October 30, 2020 Recap

John dominated in the first round, until he hit BANKRUPT.

This seemed like a good episode. Fair puzzle writing to end the week. Let us hope for more weeks like this.

Quite a downer to the end of the week despite a few amusing moments. I will try to implement John’s method of spinning if I get on for better rotation.

I too had A HUGE GROUP w/ RSTLNE, but I got the correct answer w/ the C. A HYPE CROWD did fit, but there’s no P there.

NHO TU2 before. Clever theming though.

R4 was a bit of a stretch IMO. I had neither of the wordsz.

Loved the Jim cameo. I would have thought they'd just add him in post, but it is comforting to know he's still in-studio.

Yet again, an easy puzzle thwarted by the contestant picking the only bad letters.

It really comes down to what we look for as bogging down an episode. Were there several lost turns in this episode? Yes (highlighted through those recaps were the late R1 dud, the MDW lost, the Express crash, TTTU1 getting down to one letter). Were any of these because of poor gameplay? Not really. Did we have the lowest team total of the season? Yes, but where exactly do you want more money to come from? More singles in R1 or R2, since all the multiples were chosen? Anna solving R2, when I don't think she would have even after buying two more vowels with her $650? John not doing a fairly impressive solve and waiting another turn for a measly $1,650 more?

I don't mind minor, understandable mistakes as much as contestants consistently showing the same faults, like Abdul calling two duplicates yesterday. Small mistakes happen. I get that. However, if contestants play in the range of good, but nothing home to write about, the momentum shifts to the quality of the puzzle writing and the human playfulness and excitement. This episode nailed both of those. I kvetched on Tuesday about the aggressive theming, but lately, the theming has been more lateral (Magic Markers, Deviled Crab, The Horror!, Vultures Circling Overhead) than horizontal (Wearing the Crown from UK Getaway comes to mind first, which has to do with England, I guess, but as WAYD? the odds that someone who's involved with game shows can actually do that is Meghan Markle to everyone else), which adds more depth than just "memorize the first 100 things that deal with (theme)."

What shined in this episode were the little interactions between everyone, from John specifically saying 29 1/2 years in air traffic control, showing enjoyment counting down to a flat 30, to the baby crying when Wheel turns on, to Jim being spoopy while playing off Pat, to the extra spin showing John's technique (and making me smile, thinking back to when Pat would spin the wheel at the top of the show just because), to the expected excitement for solving the PP, to Bridgette finally solving a puzzle that came down to the wire. Besides noting the contestants' interviews, I see none of these mentioned in any of the comments or recaps.

I guess the closest analogy here is that I don't watch Wheel like how people play fantasy football. In fantasy football, I do want to see high scores for each of the players in general, and I cringe slightly at each little mistake my pick makes, knowing that's an opportunity to feel like a loser. For Wheel, I watch because I want to relax, and play a game that isn't to intensive, and want to relate to the reactions of people making thousands of dollars, knowing that's the trip they'll go on to celebrate their honeymoon or a year of taxes paid off. Looking at a Wheel episode just by the amount won and the number of errors made is a view one can take, and one I feel several of the posters on those recap sites did when evaluating those episodes, but that isn't my view. Of course, that doesn't mean I always agree with everything done on the show (I think my talk on the Express graphic shows that), but if I really want to compare and critique the show, there are more nuanced ways of doing so than simply pointing out missed opportunities. Because it's not the primary reason I watch the show, that discussion comes secondary on these forums, as little asides to ponder. I watch for entertainment. I was entertained yesterday.