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Sally (Flight of the Conchords)
Encyclopedia
"Sally" is the pilot episode
of the American television
sitcom Flight of the Conchords
. It first aired on the HBO television channel in the United States
at 10:30 PM on Sunday, June 17, 2007 in the time slot preceded by Entourage
, and vacated by the last episode of the final season of The Sopranos
.
A song in this episode, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room", received an Emmy Award
nomination in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics".
ers Bret and Jemaine of the band Flight of the Conchords
have moved to New York
to try and make it in the United States
. At a party, Jemaine falls for, (and subsequently, begins dating), Sally - Bret's former girlfriend. As Jemaine's attentions focus on Sally, a lonely Bret is forced to deal with the advances of Mel, the band's obsessed - and only - fan. Meanwhile, Murray, the band's manager, helps the band film their first music video
, although they can't afford decent costumes or proper video equipment.
) in the crowd and approaches her. Her name is Sally and she agrees to leave the party with him to get a kebab
. They end up back at the band's apartment but just as they begin kissing, they are disturbed by Bret turning the light on and an embarrassed Sally leaves.
The next morning they are discussing the incident. Jemaine thinks that Sally left because she found it weird Bret being there and turning on the light. However Bret thinks it is because he used to date Sally himself. No final conclusion is reached.
At a band meeting with Murray, they discuss the party and ways to increase the fan base, which currently consists of only one person — Mel. Bret suggests that the band film a music video which Murray thinks is a great idea. So on the day of the filming, they visit Dave's pawn shop to rent some video equipment, but due to a lack of funds, they are forced to resort to using a camera phone
to do the filming. Despite these setbacks and the disappointing cardboard robot
costumes made by Murray (they wanted ones like Daft Punk
), they successfully manage to film an adequate video for "The Humans Are Dead".
Over the following week, Jemaine starts spending a lot of time with Sally, which leaves Bret feeling lonely and neglected. When Bret suggests hanging out sometime, Jemaine invites him along on a dinner date with Sally, but they all feel a "bit weird" and Bret leaves early. On the way home, he is stopped by Mel who attempts to cheer him up, but fails miserably.
Bret is soon joined in his unhappy mood by Jemaine, who gets dumped by Sally immediately following the dinner.
". The musical style of this song is intended to mimic the music of Prince
.
This song was voted #60 in the 2008 Triple J Hottest 100
.
. Since the band has very limited funds, Murray constructs the robot costumes himself and films the video using a cell phone.
Consulate, where Murray works, is represented as occupying space in the back of a shop. However in the broadcast episode, the consulate is in a more normal-looking office building.
Episode four, "Yoko
" was also later made available as a download. Both episodes are still available to download for $1.99 each from the iTunes
store.
(SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. The incident was caught on camera and is included in the documentary.
s are an Indian and Pakistani dessert consisting of milky dough balls soaked in a sugar syrup.
Murray is wearing a New Zealand All Blacks
rugby shirt when the band is in Dave's pawn shop obtaining a camera. In the same scene, Murray and Bret have a conversation about the band Fleetwood Mac
and their album "Rumours
".
During the filming of the video for "Robots", Jemaine tells Murray that he wanted robot costumes "like Daft Punk" rather than the amateur versions hand-crafted by Murray. Daft Punk
is a French electronic music duo known for their use of robot costumes in their music videos and live performances. Murray replies with a characteristic lack of musical knowledge: "I don't know who he is".
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of the American television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
. It first aired on the HBO television channel in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at 10:30 PM on Sunday, June 17, 2007 in the time slot preceded by Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
, and vacated by the last episode of the final season of The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
A song in this episode, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room", received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics".
Plot synopsis
New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers Bret and Jemaine of the band Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
have moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to try and make it in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At a party, Jemaine falls for, (and subsequently, begins dating), Sally - Bret's former girlfriend. As Jemaine's attentions focus on Sally, a lonely Bret is forced to deal with the advances of Mel, the band's obsessed - and only - fan. Meanwhile, Murray, the band's manager, helps the band film their first music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, although they can't afford decent costumes or proper video equipment.
