Hilarity ensues!!!!
This was another well-acted laugh-filled episode that gave everyone
including Paul a good bit of screen time. Just as Broadcast Views was
Alexa's chance to shine, this one gave Vic the opportunity to show off
her acting versatility. She not only did a beautiful job with it (and
if the Podcast was any indication had a blast as well) but got to
stretch her acting-legs a bit as her character not only pretended to
be a different person, but a different gender as well! Also, every
scene in the episode, especially in the A story, involved lots of team
work, as all of the scenes were true team efforts because if just one
person had dropped the comedic ball, the story would have gone flat.
The ep opens innocently enough, with the girls talking off-screen
while the camera pans downward until we find Zoey, Nicole, and Lola
sunning themselves and discussing the fact that they are indeed
enjoying the Southern Cali sun rather than studying…Z101's classic
innocent opening scene, an innocent bit of banter between characters
that quickly leads into hilarity as Chase and Logan walk in to find
their roof invaded.
This was a good solid, basic and well executed little opening scene
with a lot of verbal give-and-take that was just loaded with little
gems from both the girls and the guys. The action was flip-flopped
from what we usually see, with the guys contributing most of the
verbal action to the scene, and the girls' calm demeanor contrasted
beautifully with Logan's histrionics. Matt was actually this scene's
pivot point as he had to provide and carry the scene's basic conflict,
and identify the episode's basic conflict while he was at it. The
girls, meanwhile, played
straight-man to both of the guys in this
scene, doing an excellent job while they were at it. Their reactions
as they all but rolled their eyes while sipping lemonade and tossing
little barbs at the guys, was classic and natural. I loved their
reaction when Chase agreed with Logan; especially Alexa…Nicole's
surprised `Chase!!!' was dead on and sounded absolutely spontaneous.
Then Zoey crossed her arms…and as Nicole noted, and Lola concurred…It
was SO on!!
The argument, as the RA looked on with a dumbfounded expression on his
face before agreeing with Logan, was a great bridge scene, and the
girls were hilarious…Alexa again got the best lines as the girls' dorm
roof was declared uninhabitable due to squirrel pee and Nicole
announced hilariously that the girls lounge was her ice cream and the
boys her sprinkles… ! I also loved Nicole's horrified reaction as Zoey
declared the girls' lounge off limits to guys…Classic Nicole, and an
awesome job from Alexa.
The B-story beckons! We find Dustin…aka Paul…in the infirmary,
suffering from a raging case of chicken pox, and looking strangely
happy about the situation…enter the new nurse! CUTE new nurse!. Paul
kicked butt in the scene…He's proven to handle drama, and comedy and
always adds immensely to any scene he appears in. HE DID seem to enjoy
both the ice cream and the company while filming this scene, BTW!
This was just a cute scene and it introduced the B plot of course, as
well as displaying the close relationship between Zoey and Dustin and
just how much Zoey cares for her little Br. It also made us wonder
`Just HOW can such a cute scene lead into ANYthing other than more
cuteness??' This is Zoey101 after all!…Anything can happen!
The opening shot of the next scene, panning across a huge and
industrial looking ventilator to a drab roofscape was perfect and
illustrated the contrast between the two roofs perfectly, setting up
the scene equally brilliantly. We find Zoey, Nicole, and Lola on
their own roof and looking none too happy about the situation. To use
a Nicolism, it was truly suckish. The girls were, as always,
hilarious. Just their expressions as they beheld their tar-and-gravel
domain, let you know that this was NOT the end. I LOVED Vic's
expression and tone as Lola analyzed the odor rising from the roof
(Gotta wonder how Nicole and Lola know what Squirrel pee smells like,
lol)…her timing and tone were dead on and demonstrated how facial
expression, simple gestures, and body language, coupled with tone, can
wring laughs out of the simplest of lines. This is especially
important in this type of dialogue-driven scene, where there is little
real action…this carried through as their predicament breeds
inventiveness, and Zoey comes up with the plan.
The girls are just as funny when planning as they are when
complaining…catch Vicky playing straight man to Alexa (maybe you
should just let Zoey talk) and again see how those two let their
facial expressions and tone do a lot of the talking,. Alexa's a master
at it, and Vicky's just about as good.
