Wilt

[WiltsAKGirl17]

Originally Posted by Mac-a-lacka

(This post is slightly off topic, Sorry!)
I wish that there would ever be a Wilt/Mac oriented episode.
I kind of like those two as a pair rather then Mac/Bloo, I can't even recall many moments on the show itself that revolve around those two.

Eh, I think it was time for a topic switch anyway, now that us loyal Wilt fans have fairly well established among ourselvs that Wilt can go out for a DL.

A Mac-Wilt based episode would definitely be nice to see-- they both work extremely well together, based on what I've seen of the little screentime they have together-- I remember the opening scene of GWH, when Wilt is teetering on the brink of a psychotic spazz attack, and all the times Wilt was trying to clean Mac's apartment in "Infernal Slumber." I agree that something about Mac and Wilt onscreen really clicks nicely, and I for one would like to see it explored.

Too bad I can't think of plotline to develop into something for the "Your Own Episodes" thread. Wait-- never mind, think I have something.

[Vampyre]

I like to think that maybe Mac looks up to Wilt like a substitute big brother, or even a Father, kinda like how Jordan saw him when he was child. I can imagine when Mac gets a little older, and, I dunno, he gets a crush on a girl at school or something, he goes to Wilt for some advice, and he ends up lecturing Mac with "The Talk". Mac and Bloo are pretty cool as a pair, but, I agree, that I'd like to see a Wilt and Mac centric episode, for a change.

[pitbulllady]

Yeah, it does often seem that Wilt and Mac, and sometimes Wilt, Mac and Frankie(not necessarily in that order)are the brains of the whole outfit. It's usually their decisions and actions that sort of control what's going on in many episodes. That teamwork can really be seen in "Let Your Hare Down" quite well. Wilt has this ability to offer a kind of quiet, almost behind-the-scenes guidance to a young person, without coming off as overbearing and bossy, and all the while allowing the kid to figure things out on his own and learn from that, instead of simply providing the answers to the kid right away. It's like Wilt knows a really bright kid like Mac would sort of resent someone just telling him everything, instead of being given a chance to learn on his own. Wilt knows when to step in with real help and when to kinda let things run their course, which I guess ties in with the intuitiveness of his personality. It a lot of ways, he and Mac have very similar personalities, actually.

pitbulllady

[Mac-a-lacka]

Originally Posted by WiltsAKGirl17

Too bad I can't think of plotline to develop into something for the "Your Own Episodes" thread. Wait-- never mind, think I have something.

Sadly, I can't think of one yet.
But if you do, may we see it?

EDIT: If there will ever be an episode like this (which I hope there will) it would be obvious that Craig or Lauren saw this.

[WiltsAKGirl17]

Originally Posted by Vampyre

I like to think that maybe Mac looks up to Wilt like a substitute big brother, or even a Father, kinda like how Jordan saw him when he was child. I can imagine when Mac gets a little older, and, I dunno, he gets a crush on a girl at school or something, he goes to Wilt for some advice, and he ends up lecturing Mac with "The Talk". Mac and Bloo are pretty cool as a pair, but, I agree, that I'd like to see a Wilt and Mac centric episode, for a change.

Wilt is definitely big brother/father material. Wilt said in GWH that Jordan's older brother would rub Jordan's younger age and short height in his face a lot (or something to that effect), so Wilt would have provided the love Jordan couldn't get from his flesh-and-blood brother and father, who is (as PBL has discussed) most likely an absentee figure in his son's life-- just like Mac. Like you, I can easily see Mac turning to Wilt for advice he can't get from his father and is unlikely to get from Terrence.

