Wax Lion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Wax Lion”
Wonderfalls episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1
Written by Todd Holland (story)
Bryan Fuller (story & teleplay)
Directed by Todd Holland
Guest stars Gabriel Hogan
Scotch Ellis Loring
Kari Matchett
Kathryn Greenwood
Chelan Simmons
Production no. 1AHM79
Original airdate March 12, 2004
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
– "Pink Flamingos"
Episode chronology

"Wax Lion" is the pilot episode of the television show Wonderfalls.

Contents

[edit] Plot Synopsis

After being passed over for a promotion at her dead-end retail job, Jaye begins hearing voices from a defective wax lion and a brass monkey. Trips to her mother's therapist and the local bar, where she meets the cute new bartender whose wife cheated on him on their honeymoon, do nothing to assure Jaye that she is not going crazy. After a night of verbal harassment from the Wax Lion, Jaye grudgingly agrees to do what the voices tell her. She arranges a horrible blind date between her sister, Sharon, and Thomas, a lovesick EPS worker. Sharon has no interest in Thomas because, as she reveals to him and Jaye, she is a lesbian, and the date ends in a trip to the hospital when Thomas has an allergic reaction to peanuts. Thomas' ex-wife visits him at the hospital and she and Sharon are immediately attracted to each other. Thomas also finds a new romantic interest in his nurse. Despite the good effects of her actions, Jaye remains unconvinced that she isn't crazy or that the voices aren't evil.

[edit] Arc Significance

  • Sharon meets Beth in this episode, and their relationship becomes more serious over the course of the series.

[edit] Guest stars

[edit] Music

[edit] Quotes

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Darrin: "Sweetheart, when was the last time you had an orgasm?"
---
Jaye: "Your ass is ringing."
---
Girl: "You're not supposed to steal."
Jaye: "You're not supposed to talk to strangers. Piss off!"
---
Jaye: "You're my sister."
Sharon: "You tell people we're not related."
Jaye: "It was just that one time."
---
Sharon: "I'm a lesbian. The reason I'm not attracted to is your genitals are on the outside."

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Pickup shots for this episode were filmed six months after the original filming, and these replacement shots are rather obvious because Caroline Dhavernas's face looks thinner and more tanned.
  • The actress who appears as Heidi in this episode is not Jewel Staite, who played Heidi later in the series. The production team decided that she looked enough like Staite that they didn't need to do a pickup shot.
  • Sharon was originally intended to be using her reflection in the microwave to pop zits when Jaye calls her after she is arrested.
  • Sharon struggling with her seatbelt was added by Katie Finneran. As a New Yorker, Finneran does not drive very often and she had difficulty buckling the seatbelt while filming the scene.
  • Kari Matchett, who plays Beth, had blonde hair at the time the pilot was filmed. FOX had forbidden the show producers from hiring another blonde actress, which is why she wears a brunette wig throughout the series.
  • Two of the last scenes -- the scene with Sharon and Jaye in Jaye's trailer and the scene between Jaye and Thomas in the gift shop -- were extended at FOX's request to provide more closure.
  • When the dialogue of this episode was interpreted into French, the line "Don't squeeze the Charmin" was lost in translation. The line was interpreted to say something being charming.
  • Jeffrey R. Smith provided the uncredited voice of the Brass Monkey.

[edit] Cultural references

  • The Wax Lion and the Barrel Bear sing "Hello, My Baby," made famous by Michigan J. Frog, to annoy Jaye into doing what they ask.
  • Jaye mentions being willing to have sex with Drew Barrymore should no males be around.
  • The Barrel Bear draws Jaye's attention to a young woman with toilet paper on her shoe by referencing a Charmin toilet paper slogan, "Don't squeeze the Charmin."

[edit] External links

  • Television Without Pity Recap