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knickynoo · 4 years

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Family Ties “Hotline Fever”: An APK Rambling

Alright, so I really need to talk about this episode, everyone. I’m watching through the series for the second time currently & just having so many feelings. The first time around, I was just kind of taking it in and enjoying it, but now I’m looking at it more from an analytical side (which is my jam). And honestly? I’m fully realizing why I like Alex P. Keaton so much.

This is going to be a LONG one, people.

(TW for a plot that deals with depression & talk of suicide)

So, for anyone who hasn’t seen the episode, here’s the basic gist of it: Alex has to take a humanities course for college, which he’s obviously not thrilled about because come on. The humanities? Dealing with people and emotions and all those things Alex would rather not concern himself with? He eventually settles on volunteering at a hotline center, offering counseling over the phone. He’s not into the idea at all and just wants to get through it and earn his credit. He’s also not too happy to discover that an old school rival of his, James (who beat him in the 3rd grade spelling bee-a fact he’s still not over), is his partner for the course.

When Alex and James are at the center one night, and find out that the guy training them isn’t able to come in, Alex is more than happy to pack up his stuff and go home. Until the phone rings, that is. On the other end of the line is Bill, a troubled teen who reveals to Alex that he’s lost all hope and is thinking about ending it all. Completely out of their element & caught off guard, Alex & James have to decide how to handle the situation on their own.

For such a heavy episode, it has a fairly well-balanced element of humor added throughout. While the seriousness of the situation at hand always stays at the forefront, Alex, James, & even Bill have their moments of playing off of each other in a lighthearted enough way that it works.

Here’s the thing though: this is an Alex episode. As such, the plot is ultimately used as a vehicle to give us a much deeper look into his mind. And people, this is an important Alex episode. Because what does the average person think about Alex at first glance? Well, he certainly can come across as cold. He’s full of snark, tends to flaunt his intelligence, and can even appear to struggle with empathy. But I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again....

Alex P. Keaton is so much more than what we see on the surface. All the attitude and arrogance? The ego and the flippant remarks? Walls. They’re walls, and APK has a whole lot of them set up all around him. Sure, we see plenty of glimpses behind them through the series up until this point, but this episode is really one of the first times we see them ripped down completely, leaving Alex utterly vulnerable.

As Alex and James stay on the phone long into the night, Bill eventually tells them that he’s scared, to which Alex tells him that everybody sometimes feels that way. And then Bill hits Alex with two words that set the entire rest of the plot in motion.

“Do you?”

Friends, Alex does not want to talk about this. It’s one thing to talk about somebody else’s emotions, but his own?? That’s a big no from APK. But this is important to Bill, so Alex gives himself permission to lower those walls. And boy howdy, do we get a beautiful scene.

Alex tells Bill he does get scared, “Mostly at night. You know, when the house is real quiet. And I start thinking about my future. I do, I get scared.”

This confuses Bill, who asks why that would scare Alex? Hasn’t he always succeeded in life so far? To which Alex tells him that’s exactly why he gets scared. He lays it all out on the table then, explaining how hard he has to push himself to live up to his own previous success and expectations. Not to mention the expectations that everyone around him has set. He’s spent so much of his life being praised for his intellect and work-ethic, that at this point, it’s become his identity. He can’t let himself fail because he literally isn’t sure that he can handle it.

Alex: “-I can’t let myself fail. I keep pushing myself to do better and better and I keep trying harder and harder, and I’m afraid that if I stop...”

Alex gets totally wrapped up in spilling this out to Bill, speaking in that rapid-fire, breathless way that’s so typical of him and fidgeting anxiously in his seat. Because this is really, really difficult for him. So he pulls himself back and stops mid-sentence, apologizing for getting so carried away. But Bill wants to know what Alex was going to say. And after a quiet moment of consideration, we get this.

And it’s with these few lines that we finally see Alex. Walls completely down, with only a terrified guy left behind them. This is the driving force behind the great Alex P Keaton: fear. An anxiety rooted so deep that his only option is to hide it with a consuming drive for success and an over-inflated ego.

Yes, Alex P. Keaton is a lot of things. He can be self-centered and arrogant. He is pedantic, sometimes oblivious to social cues, and operates in very black and white thinking. APK doesn’t know gray area. There’s right and there’s wrong. Success and failure. It’s no surprise at all that a person like him would feel the need to close himself off emotionally in order to not be crushed by the confusing, scary world around him. So he can’t slow down. Because one little slip up might be enough to ruin him. He’ll be nothing.

