This is a powerful and emotional ep for Shawn who at this point is feeling vulnerable and lonely b/c his parents have taken off again ostensibly to work on their relationship so he is staying with the Matthews when he gets lured into a cult. Everyone tries to talk him back but it's not until Turner gets in an accident that Shawn snaps back. The whole speech he gives in the hospital room is emotionally jarring but powerful. "Jon, How could you be in here? How could you screw up on your bike? I've never seen you screw up on anything. I'm the screw-up remember? C'mon you remember....Don't do this to me Jon. I don't do alone real good..I know you're in there but it's like you're not really here. You're not talking but I know you're here so I'm gonna talk and you can listen. Jon even when I was at the Centre, it was all the things you taught me that made me wonder if it was the right place for me. But you didn't teach me enough. You and Cory and my parents and the Matthews and the handful of people who really care about me, so don't blow me off Jon! Don't blow me off God! I never asked you for anything and I never wanted to come to you like this but don't take Turner away from me he's not done yelling at me yet. God you're not talking but I know you're here, so I'm gonna talk and you can listen. God I don't wanna be empty inside anymore." This is so powerful b/c it's one of the few times we see Shawn completely emotionally bare as he is practically in tears during this whole speech. His smile when Turner squeezes his hand is beautiful. The other parts of this ep I loved where when Alan stands up for Shawn and actually says he would kill to protect Shawn the shock on Shawn's face is priceless. The last moment I love is Shawn's speech telling off Mr.Mack. "You know I see you standing in front of me, and I hear what you have to say and it's nothing, maybe if I was an empty person with nothing to believe in I'd go with you because that would be easy. Well I'm done with easy and I'm done with empty. I'm done with you." This rocked b/c these two speeches are powerful and emotionally intense but at this point they are also probably the longest speeches we've heard from Shawn and that makes them even more important.
3 Reviews
Speechless
salhy-4088213 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Ok, it's the height : he got into a cult, creepier than that we can't compete. He's definitely too insecure and impressionable, that's incredible how his need to belong somewhere didn't evolve a inch. To be honest that doesn't even surprise me he got trapped by that kind of messed up group : he feels alone and lonely (with his parents always leaving town to fix their relationship and everything), lost, he doesn't think that much about himself, he doesn't even like himself, not even a little so how on hearth could someone find who he really is, what does he want in life and get along with if he's not even accepting who he is. Because that's what that kind of sickening groups are for : make your own self disappear and instead modeling yourself the same as the others members to fit in, to make you feel like you belong to something, that you're not alone anymore and nobody would judge who you are as you already get rid of everything making yourself a unique person, a unique being, as if the emptiness will go away in that way.
It's so painful seeing him getting through that and still not being able to reach a higher level of self esteem. It's painful seeing how much the emptiness inside him always success in dragging him down and makes him feel that miserable and dead inside, as insignificant. He's dealing with a huge agony of thinking what's gonna be up for him in life, not even how is he gonna end up anymore but how badly and pathetic his life will inherently be. He's not saying it but his high school years not far to arrived at their ends certainly make him feel as he's constantly suffocating inside and struggling to get at least the nose out of the water to get some needed breaths for a short time... and in the same time more and more he's letting himself dragging down into that cold water, each time breaking his personal breath hold record until someday he'll reach a not turning back point and will stay trap under that water until the very end. John's accident was tough but so damn needed, as he said to him : time is clocking fast as hell and if he doesn't make a move in the good way of the road, he'll be consumed without anyone been able to reach him anymore and I don't want the see that. Presently, the real ones in his life have still a effect on him (way to go on this one Alan by the way and Shawn's amazed expression talk to itself, yes babe you make effect on people enough to make them stand for you without fear or holding back) so let's hope he will finally make him take the next step ans let the entire head out of the water... and even definitely get his entire self out of it without turning back.
Paradise Lost
hellraiser710 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Warning do not read unless seen episode.
This is another of my favorite episodes of the show, it's one of the darkest episodes as it deals with the issue of cults. It makes sense this episode occurred at the time it aired as cults became a big epidemic in the 90's, "Heaven's Gate", "Branch Davidians", and just a lot of really horrible organizations. And sadly, it's still a big issue now with "Scientology" and some others out there you heard about and haven't yet, which I'll admit are the ones that worry me the most.
