TV SCREENINGS: Sesame Street "The Count's Counting Error" (Season 48, Ep. 35)

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic, and I review just about anything. And today, we're back with another SCREENINGS segment: This time, instead of DVD SCREENINGS, today we're doing a TV SCREENINGS that we originally intended to post about on this blog on July 14, 2018; and here's why...

On July 14, 2018, HBO premiered the Season 48 finale of Sesame Street, and the episode was entitled "The Count's Counting Error." Now, seeing that both me and LarryBoy Fanatic like the Count (he's our favorite character in the series), we were anticipating this episode since we heard about it a week prior to the premiere.

So we watched the episode on July 14; however, we weren't able to get the visuals, because it was live TV, and we were busy digesting everything that happened in the episode. Luckily, we recorded the episode on our TV, so that we could watch it again. And this time we got stills, so that we could show you with our initial reactions.

And another reason why we couldn't get this out sooner, was because we had other obligations, which I will talk about on July 25, 2018.

But until then, I hope you enjoy this installment of TV SCREENINGS. This was what happened on July 14, 2018…

(Episode starts with the Count and Elmo counting butterflies)

LBF: "I'm so glad that the Count is in this episode."
WC: "Me too. About time, HBO!"

(The Count counts the sandwiches, and the cow interrupts him, making him miscount)

WC: "Can't believe it!"
LBF: "So the so-called 'counting error' wasn't really his fault."
WC: "Yeah, this is part of Customer Service 101: customers telling employees to hurry up. That's one of the reasons why I hated my cashier job, because of jerks like that."

(After vowing to never count again, the Count leaves and does a weird movement with his arms indicating his leave)
LBF: (giggling) "Okay, what was that?"
WC: "I don't know. Is that how people said good-bye back in vampire-medieval times?"

(The Count tries working in construction)

WC: "I have a feeling that there's gonna be some costume changes in this episode..."
LBF: "And for some reason, they kept the fact that he wears a cape."
WC: "Yeah, it's the same kind of cape, but with a different color."

(Elmo and Chris are worried about the Count)

WC: "I'm still expecting this episode to get weirder."

(The Count plans to go into space)

WC: "New costume change... and it got weirder."

(The Count quits astronaut job and leaves in his space suit)
LBF: (singing) "Waddle away..."
(Both girls laugh)
WC: "He's not in space, so why do they have him slow-walking?"

(The Count realizes that his "counting mistake" was no big deal)
LBF: "Well, that got resolved real quick."

(The story ends with the Count and Elmo counting cupcakes)

WC: "Wow. Great. Everyone's happy... Yay."

("Game of Thrones" parody)

LBF: "So that's what happened to the Count's castle. It's being used to film a Game of Thrones parody."
WC: "Oh. That might explain why they couldn't use that physical set for the Trick or Treat on Sesame Street DVD. Instead they used CGI."

(How Many Cookies Today SONG; and the Count appear saying "Everybody steady!")

WC: "Well, it's business as usual for the Count, after that little incident at Hooper's Store."

(Elmo's World segment- Counting)

WC: "Wow, the Count doesn't even show up in Elmo's World."
LBF: "Eh..."

(The Count ends the episode)

WC: "Okay, that cowgirl wasn't even in this episode, and yet she's like 'I sure did! I sure liked what happened today!'"
LBF: "She wasn't even part of the story!"

DISCUSSION

WC: This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It also wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. Like, I was expecting this episode to go downhill in some way, like the Count would try so many different jobs, instead of just those two--the construction worker and the astronaut stuff.
LBF: I found this episode hilarious.
WC: Why is that?
LBF: Mainly because the problem was started by something trivial. In fact, this was a story that you can figure out quickly. Like, you know what people might say, what they're gonna do, and when they're gonna do it.
WC: Yeah, it was an easy story. And speaking of "trivial," yesterday we wrote out a list of predictions for this episode, and here's what we had:
1. Problem started over something TRIVIAL.
2. How many jobs will the Count try? THREE
3. "The Song of the Count" will be sung by Matt Vogel
4. This will be like "Count on Elmo" DVD
5. Costume changes
6. The Count's castle makes a cameo.
7. The Count gets "fired" from his counting gig
8. Number of the Day is either 0 or 13
9. Money is somehow involved in this episode
10. Someone is trolling the Count...
11. Special announcement at the end of the episode (a surprise ending)
We only got two of these right: the fact that this whole thing got started with something trivial, and the fact that there would be costume changes. That was it.
LBF: As for everything else--He tried two jobs, not three. We didn't get a song during the story part.
WC: The story took place on Sesame Street the whole time.
LBF: Number of the Day was 5, not 0 or 13.
WC: Now as far as someone trolling the Count... the cow may have messed with him...?
LBF: Maybe, maybe not--all she did was interrupt him while he was counting, making him mess up.
WC: But that's not trolling, that was just a slight annoyance. But still, that part got me mad, because that's what cashiers deal with on a regular basis--having to deal with people egging them on, and telling them to hurry up. Like, when I was a cashier, there was this one woman that grabbed the changes from me when I was trying to count it so that I wouldn't short-change her.
LBF: Wow, really?
WC: Well, all I got to say about that is that if I short-changed her at that time, then oh well. She wanted her change then and there.
LBF: Okay, um... Going back to this episode, what's the verdict?

WC: Harmless, I think. I'd watch it again just 'cuz.
LBF: Me too. I liked it, even though it was short; but then again, the new runtime is 30 minutes instead of being an hour long like it used to be. You can play LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space or LarryBoy and the Rumor Weed during that time.
WC: So yeah, I can't wait until this episode becomes available on iTunes or something.
LBF: That would be great.

Whatsoever Critic