Kid Nation 11/21: "Let Me Talk!"

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Previously on Kid Nation, a second election was set up. Now, we vote. Guylan pulled an Edward VIII and decided to abdicate his position to DK. And with Greg, Blaine, and Michael winning seats, an entirely new Town Council was founded. The town was suspicious of the troublesome duo of Greg and Blaine being in charge, and feared it would be the end of Bonanza as thay knew it. Sayeth Sophia: “I just feel like someone won a presidential election without background check.” The former Council members are also fearful of what will happen- Laurel and Zach are angry they are no longer in power, while Anjay and Guylan are happy they don’t have to get up early and run everything.

The next morning, Blaine and Friends have the entire council meet for a bizarre remedial-school style game to let the town learn about communication. Each townskid introduces themselves in order, but if anyone laughs and talks out of turn, they must start all over again. When this does happen, Greg sarcastically cheers and applauds at them for ruining the game, a rather hypocrytical move. Michael is the only Council member who is against the Council’s behavior, talking with his Green comrades about how nasty the rest of the Council is. Greg and Blaine eavesdrop on this conversation, and along with DK take the Green district’s suggestion to sit in the middle of town and compliment everyone literally. Of course, they screw this up as well, making catcalls at the ladies and generally coming off as a bunch of city-street perverts. A big argument ensues about the Council’s behavior ensues. The Council gets so angry, they threaten to give they Gold Star to no one. The rest of the town is appaled at their high-and-mighty stance- “What is this, a Nazi regime?”-and finds it ironic that the most disrespectful people in town are trying to teach respect. Michael states he does not agree with the rest of the Council and plans to rule differently, but he soon agrees to rejoin the Counci’s way of thinking as long as they change their tune.

Taylor is her usual self, playing the Dough Game rather than working. Greg threatens to deny her the reward if she doesn’t start working. She doesn’t care- since Randi went home, so will she. The challenge this week involves pies and inventions. Jared plans to rush the pie and eat it. Emilie does so- but not to rush it, I assume. Blaine provides comic relief by not knowing what a phonograph is, believing it plays CDs, and also believing the television was invented in 1837. But, all four teams finish in time and get a choice of rewards- ponies to help out, or letters from home. Oh, this one is obvious! But the Council brings up a good point- might the letters make the kids even more homesick? In the end, the Council takes the ponies…and throws them out the window, because they chose the letters. Would they really deny Taylor a letter from home, though? They make Taylor promise to work harder if she wants the letter. She does, and eventually decides to stay. But what is a promise from Taylor worth?

At the town meeting, everyone complains about Greg’s behavior, claiming he isn’t being disresepectful, but he claims it’s “tough love.” He then sets up a proposal: if more than half of the town wants him to go home, he will. No one wants him to go home, they want him to change. He says he will. Although it may be easier said than done, the Council does give one of their most outspoken critics, Laurel, the Gold Star. Could this be the sign of a kinder New Council? Hard to say.

Next week: “I Just Like The Recess Part.” Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone! Taylor believes she don’t need no education. All in all, is she just another brick in the wall?

This recap is brought to you by a generous grant from the Sapo Foundation for Paragraph Breaks and Past Episode Thread Links, and by the Television Foundation- Celebrating 170 years of television history.

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The disinformation campaign by Greg and Blaine about what was said in the Green dorm was obnoxious. The way they pulled DK in was pretty manipulative, since he was not mentioned at all in the actual conversation. Why did no one set him straight and make him see how he was being played? Grrr. Bottom line, Greg is an ass; he plays games like a grown man in an abusive relationship, one minute being sarcastic and insulting and making threats, the next minute so sweet, apologetic, and reasonable. He’s going to make some girl a very scary and confusing husband someday.

Laurel’s mother was hilarious: “Lawrull, omigawd, you won twenny thousan’ dollahs!” I’m glad she won it, and that probably takes the sting out of losing her council seat, which looks like more trouble than it’s worth. The fact that it went to Green again was puzzling-- I thought for sure that Greg and Blaine would stonewall Green for any future gold stars as a punishment.

As much as I agreed with the idea that Taylor’s reward should be withheld, I don’t think I could have done it either. She really looked pathetic, wanting that letter from home. I imagine she will be up to her old tricks next week, though.

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Well done!

