Wooton Bassett

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EugeneforPresident
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This one is funny.

“Wooton Bassett: Oh, hi, Connie!
Connie Kendall: Hi Wooton! Did you know that your doorbell rings outside?
Wooton Bassett: Oh sure! That way people will know that it's working. Otherwise, you push the button and it rings somewhere way back in the house and you can't even hear whether or not it rang at all. This way, you know!
Connie Kendall: But how did you hear it inside?
Wooton Bassett: Uh, I didn't. I heard you knock.
Connie Kendall: But....Never mind.”
— “The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part 10”
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I don't have any woo ton quotes but you should check out my Eugene quotes.
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Wooton: Hey, remember how you used to laugh when I crossed my eyes and did this? (Spit kinda noise) Or this? (Car noise) Or how about when we rubbed noses while I went erwanga erwanga, erwanga wanga wanga!!

Talia: The Last time you saw me I was three months old. So, now will you please remove your nose from mine?

- For the Fun of It
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gabbygirl17
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OH wooten is one of my Favorite characters!
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Wooton Bassett: "I've become a verb here in Odyssey."
Carson McKay: "A what?"
Wooton Bassett: "Yeah, if a kid is being silly, his parents tell them to quit 'Wooton' around!"
and...
Wooton: "Yeah, I'm bananas about licorice!"

:D Gotta' love Wooton!
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Wooton: Yeah, I just found out I'm more wide than I am tall. I fit in the shower better sideways.

- Do Or Diet

Connie: Why do I have to go with you?

Wooton: Well, duh, it's tradition for the bride to -

Connie: Wooton - we are not getting married.

- Something Old, Something New

Wooton: Oh, there's this one character, she talks all the time, and she's always late for stuff, and she says stuff she doesn't mean...

Connie: (laughing) Really, what person is that based off of?

Wooton: Oh, and she's also really - good-looking and... cool.

Connie: I think I'd like to hear more.

- Rights, Wrongs, and Winners

Wooton: Sorry I'm late!

Nick: You're not late Wooton. You're like, seven minutes early.

Wooton: Oh, sorry!

- Breaking Point

Hope you guys like those!
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What happened to wooton after album 50? He seems dialed down he not as funny. When was the first episode when this change happened. He's still got ocasional funny lines just not as many.
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It hasn't happened. Humor is a matter of opinion. It's just that the sort of humor is obviously very different from much of his earlier humor. And so, listeners who only like the earlier humor tend to whine... and whine... and whine. But there are those of us who not only like the new Wooton, but find him funnier than ever. And yes, the latter group has the official Pound Foolish seal of approval.
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ArnoldtheRubberDucky
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I disagree with you, PF. On almost all your points.

I believe it is alright to whine a little bit as long as you have a good reason. And we post-50 Wooton haters have good reason to proclaim Wooton is not funny! Why? Because he doesn't make us laugh. He's obnoxious. He's turned away from the things that made us love him in the first place. And, (dare I say it) he's become stupid. His jokes seem to be aimed at hyperactive 6-year olds (well, every hyperactive 6-year old except Calvin ;)). The only interesting thing about him now is his relationship with Penny, and even that can become uninteresting after a while.

But unfortunately, he's now more of a major role than ever on the show. Perhaps, in a way, that's why I find him so irritating. He stepped out of his place as a quirky, religious mailman who loved comic books and emerged as a character supposedly on the same level as Whit and Connie. And, as I said before, all the things we love about him have somehow been taken away from his character: his unwavering faith, his fascination with Powerboy comic books, his relationship with his family, and all his good humor. It's all gone. *sob* :cry: :(

And he rarely has good roles on the show anymore: he never really does much in his episodes, he's just there; there as a comic relief, or as someone to talk to. He's lost his involvement with the escapades of AIO characters. If you want examples of this, simply listen to the episodes "For the Birds", "Opposite Day", and "Home Again". I believe this is quite simply because, Wooton is a popular character, and the AIO team feel as long as they put him in as many episodes as possible, the show will be more popular than ever. Well, that might be a bit of a strong statement, and I suppose there are a couple episodes where Wooton has served a relatively important role, but it's basically true. He's not the worst character on AIO currently, but he might be in my Top 5. I would say all that is more than enough reason to dismiss post-50 Wooton as inferior to pre-50.

