#62: Season 3, Episode 4 - "Your Toast"
Ren starts working with Ruby at the mall food court at this place called Your Toast, where the only food they serve is… toast. (Which is actually not that weird and reminds me of real life, New England based restaurant Cheeseboy! Up until recently, their gimmick was only selling grilled cheese.) Their boss, Mr. Squirelli, is running the place like a dictatorship though. Sooo, that’s not cool. For Louis’ subplot, he gets a drumming instructor! (Which is unfortunately the only part of this episode actually worth talking about. Sorry, Ren!)
Just to clarify: I weigh both the main plot and the subplot of an episode when determining an appropriate rank for it. Even though Louis’ subplot is pretty strong, Ren’s main plot overshadows that for me and I can’t help but think of this episode as “the toast one I don’t like.”
Okay, so I’m actually not gonna go into full summary mode for Ren’s plot. Just because it’s literally so boring and strange to me. It has its moments… but, it’s giving me a headache thinking about “breaking it down” for some reason. So.. I’m not going to, lol. Let me try to summarize it as concisely as I can:
Ren gets the job at Your Toast. It’s obvious that Assistant Manager, Mr. Squirelli, (Played by Jason Marsden, Boy Meets World) is an absolute psycho. He’s obsessed with toast and is running an incredibly tight ship. He’s creepy, neurotic, and occasionally watches his employees like a hawk through a cut out tile in the wall:
Ruby gets fired after being caught nibbling (taking a bite of toast.) She thinks Ren told on her. Everyone’s mad at Ren. Squirelli steps out for a bit and leaves Ren in charge. Ruby comes back to visit, and the staff use this as an opportunity to take an unauthorized break.. Leaving Ren to work alone. Larry Beale conveniently works at another restaurant at the mall and brings a massive group of hungry tourists over in an attempt to swamp Ren with too much work. (Wow, Larry.) Ren rocks it, though! The kids watch while on their break and admire how hard and well Ren’s working. (Larry’s impressed, too.) When Squirelli returns, Ren and the rest of the kids have had enough. He ends up being #exposed by them in front of the District Manager, Mr. Hale. Hale overrides all of Squirelli’s asinine rules and also gives Ruby her job back. Everyone’s relieved! The end. *Whew!* That was easier than I thought, haha. Moving on…
The only thing that kinda saves this episode is Louis’ subplot. It’s stronger and more entertaining than Ren’s, and probably would’ve been better off as the A-Plot here. BUT, it’s not perfect. Louis acts a bit too crazy, imo. After banging around on the drums like an insane person without a single musical bone in his body, Steve and Eileen decide to pay for Louis to take lessons. We meet his new drum teacher, Nikki Pox. (nice Nikki Sixx rip-off lol) He’s a stereotypical, washed up musician with a dirty British accent still living in 1981. It’s honestly great though. Because we get the best line of the entire episode thanks to him.
I have to mention, though - Before this, Steve happened to be complaining about modern pop music and how you can’t get through one song “without someone screaming about their booty.” I actually die because Louis proceeds to walk out on stage and scream “NOW, GET UP OFF YOUR BOOOO-TAAAYYYSSSS! AHHH!” and Steve is like “See? It’s all about the booty.” It’s perfect. Shia’s pronunciation of “boo-tays” is what really makes it, omg.
Steve is about to fire Nikki, but then Nikki tells them it’s all part of the program. He gives students a taste of what it’s like to be a rock star, as motivation to get through all the basics. Louis is annoyed at the thought of having to do all the boring stuff. But, Nikki asks him “Do you want to be a great drummer?!” Louis just smiles sincerely and says “Yeah..” and as I type this I think I just realized that somewhere down the line they replaced “Louis the Aspiring Comedian” with “Louis the Aspiring Musician” …and I’m not too sure how I feel about it.
Like I said, as a musician myself (who had a thing for drummers and a crush on Louis growing up) I definitely do not mind it. But, I kind of hate the fact that they pretty much abandoned the idea of Louis being funny because he was an aspiring comic. By the end, he became more of a goofy/funny character for the sake of being a goofy/funny character. There’s a difference. And I feel like this change affected the way Shia approached playing Louis.