The only bad thing about the episode is some of the laugh track which I thought was inappropriate in places, let along that comedic subplot with Eric was unneeded and useless, though other than that everything else about the episode was fine.
It doesn't surprise me too much that Shawn would be an unfortunate victim to this unhealthy trend. Despite Shawn being my favorite character, he was also sadly the most troubled.
We see this cult called "The Centre" from the first moment Shawn encounters it, I just felt sick and uncomfortable. The people in it were just creepy, from how they talk, and their eyes just look vacant almost like their zombies which they pretty much are.
As we see this is a place that is supposed to create unity and spiritual fulfilment, but as we see it's the complete opposite as Shawn is even further away from both.
It may have been a small amount of time but that's all that's needed for these organizations and others like it to get their scummy claws into him. When Cory talks to Shawn we see he's not the same as he's been manipulated and brainwashed into the cult's mumbo jumbo bull crap. Most of what Shawn is saying feels scripted as if they're not his own words which is part of the point, for the members not to have minds of their own.
Shawn we see feels threatened thinking Cory is taking away something from him, but Cory isn't steeling anything it's "The Centre" and all that serve it that are the thieves; their taking Shawn away from all his friends but worst of all himself but he doesn't know it; which is part of the thing about theft not know something is gone until it's too late.
Let alone most that feel good nonsense Shawn along with the Leader serves up, is the kind you probably may have read from a bunch of self help books, which is the point as it's clearly just some stuff that was stolen and redacts all of the logical important stuff to make it all the Leader's own voice as if he's the one with all the answers. In a way that's part of what con artists and cult leaders are, total phonies that are just dressed up well and say all of what seems like the right things but aren't.
From how deep Shawn divulges into this cult, Cory, his friends, along with myself and my friends we just all got worried for him and knew if he wasn't extracted soon Shawn would be lost forever.
I really like when Cory asks Shawn what he believes in and Shawn gives no answer, along with the talk Shawn has with Mr. Turner about being empty. This is true about most to all cult members their spiritually empty people that are so desperate to fill the void with anything that seems of spiritual value, instead of taking a step back and a breath to ask themselves that one important question on what he or she believes in.
But also, after this Shawn should of consulted in his trust circle, Turner, Fenny, Cory, Topanga, Alan, Amy, and anyone else in that circle I'm sure they not just have but would recommend philosophies and even places for spiritual guidance.
The other problem with Shawn is that he doesn't realize what he has, he feels alone but he isn't as I mentioned all the people in his life that all truly care about him and look out for him. I'll admit when we hear the bad news about what happened to Turner, that really made my heart sink I honestly didn't see it coming nor did anyone else, an accident is always the last thing you would think would happen, but it did which makes it all the more devastating. In a way that was a wake-up call from reality for Shawn, making him realize what Turner said to him was true, he doesn't have all the time in the world because life can end when you least know it.
I'll admit the moment I saw the cult leader in the hospital along with that comment he made toward Fenny, let's just say there would be another patient for the ER added, I know bold statement but this guy's presence was practically an insult to injury.
I really love what Alan says to the cult leader which I thought was bad ass but also just shows the extent of his love for his friend Shawn as if he were his own son. What Alan says its how I feel about every friend that I'm close to and are like a brother and sister to me, but most of all my significant other, I'll always protect them by any means necessary. But also, really like what Cory says when he hugs Shawn and tells him what a real hug is, from what Cory does and how the others defend Shawn it show how much they truly love him.
Really like the moment Shawn has with Turner, Shawn was lost for a while but now he's back and we see from what he says to God, Shawn is spiritually fulfilled and from that little movement Turner makes with his hand to Shawn it shows that he has succeed in saving Shawn and so did all of the people that truly believed in Shawn; belief in another can truly make one belief in him/herself.
This also gets Shawn to do the right thing, really like the last things he says to the cult leader, Shawn is no longer buying what he's selling. Despite the last thing the leader says we know Shawn won't be there.
This really put a smile on my face because it shows that The Centre no longer has any power over Shawn. The loss of one member is always a blow because it means a loss of a piece of their power, which is a sign that the illusion of power will eventually shatter.
Shawn has found true paradise from the love and truth of his friends.
Rating: 4 stars.
This is another of my favorite episodes of the show, it's one of the darkest episodes as it deals with the issue of cults. It makes sense this episode occurred at the time it aired as cults became a big epidemic in the 90's, "Heaven's Gate", "Branch Davidians", and just a lot of really horrible organizations. And sadly, it's still a big issue now with "Scientology" and some others out there you heard about and haven't yet, which I'll admit are the ones that worry me the most.
