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Welcome to the W Files Complete Episode Guide. Each episode's plot is briefly outlined, and any interesting tidbits of information follow the synapsis. Please be informed that all parodies and use of footage is unauthorized. You may scroll or jump to the season of your choice.
Interesting Facts: This episode was the only one where Mueller is not played by Chris Hardy. Farrah Taylor was the original Kit Mueller, but was replaced after the pilot. An interesting side note: Chris Hardy plays a cameo role as Alice Applebee, one of the other students in the class. And a shout of thanks must be given to Joon Kim, who stepped into the role of suspected witch at the last moment.
Trivia and BloopersThis episode has an interesting blooper in it as well--during the "animal sacrifice" scene, blood is supposed to splatter on the window. It does not take a sharp-eyed viewer to see the hand holding the packet of fake blood. However, a very sharp-eyed viewer might notice the "witch" in the background of the scene in Bugle Boys’ restaurant--and seated with the "real" Kit Mueller!
Interesting Facts: This episode was probably the most technically flawed ever produced. Shots don't match up, the camera work is abysmal, and scenes even got cut. This was due in large part to the sudden replacement of Mueller halfway through shooting the episode.
Trivia and Bloopers: Pointing out bloopers would be redundant in this episode. But it is worth mentioning that Chris Hardy, who, in a crisis, stepped into the role of lead, played the role of Alice. Sarah Tate, who reprises the role in 1.4, replaced Alice. Stephanie Kramer (Christine) also reprises her role in episode 1.3, and returns for a cameo in episode 3.1
Interesting Facts: This marks the beginning of a longstanding W Files tradition: parody-within-parody. This is also the first episode that is not riddled with jump cuts, shaky camera movements and other technical flaws.
Trivia and Bloopers:The same actor who played Bob (Jason England) in episode 1.2 returned for the role of the very swishy Phantom. Also, the “running gag” (for the uninitiated, a person who runs across the screen carrying a big sign reading: GAG—get it?) was played by none other than Jeremy Stehwien, better known as Inner Ear.
Interesting Facts:We actually used a two-camera setup for the Bugle Boy scenes, which was a first, and yielded terrific results. The “cult” in this episode was based on a long-standing joke between the director and a good friend. The cult was of people trying to take over the world by building a giant magnet that would stop the spinning of the planet, causing everyone to fly off into outer space except the cult members, who would be duct taped to trees. Amazingly enough, a similar plot was recently hatched on an episode of Pinky and the Brain
Trivia and Bloopers:The most interesting point in this episode is that, originally, there was no familial connection between Alice and the cult leader. The actress originally scheduled to play the leader was unable to shoot that week, so Sarah Tate bravely took on both roles—which made for some very creative editing. Also, the suddenness of her casting can be evidenced by the script sitting directly in front of the cult leader.
Interesting Facts:This is the one and only time the W Files attempted a cliffhanger episode. This was in conjunction with a WSTV station promotion, wherein a “clue word” would trail across the screen as a cue to call in for prizes. The episode itself was not the highest caliber, but it did bring a lot of people back for the second half.
Trivia and Bloopers:Officer Flag was introduced in this episode, and we had so much fun with the character that he became a regular member of the cast. This episode was based entirely on the fact that we figured out how to do the “beaming” effect from Star Trek. And an interesting blooper—if you look closely, you will realize that the telescope prop did not make it into the scene with Inner Ear—he simply leans down and pretends to show it to Mueller and Scurvy. Kevin Shaw (Flag) played the running gag in this episode. Another interesting bit of trivia: if you listen closely, the voices of the two men (who are mostly off camera) in the very first scene can be identified as those of Jeremy Stehwien (Inner Ear) and Mike Carver (Pelter). The implications are interesting to think about.
Interesting Facts:This was the first (but not the last) time we used “borrowed” video clips to enhance our story. This is also the last episode with an attached blooper reel under the credits.
Trivia and Bloopers:The brief scene with William Shatner and Leanord Nimoy comes from the original Star Trek episode “The Omega Glory.” The running gag in this episode was played by Mike Carver (Pelter).
Interesting Facts:This episode was completely improvised. The original episode (see the Lost Episodes) had to be thrown out because David Brandon was actually missing. All the interviews were completely unscripted, and the dialogue between Inner Ear and the Cancer Person was scripted only five minutes before shooting commenced. However, the final product was a very, very funny episode.
Trivia and Bloopers:The Cancer Person was played by director/producer Abigail Stone, who found it highly difficult to get through her scenes without coughing from the cigarette smoke. Said smoke barely escaped setting off the fire alarms in the studio during shooting. The running gag was again played by Mike Carver (Pelter)—this episode marked the final appearance of the running gag.
Interesting Facts:During the break between Seasons one and two, many changes took place at WSTV. New equipment was purchased, and the higher-grade editing really makes a difference in the show’s quality. In addition, the production schedule was increased, giving two weeks to work on each episode instead of one. Repeats were shown every other week to give us more time for development. This episode is, of course, a parody of the movie Men In Black, though our neuralizer was less fancy—it was made from a toilet paper holder and a Dr. Pepper can!
Trivia and BloopersThough not really trivia, it bears mentioning that the two scenes in Bugle Boys’ were identical except for costumes. This was because Mueller and Scurvy’s memories had been erased. Get it? Much kudos must be given to both Chris Hardy and Billy Carl for their perfect recreation of the scene—it is perfectly dead-on. As for bloopers, both our aliens had a bit of trouble with their lines, so in several places you can see them glancing at off-camera scripts.
