I don't know I mean... This is TWICE that Bloo has appeared as elderly in this season... (I have no idea if Say It Isn't Sew has aired on television yet so I'm shoving this in spolier tags)

Spoiler Below

Uh, people, I think this discussion might be better held in the Something Old, Something Bloo thread? We're getting reather off-topic here.

Maybe imaginaries have longer life-spans than humans (Uncle Pockets) and will, at a range of certain ages, age, like people say. It's almost like I can see SOMETHING in Wilt's past that made him look YOUNGER, but I have no clue what it is, and it's NOT the fact that he's "broken" that made him look "older". The answer is there, but I don't know what it is.

Yeah I can see that too. He DOES look a LOT younger in the flashbacks and the only thing that's different is just the absence of his arm and the wonky-ness of his eye...

maybe it's cuz he seems so happy and....
not troubled in the flashbacks.

It's not just that, maybe it's that he aged in a subtle way.....I don't know...:terrconf: To me he just looked brighter....and more youthful. And Wilt's never actually looked all that troubled to me except in Good Wilt Hunting, oh, and Cheese a Go-Go. Maybe it's just the past haunting him like you said.....

Wilt DEFINATELY looks younger in those flashbacks, and it's not just because of the arm and eye thing, like y'all said. It's subtle, but the change is there, and even if you compare a happy "NOW" pic of him to the flashbacks, EVEN if it was one of the flashback scenes where he looks worried, he still looks older now than he did then. I'm sure that all the emotional and physical trauma he's been through has contributed to that, too.

pitbulllady

Thank you for mentioning that! Whenever I saw GWH and Wilt with two arms and two eyes, I thought SOMETHING about him was very different, and it wasn't the arm or the eye. I'm glad you mentioned it was that he looked considerably younger, because it was going to drive me crazy.

To me, in GWH flashbacks, he looked... I don't know, bubblier? As in, his lines were more curvy and his facial shape was fuller and just, for lack of a better word, "bubblier".

He looked a lot more confident and carefree, and just plain HAPPIER. I realize now that a lot of Wilt's "happiness" has been forced; it's been a front, probably to avoid bringing others around him down. Wilt has often done a very good job of pretending to be completely happy so he doesn't worry or bother anyone else or make them feel bad. In the flashbacks, his feelings are real. He just has that "top of the world" look about that you'd expect from someone who is young and feels like they've got it all, before they've had a chance to experience real heartache and set-back after set-back, and found out that the world out there isn't always a very nice place. I guess that some of Wilt's world-weariness, for lack of a better term, can also be attributed to him having been created to be more like a surrogate adult in the first place, whereas a lot of Imaginary Friends are more like perpetually young children, in terms of their emotions and thoughts. Most young kids don't really spend a lot of time thinking about the more unpleasant aspects of existance, like paying bills, wars, energy crises, crime, environmental issues, and such, because THEY are pretty much the center of their own universe, but as they get older, they become more and more aware of things going on around them and in the world at large, and how some of these things can have a pretty negative effect on everyone. Adults just plain worry more, because most of them can see "the big picture". Since Wilt is more like an adult, he's surely aware of some of the awful things that go on day to day, in various parts of the globe, and while he doesn't go on and on about them, due to his tendency to internalize emotions, that awareness is surely adding to to his countenance.

pitbulllady

Well said, pitbulllady. I couldn't have said it better myself. Basically, the way I see it, Wilt looks younger in the flashbacks because he...well...really HAD no worries or troubles at that point. He was at his peak-he had (and still DOES have, in my opinion) amazing basketball skills, he still had Jordan hanging around with him and it seemed as if NOBODY could top him. He was just...on top of the world! He hadn't really had to face any dilemmas at that point, so it would be quite obvious that his happiness is genuine there. THAT is what Wilt was like when he was "truly" happy.