Jamie and Chris did a great job with the bridge scene that followed,
where Zoey convinced Michael to act as the girls' `Guy
Consultant'…nothing fancy here, just good solid acting in one of those
interactive bridge scenes that's essential in any production. Chris'
sense of comedic timing shows as well, as he turned several simple
lines into laughs with a simple change of inflection or facial
expression while Jamie played straight man.
The action starts in earnest as we see the gals striving to transform
Lola from cute freshman girl to believable freshman guy. Lola
enthusiastically says `Make me a DUDE!,' and we find ourselves in the
middle of the inevitable but always enjoyable music-driven montage as
the gals, with Michael's able assistance, make Steve from Lola.
One thing about Zoey101, there always seems to be at least one scene
where you can really see how much fun this bunch has during filming,
an this one was definitely an example. The huge smile we see a couple
of times on Vic's face says it all…while she's almost as much a master
of facial expressions as Alexa, it was easy to see that this was the
real deal! Vic had a blast filming this one, and I have a feeling
that Alexa, Jamie, and Chris had just as much fun as she did.
Speaking of facial expressions, we again get a glimpse of another of
Vic's talents here…her multiple facial expressions as Lola
communicates exactly how she feels about various outfits, hairstyles
and accessories (The Mustache!) without speaking a single word.
Visually, this was one of the most fun scenes to watch of the entire
series..
Also, excellent job by the make-up and wardrobe team, who did a very
commendable job turning Victoria into a believable guy…if you listen
to the podcast for this ep, you hear how Vic actually DID fool some
people on-set and on campus.
But…was Vic able to pull it off?? Oh YE-AH. This was Victoria's
episode, and she really kicked in the afterburners on her performance
as the sports-team knowledge and water-basketball challenged Steve.
Vic showed us just how versatile she is here, playing a fairly
difficult role, and doing so while wearing a body suit and wig at
that…remember (Erin and Victoria can confirm this) every scene we see
translates to several hours of shooting.
…Next Michael is assisted into the infirmary by the unsuspecting Chase
and Logan, suffering from an illness of unknown nature that manifests
itself trough a variety of symptoms… One of those moments when the A
story actually drives the B-story, providing the reason for Michael to
find himself at the mercy of the evil Nurse Krutcher..
Chris was hilarious here as his mood rose to a new high upon meeting
the lovely Shannon (Happiest sick guy I've ever seen!), then slams
down hard as Nurse Krutcher (Played by Diane Delano) enters the scene.
A word about Diane Delano's portrayal of Nurse Krutcher…she's
portrayed similar characters before and indeed has been acting for
over 20 years. She's perfect for the role, owns it, obviously relishes
what she does, and makes any scene she's in into an absolute
laugh-fest. Nurse Krutcher and Michael's interaction (If instilling
terror…comedic terror, but terror none the less…into her patients can
be called interacting, lol) was hilarious, and the two of them made a
decent comedic team in this scene…as they did several times in the
episode.
Oh, and speaking of facial expressions…anyone catch Sean's expression
just after they handed their ailing friend off to the Lovely
Shannon…if ya have the tape, take a look!
Quinn finally appears, fitting Lola with her newest
`Quinnvention'…wondered when Erin was gonna appear, as it was
inevitable Quinn's able assistance would be needed with the scheme.
Erin, as always owned her character as she, matter of factly, explained
the operation of the spy-glasses…LOVED Lola's `They won't explode…will
they??' as Quinn announced `There!! Your new GLASSES!'...and then
answered Lola's skeptical enquiry with a chirpy `Probably Not.'
Erin's perfected Quinn's little nuances of expression, gesture and
tone, adding her own personal touch to Quinn's lovably quirky
personality then tweaking and honing her character until she can
almost channel The Quinnster in her sleep. Also loved Jamie and
Alexa's expressions as The Glasses were fitted…again volumes spoken
with out a word actually being said.
This is also the infamous `I can make French Money' scene, where Dan
admits making an error in having Quinn telling Nicole and Zoey that
she could make French Money if they wanted (With Nicole inevitably
voicing her desire to go shopping in Paris!)…
They ask Lola if she thinks she's ready…and she demonstrates that she
is indeed! Vic's demonstration of `Steve's' burping and gum-spitting
prowess was an awesome little detail that put the icing on the
cake…Hmmmm…wonder if Vic's gonna enter the KCA Burping Contest. Lol!
