And then you invite me too. You invite a girl to the Thanksgiving. -Trina

Which I love. I really...I do like that. -Danielle 

Cory grabs Topanga and laser down on the table to get hot and heavy. -Danielle

It's very unsanitary in a restaurant. -Will

Angela watches this unfold and tells Shawn I want what they have, but she leans in and kisses him and we freeze frame on our new couple staring into each other's eyes. -Danielle 

Topanga says it's so nice for them to all be together on Thanksgiving. Cory wants to tell her something. Then he leans in and starts to make out with her in front of everyone with weird blocking...Shawn and Angela watch on and Angela's eyes. I'm so glad I'm here. Shawn. Shawn holds out his hand for her to grab and then leads her into the apartment before we sit down. I'd like to say thanks for all the good things that have happened to us. He looks at Angela and me. -Danielle

Angela and Shawn are watching and Angela confesses. This is what's scares me. You get close to someone and you end up hating each other. Shawn assures her. There is nothing to be scared of. When two people are truly in love, there is no way they can end up hating each other. Right on time we cut back to Topanga. -Danielle

Except when they murder each other, which happens all, all the time. -Rider 

It's funny. I thought the same thing. -Will

Shawn asks if he can take his tie off and Angela says, yes, please never wear a tie again. Okay. She questions why he has it anyway. It's certainly not his. Sean confesses, I'm not one to give up any names, but Cory, all of this was Cory. He's a good guy. He just wants us to have what he and Topanga have have. -Danielle

I really think that this is where, this is like where the episode should have, this should be like scene three of the episode. Do you know, like, 'cause there's actual, there's something, there's something cool here about Cory being the pilot and forcing me to, into his version of Wooing and Angela. But, but like, instead, like I'm, I'm just not quite clear, like the conflict is like kind of class-based, like that we're too fancy of a restaurant, but we haven't established that like the things that we like are really like, like I, I just, I wanted it to be more about like if we knew that Angela liked a certain type of food and that Shawnn liked another type of food and then they were both trying to be something for the other. That's not quite established enough here. So I I I it it's a funny scene, but I'm just don't know why it's happening. Yeah. And then I, the resolution feels like, let's get burgers. I'm like, oh, okay. So the problem was that we were forced into eating fancy food. I I just, it's a little like mudelled for me. -Rider

No, I think it's exactly what you were saying before. The it's not a problem. It's that you realize that there are different kinds of love and cory and topanga are their own thing and everybody, it's like you want what they have, but you are not them. Nobody's them. -Will

We want our version of what they have. -Rider 

Your version is burgers and Vivaldi and hanging out at a different place. But, so it's like you, you can't be them because they're in, you know, even Topanga doesn't want this, the them at this point. So I think it's, if this is what happens when you let Cory in, the driver's seat is, well this is what love is. It's being married right away. -Will

That should have been the whole episode instead, instead of one scene. If that had been a story where we watched that play out in hijinks and funny scenes with cory whispering in my ear and, and maybe even Topanga whispering in Angela's ear. It could have been like a lot of miscommunication. And then the two of us finally being like, no, we're gonna do our own.... We keep alluding to the fact that we're not ready for this relationship. We're broken people, but we don't talk about what that means and we're not engaging with each other about that. We're just like, Vivaldi, I like it. You like it.  I don't know. It's underdeveloped. I feel like taking this scene as the model and expanding it in both directions would've been a better way to like confront this episode. -Rider 

Meanwhile, Angela asks, Sean, you said you knew me. If you really knew me, why would you bring me here? Sean admits, I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to be myself around you. I really want you to like me. Angela assures him. I do like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here. Sean asks, why it's so hard. Angela tells him she's never had a serious relationship either. Every time she got close to someone, she figured it was best to get away before they hurt each other. Is someone going to get hurt here? Sean? He earnestly tells her, no, not if we are ourselves. He calls out for Eduardo asking him to clear their table and just bring them a couple of burgers and -Danielle

