(spoilers for both TGWDLM and Nightmare Time 2)

One of the things that's always confused me about the Hatchetfield lore is how "blowing up Pokey's head" failed completely in TGWDLM, but succeeded in Yellow Jacket. I've always assumed that an external grenade was just not strong enough to damage the meteor enough while Otho's internal bomb was obviously much more powerful and concentrated, but one thing in the remount did feel like it (kinda) gave an explanation, even if it was probably unintentional

In the original version of the show, Joey's PEIP agent says that he's throwing grenades at Alice and Deb after Not Your Seed ends. In the Reprisal, this line is changed slightly, and he now says that he's throwing SMOKE grenades (probably to explain why there's not actually an explosion in the scene). Along with this, the final shot of Let It Out now has a smoky effect instead of just causing a flash of light due to the higher budget of the Reprisal.

I know it doesn't make realistic sense since they actually look pretty different irl, but can you imagine how awful and gut wrenching it would be if Paul went through all of the struggles that he did, including forcing his way through Let It Out still keeping his consciousness, only to find out at the very end that the grenades he stole from Zoey's PEIP gear weren't explosive at all?

I’m 50 minutes in and im just getting slightly upset..
Like I feel like the jokes aren’t landing this time around compared to the old one. I think it’s because line delivery is not the same which was a key factor in why the jokes were really funny in the old one! I think I’m just upset about it because I want new viewers to love Starkid just as much as I do and the jokes aren’t hitting in this most of the time. BUT I’m not done yet so I’ll let y’all know how I feel after it too! Please put your opinions in the comments as well!

I just finished watching all the nightmare time episodes for the first time (yeah yeah I'm late to the party I know).

I thought they were great and a fun little look at more of the Hatchetfield universe. My favorite episode is tied between Abstinence Camp (I love Steph and Pete) or Watcher World.

What did y'all think of nightmare time? Which episode did you like best?

Idk if you’re even here, but to the person who made the Incredible video with the funny captions for the original show stopping number,
I humbly request you do it with the 2025 version. I miss the goofs and gags.

america is great again (AIGA) is wildly underrated ngl. in 2018 it hit hard but in the 2025 remount they took it a lot more seriously. the lyrics are super clever "2 party system, left and right, there's only room for right and wrong" and it's really where the tone of the show changes permanently. it serves well as a protest and is one of the most underrated songs in their catalouge imo

Hey everyone! Like many of you, I eagerly watched the proshot yesterday. I also caught the digital ticket a while back, but wanted to wait for the final proshot release to really process my thoughts and see if choices of performances to include could change my perspective. I'm just an ordinary fan who loves this community, so please take this as just one person's perspective!

To give some context: the original The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is one of my favorite musicals of all time. Even with its low budget and occasional vocal imperfections, the sheer charm, comedy, and raw performances made it absolute magic.

The remount is a really interesting companion piece. Here is my breakdown of what worked beautifully, and where I felt a bit of the original magic shifted.

The Positives

First off, technically and vocally, this version is an absolute triumph.

• The Production Value: The sets, lighting, and costumes look fantastic. It looks and feels premium.
• The Vocals: They completely cleaned up the pitch issues from the original run. Everyone sounds incredible.
• Standout Moments: Jeff Blim absolutely kills it in America Is Great Again. Jon Matteson's vocal and acting performance during the "Jekyll and Hyde" sequence of Let It Out is masterful, and Inevitable features spectacular choreography and mixing.

The Critique: The Challenge of the Remount

While I love how polished it is, I couldn't help but notice that some of the performances felt a bit like a parody of themselves. When actors revisit roles they played years ago—and have since read years of fan feedback—it’s impossible to recreate that initial magic of discovering the characters for the first time.

In the original, the cast felt desperate to give everything they had to make a low-budget, weird new show succeed. In the remount, because success was guaranteed, it sometimes felt less like actors living the story and more like a talented cast giving the audience a self-aware good time.