We quickly see Victoria's versatility as Lola AKA Steve makes her/his
cross-campus…She did make a very commendable dude! Vic had the
mannerisms of a 13 or 14 year old boy down, and did a beautiful job of
adding the subtle exaggeration that a young girl trying to act like a
guy would subconsciously exhibit. Suddenly reverting to Lola as a
cute top is spied was a great addition, complimenting the top as Lola,
then reverting back to Steve when Zoey called her on her error, was
great, and all the more hilarious considering she was dressed out as
Steve! Vic shifted characterizations beautifully and seamlessly.,..
The reactions of the two young ladies who `Steve' complimented were
the icing on the cake, especially the girl who `Steve' complimented.
Back in the dorm room, we have more of the expressions and inflections
in another heavily dialogue driven scene, where Zoey, Nicole and
Quinn are monitoring `Steve's' progress, (Poor Alexa…MORE popcorn!).
Alexa was great as always, her timing with Nicole impeccable, and
Jamie's and Erin's facial expressions as their characters reacted to
Nicole were priceless…especially the side-wise glance she was getting
from Quinn.
Note…how to make a Nicolism…any word can be made into an adjective by
adding `ish' ! A little detail that makes Nicole Nicole. Steve's
inside, and the team of Chase and Logan are fooled…even though Lola
apparently isn't a baseball fan! Good solid teamwork throughout, with
Vic doing a great job of channeling Steve. Loved the little sequence
where Lola almost again blew her cover…a very creative little addition
that definitely added to the scene. The crew at `Mission Control'
continued to rock, and switching view points back and forth added to
the sense of action…well done and lots of fun to watch.
Back to the B-story for a moment! A quick but hilarious little scene.
Poor Chris! …I felt so sorry for the guy when I saw the set-up for
this scene, and REALLY hoped it didn't take too many takes to get it.
He must have been half frozen by the time it was over…hope someone had
a nice big mug of something warm waiting for him as soon as they
wrapped the scene! He and Diane Delano made a great team , playing off
of each other beautifully…Her matter of fact demeanor was a
hilarious contrast to the popsicalization of Michael.
Chris carries on the hilarity in the B-story's final two scenes as
well, first his reaction to a hypodermic roughly the size of an F-16,
and lastly in his chicken-pox foiled escape attempt, again with Diane
Delano fueling Nurse Krutcher's humorously sadistic mode of patient
care. (No clinic, infirmary, or hospital would actually hire such
an…individual, we can only hope!). Interesting note…a classic Lizzie
McGuireism's used here as Michael declares that he's `Outie.'
Then the real action starts…the next several minutes had lots of
action and movement and had to be all but choreographed to work…and
work it did. The scene in the guys' room was pivotal and beautifully
done…Matt was great as Logan was awakened…this was a very tight and
well executed bit of acting, and the rest of the crew was equally
adept. We again see the viewpoint switching as the girls realize the
guys are up and mobile, and things rapidly degenerate into chaotic
hilarity. The water basketball plot device was extremely creative,
and the race against time that ensued was perfect…Everyone did an
awesome job here (as if that's surprising, they always do).
Vic, as Lola, as Steve trying desperately to stay out of the water, was
great, and again Vic did an awesome job, both staying in character,
and in general…she made Lola's plight entirely believable, while Sean
and Matt channeled Chase and Logan's frustration perfectly.
We're left wondering just what Quinn will come up with to save the
day (even Zoey and Nicole were wondering what Quinn was up to!)) and it
was one of the most creative and hilarious scenes we've seen, as
Marvin the Snake (portrayed beautifully by the multiply talented team
of Boris and Natasha ;) ) flies in to the rescue. Lots of action,
loads of laughs, and beautifully done.
Also, when Lola hit the water…well, so did Victoria. Her stunt double
did the first take, but they needed another shot, so, yes, that really
was Victoria taking a watery tumble (beauty, talent, and she's
graceful, too!). This of course leads to the discovery of the girls'
deception , and their ultimate victory as the story comes full circle,
back to the guys' roof…and finally, Erin and one of the Snake team
wind it up as Quinn entertains Marvin. Erin was great in this scene,
and it was a very quirky, cute and Quinnish (!!!;) ) way to end the
episode…
All in all, an awesome job by everyone!
Rob