See like all of that dialogue is exposition good? I think we're, I don't dunno what we're talking about. Like we're just saying. -Rider

They never established my character to say what I would like or not like. -Trina

And so, and we're not being specific. We're just hope and love and we and want and, and it's like, it's like song lyrics as opposed to like very like sharp. Like the thing you're doing right now, you can take you, I don't know, it just feels like, I dunno. It felt so like...Yeah. I just think the actual, like we, we have not covered details between our characters. So we have not said like Right. What we do imagine our lives would be like, 'cause we, we have the Vivaldi and Shakespeare, but we haven't seen the like, what do you like to wear? What do you like to eat? And, and then to see that in conflict with this.  So we're just expressing this makes me uncomfortable in abstract terms. And so it stays abstract. And that's what to me is the definition of like, acquisitional dialogue. -Rider

 I think it's more, I think it ends the same way where you guys are now figuring out what it's going to be. The same way you figured out this restaurant isn't for us. You figured out you didn't want to eat this food. It's like, we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. We You don know it's you don't know yet. And it's, it's, this is just the start of we know we don't want that. We know we're not them and we don't, we don't want this restaurant, but we'll figure out whatever comes next. As long as we're ourselves, we'll figure it out, I think is what they're saying. -Will

It's a nice sentiment. -Rider 

The host greets them. How many years have you two been married? Now the kids are good. No, Topanga tells him We are not married and we do not have kids. Cory whispers to Eduardo that Topanga is a little angry at here's a fiver, put an extra shrimp on her cocktail. -Danielle

But that's not what he says. I remember that 90, I remember 90. 90. You're 90, 90. He would always pronounce it so strangely. And I remember even at the moment being like, why does that sound so weird? Like, you're 90. You're 90. 90. You're 90. Like, okay, okay. Rusty. -Will 

So then we're back in Chubby Shawn back in his leather jacket, walks right up to Angela, who's sitting at a booth with Ted. Hear me out. This will just take a minute. He asks Ted if he minds in response. Ted offers Sean A. Fry....This is so funny and so perfect and all the performances are spot on. I love every second of it. -Danielle

I feel like this could have been like the second scene of the episode. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Like I feel like we've been treading water. This is a great scene, but it's like when Shawn realizes it's Angela, it she, it should go right to this. It should just be this and it would be fine. Like all the angst and like just Sean having internal pro. It's melodrama as opposed to drama. This is like an actual scene where something's happening and you know, this is what, if Shawn would've been able to say this right away, I don't understand, you know, anyway. -Rider 

You guys, your character got upset about things, a lot of things that weren't really happening. -Trina

It's, all anxiety. -Rider

And she thinks they're a great couple. Shawn follows it up with maybe we can have what they have. Angela's taken aback. They're not even dating Shawn questions. What are they doing right now? And Angela answers, I asked you to get something to eat. Shawn reminds her about the seashell. And Angela responds, Trina, you wanna say it? -Danielle

Sometimes a seashell is just a seashell. -Trina 

So this, this is like the, it's so interesting to me to see how the beginning of Shawn and Angela was always a counterpoint to Cory and Topanga. Which it continues to be, right? Like, there's always this like Shawn trying to have what Cory has, and it just, it's so weird to me. Like, I don't know if you know, like I, I I don't know. It, it's like, it just written into the life. -Rider

I said, get your own life Shawn. I remember that I say I want what they have, you know?  You always, you're always searching for what he has. And I also noticed that every time that Cory and Topanga are together, we, we would break up and then when we got together, they would be broken up. -Trina 

It's like the, the two relationships are like two different models of relationships and which one's better and which one's gonna work. And, and I don't know, like, I just don't know if that makes sense to me, like, as like why, I don't know. But in, in a soap operatic way, I guess it makes sense. Because you look at the show as like a metaphor for all love and it's like, and sometimes love won't work out and sometimes it will. And, but then I don't know if that's a, a a, an assessment of the characters of the people involved. Like, are we supposed to think that Cory and Topanga work because of something about the two of them that Shawn and Angela don't have as people? Or is it destiny? Like what do you think is like, because in this case it seems.. -Rider

