Episode 179 - Second Sight: LIVE!

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

I kinda love Bess Armstrong in this movie. My So-Called Sister Elizabeth shouts more that most movie nuns I've ever seen.

[Cam Bert 8145]

Am I also the only one wondering why Second Sight Investigations has a secretary? If we are to believe their answering machine message that starts the movie they know who is calling and what they want and instruct them to hang up. Yet they have a secretary who manages calls, because when Wills comes in he asks if there are any messages. Later we see her through the door on the phone as well. So either you know who is calling and don't need one or you don't and you do? Or is the system Bobby gets a hunch, writes it down, they decide which one to follow through on and then the secretary contacts the people they choose to help?

[SeaSkunk 212]

Am I also the only one wondering why Second Sight Investigations has a secretary? If we are to believe their answering machine message that starts the movie they know who is calling and what they want and instruct them to hang up.

 

Maybe they've realized that people don't follow directions well and still leave messages? I was a little offended on her behalf with the way Bobby treated her clothes, even if she seemed to treat it the way you would a toddler.

 

Having a secretary that has to deal with wacky antics without batting an eye might be another Ghostbusters 'homage'.

 

Or is the system Bobby gets a hunch, writes it down, they decide which one to follow through on and then the secretary contacts the people they choose to help?

 

This would work too. They seem like they need an office manager but I have no idea how they afford one. Maybe she's in charge of Goober procurement, too.

[DrGonzo 29]

My biggest qualm with the plot (well, one of many) was when Dr. Preston Pickett (Ph.D.) refused to use "Bobby's gift to make a dishonest quick buck", but he was perfectly fine with using his "powers" for an extended period of time to solve fender-benders and other idiotic crimes, for a lousy 10% fee.

So I guess somehow having him tell them the lottery numbers and making them instantaneous millionaires (at no one's expense) was way worse then putting his life in danger chasing kidnappers, or strapping him to the hood of a car (why couldn't he give instructions from the back seat?!), or having him blow up buildings or kidnap an entire airplane and drive it through the streets of Boston...

[tomspanks 9039]

In the episode, Jason and Jessica gave Paul a hard time because he danced with his mother at her second wedding, but compared to that time Paul tried to French kiss his mother, it's really not that bad.

[mugglematt 1]

Jessica did an amazing job (once again), but I wished June watched this movie just to get her take on Bronson's wig.

 

 

 

I need to see her hat.

[paultab 225]

I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, on an '80s kid perspective. Was it bad and stupid? Absolutely. What it also was, though, was a bunch of people doing exactly the jobs they had been hired for, and doing them well. Bronson Pinchot: jogging along pews, pinballing around rooms full of people and committing 1000% to every bit. John Larroquette: pretty much just being Dan from Night Court, but in league with a psychic. Bess Armstrong: constantly in her moment. All of it didn't come together all that well, but people were trying.

 

That said, I want to talk about the take-off on the early Poltergeist scene where Larroquette and "Pankin's Wife" (played by Mad Men's Christine Estabrook) are having remote wars, her with the remote, he with Bobby McGee's rabbit-ear limbs. If she was betting on all the games based on McGee's projections, just like he was, wouldn't she want to watch the game, and not the ABC TGIF lineup?

[Cam Bert 8145]

Can we talk about how the ending implies that having sex cured Bobby of his multiple weird neuroses? Seemingly throughout the movie Bobby McGee is in a very child like state of being. He does a "peepee" dance when he has to go to the bathroom, he likes to play games and tests, other than his frequent sexual assaults on women he seems generally ignorant of them and still chaste, and and an overall pureness of character when not in an alternate personality. I thought maybe wrongly that when he was struck by lightning that he stopped aging mentally or reverted mentally. However, at the end of the movie when he shows up with his new girlfriend he's wearing tight restrictive clothing which we were told render him unable to function earlier in the film. He also has cut his hair and is calm, focused, and seemingly in general more mature. Even Murray he mentions how Bobby is "shaping up a little different, a little better" in the past while. Preston is also not doting on him all the time, and is letting him be. Bobby still has his powers but is a new seemingly independent person. What is the only thing that has changed since the climax? He had sex. That's it. So he loses his virginity and then all of sudden he's a cool guy now? Gone are the loose clothes and hippie hair? Gone is Preston's constant need to lead him around by the hand and control him and his powers. It seems that if that had taken him to a prostitute or something sooner their business might have been more successful from the start.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I picked that photo because he was at the height of things then. You're probably right that Dan Fielding was more hapless than I really remember.

