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Post by Maxwell - F.B.I. on Feb 16, 2005 14:58:35 GMT -5
Doesn't it seem like, once Ralph lost his memory, that he turned into a real prick? I mean not just to Bill, but to Pam... and just became overall nasty. How about the scene when he pulls Pam in front of him because Bill pulls the gun out?! WTF!?! RALPH!!
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Post by The J-Man on Feb 16, 2005 15:09:44 GMT -5
Since getting the DVD and watching the pilot a couple of times a day ,it occured to me that, in "Train of Thought", Ralph took issue with Bill pulling a gun on Tony. But in the pilot itself, even ultra-liberal Ralph never took issue with that. Nor should he have; Tony drew his weapon first.
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magicjammies
Agent
Im getting a treehouse with a bunch of elves around it
Posts: 214
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Post by magicjammies on Feb 19, 2005 20:18:42 GMT -5
You know i always thought that was odd when ralph pulled pam in front of himself whats up with taht ralph?
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Post by Maxwell - F.B.I. on Feb 21, 2005 10:43:19 GMT -5
Yeah, like he lost his memory and became a completely different person. Not like the person he was in the pilot before he got the suit. Strange.
"Ralph! What's the matter, I'm just gonna shoot ya is all..."
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scenario
Agent
"We all do what makes us feel good."
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Post by scenario on Apr 9, 2005 20:15:16 GMT -5
I agree. I always did think that Ralph acted like a prick and like a different person when he lost his memory.
Most it might be explainable because of the hostility he felt towards Bill from the road side diner meeting, but still....
The Pilot episode Ralph stood up for himself but he never came across like such a d*ck. It's like Katt tried to make the amnesiac Ralph too much of a hardass to create some sort of contrast with his memory loss.
-scenario-
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Post by The J-Man on Apr 10, 2005 1:01:56 GMT -5
Although I've come to a much greater appreciation of Frank Lupo's writing in the past year or so, I never felt he was a great fit for GAH. He was a fine enough writer, but he just couldn't quite create the same magic that Cannell or Hasburgh could create at the typewriter for that series; or the same magic he himself would ultimately bring to "The A-Team".
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 13, 2006 15:21:17 GMT -5
On rewatching this episode, I concur that Lupo has done better work...even in the GAH universe. Such as OPERATION: SPOILSPORT and CLASSICAL GAS. However, this has a lot of good qualities about it.
I like how Ralph has to deal with amnesia. How his relationship with Pam might have changed. Having to deal with Bill. All the while there is this toxic waste that is missing and is going to be dumped in Bakersfield. I like all the elements of the episode overall.
I do not like the way Katt portrays Ralph. I understand being disoriented and angry that part of your life is missing...but the only anger Ralph ever showed towards Bill was when he threw his gun away in the pilot after Bill nearly ran him over. It was never mentioned again by Ralph...there was no reason to bring it up again and be upset...especially since Tony deserved having a gun pulled on him. Maybe Lupo wrote it that way, but maybe Katt embellished so that people would like his REAL character more than the way Ralph might have ended up. Who knows for sure? Maybe it was a mix.
I don't like the train idea at all. If the switching station can see a runaway train, why can they not track the engine down the train lines to see where it went? It did not show that the switching station was banged up or anything. That was a loose end to me. I also don't like the runaway train part. Before Ralph flies in to stop the train, they were both on the same track and there was no off ramp. However, Ralph stops the runaway on a side track that was not there moments before. Not well explained.
At the Bakersfield switching station, you think they would have been on high alert already. If the train was meant for there and was late, they would want to know why and should have been informed of the highjacking. I just think Lupo tried to paint it too neatly.
As for throwing out the suit, Bill runs into the house and the garbage truck is right down the street...it is still in the shot. After a few minutes of explaining, it might have been a few blocks away, but they could have gotten it BEFORE it got to the junkyard and saved time.
Ralph asks how to fly after he has already flown. That was not well-written either. Another thing: I hate how Ralph doesn't think to ask how his son is. THAT proves to me that he can't be remembering a day eight months ago because his life was revolving around the custody battle, not just Tony and Bill in the diner.
How did Ralph recover? Did it happen when he flew into the tunnel and hit the train or when he went through the concrete wall at the train yard? Were we supposed to believe that the revolutionary on the train just stopped the train? He should have kept pushing MacGyvers to go faster while Ralph pushed to stop. He should realize that the train was going to slow to make a mess.
The last part of the episode, the flashback, is my favorite scene with that song. Although I hate some of the clips they used because they were too long...and they only used first season clips when they could have used SOME second season clips.
Overall, an okay episode...but not one of Lupo's best.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 13, 2006 15:46:03 GMT -5
This is one of my favorite episodes, since they all are dealing with some pretty stressful situations.
I know people argue about Katt's portrayl of amnesiac Ralph, but I've always felt he was being more hostile about it because unconsciously he didn't want to remember. Anyone who doesn't want to remember something would tend to get angrier than normal. I've been that way myself a few times with my past, which I won't go into here (Though I've never been amnesiac).
I do agree with the train, as he's only trying to stop it within 400 feet or so of the wall. That doesn't make too much sense, though I do think he regains his memories when he gets his head shoved through the wall. The way they set it up looks like he had been knocked out when that happened, and he wakes up dazed a little bit.
