The E.R.K. (Emily Rules Klub)

Do you think Matthew is a great character? Absolutely hate Emily? This is the place to discuss AIO characters, from the old to the new!

Classify yourself below.

Emily lover
14
22%
Emily moderate
13
21%
ERK lover
9
14%
ERK moderate
7
11%
I just like contests
8
13%
I just like castles
12
19%
 
Total votes: 63

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MonkeyDude
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Well, I am late to the party per usual but you can count me in!
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Monica Stone
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MonkeyDude wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:52 am
Well, I am late to the party per usual but you can count me in!
*throws confetti* WELCOME! \:D/ I was wondering if you'd join us, seeing as how you were a member before it went dead for awhile. What's your favorite Emily episode?
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Carl
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Sorry If I'm interrupting here, but we now have 117 pages!
Last edited by Carl on Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Buckles shipper. Visit my Odyssey website at http://odyssey-news.com/.


Trista: Isn't it great to be an indevidual now, not just someone who wears what society tells them to wear?
Jules: But your telling my what to wear.
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Monica Stone
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Carl wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:17 pm
Sorry If I'm interrupting here, but we now have 17 pages!
*117. I noticed, too! Super exciting and a new milestone for the E.R.K! We just need to beat the K.R.E., who have 118 pages and continue appreciating Emily!
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MonkeyDude
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Monica Stone wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:15 pm
*throws confetti* WELCOME! \:D/ I was wondering if you'd join us, seeing as how you were a member before it went dead for awhile. What's your favorite Emily episode?
Huzzah! Thank you for the grand entrance! Haha, I would have liked to have joined sooner but I am drowning in school work. It's an honor to be here with fellow Emily enthusiasts! \:D/

I think my favorite Emily episode is 'The Emily Genius' (But 'A Sacrificial Escape' holds a deep place in my heart as well!). I feel like this episode was really the first one to bring out the good in Emily (sorry we've just been talking about this so much I don't know how else to put it haha!).

At this point, she's had a lot of character development in episodes like 'When You're Right, You're Right", "Square One", and even a little in "The Green Ring Conspiracy". And all of those episodes (especially 'Square One') are incredible and absolutely fundamental to her character. But in all those episodes it was usually the worst part of her being shown, pointing out the gaping flaws in her person. Emily is such a real character, and as dorky as it is to say, she reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger; extremely headstrong, blunt, and kinnnda a pain (seriously like, I have no clue why people were friends with me). It was kinda refreshing to just see a character that felt like someone you could know. And yes, Emily was a bit irritating (like most real people are) and a lot of people did not like her *glances at the 117 pages*. I'm willing to bet had she not developed like she has, none of us would be here talking about why we like her.

Till Album 54, the audience was presented with all these awful things about Emily and her personality without seeing the things that made her special. That's one of the many reasons why I love this episode. Emily is still flawed, she's still obsessive, she's still herself but finally, we see her personality and traits shine in a different, more positive way. Emily is deterimined (something that'd been highlighted before but usually depected in nefarious ways), persistant, and wow, is she a hard worker. She cares deeply about her family and friends and wants to make them proud. This is something that I, and most people can probably relate to, finally helping the audience to empathize with this character (in fact, this is probably the Odyssey episode that hits closes to home for me). Despite Emily having her junk moments in the past, it's really hard to not root for her here. She sees just how happy her newly discovered intelligence makes her parents and wants so badly to please them and not let them down. In the end, I believe that this is Emily's greatest strength, not the extrodinary detective skills or unwavering honesty, but rather her willingness to do anything for the people she loves (something that may of may not come up again down the road...).

Also, Matthew is geniunely such a great friend and has really good chemistry with Emily in these earlier episodes (not to say they don't play off eachother well in later episodes but there was just something special about Zach's protrayal of Matthew). Not only has he put up with Emily through all of her blackmailing, stubborn nonsense but he continuously is the voice of reason and sticks with her after she refuses to listen. Like, there's probably a million other things he could be doing rather than staying couped up in a library studying with Emily for a near impossible task but he, albeit reluctantly, does so anyways. While I do enjoy them in the J&P episodes, I think I love Emily and Matthew's friendship outside of those episodes the most. It really shines here. Bob Hoose's characterization is phenominal.

This episode, among other things, makes me wish so hard that we got more of the Jones family before Barrett got yeeted to the void because I really love their dynamic. I could have sacrificed a couple Parker family episodes for some more of the Jones haha!
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ASmouseInTheHouse
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MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
At this point, she's had a lot of character development in episodes like 'When You're Right, You're Right", "Square One", and even a little in "The Green Ring Conspiracy". And all of those episodes (especially 'Square One') are incredible and absolutely fundamental to her character. But in all those episodes it was usually the worst part of her being shown, pointing out the gaping flaws in her person.
Yes! (Probably why the K.R.E. was made). That's probably why I honestly didn't care much for Emily when I heard those episodes.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
Emily is deterimined (something that'd been highlighted before but usually depected in nefarious ways), persistant, and wow, is she a hard worker. She cares deeply about her family and friends and wants to make them proud. This is something that I, and most people can probably relate to, finally helping the audience to empathize with this character (in fact, this is probably the Odyssey episode that hits closes to home for me). Despite Emily having her junk moments in the past, it's really hard to not root for her here. She sees just how happy her newly discovered intelligence makes her parents and wants so badly to please them and not let them down. In the end, I believe that this is Emily's greatest strength, not the extrodinary detective skills or unwavering honesty, but rather her willingness to do anything for the people she loves (something that may of may not come up again down the road...).
I agree! I hadn't thought of this before.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
Also, Matthew is geniunely such a great friend and has really good chemistry with Emily in these earlier episodes (not to say they don't play off eachother well in later episodes but there was just something special about Zach's protrayal of Matthew). Not only has he put up with Emily through all of her blackmailing, stubborn nonsense but he continuously is the voice of reason and sticks with her after she refuses to listen. Like, there's probably a million other things he could be doing rather than staying couped up in a library studying with Emily for a near impossible task but he, albeit reluctantly, does so anyways. While I do enjoy them in the J&P episodes, I think I love Emily and Matthew's friendship outside of those episodes the most. It really shines here. Bob Hoose's characterization is phenominal.

This episode, among other things, makes me wish so hard that we got more of the Jones family before Barrett got yeeted to the void because I really love their dynamic. I could have sacrificed a couple Parker family episodes for some more of the Jones haha!
YES! :clap: I still hear Zack Callison's voice for Matthew when I'm reading something. I have a suspicion that Odyssey has written/is planning to write Matthew out of the show, along with the other Parkers. I mean, he was pretty much left out of the climax of the Rydell Revelations...and as far as we know he isn't in Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. I really hope he doesn't disappear. If you ask me, go ahead and write out the other Parkers, but Matthew should stay.
I mean, Emily has stayed all these years and we rarely hear from her family. As you said...we should have heard more from the Jones family! I was actually thinking about that recently. I am extremely curious about how her family has reacted to all the strange activities she has been involved in - The escape room, being kidnapped and held hostage by a spy...
"Next up, Mark Morgan's message to all math maniacs in the middle school is meaningful if you mingle by the mezzanine for a momentous mix of methodological mayhem and a menagerie of multiplicative inversions. Ha ha ha! I bet I could say this backwards. Inversions multiplicative of menagerie a and mayhem methodological..."
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ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:59 am
YES! :clap: I still hear Zack Callison's voice for Matthew when I'm reading something. I have a suspicion that Odyssey has written/is planning to write Matthew out of the show, along with the other Parkers. I mean, he was pretty much left out of the climax of the Rydell Revelations...and as far as we know he isn't in Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. I really hope he doesn't disappear. If you ask me, go ahead and write out the other Parkers, but Matthew should stay.
I mean, Emily has stayed all these years and we rarely hear from her family. As you said...we should have heard more from the Jones family! I was actually thinking about that recently. I am extremely curious about how her family has reacted to all the strange activities she has been involved in - The escape room, being kidnapped and held hostage by a spy...
Dude, I know right! Don't get me wrong, I really love Justin Felbinger and all that he has brought to Matthew but Zach is the OG man. Yeah, I was picking up that vibe too, I'd be thrilled if Matthew showed up in Let's Call The Whole Thing off though! Oh that'd be really nice if they just kinda phased out the Parker family as a whole but keep Matthew and Olivia around for some episodes. I'd dig that.