Can we just focus on that for a second? The fact that Alex, a kid being raised in a completely stable environment, with parents who so deeply love him, can still have such inner emotional dysfunction that the entirety of his self-worth is tied to how bright and witty he is?? To the point that he stays up at night worrying that failure would erase his own value and potentially cause those around him to not love him any more? The whole scene paints a terribly sad picture of this usually enthusiastic, passionate guy we’ve known for two seasons.

But it’s such an important moment for him. It’s unlikely that Alex has ever opened up like this to anybody before, yet here he is, spilling his guts to a stranger on the phone. And why? Because he knows that Bill needs to hear it. He recognizes that this hurting guy is actually a lot like himself, and wants to let him know that he isn’t alone.

He pleads with Bill to keep going. “You don’t want to die. And we don’t want you to die,” he says, his voice cracking with genuine emotion.

The whole episode is just beautiful, and I love what it does for Alex as a character. He may very well return to his typical Alex-ness by the next episode (and he does) but now we have some context. We know a little more now about what makes him tic and the motivating force behind what makes APK everything that we see on screen. And you know what? Alex is probably learning about himself in the moment too, as he says out loud the things that had only ever been confined to his head before.

It’s fantastic, and I had to write an essay about it.

(For anyone wondering, the episode ends on a bright note, with Bill telling them he’s going to start new tomorrow & seek out professional help and with Alex and James sharing a lovely moment.)

*takes a sip of orange juice* Anyway, thanks for coming to the next part of my 47982 APK character study lecture series, everyone

#nikki...are u ok #he's just a character #family ties #alex p keaton #apk #michael j fox #alex is my actual favorite tv character ever ok #i wish more people would talk about him #nikki rambles

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girlbookwrm · 5 years

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BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH MIGHTY ENDGAME REWATCH MEMECEPTION 2: MEMIER AND CEPTIONIER

yes i HAVE been keeping up with the rewatch but i HAVEN’T been keeping up with typing up my notes from the rewatch but BOY HOWDY I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME AREN’T I.

Ok so here we go with Guardians 2 --

today we mourn the passing of an icon. farewell old marvel logo. ye shall be missed.

MISSOURI. EARTH. 1980.

so whose music taste does starlord actually have? his own? his mom’s?

My Boss’s, in fact????

be it known that i work retail and the station we listen to is basically the guardians soundtrack which might sound neat but basically all these songs are dead to me now.

digitally enyouthened kurt russell must be mentally re en agened so i don't go mad like some sorry sucker faced with a lovecraftian horror tbh

34 YEARS LATER

which means 2014 confirmed which means we're actually watching this out of in-universe chronological order

our bad

this is the REAL opening. slipping back into their flashback ways i see.

Is groot dancing or fighting? both?

i love that all the action is out of focus, what we really want is Cute Groot Content and they know that.

“IT’S THE SAME THICKNESS FROM THE INSIDE AS FROM THE OUTSIDE” they said

in deliberate defiance of anthony tedward ‘you know the story of jonah and the whale?’ stark

none of this info is important or relevant

good hermit look nebula. solid hermit attire.

how does no one figure out the obvious battery thing faster? they’re not even out of the hall when he tips his hand

awwwwhwhwhh groot

~this one’s for the ladies~

i honestly can’t remember the context for that note i’m gonna assume that peter took his shirt off

it’s worth noting that drax is actually sneaky

“i will kill you”

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* solid sibling interaction there.

i do love that it’s like an arcade

Just In Case You Were Wondering, The Guardians Have Not Grown Up At Alllllllllll.

sooooooooo drax going out the back -- that was the plan?

And drax is dead now, right?

and gamora?

and nebula?

and.... everyone?

BERHART

Gamora: LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!!

all of us: mood.

nebula is also very bad at lying.

Kurt Russell is here

“yeah my name is very on the nose. That’s comics for ya!”

CONTRAXA

The Roommate: There’s something extra unsettling about robot prostitutes not sure what...

prostitute: *turns herself off*

The Roommate: Yep. it’s that.

that’s extremely rude of you rocky

honestly how dare this movie make me feel feelings about yondu

The Roommate: oh hey it’s laserface

me: it’s taserface actually

The Roommate: ........ that’s so much worse?

this carpet gag deserves more appreciation

Star-Lord’s “IT’S HAPPENING” face is just

Yup, that’s ur dad

Query: is Mantis one of Ego’s kids?