Like it's about it's obsession. I mean, that's kind of unfortunate. Well, I mean, when you look at Cory/Topanga, that's it. We we're meant to be together and he becomes obsessed with her. And then Shawn kind of has an inkling of that in this episode where it's that kind of, oh, now that I've looked at her, now I have to have her. -Will

And you can't ever look another, you have to just be...yeah. It's like a real, like double down on love....-Rider

Also really interesting that Cory and Topanga have been together for 13 years and yet Cory still doesn't know that Topanga doesn't want this. So he doesn't actually know her at all. And yet Shawn does already know. I don't know, man. I told her we were gonna be casual. I don't really think this is a place for us. So truthfully, Shawn does know Angela and who they should be or who they would be as a couple, way more than Cory knows Topanga, even though they've been together for 13 years. -Danielle

What young teenager girl is gonna like Vivaldi like that though? It's kind of a stretch. -Trina 

 No, it's, it happens. Will and I were saying we went through a whole classical music phase when we were on the show. I listen to the Planets a lot. -Rider

For some reason, I could mouth along with every single line of dialogue from this B story. And I have no idea why. -Will

I watched it. It's, it's been within the year, this last year of us all going to the cons. There's something about watching again after having spent time with you guys. It it was really healing for me. It was like, wow. It just was different. You know, I always kind of watched it more for my flaws and what I could have done better. But now I was watching it like as an adult as a whole, as an ensemble, looking at more like an ensemble thing and how the chemistry with everyone, what was really good and everything. I, I still watch it. I'm not one of those people who doesn't like to watch themselves. I'm horrible. Yeah. I will watch myself over and over again. No shame about it. -Trina 

It was real ice. That I definitely remember. It was a big chunk of real ice. And for some reason Jack is making a pie days before Thanksgiving. -Will

I think he's practicing. 'cause I thought of that too with the soupy pie. I I thought of that too. But I did think he, he cares a lot about this and he wanted to practice his pie recipe. Wanted you to try it. See if, make sure he has it down. -Danielle

Thank God I don't even wait for it to cool. Before I dig right into the center of the pie. -Will

Oh, wait for it to cool. He pulls the hot pie tin out with one glove on glove and the other one with nothing on. He, he has a wooden spoon in this hand and, and no oven. mit, this one has an oven mit and he reaches in and with two hands pulls it out. -Danielle

So not great pie acting. Pacting. Rider 

That's called pacting. -Danielle

...Matt and I actually discussed this. What you don't realize is that Jack has a Teflon hand. So this is a part of the backstory. -Will

And was like, why is Angela walking away? Coming back, coming back, walking away, coming back. I was like, they didn't give you any reason to walk back in, like, you know, left your purse on the table or going to a locker. We're just like crossing for crossing's sake at the, I was like, what is happening? -Rider 

I I I'm one of those actors, especially back then, if you didn't gimme a reason to walk across, I would find the music in my head. So I can imagine what I was thinking, like Yeah. -Trina 

So then after a few giggly exchanges, Angela asks Shawn if he'd like to go out and get something to eat later, he nervously responds, I'd like that. Then she pulls something out of her pocket and hands it to Sean. She saw it and she thought of him. He's speechless and she offers a casual See ya and walks away. It was a seashell. Topanga asks if he likes seashells and Shawn defensively answers. I like this one. -Danielle

I like that button. But the whole seashell thing doesn't really make sense to me. -Rider

Tell you, people come up to me all the time with that seashell line. Sometimes a seashell just a seashell. -Trina

Well, that's a funny line. -Rider 

Later on. Like, that's what they say, that part of the line. But that, that sea shell played for a lot of fans.  -Trina