Interesting Facts:The most interesting thing about this episode is that the “garbage scene” was shot in two segments—a week apart—and still fit together fairly well.
Trivia and BloopersThere were a number of bloopers in the final confrontation scene. The most painfully obvious was the S.W.A.T. team member—the actor scheduled to play him was unable to shoot, so Mike Carver (Pelter) stepped in at the last moment, and had to be shot very carefully to avoid showing his face. The kittens belong to director/producer Abigail Stone, and are named Nemo and Scout.
Interesting Facts:This was an extremely loose parody of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This episode also featured the first-ever fight scene.
Trivia and BloopersIf you listen carefully, you might recognize the fight music an sound effects from the Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.” This sound effect/music combination was re used in every subsequent fight scene in the series.
Interesting Facts:As is often the case, this entire episode was based around something completely unrelated—a really cool Darth Vader Halloween costume. But there was more to it—Jeremy was unable to continue being Inner Ear, and we wanted to give him a really cool send-off. And, of course, we needed to pay homage to our beloved Star Wars saga. If the show were still on the air, there would be an Episode One parody in the works.
Trivia and BloopersDerth Nader was played by none other than Dr. Pelter himself, Mike Carver. If you watch closely, his black gloves appear and disappear throughout the episode. Stephanie Kramer (Christine—episodes 1.2 and 1.3) makes a cameo appearance as a frustrated security guard. Watch for strings in the “Cantina Scene” at the end—it also bears mentioning that the entire scene was improvised. The reason behind this is the campus restaurant where we located Bugle Boys’ (Levi’s…get it?) was going out of business and being demolished…we needed to find an excuse for our heroes not to hang out there anymore.
Interesting Facts:Another episode based on a special effect. The “split screen” is not a new technology—but for WSTV it was cutting edge. We also had the honor of working with the most wonderful body double—Kyla Graham, who has been Editor-in-chief of both the Western Star (newspaper) and Northwest Passage (literary journal). This is also the episode in which Kevin Shaw was replaced with Jeff Wingfield in the role of Flag. And yet another amusing anecdote we must share—Ryan Shipley, who is a member of the ROTC with Chris Hardy (Mueller), played one of the thugs. During the fight scene, Jeff Wingfield (Flag) kept kicking him—which caused Chris to say in a panic, “Stop doing that! He out ranks me!”
Trivia and BloopersThe two dorm rooms are clearly the same room simply dressed differently (and quickly). The “bed” is actually a steel desk with set dressing, and if you listen you can hear it give a loud “bang” when Scurvy and Kat fall on it. This room also had strange audio properties to it, which caused a loud buzzing through a few of the scenes. No explanation for this could be found. This is also the first episode in which producer/director Abigail Stone’s name appears in the opening credits.
Interesting Facts:This was probably one of the most fun episodes to shoot. We put out a call for volunteer ninjas—you’d be surprised how many people will show up at a designated time and place dressed in black if you tell them they’re going to be on TV! The big fight scene at the end took hours to stage—but it turned out great! Another very fun scene to shoot was Officer Flag dressed in drag lip-synching to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. It is a testament to the power of the head writer—as Mike Carver is fond of saying—“Its great! I write it, they do it!”
Trivia and BloopersThis episode contains quite possibly the worst jump cut in the history of the W Files. In the same scene is the classic “boom-mic-in-the-shot” blooper. Other trivia: two of the solitary ninjas (not in the final battle) are played by Jeremy Stehwien (Inner Ear) and Mike Carver (Pelter).
Interesting Facts:We actually got to use the “real” TV station’s equipment (the stuff taxpayers pay for that lowly students don’t get to put their mitts on often). So we actually had a chance to use “blue screen matting”—an exciting day in WSTV land. This was a very fun parody of The Greatest American Hero. It was not meant to be the last episode of the series—if given the chance, we would have produced a big final farewell. However, it was not meant to be. And at least we ended on a high note! Also worth mentioning—the day we shot the scene wherein Billy Carl (Scurvy) was in his underwear outside, which was in spring, we had an unseasonably cold day, complete with snow. It took a lot of pizza to make up for that. This episode also contained original music actually composed for the show. Our everlasting thanks to Jeff Mitchell, who composed and performed “Flag’s Theme,” an incredibly good piece of music. It is a tragedy that we were unable to further utilize his talents.
Trivia and BloopersThe most amusing blooper occurs in the very first scene. David Brandon, the original Dan Scurvy, makes a cameo appearance. But the actors greeted him as “DAVE” (the “new” Scurvy’s name, the actor’s real name) rather than “DAN.” A real airplane flies across the screen while Scurvy is flying—it moves from the upper right corner to the upper left. See, it really was the sky behind him! Finally, though you can't really see it in the episode, the "instruction book" is titled Magic Jammies and You.
“Exorcism” was scrapped because of time constraints. The cast simply was unable to shoot that week, because of a number of other commitments. Some footage exists, but has also been lost.
Kit Mueller: Becomes a full-fledged FBI agent
Dave Scurvy: Still trying to bed Mueller
Dan Scurvy: Dead. But still has an active social life.
Dr. Marvin Pelter: Vanished while doing field research on the “other” ark (see episode 2.3)
Inner Ear: Dead. But still a spirit guide, and enjoys playing practical jokes.
Officer Flag: TV host of America’s Most Wanted Jaywalkers
Y: Still doing his best Sam Spade. Got sued for copyright infringement.
Lonely Gunmen: Got rid of their guns. Ceased to be lonely.
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