 

I've probably seen almost every episode of Night Court in syndication at some time or another. I used to watch the reruns religiously after school.

 

There were many, many episode plots with Dan Fielding trying to get laid. At least 90% of them ended with him failing to achieve that goal. The joke was that all of the characters kind of hated him but tolerated him anyway.

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

Can we talk about how the ending implies that having sex cured Bobby of his multiple weird neuroses? Seemingly throughout the movie Bobby McGee is in a very child like state of being. He does a "peepee" dance when he has to go to the bathroom, he likes to play games and tests, other than his frequent sexual assaults on women he seems generally ignorant of them and still chaste, and and an overall pureness of character when not in an alternate personality. I thought maybe wrongly that when he was struck by lightning that he stopped aging mentally or reverted mentally. However, at the end of the movie when he shows up with his new girlfriend he's wearing tight restrictive clothing which we were told render him unable to function earlier in the film. He also has cut his hair and is calm, focused, and seemingly in general more mature. Even Murray he mentions how Bobby is "shaping up a little different, a little better" in the past while. Preston is also not doting on him all the time, and is letting him be. Bobby still has his powers but is a new seemingly independent person. What is the only thing that has changed since the climax? He had sex. That's it. So he loses his virginity and then all of sudden he's a cool guy now? Gone are the loose clothes and hippie hair? Gone is Preston's constant need to lead him around by the hand and control him and his powers. It seems that if that had taken him to a prostitute or something sooner their business might have been more successful from the start.

They might have hesitated because they would've had no idea what would happen. When they went into the strip club, Bobby shorts out and has a psychic panic attack when he sees the naked women ... Preston has a line about how Bobby hasn't developed the sexual side of his nature, and they said he was overwhelmed by the energy. But that's a hell of a reaction to have.

 

If you're right, and he grows up and is cured of some debilitating tics by getting laid and getting that energy out and developing that side of himself, then it would seem that the effects are beneficial, but there was no way they would've known they would be. If they had taken him to a brothel, he could've just as easily burnt the place to the ground

[paultab 225]

He does a "peepee" dance

 

Can we please talk about the fact that several grown adults all see and recognize and call out this activity as "the peepee dance"

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I would be totes into an alien side story... but I think that's the giant manhole from the cold open.

 

I think you are right about that, though that still leaves open the question of what the skyward light source is.

 

 

And also, no, that dog is not in this movie.

[tomspanks 9039]

Can we talk about how the ending implies that having sex cured Bobby of his multiple weird neuroses? Seemingly throughout the movie Bobby McGee is in a very child like state of being. He does a "peepee" dance when he has to go to the bathroom, he likes to play games and tests, other than his frequent sexual assaults on women he seems generally ignorant of them and still chaste, and and an overall pureness of character when not in an alternate personality. I thought maybe wrongly that when he was struck by lightning that he stopped aging mentally or reverted mentally. However, at the end of the movie when he shows up with his new girlfriend he's wearing tight restrictive clothing which we were told render him unable to function earlier in the film. He also has cut his hair and is calm, focused, and seemingly in general more mature. Even Murray he mentions how Bobby is "shaping up a little different, a little better" in the past while. Preston is also not doting on him all the time, and is letting him be. Bobby still has his powers but is a new seemingly independent person. What is the only thing that has changed since the climax? He had sex. That's it. So he loses his virginity and then all of sudden he's a cool guy now? Gone are the loose clothes and hippie hair? Gone is Preston's constant need to lead him around by the hand and control him and his powers. It seems that if that had taken him to a prostitute or something sooner their business might have been more successful from the start.

 

In my head she said no.

[Cam Bert 8145]

They might have hesitated because they would've had no idea what would happen. When they went into the strip club, Bobby shorts out and has a psychic panic attack when he sees the naked women ... Preston has a line about how Bobby hasn't developed the sexual side of his nature, and they said he was overwhelmed by the energy. But that's a hell of a reaction to have.