Well, yeah. What doesn't make sense to you about the seashell? Just that they picked a seashell.  -Danielle

Yeah. Yeah. We've established all these things. Weird. And, you know, like that connect us. And for, and then of course, like, I like the idea of the purse episode was that we have this mind meld of like taste and of lifestyle or whatever. But then the joke here is that I don't like seashells until she gives me one. And like, why did she think of me when she found a seashell? How many seashells are you finding in Philly? None of it makes sense to me. -Rider

Well it's the seashell capital of Pennsylvania. -Will

The point is that she gives me something special. Right. That's the point. And so to me, it should be something that connects us as something that we've talked about once or twice. And that I'm like, see, she does remember, or she does have these feelings and we are gonna do a day.  You know? But instead, it's actually the point of the seashell ends up being that sometimes a seashell is just a seashell. So I, I just didn't understand why it's there. What, what is this all about? It's just to give Shawn hope that he's gonna, that they're gonna date. But then if, I don't know, I just, like, none of it made sense to me. Like, have it be an object. Have it be a poem, have it be tickets to a movie. I don't know anything that establishes. -Rider 

Topanga gushes again. This is so cute. Cory agrees. Personally, I worship the man. And I thought, What a funny joke for everything we've seen between their relationship up to this point.  I loved it -Danielle

Great line. -Rider

Great. -Will

And then we go to a commercial break and we come back and we're at John Adams High. Sean runs up to Cory, who greets him with a huge grin and asks Sean's in love. Did you call her? Sean says, no. No way too nervous. He wouldn't even know where to start. Cory suggests starting with Hello, but Sean says, that's too risky. It would probably come out. I wanna have your children. Cory can't help but laugh Shawn Hunter man of a thousand dates afraid to call a girl. Shawn's eyes narrow. How dare you? My family comes from Cassocks. I fear nothing. -Danielle

And notice there was no laugh. Silence, like the audience. They, they didn't no one to understand what it was. 'cause of course, if you wanna hit a good 13-year-old, 14-year-old joke, you talk about the Cassocks, right? -Will

No. I don't know if you guys thought it was funny, which you were the only one. Or if it was, you thought it was funny. 'cause no one was laughing. -Danielle

The chemistry between you and Rider I is just, it's instant. It's, it pops through the screen. It is just, it's right. It's there. It's there right away. -Will

And to start the episode with us together was such an interesting and perfect part because it's like, oh, you already see us together. And then you're kind of like, oh, but this works. Why are they, why are they doing? And then you're just waiting for us to get back together. It's really well written. It's so good. -Rider 

Was, it was, you know, I just had this revelation the other day that there should be like a dating show called The Purse. Where you only know the context of the, you have to pick the girl or pick the guy and you only have the purse...And you know, I remember being so nervous and when I look at myself, I don't feel like I was acting my best. You know, I was kind of stiff and my mind was racing like, am I getting this right? You know? And so, and I think people that knew me were kind of like, treating, you're not doing your usual. You know, I usually try to pop more, but I felt like I had to like yeah you know, be more like this.... I never felt like I was really emoting like I wanted to emote, but I, but when I look at it now, it's fine. You know? -Trina

I think, I think what you're feeling like when you're talking about like how you're not popping or you're kind for me, like it's the writing of this episode, it's just like, it's just a sort of like unraveling or the unrolling of like what was started in the last episode. The last episode was so good and so well written. And then this one just feels like one kind of scene. Like we, the reveal of, you know, and I really, besides the dinner table stuff, which I, you know, with the Cory/Topanga, which I thought was hysterical and like, you know, big but funny. The stuff between Shawn and Angela is just like, they're great for each other. So let's just show that. And like, you know, they don't allow us to have any inter conflict between us really. Like, the conflict is that there is no conflict or that I'm anxious about it. It's like an anxiety show as opposed to real conflict. And so you're like, we're mostly just speaking exposition to one another. Like in every one of our scenes we're just like, I'm scared because I feel this. And you're like, I'm scared because I feel this and I'm, we, you know, it's like, I don't know. It didn't sound like the way people actually talk to one another to me. So if it, well, I wanted, like, I wanted it to happen. And I like these characters. I didn't feel like they were played for realism or it was just sort of like, let's just bring this together. Let's wrap this all up. Yeah. So like, the whole episode felt a little inevitable to me and a little like, ah, and there was like, okay, cool. You know? So I don't know that would, and so I, I feel like that, you know, if, if like Angela had come in with more personality or more attitude and that had been a problem, or like they, they disagreed about something a little more like intensely like in scenes we would've more to do. -Rider 