Yeah, for sure! I'm so genuinely pumped for the Rydell saga aftermath. Honestly I'm probably equally as pumped for it as I was for Rydell Revelations. It'd be really great to see some more of the Jones family because they could really add a lot to the story at this point (with Emily getting tossed around like a ragdoll and such).
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Monica Stone
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AHH I LOVE ALL OF THIS. Exactly the kind of analysis I need in my life. You've put my thoughts into text. :clap: Ditto on almost of your points, MonkeyDude and ASmouseInTheHouse.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
I think my favorite Emily episode is 'The Emily Genius' (But 'A Sacrificial Escape' holds a deep place in my heart as well!). I feel like this episode was really the first one to bring out the good in Emily (sorry we've just been talking about this so much I don't know how else to put it haha!).
"Emily the Genius" was Emily's most sympathetic episode to date at the time (and perhaps still is. I'd have to think about it. It still remains one of her most personal and emotional). Haha, love the Rydell Saga reference! Every single day of my life, I stumble into a phrase or situation that reminds me of the saga. I can't hear the word "good" the same ever again. You make some great points with your later paragraphs, but I would argue that amidst her heavy flaws in albums 51-53, she always has a moment or two that also brings out the good in her. Like, even when she's at her worst, you have a reason to cheer for her. Not everyone cheered for her, of course, but there were reasons to do so (that's why the E.R.K. exists). I agree these episodes were absolutely fundamental but also had sympathetic moments. Let me rant a bit ;)

In "When You're Right, You're Right", the episode where I think she's at her worst, she still has redeeming qualities. Although she ultimately gets too involved and overbearing with the weird, sensual birthday card thing (save me), the moment where she sticks up to Jay for Barrett is sweet albeit a little dramatic. It's the first time you really get the sense that although she may be bossy to them, she will stick up and defend those she cares about. The scene is played for laughs ("lol Emily is overdramatic and Jay, Matthew, & Barrett are just like 'chill' haha so funny") but you can tell she really does care. I'd also say her early episodes make more sense when you put into context she's only like 11 (whereas she's probably 13-14 now and it shows).

"Square One" deals with Emily's over-skepticism and need for control with Matthew. Granted, from her POV, he was shutting her out inexplicably and she felt like he didn't trust her. She didn't want to lose him (a sympathetic and understandable desire that many can relate to) so she resorted to blackmail & spying. But she realizes she screwed up and faces the consequences of her actions. She tries shortcuts to get Matthew back into the Square One Club and it backfires. Matthew accuses her have being selfishly motivated, but she reveals that, yes, she was super insecure & selfish, but she did want to make him happy. It's a pretty loaded episode in terms of Emily & her motivations, but suffice it to say, although she makes bad decisions, you want her to do the right thing & also reconcile with Matthew. I certainly do not feel apathetic listening to the episode.

I love "The Green Ring Conspiracy" but Emily is in a bad mood for no clear reason for a good chuck of it. That's fine; we all have our bad days. But from a writing standpoint, I wish things had been clearer, especially after all the character development she had recieved in "Square One." Buck arrives and starts manipulating her (goodness, Odyssey, you can't give her a break!) and her infatuation blinds her usually keen insights. Matthew tries to warn her about Buck (and as the audience, we know Matthew's right) but she thinks he's paranoid. And then she inevitably gets hurt. If you were glad about that, you are a spiteful scoundrel. I reaally like her in parts 11-12 of the arc especially. I love the scene where she feels bad for Buck (because she's a really compassionate person) but also feels used. She's just confused. Whit's advice is to pray for Buck but also for themselves that God may give them the grace to forgive. It's so good. And my heart pours out for her, even if she was a bit unreasonable before.

Then, of course, we reach "Emily the Genius" and the entire time, you are unequivocally cheering for her.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
That's one of the many reasons why I love this episode. Emily is still flawed, she's still obsessive, she's still herself but finally, we see her personality and traits shine in a different, more positive way. Emily is deterimined (something that'd been highlighted before but usually depected in nefarious ways), persistant, and wow, is she a hard worker. She cares deeply about her family and friends and wants to make them proud. This is something that I, and most people can probably relate to, finally helping the audience to empathize with this character (in fact, this is probably the Odyssey episode that hits closes to home for me). Despite Emily having her junk moments in the past, it's really hard to not root for her here. She sees just how happy her newly discovered intelligence makes her parents and wants so badly to please them and not let them down.
ALL OF THIS. :clap:
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
In the end, I believe that this is Emily's greatest strength, not the extrodinary detective skills or unwavering honesty, but rather her willingness to do anything for the people she loves (something that may of may not come up again down the road...).
This is what I've been thinking all along!! Oh my goodness, thank you!! Awhile back, I re-phrased and cleaned up her AIOWiki article. I literally added that because I thought it was a fundamental character trait worth adding. "Emily will do anything for those she cares about, no matter what it will cost her." Whether that be good or bad, it's true. She had made the wrong decisions in doing anything for those she cares about, but she's also has made literally the most selfless decisions imaginable. Namely, choosing to die for Matthew. Even if it was a ruse, she didn't know that. It's so impactful.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 pm
Also, Matthew is geniunely such a great friend and has really good chemistry with Emily in these earlier episodes (not to say they don't play off eachother well in later episodes but there was just something special about Zach's protrayal of Matthew). Not only has he put up with Emily through all of her blackmailing, stubborn nonsense but he continuously is the voice of reason and sticks with her after she refuses to listen. Like, there's probably a million other things he could be doing rather than staying couped up in a library studying with Emily for a near impossible task but he, albeit reluctantly, does so anyways. While I do enjoy them in the J&P episodes, I think I love Emily and Matthew's friendship outside of those episodes the most. It really shines here. Bob Hoose's characterization is phenominal.

This episode, among other things, makes me wish so hard that we got more of the Jones family before Barrett got yeeted to the void because I really love their dynamic. I could have sacrificed a couple Parker family episodes for some more of the Jones haha!
I feel it's worth mentioning that Matthew was never a pushover and didn't stand by and allow himself to be mistreated. He spoke up for not only Emily, but for himself. Good stuff there. I loved Zach Callison's portrayal of Matthew and it's my favorite. A stand-out scene that comes to mind is when Matthew confronts Emily for the final time in "Square One". It's so natural, so good. The range of emotions, the chemistry, it's all great. It's the first time these two characters felt like they really clicked. I also really love Justin Felbinger's portrayal of Matthew. One of his stand-out scenes is in "The Rydell Revelations, Part 1". It's a little awkward at first between Emily & Matthew but it becomes something really sweet. If that is Matthew's last scene, I'm sad, but it's a great way to go out.

