Not quite, PBL. He did say sorry before he criticized it. =P

"I'm sorry, Bloo, but this is the worst idea you've ever had."

Wilt is anything BUT ?filler!? It?s hard to call a bright red IF with one arm, a blind eye and a huge blue 1 on his chest?not to mention as amazing a personality and backstory??filler.? Ah, but I go on! It?s almost like Wilt?s been languishing in a corner somewhere, but he?s waiting for the opportune season six moment to wow us.

Based on what I saw of season 5, Wilt was quite different from his earlier appearances. In ?Nightmare on Wilson Way,? I?d imagine that him scaring the little kids was just for their amusement, maybe a little of his own amusement as a happy byproduct. I haven?t seen ?Better Off Ed,? but it?s great to hear that he?s standing up to Bloo. There?s hope for him yet.

Not that there wasn?t any to begin with.

Well, he could have said that in the context of ?I?m sorry THAT this the worst idea you?ve ever had.? At least that?s how I interpret the statement; not knowing anything about the scene this line is from, I could be horribly wrong.

*I* did not mean that Wilt was "filler", or a background character who just shows up at random moments when you need to have someone, as you say, standing in a corner somewhere, but that is how he's been used this season. He really hasn't been important to any plot, other than "Nightmare On Wilson Way". In many episodes where he has been seen, he has no speaking lines, or only one, and in many others, he's been completely MIA.

His personality definitely reflected a change, though. I didn't get the impression that any of the trick-or-treaters in "Nightmare On Wilson Way" were amused by Wilt's little trick. The older kids were completely unimpressed, and the younger ones ran away screaming in terror, while Wilt stood there with that big manic grin on his face, lol! It was more for HIS amusement than anything else! He was also clearly disappointed when that fake arm trick failed to get a reaction from the first group of trick-or-treaters, and that in itself is a first-for Wilt to openly show disappointment in someone else. Previously, he would have more or less faked it and concealed how he really felt, lest his demeanor bring someone else down, since keeping others happy was his primary, if not ONLY goal. Now, it's like he's finally starting doing things for WILT, once in awhile, and is letting his feelings show at last, instead of bottling them in. It's like he's finally starting to acknowledge that HE counts, too, instead of always putting everyone else first and himself last. We got a glimpse of that in "Room With a Feud", which shocked a lot of people that Wilt would really go all-out to get something, rather than simply giving up what he wanted to someone else, because he thought of them as somehow more deserving that he was. I really enjoyed that episode because of that, and I've really been wanting to see more of that side of him.

pitbulllady

I relistened to "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles, and I began to wonder: Can you see Wilt as a fan of The Beatles? (At least until the Abbey Road album released) I almost certainly could. :D

Nope, sorry. I just can't see Wilt liking the Beatles at all. They are SO not from his era, and just don't fit him. Now I CAN see him being a big fan of classic R&B, Beach and Funk, and groovin' to some Barry White or gettin' down with some Parliament Funkadelic, though! Wilt just doesn't strike me as someone who'd be a big fan of any of the "British Invasion" music, though Coco, on the other hand, would probably really get into "The White Album"...oh, well, hers is a different thread!

pitbulllady

I think "Parliament Funkadelic" suits Wilt better...Sorry to say, but of all things that Barry White's music comes up...Wilt is not one of them for me.

But still; who knows, maybe Funk isn't the ONLY music genre he likes! :D

Oh, I know that you didn?t mean Wilt was filler; I?m just saying that he is not filler as a general statement. Sorry about the confusion there.

Based on what I?ve read about season five, he wasn?t really a part of anything except ?Nightmare on Wilson Way.? But what we did see in ?Nightmare?? was good-- he?s changing. My memory of the ep is rather fuzzy, but I do recall that whole fake arm dealy got one of two reactions-- none or pure terror. In the case of the latter reaction, Wilt definitely smiled. This could go back to the idea that Wilt is very much a father figure-- I can?t speak for anyone else, but I know my dad scared me and laughed when I jumped. He still does it on occasion, too. What dad doesn?t do that sort of stuff for the amusement of his kids?

In the case of the former reaction, however, I can see the difference between pre- and post-GWH Wilt. As you said, earlier in the series, he would have hidden his disappointment that his trick fell flat and got no reaction. I agree that before GWH, he would have walked off a cliff to make someone happy; now, he?d probably not be so willing. He may even flat-out say no. Earlier in the series, he hardly ever-- "never" may be the word I'm shooting for here-- think of himself: look at this line from ?Camp Keep a Good Mac Down:? If it helps, I?ll starve first. This is no doubt much healthier for him than trying to please the whole world single-handedly. It?s also much healthier for him to show his emotions than keep them inside. Based on what we?ve seen in the past, Wilt was the poster child for the Vulcan philosophy ?The needs of the many outweight the needs of the one? from Star Trek III. (Yeah, I just equated Foster?s with Star Trek. I?m strange like that.) Now, he?s not buying into that concept so much.

I really liked the side of Wilt we got to see in ?Room with a Feud.? I don?t see any real reason that he wouldn?t have any desire to tan someone?s hide-- it?d be just weird if he didn?t, considering the fact that he plays sports so avidly. Putting that bit aside? we?ve seen the give-give-give-give some more side of Wilt. We?ve seen the darker side of Wilt in GWH. Why shouldn?t we see more of the competitive, I?m in it to win it, side of him?

On a similar note, I think that Wilt's scaring little kids doesn't mean much of a change in personality: he's always been fun loving, and kids WANT to be scared on halloween, don't they? I just loved that it showcased his sense of humour. Also, Bloo is his friend, so if I was in his position, I'd word that sentence ("I'm sorry, but that is the worst idea you've ever had!")exactly the same. I often try to make sure that I'm not insulting people before shooting down their ideas, even really stupid ones. Besides, Bloo has a fragile ego.

Good points here, Ub3rD4n. Wilt always has loved having fun, so I suppose that you could argue either way on the subject of "Nightmare..."

I suppose that the "worst idea" line could be interpreted either way, too. And I know what you mean when you say you try to not insult people ideas before shooting them down-- I do it a lot.

As to Bloo's fragile ego... well, that's another thread entirely!

that's exactly what i thought

that too. (mainly becasue i identify most with Wilt and I have VERY diverse musical tastes)