Younger Louis was pretty chill, subtly sarcastic and smart. Therefore, Shia brought a slightly more deadpan, mature approach to his comedy and delivery. Even the moments where he was goofy or shouty were tasteful and hilarious, without being too over the top. Seriously impressive considering he was, like… 13. Older Louis was next level goofy, and weirdly more immature at times. So Shia started approaching the comedic moments with more physical comedy, screaming, and borderline obnoxiousness to the average viewer. Still pretty genius in a lot of ways.. (He managed to bring out a lot of stunning and different aspects of Louis, as well) But, many viewers wrote the show off as “stupid” because of it. And this is gonna sound awful, but there were also people out there who genuinely thought Louis was a mentally handicapped character due to the extreme amount of silliness he displayed. (It didn’t help when Shia actually did play an autistic character in “Tru Confessions” the same year and acted very similarly to Louis at times.) I feel like the “concert” scene here is an example of that. I can’t wait until I get towards the better half of my list where I get to gush over Louis the Aspiring Comedian because it’s really, truly incredible.
The episode ends with Louis practicing a simple groove with a metronome and the “Basic Beats: The Techniques of Rhythm” book.
It would’ve been amazing to see Louis actualize those comedy dreams he had by the end of the series. Like, something as simple as an episode where he performs stand-up at a café, is a big hit, and feels all proud and accomplished. From there, we viewers would know he’s gonna go on to make something of himself. I don’t know!
Anywayyy, I know this Louis rant/character analysis was probably way more than you’d want or expect from an episode where he’s not even the focus. But, this is the first episode in my countdown that has spotlighted Louis and his interests/talents in some way. Since he’s my fave, I’ve been itching to talk about this stuff! haha.
Okay, so… I’ve shared a lot of thoughts and perspectives here, lol so feel free to sound off in the comments below with any of yours! :)
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Just to clarify: I weigh both the main plot and the subplot of an episode when determining an appropriate rank for it. Even though Louis’ subplot is pretty strong, Ren’s main plot overshadows that for me and I can’t help but think of this episode as “the toast one I don’t like.”
Okay, so I’m actually not gonna go into full summary mode for Ren’s plot. Just because it’s literally so boring and strange to me. It has its moments… but, it’s giving me a headache thinking about “breaking it down” for some reason. So.. I’m not going to, lol. Let me try to summarize it as concisely as I can:
Ren gets the job at Your Toast. It’s obvious that Assistant Manager, Mr. Squirelli, (Played by Jason Marsden, Boy Meets World) is an absolute psycho. He’s obsessed with toast and is running an incredibly tight ship. He’s creepy, neurotic, and occasionally watches his employees like a hawk through a cut out tile in the wall:
He enforces things like the 10 Commandments of Toast and ridiculous rules like “No Nibbling” (a.k.a. eating), “No Breaks” (a.k.a. quickest way to lose staff), and god knows what else. He’s basically abusing these middle school kids who are probably just working there for a little experience and enough money to buy the new Eminem CD coming out next week. Chill, buddy. Anyway, Ren studies up and abides by these rules. Since she’d pretty much been preparing for a paying job her entire life, she ends up doing great.Ok this screenshot has me dying. What a creeper.
Ruby gets fired after being caught nibbling (taking a bite of toast.) She thinks Ren told on her. Everyone’s mad at Ren. Squirelli steps out for a bit and leaves Ren in charge. Ruby comes back to visit, and the staff use this as an opportunity to take an unauthorized break.. Leaving Ren to work alone. Larry Beale conveniently works at another restaurant at the mall and brings a massive group of hungry tourists over in an attempt to swamp Ren with too much work. (Wow, Larry.) Ren rocks it, though! The kids watch while on their break and admire how hard and well Ren’s working. (Larry’s impressed, too.) When Squirelli returns, Ren and the rest of the kids have had enough. He ends up being #exposed by them in front of the District Manager, Mr. Hale. Hale overrides all of Squirelli’s asinine rules and also gives Ruby her job back. Everyone’s relieved! The end. *Whew!* That was easier than I thought, haha. Moving on…
The only thing that kinda saves this episode is Louis’ subplot. It’s stronger and more entertaining than Ren’s, and probably would’ve been better off as the A-Plot here. BUT, it’s not perfect. Louis acts a bit too crazy, imo. After banging around on the drums like an insane person without a single musical bone in his body, Steve and Eileen decide to pay for Louis to take lessons. We meet his new drum teacher, Nikki Pox. (nice Nikki Sixx rip-off lol) He’s a stereotypical, washed up musician with a dirty British accent still living in 1981. It’s honestly great though. Because we get the best line of the entire episode thanks to him.
Louis: Why do you look so familiar?
Nikki: You ever hear of a little band called KISS?
Louis: yEAH, YES I HAVE!!!
I’m a musician, so any sort of music-related humor will get me. And, this line always gets me, lol. Nikki starts teaching Louis stuff like “Drummers never wear sleeves.” What invaluable information. Louis is lovin’ it, though. After their first lesson, Nikki and Louis put on a “concert” in the living room that’s basically just Louis acting like an (insane) rock star and destroying the living room. Complete with a new wardrobe, a wig, smoke machine, lights, and boom box playing a cheap cheering crowd track. I can’t.Nikki: I played in a band that opened for them once in Fresno.