I noticed that, too. Emily gets obsessive but Matthew tries to talk sense into her (to varying degrees of success). And Matthew sometimes gets down on himself and Emily is his voice of encouragement. I love their dynamic aah. I also love J&P mystery episodes, but my favorites are also the ones where they aren't of that genre. Bob Hoose said his favorite characters are Jay & Emily. Looking at his list of episodes, it shows lol. The episodes he has written with Jay or Emily are *chef's kisses*

I agree and I wish they had done more with the Jones family. Emily's relationship with her dad was especially endearing. I want him to appear in a future episode so badly. And now that they've put Emily through so much, I think now would be a good time to bring him back.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:38 am
ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:59 am
YES! :clap: I still hear Zack Callison's voice for Matthew when I'm reading something. I have a suspicion that Odyssey has written/is planning to write Matthew out of the show, along with the other Parkers. I mean, he was pretty much left out of the climax of the Rydell Revelations...and as far as we know he isn't in Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. I really hope he doesn't disappear. If you ask me, go ahead and write out the other Parkers, but Matthew should stay.
I mean, Emily has stayed all these years and we rarely hear from her family. As you said...we should have heard more from the Jones family! I was actually thinking about that recently. I am extremely curious about how her family has reacted to all the strange activities she has been involved in - The escape room, being kidnapped and held hostage by a spy...
Dude, I know right! Don't get me wrong, I really love Justin Felbinger and all that he has brought to Matthew but Zach is the OG man. Yeah, I was picking up that vibe too, I'd be thrilled if Matthew showed up in Let's Call The Whole Thing off though! Oh that'd be really nice if they just kinda phased out the Parker family as a whole but keep Matthew and Olivia around for some episodes. I'd dig that.

Yeah, for sure! I'm so genuinely pumped for the Rydell saga aftermath. Honestly I'm probably equally as pumped for it as I was for Rydell Revelations. It'd be really great to see some more of the Jones family because they could really add a lot to the story at this point (with Emily getting tossed around like a ragdoll and such).
I started a thread on the ToO about the Parkers leaving and it become me & MonkeyDude discussing why Matthew needs to appear again after "Further from the Truth" and us worrying about it. :lol: I am thrilled he appeared in "The Rydell Revelations", even if it was only for a scene. I'm 50/50 on whether he'll appear again. The show gave us closure with Emily & Matthew, why not Matthew & the Rydells? I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof. Nathan Hoobler said "unexpected characters" will appear in the next Rydell episode. Does Matthew fall under that category? I dunno. I want him to appear at least a few more times here and there, even if he and his family are mostly gone.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING SIMON JONES BACK. As I said before, I love his relationship with Emily. It's such a wholesome father/daughter relationship and it's so refreshing. I want him to fight Whit. Okay, that's overdramatic, but I want him to give Whit a talking to. You can fight to say Morrie isn't that bad all you want, but the fact is, he really messed up Emily. She's going to have a lot to deal with. Even Phil Lollar who thinks people overhyped Emily's trauma (highly debatable) said she has stuff to work through. I am still worried about how the show will deal with Whit & the immorality of his actions, but I am excited. Tbh, I feel like I'm going to cry when I hear the episode (aio in general makes me emotional. literally everything pulls at my heartstrings with this show) and probably because of Emily.
Last edited by Monica Stone on Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof.
I remember hearing The Key Suspect and inwardly laughing my head off because in The Case of the Ball Cap Hero, Matthew was teasing Emily about Buck, and then in The Key Suspect she throws it back in his face because of Suzu :lol:
"Next up, Mark Morgan's message to all math maniacs in the middle school is meaningful if you mingle by the mezzanine for a momentous mix of methodological mayhem and a menagerie of multiplicative inversions. Ha ha ha! I bet I could say this backwards. Inversions multiplicative of menagerie a and mayhem methodological..."
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ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:12 pm
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof.
I remember hearing The Key Suspect and inwardly laughing my head off because in The Case of the Ball Cap Hero, Matthew was teasing Emily about Buck, and then in The Key Suspect she throws it back in his face because of Suzu :lol:
That was great haha. But also, Suzu was secretly being terrible to them and Matthew had no clue. Kinda reminiscent of how Emily was used by Buck. Emily & Matthew can further relate to each other O.o
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Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:03 pm
ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:12 pm
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof.
I remember hearing The Key Suspect and inwardly laughing my head off because in The Case of the Ball Cap Hero, Matthew was teasing Emily about Buck, and then in The Key Suspect she throws it back in his face because of Suzu :lol:
That was great haha. But also, Suzu was secretly being terrible to them and Matthew had no clue. Kinda reminiscent of how Emily was used by Buck. Emily & Matthew can further relate to each other O.o
This is sort of related to Emily, but would you rather chose: Matthew+Emily, or Matthew+Suzu, or none of them?
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I should've written on here earlier. Everything I was going to say has now been said. Oh well, I'll just agree with everything.
Monica Stone wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:24 pm
Carl wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:17 pm
Sorry If I'm interrupting here, but we now have 17 pages!
*117. I noticed, too! Super exciting and a new milestone for the E.R.K! We just need to beat the K.R.E., who have 118 pages and continue appreciating Emily!
Huzzah! 117 pages! A few more posts and we'll beat the K.R.E.! \:D/
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
"Emily the Genius" was Emily's most sympathetic episode to date at the time (and perhaps still is. I'd have to think about it. It still remains one of her most personal and emotional). Haha, love the Rydell Saga reference! Every single day of my life, I stumble into a phrase or situation that reminds me of the saga. I can't hear the word "good" the same ever again. You make some great points with your later paragraphs, but I would argue that amidst her heavy flaws in albums 51-53, she always has a moment or two that also brings out the good in her. Like, even when she's at her worst, you have a reason to cheer for her. Not everyone cheered for her, of course, but there were reasons to do so (that's why the E.R.K. exists). I agree these episodes were absolutely fundamental but also had sympathetic moments. Let me rant a bit ;)

In "When You're Right, You're Right", the episode where I think she's at her worst, she still has redeeming qualities. Although she ultimately gets too involved and overbearing with the weird, sensual birthday card thing (save me), the moment where she sticks up to Jay for Barrett is sweet albeit a little dramatic. It's the first time you really get the sense that although she may be bossy to them, she will stick up and defend those she cares about. The scene is played for laughs ("lol Emily is overdramatic and Jay, Matthew, & Barrett are just like 'chill' haha so funny") but you can tell she really does care. I'd also say her early episodes make more sense when you put into context she's only like 11 (whereas she's probably 13-14 now and it shows).

"Square One" deals with Emily's over-skepticism and need for control with Matthew. Granted, from her POV, he was shutting her out inexplicably and she felt like he didn't trust her. She didn't want to lose him (a sympathetic and understandable desire that many can relate to) so she resorted to blackmail & spying. But she realizes she screwed up and faces the consequences of her actions. She tries shortcuts to get Matthew back into the Square One Club and it backfires. Matthew accuses her have being selfishly motivated, but she reveals that, yes, she was super insecure & selfish, but she did want to make him happy. It's a pretty loaded episode in terms of Emily & her motivations, but suffice it to say, although she makes bad decisions, you want her to do the right thing & also reconcile with Matthew. I certainly do not feel apathetic listening to the episode.
It's actually been a while since I've listened to Emily's earlier episodes. After seeing all this discussion about her development, I'm going to have to go back and hear them all! (And yes, my thoughts about the word "good" have been entirely altered. Whenever someone says "good," my brain automatically reminds me of this whole Rydell saga. I'll never hear that word the same way again, either.)
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
I wish they had done more with the Jones family. Emily's relationship with her dad was especially endearing. I want him to appear in a future episode so badly. And now that they've put Emily through so much, I think now would be a good time to bring him back.

