u/Jpaylay42016

Obviously, it’s not better than the show we ended up getting. But judging the original pilot purely as its own independent show (and not in comparison to The Middle), do you think it would have actually been good? Or was the concept fundamentally flawed until they overhauled it?

I’m 22 years old, and I recently decided to take a trip down memory lane and listen to some old Disney Channel soundtracks. I fully expected to cringe a little and just enjoy the nostalgia, but honestly? I am blown away by how incredibly well the music from Austin & Ally holds up.

In fact, I’ll take it a step further: a lot of these tracks are actually better produced, catchier, and have more musicality than a good chunk of the mainstream pop music coming out today.

Today's pop can sometimes feel really minimalist, repetitive, or strictly engineered for a 15-second TikTok soundbite. But the Austin & Ally songs were structured like classic, full-bodied pop and pop-rock hits. Ross Lynch’s vocals were genuinely great, and the instrumentals felt dynamic.

Here are a few specific tracks that prove my point:

"Illusion": If you released this today by a mainstream pop artist, it would be a radio hit. The synth production, the driving bassline, and the vocal layering on the chorus are pop perfection. It doesn't sound like "kids' music" at all; it just sounds like a legitimately great pop track.

"Not A Love Song": This one goes so hard for no reason. It perfectly captures that early 2010s pop-rock/power-pop sound. The guitar riffs are super punchy, and the angst is palpable. It’s got a hook that gets stuck in your head instantly without feeling repetitive.

"Double Take": This track is pure, undeniable pop energy. The beat is infectious, and the chorus has that perfect hook that makes you want to get up and dance. It captures exactly what a mainstream, high-energy pop hit should sound like, with production that feels surprisingly crisp and layered.

"A Billion Hits": Okay, this one leans a little more into the classic Disney vibe, but the sheer catchiness of the melody is undeniable. It’s pure, high-energy fun with an instrumental track that actually has some depth to it.

I know nostalgia is a powerful drug, but removing my childhood bias entirely, the songwriting on this show was top-tier. The writers clearly cared about making actual music, not just filler for a TV episode.

Am I crazy for thinking this? Does anyone else listen to this soundtrack unironically in their 20s? What are your top tier Austin & Ally tracks?

Zathura is a childhood classic, but after rewatching it, I realized the mechanics of the game and the movie's timeline hint at a much deeper, more tragic story regarding the brothers' relationship. I have a theory that completely fixes the plot holes regarding Walter "cheating" and explains why the turn order gets messed up.

Part 1: Walter Never Cheated; The Game Glitched We all know the scene where Walter is ejected into space for "cheating" after touching Danny's piece. But Walter didn't actually cheat. The game glitched.

Because the Astronaut (future Walter) is in the house, there is a literal time paradox. The game's magic is struggling to track two Walters at once. This buffering glitch causes Danny's piece to move to the wrong spot ahead of time. When Walter naturally tries to fix it, the game’s automatic anti-cheat system triggers and ejects him.

If this was an event that was always supposed to happen, young Walter would have died in space in the original timeline because his older self wouldn't exist yet to catch him! Walter surviving proves the timeline was already altered by the Astronaut's presence.

This also explains why Danny wasn't ejected.

Part 2: The Skipped Turn and the Tragic Original Wish Because Walter was ejected, the strict alternating turn order between the brothers was shifted by exactly one turn. This completely changes the climax of the story.

Earlier in the film, the dad says, "Well, Danny is around." To a young, hurting kid, this sounds like confirmation that he is a mistake. In the original timeline, without the glitch, the turns alternated normally, and Danny pulled the wish card. Being a sad kid who felt unloved and like a burden to his brother and dad, he took the easy way out and wished he was never born.

The Astronaut lies later and says he made the wish, entirely to protect his younger self from the horrible guilt of knowing his harsh words drove Danny to erase his own existence. Future Walter still warns present Walter, as he thinks he would have made the wish anyway, given how they fought. But in the movie's timeline, the glitch shifts the turn, giving Walter the wish card instead. The game tests Walter, and by not wishing Danny away, he saves them all.

TL;DR: The Astronaut's presence caused a time paradox that glitched the game, making it accuse Walter of cheating. This shifted the turn order, preventing Danny from getting the wish card and making the tragic original wish to erase himself. Future Walter lied about making the wish to protect young Walter from the guilt.

Let me know your thoughts and any plot holes this might create. Thanks for reading!

Link to Part 1

Following up on my earlier hypothetical: You successfully negotiated your tutoring fee without getting beamed back to Earth. The alien sighs in relief, wires the money, pulls out a holographic notepad, and says, "Okay, human. Where do we start?"