Originally Posted by pitbulllady

Yeah, it does often seem that Wilt and Mac, and sometimes Wilt, Mac and Frankie(not necessarily in that order)are the brains of the whole outfit. It's usually their decisions and actions that sort of control what's going on in many episodes. That teamwork can really be seen in "Let Your Hare Down" quite well. Wilt has this ability to offer a kind of quiet, almost behind-the-scenes guidance to a young person, without coming off as overbearing and bossy, and all the while allowing the kid to figure things out on his own and learn from that, instead of simply providing the answers to the kid right away. It's like Wilt knows a really bright kid like Mac would sort of resent someone just telling him everything, instead of being given a chance to learn on his own. Wilt knows when to step in with real help and when to kinda let things run their course, which I guess ties in with the intuitiveness of his personality. It a lot of ways, he and Mac have very similar personalities, actually.

pitbulllady

Given that Wilt, Mac and Frankie are among the most level-heaed characters of the show, I suppose it makes sense that they could be considered the brains of the operation. Wilt is quite the opposite of overbearing and bossy, and knows when to step in before things get too out of hand. (I'm sure this was in seen in the series, but I can't think of any examples off hand.) I think that Mac and Wilt DO have similar personalities, and perhaps that's why this duo really tickles my fancy. (That and my personal asthetics-- they simply look nice together as friends. I have no clue why.)

Ah, yes, and I haven't forgotten you, Mac-a-lacka-- yeah, you can see the ep idea, but I won't be posting it here; it'll go in the "Your Own Episodes" thread and there alone. Putting it there and here would more likely than not constitute cross-posting. I'm just trying to not give our friendly neighborhood mods/admins a headache.

[Mac-a-lacka]

I noticed in "Where there's a Wilt there's a way" Wilt did appear to give Mac a tiny bit of affection, side-hugging him while telling both Mac and Bloo about the game, and the way Wilt held his stub it seemed that he wouldn't of bothered to do the same for Bloo even if he had his left arm.

[WiltsAKGirl17]

Originally Posted by Mac-a-lacka

I noticed in "Where there's a Wilt there's a way" Wilt did appear to give Mac a tiny bit of affection, side-hugging him while telling both Mac and Bloo about the game, and the way Wilt held his stub it seemed that he wouldn't of bothered to do the same for Bloo even if he had his left arm.

Gah, I wish my season DVDs would get here soon! This is the sorta stuff I miss the first time! (Watching the Japanese dub certainly doesn't help, especially since I can't speak...)

Building on Vampyre's post that Mac veiws Wilt as a substitute father, much like Jordan did, the opposite is could be true as well: that Wilt sees Mac as a "substitute creator," if you will. Simply, that Wilt sees a lot of Jordan in Mac, and that he naturally, whether conciously or subconsciously, gravitates toward that, leading to little moments like this.

Wilt has lost, and regained, a lot in the course of his life, especially after GWH. While it's highly unlikely that he's going to regain his arm and eye, through the episodes we've seen after GWH's original airing, he's starting to come back to his old self-confidence. (Yes, I'm borrowing some of pbl's thoughts to make this work.) Despite all of that, he's not regained a boy or girl who needs him; he admitted in GWH that he really wanted to be adopted again. If a new little boy or girl is not in his immediate future, Wilt would more likely than not recognize that, but still want to provide love and a father-type role for a young child, especially one whose real father is absent-- a description Mac most definitely fits.

Wow, I just developed something that sounded halfway intelligent, depsite being immensely tired and not very analytical. If anyone wants to latch onto this and run with it, go ahead.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by WiltsAKGirl17

Gah, I wish my season DVDs would get here soon! This is the sorta stuff I miss the first time! (Watching the Japanese dub certainly doesn't help, especially since I can't speak...)

Building on Vampyre's post that Mac veiws Wilt as a substitute father, much like Jordan did, the opposite is could be true as well: that Wilt sees Mac as a "substitute creator," if you will. Simply, that Wilt sees a lot of Jordan in Mac, and that he naturally, whether conciously or subconsciously, gravitates toward that, leading to little moments like this.