Nathan Hoobler said "unexpected characters" will appear in the next Rydell episode. Does Matthew fall under that category? I dunno. I want him to appear at least a few more times here and there, even if he and his family are mostly gone.
YES! We need the Jones family back! Or at least Emily's dad. This would be the perfect time for him to return. And yes, I hope we hear a few more episodes with Matthew and Emily. I would be interested in some episodes which delve into their relationship furthur now that Matthew is done with the detective agency. I'd be happy if Matthew appeared in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." If "The Rydell Revelations, Part 1" is meant to be his last episode, I'd be okay with that. (But would be happier if he appeared a few more times.)
ASmouseInTheHouse wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:12 pm
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof.
I remember hearing The Key Suspect and inwardly laughing my head off because in The Case of the Ball Cap Hero, Matthew was teasing Emily about Buck, and then in The Key Suspect she throws it back in his face because of Suzu :lol:
This thought never crossed my mind. But it is pretty funny now that I think of it. :lol:
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“We have it translated in every language: (กฎของเอมิลี่, Emily es la mejor, 艾米莉规则, Emily Quy tắc!, エミリーは最高です, emilyyay ulesray!, Эмили Правила!, Emily é a melhor, एमिली नियम!, Emily est la meilleure!, إميلي هي الأفضل!, Emily Kuralları!, אמילי שולטת!, Emily Regeln!, 에밀리 담당!, Si Emily ang pinakamahusay!, എമിലി രാജ്ഞിയാണ്!, એમિલી નિયમો!) that Emily RULES!”~The E.R.K.
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Monica Stone
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Before I say anthing else, would like to point out that Emily & Matthew are the only child characters in Odyssey to appear in three main story arcs/sagas (the Rydell Saga, the Ties that Bind, the Green Ring Conspiracy). Not only that, but Emily is the only kid character to be the main protagonist of a saga. Additionally, she will be the longest-running kid character in terms of years (barely beating out Matthew if he never appears again) and closely followed by Jay. She is deserving of the honors.
Carl wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:44 pm
This is sort of related to Emily, but would you rather chose: Matthew+Emily, or Matthew+Suzu, or none of them?
Interesting question! You mean who I prefer in terms of ships? It's not something I think about often, but if I am choosing which ship I prefer, it would have to be Emily & Matthew. The Suzu & Matthew ship was a fun little thing while it lasted (it was basically in "The Key Suspect" and mentioned in "A Sacrificial Escape"), but itsn't a long-lasting kind of romantic relationship. Emily & Matthew, on the other hand, work very well off each other and support each other in a healthy way (even if there is sometimes conflict & confusion on the way). If they were like 10 years older, I could see them getting together possibly. But right now, I just want them to focus on their friendship and not anything else. What do you think?
Polehaus53 wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:02 pm
Huzzah! 117 pages! A few more posts and we'll beat the K.R.E.! \:D/
...and continue beating that spiteful group even after we hit 118 pages! :clap: I wonder how long we'll last before we run out of ways to talk about Emily (that is, until new Emily episodes come out).
Polehaus53 wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:02 pm
It's actually been a while since I've listened to Emily's earlier episodes. After seeing all this discussion about her development, I'm going to have to go back and hear them all! (And yes, my thoughts about the word "good" have been entirely altered. Whenever someone says "good," my brain automatically reminds me of this whole Rydell saga. I'll never hear that word the same way again, either.)
Her earlier episodes aren't gold tier episodes or anything and can be frustrating, but they're worth hearing. I've sat through "When You're Right, You're Right" more times than you'd think for the sake of Emily analysis even if I'm ripping my hair out the entire time.

Is it ~good~ that your perception of the word good has changed? ;)
Polehaus53 wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:02 pm
YES! We need the Jones family back! Or at least Emily's dad. This would be the perfect time for him to return. And yes, I hope we hear a few more episodes with Matthew and Emily. I would be interested in some episodes which delve into their relationship furthur now that Matthew is done with the detective agency. I'd be happy if Matthew appeared in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." If "The Rydell Revelations, Part 1" is meant to be his last episode, I'd be okay with that. (But would be happier if he appeared a few more times.)
I doubt they'd ever bring Barrett back, but Simon Jones (and possibly Dorothy) could easily come back if they write them into the story. It's been five years since Simon Jones last appeared and I need him to come back. I liked him as a character and I like his relationship with his daughter. Gimme.

I would like to see how Emily & Matthew connect outside of the detective agency. Obviously, they do, but I want to be able to see what it's like for them on a regular day. There's always mentions of them hanging out or talking when they weren't solving mysteries ("We go in each others houses all the time" and episodes like "Emily the Genius" and "The Rydell Revelations Part 1") but I wanna see more of that. Give me just a few more Matthew & Emily episodes, Odyssey. He's like her only closely established friend and an amazing one at that.
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Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
Before I say anthing else, would like to point out that Emily & Matthew are the only child characters in Odyssey to appear in three main story arcs/sagas (the Rydell Saga, the Ties that Bind, the Green Ring Conspiracy). Not only that, but Emily is the only kid character to be the main protagonist of a saga. Additionally, she will be the longest-running kid character in terms of years (barely beating out Matthew if he never appears again) and closely followed by Jay. She is deserving of the honors.
That's true. Unless I'm mistaken, no other kid character has been involved with that many sagas. The only other person who comes close is Aubrey Shepard, who appears in both the Blackgaard Saga (In "Blackgaard's Revenge") and the Novacom Saga.
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
Is it ~good~ that your perception of the word good has changed? ;)
"Well, I suppose... yes." ;)
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
I doubt they'd ever bring Barrett back, but Simon Jones (and possibly Dorothy) could easily come back if they write them into the story. It's been five years since Simon Jones last appeared and I need him to come back. I liked him as a character and I like his relationship with his daughter. Gimme.
I don't think Barret will come back either. But hearing from Emily's parents would be nice. The last time Dorothy Jones appeared in an episode was... *checks aiowiki* ..."Emily the Genius," which was nine years ago! :mad: Both parents need to return! (Perhaps the actors are unavailable?)

Since we've already discussed our favorite Emily episodes, I have to ask: What is everyone's least favorite Emily episode?
-Signed, PolehausFifty-three

Member of The Emily Rules Klub (est. 2012)

“We have it translated in every language: (กฎของเอมิลี่, Emily es la mejor, 艾米莉规则, Emily Quy tắc!, エミリーは最高です, emilyyay ulesray!, Эмили Правила!, Emily é a melhor, एमिली नियम!, Emily est la meilleure!, إميلي هي الأفضل!, Emily Kuralları!, אמילי שולטת!, Emily Regeln!, 에밀리 담당!, Si Emily ang pinakamahusay!, എമിലി രാജ്ഞിയാണ്!, એમિલી નિયમો!) that Emily RULES!”~The E.R.K.
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Monica Stone
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Polehaus53 wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:18 pm
That's true. Unless I'm mistaken, no other kid character has been involved with that many sagas. The only other person who comes close is Aubrey Shepard, who appears in both the Blackgaard Saga (In "Blackgaard's Revenge") and the Novacom Saga.
True, true. There's also Jay, who appeared in the GRC & the Ties that Bind. And also Olivia who appeared in the Rydell Saga & the Ties that Bind. But Emily & Matthew have them all beat.
Polehaus53 wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:18 pm
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
Is it ~good~ that your perception of the word good has changed? ;)
"Well, I suppose... yes." ;)
"Then instead of being suspicious of your brother, why can't you think of him as someone who brings out the good in people?"
Polehaus53 wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:18 pm
Since we've already discussed our favorite Emily episodes, I have to ask: What is everyone's least favorite Emily episode?
This klub is dedicated to appreciating Emily. The fact that you could insinuate that there is a bad Emily episode/one I dislike is insulting. You are hereby KICKED OUT.
Kidding.