I liked how it was, I liked how it was, you know, with, with very little intro to Angela's character, you got that she was Sean, essentially. It's like they had something where neither of them had really been, you know, this unfolds obviously as the episode's going, but neither of them had really been in a relationship before. Yeah. They're, they're kind of both scared for some reason, but we don't know why yet. Why they're scared to get into a relationship and they both realize at the same time that they do want something more and they want it with each other. I don't know. To, to me it kind of worked. It worked that it was, you know, it's a sitcom, so it's going to be inevitable that they're gonna get together. But I liked that it was, it wasn't opposites attract. It wasn't we're fighting and now we love each other. It was, they're both realizing at the same time they're kind of the same person and they're gonna do it together.  And I liked that. I thought that was cool... I also think it was kind of the idea of, and that's why what you get when you're looking at CO and Topanga is the idea of love to them was better than love. It's what love is. Because when they saw it, and I love that Topanga finally explodes and it's like, we're 80, I don't wanna be 80. So it was that kind of like, do we want to jump right into that? I don't know. It worked for me. I think you're right. It didn't work as a second episode. Meaning like, you didn't need the week in between. I think you're a hundred percent right. But if they just played it for an hour straight without a break, I think it was a great one hour episode.  Frankly. To bring the two of them together. 'cause you're so rooting for the two of you Right. Because you do have such chemistry that you just, you wanna see this and where it's going...But I was over co and Topanga halfway through the episode and was concentrating more on Shawn and Angela...'cause you're like, okay, I, I get now that we now just have to accept that Cory and Topanga have, this is the 19th different version of how they met the 19th different version of how they've been together. We now just have to accept that this is what they are. They're the old married couple. -Will 

I loved the Cory/Topanga energy this episode. -Rider

At that time I was worried about so many a plethora of things being 10 years older than you guys. You know, the thing I like the most about that particular, the episode we're talking about too, is just the fact that they didn't really get so into, of course, the color of our skin. You know, it really just, you know, and, and I've always grappled with that over the years. I've talked about it or whatever, but it's such a human testament of, of, of how we can feel each other and, and love each other and be interested. And I also like the fact that it was a different kind of trope for a black girl on television to not be, you know, extra sassy or, or be able to be nice and feminine and loved was, and not in conflict. Or, or, or, or, I mean, we were in conflict and struggle, but the love was always there. -Trina 

Like the whole point of the purse is that I fall in love with the contents of your character. Just, you know, without knowing anything about the surface of who you are. Which is another sort of way to talk about race without talking about race. Right. Like, and that, so it's, so, it's so interesting to revisit now after all these years of like, conversations between us or with fans about like, whether we should have referenced race or not, or did we reference race? I'm like, it is there, it's just not, it's just not as explicit. -Rider

He just needs to look into her eyes and he'll realize it. A new type of ensorcellment. -Danielle

This is a callback to the first season. The giggles, right? But that was about touch, right? Remember that was about touch. Don't touch your head. Right? It wasn't about looks, but yeah. -Rider

 I'm just, I'm just, I love how many types of ways women can ensorcell men. -Danielle

We're the weaker sex. A look, a touch, a kiss, and we turn to jello. That's just the way it is. -Will

5x8 | 6x6