Wilt has lost, and regained, a lot in the course of his life, especially after GWH. While it's highly unlikely that he's going to regain his arm and eye, through the episodes we've seen after GWH's original airing, he's starting to come back to his old self-confidence. (Yes, I'm borrowing some of pbl's thoughts to make this work.) Despite all of that, he's not regained a boy or girl who needs him; he admitted in GWH that he really wanted to be adopted again. If a new little boy or girl is not in his immediate future, Wilt would more likely than not recognize that, but still want to provide love and a father-type role for a young child, especially one whose real father is absent-- a description Mac most definitely fits.

Wow, I just developed something that sounded halfway intelligent, depsite being immensely tired and not very analytical. If anyone wants to latch onto this and run with it, go ahead.

Yeah, I doubt Wilt will "regain" his arm or eye; there's no evidence that he, or any other IF, can regenerate lost body parts, and it's a safe bet that if it hasn't happened in 30+ years, it's not gonna happen. Besides, part of Wilt's real strength is that he has learned to cope so well after losing an arm and an eye, and he can do pretty much anything that someone who still has two arms and two eyes is able to do, without complaining or whining. Wilt serves as an inspiration for anyone who is struggling with a disability, and shows that such people are just as capable as anyone else.

It HAS occurred to me that Wilt is more and more of a father figure, or at least a big brother figure, to Mac, and after seeing "Race For Your Life, Mac and Bloo", it really hit me just how much ALIKE Wilt and Mac are in terms of personality. Wilt just needs to "think outside the box" a bit, and perhaps discard the notion that the only way he can really help a child is to be adopted by that child and that child's family. He also needs to really take a long hard look at his impact on Foster's, since he's really one of the stabilizing elements in that home, and if he left, I have a feeling that things would become "off-balance", in terms of the residents' behavior and emotional status, to some extent. You often do not realize just how much one individual like Wilt can affect everyone else around them, until they're gone. It really takes the combined efforts of Wilt, Mac and Frankie to sorta hold things together around that place, to off-set the craziness of individuals like Bloo, or the obsession with rules of Mr. Herriman, and if one of those three were to leave, I don't think it would be benefit that household at all.

pitbulllady

[WiltsAKGirl17]

Originally Posted by pitbulllady

Yeah, I doubt Wilt will "regain" his arm or eye; there's no evidence that he, or any other IF, can regenerate lost body parts, and it's a safe bet that if it hasn't happened in 30+ years, it's not gonna happen. Besides, part of Wilt's real strength is that he has learned to cope so well after losing an arm and an eye, and he can do pretty much anything that someone who still has two arms and two eyes is able to do, without complaining or whining. Wilt serves as an inspiration for anyone who is struggling with a disability, and shows that such people are just as capable as anyone else.

It HAS occurred to me that Wilt is more and more of a father figure, or at least a big brother figure, to Mac, and after seeing "Race For Your Life, Mac and Bloo", it really hit me just how much ALIKE Wilt and Mac are in terms of personality. Wilt just needs to "think outside the box" a bit, and perhaps discard the notion that the only way he can really help a child is to be adopted by that child and that child's family. He also needs to really take a long hard look at his impact on Foster's, since he's really one of the stabilizing elements in that home, and if he left, I have a feeling that things would become "off-balance", in terms of the residents' behavior and emotional status, to some extent. You often do not realize just how much one individual like Wilt can affect everyone else around them, until they're gone. It really takes the combined efforts of Wilt, Mac and Frankie to sorta hold things together around that place, to off-set the craziness of individuals like Bloo, or the obsession with rules of Mr. Herriman, and if one of those three were to leave, I don't think it would be benefit that household at all.

pitbulllady

Are you sure magic won’t fix it? (Sorry-- I felt compelled to go there…)

On the much more serious note, unless an IF is a biologically accurate starfish, they’re probably not going to regrow severed limbs, so that‘s outta the picture. Wilt being, well… Wilt, he has adapted amazingly from the loss of his arm and eye-- even to the point of holding a bowl in his left arm while filling the bowl with potato chips in “Where There’s a Wilt…”-- and he did so with his usual infectious optimism. I wholeheartedly agree that Wilt serves as an inspiration to someone with a disability, and that someone with a disability is just as capable as the next person. I would also like to reinforce that: this school year (2007-08), I had the distinct pleasure of being a teacher’s aide for a special education teacher, who had (I believe it was) cerebral palsy. She was very small, shook and walked with something of a limp; however, she was unflaggingly optimistic and friendly-- just like Wilt.