I re-listened to "Game for a Mystery" recently and Barrett was completely unbearable (I'll reluctantly acquiesce that he had a few funny lines) and he made the episode hard to listen to, even if Emily & Matthew were charming. That might be my personal least favorite. What about you?
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Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:49 am
"Square One" deals with Emily's over-skepticism and need for control with Matthew. Granted, from her POV, he was shutting her out inexplicably and she felt like he didn't trust her. She didn't want to lose him (a sympathetic and understandable desire that many can relate to) so she resorted to blackmail & spying. But she realizes she screwed up and faces the consequences of her actions. She tries shortcuts to get Matthew back into the Square One Club and it backfires. Matthew accuses her have being selfishly motivated, but she reveals that, yes, she was super insecure & selfish, but she did want to make him happy. It's a pretty loaded episode in terms of Emily & her motivations, but suffice it to say, although she makes bad decisions, you want her to do the right thing & also reconcile with Matthew. I certainly do not feel apathetic listening to the episode.
Dude, you absolutely nailed it with your summaries of these episodes (I live for your synopises haha)! That's a really good point about Emily, that though being heavily flawed (I probably overstated that in my first post), was not made out to be complete trash early on. I'd love to talk about those other episodes but right now I wanna focus on 'Square One' and why it's such a special episode (even though I feel like we've covered this over on the ToO already haha).
It's one of those episodes that's just so real and uncomfortable to the point that it kinda hurts to listen to it but there's just so, so much great character growth and insight. I think a large majority of people came away from that episode disliking Emily and while, yeah it's kinnnda justified (that was a pretty big oopsie), I feel it was because people didn't want to empathize with her since she messed up as bad as she did.
It's so easy to come away from 'Square One' and only see that "oh, Emily is a super manipulative, selfish, blackmailing control freak of a child who doesn't deserve friends because she is a horrible one." And yeah, going off on a bit of a side tangent, basically all those things are true to an extent because newsflash, as a former child, children are AWFUL. I'm sure it's been noted before in Emily's defense that kids don't really understand or process concepts of manipulation and blackmail, only seeing a favorable end goal and doing what it takes to obtain it. This isn't an excuse that what Emily did was justified, she is defintely old enough and mature enough to be held accountable for her actions, but this is not the same as if an adult were to blackmail someone.

Getting back to the point here though, it's easy to take away from this episode that Emily stinks instead of seeing that she is actually a really caring indivual that isn't quite sure how to show it yet, and that she's kinda insecure about her relationships (because of some past experience) and is scared of losing said relationships. Unfortunately, these things are often overlooked and plowed over by a massive combine harvester because blackmail isn't a really good look for anyone. But anyways, I haven't even scratched the surface on all there is to unpack in 'Square One' but I'll leave that for another time.
Monica Stone wrote:This is what I've been thinking all along!! Oh my goodness, thank you!! Awhile back, I re-phrased and cleaned up her AIOWiki article. I literally added that because I thought it was a fundamental character trait worth adding. "Emily will do anything for those she cares about, no matter what it will cost her." Whether that be good or bad, it's true. She had made the wrong decisions in doing anything for those she cares about, but she's also has made literally the most selfless decisions imaginable. Namely, choosing to die for Matthew. Even if it was a ruse, she didn't know that. It's so impactful.
Ah that's so cool, man! Thank you for doing that! Represent. 8)
Monica Stone wrote:I feel it's worth mentioning that Matthew was never a pushover and didn't stand by and allow himself to be mistreated. He spoke up for not only Emily, but for himself. Good stuff there. I loved Zach Callison's portrayal of Matthew and it's my favorite. A stand-out scene that comes to mind is when Matthew confronts Emily for the final time in "Square One". It's so natural, so good. The range of emotions, the chemistry, it's all great. I also really love Justin Felbinger's portrayal of Matthew. One of his stand-out scenes is in "The Rydell Revelations, Part 1". It's a little awkward at first between Emily & Matthew but it becomes something really sweet. If that is Matthew's last scene, I'm sad, but it's a great way to go out.

I noticed that, too. Emily gets obsessive but Matthew tries to talk sense into her (to varying degrees of success). And Matthew somtimes gets down on himself and Emily is his voice of encouragement. I love their dynamic aah. I also love J&P mystery episodes, but my favorites are also the ones where they aren't of that genre. Bob Hoose said his favorite characters are Jay & Emily. Looking at his list of episodes, it shows lol. The episodes he has written with Jay or Emily are *chef's kisses*.


I can't thank you enough for bring this up. There's a lot I really admire about Matthew's character and this is by far one of my favorite elements about him. A habit of mine I've been trying to break recently is my instinctive desire to put labels on everything, and Matthew is the type of character that can be easily overlooked at first glance and shoved into the 'nice, easygoing, follower' box because he is surrounded by such radical people. But that isn't a place where Matthew belongs. Like you said, Matthew is willing to speak up for himself and push back when Emily has gone to far, this isn't just a basic trope where you have one really strong-willed person and another who just goes along with it even though I think sometimes their friendship is mistaken for that. Emily provided such a phenominal foil for Matthew, allowing us to see the unique parts of his personality that really set him apart from other easier-going characters. There's no one who could possibly be the friend Emily needs better than Matthew has. He has the patience and peaceable nature to still coexist with Emily despite many of the traits that make her incompatible with other characters while also providing the restitance to challenge her and keep the relationship healthy. I love this writing so much dude.