 

If you're right, and he grows up and is cured of some debilitating tics by getting laid and getting that energy out and developing that side of himself, then it would seem that the effects are beneficial, but there was no way they would've known they would be. If they had taken him to a brothel, he could've just as easily burnt the place to the ground

However there are a few times in the movie that the other characters suggest that he "needs a woman" so it seems to be on their minds. It would have a purely intellectual pursuit for Preston I'm sure. And while I agree that the results could have been disastrous he must have been ready for it because he was very serious and straightforward when he asked her to sleep with him. Maybe the strip club got it all out of him.

 

 

In my head she said no.

At least he asked her and gave her the chance to say no unlike every other woman in the movie whom he just grabs or kisses.

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

I think you are right about that, though that still leaves open the question of what the skyward light source is.

 

 

And also, no, that dog is not in this movie.

 

 

***

 

Has anyone else noticed that the three guys (Wills, Bobby, and Preston) are always together? Besides the sequence when Wills plays golf with the cardinals, they are barely a room away from each other. Particularly when they are together at Preston's house after work, late at night, and several other scenes. Does Will's live there? We know that Bobby lives with Preston and his wife, but you'd think a guy like Wills would need to have a private place to go to at night...Ifyaknowwhatimean.

[tomspanks 9039]

Has anyone else noticed that the three guys (Wills, Bobby, and Preston) are always together? Besides the sequence when Wills plays golf with the cardinals, they are barely a room away from each other. Particularly when they are together at Preston's house after work, late at night, and several other scenes. Does Will's live there? We know that Bobby lives with Preston and his wife, but you'd think a guy like Wills would need to have a private place to go to at night...Ifyaknowwhatimean.

 

Are you suggesting a Fight Club-type situation?

[Cam Bert 8145]

I would be totes into an alien side story... but I think that's the giant manhole from the cold open.

I just realized you're dead right. You can see the manhole in the shadow behind Wills feet.

Still doesn't explain the double guns, dog, light source or spelling of "biz" and "wiz"

[Geans 193]

I'll take this a step further and say that Preston doesn't need to exist in this movie, at all. His part is 100% expository. Just about every line he has is explaining why Bobby is acting nuts and twitching around -- all other lines were "Hey this is amazing" and he takes a picture.

 

It drove me crazy every time Preston tacked on: "It's very rare!," which feels like it happened every time he spoke.

 

This movie really plays fast and loose with what Bobby McGee is. At any given point BM is psychic, telekinetic, a medium, maybe a wizard?, clairvoyant, dissociative identity disorder patient, and an actual electrical generator. It seems like there's no "rules" to his ability, just whatever random terms Preston spits out.

 

God I hated this movie. It made me long for Ninja Terminator.

 

(BTW I would absolutely do young or old John Larroquette but can't explain why.)

 

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

However there are a few times in the movie that the other characters suggest that he "needs a woman" so it seems to be on their minds. It would have a purely intellectual pursuit for Preston I'm sure. And while I agree that the results could have been disastrous he must have been ready for it because he was very serious and straightforward when he asked her to sleep with him. Maybe the strip club got it all out of him.

 

At least he asked her and gave her the chance to say no unlike every other woman in the movie whom he just grabs or kisses.

It's hard to say what being in the strip club accomplished, but yeah, maybe it got him curious. The way he spazzed out, though, it sorta seemed like ... I'm just saying ...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4

 

I'm sure you're right, too ... "what's going to happen when this guy gets laid?" has to be on Preston's mind. Preston knew everything about what was going on with Bobby, which means we're not seeing all the wild shit that must have led to these discoveries about Bobby's powers.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Yay! I finally listened to the episode! And it was great! JSC was fantastic! That's a lot of exclamation marks in a row!

 

I knew what I was in for in this movie when their first case involved an art theft in which nothing is alarmed and the stolen object is hidden in a hollowed out pedestal. I guess I just don't understand what the criminal's endgame was. He stole something, but...just hid it? He didn't even take it out of the room. You'd think it would be much easier to pocket the thing and walk out the door than go through all the trouble of getting (or making) a suitable pedestal to hide it in. (Are all the pedestals hollowed out? How'd they get the decoy one in there without raising suspicion? ARGH!)

