he was on fire. Or something like that. There was a dog in there, anyways.
Zaboo appears to be unmoved by his exhortations so Vork and Codex make to leave the apartment. Zaboo hesitates a little longer…but then relents. He will join them, even if they won’t call him Boo.
Next house call is to Clara, who is enjoying some quality time with her family. Really – what could be better? As she says herself: “I love spending time with my family. This is so much better than gaming.”
When Wiggly ushers the tots away to make Mommy a snack the doorbell breaks Clara from her Stepford-like trance and she is overjoyed to see her Guildies on the doorstep. She covers this well by telling them to go away quickly before Wiggly sees.
Clara is completely convincing when she says she has forsworn all gaming and luckily completely ignores Zaboo’s attempts at a Vork-like allegory (he called her a dog. He has no clue. About anything.). But – hooray! She is totally bluffing and putting on an act so that it appeared she was resisting.
In a masterstroke she tells Gabby, her daughter, to hide and only give Daddy the note when he is really worried. The Guild is getting back together.
But what of it’s youngest, most vulnerable member?
They pick up Bladezz by the side of the road, one more example of Vork’s sharabang being used for what could be construed as nefarious purposes. Instead of going undercover in a polo club in Argentina, he gets to ride shotgun. Blunderbuss’d.
The team is now ready to take on the might of the AoA. And what a stirring sight they make – as they cram themselves into the narrow door with all the elegance of something with no elegance at all…
The two sides meet on the Local Area of battle and Vork lays down the gauntlet: “Let’s do this…”
What can you say about such an action-packed episode?
Well, firstly, you can say ABOUT BLOOMING TIME! At last, the Knights of Good are getting their act together! Don’t get me wrong, I have really enjoyed Season 3 so far and I think the decision to split The Guild and tear everyone into tiny shreds was a brave move that has really paid off. By now we are GAGGING to see some hope – any hope! – that things can be repaired.
You really have to watch this a few times to appreciate the sheer artistry of moving the story along so far in so little time without cutting any corners. (As someone struggling with a NaNoWriMo thriller that is barely 6000 words in and where no-one has done anything of note yet this is a object lesson in story-telling). Felicia has said this is her favourite episode and you see why.
The pay-off in every scene is drawn-out and unhurried, and with the fast cuts and spare dialogue you are completely swept up as Vork rebuilds his Guild. And this is very much HIS episode. Jeff Lewis unleashes his inner commander and allows Vork to become the leader he was destined to be. My goodness – he’s magnificent!
And that isn’t to underplay the contribution of the rest of the cast. Everyone rises to the occasion and we see the best (and worst) of them all.
The end scene, where they emerge from the van in a Reservoir Dogs-style and slo-mo to the LAN party, is breathtaking. The framing and editing is spot-on and the music perfects what is an inspired set piece. The end shots, with the two sides pitted against each other, sets the tone for the last two episodes.
Both sides are ready to rumble. There will be war. The sides are drawn. Tink is standing against her old Guild-mates and there will be blood. And Vork is calling the shots.
Do I even want to try to imagine what going to happen next? To quote Vampire Xander in Doppelgangland: “”No thanks, baby. I just want to watch you go.”
My only worry? That Felicia has been hanging around Joss too long. Because you know if he had anything to do with it Zaboo would die. In the final ep. Just because.
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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Yes! Yes! Yes!!!! Vork has finally arrived in all of his Guild leadering glory, surpassing his previous self-doubt and embracing the absolute tyranny required to herd the cats of internet gamers. Truly, his trip of self-discovery has unleashed the One True Vork (even if it cost $13). We have the power! (Of Greyskull…! Wait, wrong series.)
Zaboo's inner turmoil truly made me sad for him. As the show's lovable stalker and victim of relationship abuse, I was hoping he'd take his new found "power" and turn it into something cool and useful – but, I should've seen that he lacked the ability to do it himself. Thankfully, Vork's allegorical (or whatever) leadership was there to save the day! At least he won't drown… poor dog…
Zaboo does win some points for being completely, utterly clueless as to how to correctly allegoricalize people back into the Guild. Also, marshmallow cinnamon. I would totally buy The Guild Breakfast Cereal! Clara's "attempt" at resistance was pretty cute. While I'm glad to see her "back" with The Guild, it does make one wonder what'll happen to her marriage, and her kids . . . Ah well, priorities first!
Fast forwarding a bit, by far my Officialy Absolute Favorite Scene of All Time From The Guild, is the exit scene / slo-walk of awesome impending doom. The music fits wonderfully (like a Guild Leadering Glove, in fact). The buildup from the bass line to the trilling trumpet at the end is one of those things that gets me EVERY time someone uses it. I love these kinds of scenes!
Looking forwards to next week's episode . . . and the next . . . and hopefully a Season 4! Regardless of whether or not The Guild defeats the Axis of Anarchy on the field of Local Area Network battle, they're attacking with style and panache (in their own, "completely lacking of style and panache" way). =D
Hehe – a Guild Leadering Glove? That's brilliant!
Oh yes, I can't wait to see how it all turns out, even though it means that once we've seen the last ep, the GDS will start to kick in again…
Much like the season finale of Mad Men, the rallying of the Knights of Good had me grinning.
Some random thoughts:
* I kinda want the adorable penguin game. [/shame]
*
WillFawkes has a failboat shirt!* The not-quite Little Green Bag music was perfect.
* I really hope that they can win Tink back. It hasn't been the same without her.
(Oops. I guess IntenseDebate doesn't do [strike] tags. "Will" was supposed to be crossed out, even though I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the shirt is, in fact, from Wheaton's closet.)
Yes, that penguin game sounded lots of fun. Felicia has blogged (http://feliciaday.com/blog/guild-episodes-910-blo... that it was her, Kim and Sean that did the voices for it, so maybe that could be a new venture for them! Wil might blog about the shirt after the next ep if we're lucky
Yes, that penguin game sounded lots of fun. Felicia has blogged (http://feliciaday.com/blog/guild-episodes-910-blo... that it was her, Kim and Sean that did the voices for it, so maybe that could be a new venture for them! Wil might blog about the shirt after the next ep if we're lucky
YEEEEEEEES! I've missed Vork as Guild leader. I thought I wanted Codex to be the leader, but that's not what I wanted at all! She's the heart and soul of the Knights of Good, but Vork is the firm (yet benevolent) PIMP HAND.