so i remember seeing a post somewhere here talking about how if joey richter had a mustache on a stick/stick-on mustache he could easily play both ted and pete in the same scene, and i love that idea, but if it were to happen i do want one part to be included about pete wanting a mustache, something like
Pete: You know, I've been thinking about growing a mustache.
Ted, while smoothing out his mustache: You? (he turns to face pete) With a mustache? (he laughs) Like you could ever pull off a mustache.
Pete: Hey! I would look great with a mustache!
basically i want a scene where pete and ted talk about how pete would look terrible with a mustache aka joey richter putting on and taking off a mustache while telling himself he would look stupid with a mustache and arguing with himself
forever thinking about the tgwdlm digital ticket and how, after the “alice is already dead” speech, you can see ted in the background for the whole rest of the scene. and oh boy does joey ever pack that shit FULL of tiny little acting choices that make me go cuckoo bananas.
the first part that i love is when paul says “i’m gonna go with you to get your daughter back.” ted was walking away, but then he freezes, and clenches his fists at his sides. he stares at paul in disbelief for a moment, then he grabs the bottle of booze off the seat with obvious anger and sits back down.
he’s sitting, clutching the bottle, and staring down at charlotte’s body at his feet, looking miserable and angry.
but when paul says “there comes a time in every man’s life when he has to draw a line in the sand,” joey does this beautiful, tiny movement where just his eyes snap up from charlotte’s body. he’s not immediately looking at paul, but it’s crystal clear that he snapped to attention at that statement. then he stares at paul in such grim silence.
for me this all really resonates with all that we now know about ted… i think there have been many times in ted’s life when, from his perspective, things probably would’ve been a lot better if he had drawn a line in the sand. if he had stepped up. if he had been braver. if he had told jenny how he felt. if he had had a serious, open talk with charlotte. if he had the guts in this moment right now to go with paul and bill in the vain hope that his baby brother might still be alive in that school with alice.
but ted is so far gone at this point, so resigned, so far down that bottle of booze that he can’t bring himself to do anything. so he just watches paul go. and now the man he considers his best friend is strutting off to his death too, and ted knows he’s not going to stop him. he’s always been a coward, so why stop now?
i’m just fascinated by this whole sequence and i am obsessed with joey’s choices and how well the whole thing flows in harmony with information from years later. ted is such a mess and i love him so so much. he has so many subtleties to him if you’re looking for them.
Imagine an episode of nightmare time opening on Peter Spankoffski. Same long hair, same glasses, same awkward mannerisms and snarky commentary, his sweater is new, yellow, but otherwise he looks as we know him. He’s talking to kids in his class, they don’t seem like anyone we’ve met before. We hear a teacher taking attendance in the background. He’s chatting with a girl, not Steph though, she has long red hair and seems concerned, listening to him explain “Look, it’s not like I don’t like the glasses, but those asshole bullies keep breaking and stealing them. It’s just not economical. That’s why I’m getting contacts. It’s just too much easier than-“ he pauses as the teacher shouts his name