Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Inside Episode 5’s Totally Unexpected ‘Love Story’
Heads up! We’re about to spoil the events of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Episode 5. Haven’t watched? You’ve been warned…
There’s a lot about Netflix’s new anime series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off that we weren’t expecting, beginning with the title character’s apparent demise in the premiere. And the romantic twist in Episode 5 is only slightly below that on our list.
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To say that we didn’t have a hot-and-heavy affair between Wallace (voiced by Kieran Culkin) and Todd (Brandon Routh) on our Scott Pilgrim Bingo card would be an egregious understatement. Wallace has always been openly gay, both in the 2010 live-action film and in the original Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, but there really wasn’t anything about Ramona’s bass-strumming ex that would have led us to believe this might happen.
For those who have yet to see the episode (and therefore probably shouldn’t be reading this in the first place), the affair occurs on the set of a movie about Scott, in which Scott is played by Todd and Wallace is played by — who else — Wallace. And while Todd’s sexual awakening is certainly a nice surprise, their connection also serves as a fun nod to Wallace’s feelings for Scott.
As executive producer BenDavid Grabinski recalls to TVLine, “We were writing the episodes and breaking the outline, and it just came from ‘What if Todd and Wallace had an affair? And, oh my God, he’s playing Scott! So it’s like… Scott and Wallace… are having an affair? It just became one of those things that felt organically correct.”
“It led to great scenes of what seems to be Scott and Wallace having gay sex, which is wonderful,” adds franchise creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.
In addition to seeing it as an “interesting love story” to play out, Grabinski knew that Routh, whom he considers an “underrated comedic performer,” would find “a lot of ways to make this interesting.” Overall, “it felt like a great way to complicate things dramatically.”
As for the voice actors responsible for bringing these characters to life, both Culkin and Routh “had a blast” reprising their roles from the live-action movie, O’Malley says, adding that they “really understood the assignment. They loved these new [developments] as a way to explore their characters, and they really just jumped in.”
Did Todd and Wallace’s short-lived relationship surprise you? Delight you? Confuse you? However you feel about this unexpected turn of events, drop it in a comment below.
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