Whadya say to that, PF? =P
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I agree with CT on this one. I also think that one of the main problems with Wooton Haters is how they see him. They believe his main role in the show is for comedy only, and whine and complain about how he’s changed. Just cause he’s “not as funny”, which in truth is only a tiny point on how Wooton has changed. There are much more important changes that have accord then lack of comedy, like his strong Christian faith, lack of important roles in any episodes sense the re launch (just to give a couple). But here’s the thing, people complain about how he’s not funny, when that seems like his only role these days.
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Creative thinker has a great point! I have to agree that Wooten is a more shallow charater and I find that a little, okay a lot, disappointing. :cry:
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The first thing to understand is Wooton is still funny. You've admitted before, humor is subjective. You may not find him funny. You may find him, "***oying." You might despise him, loath him, hate him and toiler paper his house. It doesn't matter. A lot of people are still amused by him, myself and my siblings included. (We listened to Fast as I Can today, and when we heard, "I'll sacrifice conformity!" for the upteenth time, my sister bent over, held her stomach, and laughed for the upteenth time.
CreativeThinker101 wrote:And he rarely has good roles on the show anymore: he never really does much in his episodes, he's just there; there as a comic relief, or as someone to talk to. He's lost his involvement with the escapades of AIO characters. If you want examples of this, simply listen to the episodes "For the Birds", "Opposite Day", and "Home Again".
The next thing is, what on earth makes you say that? It's true, Wooton's never really been an indispensible plot point of late. Most characters are that way. Would Broken Window miss a beat if Alex's part was erased? No, but it wouldn't be as perfect. The Triangled Web could've easily done without the phone calls and focused more on the main story, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying Jared's absurdities.
So here's the point. A character doesn't need to have a part that adds significantly to the plot. The above examples don't. Yet, without them, the show would be incomplete. The plot doesn't want them. We do.
Also, Wooton has been like this as a general rule. Most episodes, he's a little involved, but also on the sidelines. But, just like in the examples above, the shows are better for his presence. In Plan B, he comforts Connie in her misery when Mitch "dies." This is a tender and at times amusing scene. It completes the episode.
Now, all this doesn't mean you like the way he is now. Wooton's become more and more, well, like Bugs Bunny. He's a cartoon character. Many like him this way. If you don't, that's fine.
But he's enjoyable. He belongs. He has heart and charm.
You may have different emotional reactions. But just because some can't enjoy him as intended doesn't mean he can't be enjoyed.
And, be assured, he is enjoyed.
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Aaron Wiley
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You can't say that he hasn't lost a lot of dimension since the reboot, though, and you're simply wrong it comes to him not being an indispensable character. Wooton used to be a much more multidimensional, funnier (by most accounts), and deeper.

More recently most of the episodes that he's been used in haven't really benefitted from his small parts (save for a few, which I actually enjoyed. Marshell Younger still seems competent enough to know how to use him properly). Sure, in some episodes in the past he was just a side character, but the ones we loved the most were the ones where he was an actual character rather than a few corny one liners thrown in to add some comic relief. He used to play integral roles in stories like Bassett Hounds, Nothing but the Half Truth, and The Other Side of the Glass. in all the instances he actually played a role in the story, and did it well. He was charming, goofy, but also interesting. He had difficulties to face, internal conflicts, family issues, and he dealt with all these problems as only Wooton could. Not he's mostly just in episodes like The Green Ring where he exists for no real other reason than to chase Penny Around and have girl issues, something that's already been done in "Wooing Wooton", so it feels a little boring.

His sense of humor was also entirely different (and many would agree that it was far better). I believe this is because as a character, he was based on the beloved writer "Torry Martin" who was removed from the team by the much more infamous "Paul McKusker" (at least, I believe that's how it went down). I'm not saying he can't be enjoyed anymore, but it's clear that not as many people enjoy him anymore, or at least not as much.