The only bad thing about the episode is some of the laugh track which I thought was inappropriate in places, let along that comedic subplot with Eric was unneeded and useless, though other than that everything else about the episode was fine.
It doesn't surprise me too much that Shawn would be an unfortunate victim to this unhealthy trend. Despite Shawn being my favorite character, he was also sadly the most troubled.
We see this cult called "The Centre" from the first moment Shawn encounters it, I just felt sick and uncomfortable. The people in it were just creepy, from how they talk, and their eyes just look vacant almost like their zombies which they pretty much are.
As we see this is a place that is supposed to create unity and spiritual fulfilment, but as we see it's the complete opposite as Shawn is even further away from both.
It may have been a small amount of time but that's all that's needed for these organizations and others like it to get their scummy claws into him. When Cory talks to Shawn we see he's not the same as he's been manipulated and brainwashed into the cult's mumbo jumbo bull crap. Most of what Shawn is saying feels scripted as if they're not his own words which is part of the point, for the members not to have minds of their own.
Shawn we see feels threatened thinking Cory is taking away something from him, but Cory isn't steeling anything it's "The Centre" and all that serve it that are the thieves; their taking Shawn away from all his friends but worst of all himself but he doesn't know it; which is part of the thing about theft not know something is gone until it's too late.
Let alone most that feel good nonsense Shawn along with the Leader serves up, is the kind you probably may have read from a bunch of self help books, which is the point as it's clearly just some stuff that was stolen and redacts all of the logical important stuff to make it all the Leader's own voice as if he's the one with all the answers. In a way that's part of what con artists and cult leaders are, total phonies that are just dressed up well and say all of what seems like the right things but aren't.
From how deep Shawn divulges into this cult, Cory, his friends, along with myself and my friends we just all got worried for him and knew if he wasn't extracted soon Shawn would be lost forever.
I really like when Cory asks Shawn what he believes in and Shawn gives no answer, along with the talk Shawn has with Mr. Turner about being empty. This is true about most to all cult members their spiritually empty people that are so desperate to fill the void with anything that seems of spiritual value, instead of taking a step back and a breath to ask themselves that one important question on what he or she believes in.
But also, after this Shawn should of consulted in his trust circle, Turner, Fenny, Cory, Topanga, Alan, Amy, and anyone else in that circle I'm sure they not just have but would recommend philosophies and even places for spiritual guidance.
The other problem with Shawn is that he doesn't realize what he has, he feels alone but he isn't as I mentioned all the people in his life that all truly care about him and look out for him. I'll admit when we hear the bad news about what happened to Turner, that really made my heart sink I honestly didn't see it coming nor did anyone else, an accident is always the last thing you would think would happen, but it did which makes it all the more devastating. In a way that was a wake-up call from reality for Shawn, making him realize what Turner said to him was true, he doesn't have all the time in the world because life can end when you least know it.
I'll admit the moment I saw the cult leader in the hospital along with that comment he made toward Fenny, let's just say there would be another patient for the ER added, I know bold statement but this guy's presence was practically an insult to injury.
I really love what Alan says to the cult leader which I thought was bad ass but also just shows the extent of his love for his friend Shawn as if he were his own son. What Alan says its how I feel about every friend that I'm close to and are like a brother and sister to me, but most of all my significant other, I'll always protect them by any means necessary. But also, really like what Cory says when he hugs Shawn and tells him what a real hug is, from what Cory does and how the others defend Shawn it show how much they truly love him.
Really like the moment Shawn has with Turner, Shawn was lost for a while but now he's back and we see from what he says to God, Shawn is spiritually fulfilled and from that little movement Turner makes with his hand to Shawn it shows that he has succeed in saving Shawn and so did all of the people that truly believed in Shawn; belief in another can truly make one belief in him/herself.
This also gets Shawn to do the right thing, really like the last things he says to the cult leader, Shawn is no longer buying what he's selling. Despite the last thing the leader says we know Shawn won't be there.
This really put a smile on my face because it shows that The Centre no longer has any power over Shawn. The loss of one member is always a blow because it means a loss of a piece of their power, which is a sign that the illusion of power will eventually shatter.
Shawn has found true paradise from the love and truth of his friends.
Rating: 4 stars.
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