Media Timeline: Generation of Excess
This timeline documents all real world entities attested in the Scream Roleplay Universe, focusing on the last two decades of the 20th century.
By its very definition, this is an index of information you do not really need, but may be fun to know regardless. Like the other timelines in this category, you will find extensive footnotes describing how these people, objects, and creative works factor into the ongoing story.
The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back, premieres as The Empire Strikes Back. Space opera, dir. Irvin Kershner. Second installment in the Star Wars film franchise.3
“Once in a Lifetime”
New wave rock song, rec. the Talking Heads; appears on the album Remain in Light.5
“Lovin’ Understandin’ Man”
Pop ballad, rec. Telly Savalas; released as a single; cover of the original, rec. Don Williams (1974).6
DMC DeLorean
Sports car manufactured by the DeLorean Motor Company; designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in Moncalieri, Italy.7
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Action-adventure film, dir. Steven Spielberg. First installment in the Indiana Jonesfilm franchise.9 10 11 12 13
Seth Rogen is born
Seth Rogen, actor, comedian, writer, and director, is born in Vancouver, British Columbia.16
Dave & Buster’s
Restaurant and entertainment business founded by David O. Corriveau and James W. “Buster” Corley, in Dallas, Texas.17
“Electric Boogie”
Dance song, rec. Marcia Griffiths; cover of the 1976 original, by Bunny Wailer. Basis for the “Electric Slide” line dance.21
The A-Team
Action-adventure television series, created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell; aired on NBC.23
Karen Carpenter dies
Karen Carpenter, singer and drummer, dies from complications caused by anorexia nervosa, aged 32, in Downey, California.24
“Moonlight Shadow”
Pop rock song, rec. Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly; appears on the album Crises.25
Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi, premieres as Return of the Jedi. Space opera, dir. Richard Marquand. Third installment in the Star Warsfilm franchise.26 27
Edward Snowden is born
Edward Snowden, intelligence contractor and whistleblower, is born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.29 30
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Luxury hotel chain founded by William B. Johnson, in Boston, Massachusetts.31
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Animated fantasy adventure television series developed by Lou Scheimer; aired in syndication. Based on the Mattel toy line.32 Includes the villainous Skeletor.33
Scruples
Scruples: The Game of Moral Dilemmas. Card game, designed by Henry Makow and distributed by High Game Enterprises.34
Ben Shapiro is born
Ben Shapiro, conservative political commentator and media personality, is born Benjamin Aaron Shapiro, in Los Angeles, California.35
“Holding Out for a Hero”
Power pop song, rec. Bonnie Tyler. Appears on the soundtrack album for Footloose, musical drama film, dir. Herbert Ross.36
Forever 21
Fast-fashion retailer founded by Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang, in Los Angeles, California.37 38
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Action-adventure film, dir. Steven Spielberg. Second film in the Indiana Jones franchise.40 41
Murder, She Wrote
Crime drama series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and William Link; and starring Angela Lansbury (58) as mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher. Aired on CBS.43
Dolce & Gabbana
Luxury fashion house founded by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Legnano, Italy.44
Pictionary
Charades-inspired word-guessing game designed by Robert Angel; published by Angel Games.45
“Greatest Love of All”
R&B song, rec. Whitney Houston; appears on her self-titled debut album. Cover of the original, rec. George Benson (1977).46 47
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Educational video game, dev. Broderbund. First installment in the Carmen Sandiego edutainment franchise.50
Back to the Future
Science fiction film, dir. Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox (24). First installment of the Back to the Future film franchise.51 52
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Post-apocalyptic dystopian action film dir. George Miller and George Ogilvie; third installment in the Mad Max film franchise.53
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)”
New wave synth-pop song, rec. Kate Bush; appears on the album Hounds of Love.54
The Phantom of the Opera
Stage musical, writ. by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe; premieres on the West End, at His Majesty’s Theatre, London. Adapted from the novel of the same name, writ. Gaston Leroux (1910). Libretto includes the ensemble song “Masquerade”.68
Krang
First appearance of the alien warlord Krang in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, animated superhero television series.72
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Live-action/animation hybrid comic noir, dir. Robert Zemeckis; adapted from the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? writ. Gary K. Wolf (1981).75
Dragon Ball Z
Adventure fantasy anime, developed by Daisuke Nishio and Takao Koyama; adapted from Dragon Ball, manga writ. Akira Toriyama (1984).85 86