Also, I only bring this up because I'm curious if anyone else had similar feelings, but roughly during album 57-66, I felt like Matthew's character kinda got watered down a little bit. This could totally be because he had a ton of different VAs during that period and obviously, as was the case with all the different Whit's, the character is bound to change with the one protraying it. It could also be due to the fact we got a lot less episodes with Emily and Matthew and they just bring out such distinct parts in each other that something was missing in the others absense. But even in episodes like "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero" and "The Key Suspect", while the dynamic was still good, it was not as distinct as it was earlier on (this could totally just be me though). It could have nothing to do with writting (for the reasons mentioned above) but it just felt like he lost a little bit of that resistance that set him apart so much. Justin Felbingers preformance is geniunely really good in general but album 68 and 69 is where I feel he really came into his own (also he does great in a lot of club exclusives).
Monica Stone wrote:I started a thread on the ToO about the Parkers leaving and it become me & MonkeyDude discussing why Matthew needs to appear again after "Further from the Truth" and us worrying about it. :lol: I am thrilled he appeared in "The Rydell Revelations", even if it was only for a scene. I'm 50/50 on whether he'll appear again. The show gave us closure with Emily & Matthew, why not Matthew & the Rydells? I just remembered Matthew had a crush on Suzu. I'm getting some mad Emily & Buck vibes oof. Nathan Hoobler said "unexpected characters" will appear in the next Rydell episode. Does Matthew fall under that category? I dunno. I want him to appear at least a few more times here and there, even if he and his family are mostly gone.
That is legit one of my favorite threads lol. But yeah, I loved how Phil wrote that scene in Rydell Revelations Part 1, it was really nice and honestly everything I was hoping for. That being said... MATTHEW PARKER FOR 'LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF' 2020
Monica Stone wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:39 pm
I would like to see how Emily & Matthew connect outside of the detective agency. Obviously, they do, but I want to be able to see what it's like for them on a regular day. There's always mentions of them hanging out or talking when they weren't solving mysteries ("We go in each others houses all the time" and episodes like "Emily the Genius" and "The Rydell Revelations Part 1") but I wanna see more of that. Give me just a few more Matthew & Emily episodes, Odyssey. He's like her only closely established friend and an amazing one at that.
Yes. This.
Carl wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:44 pm
This is sort of related to Emily, but would you rather chose: Matthew+Emily, or Matthew+Suzu, or none of them?
Haha I've been waiting for this question to come up. So it's pretty rare I ship something outside of the platonic sense and this isn't really an exception but I very much support whatever Matthew and Emily have and/or could potentially have in the future haha! I don't have an issue with Matthew and Suzu but I'd have to see a little bit more interaction between them before I can say if it's something I really support. Seems like they'd work well together too. (but I'd still probs prefer Matthew and Emily)
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So, uh, this is litttle bit hypocritical considering what I literally just wrote above this but (please don't shoot me) I'm really excited to see more of the Morrie and Emily dynamic. I know a lot needs to happen before they can actually become friends or have a healthy comradery but um yeah. This concept is very interesting to me.
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MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
Dude, you absolutely nailed it with your summaries of these episodes (I live for your synopises haha)! That's a really good point about Emily, that though being heavily flawed (I probably overstated that in my first post), was not made out to be complete trash early on. I'd love to talk about those other episodes but right now I wanna focus on 'Square One' and why it's such a special episode (even though I feel like we've covered this over on the ToO already haha).
It's one of those episodes that's just so real and uncomfortable to the point that it kinda hurts to listen to it but there's just so, so much great character growth and insight. I think a large majority of people came away from that episode disliking Emily and while, yeah it's kinnnda justified (that was a pretty big oopsie), I feel it was because people didn't want to empathize with her since she messed up as bad as she did.
It's so easy to come away from 'Square One' and only see that "oh, Emily is a super manipulative, selfish, blackmailing control freak of a child who doesn't deserve friends because she is a horrible one." And yeah, going off on a bit of a side tangent, basically all those things are true to an extent because newsflash, as a former child, children are AWFUL. I'm sure it's been noted before in Emily's defense that kids don't really understand or process concepts of manipulation and blackmail, only seeing a favorable end goal and doing what it takes to obtain it. This isn't an excuse that what Emily did was justified, she is defintely old enough and mature enough to be held accountable for her actions, but this is not the same as if an adult were to blackmail someone.

Getting back to the point here though, it's easy to take away from this episode that Emily stinks instead of seeing that she is actually a really caring indivual that isn't quite sure how to show it yet, and that she's kinda insecure about her relationships (because of some past experience) and is scared of losing said relationships. Unfortunately, these things are often overlooked and plowed over by a massive combine harvester because blackmail isn't a really good look for anyone. But anyways, I haven't even scratched the surface on all there is to unpack in 'Square One' but I'll leave that for another time.
First of all, thank you. I love figuring out characters & what makes them tick. Some characters I dedicate more brainpower to than others and Emily is one of those characters I think about alot. And let me just say, I LOVE what you've written. SO GOOD.

"Square One" is a great episode and I will die on that hill. When I finally start my Odyssey blog, sooner or later I'll write an analysis on it for all to see (because let's be honest, I don't think there are any people who keep up with my E.R.K. ramblings other than active members). Again, it is the first time these characters really, truly clicked for me. It's the first episode where you can really see these characters going long-term.

Emily struggles to deal with her relationships at this point. There is a vague allusion to her having a friend who ghosted her. That's what triggered her when Matthew was purposely avoiding her and being cagey about the Square One Club. She didn't want what happened to her last friend to happen to Matthew. She doesn't know how to deal with her distrust & suspicions so she feels she has to stay in control to stay secure. Really, she's just an insecure girl worried about losing her friendship with Matthew. I like how they don't overblow and over-emphasis the story about her ex-friend and leave it vague. They don't explain everything and I like it. It leaves it up to interpretation.

I agree that children, as precious as they are, can unintentionally stink. And they should be disciplined and held accountable, but sometimes they just don't listen or get it. I'm basically describing myself from the ages 8-13 rip. I mean, I too am a former child, and I can honestly say I stunk royally. I was Emily but with no reason to sympathize with my motivations. Thankfully I have grown out of that version of myself and can recognize I was awful. TMI? Maybe.

Honestly kinda wanna transcribe the last scene between Emily & Matthew and go through it line-by-line haha. It's the only way I feel like I could do it justice with an analysis.

Matthew is such a great person and friend. He calls her out on her nonsense but does so in a charitable way. But like you said, it's so uncomfortably real. Gosh, the dialogue, acting, and story are golden, especially in the scenes where Matthew has to confront Emily. Like kudos Marshal Younger & Paul McCusker :clap:
MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
I can't thank you enough for bring this up. There's a lot I really admire about Matthew's character and this is by far one of my favorite elements about him. A habit of mine I've been trying to break recently is my instinctive desire to put labels on everything, and Matthew is the type of character that can be easily overlooked at first glance and shoved into the 'nice, easygoing, follower' box because he is surrounded by such radical people. But that isn't a place where Matthew belongs. Like you said, Matthew is willing to speak up for himself and push back when Emily has gone to far, this isn't just a basic trope where you have one really strong-willed person and another who just goes along with it even though I think sometimes their friendship is mistaken for that. Emily provided such a phenominal foil for Matthew, allowing us to see the unique parts of his personality that really set him apart from other easier-going characters. There's no one who could possibly be the friend Emily needs better than Matthew has. He has the patience and peaceable nature to still coexist with Emily despite many of the traits that make her incompatible with other characters while also providing the restitance to challenge her and keep the relationship healthy. I love this writing so much dude.

Also, I only bring this up because I'm curious if anyone else had similar feelings, but roughly during album 57-66, I felt like Matthew's character kinda got watered down a little bit. This could totally be because he had a ton of different VAs during that period and obviously, as was the case with all the different Whit's, the character is bound to change with the one protraying it. It could also be due to the fact we got a lot less episodes with Emily and Matthew and they just bring out such distinct parts in each other that something was missing in the others absense. But even in episodes like "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero" and "The Key Suspect", while the dynamic was still good, it was not as distinct as it was earlier on (this could totally just be me though). It could have nothing to do with writting (for the reasons mentioned above) but it just felt like he lost a little bit of that resistance that set him apart so much. Justin Felbingers preformance is genuinely really good in general but album 68 and 69 is where I feel he really came into his own (also he does great in a lot of club exclusives).
Matthew & Emily are amazing foils. If you want to simplify it, he is the introverted pessimist and she is the extroverted optimist. They push each other out of their comfort zones and help each other to become better people. They balance each other out rather well. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a good friendship. And they were both willing to die for each other, which, like, wow. Loyalty and selflessness to the end. Brb crying. I love that the writers had the guts to break the agency up, but on a personal level, it makes me sad.