They know absolutely nothing about us, and human culture is a mess of contradictions. Do you start with internet history? The concept of pets? Why we lie about being busy to avoid going to parties?

What is the absolute most critical (or funniest) piece of human culture you teach them first, and how do you explain it?

They are breaking galactic law to do this, so they want to get this done fast. They can synthesize any amount of your local currency, but they still have a concept of "getting ripped off." If your number is too greedy, they'll just beam you back to bed and find a cheaper human.

How much do you ask for, and what is your strategy to make sure you don't overshoot?

Had so much fun with this question, I made a Part 2!

I could not believe it when I saw it!

While looking at the epsiode titles, I noticed the only letters an episode doesn't start with (After 'The') are X, Y, and Z. While X makes sense, and Z also kinda makes sense, the fact Y has also never been used was weird to me. Here's the stats for all the letters (including the reboot):

Letter	Occurrences
A	15
B	19
C	23
D	14
E	5
F	16
G	13
H	6
I	3
J	2
K	3
L	12
M	15
N	9
O	6
P	31
Q	2
R	14
S	34
T	13
U	5
V	7
W	10
X	0
Y	0
Z	0

As we all know by now: the finale did not stick the landing, and a lot of the story choices in Season 5 felt constrained by how much the original actors had aged out of their roles.

I love the OG cast, but what if Netflix took a page from comic books and gave us a complete redo of Season 5? By casting younger, lookalike actors who actually resemble high schoolers, the writers wouldn't have to work around real-world time jumps or awkward aging. More importantly, it would give them a clean slate to fix the writing, close plot holes, and deliver the epic ending this show actually deserved.

Would you trade the original actors for the final stretch if it meant getting a genuinely satisfying conclusion to the series?

Let's set two scenarios:

Dreamscape Bill - less powerful

Weirdmageddon Bill - reality warping levels of power

Could Mordecai and Rigby do it, and how would they if they could?

Just heard about this guy LARPing as techno, and its been a split across the fanbase. How would techno feel about someone trying to fill the void he left in us?

Since the shows are similar, wanted to get some opinions.

The excerpt is "WENDY WISHES SHE LIVED IN PORTLAND". I believe this to mean her mom is alive, and lives in Portland. Her parents may be divorced, and she might wish she lived with her mom instead. What are your thoughts?

Link to discussion from twitter:The last puzzle?

As a community, we have to solve this. We can not let Alex stump us! We must band together and solve this puzzle!!! Sorry if posts have been made on here about it already, I just found out about it...

I've noticed in some videos Danny (or I assume it's Danny) does some pretty funny shit with his captions, but never see it mentioned. Please give these captions some love!

Was talking with this dude, was so excited, and when we were supposed to meet he didn't show, and stopped responding. I don't get it? He also seemed really excited, and it seemed real, we even kept up communication through discord, had some nice conversation, etc. I've been stood up two other times this week, but the others didn't bother to keep in touch. If it means anything, he kept saying he'd be later and later from our original meeting time, before he stopped communicating. It's so annoying, I thought there was supposed to be a good market of people wanting to hookup, based on what I was told as a kid. I'm so upset right now, please help. Posting this again on my main account, really looking for some advice is all. Please leave a comment.

Either a single character or more. Which characters made the show what is was, and are there any, that if they hadn't been on the show, wouldn't have made any difference?

I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a television show's ending truly satisfying. A great finale has to stick the landing, wrap up years of character arcs, and leave a lasting impression, which feels incredibly rare to pull off perfectly.

For me, there are three shows that really stand out as having perfect conclusions:

Manifest: They did exactly what I wanted but didn't actually expect to happen. Usually, when a show is post-apocalyptic or high-stakes sci-fi, I always wish the end would show everyone going back to normal. That rarely happens, but Manifest actually gave the characters a reset, which perfectly fit what I was hoping for.

The Good Place: I love how the finale beautifully illustrates that while we won't be around forever, we can still make a lasting impact on the universe. It was incredibly poignant and satisfying.

Gravity Falls: This is my favorite animated show, and I think they ended it flawlessly. The entire premise was built around summer vacation, so when the summer ended, the show ended. It was just a perfect, natural conclusion.

On the flip side, a bad ending can completely ruin the rewatch value of an otherwise amazing show. (Looking at you, Stranger Things 😑)

I’d love to hear the community's thoughts. Which TV show had the most perfect, well-executed ending in your opinion? What exactly did the writers do right that made it resonate so much with you?

Note: Since we are discussing TV endings, please expect heavy spoilers in the discussion below!

Edit: for everyone saying 'this is done all the time', I made this post to not only ask what other people thought, but also give my opinions on what endings I liked the most, and see what people thought.

My favorite is the one where he made his own ads. What about you guys?