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Action-adventure film, dir. Steven Spielberg. Third film in the Indiana Jones franchise.87
Steel Magnolias
Comedy drama, dir. Herbert Ross; based on the play of the same name, writ. Robert Harling (1987).90
Jamba Juice
Quick-service restaurant and juice bar chain founded, as Juice Club, by Kirk Perron in San Luis Obispo, California.92
Twin Peaks
Surrealistic mystery series, created by Mark Frost and David Lynch; aired on ABC.93 94 95
“Traces to Nowhere”
Second episode of Twin Peaks. Josie Packard (Joan Chen) asks Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to define “shenanigans”.96
Dolores O’Riordan joins The Cranberries
Dolores O’Riordan (28) replaces Niall Quinn as lead singer for Irish alternative rock band The Cranberries.97
The Disney Afternoon
Programming block of animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation; aired in syndication.99 100
Children of Eden
Musical stageplay, writ. Stephen Schwartz and John Caird; premieres on the West End, at the Prince Edward Theatre, London.104
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
Annual Halloween-themed event debuts at Universal Studios theme park, Orlando, Florida.107
Beauty and the Beast
Animated musical fantasy, dir. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise based on the fairy tale of the same name, writ. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1756).108 Includes the song, “Something There”, writ. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.109
Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA)
Financial aid form for college students, introduced by the U.S. federal government.110
Batman Returns
Superhero film, dir. Tim Burton. Sequel to 1989’s Batman; adapted from the comic book characters created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane; stars Michelle Pfeiffer (34) as the costumed antiheroine Catwoman.114
Goosebumps
Welcome to the Dead House. First installment of the Goosebumps series of children’s horror novel, writ. R.L. Stine.115
Miley Cyrus is born
Miley Cyrus, singer, songwriter, and actress, is born Destiny Hope Cyrus, in Franklin, Tennessee.
Johnny Manziel is born
Johnny Manziel, professional football player, is born Jonathan Paul Manziel, in Tyler, Texas.
Sonny Corinthos
First appearance of charismatic mobster Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) on General Hospital.116
Liam Payne is born
Liam Payne, singer and songwriter, is born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England.
Pinky and the Brain
Animated sitcom; part of Animaniacs, created by Tom Ruegger; aired on The WB.118
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Stop-motion animated dark fantasy musical, dir. Henry Selick. Soundtrack features the ensemble song “This is Halloween”.120
Richard Nixon dies
Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, dies from stroke-induced complications, aged 81, in New York City.123
With Honors
Dramedy film, dir. Alek Keshishian and starring Brendan Fraser (25) and Joe Pesci (51).124
Execution of John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, sex offender and serial killer, is executed, aged 52, at Stateville Correctional Center, Illinois, for the murder of 33 young men.125
Forrest Gump
Dramedy film, dir. Robert Zemeckis; adapted from the novel of the same name, writ. Winston Groom (1986).127
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Dark ride themed after The Twilight Zone(1959). Opens at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.128
Pulp Fiction
Independent crime film, dir. Quentin Tarantino. The cast includes John Travolta (40).130
“Macarena”
Dance song, rec. The Bayside Boys; remixed from the 1993 original by Spanish pop duo Los del Rio. Inspires a dance craze.133
Resident Evil
Survival horror video game, dir. Shinji Mikami. First installment in the Resident Evilmedia franchise.137
A Game of Thrones
Epic fantasy novel, writ. George R. R. Martin (47). First installment of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.138 139 140
Blue’s Clues
Live-action/animated educational children’s television series created by Traci Paige Johnson. Todd Kessler, and Angela C. Santomero; aired on Nickolodeon.141
“The Beautiful People”
Metal song rec. Marilyn Manson; appears on the album Antichrist Superstar.142
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Children’s fantasy novel, writ. J.K. Rowling. First installment of the Harry Potterseries.148 149
“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
Dance-pop song, rec. the Backstreet Boys; appears on the album Backstreet’s Back.151
Elizabeth Webber
First appearance of heroine Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) on General Hospital.152
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Slasher film, dir. Jim Gillespie; loosely adapted from the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan (1973). Stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (21).158 159
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Retailer that allows consumers to build their own stuffed toys; est. Maxine Clark.160
Sonny Bono dies
Sonny Bono, singer-songwriter, actor, and politician, dies from injuries sustained in a skiing accident, aged 62, in Stateline, Nevada.