I don’t know if I would have gotten the inventions in order. Didn’t the telephone and telegraph come pretty close together? I remember Deadwood getting a telegraph in 1876 or 1877, and I remember reading that Deadwood was one of the first towns west of the Mississippi to have a telephone. And I remember reading in New Grub Street (circa 1880’s) about someone using a typewriter.

What is the right order?

Telegraph
Telephone
Typewriter
Phonograph
Radio
Television

Greg’s behavior is more bizarre every week. I think his nasty anger is just as natural as his niceness. Is that typical of a 15-year-old?

I think no one raised their hand at his “Do you want me to go home” question because they were afraid of him. What if they said yes and he didn’t leave?

No journal this week. No Bonanzans suggesting who should get the gold star. No council huddle. Odd.

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Typewriter comes before Telephone.

Telegraph 1837 (Morse)
Typewriter 1868 (Sholes)
Telephone 1876 (Bell)
Phonograph 1878 (Edison)
Radio 1900 (Marconi)
Television 1930 (Farnsworth)

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Hey, they invented paragraphs! :wink: Excellent recap as usual.

Democracy sucks.

Gregg is scarily Jekyll and Hyde. He is trouble. I once thought he was improving, but it turned out it was just one of his swings.

Blaine is also up and down. He tries to break from Gregg, but gets sucked back in every time. At the TC, he sounded like he was trying to distance himself again. We will see.

Did Gregg decide to give the star to Laurel on his own? We never saw any deliberations. I agree I never thought Green would get it, although it was more than clear than Laurel had to get one at some point.

The compliment bit was just too funny. When they decided to do it, I said “well, that’s nice”. Then after the first one, I started to worry. Hmmm, I hope they get better at it soon. Then it just got worse and I couldn’t help but laughing. I thought Laureal was going to get her wish of Bonanza crashing and burning.

All in all, a clear example of what happens when uninformed electors are in charge of choosing their leaders and vote to spite the incumbent.

I had an impossible time hating Taylor this episode (looks like I will be cured next week, though). I don’t know what she had, but she looked younger and more vulnerable. At one point my wike asked “doesn’t she look a lot like our 3yo daughter?” while I was thinking exactly that. And her face when they showed the letters was just too much. Even swinging Gregg couldn’t be mean to her.

I am beginning to have a problem with Green, and my newly found liking of Sophia has receded. They are just too cliqueish.

And ponies? really? Who ever thought of ponies as beasts of burden but not the ATVs?

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I finally remembered where I’ve seen Greg before.

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New York magazine’s Culture Vulture blog, which calls Kid Nation “the greatest reality show ever” and “bleach-ingestingly excellent” (is that anything like “groin-grabbingly delicious?”) posted a Kid Nation drinking game.. Sounds solid to me.

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Hey wait a second!

John Logie-Baird had a working television in 1924, and the first public demonstration in 1925. He made the first transatlantic broadcast in 1928 ( London to New York). The BBC began broadcasts using Logie-Baird’s system in 1929, and used it until 1937.

In 1944 Logie-Baird demonstrated the first fully electronic colour television.

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The 1930 date was the one given by the show. The inventor of the television is a contorversy. Although Philo T. Farnsworth is commonly given as the inventor of the television, John Logie Baird is also a candidate. The same controversy exists with other inventions such as video games, invented by Bushnell, Baer, or Higinbotham depending on who you ask. Besides, we all know TV was invented in 1837. Right, Blaine?

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I thought it was DK that was hopelessly clueless about the invention order. But I do think they won the challenge with plenty of time to spare, thanks to the sharing of information between teams and some reality-show editing.

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DK had trouble, but Blaine had a LOT. “Pho-no-graph? What the fuck is that?”

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Not over here :slight_smile:

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“That fo-no-graf had to come after TV becaue it can play CDs and stuff!” Wow, Blaine. Seriously, dude.

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Actually, if I’m not mistaken, didn’t he say “po-no-graph”?

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Seeing the ads for next week, I don’t care what type of self-concerned monsters Taylor’s parents might be, coming home is going to be hard for that little girl. Half the show has spun around her brattiness, and her friends are going to pick on her day and night for it.

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I don’t know about that. Don’t you imagine her as queen of her little social circle, kind of a middle school Heather Chandler? I don’t think she brooks much opposition in any facet of her life, home, school, etc. She seems like quite the tyrant. I’m sure her family and friends think she’s the cat’s pajamas for fighting off those bossy jerks trying to make her do manual labor. She is a BEAUTY QUEEN, and beauty queens do not carry anyone else’s water!