 

Which leads me to my next issue: why does Wills even put up with this shit? He hates McGee. Their agency is apparently hemorrhaging money (although you've always got enough money to buy a nice suit, amiright?) He wasn't kicked off the force due to incompetence or anything. He's also the only the only person at their "detective" agency that even pretends to do any "detecting." It just seems to me that - not only would he be better off - he'd be much happier if he struck out on his own.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I rented this movie about a week ago so I'm a bit fuzzy on some details, but do they try to sell McGee's psychic ability by pulling one of those Johnny Carson "psychic envelope" bits? I guess that would be kind of impressive - if they weren't co-workers who could have easily coordinated beforehand.

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

Are you suggesting a Fight Club-type situation?

 

It would be fun to try to put that one together... it has to be that or it's just a testament to how badly written and cheaply made this movie is (I'm voting the latter.) It honestly makes no sense that when we cut to Preston's house that Wills is just taking it easy in the corner. They work in the city and so they would have had to make a concerted effort to get to the house in the suburbs. After a full day of putting up with Balki's ridiculous behavior you would think that Will's would be desperate to get a drink at a bar or go back to his sad bachelor pad and rub one out.

 

Spending day AND night with your coworkers is an introvert's nightmare. Hmmm... I wonder what Will's is on the Myers/Briggs scale? Ha ha!

[tomspanks 9039]

This movie really plays fast and loose with what Bobby McGee is. At any given point BM is psychic, telekinetic, a medium, maybe a wizard?, clairvoyant, dissociative identity disorder patient, and an actual electrical generator. It seems like there's no "rules" to his ability, just whatever random terms Preston spits out.

 

Don't forget hCG detector.

[grudlian. 4725]

I rented this movie about a week ago so I'm a bit fuzzy on some details, but do they try to sell McGee's psychic ability by pulling one of those Johnny Carson "psychic envelope" bits? I guess that would be kind of impressive - if they weren't co-workers who could have easily coordinated beforehand.

Basically, yes. Stuart Pankin asks Bobby what is in his pocket. The bad thing is that Stuart still has to lead him to the answer because of Bobby's poor grasp on English. The even worse part is that I don't think they ever confirm what was in his pocket. We just accept that Bobby was correct without seeing the boat with a crest on its sail. I thought this might be leading to the entire thing being rigged and Bobby pretends to be psychic as a way to drum up business. But the reality is it's just lazy writing.

 

The worst part of all is your insinuation that Johnny Carson/Karnak aren't actually psychic!

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Something that bugged me about the movie was the sports betting that Wills and Preston's wife get into. It seems like the writers just thought, "This takes place in Boston in the summer, so they bet on . . . baseball!" And then they all went home for the day.

 

But baseball betting tends to be more complicated, compared to the football and basketball betting most Americans like to focus on.

 

http://www.oddsshark...ow-bet-baseball

 

For football, you get a "point spread," meaning if you bet on the favorite they have to win by more than a certain number of points for you to win your bet. If they cover that spread, then you double your money upon return. Fairly simple.

 

Baseball is such a low-scoring sport with a lot of games and a lot of random factors (different pitchers, players taking rest days, etc.) that casinos don't apply a "spread" as the primary method, they assign a "moneyline," where you have to bet a certain amount to buy a bet on the favorite and it pays less than if you bet the underdog. Then they also have a "runline" where you can assign a kind of point spread on top of the moneyline to change the odds and the payout, i.e. if the Yankees win by more than 2 runs you get paid out more on your bet.

 

All of this is preface to the idea that it generally wouldn't be so simple for Wills to just pick up the phone and say, "I'll take the Dodgers and the A's," and expect the guy on the other end to know exactly what he wants. They'd want to know if it was the moneyline or the runline and exactly how much he's betting. Now, maybe it's possible that this is a local bookie that Wills is very familiar with and knows his common asks, but if that's the case then it seems like it would be pretty easy for that bookie to learn about who Wills is and know he's working for a psychic detective agency, and then get suspicious if he or anyone connected to the agency is making too much money on sports gambling. This agency seems moderately famous and trusted by law enforcement, given that in the first scene the cops immediately arrest a man based on Balki's recommendation and little else, so I don't think they can expect to hide behind anonymity.

 

The plot had some holes in it, is what I'm saying.