Frank Sinatra dies
Frank Sinatra, singer and actor, dies from a heart attack, aged 82, in Los Angeles, California.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Children’s fantasy novel, writ. J.K. Rowling. Second installment in the Harry Potter series.162
Bride of Chucky
Black comedy slasher, dir. Ronny Yu. Fourth installment in the Child’s Play film franchise.168
“Love is the Groove”
Euro disco song, rec. Cher (52); appears on the album Believe. Cover of the original by Betsy Cook (1991).169
Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill
Point-and-click adventure game, dev. HeR Interactive; based on the titular girl detective created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. First installment of the Nancy Drew video game series.170 171 172
Ed, Edd n Eddy
Animated slapstick comedy series, created by Danny Antonucci; aired on Cartoon Network.176
The Mummy
Action-adventure horror comedy film, dir. Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser (30); loosely adapted from the 1932 Universal Horror film of the same name.179
Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace
Space opera, dir. George Lucas. Fourth installment in the Star Warsfilm franchise.180
SpongeBob SquarePants
Animated surrealist comedy series, created by Stephen Hillenburg; aired on Nickelodeon.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Children’s fantasy novel, writ. J.K. Rowling. Third installment in the Harry Potter series.182
Fight Club
Coming-of-age drama, dir. David Fincher; adapted from the novel of the same name, writ. Chuck Palahniuk (1996).183
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Jake asks Tyler if they’ve made peace from their fight the previous night, or if they should start scheduling weekly fights “like we’re in the WWE”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Noah exclaims “Holy Hitchcock thriller!” on learning of the drama surrounding Will’s abduction. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Amanda quotes Darth Vader to Tyler after claiming Nina is cheating on him with Jake: “Search your feelings: you know it to be true.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: This song is Harold’s ringtone. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: The secret panel in Terrance’s room can only be opened by tapping out the notes of this song’s chorus on the wall. Fitz chidingly repeats the lyrics after he cracks the code. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: Nurse Deb: “I can always get another [Michael Kors].” Nurse Maxine: “Sure. In a hundred years or so.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Micah tells Terrance he has no position insulting Bridget’s hair, and offers to lend him a DeLorean, so he “can get back to that MCR concert in ’06.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Aleks offers to have Brooke’s birthday party at her house, but she warns her not to take any cues from this movie. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Kieran wonders if Will was tortured for the Ark of the Covenant or “something more mundane like a crate of drug money”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: Brooke’s attempt to confess her affair with Branson to Noah is preempted by Noah quoting the menacing Gestapo Major Toht: “What shall we talk about?” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Epilogue: Noah cites Indy and Marion going out for a drink as an example of a dénouement in the first episode of The Morgue. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Brooke quotes Marion after seeing Emma for the first time in six months: “Always knew someday you’d come walking back through our door.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Brooke tells Audrey that makeup makes her feel good, “Except when I cry, and it all starts slopping over me like Raiders of the Lost Ark”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke owns a Furby named Beyoncé. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Harold drives a Camry. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Brooke tells Noah that “Seth” called her. Noah: “Wait, like Branson?” Brooke: “No, Rogen. Yes, Branson!” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: Breaking into Seth’s phone gives Noah access to the English teacher’s Dave & Buster’s membership, among other things. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Terrance trips over Micah and observes “it’s sprouting men now”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: The Calypso Lounge is described as a place “where everybody knows your name”, but they know better than to ask it. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 6: Audrey assumes Nina used music from Adobe Stock on the kissing video. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Brooke tells Noah more people will come to her Halloween party than the school’s because “I have access to actual booze and music that is not the Electric Slide and the Macarena.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Tina insists on making Hot Pockets for herself, despite the family rule that she can’t use the microwave unsupervised. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Noah calls the triumphant pair of Audrey and Amanda, who have just fought off Ghostface, “the A-team”. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 4: Micah tells Tony that “Karen Carpenter is one of the greatest vocalists who ever lived, and a gay icon to boot”, citing her tragic death and struggles to perform to society’s expectations as part of the gay community’s affinity for her. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: This song is playing on the jukebox at Sal’s when Lorraine and her team discover Clark and the crackheads dead. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Noah reminds Audrey he came up with a justification for the alleged “Endor holocaust” in sixth grade. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Noah quotes Yoda to Brooke, wondering if Lorraine Brock is their only hope or if “there is another”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Zach uses Axe body spray. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Brooke clarifies the distinction between NASA and the NSA to Jake: “NASA is space. NSA is Snowden.” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Piper calls Tyler “a slimy weasel who fancied himself the next Snowden”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Monica keeps a standing suite at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. Brooke uses it as a getaway spot. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: A despondent Noah, guilty over spilling Emma’s secrets to Piper, tells Jake he feels like “the annoying sidekick nobody likes”, specifically naming Orko. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 5: Noah owns a custom logo-tee bearing an image of Skeletor, inspired by the Fabulous Secret Powers meme. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Exasperated by Zach’s dodgy attempts to explain Jake’s whereabouts, Theodora tells him she doesn’t have time for a round of Scruples. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke can tell Eliza is withholding one of Nina’s accomplices. Eliza tells her: “I didn’t say anything, because I don’t have all the facts, just a feeling, and as certain right-wing Internet personalities love to point out, facts don’t care about…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Brooke tells Noah “If I were holding out for a hero, I’d have started singing for one”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke comments that her very petite size is what “Forever 21 calls ‘jackpot’”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: Eli tells Kieran he bought Deanna’s clothes at JCPenney: “she’s not a Forever 21 chick. Saved me a helluva lot of money…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: GW High’s library has a LaserJet printer that hasn’t been updated since 2002. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Rachel suggests Audrey show her father her photography. Audrey quotes Indiana Jones: “Someday, but not today.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Terrance tries to convince Bridget that nobody was hurt by him and Tracy doping the punch at her party, and that it was all in fun. Bridget paraphrases Willie Scott, telling him that this was not her “idea of a swell time”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Audrey jokingly suggests Noah may have killed Stacy and Brock, as part of a more bloodthirsty “revenge” against the popular kids. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 9: Stavo recalls The Manchurian Candidate as “the movie with Sinatra and the Murder, She Wrote lady”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Micah explains to Bridget that Coco Chanel was a Nazi collaborator and “any Jew worth their salt saves their money for Dolce & Gabbana”. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 2: Brooke reminds Stavo and Ryan they can’t just search for Zach at “every other place that pops into our heads” since “this isn’t fucking Pictionary”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Tina is dismissive of Phyllis’s assertion that Deanna should have a say in whether she sees a therapist: “Yeah, yeah. The people have the power, the children are our future, yadda yadda…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Tina later drunkenly belts out an amended version of the chorus when Eli tells her his fellow “children” at Bridget’s party were doing something stronger than keg stands. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: Theodora internally describes Teague’s procession of the students involved in Amanda and Nina’s cafeteria brawl to “the cast of a new Wizard of Oz/Breakfast Club mashup”. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 1: Ryan addresses Noah, Audrey, Zach, and Brooke with the same designations used to describe the titular club: “Geek, rebel, jock, princess…” When he reaches Emma, however, he finds he can’t properly sort her. Ironically, the final category, “Outcast”, can accurately describe Emma by the time of her breakdown in The Final Retreat. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Brooke admits to Jake that she should’ve told him about her alliance with “Carmen Sandiego [Eliza], over here”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: A frustrated Zach explains that his Teen Wolf Halloween costume is from “the real one, with the dude from Back to the Future…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Micah tells Terrance he has no position insulting Bridget’s hair, and offers to lend him a DeLorean, so he “can get back to that MCR concert in ’06.” ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 1: Audrey sizes up the parking situation at Brooke’s Big Beautiful Bash and anticipates a Thunderdome when guests have to leave. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: This song is playing on the radio when Kieran discovers Tina and Eli have come to Lakewood and invited themselves into his home. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Zach dresses as the titular basketball-playing werewolf for Halloween. His Mom made the costume. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: Noah tells Audrey that “some guy” on the Lakewood Slasher subreddit has made an Excel spreadsheet “sorting all the murders by date, time, method and ‘level of effectiveness’”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Miguel assigns Lorraine the busywork task of sorting logistics for Quinn’s proposed “mercenary army”. She creates an Excel spreadsheet for the task. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Noah remarks that the servers at GASLIGHT are old, but not “sanatorium old”, as “they didn’t even have Windows yet” when sanatoriums were popular. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Exasperated that Clark doesn’t know who Elizabeth Taylor is, Maggie declares she’ll get him to watch something besides Rocky IV someday. Clark retorts he likes all the Rocky films, but she only makes fun of the fourth. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Brooke erroneously calls And Then There Were None’s Judge Wargrave “Judge Wadsworth”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Noah puts on a Tim Curry impersonation when he gives Piper his opinion on the murders of Charlie, Derek, and Colin: “Mare-a-chew-awn-a was just a red herring.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Micah wonders if Tracy intends him to present himself at Fitz’s door in the same manner as the ill-fated Singing Telegram Girl. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Phyllis prompts Micah to tell her what’s going on between him and Stavo. Micah, fuming, insists there’s nothing between them and that whatever they had “went up in flames”. He cribs from Madeline Kahn’s adlib monologue: “flames on the side of my face…” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Theodora purchased her Halloween costume…a singular witch’s hat…at Party City. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Terrance suggests Bridget should have bought a cardboard standee of Jake for her “memorial” party. Bridget dryly notes Party City was sold out. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Noah objects to Audrey’s joke that he may be suspected in Stacy and Brock’s deaths. Audrey quips they may instead be dealing with a similar plot to this film, though “that would require Stacy and Brock to come back to life”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Branson arms himself with a miniature Moore sculpture when Ghostface threatens the mayoral mansion. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Fitz cribs a lyric from “Masquerade”, telling Terrance that Quinn’s campaign gala will be full of “crème dela crème watching us watching them”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Upon Jamie’s return from jail, Audrey observes she, Noah, and Jamie are “the three amigos, reunited at last”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Noah picks up Red Bull at the Gulp ’N Go convenience store. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Terrance gets into the habit of using the nickname “Efron” for teen pretty boy Micah. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Jake confuses Noah’s invocation of the Marvel supervillain Kang for “Krang”, recognizing the name from TMNT. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Tina is dismissive of Phyllis’s assertion that Deanna should have a say in whether she sees a therapist: “Yeah, yeah. The people have the power, the children are our future, yadda yadda…” ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 3: Leslie says the people of Lakewood need to get their shit together. Micah: “People have the power, huh?” Leslie: “Once they decide to wake the fuck up.” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 4: Jake mishears what Brandon James’s deformity was, causing a frustrated Noah to exclaim “Not prostate, you idiot: Proteus!”, a variation of Eddie Valiant’s outburst to Roger: “Not prostate, you idiot: probate!” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Noah tells Ellen that calling the cops will only get her boyfriend killed, citing Die Hard as an example. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Misbehaving girls at St. Mary’s Home were forced to do penance in a closet lined with nails and broken glass, evocative of “the Chokey” that Miss Trunchbull punishes her students with. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1.5: The chapter, set primarily at a movie theater, shares a name with this film. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 4: Harold’s online alter ego, Kathleen Burch, is a fan of this band. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Brooke’s Halloween costume is inspired by Madonna’s look in the “Like a Prayer” music video. When Jake rescues her from the freezer, she tells him “I heard you call my name…like a little prayer”. Jake doesn’t get it. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: When speculating as to the killer’s identity with Noah and Amanda, Audrey wonders if someone is orchestrating an “anti-Heathers”, with “the popular kids targeting the good ones”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: When Audrey, Amanda, and Noah bring up Riley at lunch, the narration remarks that “conversation amongst the Boogers had returned to the Heathers”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Audrey comes to Rachel’s window, quipping she “would’ve brought a boombox, but…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: A lovestruck Micah listens to this song on the way to school. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Noah tells Piper that Stacy and Brock were “cleaner than the Western Dragon Ball Z dub”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Noah brings a beach blanket sporting the anime’s entire cast to the rained-on baseball game. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 4: After Amanda incites a fight between Jake and Tyler, Noah breathlessly paraphrases Henry Jones Sr.: “Look what you did! I can’t believe what you…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Terrance asks Bridget if she’s ever seen this movie, since “That’s us” and she “just can’t see it yet”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Emma asks Aleks how things have been since she’s been gone. Aleks compares the tension around school to what she imagines would be the aftermath of this movie. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Brooke, deciding Emma needs some female empowerment, invites her to come to her place to do shots and watch this movie. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Micah tries to convince himself the graphic image of Paula Henderson’s corpse is just a cruel prankster’s Photoshop job. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Terrance reminds Tracy that the “Jamba Juice” at Bridget’s party (dosing the punch with ayahuasca) was her idea. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Lorraine tells Eliza that Olivia Findlay, a high school student allegedly involved with an older man, was found dead, “wrapped in plastic”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Teague takes his coffee “black as night”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 10: Harold tells Teague he doesn’t have enough “sperms” to have babies, invoking the plight of Deputy Andy Brennan. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Brooke explains to Bridget that she brought Stavo to her party to make up for “shenanigans”. Bridget, confused, repeats the word, prompting Stavo to define it in almost word-for-word the same way Cooper does for Josie in this episode. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Trying to identify the film she knows “I’ll Remember” from, Brooke claims the leading lady had “this really severe Cranberries-style haircut”, alluding to O’Riordan. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Brooke tells Noah she wishes she could’ve warned Riley “You’re in danger girl”, referring to Whoopie Goldberg’s character’s warning to Molly in Ghost, which became a meme in the Internet age. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Kieran confronts Eli about “letting” Deanna smoke weed. Unamused, Eli wonders if he’s wandered into the Disney Afternoon. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 9: This joke appears again, almost verbatim, exclaimed by an exasperated Noah in response to Stavo’s attempted psychoanalysis of him. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: Nina compares Amanda’s plot to record her nastiness for Teague’s benefit to something out of this show. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 4: Riley finds it questionable that Noah has watched Samurai Cop, but not Shakespeare in Love. Noah retorts that “Samurai Cop is art”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Zach deduces that Ted’s purple puke isn’t a result of the ayahuasca they were dosed with, but the Gushers he had earlier. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Terrance tells Tracy that Fitz has been holding onto a Playbill from a Papermill Playhouse production of Children of Eden for 20 years. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 2: Ryan becomes frustrated with Stavo deciphering Ghostface’s puns, exclaiming “We fucking get it, Dr. Seuss!” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Eliza sarcastically suggests she and Emma might’ve ended up on Jerry Springer if their argument had escalated into a proper catfight. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Noah compares the layout of GASLIGHT to a Horror Nights scare zone. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Tina calls Richard “Lumiere”, after the talking candelabra with the partially melted face. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: A distraught Micah tries to convince Bridget he felt something between him and Stavo: “There was something there. And it wasn’t there before.” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 6: Piper is unimpressed at the lengths Will went to pay for college, observing “Some people just fill out their FAFSA and hope for the best.” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: Jumpy and anxious after her bike accident, Rachel recalls seeing an episode of Dateline about car thieves. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: When Terrance takes Bridget to the Overlook for some quiet time, she wryly notes that she feels like she’s about to end up on Dateline. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 2: Micah calls Noah’s plot to dupe Deanna for information on Kieran a “To Catch a Killer gambit”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: When she, Brooke, and Bridget are quibbling over which of them correspond to which Batman leading lady, Aleks expresses an affinity for Michelle Pfeiffer’s take on Catwoman in this film. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Noah derails Branson’s English class with a diatribe about these novels focusing on “science fiction” villains, over the more visceral violence the target audience allegedly craved. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Eliza calls Quinn “Scummy Corruptious”, a fan nickname for Sonny. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Micah wonders where Terrance disappeared to in the chaos following the latest murder. Terrance breezily declares “I told you ‘bye’ and, just like the Backstreet Boys, I’m back”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Theodora greets Teague: “What’s on the agenda today, Principal?” and Teague replies “The same thing as every day, Vice Principal: educating the masses,” paraphrasing the titular supervillainous rodents. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Self-conscious after Stavo implies he heard her talking in her sleep, Brooke quips she heard him screaming about the titular cartoon mice. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Noah tells Brooke he’ll have hacked all the mayoral mansion’s security cameras before she can say “This is Halloween”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Noah invokes the UFC when a fight breaks out between Tyler and Jake at Brooke’s party. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: “I’ll Remember” plays over a mysterious, ominous film that Brooke and Jake find at GASLIGHT. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Noah wonders if Maggie is attending the Lancers baseball game as a campaign stunt, reminding her that “Nixon used to scream at the Mets”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke remembers this film primarily for the Madonna ballad associated with it, but isn’t able to recall it by name, only remembering that it stars Fraser and Pesci. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 4: Piper did a special podcast episode on the Gacy murders and is miffed she wasn’t nominated for a GLAAD award for it. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: An impatient Brooke deduces Noah now knows Seth’s Amazon password, hurrying him to tell her if he learned anything of value to their investigation. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Zach attempts to identify Jamie, but confuses her with Amanda, explaining “she’s got no legs”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Stavo suggests they try the elevator at St. Mary’s Home. Brooke declines, telling him “I am familiar with Disney World”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: The narration refers to the GASLIGHT escapees (Emma, Noah, Brooke, Will, and Jake) as a “party of five”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Tina tells Seth she never saw Pulp Fiction since “Travolta looked like a stretched-out Halloween mask even then”. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 5: Noah was delayed in ditching Brooke’s Big Beautiful Bash because he was distracted by “Waterworld”, by which he means Jake and Tyler fighting in the pool. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Micah calls Bridget “babe” and the impressed Ms. Atwood swoons, exclaiming “Like the pig!” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Brooke tells Noah more people will come to her Halloween party than the school’s because “I have access to actual booze and music that is not the Electric Slide and the Macarena.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Tina staunchly defends Showgirls to Seth as “a great movie”. Film snob Seth becomes apoplectic. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 9: Tina claims she and Seth only discussed movies during their captivity. She asks Miguel if he likes Showgirls. Miguel: “Does anybody?” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke wears a pair of “basically Jimmy Choos” to GASLIGHT. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Jake tells Noah he wants an apology for spreading the rumor about him and Nina. Noah sarcastically retorts that he wants a good Resident Evil remaster. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 9: Audrey writes her distress message to Noah in High Valyrian, which he identifies as being from A Song of Ice and Fire. When Brooke is confused, he cites Game of Thrones. Brooke, still confused, wonders if Valyrian is “the eunuch”, alluding to the character Varys. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 4: Following an awkward toast to Jake’s memory, Noah reflects “if he looks back, he is lost”, quoting one of Daenerys Targaryen’s internal mantras. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Tracy calls Bridget a lying bitch, and Terrance dryly answers “This is known”, in the manner of Dany’s handmaidens. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Brooke accuses Jake of stringing her along on “this ‘Where’s Will?’ Blue’s Clues shit,” when he knew all along what Will was involved with. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Chapter 1, Scene 6: Amanda tells Audrey she’s “overstayed [her] welcome with the Beautiful People” after crashing Brooke’s Big Beautiful Bash. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Noah begins to tell Richard “I’ll be right back”, but stops himself and swaps it with “I’ll see you sometime”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Noah describes Haley as being “gutted like a fish”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Tracy criticizes Bridget’s suggestion they search the upper stories of St. Mary’s orphanage, noting they won’t stand much chance getting away if someone follows them up the stairs. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 2: Before going to investigate Tracy’s screams, Terrance assures Bridget he’ll “be right back”. She never sees him again. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 3: Noah holds Carl at the point of his own gun. Carl taunts him: “works better with the safety off”. However, this turns out to be a bluff: the safety was never on to begin with. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: Noah tells a worried Zach that knowing whether one’s crossed the ‘Despair Event Horizon’ is “Mirror of Erised” stuff, invoking the magic mirror that shows Harry his innermost desire. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 8: Audrey wonders why the “Rachel” in her head is more “combative” than the one she knew in life. “Rachel” paraphrases Professor Dumbledore: “If death is truly the last great adventure, it must give you a lot of courage, right?” Audrey bitterly responds she will never read Harry Potter. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 9: Noah tells Stavo that, for all he knows, his interest in detective work “is just a phase […] like Digimon and The Sims”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Micah wonders where Terrance disappeared to in the chaos following the latest murder. Terrance breezily declares “I told you ‘bye’ and, just like the Backstreet Boys, I’m back”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: One of the unseen nurses at Lakewood General is Nurse Webber. GH’s Elizabeth is a nurse at the titular hospital. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: Zach mistakes Noah’s invocation of “Despair Event Horizon” for the film Event Horizon, which he calls “the movie with that guy from The Matrix”. ↩︎
