The Being Erica BS Detector: Season 3, Episode 3
In episode three, our favourite time traveller learns one of Gandhi’s most valuable lessons: an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. (Or in the fist-pump worthy words of Edwin Starr: “War—ungh!—what is it good for?”) Small aside here: sometimes the specific task of the BS detection can be frustrating. We’re dying to discuss Sam’s potential rock climbing rendezvous, the increasingly bizarre relationship of the Goblins coffee house owners and that Adamo Ruggiero (aka gay Marco from Degrassi: The Next Generation) is the fifth Next Gen cast member to earn a guest spot on BE. But them’s the breaks, so back to the time-copping task at hand.
The time period: It’s the fall of 1994 (pretty easy to suss out this time when Erica says, “it’s 1994”). Erica and Adam visit her brother Leo during his first year of university to learn about the dangers of vengeance.
• Erica doesn’t name the university in London, Ontario, but we’re guessing it’s Western. And if we know one thing about UWO it’s that the Greek system is huge there, which is why a guy like Leo would have been inclined to rush a frat. (+3)
• And when we say “a guy like Leo” we mean a relatively cool guy, so why is he all of a sudden dressed like Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds? Based on our post-secondary experience, Leo-types (guys who are popular, good looking, into cool bands) stay cool on campus. We’re not saying that’s a good thing, just that we don’t buy the tortured dork storyline. (-4)
• Stolen street signs as art—it doesn’t get more frat house than that. (+5)
• It makes sense that the leader of the frat boys doesn’t know who Radiohead is, given that this is 1994 and the band has yet to release anything mainstream. (+4) But would he really be so unabashedly into Hootie and the Blowfish? Based on our recollections, Hootie was always sort of a guilty pleasure, especially for guys. (-1) Also, the Hootie song in question—“Only Wanna Be With You” off the album Cracked Rear View—wasn’t released as a single until 1995. The album’s first hit, “Hold My Hand,” would have been a more era-accurate selection. (-2)
• A Hot Chip album appears in Leo’s room at the frat house, which is cool and all except that the band didn’t form until 2000 and their first album wasn’t released until 2004. (-4)
• Finally (and this is not so much an accuracy concern here as a general reality check), why didn’t Erica switch togas with Leo? The poor guy looked like Wilma Flintstone. (0)
Final score: + 1
 Small aside here: sometimes the specific task of the BS detection can be frustrating. We’re dying to discuss Sam’s potential rock climbing rendezvous, the increasingly bizarre relationship of the Goblins coffee house owners and that Adamo Ruggiero (aka gay Marco from Degrassi: The Next Generation) is the fifth Next Gen cast member to earn a guest spot on BE. But them’s the breaks, so back to the time-copping task at hand.
The time period: It’s the fall of 1994 (pretty easy to suss out this time when Erica says, "it’s 1994"). Erica and Adam visit her brother Leo during his first year of university to learn about the dangers of vengeance.
• Erica doesn’t name the university in London, Ontario, but we’re guessing it’s Western. And if we know one thing about UWO it’s that the Greek system is huge there, which is why a guy like Leo would have been inclined to rush a frat. (+3)
• And when we say “a guy like Leo” we mean a relatively cool guy, so why is he all of a sudden dressed like Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds? Based on our post-secondary experience, Leo-types (guys who are popular, good looking, into cool bands) stay cool on campus. We're not saying that's a good thing, just that we don't buy the tortured dork storyline. (-4)
• Stolen street signs as art—it doesn’t get more frat house than that. (+5)
• It makes sense that the leader of the frat boys doesn’t know who Radiohead is, given that this is 1994 and the band has yet to release anything mainstream. (+4) But would he really be so unabashedly into Hootie and the Blowfish? Based on our recollections, Hootie was always sort of a guilty pleasure, especially for guys. (-1) Also, the Hootie song in question—“Only Wanna Be With You” off the album Cracked Rear View—wasn’t released as a single until 1995. The album's first hit, “Hold My Hand,” would have been a more era-accurate selection. (-2)
• A Hot Chip album appears in Leo’s room at the frat house, which is cool and all except that the band didn’t form until 2000 and their first album wasn't released until 2004. (-4)
• Finally (and this is not so much an accuracy concern here as a general reality check), why didn’t Erica switch togas with Leo? The poor guy looked like Wilma Flintstone. (0)
Final score: + 1){kind=link}
Just thinking of Hootie makes me cringe. For sure a guilty pleasure.
I think I missed last weeks episode, so darn it all any way! Can’t really comment either way, whether it was ‘believable’ or not. Will definitely catch it this week tho’!
It seems that Leo’s university suddenly changed? I thought he was at Dal for some reason (I’m pretty sure I saw Dal sweatshirts the first season, so I assumed….I mean, one doesn’t wear another school’s sweatshirt, right?)
Well the Hootie album was released in summer of ’94 so it’s completely plausible that it would be playing that autumn.
I went to Western in the early ’90s and think they got the stereotype right. A guy like Leo would not have fit in. Maybe at York or Trent perhaps but definitely not UWO frat culture. Though I don’t understand why Leo would rush in the first place.