# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/201 "2009-08-01T02:23:19Z")
I was watching _Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree_ and thought, “Huh, Rabbit’s hole looks like a real rabbit’s hole.” Then I thought, “Rabbit doesn’t seem to have any stitches, come to think of it.” And then, “Ohmygosh Rabbit is a _real_ rabbit! And Owl is a real owl!” I mentioned this to my husband, and he said, “Yes, it’s pretty clear if you look at the original illustrations.” I had no clue. ---
**Author:** ![Pigs\_in\_Space](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@Pigs\_in\_Space](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pigs_in_Space)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/202 "2009-08-01T02:34:49Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > This is from watching the final episode of season five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: > > She sacrifices herself to save her sister. She falls into the vortex thingy with her arms spread out wide. And then she gets resurrected in season six. > > It took a while before I made the connection. Also, the entire season is about death. I didn’t figure it our until reading it somewhere. Buffy vs. Dracula makes a lot more sense with that in mind. (I did figure out the same about Farscape season 3 on my own, but the first episode is called Season of Death, so that helped.) ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/203 "2009-08-01T03:23:01Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I never knew those were actually words!! I’ve only heard the song and thought she was just spelling out “F-u-c-k me.” Well, there you go, you just realized something! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/204 "2009-08-01T04:11:09Z")
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned the arrow in the FedEx logo. I noticed it the first time I saw it (I’m a designer), but some people can’t see it even when it’s pointed out to them. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/205 "2009-08-01T04:29:38Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > So is the “Rose” supposed to equate somehow to “anti”, or something, or is it meaningless? Isn’t the rose a medieval symbol of Jesus as well? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/206 "2009-08-01T04:38:06Z")
Another one I just remembered: It was some time last year before I realized that the band with John, Paul, George, and Ringo was spelled differently from the insect. Beatles, as in “beat”. Before that, I think I just used both spellings interchangeably, and never noticed since spell-check recognizes both. **Helena** , good catch on Rabbit and Owl-- I never even suspected. Now that you mention it, though, Gopher must be real, too… All of the real animals don’t have their own names, just the names of their species. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/207 "2009-08-01T05:02:25Z")
I don’t know how obvious it is to everyone else but in Aliens, it seems very clear to me now that Bishop sold Ripley and co. out. He lies right to her face and no one catches him on it. He tells Ripley and the surviving marines that flight time for the second drop ship will be 40 minutes. Now hold on a minute there Mr. Bishop. That’s the express elevator to hell you’re talking about. We watched the flight in real time when it was done with a load of squishy marines and a human pilot and from start to finish it took FOUR minutes, not forty. So Bishop had control of that drop ship for a lot longer than he let on. Check his expression when the survivors show up at the landing field early because of Newt’s shortcut. “Oops, you’re not supposed to be here yet!” So that’s how the eggs got on board in Alien 3. Bishop ferried them there. That’s probably also why the Queen ripped him in half- she recognized him as the egg thief! There was also a really good, really subtle one in Angel. In Season 2, Angel is able to get ahold of a special ring that the Senior Partners use to travel between their dimension and Earth. Angel puts the ring on and gets on a different express elevator to Hell, where he is greeted by old Wolfram and Hart buddy Holland Manners. And everything Holland says to him is complete bullshit. It was the best victory they ever scored against Angel and they never get any credit for it. Basically, Holland tells Angel that there is no way to get to the Senior partners; the home office is on Earth. Angel never notices Holland very smoothly changing the subject. Angel ends up demoralized because he knows he can never defeat the negativity and evil in all human beings so he gives up on trying to get to the Senior Partners! Sure the home office is on Earth. But the Senior Partners aren’t! And even after Angel does some dimensional traveling (including to a jail run by the Senior Partners!) he gives up on trying to take them on in their home turf. But he was almost there. There’s a visual in the episode that shows the elevator dropping into an open space and then back into the elevator shaft. That ties in with Lindsay bitching at Darla in the next episode about the ring which everyone spent so much time disenchanting. So it’s clearly shown in the episode that Angel was well on his way but got distracted by a bullshit story and didn’t realize his elevator could be diverted from the outside! ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/208 "2009-08-01T05:14:02Z")