But as we all already know, once he lost that all-important game along with his arm and eye is where the guilt immediately started to build. Not to mention it's hard to tell what ELSE he went through after that (between then and the time he arrived at Foster's). That endless guilt that had built up over the years along with the other troubles he was bound to have seen and went through would definitely make Wilt "grow up", so to speak (even though I'm tempted to say that he was already quite mature to begin with since he was always on the lookout for Jordan almost as if he were his older brother). At that point, he had went through all of those experiences that he more than likely never even thought about before. He knew what it was like to lose something important to him, so NOW he knows what it's like to truly go through tough times in life. His experiences have made him the adult that he is now, basically. ;)

Yeah, I often see Wilt as an older brother (not MY older brother. God, no. Those two are poles apart. My older brother is like a cross Terrence/Mac, if you can imagine), especially in eps like Squeakerboxx, where he comforts and reassures Eduardo. But, yeah. Talking about Wilt and his past kinda makes me sad, which is one of the reasons I love the guy. I mean, if he was all happy and bubbly just because he'd never faced hardship or literally couldn't have his feelings hurt, he'd mean a lot less to me. The fact that he can go through all that, and STILL be really happy as a default emotion (I seriously don't think it's forced happiness most of the time), that shows real character, and resilience. So, yeah. That's one of the reasons that Wilt is just my favourite character on this here show.

A cross between Terrence and Mac? Man, that's sorta scary when I stop and think about it!

Wilt's resilience is probably one of the main reasons I like him so much; he is the very embodiment of that old cliche', "Whatever doesn't kill you, just makes you tougher", along with the "Still waters run deep" saying. He's come through so much, yet you never hear him complain about his past, or of not being able to do something because of his apparent handicaps. He could easily use that as a "crutch", so to speak, but doesn't. A lot of people have Wilt pegged as "weak" and "spineless", but Wilt is one of the toughest characters on tv, or anywhere, for that matter, to be able to hold up under the sort of emotional and physical anguish he's been through for so long, and still manage to have a positive outlook. His detractors would have certainly crumble under a fraction of what he's been through.

pitbulllady

I wonder if Wilt might've made a few poor choices in life in his "8 years on his own" days. He probably didn't know that such things (smoking, drinking, drugs, etc) were bad until later on in his life.

It depends on how MUCH "etc." he did, as to whether they were poor choices or not. People CAN drink and still be responsible, or they can make total idiots of themselves. With Wilt being on his own, while learning to cope with now only having one arm and one eye, mind you-for eight years, he probably did as any living thing would have done: whatever it took to survive. That might have included having to do things that were against his better judgement and character, but if doing those things meant the difference between starving and having something to eat, so be it. Those things would only add to the already-massive burden of guilt he was carrying, of course. Being from that particular neighborhood(West Ashley can scare the living daylights out of the toughest, believe me-I got lost down there back in March while seeking out a car show at the Charleston Holiday Inn Convention Center, and the only person who gave me correct directions was an obvious member of the Crips, but hey, he didn't do me wrong, so I'm greatful for that), you can be certain that Wilt was no stranger to things like illegal drugs, alchoholism and violent crime, so it's not like he would have been totally naive to what it took to survive on the streets, or that he would not have known that such things were bad, otherwise he would most likely have gotten involved with them long before that fateful game against Foul Larry. He certainly would have had access to such things and would have seen more than most of you will ever see in your entire lives. If he'd given in to drugs or alchohol(on more than a casual, social occasion), before parting company with Jordan, I seriously doubt that Jordan would still hold him in such esteem today, but again, during those eight "lost" years, Wilt probably did whatever he had to do to stay alive.

pitbulllady

I've recently started reading a Novel in my English Classes called 'Stone Cold' about homeless people living on the streets of London. One of the main characters, Link, met another young man about his age, called Ginger, about six chapters from where I am at the moment, and he told Link that smoking eases the pain from hunger, so for all we know, Wilt MAY have taken a drag at least once to see if that actually worked, who knows. I doubt he'd have been a heavy smoker though, I HIGHLY doubt that, other wise he wouldn't have been able to play basketball as well as he did with Larry in 'Good Wilt Hunting'

