Season 3, Episode 13: Nothing In Common

Hi guys. Well, we’ve finally reached the end of my beloved season three. You can kiss the old school Amanda and Busy good bye after this episode. Their attitudes change, their style changes, their hair do’s definitely change and overall the show as a whole feels like it changes. It’s still good, but I think it loses the charm these earlier seasons hold.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, we still have one more episode of this season to tackle, so let’s get on with it.

The episode opens with Amanda and Busy sitting at a creek, that seriously reminds me of Taylor Creek in Toronto. Amanda is forcing Busy to listen to her mediocre poetry, and Busy’s acting her usual annoyed self with Amanda’s antics. Amanda’s disappointed that Busy wasn’t impressed with her poetry, but what can she expect? Busy never enjoys anything artsy Amanda attempts, like I’m sure she’s still traumatized by that Save the Animals song from the Wild Life episode in season one.

They randomly run into a homeless lady in the park, and Amanda gives her the poem because she’s a cheap bastard.

Amanda’s all excited because Busy’s Uncle Pasquale is in town and he’s a publisher….of cook books. But Amanda figures she can use some good old fashioned nepotism and charm her way into getting published in one of his cooking magazines. Busy tells her to calm the hell down, because her uncle is not in town just to help Amanda’s half-assed writing get published. But Amanda’s got a mission and there’s no way Busy is getting in the way of that.

Next scene, Amanda’s at Busy’s place having dinner and Uncle Pasquale is amidst the Ramone clan. He brings up some random song from Amanda and Busy’s youth about them being “best friends forever” (the theme of this episode) and they kinda groan at him remembering the stupid shit they said when they were seven.

Amanda wastes no time pointing out that she still writes and that she’s been working on some poems. Busy tries to shut her down, but is unsuccessful, as Amanda worms her way into getting Uncle Pasquale to read some of her poems. I don’t really get why Busy is trying to cock block Amanda’s writing. I mean, it is annoying that Amanda is trying to use Busy’s family to get published, but at the same time, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m sure Uncle Pasquale is just being nice, like reading one of her damn poems isn’t going to take up his day. Anyway, Uncle Pasquale then starts eating some corn in a really disturbing manner which makes the girls giggle since he apparently did this at a corn roast many moons ago.

Later in the eve, Amanda puts together a little care package of literally every poem she’s ever written in her life, including some ribbons about winning poetry contests, in case Uncle Pasquale doesn’t recognize how talented she is y’all.

The next day at school during lunch, Amanda presents Busy with her poetry package, and as usual Busy doesn’t give a shit. Amanda catches glimpse of a cassette that Busy has, which Busy seems weirdly uncomfortable about. Amanda gets it out of her that it is music she and some chick named Maxine are working on. Amanda really wants to hear it and even offers to write lyrics for Busy, but Busy turns her down saying the way she writes wouldn’t work for the music. Amanda is still really insistent on hearing the tape, and Busy begrudgingly gives in. I think because Busy is so hyper critical of Amanda’s art she’s worried Amanda will judge her (and rightfully so, because we later learn Busy really sucks at lyric writing).

Suddenly some random Asian chick named Wendy sits herself next to the girl’s table. I don’t think this is the same chick who was the “Oooo tough luck” one from the Danny pimple episode, but I think she was the one who schooled Amanda in the Jewish episode. Anyway, Wendy has come up with some book club idea that she thinks is super not nerdy at all. Amanda thinks it’s rad and offers to be a member, but Busy thinks it is hella lame and takes off.  Uh oh, AMANDA AND BUSY DON’T LIKE THE SAME THINGS. WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN?

Shortly after, we see Amanda and Wendy sharing a Walkman and listening to Busy’s tape, as Wendy loudly and openly mocks the lyrics. Busy is at a water fountain and hear’s everything. I don’t think it was very cool of Amanda to listen to that tape with Wendy, when Busy is clearly the type of person not comfortable sharing her art. At the same time, Busy’s been acting pretty bitchy towards Amanda lately so I’m not surprised it occurred. Anyway, of course Busy is pretty pissed at this situation. Also, what is that person behind Wendy in this screenshot?

After school Busy meet’s up with Maxine, whose trade mark is a monotone voice and a stupid hat. Amanda manages to catch Busy before she takes off  to “jam” with Maxine, because Busy forgot the poetry package at the lunch table. Busy tells Amanda she’ll give it to her uncle after she’s back from Maxine’s, but Amanda being her usual selfish self, whines at Busy to please go home first and give it to her uncle because it is important to her. Busy reminds Amanda/every viewer for the 10,000th time that her music is important too. Busy eventually just lies and tells Amanda she’ll go home first. Amanda then gives Busy back her tape and in a super phony manner tells Busy how great she thought it was. Busy see’s right through her bullshit and takes off with Maxine. So yeah, some tension is definitely brewing between these two girls, and honestly, it’s been in the making for awhile now. I feel both of them are probably a real chore to be friends with sometimes.

Busy and Maxine then ride their bikes through that same ravine/park Busy and Amanda were in at the beginning of this episode. Amanda’s poetry package was on some really flimsy looking back part of Busy’s bike and falls off and her poems scatter everywhere, unbeknownst to Busy.

Amanda later stops by Busy’s place, and is now basically harassing Busy about these poems and Uncle Pasquale. Busy’s getting mighty fed up with Amanda and her poetry shit, and tells her Uncle Pasquale is at some convention and isn’t even home yet. Amanda then decides she should just give him the poems herself, and Busy tells her they are on the bike. Amanda notes their absence and Busy is basically like DERP.

