Eerie Timeline

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

This is in response to yarol_2075 's post The Weirdness of Time.

Wow. I noticed so many new things rewatching it this time around, I guess cus I was actually looking out for any details that might give me clues about the timeline. The cat looking through the window (or just perched on it?) outside the dog pound, for example. Maybe I'm getting a bit overzealous here but I paused where Marshall was writing in his journal in 'ATM with a Heart of Gold' (at 22:30) and could make out these words (if anyone can make out the other words please let me know!)

      ...This place is nothing like NJ. ... This place is so backwards (?) no ..., homeless people, no ___ or museums on every corner. The ____ shop has pretty good root beer floats though. I've gotta start school tomorrow. Oh boy here I go. I'll check(?) back later.

I rewatched the first few eps and remembered reading that the last episode was actually meant to have been shown earlier on..so I checked wikipedia, and listed them according to when they were produced (as opposed to when they were aired). I also added if they were in school during the episode to give us any idea of a linear timeline.

1.    Foreverware (aired as “ep. 1”)
2.    The Retainer (“ep. 2”)
3.    The ATM with the Heart of Gold (“ep. 3”) DAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS
4.    The Losers (“ep. 4”) "EERIE INDIANA, DAY 94"
5.    The Broken Record (“ep. 19”) SCHOOL (SYNDI)
6.    America’s Scariest Home Video (“ep. 5”) HALLOWEEN
7.    Heart on a Chain (7) SCHOOL
8.    Just Say No to Fun (6) SCHOOL
9.    The Dead Letter (8) SCHOOL (SIMON'S HOMEWORK)
10.    The Lost Hour (10) (CLOCKS GO BACK OCT 27, 1991; AIRED DEC. 1991.)
11.    Who’s Who (9)
12.    Marshall’s Theory of Believability (11)
13.    Tornado Days (12) (FALL LEAVES)
14.    The Hold in the Head Gang (13) (DASH HAS BEEN IN EERIE 3 MONTHS)
15.    Mr. Chaney (14) (1992; AIRED MARCH 1992)
16.    No Brain, No Pain (15)
17.    The Loyal Order of Corn (16)
18.    Zombies in P.J.s (17)
19.    Reality takes a holiday (18)

There's certainly a lot of episodes that take place in the fall. The harvest king festival '92, airing in March '92? Hmm:)

Comments

[ftrbestseller.livejournal.com]

Thinking about it, I guess it's possible that the Harvest King festival could've actually taken place in the spring. If the purpose was to produce a good harvest, they could have the festival before growing season (I haven't watched it in a while, so I don't remember if they make any specific fall references). And it would kind of make sense with the whole "low taxes" thing too- tax returns here have to be filed by April 15, so it kind of lines up.

Tornado Days I'm not sure about. Yes, there's fall leaves, but tornado season is typically late March-June or so (in the Midwest, anyway). Then again, this is Eerie, where the weather doesn't make sense either.

(I'm really loving all the discussion lately!)

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

This community rocks, so glad I found it:) Hmm you've given me more to think of, I can't wait til I finish my work and can relax with Eerie and a cup of tea and do some more digging:)

[yarol-2075.livejournal.com]

I don't think the Harvest King Festival takes place in the spring. The newspaper clippings that Dash brings all mention October 27th as the date the Harvest Kings disappear. Also Mayor Chisel mentions getting the Farm vote and since most voting takes place in November (although in Eerie who knows) and since being the Mayor who brings low taxes would win him votes.

I was thinking Tornado Days could be set late July, early August, but as you said: This is Eerie. O_o

ETA: sorry, Dash was looking through papers from October 1927. Not October 27th....need to get my head screwed on a little tighter.

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good find!! Hmm so it seems that the Mr. Chaney episode goes before Scariest Home Videos? Unless it's a different year? :/

[froodle]

Mars is the 1992 Harvest King, and im pretty sure Scariest Home Movies aired in '91. Dash isnt around, so Id say SHM is Halloween night 1991 and Mr Chaney takes place in the run up to Halloween the following year.

[yarol-2075.livejournal.com]

I think I've just placed why I think don't think the series takes place over a couple of years: Radford. He was in the basement of the World O' Stuff for six months. If the series took place over a multi-year timeline Marshall would have seen the "original" Radford (John Astin) and then noted a "replacement" Radford (the first Radford the audience saw) and then in the "original" again, but since Marshall had apparently never seen the "original" Radford until the Hole in the Head Gang.

Eerie, oh Eerie, you are most vexing.

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

Totally! But this means the production code doesn't reveal the order the episodes are supposed to go in. Vexing indeed. To be honest, from what I can tell of Hollywood they probably just threw their ideas around, chose what they thought would be most entertaining/get the most ratings, and make the episodes without thinking of timelines or logic (they might've thought they could get away with it due to the nature of the show anyway).

But on the other hand someone made the effort to put a subliminal thingie in Mr. Chaney (just posted about it), so I dunno. If they were passionate about the show they probably had more meaning to it, hidden or otherwise. I reckon you should have a look at the subliminal cus I can't make heads nor tails of it.

So far what order do you think it goes in?

[oddmonster.livejournal.com]

While not sure whether what's up is up, I LOVE THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION LIKE BURNING.

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

I know!! It's like we can see EI in a whole new light thinking of all this :) And I was just looking through the posts on this community for the past two years and there is SO much activity now it's awesomeeee <3

[froodle]

Over here, we have abharvest festival at the end.of.september/startbofnoctober - its kind of.a "thank you.for.our.awesomebharvest, help.us.not.die.in tje.long.winter months to come" holdover from ye.olden days. so i kind of.assumed the harvest king ep.is.pre-scariest.home.movies, but.probably only by a couple.of.weeks.

when is.tornado.season in indiana?

[oddmonster.livejournal.com]

This. Us too with the harvest festivals being all WE WILL GIVE YOU NICE APPLES AND PUMPKINS IF YOU PROMISE NOT TO KILL US WITH SNOW, K? Between that and the newspapers, I'm leaning more towards fall.

[katetherobot.livejournal.com]

Wow, I love your dedication. I never thought to freeze on his journal!

I wonder if there is enough info hidden in the background of EI for us to ever unravel the mythology of Eerie, or if we're doomed to never knowning.

[froodle]

Best pf.both worlds, i reckon - enough hidden gems to get ua thinking.and talking and writing about EI again, and enough blank spots to make up our own additions to its.world.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

If there's anything that still doesn't match up, blame it on Eerie being Eerie. Possibly time travel was involved.

[eerieslash.livejournal.com]

Yeah it could be anything really, I guess, couldn't it? Being Eerie :)

[froodle]

It's the corn. Corn fucks shit up. Always.