Yeah, that's pretty common knowledge; you'd be surprised at how many people start smoking to lose weight or keep it off, since people usually eat a lot less if they smoke. Smoking is HIGHLY addictive, though, moreso than heroin or cocaine, so if Wilt ever had done that, it would have been really difficult for him to stop. With Wilt being an asthmatic especially, even moderate smoking would have resulting in some pretty bad damage to his lungs, and smoking damage does not ever heal or go away, even if you quit, so as you said, he would not have that stamina that he still does now and would have run out of breath quickly in his game against Larry.

Since it's now been established, via the DVD commentary, that Wilt is not subject to some sort of "magical" healing processes and has to be treated by a physician for serious injuries just as we do, we can be positive that his cruched arm was amputated by a surgeon and he would have had to spend some time recovering in a hospital. It's quite likely that he was given narcotic pain medication, unless he flat-out refused any, and developed some degree of dependency on those that he had to overcome.

pitbulllady

Okay, suddenly and completely changing the subject BUT, I thought about this about a month or so ago, and only just remembered. Perhaps the reason Wilt has issues with taking off his shoes and/or socks is because has Athlete's Foot. My Dad has it, and he doesn't tend to take off his shoes and socks either.

That's about the WORST thing you can do if you suffer from Athlete's foot-not take off your shoes and socks, since it's caused by keeping the feet hot and sweaty. Most diabetics have to battle this fungus, and going barefooted will clear it right away, but unfortunately, that predisposes you to foot injuries from stepping on sharp objects. The stuff itches like crazy, and I've never seen Wilt scratch his feet or act uncomfortable. He could be embarrassed that he has feet sorta like a monkey's!

While we're on the topic of Wilt's various medical conditions, it brings up something that's been argued on another forum, that of his genetic composition. Since we can be sure that his left arm was amputated in a hospital ER, and that he is in pretty much every respect as vulnerable to injuries as we are, it's also a pretty safe bet that during and immediately after said surgury he would have needed at least one blood transfusion, since amputating a limb, even under carefully controlled surgical conditions(and you have to remember, this was 30 years ago, when surgeons did not have lasers and such to operate with), results in major blood loss, and if Wilt had gone for some time between receiving the injury and seeking/getting medical help, he would have quite likely been really sick and debilitated by that point, making donor blood even more vital. Now, if each Imaginary Friend more or less represents a unique species, it would be impossible for any of them to receive donor blood, even from other Imaginary Friends. The only source of donor blood that Wilt would have received would therefore had to have been HUMAN blood, and unless he himself had a human blood type(which is only found in humans, by the way; even chimps have different blood types from us), it would have killed him.


pitbulllady

WILL is weird:D

Ok... First of, his name IS Wilt, as in Wilton, as in Wilton Chamberlain and second... Wha'? Just HOW is he weird, may I ask?

Well, being 10 feet tall for a start. I guess I prefer to refer to him as "unique".

As for Wilt's blood, it may be that IFs have human-like blood (if they even have blood. In some cases, like that raincloud IF, I don't see there being any), after all, these are creatures made purely from imagination here. Also, they tend to have working humanoid (again, generalisation) organs and stuff, so maybe whatever brings IFs to life (aside from imagination) just fills in the relevant details more or less to human specifications, adjusting wherever neccessary.

