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SUMMARY

While dealing with a shoplifter at Wonderfalls, Jaye is surprised when Eric and Heidi come in to buy souvenirs before they leave. When a Caged Bird tells Jaye to “let him go”, she tells him that she is happy for him and Heidi. Later, she breaks down in front of Sharon who encourages her to call Eric before he leaves. They arrange to meet at her trailer in 20 minutes, but suddenly they are being held hostage by a bank robber, along with the security guard, Wade Jones, and Alec (the Mouth-breather).

When Eric comes by the store wondering where Jaye is, the robber instructs Jaye to get rid of him. Despite repeatedly asking to come inside, Jaye rebuffs him with some cruel words intended to make him leave. He thinks this behavior is strange, and calls the police. Their friends and family see him being interviewed on the news. Heidi is upset when she realizes that Eric doesn’t love her, and leaves.

During a plot to free themselves, Wade suffers a heart attack just before he is about to whack the robber in the head. The Karma Chameleon alerts Jaye to a back exit, and the robber grabs her and they leave. As they are driving away in a stolen van, they get t-boned by a very disgruntled Heidi. As the robber attempts to threaten Heidi, he is hit and killed by an ambulance.

Some time later, Jaye is working at Wonderfalls and Eric comes up to her. He reveals that he has divorced Heidi and has returned to Niagara to live there. They share a kiss. After he leaves, the Wax Lion says, “Word of advice…” to which Jaye replies, “Shut up.”

While this episode doesn’t have the same impact that Cocktail Bunny has, it continues the same momentum that was building before Totem Mole. I’m not sure about the continuity here, though, since in Totem Mole Jaye has resigned herself to the existence of the muses in her life and starts to see it as a possible positive. Here, she is back to the same distaste of them, criticizing them of ruining her life.

Heidi is also more humanized in this episode. She’s no longer the villain. She is simply a wife that wishes her husband would forgive and love her again. I have to wonder how much of the character’s motivation boils down to wanting to win, rather than wanting to be with Eric. Of course, the big payoff here is the kiss between Jaye and Eric, as we are led to believe that they live happily ever after, since they never got another season.

Mahandra and Aaron finally establish their relationship in this episode, for realsies. It’s interesting that Mahandra was concerned about Jaye’s feelings on their relationship for the prior episodes, but now she is fixated on Karen’s view. However, the Tylers have thus far shown that they are very encouraging of their children, and would be delighted about this new relationship. Karen’s look of shock at the reveal, notwithstanding. (Sharon looks ecstatic, however.)

The muses continue being chatty in this episode, although not to the same extent as in the prior two episodes. A few phrases are repeated here, such as “let him go” from the Caged Bird and “give him heart” by the Barrel Bear. The Caged Bird also gives other instructions that are less vague, such as “tell him you’re happy”. The Karma Chameleon gives the most specific instruction, with “there’s a hidden door in the bathroom, let him go”. And as I mentioned in the summary, the Wax Lion has to get the last word in there, with his advice.

TRIVIA & REFERENCES:

• This episode was originally envisioned inside a McDonalds, to be entitled “Happy Meal Hostage”.
• It was directed by the same person who directed Heathers.
• Jeffrey Smith, who plays Wade Jones the security guard, had originally auditioned to be Fat Pat in the episode Muffin Buffalo. He wasn’t a right fit for the part, but the creators liked him so much they created this character and framed this episode around him. He was originally a production assistant for the pilot.
• The kid that was cast for the shoplifter role was the best actor that auditioned, but the creators were hesitant to cast him due to his race and because of stereotypes.
• When Jaye mentions structural integrity, it is a reference to Star Trek.
• This episode was the coldest one that they filmed, it was -32 degrees Fahrenheit. The snow was real.
• The newscaster in the news sequences is an actual Toronto newscaster.
• The Barrel Bears were based off of a creepy bear toy with human faces that the creators found. It was custom-made for the series and each one cost about $700 to make.
• Supposedly, the off-hand comment by the Wax Lion at the end was supposed to be a set up for the next season, where a new Wax Lion would tell Jaye to disregard what the previous Wax Lions had said.

And that’s Wonderfalls! Next week we will have a wrap up and I will discuss my future plans on Zwolanerd.

Tags: LWST, Wonderfalls