I somewhat agree that they watered Matthew down but I'd have to think about it more before I say something conclusive. I think he became more & more generic when he got his second voice actor in "The Ties that Bind". But I think his writing got stronger and more like "early Matthew" again in like 2018. They brought back the geekier side with "Failing to the Finish Line" and I think that was a good turning point. But again, I'll have to think about it again.

I wasn't a fan of some of Emily & Matthew's interactions in "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero." Matthew made a lot of out-of-character snide remarks about how annoyed he was at Emily. For example, the scene where Emily knocks on Matthew's window is just Matthew being kinda uncharacteristically aggressive and snippy. Emily tells him, "He [her dad] gets me" to which Matthew responds, "That makes one of us." And then a few seconds after she leaves, he says, "I'm glad her dad gets her. I wish he would keep her." Matthew isn't a pushover and he sticks up for himself when he believes he's being mistreated, but he's just generally getting annoyed at Emily's very essence. #NotMyMatthew

I love "The Key Suspect" though! Their banter was excellent. They were so much fun and they good-naturedly teased each other. Also, I would like to mention something I personally find significant. Emily has dropped the "sidekick" gag and called him her "partner"!! It was probably done for the sake of the joke ("not partner partners") but I kinda see it as another turning point for Emily.
MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
That is legit one of my favorite threads lol. But yeah, I loved how Phil wrote that scene in Rydell Revelations Part 1, it was really nice and honestly everything I was hoping for. That being said... MATTHEW PARKER FOR 'LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF' 2020
Haha, one of my favorites too! Everybody kinda just stopped replying at a certain point (lol) and it was just us listing every reason why Matthew needs to appear again and why we need some semblance of closure between Emily & Matthew. And we did get it in that episode and it made me happy and sad and everything all at once. I literally listened to the episode again early this morning when I awoke unreasonably early. It's been a little bit since I listened to "The Rydell Revelations, Part 1" all the way through although I love it.

I also want to know how Matthew will react to Morrie & Suzu's guilt and juxtapose it to Emily's response. We haven't really seen Matthew in this kinda place before...? It's such a unique situation. Emily has been utterly manipulated before, by Buck, but it isn't comparable. Plus, he never hurt her in the way Morrie & Suzu did. He toyed with her feelings but he never, uhm, tricked her into thinking she was going to die and kidnapped her imagination. And Buck was ultimately repentant! Morrie & Suzu aren't. Whit isn't. There's going to be so much conflict and I'm here for it! ....As long as they don't make Whit the morally just of the four. Because.......y'know, I have ranted about it enough on the ToO. We all know Whit was a manipulative & deceptive person (who had good intentions but executed them extremely poorly).
MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
Haha I've been waiting for this question to come up. So it's pretty rare I ship something outside of the platonic sense and this isn't really an exception but I very much support whatever Matthew and Emily have and/or could potentially have in the future haha! I don't have an issue with Matthew and Suzu but I'd have to see a little bit more interaction between them before I can say if it's something I really support. Seems like they'd work well together too. (but I'd still probs prefer Matthew and Emily)
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So, uh, this is litttle bit hypocritical considering what I literally just wrote above this but (please don't shoot me) I'm really excited to see more of the Morrie and Emily dynamic. I know a lot needs to happen before they can actually become friends or have a healthy comradery but um yeah. This concept is very interesting to me.
Matthew & Emily have been grown as people and as friends. They are at a point where I could feasibly see them get together when they're young adults. I really don't want any romantic goosh now but it could be really interesting when they're older. I kinda felt almost more-than-friends tension in "The Rydell Revelations" but I felt weird about expressing that at first because I am a big supporter of letting platonic male/female relationships be without mixing undue romance into it.

I skimmed what you wrote the first time and I thought you were saying you shipped Morrie & Emily currently and I nearly had a stroke. That's what happens when you skim things. :anxious: I think they are interesting as characters and I know Emily is probably furious at him now so I wanna see where this goes. Since Morrie thinks he did no wrong, Emily is especially not going to be sympathetic to such a notion. Morrie is going to first have to reject the idea that his actions were good before they even think of becoming friends. Emily will need to forgive Morrie & Suzu (& Whit???) obviously, but forgiving them doesn't necessarily mean creating bonds with them. Curious to see how this will progress.

Sorta on-topic, but it was somewhat emotionally satisfying when Emily exploded at Morrie in "Further from the Truth." Like, it's been 4 years of build-up and even if she only snapped for a trivial reason, it was satisfying for me to hear her yell at him.
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MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
Carl wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:44 pm
This is sort of related to Emily, but would you rather chose: Matthew+Emily, or Matthew+Suzu, or none of them?
Haha I've been waiting for this question to come up. So it's pretty rare I ship something outside of the platonic sense and this isn't really an exception but I very much support whatever Matthew and Emily have and/or could potentially have in the future haha! I don't have an issue with Matthew and Suzu but I'd have to see a little bit more interaction between them before I can say if it's something I really support. Seems like they'd work well together too. (but I'd still probs prefer Matthew and Emily)
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So, uh, this is litttle bit hypocritical considering what I literally just wrote above this but (please don't shoot me) I'm really excited to see more of the Morrie and Emily dynamic. I know a lot needs to happen before they can actually become friends or have a healthy comradery but um yeah. This concept is very interesting to me.
Yes! Agreed, sort of!
Buckles shipper. Visit my Odyssey website at http://odyssey-news.com/.


Trista: Isn't it great to be an indevidual now, not just someone who wears what society tells them to wear?
Jules: But your telling my what to wear.
Trista: Of course, I'm your publicist, it's my job.

~#902 California Dreams, Part 1~
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Polehaus53
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Monica Stone wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:45 pm
Polehaus53 wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:18 pm
Since we've already discussed our favorite Emily episodes, I have to ask: What is everyone's least favorite Emily episode?
This klub is dedicated to appreciating Emily. The fact that you could insinuate that there is a bad Emily episode/one I dislike is insulting. You are hereby KICKED OUT.
Kidding.

I re-listened to "Game for a Mystery" recently and Barrett was completely unbearable (I'll reluctantly acquiesce that he had a few funny lines) and he made the episode hard to listen to, even if Emily & Matthew were charming. That might be my personal least favorite. What about you?
Goodness, talk about giving a guy a heart attack. My circulatory system literally fluctuated before I read the spoiler. :noway: I think I'd have to say my least favorite Emily episode would be "When You're Right, You're Right," where, as you said earlier, Emily is at her worst. That's one of the reasons I haven't heard it in a while. But after seeing this whole discussion about her development since that time, I'll definitely re-listen to those episodes.
Monica Stone wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:25 pm
MonkeyDude wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:47 pm
I can't thank you enough for bring this up. There's a lot I really admire about Matthew's character and this is by far one of my favorite elements about him. A habit of mine I've been trying to break recently is my instinctive desire to put labels on everything, and Matthew is the type of character that can be easily overlooked at first glance and shoved into the 'nice, easygoing, follower' box because he is surrounded by such radical people. But that isn't a place where Matthew belongs. Like you said, Matthew is willing to speak up for himself and push back when Emily has gone to far, this isn't just a basic trope where you have one really strong-willed person and another who just goes along with it even though I think sometimes their friendship is mistaken for that. Emily provided such a phenominal foil for Matthew, allowing us to see the unique parts of his personality that really set him apart from other easier-going characters. There's no one who could possibly be the friend Emily needs better than Matthew has. He has the patience and peaceable nature to still coexist with Emily despite many of the traits that make her incompatible with other characters while also providing the restitance to challenge her and keep the relationship healthy. I love this writing so much dude.