He also used to be a lot deeper when it came to interacting with the kids. Excluding Wooton Knows Best, which I really enjoyed, Wooton has been generally portrayed as nothing but a fool who fumbles around spouting nonsense just for gigs and shizzles. The earlier Wooton that so many people loved was the Wooton that would take kids under his wing and encourage them with life lessons and biblical wisdom, occasionally becoming a sort of father figure if need be. Remember the whole deal with Grady? Yeah? That was amazing.

Wooton still can be used "right", he just isn't as often because of the different writing team. I still don't understand why the team was changed, but hey, I'm not the one in charge of that. I'm hoping as the show goes on he'll continue to improve as a character and maybe someday return to the place in my heart I held for "old Wooton", but until then, he'll continue to be a character sitting just above mediocre IMHO.
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We can agree that Wooton has sacrificed something. He's very different now, and some traits he had before just aren't there. And yes, many share your opinion. But us people ranting online are a very small percentage of the feedback AIO gets. Since they persist in using Wooton in endless episodes and making him super goofy, they're obviously still getting lots of fan mail for him.
Be bored with Wooton's Penny-pinching if you wish. But it's adorable, and as a comedy romance, fairly well done. Yes, it's been done before. So? It's rather different this time around. Plus, what are you saying anyway? Characters should only fall in love once? That makes no sense. Wooton can only have one girlfriend, but Jason can have three lovers? It's a good thing you're not their dad. "Sorry, Wooton. You can't date Penny because you met that other girl years ago. But dear son Jason, go ahead and have as many affairs as you want."
I do remember Grady, and the very fact that I remember him means he's gone. Which is a pity. But should there be a replacement for Grady? That would be sad, not good. And frankly, it would be weird too, unless Odyssey has a pipeline to a supply of fatherless children.
Grady is the only kid Wooton ever really took, "under his wing." He's always been friends with kids, but that's different than playing a "father figure".
He's still friends with kids, though. For instance, in Forgiving More or Less, he talks to the Parker kids and helps them with the important questions of what and how to feed the baby bird (admittedly he's not really a plot-point in that one but he's not completely gratuitous either.)he advises Olivia in Anger Mismanagement (which, by the way, makes him actively part of the plot.) He plays with another kid in Child's Play, in a sweet, fun scene. (Which leads to the kid accidentally getting sick which leads to him bonding with Eugene and Eugene overcoming some of his self-doubt surrounding his fatherly abilities, thus again making Wooton a plot-point character.)
Last edited by Pound Foolish on Fri Jun 21, 2013 2:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Aaron Wiley
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Pound Foolish wrote: Be bored with Wooton's Penny-pinching if you wish. But it's adorable, and as a comedy romance, fairly well done. Yes, it's been done before. So? It's rather different this time around. Plus, what are you saying anyway? Characters should only fall in love once? That makes no sense. Wooton can only have one girlfriend, but Jason can have three lovers? It's a good thing you're not their dad. "Sorry, Wooton. You can't date Penny because you met that other girl years ago. But dear son Jason, go ahead and have as many affairs as you want.
Well, Wooton's dad is kind of a jerk in the first place, so I don't think I could really do much worse, haha.
Seriously though, having him involved in another romance is fine if they go about it in a different way, and I guess they have to some extent. What I'm confused about is why he made such a big deal about Victoria not being a Christian, but when it comes to Penny, it hasn't even asked her if she's a Christian? Is she even a Christian? Maybe I'm not very good at paying attention, but as far as I can tell, Penny is into a lot of weird stuff including the weird pseudo christianity that Dr. Trask was teaching during TGR. How come there hasn't been some big ultimatum yet? Does Wooton just like her more, and thus, doesn't care that she might not share his beliefs?
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Considering you're a teenager, being dad to a guy in his late thirties would be worse.
As for your second argument, it's... infuriating. What makes people say Penny isn't Christian? Or that Wooton doesn't care if she is?
We went over that in GRC. Penny told Connie she's Christian. That's that. The show can proceed under that assumption. Yes, she was attending that thing by Trask, but it had a lot of good to it. And there were many things genuinely Christian about it. Being part of a flawed group because you mistakenly believe it will help you in your Christian walk makes you unchristian? Shouldn't we be impressed she was attending a class she believed would help her with her faith? An awful lot of Christians never go out of their way for such things.
So, why do we need to specifically see Wooton asking if Penny's Christian? Just because he doesn't ask in his first meeting with her, he never did ask? It's like people assume he should ask Penny that the first time he saw her. "Hi, nice to meet you. Are you Christian?" There was never a chance for us to see him do this in the packed GRC, nor would it have done any good if we saw him do it.
We were meant to fill in the blank ourselves. A matter of pacing.
We should assume he asked at some point. Or that Connie told him! Wouldn't Connie tell Wooton Penny is Christian at some point when she was encouraging him in his like for her!? But instead, everyone is determined to think the worst of him and Penny. This flies in the face of reason. If he never asked (big if) why the heck wouldn't Connie tell him!?
This is so flagrantly obvious, it's unbelievable the number of times I've had to point it out to people!
Wooton knows Penny is Christian.
Last edited by Pound Foolish on Wed Jun 26, 2013 12:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Aaron Wiley
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You're quite fond of straw man arguments aren't you?

