rionaleonhart | And That Someone Is Me.

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And That Someone Is Me.

More Waterloo Road, and oh, my, the murder trial in episode nine of series five. I cried and cried and cried. And also shouted 'PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE' whenever anyone was interacting with Max, because the man needs such a punch in the face. Nothing makes me shout at the screen like Waterloo Road does. Is - is that a good thing?

And then the tenth episode was one of the most satisfying hours of television I have ever seen. YES. YES TO EVERYTHING. I grinned through the entire ending. Josh! Philip! Rachel! Chris! (Chris is so lovely! I'm going to be sorry when the Jess thing inevitably comes around to knock him on the head. The poor man; he's so good-hearted, but if he's not being falsely accused of inappropriate relationships with the pupils he's accidentally having them.)

Also, the episode contained a scene in which a male pupil, after falling out with a female pupil, found his way out of the room impeded by two people in a cow costume. His response was 'Stupid cow'. It was so hilariously dreadful that I had to rewind to watch it another three times.

Some more thoughts on Waterloo Road as a school for young Pokémon owners: we've already established that Karen has a Kangaskhan, Tom has a Growlithe, Ronan has a Meowth, Finn has a Mankey and Josh has an Eevee. Lauren, I have since decided, has a Spearow. Ruth has a Porygon; I'm not so sure about her father, but I think he could possibly have a Mightyena. I can see Ruby with a Ninetales and Sambuca with a Pikachu. Janeece has a Clefairy or something with a similar 'so cute it's actually a bit repellent' feel. Max has a Rhyhorn; I am in no doubt about this. Jess can't bring her Vulpix in because pupils aren't allowed Fire-type Pokémon on school grounds (there have been incidents in the past), and so one day she comes into school with a male Nidoran; Chris, who has a Nidorina, is rather perturbed by this.

Is Tom the PE teacher? He's the Head of English, but we also seem to see him overseeing football matches. In any case, he teaches practical Pokémon battling. (And also literature, because I don't see why literature studies shouldn't exist in the world of Pokémon, although obviously literary classics won't be quite as we know them. Romeo has a Luvdisc! Iago has a Banette! Mercutio and Tybalt engage each other in a vicious Pokémon battle! Macbeth will go to any lengths to be a Pokémon master!)

I may possibly have been writing snippets of fanfiction set in this Pokémon AU. I promised myself I wouldn't do this!

My favourite line of Waterloo Road so far, incidentally: 'You weren't an accident. Your mother stole my sperm.'

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'You weren't an accident. Your mother stole my sperm.'

I THINK I'VE SEEN THIS EPISODE.

Why do these posts bring me such joyyyyy.

MTE! I can't bring myself to watch the show, but I look forward to these updates so much. Whyyyyy?

Riona's basically just watching it for us and translating it all into fannish terms.

I'm glad you've seen that episode, because clearly everyone should have the privilege of hearing that amazing line. (And I'm also glad you enjoy the posts!)

"You weren't an accident. You were a crime!"

Ahahaha. Oh Waterloo Road writers. Never change.

I really loved this show in its first season, you know. I always thought it was sad as I started raging more at it.

You are making me increasingly curious about the first series. If I end up watching it, I'm blaming you. (Well, you and

aeonamber, who appears to have provided the means to watch it a few comments down.)

Ahahaha. Hey, at least I'll be able to follow the posts a bit more then. :P

Maybe Tom is like my High School History, Computer Sciences, and Algebra teachers, in that they were also the sports coaches because the school cannot afford to have more? (these were all different people, and yes, the two actual PE teachers were also coaches.)

Or possibly he is like Feeny, in which he is the principal, history teacher, English teacher, and his room alternates between being an office, a classroom, a bathroom, and a janitor's closet. And, perplexingly in one episode, the student newspaper room.

"(And also literature, because I don't see why literature studies shouldn't exist in the world of Pokémon, although obviously literary classics won't be quite as we know them. Romeo has a Luvdisc! Iago has a Banette! Mercutio and Tybalt engage each other in a vicious Pokémon battle! Macbeth will go to any lengths to be a Pokémon master!)"

AND THE LITERARY ANALYSIS.

"How is it significant that Mr. Darcy has an Arcanine while Mr. Collins has a Growlithe, and how does Elizabeth owning a Starmie play into this?"

'You weren't an accident. Your mother stole my sperm.'

...What?

Exactly! I would love to sit in on a literature class in a world of Pokémon.

...What?

I considered explaining, but I think it's more fun to imagine your expression of confusion.

And also literature, because I don't see why literature studies shouldn't exist in the world of Pokémon, although obviously literary classics won't be quite as we know them. Romeo has a Luvdisc! Iago has a Banette!