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Post by Maxwell - F.B.I. on Jul 13, 2006 15:50:55 GMT -5
Yeah, the part about WHEN he recovered his memory was awfully loosely written. I say when his head went through the wall, especially when you hear the large CRASH/THUD in the background right at the very end, watching the train wheels come to a close. Maybe they saw that awesome SPAT Ralph made when he hit the train in the tunnel and decided it was too good to cut, even if it DID confuse the audience into thinking he got his memory back at that point (or maybe it took 2 knocks on the head to reverse the one... how 'bout that???)...
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 13, 2006 15:55:16 GMT -5
That is what I want to know. I think he got his memory back when he hit the train in the tunnel, because if you look at how he is trying to stop the train on the tracks, his BUTT would have hit first because his legs were positioned behind him. So, his head should not have been struck at all.
I don't think Ralph was trying not to remember. I think he actually could NOT remember. The doctor said it was because of a traumatic event, which we learn is the spaceship. But I don't think Ralph wanted to forget the past eight months, especially his progress with the kids in the class...his relationship with Pam, etc. I think he did forget and it took another noggin-knockin' to get it back. I agree that being upset is one thing, but doing something as offensive as using Pam for a shield when Bill pulls his gun is too much. Did he also forget how to be a man or something?
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Post by Maxwell - F.B.I. on Jul 13, 2006 16:03:47 GMT -5
Ouch.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 13, 2006 16:06:59 GMT -5
Well, part of me says he was trying to protect Pam too from Bill, but you're right, he should've still been in front of Pam regardless if he was trying to be protective. So, yeah, he lost points there in regaining his memory.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 13, 2006 16:39:55 GMT -5
Another thing about when the train was going into the wall. Why was there a random wall in the yard? It should have gone to a garage or something...or had a door. Train yards don't have random walls in the way of their tracks...even at the end of them unless there is a platform there. I like that Ralph was standing on a board rather than the rail itself. Probably so, he wouldn't really sprain something...since it would not allow him to slip off.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 13, 2006 16:47:23 GMT -5
Another thing about when the train was going into the wall. Why was there a random wall in the yard? It should have gone to a garage or something...or had a door. Train yards don't have random walls in the way of their tracks...even at the end of them unless there is a platform there. I like that Ralph was standing on a board rather than the rail itself. Probably so, he wouldn't really sprain something...since it would not allow him to slip off. That was more for the safety of the stuntman, but it does work well for hte shot as well. I also like how he does the faceplant trying to fly again. Those hurt to do (I do a slightly smaller 'crash' to lie on the ground for my juggling routine), but he played it off well. The picking up the bumper bit too was funny. Ralph just panics when he does that, but Bill's like "OK, another trashed car coming up."
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 13, 2006 16:48:12 GMT -5
If you look, that scene had no stuntman. It was Katt.
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Post by MelMac on Jul 13, 2006 16:49:44 GMT -5
If you look, that scene had no stuntman. It was Katt. Hmmm... that and the helicopter bit in "Space Ranger." No wonder he said people'd have his hide today if he did his own stunts. I do have respect for him though, as they were cool, but dangerous to do.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 13, 2006 16:51:19 GMT -5
That might not be because he wanted too. Depending on the director and the availability of angles and such, he probably had too. As for the TRAIN OF THOUGHT one, I imagine they filmed it in reverse with him getting farther from the wall and they wanted to pull him along without hurting him. A simple stunt but necessary for him to do because of the unique position he was in while filming.
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Post by billswoman on Dec 27, 2006 15:13:39 GMT -5
I just heard a good line from Ralph. When they're driving in Pam's car, going to Ralph's house, and he's trying to remember stuff, he says, "It's like a movie with the third reel missing."
I think this is cool, 'cause we all know how Bill loves to say "It's like the third reel out of..."
Ralph, even though he presently dislikes Bill intensely, just remembering the day they met and that Bill pulled a knife on one of his students, is still citing something his best friend likes to say.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Dec 27, 2006 15:33:30 GMT -5
I just heard a good line from Ralph. When they're driving in Pam's car, going to Ralph's house, and he's trying to remember stuff, he says, "It's like a movie with the third reel missing." I think this is cool, 'cause we all know how Bill loves to say "It's like the third reel out of..." Ralph, even though he presently dislikes Bill intensely, just remembering the day they met and that Bill pulled a knife on one of his students, is still citing something his best friends likes to say. Good catch, billswoman. I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess I was thinking the writers just liked the line or that it was the same writer using it, but I never put that thought with yours. Great thinking.
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Post by MelMac on Dec 27, 2006 15:39:23 GMT -5
Movies had third reels alot and they tend to break it seems. But, it did bring up a point that it feels odd to have part of your memory missing and know you experienced it, but not remember it. Back when I was a sophomore in college, I cheered at the regional volleyball tournament, which was being held in Denver, Colo. The combination of the high altitude and heat inside the mascot suit, which was worsened by said higher altitudes, nearly caused me to pass out (did get the worst case of vertigo in there though). Problem is, I know I didn't completely pass out (or someone would've found/told me), I still don't remember parts of that night. Give me a day in that year and I can tell you fairly well what happened, but that night... even less than normal. Still think part of me was out, but no one knew/cared (another story) to get me checked out. The wall is a little odd, but they do have brick storage places for the unused engines and don't just store them on tracks. Maybe it was one that was damaged and unusable, but still was accessible. The creepiest part in there was the part where Bill finds Ralph. Between Ralph's eyes rolling in the back of his head as he was trying to wake up (and losing) and Bill calmly reassuring him, it really felt like Ralph had been injured and Bill was going to get help and help him as fast as he could. To me anyway, it felt a lot more real than when Ralph was shot (at least first off) in "Divorce."
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