Mac does specifically mention Bloo having blood in "Land of the Flea", when Bloo got all those ticks on him. Bloo also got leeches on him in "Camp Keep a Good Mac Down", once again indicating the pressence of hemoglobin-based blood, since that is what leeches feed upon. While there may be some IF's that do not function the same way biologically as we "higher animals" do(like George Mucous, for example), the more humanoid of them, like Wilt, most likely do. We know that they have to eat, otherwise they become weak, and weakness from lack of food is due to low BLOOD sugar, or hypoglycemia. No blood, no blood sugar, no weakness from lack of food. They also produce waste, necessitating regular trips to the bathroom, due to kidneys filtering impurities and toxins from their BLOOD. Anesthetizing agents, such as those given to Eduardo in "Cheese A Go-Go", must be circulated through the blood stream in order to work. I don't think, especially after the DVD commentary, that Wilt's physiology is any different from a human's; we know he has bones, and bones have to be nourished and supported by the circulatory system. IMAGINATION is the medium by which they're brought to life, and probably given a outward appearance, but imagination does not sustain them. Once created, they're living, viable organisms independent of their creators.

pitbulllady

Who the heck is "WILL"? That kid from "Lost in Space", that hung out with that robot and that Dr. Smith guy? I can't recall seeing him on Foster's.

pitbulllady

Or Will Stronghold from Sky High?

Will Smith?

They're not on Foster's either. :D

If you take a look at 'Cheese A Go-Go' when he is reading that 'Blockhead's guide' book, he has the book pretty close to his face and his eye is somewhat squinted, so by the looks of things, he was having trouble readng the book without his glasses.

Ha! Looks like he's short-sighted! Like ME!

Near and Far-sighted are the terms I'm familiar with. XD

And he had no problem reading notecards without the glasses. So I'm just thinking that he can read his own handwriting, but requires glasses to read other text.

BUT, his handwriting on the notecards was a lot bigger than the print in most books, and it's hard to say how much he was actually reading, and how much he'd memorized, that is, until he was up on that stage. I doubt at that point that if the words had been in eight-foot-tall glowing letters, it would have made any difference. Plus, yeah, if you wrote something, you WOULD already know basically what it read, as opposed to reading something written by someone else for the first time, when you wouldn't know what it read until you'd read it. I had to wonder myself, in "Cheese A Go-Go", if the reason why Wilt did so poorly was not due at least in part to him not being able to see the print in the book, along with him probably having been conscripted into the role of Defense Attorney like, oh, ten minutes before his "client" was to appear in court! On top of that, Wilt obviously had something weighing heavily on his mind from the start, given his expression throughout that whole episode, and whatever the cause of THAT was, it was troubling him from the time we first saw him, so it was NOT due to his failure as a lawyer.

pitbulllady

I'm not sure if it's possible to be both short-sighted AND long sighted, o' course, I'm not exactly an expert optition...

I wonder if perhaps the loss of sight in his left eye affected his working eye. I doubt it, since there wasn't really a wound to his eye, so it would have been infected or anything, so I wouldn't of thought it would have done anything, but who knows.

I don't know about that. I think I have the worst eyes in my family, since I've been wearing glasses since I was very young, and I play basketball without my glasses in gym lessons and such (I DID wear my glasses once, but then I got hit in the face with ball and I had to sit out for the rest of the lesson as my Teacher tried to bend them back to their original shape) and I play fine... Well... I can shoot, I'm just not the best runner.

I would have thought, after over twenty years of being blind in his left eye, that Wilt would have gotten used to it, just like he would have had to of gotten used to only having one arm, after all, I suppose he'd have probably had a little trouble with his balance after having it amputated, and there have probably been occasions where he's gone to reach something with his left arm, only to remember that it isn't there anymore.

My eyes aren't as bad as that, but they are pretty bad. My Grandfather has caterax (not REALLY bad, but he's had several operations on it and he still can't see properly) and my eyes are worse than his, I beleive.

It's just a matter of getting used to your surroundsing as well I suppose, and when you figure out that black blur is the hoop, that orange blur is the ball and the blue black and maroon blur that's hurtling towards you is someone trying to swipe the ball from you.

But by the looks of things, back on Wilt, HIS sight disabilities aren't really THAT bad, since he doesn't have to wear his glasses all the time.

