Wonderfalls: Wound-Up Penguin

August 18, 2015 1:06 PM - Season 1, Episode 4

Jayne uncovers a woman living in a barrel at her local bar and the mysterious animal voices compel Jayne to help whether she wants to or not.

The A.V Club review with this extra note

"Fullerverse connection: Aidan Devine also appeared on Hannibal .... joining fellow Wonderfalls veteran Chelan Simmons on “Amuse-Bouche” as the serial killer pharmacist. Not playing the same character this time, unless you choose to believe Father Scofield’s life took an incredibly dark turn after leaving the priesthood."

A divisive episode! Online opinion swings from worst episode ever! to THE BEST! The religious angle is hotly debated as a "fit" for the series, and the zany structure not quite serving a heavier themes of religious disillusionment. I ...like it? But I had a little problem holding attention since all the plot beats felt arbitrary and out of left-field.

I just realized that the title "Wound Up Penguin" is a Nun Pun.

posted by The Whelk (10 comments total)

you could maybe find the episode here who knows
posted by The Whelk at 1:09 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sketchy sweater continuity...;.
posted by sammyo at 2:03 PM on August 18, 2015

I tried so hard to wait until the episode was over to come here and post, so I will have a better-formed opinion, but I need to come here right now and ask what the hell Jaye is wearing. The croptop sweater with this little...flap...in front? With the camo skirt and this big belt with the weird dangly ropes? I'm not sure I believe this character in this outfit.

Okay. Back later with actual thoughts. But it probably doesn't bode well for my eventual reaction to the full episode that I am mostly concerned with its costuming and with how much it makes me want cheese.
posted by Stacey at 5:28 PM on August 18, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeah this feels like a script from a show that doesn't have it's own tone down yet. Parts are good, or interesting, but nothing gels?
posted by The Whelk at 6:56 PM on August 18, 2015

So many good uses of the phrase "Bring her back to him." Really showed how versatile this show could get with how it worked the muses (animals).
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:41 PM on August 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

I think I just didn't buy the nun. The priest, I thought, was great - a good character and well-acted. But the nun just didn't come across as a plausibly real person somehow.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:00 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

But on the other hand, I am a sucker for episodes where people actually wind up believing Jaye, because it doesn't happen all that often and she really needs it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:01 AM on August 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

I would like to point out that I once made someone snort soda out of their nose, during a discussion about a news story of a priest and nun who'd had an affair, with a well-timed "Did he Agnes of God her? I bet he did! I BET HE AGNES OF GODDED ALL OVER HER!"
posted by Soliloquy at 12:36 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

So many good uses of the phrase "Bring her back to him." Really showed how versatile this show could get with how it worked the muses (animals).

-very minor spoiler-

I think one of my favorite Jaye lines later is her complaining that the muses should be more specific with their pronouns.
posted by john-a-dreams at 12:41 PM on August 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh wow, this episode did not work for me at all. The clueless, naive nun was way too cheap of a target. I'm not sure I would have loved the religion framework even if they'd made her a more complex character, but the way the nun was written made this episode a definite low point for me.

I thought a lot of other things in this episode were really clever and well done, like the extended string of coincidences that came about from Jaye's car rolling into another car in the parking lot. I just can't get past how annoyed I was by the nun character.
posted by jessypie at 7:51 PM on August 20, 2015