They return back to the ravine and Amanda’s poems are all over the place and completely ruined. Busy feels really bad and offers to make new one’s but Amanda apparently didn’t have copies. This would not be an issue in this day and age I must say. They then start getting into it, with Amanda saying Busy never cared about her poetry and Busy being pissed that she and Wendy made fun of her tape. Amanda says it was basically retaliation for insulting her poems at the dinner table the night before, which Busy didn’t actually do. Busy then says her and Wendy are perfect for each other because they are boring boy crazy book worms and Amanda says Busy and Maxine are boring, and that Maxine doesn’t talk. Busy tells her she’s thankful for that because she’s grown weary of listening to Amanda’s bullshit 24/7. They then leave each other on that bad note.  I’M NOT KIDDING….WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN? Seriously guys…I’m so scared. Will they survive this rift?

The next day Amanda arrives at school in full Claude Tanner from Degrassi High attire. She meets up with Busy at their lockers and they both exchanges bags with the stuff the other had left at their homes. So basically, they are acting like a couple breaking up and returning items.

Later on Amanda is walking with Wendy and see’s Busy with Maxine so invites Wendy over to read poems. So Busy asks Maxine if she wants to jam. Both are trying to make the other one jealous I’m assuming. Definitely acting like a former couple. I wish they’d just accept their feelings for each other and date already.

So then Wendy is at Amanda’s reading some boring ass poem that could be used to induce a coma. Seriously, look at Amanda, she looks like she’s about to fall asleep.

We then switch to Busy and Maxine where they are jamming along. Interestingly, Busy is now playing keyboard instead of drums (she’ll be playing keyboard a lot more in future episodes, so I wonder if this was a coincidence or the show planned this) and while the music is actually decent…the lyrics are….yeeeeah. I’ll let you guys judge:

You’re such a bore, don’t come ’round no more, just walk out that door, like you did, before.

No wonder Amanda and Wendy made fun of the lyrics. Even Busy thinks it might rhyme too much, but Maxine says that lyrics should rhyme, and Busy is very easily satisfied with that half-assed reasoning.

Then we get a sort of montage of the girls doing things they like with their mini me’s aka Amanda rating boys and doing make-up with Wendy and Busy playing video games and listening to U4EA (remember that band?) with Maxine.

Next day at school, Busy is playing Pogs with Maxine (“remember ALF, he’s back, in Pog form!”), while Amanda is partaking in the book club with Wendy and some other nerds. They both look at each other longingly from the across the cafeteria, missing each other’s annoying tendencies.

Later on, in a pretty random scene, Maxine and Busy are walking through that damn ravine again. Seriously, what’s with this location? They’ve never been there before and now everyday they are hanging out here. Busy points out how Amanda gives that homeless lady money/her poems which makes Maxine scoff. Busy then kind looks like she has some epiphany that maybe Amanda is a good person and gives the homeless lady money too. I dunno, was this the scene they used to make Busy realize she’s kinda been an asshole lately to Amanda and should cut her some slack? I dunno, it felt really out of nowhere to me.

Then we see Wendy and Amanda reading poems and Amanda’s pretty much over this scene. She basically rolls her eyes at her own poetry and you can tell she’s bored as fuck by everything with Wendy. I guess Amanda is now realizing how dull of a person she actually is and needs Busy around to keep things interesting with her sassy attitude. See, these bitches need each other!

I think the last straw comes for Busy when she has Maxine over for dinner, and the Ramones are acting like freaks as per usual, and Maxine doesn’t roll with the punches like Amanda did. I guess it is pretty important to have a friend that can understand and relate to your family’s quirks.

A new scene, the girl’s are in class and the teacher comes up with an assignment to have the kids write about their most memorable birthday’s. Busy asks Amanda if she’s going to write about when they put Brandy to sleep. I really hope Brandy was a cat and not her grandma. Amanda asks Busy if she’s going to write about when she got her first drum kit. So yeah, obviously these two have been in each other’s lives since the dawn of time, and should just become damn friends again already.

Later on in the evening, Uncle Pasquale stops by Busy’s room and asks about Amanda’s poems. Busy lets him know that she and Amanda aren’t friends anymore because they have nothing in common. Uncle Pasquale points out the most obvious thing ever in that Busy and Amanda never had anything in common in the first place, and that’s why they were best friends, because d’uh opposites attract. This should be most evident by the fact that both girl’s are already bored of their clones after one week of hanging out with them. Uncle Pasquale then does a creepy wink and leaves, never to return again. Thanks for your pearl’s of wisdom, Uncle Pasquale.

In the last scene, both girls are at a coffee shop with their new friends, but keep looking at each other. Finally Amanda bails on Wendy, and Busy follows, dumping Maxine. They meet up outside, where they have awkward small talk. Amanda asks Busy how the song is coming and Busy admits the lyrics blow. Amanda tries to use an analogy of Busy being peanut butter and her needing some jam aka Amanda, but Busy’s a tad too dense to get it. Finally Amanda just comes out and asks if Busy wants help and she says yes. They both do their secret handshake from years gone by and become friends again. The episode ends with the girl’s casually walking down the street dissing both Wendy and Maxine haha.

I’m not going to lie guys, I have been writing this review since Labour Day weekend. I find this episode so incredibly tedious, it’s been hard to get through it. I really did not like this episode, it severely grated on my nerves. I’m wondering if the show did this episode of their friendship almost ending in case there wasn’t going to be another season, just because season 4 is the start of a whole new look for the show. Anyway, apologizes for taking a decade to do this review.

BUT I got exciting news! Y’all should go look for Ready or Not on Youtube, because yesterday I looked and was pleasantly surprised, that’s all I’m going to say. 😉

Next episode: SEASON 4, EVERYTHING CHANGES aka mostly just Amanda and Busy’s hair. The first episode is actually kind of stupid, but I’m looking forward to the review. Until then!