Also, I only bring this up because I'm curious if anyone else had similar feelings, but roughly during album 57-66, I felt like Matthew's character kinda got watered down a little bit. This could totally be because he had a ton of different VAs during that period and obviously, as was the case with all the different Whit's, the character is bound to change with the one protraying it. It could also be due to the fact we got a lot less episodes with Emily and Matthew and they just bring out such distinct parts in each other that something was missing in the others absense. But even in episodes like "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero" and "The Key Suspect", while the dynamic was still good, it was not as distinct as it was earlier on (this could totally just be me though). It could have nothing to do with writting (for the reasons mentioned above) but it just felt like he lost a little bit of that resistance that set him apart so much. Justin Felbingers preformance is genuinely really good in general but album 68 and 69 is where I feel he really came into his own (also he does great in a lot of club exclusives).
Matthew & Emily are amazing foils. If you want to simplify it, he is the introverted pessimist and she is the extroverted optimist. They push each other out of their comfort zones and help each other to become better people. They balance each other out rather well. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a good friendship. And they were both willing to die for each other, which, like, wow. Loyalty and selflessness to the end. Brb crying. I love that the writers had the guts to break the agency up, but on a personal level, it makes me sad.

I somewhat agree that they watered Matthew down but I'd have to think about it more before I say something conclusive. I think he became more & more generic when he got his second voice actor in "The Ties that Bind". But I think his writing got stronger and more like "early Matthew" again in like 2018. They brought back the geekier side with "Failing to the Finish Line" and I think that was a good turning point. But again, I'll have to think about it again.

I wasn't a fan of some of Emily & Matthew's interactions in "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero." Matthew made a lot of out-of-character snide remarks about how annoyed he was at Emily. For example, the scene where Emily knocks on Matthew's window is just Matthew being kinda uncharacteristically aggressive and snippy. Emily tells him, "He [her dad] gets me" to which Matthew responds, "That makes one of us." And then a few seconds after she leaves, he says, "I'm glad her dad gets her. I wish he would keep her." Matthew isn't a pushover and he sticks up for himself when he believes he's being mistreated, but he's just generally getting annoyed at Emily's very essence. #NotMyMatthew

I love "The Key Suspect" though! Their banter was excellent. They were so much fun and they good-naturedly teased each other. Also, I would like to mention something I personally find significant. Emily has dropped the "sidekick" gag and called him her "partner"!! It was probably done for the sake of the joke ("not partner partners") but I kinda see it as another turning point for Emily.
Yes, I noticed this as well. I think it had something to do with the different actors he had during that time. I'll have to take more time examining this, though. I can briefly say that I thought Matthew and his interactions with Emily's interactions were fine in The Ties That Bind. Emily's first episode with Matthew's third actor, Justin Felbinger, was in "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero," and I agree that Matthew was a bit out of character. I didn't like "Parker for President" that much either, but I think "The Key Suspect" was good. Actually, I feel like it was after Justin Felbinger's voice changed that Matthew's writing got stronger.
(Just realized that Matthew Parker has appeared in more episodes than Jimmy Barclay has. O.o)
-Signed, PolehausFifty-three

Member of The Emily Rules Klub (est. 2012)

“We have it translated in every language: (กฎของเอมิลี่, Emily es la mejor, 艾米莉规则, Emily Quy tắc!, エミリーは最高です, emilyyay ulesray!, Эмили Правила!, Emily é a melhor, एमिली नियम!, Emily est la meilleure!, إميلي هي الأفضل!, Emily Kuralları!, אמילי שולטת!, Emily Regeln!, 에밀리 담당!, Si Emily ang pinakamahusay!, എമിലി രാജ്ഞിയാണ്!, એમિલી નિયમો!) that Emily RULES!”~The E.R.K.
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Carl
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Polehaus53 wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:22 pm


Also, I only bring this up because I'm curious if anyone else had similar feelings, but roughly during album 57-66, I felt like Matthew's character kinda got watered down a little bit. This could totally be because he had a ton of different VAs during that period and obviously, as was the case with all the different Whit's, the character is bound to change with the one protraying it. It could also be due to the fact we got a lot less episodes with Emily and Matthew and they just bring out such distinct parts in each other that something was missing in the others absense. But even in episodes like "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero" and "The Key Suspect", while the dynamic was still good, it was not as distinct as it was earlier on (this could totally just be me though). It could have nothing to do with writting (for the reasons mentioned above) but it just felt like he lost a little bit of that resistance that set him apart so much. Justin Felbingers preformance is genuinely really good in general but album 68 and 69 is where I feel he really came into his own (also he does great in a lot of club exclusives).
Matthew & Emily are amazing foils. If you want to simplify it, he is the introverted pessimist and she is the extroverted optimist. They push each other out of their comfort zones and help each other to become better people. They balance each other out rather well. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a good friendship. And they were both willing to die for each other, which, like, wow. Loyalty and selflessness to the end. Brb crying. I love that the writers had the guts to break the agency up, but on a personal level, it makes me sad.

I somewhat agree that they watered Matthew down but I'd have to think about it more before I say something conclusive. I think he became more & more generic when he got his second voice actor in "The Ties that Bind". But I think his writing got stronger and more like "early Matthew" again in like 2018. They brought back the geekier side with "Failing to the Finish Line" and I think that was a good turning point. But again, I'll have to think about it again.




I wasn't a fan of some of Emily & Matthew's interactions in "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero." Matthew made a lot of out-of-character snide remarks about how annoyed he was at Emily. For example, the scene where Emily knocks on Matthew's window is just Matthew being kinda uncharacteristically aggressive and snippy. Emily tells him, "He [her dad] gets me" to which Matthew responds, "That makes one of us." And then a few seconds after she leaves, he says, "I'm glad her dad gets her. I wish he would keep her." Matthew isn't a pushover and he sticks up for himself when he believes he's being mistreated, but he's just generally getting annoyed at Emily's very essence. #NotMyMatthew

I love "The Key Suspect" though! Their banter was excellent. They were so much fun and they good-naturedly teased each other. Also, I would like to mention something I personally find significant. Emily has dropped the "sidekick" gag and called him her "partner"!! It was probably done for the sake of the joke ("not partner partners") but I kinda see it as another turning point for Emily.
[/quote]
Yes, I noticed this as well. I think it had something to do with the different actors he had during that time. I'll have to take more time examining this, though. I can briefly say that I thought Matthew and his interactions with Emily's interactions were fine in The Ties That Bind. Emily's first episode with Matthew's third actor, Justin Felbinger, was in "The Case of the Ball Cap Hero," and I agree that Matthew was a bit out of character. I didn't like "Parker for President" that much either, but I think "The Key Suspect" was good. Actually, I feel like it was after Justin Felbinger's voice changed that Matthew's writing got stronger.
(Just realized that Matthew Parker has appeared in more episodes than Jimmy Barclay has. O.o)
[/quote]

:yes:
Buckles shipper. Visit my Odyssey website at http://odyssey-news.com/.


Trista: Isn't it great to be an indevidual now, not just someone who wears what society tells them to wear?
Jules: But your telling my what to wear.
Trista: Of course, I'm your publicist, it's my job.

~#902 California Dreams, Part 1~
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