I was watching the Seinfeld episode “The Couch” a few days a go and it suddenly occurred to me that the argument between Poppy and Kramer over how to make a pizza was a parody of the abortion debate. I’m not sure how I missed that before. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/209 "2009-08-01T06:02:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Another one I just remembered: It was some time last year before I realized that the band with John, Paul, George, and Ringo was spelled differently from the insect. Beatles, as in “beat”. Before that, I think I just used both spellings interchangeably, and never noticed since spell-check recognizes both. > > **Helena** , good catch on Rabbit and Owl-- I never even suspected. Now that you mention it, though, Gopher must be real, too… All of the real animals don’t have their own names, just the names of their species. Gopher? What gopher? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/210 "2009-08-01T06:39:15Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > And the words of the prophet were written on the subway walls, and tenant halls… Isn’t it “tenement” halls? . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/211 "2009-08-01T06:44:18Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > I’ve owned a Subaru for almost 4 years now and never caught that reference. It bothers me that the Pleiades are commonly called “The Seven Sisters” (in the western hemisphere, anyway) but my Subaru’s logo has only six stars. . ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/212 "2009-08-01T06:51:02Z")
> [@ajdebosco](#): > > That is dead solid perfect, R A. I recently saw the interview of John Cleese on Inside the Actor’s Studio where the discussion rolled around to the question of just what is funny. He maintained that it is comical to see someone going increasingly berserk, but what is really humorous is the reactions of the other characters observing the meltdown. > > I had to re-review the dead parrot sketch after reading your post, and my cold beverage came out my nose until I was forced to set it down before wasting more of it. My sides still ache from seeing him try to explain “…was no more…he has ceased to be… he has expired… gone to meet his maker…he’s an EX-PARROT!” An especially delightful performance is on “The Secret Policemens’ Other Ball” DVD; Cleese makes Palin crack up, and plays with it a little until they’re both losing it. . ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/213 "2009-08-01T07:32:48Z")
> [@Helena](#): > > I was watching _Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree_ and thought, “Huh, Rabbit’s hole looks like a real rabbit’s hole.” > > Then I thought, “Rabbit doesn’t seem to have any stitches, come to think of it.” > > And then, “Ohmygosh Rabbit is a _real_ rabbit! And Owl is a real owl!” > > I mentioned this to my husband, and he said, “Yes, it’s pretty clear if you look at the original illustrations.” > > I had no clue. That’s sweet, but I hate to break it to you . . . [spoiler]None of them are real. They’re _cartoons_. 😉 [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/214 "2009-08-01T10:01:32Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > He was briefly a modern languages scholar, and he wrote in French because he wanted to be forced to be more succinct. How does this make sense? No language forces succinctness just like no language forces verbosity. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/215 "2009-08-01T11:08:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > All of the real animals don’t have their own names, just the names of their species. Doubtful. Kanga and Roo are _probably_ not real animals. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/216 "2009-08-01T13:18:34Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > I was just now at the gym on the treadmill, watching a re-run of “Will & Grace” when it suddenly struck me that the names of the two characters (and the series) is an ironic twist: > > The character Eric McCormack plays is smart, successful, handsome, but a big pushover. He always knuckles under to Grace and Jack, objecting to their many outrageous demands on him but constantly doing what they want him to do. He’s intimidated by his mother, and must often be coaxed into standing up for himself. He has no **WILL** power. > > The character Debra Messing plays is a sexy, but extremely neurotic red-head, prone to shrill outbursts. She has no qualms about making huge public spectacle of herself on a routine basis. She is severely lacking in social **GRACE**. > > Will & Grace. Or rather “weak-willed & graceless.” Heh. I didn’t realize that Will’s last name of “Truman” is an indication that he is Grace’s “true man” until I read the book about the series. It was orginally suppose to be “Hermann” (her man), but the producers changed it. ETA: My thread made Threadspotting! WHOO HOO! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/217 "2009-08-01T14:21:17Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > I was watching the Seinfeld episode “The Couch” a few days a go and it suddenly occurred to me that the argument between Poppy and Kramer over how to make a pizza was a parody of the abortion debate. I’m not sure how I missed that before. _It’s a pizza the minute you put-a you hands in-a the dough!_ ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/218 "2009-08-01T15:06:25Z")
This thread made me realize what the title of the Wolfmother song **The Joker and the Thief** refers to. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/219 "2009-08-01T15:20:10Z")
I always thought that Born in the U.S.A. was a celebration of being American until one day I actually listened to the words and realised that it was about a Special Forces veteran who was left on the scrap heap after he had finished his time. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/220 "2009-08-01T15:42:49Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > How does this make sense? No language forces succinctness just like no language forces verbosity. Writing in a foreign language, where your vocabulary is much smaller (even if you’re fluent), forces you to be more economic with your words. It’s not a feature of French, but of it being a second language to him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=12)