I'm one of those people, yes. I've worn contacts since I was in high school, but now I've had to switch to wearing bi-focals, since I have to have something to help me see close up and something to help me see far away. That's not the same as Wilt's situation, though, since he probably hasn't gotten to that point(YET). His reading situation is probably due to lack of stereoscopic vision. Try covering one eye and reading small print for awhile. At the very least, if you do it long enough, the words and letters can start to blur into each other. Wilt's reading glasses most likely aren't true corrective lenses, but simply magnifying lenses, that enlarge the words so he can make them out better. That would slow down his reading pace, since he'd see fewer words at a time, but it would help alleviate words running together, too.

pitbulllady

I'm about as short sighted as you can get and even I can play basketball without my glasses. It's not too hard to see a giant ball, it's more required to see print, or faces with any detail. Also, Wilt is likely not too short sighted, since he doesn't wear glasses all the time.

My Dad's short sited, but only has to wear his glasses when he's driving, but I suppose it's kind of impossible to tell just what is wrong with Wilt's sight (aside from being blind in one eye, of course), since we can't see what he sees.

Try covering up one eye and doing things like threading a needle, to see how loss of vision in one eye affects your binocular vision. Try reading that way, and see how much it can affect the rate and speed at which you read, and what printed words will begin to look like after several minutes.

pitbulllady

I can't thread a needle with BOTH eyes open, my hands are FAR to shaky.

I tried the reading thing, and my reading was a lot slower, and after a few minutes it started to go blurry and I ended up getting a bit of head ache so I had to stop.

I wonder how hard it was and how long it took for Wilt to get used to only being able to use one eye.

Um, all that aside XDD; I was re-watching the first season eps again and I realized that even Wilt's voice has changed since his premiere. (Bloo's voice has obviously gone through the most change, as has Mac's) Wilt's voice used to be clearer and a bit more... I'm not sure how to put this. Just listen to his earlier eps and you'll know XD; His current voice seems to have turned slightly lower, a little bit husky and also kind of... more gentle, I guess, for a way to put it.

While I don't mind the current voice I do kind of like the old one too :D It had a bit more edge to it. Ah well.

Haha, husky? Nice term. XD

Not only that, but it seemed to have a little more..."ka-chow" to it in some way. :D

I was thinking that same thing-that Wilt's voice has a bit more of a rougher "edge" to it now. I really like that, actually, since it's more in keeping with his not-so-pleasant past. Plus, when you think of all the emotions he's kept neatly bottled up inside, which boiled to the surface during the last season, that probably would account for the change in voice, too. You can REALLY hear that "edge" in "Bus the Two of Us", and in those end credits of Good Wilt Hunting(still arguably one of the funniest things I've ever seen on tv, period).

pitbulllady

What was on the credits? I don't think I remember.

Wilt got invited to one of Jordan's games and he went totally mad XD He was acting like a crazed fan all the way and the other's were kind of annoyed but too polite to tell him off XD

Wilt: "OHH YEAH! GO, JORDAN!!! ...HEY! THAT'S A FOUL! Back it up, friend; back it up. .....THREE! THAT'S THREE!! DID YOU SEE THAT?! DID YOU SEE THAT?! ...HEY, COME ON! ...HEY, BACK UP OFF THE DEAL A LITTLE BIT! THIS IS A NON-CONTACT SPORT, MY FRIEND!!"

The last bit always cracks me up XDDD

Yeah, me too! Wilt was just like one of those crazed "sports parents" you often hear about in the news, that go ballistic at their kids' matches, whether it's soccer, or baseball or basketball, or whatever, and wind up beating the snot out of the ref/umpire or another parent of a kid on the opposing team. Wilt was trying to obviously be a backup coach, as well, and probably didn't make any friends among the pro-basketball referees that night. The others with him were giving him this, "do I KNOW this guy?" look, since it was such a departure from his usually laid-back demeanor, lol! He was just really being the quintessential loud, obnoxious sports fan.

pitbulllady