Best TV questions of all time

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Boy Meets World picture

Janitor Dad - S4-E6

Question: When Chet and Verna are arguing about Chet getting a job, visible in the background is a painting of what I believe is an oak tree on a yellow background. Does anybody know the name and/or artist of this painting? My Grandparents used have a painting similar to it (if not the same one) and it also looks very similar to (and possibly the inspiration for) the cover art for the debut album of the band Days of the New.

Phaneron

Answer: I learned the answer to this one today. It is "Tree of Life" by Garé Barks.

Phaneron

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Answer: The transformation twirling was invented for the 1970s TV series only, to explain her quick change from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman. However, it would have been nice to do a little spin homage in the movie.

Answer: She does. However, if she were to use any of her abilities as Diana Prince, everybody, including her enemies would be able to make the connection that Diana Prince and Wonder Woman are the same person which could be used to get revenge on her. By not using her abilities in her civilian disguise, nobody would suspect anything at all and she could keep herself and her friends safe.

So it was more a choice that she decided an Ice Skating move was less conspicuous than say, ducking in a phone booth like Superman? If Clark Kent enters a a phone booth, and Superman comes out, don't you think even the dull of mind would get the connection?

That's because Clark Kent has super speed so he can easily run into a phone booth quickly and leave as Superman as quickly too or whenever Clark does need to change into Superman out in the open, there's never around to see him change. It's a plot device that's really effective.

Could one man or gal. We're supposed to just believe almost everyone these two are around can't figure out of the obvious. Characters like Spider-Man and Batman can do this because of their masks, so these excuses just don't pass with me.

Rob245

Answer: As Diana Prince she didn't have the super powers that Wonder Woman has, although as an Amazon princess she does have greater strength than normal humans. Diana's mom taught her how to transform her ordinary clothes into her Wonder Woman outfit (as opposed to just doing a quick change like Clark Kent does). Her outfit, which her mother gives her when she leaves includes the "golden girdle of Gaea." The girdle provides enhanced strength and heightens her other abilities. As to why she spins, it was a stylized choice to add something extra to the show and hadn't been done in the comics. Although they did change it up a bit due to budget and time. Later, Wonder Woman comic writers would include the spin into the comics, but by then it was generally to put her into her secret identity, not to give her her powers. But as to why Diana Prince doesn't have super powers in the 70's show, as opposed to other incarnations of her; the original TV movie pilot had Diana powerless like the character was during the Bronze Age of Wonder Woman (late 60's) when Diana decided to stay on Earth and became mortal. That series was not picked up, but a 2nd attempt at it, starring Lynda Carter, was and the series loosely based Diana on the first pilot but through magic could transform into the superhero Wonder Woman.

Bishop73

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Answer: S04e15, "The Kids Rob a Train."

Bishop73

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Answer: During the First World War, pigeons were used to carry messages across the battle lines. Yankee Doodle is carrying some sort of American orders or intelligence.

Brian Katcher

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Star Trek: Voyager picture

Thirty Days - S5-E9

Question: Was Tom successful in his mission or did the torpedo that was launched by Tuvok from Voyager stop him from succeeding?

Answer: The torpedo stopped him from succeeding.

Bowling255

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I Love Lucy picture

Show generally

Question: I know this show is from the time period when a lot of couples had two beds in their room. Just out of curiosity, when did it become acceptable to show a couple's bedroom with a single bed on TV?

Answer: According to Snopes.com, there is no definitive answer, but the mid-1960s is the most verifiable date with "The Munsters" being cited as the first, although others claim "The Brady Bunch" showed the first couple seen in a double bed. An early TV show from the late 1940s titled, "Mary Kay and Johnny" is also thought to have shown the married couple's bedroom as having a double bed, although probably not with them in it. However, this was when TV was aired live, and there are no surviving episodes, only anecdotal accounts.

raywest

Something that is funny is that in the movie "A Christmas Story," they show the parents having two twin beds in their bedroom. In a real situation, they should have shown them having a double bed. Lucy and Ricky had twin beds pushed together in an early episode, which would have been pushing television boundaries in that time.

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The Inbetweeners picture

Bunk Off - S1-E2

Question: Why do the boys decide to steal their parent's booze? They have three bottles of spirits between four of them, which is more than enough for them to get drunk. In fact, in Will Is Home Alone, they share twenty cans of beer between the four of them (five each, all things being equal), and are dreadfully hungover the next morning. Assume this is classed as a character mistake, it just makes no sense.

Answer: Jay, Si and Will steal Simons dad booze as they are planning on meeting Carly later on and have lost their own supply when kicked out of Neil's place by his dad after being caught and insulted.

Ssiscool

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Foyle's War picture

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Question: Why does Foyle wear an overcoat at all times of the year? I know that the English summer is temperate, but always a long, floppy overcoat?

Macxlii

Answer: He doesn't actually wear it all the time even in summer. In some episodes in the summer he simply wears his suit with jacket.

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Chosen answer: No one can explain how time travel works. If by committing suicide Barry's mom survived, then there would be no Flash nor Eobard Thawne. So Eddie wouldn't commit suicide in the first place, because nothing would have happened.