Now that I’ve finally seen “Race for Your Life…” I definitely see the resemblance between Mac and Wilt-- especially in the context of morals vs. the need to win. I can see why Wilt would have the idea that he needs to be adopted to help a child: you never hear Mr. Herriman or Madame Foster or anyone suggest that not being adopted is not a bad thing.

Wilt would no doubt be pretty surprised if he were to closely examine his impact on Foster’s: he is certainly a driving force behind life at the house-- if it’s not mowing the lawn, it’s helping someone, and if not that, then merely keeping the peace. Take that away, and it would throw the entire group dynamic out of whack: You have Bloo and Coco, who provide more than enough insanity, and Eduardo, who’s rather easily impressed upon because of his naivete. Mac and Frankie, to some extent, balance out the aforementioned insanity; however, both would be easily overwhelmed on their own, which is definitely where Wilt enters into the picture, and his well-secured niche in the group dynamic.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by WiltsAKGirl17

Are you sure magic won’t fix it? (Sorry-- I felt compelled to go there…)

On the much more serious note, unless an IF is a biologically accurate starfish, they’re probably not going to regrow severed limbs, so that‘s outta the picture. Wilt being, well… Wilt, he has adapted amazingly from the loss of his arm and eye-- even to the point of holding a bowl in his left arm while filling the bowl with potato chips in “Where There’s a Wilt…”-- and he did so with his usual infectious optimism. I wholeheartedly agree that Wilt serves as an inspiration to someone with a disability, and that someone with a disability is just as capable as the next person. I would also like to reinforce that: this school year (2007-08), I had the distinct pleasure of being a teacher’s aide for a special education teacher, who had (I believe it was) cerebral palsy. She was very small, shook and walked with something of a limp; however, she was unflaggingly optimistic and friendly-- just like Wilt.

Now that I’ve finally seen “Race for Your Life…” I definitely see the resemblance between Mac and Wilt-- especially in the context of morals vs. the need to win. I can see why Wilt would have the idea that he needs to be adopted to help a child: you never hear Mr. Herriman or Madame Foster or anyone suggest that not being adopted is not a bad thing.

Wilt would no doubt be pretty surprised if he were to closely examine his impact on Foster’s: he is certainly a driving force behind life at the house-- if it’s not mowing the lawn, it’s helping someone, and if not that, then merely keeping the peace. Take that away, and it would throw the entire group dynamic out of whack: You have Bloo and Coco, who provide more than enough insanity, and Eduardo, who’s rather easily impressed upon because of his naivete. Mac and Frankie, to some extent, balance out the aforementioned insanity; however, both would be easily overwhelmed on their own, which is definitely where Wilt enters into the picture, and his well-secured niche in the group dynamic.

Yeah-"Group dynamic"-that's the word I was actually looking for! Wilt is sort of an "adhesive" that holds that together and helps preserve some measure of sanity about the place. Mac does, too, to a certain extent, as does Frankie, but Mac doesn't actually LIVE there, and he's only there for a limited time each day, so with regards to the household it's really Wilt and Frankie who keep the place sane, and neither one could pull it off alone. Mr. Herriman, for all his rules, actually HINDERS at times, since he unintentionally creates conflicts and stress by being so strict and so unyielding, and it's really hard to say that Madame Foster helps much, either, since she can be a "loose cannon" at times herself! Just the presence of someone with Wilt's personality can have a remarkable impact on the structure and function of any group, even if he does not consciously try to affect it, plus Wilt seems to be one of the few individuals who will actually try to keep Bloo in line, and that alone is a reason enough for him to stay!

pitbulllady