- The Story so Far, Vol. I: Prologue: Stacy and Brock were going to watch Pitch Perfect on Netflix for their ill-fated date night. Stacy was also working her way through the first season of Sense8 on the service. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 3: Bridget tells Aleks she’s only ever known Brooke as “the charismatic Princess Diana of our crummy school set”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 2: Tina credits Eli as a “regular Mother Theresa” for looking after Deanna when she was living on the streets. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Terrance admits he’s “no Mother Theresa”, but wonders at the good taste of Quinn making a political speech at Sunday Mass. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 1/Season 1 AU: Emma names her favorite scary movie for Ghostface. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 3: When Deanna suggests the group cover up Terrance’s murder to avoid being scapegoated by the police, Noah incredulously wonders if anybody has seen this movie. Tony’s point of reference is “With Freddie Prinze Jr.?” ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Jake, drunk, to Zach: “I was just getting mellow, man, and then you have to come in here with your fuckin’ Build a Bear [Teen Wolf] costume…” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Miguel offers Phyllis coffee from his office Keurig, which “doesn’t spit like the one in the lounge”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 3: During their first “modeling session”, Stavo asks Micah if he’s familiar with the concept of the mythical phoenix. Micah notes that anybody born post-Harry Potter would have some idea about the firebird, alluding to Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix companion, Fawkes. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Audrey Googles the original title of And Then There Were None in class. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Noah claims you can get put on a watchlist for something as simple as Googling Mao Zedong. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2: Micah clarifies he isn’t upset at the destruction of his Hamlet script, as much as his margin notes, since Hamlet is in the public domain and always a Google search away. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Brooke owns a Furby named Beyoncé, who she purchased during “their brief return to fashion”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 5: Brooke again grabs her Furby when Stavo comes tapping at her window. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 1: Ryan calls Deanna “Bride of Chucky”. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: After patching up a minor disagreement with Jake on the school bus, Brooke declares that “Love is the groove, after all”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Brooke tells Jake she believes she can solve the mystery of Will’s music box because she played Nancy Drew computer games as a child. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 5: Guilty about concealing the flash drive from Brooke, Jake wanders to Level Down and half-sincerely asks Noah if he has any Nancy Drew games. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 9: Brooke deduces the ‘Apiary’ room at the Smith’s Sweeties plant is the location of the Tupelo (as in honey) drug lab. Stavo asks how she knows what an apiary is, and Brooke blithely cites Nancy Drew computer games. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 4: Riley uses the “It’s about this nurse…” scene to illustrate to Noah that nobody sees themselves as a “B-story” character in real life. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 2/Season 1 AU: Audrey, Noah, and Amanda riff off Colin’s stoned suggestion that Teague may be the killer. Audrey doubts it, unless he’s an alien too. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 1/Season 2 AU: Noah picks up Takis at the Gulp ’N Go convenience store. ↩︎
- Vol. III- Chapter 4: Harold futilely tries to get Teague’s attention in their group chat: “Ed? Edd? Eddy?” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Ryan surprises Zach, who screams, prompting Ryan to joke that he forgot Zach “moonlight[s] as a soprano”. Zach thinks he means a mobster. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 8: Zach mistakes Noah’s invocation of the “Despair Event Horizon” trope for the film Event Horizon, which he calls “the movie with that guy from The Matrix”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 7: Jake incorrectly guesses The Mummy is the ’90s Brendan Fraser movie Brooke recognizes the Madonna song “I’ll Remember” from. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 10: Noah offers to fix Amanda’s damaged prosthetic, quoting Anakin Skywalker: “I’m good at building things.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 6: Noah distinguishes Haley’s lewd edit from Ghostface’s usual fare, noting the Lakewood slashers don’t typically opt for “schlocky porno edited in Sony Vegas”. ↩︎
- Vol. I- Chapter 3: Noah declares “Mischief managed!” after vandalizing Jake’s truck. Amanda doesn’t get the reference. ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 3: Lorraine, on meeting Ryan: “Either I just stumbled into Fight Club, or you’re Ryan Keller.” ↩︎
- Vol. II- Chapter 7: Noah bemoans the “one-note College Humor skit that is my life”. ↩︎