“what if this man is your hasselhoff?”

git ur daddy issues

git ur daddy issues here

hang on why was gamora so pissed if they can just grow new ship parts no problem???

Mantis is so cute but more importantly

HER EYE MAKEUP GAME IS ON! POINT!

i love rocket, always, but especially here with all the singing

but not that

nope

don’t like that

Just gonna kevin mccalister this whole forest huh

these guys are also dead, yeah?

yeah.

EGO’S PLANET

good job drax excellent grasp on humility

he’s built a museum to himself here

“yes, i have a penis.”

Gamora’s FACE here omg

what did Ego look like? pre Kurt Russell? did he go around seducing alien ladies with tentacle faces all the while looking like Kurt Russell? seems unlikely, since he can make himself look like Whatever. more likely he’s just pasted the Kurt Russell face over everything now because he’s got his Kurt Russell kid here, right?

A Very Smart Question We Never Get A Real Answer To.

literally the most unrealistic thing in this movie: how could anyone be mean to baby groot?

can we take a moment to acknowledge that this is all like hella hella dark?

y i k e s

Ok but if Nebula doesn’t kill thanos then What Is The Point.

The Roommate: Peter and his dad play catch is so predictable i’d have felt robbed if they didn’t tbh. it HAD to be in slow mo.

me: ....

me: i just thought they were throwing it real slow

we still don’t have an answer here incidentally

Mantis is at least an adopted sibling then, right?

“No Gef. It’s Too Adorable To Kill.”

them all chanting mascot is terribly on the nose

this sequence made the full funny loop. went from funny to not funny and then pushed on through back to hilarious

They knew about the fin? and just?? Left it???

EXCELLENT use of slo mo

Yondu: Too Powerful to Live

Kraglin: Keepin it tight in those leather pants

TBF i don’t even know how she WALKS in those shoes much less dances in them

The Roommate: This scene makes me sad now... given...

Me: AH GEEZE

“you like when i’m the weak one.”

me and The Roommate: *exchange looks*

Me and The Roommate: *sweating*

Me and The Roommate: she’s one of us.

Gamora: *my sister senses are tingling*

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* Solid Sibling Interaction There.

stop giving me feelings about these characters That Is Rude

Nebula and Bucky would get along i feel

“I’M GONNA MAKE SOME WEIRD SHIT” - fandom

I love this very Non Romantic Relationship

PETER are you even LISTENING to what he’s SAYING???

aw man eyes Doing That is never a good sign

y i i i i i k e s

oh hey it’s pooter

groot even pukes adorably wtf

this film gets real fast real fast actually

ego

ego that’s gross

that’s gross ego

Gamora: NO ONE MAKES ME FEEL MY OWN FEELINGS HOW DARE U

“we’re family”

i’m sobbing

Peter goes from zero to FUCK YOU in .00002 seconds i love that sm

we love this even more

for reasons.

“That was Bein Funny.”

nOT to ME

really? all this for like? three batteries?

batteries are actually a real #theme throughout this piece aren’t they.

i LOVE THIS SONG

superhero landing

“i don’t fly the arrow with my head, boy”

“yeah. i murder from the heart.”

You know, tbh yondu and gamora had to die for p much the same reason

too powerful

aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Y I K E S

ugh it’s like he’s being de-Raider-ized

i just don’t like it okay

i would like to thank whoever was responsible for cutting that line off mid-schmaltz

again, a+ music cue

AND IF YOU DON’T LOVE ME NOW!!

damn. iconic.

tho how dare this movie tbh

this is somehow a hard turn

NOPE DON’T CARE FOR THAT NO THANK YOU

listen this is a very sweet scene completely ruined because

DADDY

yondu’s accent? not a good enough reason to say daddy in this context

gosh i came out here to have a good time and i’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.

AND THEN THIS SHIT HOW DARE???????

[awkward sibling hug]

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* SOLID SIBLING INTERACTION THERE.

this song is.

very rude.

Can we talk about how drax is the team dad? like. Drax is everyone’s actual literal dad -- SLEEPY BABY GROOT

single rocket tear is too much

i say to this entire end sequence:

R U D E

these end credits are unfuckingbeatable tho

#The Mighty Pre Endgame Rewatch #gotg2 #gonna try and get more of these typed and posted tomorrow #WISH ME LUCK

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