Answer: The show explains in another episode that The Speed Force leaves copies of characters that no longer exist in the past to avoid paradoxes such as this example.

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Eastenders picture

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Question: Is outdoor Albert Square a set or a real life location? If its a set, how do they get the trains to run by so realistically and how do they get so many extras? If it's real, where is it?

Answer: Albert Square is a set in the BBC studios in Borehamwood, on the north side of London. The trains, to the best of my knowledge, are simply a bit of the old TV magic. As far as the extras go - it's not difficult to get extras in reasonable numbers through agencies.

Tailkinker

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Chosen answer: She was finally shown at the very end of the last episode of season 8, continuing into season 9. The actor's name is Cristin Milioti: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2129662/.

Knever

More How I Met Your Mother questions

Answer: Carl did die of lung cancer, that's why she returned to her family.

Answer: Florida's husband, James Evans, Sr., appeared in a total of 61 episodes during Seasons 1-3 of the series. After creative differences with the show's creator, Norman Lear, mainly over the increasingly buffoonish characterization of oldest son, James "J.J." Evans, Jr., actor John Amos did not have his contract renewed. His character was killed off in an automobile accident in his home state of Mississippi while he was securing steady work in the hope of relocating his family there. Florida learned of his death via a phone call at the family's going away party. We don't know if her second husband, Carl, died or just stayed in Arizona, and it's debateable whether someone who remarries is still called a widow.

Michael Albert

Florida did not learn of James' death through a phone call. It was through a telegram sent in the mail that Florida read during the party.

Norman Lear didn't create Good Times. Eric Monte and Michael Evans did. Norman Lear simply developed it.

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Burn Notice picture

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Question: Where is the bathroom in Michael's loft? I have seen every season, every angle, and I never see anything resembling it?

dizzyd

Chosen answer: It might not actually have one, in which case, he'd have to go down into the club and use theirs. As for showering, going to his mother's house or a gym membership would take care of that.

Captain Defenestrator

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Friday Night Dinner picture

Wilson - S5-E6

Question: What exactly did Wilson die of? Was it because of the many dollops he did or was it a mystery?

Answer: It's not explained fully, but its shown that he is quite sick as he has been taking many dollops and that they were liquid (sorry for the graphic description but its explained in the show). Given those circumstances we can safely assume that Wilson has got some severe problems.

Ssiscool

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Alias picture

Doppelganger - S1-E5

Question: When discussing the bomb plot, there's something odd with the audio. When Sloane's talking, at two points he says "UCO", but it's obviously been dubbed over - the shot's from behind but the tone is different. Arguably just post-production looping, but because the pitch is so noticeably different I'm assuming they mentioned some organisation they couldn't refer to, so changed it. Can't be the UN, as they mention that earlier in the scene. Anyone know why that was changed? (00:35:05)

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: It does sound overdubbed, but there was no change in the organization. UCO is United Commission Organization. There are signs when Patel is coming that say UCO so obviously it wasn't changed.

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Downton Abbey picture

Episode #1.4 - S1-E4

Question: Why does Daisy "take a turn" in Lady Mary's room? She never saw them take Pamook's body from Mary's room. She only saw them putting him back in his room, which is said to be "miles" away.

Answer: Word gets around. The staff are gossips amongst themselves, but those loyal to the family know who to keep secrets from and who they can trust to share in the knowledge.

Phixius

Answer: Lady Mary was one of the three women Daisy saw carrying Pamuk's body. Daisy realised he could not have died in Cora's (Lady Grantham) room, as she sleeps with husband Robert, nor would Cora and Mary ever help carry Pamuk from Anna's bedroom in the upstairs servants' quarters. Lady Sylvia and Lady Edith were completely unaware of what happened and Edith later quizzed Daisy for information. That left Mary, who everyone noticed was particularly distraught. Daisy could have overheard Thomas later telling O'Brien that he had shown Pamuk where Mary's bedroom was located (though he never saw Pamuk go inside).

raywest

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Zoey 101 picture

Show generally

Question: If Dustin, Dana, and James don't appear in a lot of episodes in the show, why are they still considered main characters?

Answer: Dustin was only considered a main character from season 1-3, and probably just because he's Zoey's brother. Dana was only a main character for season 1 and James didn't become a main character until season 4.

Bishop73

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Answer: No reason is given.

Michael Albert

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Dexter picture

Father Knows Best - S1-E9

Question: The DNA test is a match, but later in the 2-3rd season we discover that Harry (foster father) had an affair with the real mother. Is Harry the real father and takes him but not his brother in because of that or not?

Answer: No, Harry is not the real father. While he did have an affair with Dexter's biological mother (Laura Moser), this was when she was his C.I. Dexter was already born at that point.

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Farscape picture

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Question: Why is John's Farscape-1 module able to navigate wormholes where some other, more sophisticated craft, notably Peacekeeper Prowlers, cannot without liquifying passengers?

Socks1000

Chosen answer: It's never explained. John mentions a theory that his less technologically developed craft simply interferes with the wormhole less than the "superior" Vipers, but they never make a concrete determination on that point. But we also have to take into account the fact that Moya traverses wormholes with no ill effect as well.

Garlonuss

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