The point is, while it's possible that Penny is a Christian, it's never been mentioned, which should be a HUGE deal for Wooton, especially considering how long he's been after her, and how big of a deal he made about it last time.

We could be "impressed" by the fact that Penny was in Trask's Bible Study thing, but we could also be concerned because we haven't heard anything else from Penny that would imply that she actually attends a legitimate church or is a real Christian. FOR ALL WE KNOW, she is still really messed up theologically, and doesn't understand the basic tenants of Christianity.

This state may actually be a good lead in for some interesting stories in the future, though. Perhaps Wooton made the same assumptions that you did, and is living his life believing that she is a Christian, when in fact, she isn't, kinda like what happened with Jason and Tasha.
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As much as I hate to say it... I think they should bring Grady back. *cringe* Wooton had more life when he was with him!

Over all... Wooton is still one of my favorite characters! :D
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You both make good points, but, in this debate, Aaron probably has the upper hand. You must understand, PF, that you're one of the few big AIO fans who shares this belief. Humor may be a matter of opinion, but most of us have the opinion that Wooton isn't half as good as he was 10 or even 5 years ago. That's the general consensus. Deal with it.

As for the argument that AIO must be getting a flood of letters about how great Wooton is now, and that's why they haven't booted him off, that's slightly misguided. People generally wouldn't write to their favorite radio show and say: "Hi, I really love your show. By the way, Wooton's a total idiot. Learn how to write him right or don't write him at all!" Of course, that's a bit exaggerated, but that's basically the way the letters would have to go. AIO might not be getting very many letters about Wooton at all, positive or negative. Or, it's possible they got some negative letters and Wooton is in for a transformation in Album 57. But I doubt it. The AIO team seem adamant about Wooton's place on the show, and it would take more than a couple letters to persuade them to change it.

Also, one of the reasons why people are annoyed is because Wooton was such a good character. I mean, if it had been someone like... Well, like Emily, who became worse, (If she could become worse) people like me would just say, "Who cares? She was an awful character to begin with!" But when you have Wooton, arguably the funniest AIO character in history, get worse, fans definitely have a right to complain.

And you must understand that I have no problem with Wooton being a minor character in several episodes. It's just when he's doing nearly nothing in every single episode he's in... That's when I have a problem with it.

As for the Penny-being-a-Christian thing, however, I agree with you, PF.

Overall, there are more who believe that Wooton is worse than he was before than there are who believe he's better. That's probably the best reason that AIO should change him. Perhaps not necessarily back to the way he was, because that wasn't the point of the reboot, but at least to something... Better than this.
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