I have to mention, though - Before this, Steve happened to be complaining about modern pop music and how you can’t get through one song “without someone screaming about their booty.” I actually die because Louis proceeds to walk out on stage and scream “NOW, GET UP OFF YOUR BOOOO-TAAAYYYSSSS! AHHH!” and Steve is like “See? It’s all about the booty.” It’s perfect. Shia’s pronunciation of “boo-tays” is what really makes it, omg.
Steve is about to fire Nikki, but then Nikki tells them it’s all part of the program. He gives students a taste of what it’s like to be a rock star, as motivation to get through all the basics. Louis is annoyed at the thought of having to do all the boring stuff. But, Nikki asks him “Do you want to be a great drummer?!” Louis just smiles sincerely and says “Yeah..” and as I type this I think I just realized that somewhere down the line they replaced “Louis the Aspiring Comedian” with “Louis the Aspiring Musician” …and I’m not too sure how I feel about it.
Like I said, as a musician myself (who had a thing for drummers and a crush on Louis growing up) I definitely do not mind it. But, I kind of hate the fact that they pretty much abandoned the idea of Louis being funny because he was an aspiring comic. By the end, he became more of a goofy/funny character for the sake of being a goofy/funny character. There’s a difference. And I feel like this change affected the way Shia approached playing Louis.
Younger Louis was pretty chill, subtly sarcastic and smart. Therefore, Shia brought a slightly more deadpan, mature approach to his comedy and delivery. Even the moments where he was goofy or shouty were tasteful and hilarious, without being too over the top. Seriously impressive considering he was, like… 13. Older Louis was next level goofy, and weirdly more immature at times. So Shia started approaching the comedic moments with more physical comedy, screaming, and borderline obnoxiousness to the average viewer. Still pretty genius in a lot of ways.. (He managed to bring out a lot of stunning and different aspects of Louis, as well) But, many viewers wrote the show off as “stupid” because of it. And this is gonna sound awful, but there were also people out there who genuinely thought Louis was a mentally handicapped character due to the extreme amount of silliness he displayed. (It didn’t help when Shia actually did play an autistic character in “Tru Confessions” the same year and acted very similarly to Louis at times.) I feel like the “concert” scene here is an example of that. I can’t wait until I get towards the better half of my list where I get to gush over Louis the Aspiring Comedian because it’s really, truly incredible.
The episode ends with Louis practicing a simple groove with a metronome and the “Basic Beats: The Techniques of Rhythm” book.
It’s clear that this is basically Louis’ new thing he’s serious about. Bye bye, comedy. I understand that kids grow out of certain interests… But, that’s who Louis was. And, that’s what he’s good at. It was such a big part of him. It makes me sad to see it disappear. They even replaced his iconic Kramer portrait poster, (and other pop-culture/comedy film art) with generic sports posters?! Ugh. The headshots of his favorite comedians he once had are gone, too. So, it definitely seems like an intentional shift. Either that or the powers that be told Disney they could no longer use copyrighted images on the show/Disney lost the rights to the images and edited Louis’ character accordingly. I really don't know.It’s actually really nice to see Older Louis so serious and focused on an activity like this, though.
The writers also infused a lot of who Shia was/is in real life with Louis’ character. (I will talk about this A LOT in future reviews lol) We all know Shia was a young comedian, but according to trivia he actually does play the drums and isn’t half bad. So, perhaps this was just another one of Shia’s talents they decided to utilize. Who knows! This is when Hilary Duff’s music career started to take off after all.. and Disney began merging music with literally everything ever. So, maybe they decided something musical would be better for him. (Which is a little overkill because Ren was already a singer. But it also came in handy for the band arc we see throughout the series.) Idk. Drums could’ve been a fun side activity! Either way, I don’t think it was right to just completely drop the comedian goal.Where the Kramer Portrait once was, there now hangs this random skateboarding one. RIP Kramer Portrait.
It would’ve been amazing to see Louis actualize those comedy dreams he had by the end of the series. Like, something as simple as an episode where he performs stand-up at a café, is a big hit, and feels all proud and accomplished. From there, we viewers would know he’s gonna go on to make something of himself. I don’t know!
Anywayyy, I know this Louis rant/character analysis was probably way more than you’d want or expect from an episode where he’s not even the focus. But, this is the first episode in my countdown that has spotlighted Louis and his interests/talents in some way. Since he’s my fave, I’ve been itching to talk about this stuff! haha.
Okay, so… I’ve shared a lot of thoughts and perspectives here, lol so feel free to sound off in the comments below with any of yours! :)
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