To explain what I mean, here are a few subtle performance beats that stood out to me:

• Mr. Davidson: Pre-infection, his delivery feels like a parody of the character Mr. Davidson, rather than a parody of a mundane corporate boss (like Office Space).
• Professor Hidgens: At times, it felt like he was pushing too hard to ensure the audience knew how kooky he was. The long pause before "show stopping number" felt explicitly tailored to the audience's expected applause, which took me out of the illusion a bit.
• MacNamara: I actually really liked the lack of the original accent, but his pre-conversion lines felt a little too sing-songy and eccentric. I missed him being the grounded, serious hero we needed in that moment.
• Paul: Jon gives incredibly earnest, heartfelt closeup performances. However, I felt his character arc foreshadowed his turn to bravery a bit too early, whereas the original had a much slower, more satisfying build-up to his courage.
• Ted: The "it's in my mouth" sequence felt like it was stretching for time (likely to let Jeff change into MacNamara). Pacing-wise, having Corey be the one to grab Paul instead of Jeff and just not having Corey in the soldier role might have kept the momentum tighter.
• Emma/Lauren:
  • In the original, the line "I don't know your friends' f'n names!" cracks me up every time because of its intense urgency to cut off Paul’s pedantry. Here, it felt annoyed but lacked that sharp, snappy timing.
  • Her line about spitting in the coffee unexpectedly sounded a bit drunk.
  • Even during the final bows, the performance lacked that visceral, terrifying desperation that made the original ending linger with you.

Closing Thoughts

I’m a firm believer that remounts and adaptations can only ever be a net-positive or a net-neutral. They can never "ruin" the original, because the 2018 version is still right there for us to love and watch whenever we want.

If I had to guess, I’d attributes these subtle shifts to the natural learning curve of a new director. Lauren Lopez did a wonderful job pulling this massive production together. It takes a lot of time and experience for a director to step entirely outside the production, catch those micro-acting choices from the audience's perspective, and have the boldness to tweak performances from peers they deeply respect. Edit: I could be COMPLETELY wrong on this but I didn't want to ignore the fact that I was curious what impact the director change had.

Am I just being hyper-sensitive to line delivery changes, or did anyone else feel a slight shift in the show's original charm? Either way, I'm so glad we have both versions to enjoy!

If something was done differently, could the main cast, at worst, save themselves from joining the hive-mind, and at best, save the world from this fate? Or was it really inevitable?

I asked this on YouTube, but I thought I'd ask here as well:

Was Jeff's long wig made from actual Jeff Blim hair? Enquiring Minds Want To Know.

I loved it, I really did. There’s so many little things I’m glad they did different. But just warning most of the things I bring up are like little things or nitpicks.
Pros:
I live Ted’s little slide in on his office chair in the office scene. I just thought it was so much better.
I adore Jeff’s singing in this version of what do you want Paul. I love it so much.
Jon is so much better this time around with the singing! He wasn’t bad before but you can really tell the difference!
Obviously the sets and props.
I really liked the scene right before Paul and Bill leave to try and save Alice.
I loved Mariah’s new riff at the end of la Dee da da day.
I love the gravel in Jaime’s voice in join us and die.
I loved when Ted called professor hidgens hitch.
Cons:
I prefer the original delivery of the line “dammit Emma now I have to make a tea with honey, god” that might be wrong. But I think the new one is a lot more rushed.
I prefer the siren wails in the original show me your hands, they seemed sillier to me.
Credit where credit is due, wills hidgens in good, but now as good as the og imo. Still love it tho
I feel like some of Emma’s lines could have been punchier.
I personally prefer the remount.

I've been meaning to watch it for ages, never got around to it, and now it looks like a new version got uploaded to Youtube.

I realize it's probably fun knowing the original, and then watching the new version and seeing what may have gotten changed etc. But knowing myself I doubt I'll be in the mood to watch the same musical twice in a row (or just anytime soon again really) 😅 So I'm wondering if I should just do straight to the newer and (presumably?) shinier version?