But Hats, as language has changed over time don't you think Pokemon would have been slightly different in the Shakespearean world? At the very least they would have different names. I can't see Shakespeare using names based on Anglicised Japanese words.

I did actually consider the question of Pokémon differences in the Shakespearean world! Specifically, I thought 'but in the anime only the first-generation Pokémon are known of when Ash sets out on his journey, surely?' But then I concluded that this was more 'our world with Pokémon' than the actual Pokémon world. As for Pokémon being different, I'm not sure animals have changed that much over the past few centuries, and I didn't say 'Romeo has a Luvdisc! Which is referred to as "Luvdisc" throughout the play, because they were called Luvdisc at the time!'

I - I think too much about Pokémon.

I'm not sure animals have changed that much over the past few centuries

Well, true, but that sort of assumes that all species of Pokémon are indigenous to areas of the world that had been discovered in Shakespeare's time. I mean, they thrive in different climates, don't they? And if Shakespeare was writing in the 1600s I'm not sure they would have been quite so receptive to anything that came from the Japans considering Japan wasn't open to the West until 1854. And Japan seems a logical place to associate with Pokémon.

...I might also be overthinking this slightly.

Is Tom the PE teacher? He's the Head of English, but we also seem to see him overseeing football matches.

My GCSE English teacher was also a PE teacher (something which, I have to admit, made me view him with distrust), so it can definitely happen.

That seems incredibly weird to me, but possibly that's because I loved English and hated PE, so in my head the two can never go together.

My senior English teacher in High School was the only male teacher that I ever had who didn't double as a coach of some kind. No, seriously. Well, and the band director, but we consider Band a sport in marching band, so, yuss.

I found it very weird as well. English teachers shouldn't sully themselves with PE!

That "your mother stole my sperm" line is one of the biggest lolwut moments in that show's history, haha.

Regarding Tom: teachers in that school can multi-task extremely well, it seems.

And I love your WR/Shakespeare-pokemon match-ups. :D I'm now imagining Macbeth marching along in place of Ash in the Pokemon opening; it's most entertaining.

Thank you for clarifying the Tom thing! I really wasn't sure about that, and it's a useful thing to know if I'm going to write all the fanfiction I'm not supposed to be writing.

I'm now imagining Macbeth marching along in place of Ash in the Pokemon opening

Well, he certainly does want to be the very best.

No problem. FWIW they did have a PE teacher in Series 4, but he vanished without a trace (characters do that, sometimes). So though it's never outright stated, I think Tom just manages the football as an extra thing.

Ooh, fic! :D

Like no one ever was. *nods* Ha. He sure does. xD

Oh, and I'm not sure how far you want to pursue this... interest, and if you want to backtrack slowly through the series, but I thought it may be worth mentioning that some of the older episodes are hosted (legally!) on SeeSaw.com:

http://www.seesaw.com/TV/Drama/b-13599-Waterloo-Road

...you probably shouldn't be encouraging me like this, but thank you very much for that link! I wasn't planning to go back further than the fifth series, but, well, if the episodes are right there...

Why are you still fighting it?

Riona. Why is there, in my head, a high school English lesson in which the implications of Prospero's choice of Legendary Pokemon are discussed with regards to underlying metaphorical structures of the man-nature connection in The Tempest? Why have you done this to me?

"PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE," is something I frequently yell at characters. Also "SHOOT HIM IN THE LEG," because it bothers me so much when a good guy and villain are facing off, and the villain turns around and walks away and is all, "well, guess I'ma escape now, since you're too Good to shoot me in the back," and then s/he gets away because the stupid Good Guy lets the villain go. No! Do not let the villain go! Shoot him! In the leg! Which is a decidedly non-fatal area so you won't have the Death On Your Conscience either you prone-to-angst good guy, you.

Series 3 is where it's at, man. YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST WATCH IT FROM WHEN RACHEL TURNS UP.
(No, seriously - her introductory storyline is, quite literally, amazing.)

And shouting at Waterloo Road is mandatory. You're fine on that front.

Someone who actually watches it! Hooray!

I really shouldn't be going back any further, but - but I do like Rachel. And amazing storylines.

I'm totally going to end up watching every episode, aren't I? So doomed.

Oh, there are worse things in life :)

Got completely addicted to it at university - once a week, there'd be about 15 of us packed into our living room, all eating different things for tea and all screaming at Waterloo Road. Happy days.

I really recommend Series 3, anyway - it's my favourite of the lot. There are some genuinely brilliant bits that you Absolutely Have To See.

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And That Someone Is Me.

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