Plot
Bret and Jemaine attend a party thrown by Dave. Jemaine spots a beautiful blonde woman (Rachel BlanchardRachel Blanchard
Rachel Elise Blanchard is a Canadian actress.-Early life:Blanchard was born in Toronto, Ontario, and graduated from Havergal College in Toronto, going on to Queen's University.-Career:...
) in the crowd and approaches her. Her name is Sally and she agrees to leave the party with him to get a kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
. They end up back at the band's apartment but just as they begin kissing, they are disturbed by Bret turning the light on and an embarrassed Sally leaves.
The next morning they are discussing the incident. Jemaine thinks that Sally left because she found it weird Bret being there and turning on the light. However Bret thinks it is because he used to date Sally himself. No final conclusion is reached.
At a band meeting with Murray, they discuss the party and ways to increase the fan base, which currently consists of only one person — Mel. Bret suggests that the band film a music video which Murray thinks is a great idea. So on the day of the filming, they visit Dave's pawn shop to rent some video equipment, but due to a lack of funds, they are forced to resort to using a camera phone
Camera phone
A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture still photographs . Since early in the 21st century the majority of mobile phones in use are camera phones....
to do the filming. Despite these setbacks and the disappointing cardboard robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
costumes made by Murray (they wanted ones like Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
), they successfully manage to film an adequate video for "The Humans Are Dead".
Over the following week, Jemaine starts spending a lot of time with Sally, which leaves Bret feeling lonely and neglected. When Bret suggests hanging out sometime, Jemaine invites him along on a dinner date with Sally, but they all feel a "bit weird" and Bret leaves early. On the way home, he is stopped by Mel who attempts to cheer him up, but fails miserably.
Bret is soon joined in his unhappy mood by Jemaine, who gets dumped by Sally immediately following the dinner.
Note
- This is the first of two episodes that feature the character of Sally. She returns to disrupt Bret and Jemaine's lives in the fifth episode, "Sally ReturnsSally Returns"Sally Returns" is the fifth episode of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. It first aired in the United States on Sunday, July 15, 2007.This episode received a Emmy Award nomination in 2008 for "Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series"....
".
- This episode makes a small mention of Bret's miniature side-project of creating his "helmet hair". By season 2 he has finished the project and wears the helmet in a few episodes.
- Judah FriedlanderJudah FriedlanderJudah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...
has a cameo appearance in this episode, starring as the man, Isabella, who tries to sell Dave a cake.
- Jemaine makes a reference to the electronic duo Daft PunkDaft PunkDaft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
in this episode claiming the costumes Murry had made for their music video did not look like Daft PunkDaft PunkDaft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
"The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)"
"The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)" (also known as "Part-Time Model") begins after Jemaine sees Sally from across the room at Dave's party. Jemaine details his seduction of Sally, describing her as being so beautiful she could be a "part-time modelModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
". The musical style of this song is intended to mimic the music of Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
.
This song was voted #60 in the 2008 Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100, 2008
The 2008 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2009. It was the sixteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station, Triple J....
.
"Robots"
"Robots" (also known as "Humans Are Dead") is sung by both Bret and Jermaine. It is set in a post-apocalyptic "distant future" (the year 2000) where all humans are dead and robots have taken over the world. Within the context of the plot of the show, it is the band's first music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. Since the band has very limited funds, Murray constructs the robot costumes himself and films the video using a cell phone.
"Not Crying"
"Not Crying" begins as Sally breaks up with Jemaine. Jemaine denies that he is crying by offering excuses such as "it's just been raining on my face". Bret soon joins in with his own excuses for crying as the song builds to an emotional climax.Promotional version
HBO released the episode on the internet as a promotional tool a few weeks before it was first broadcast on television. This pre-release version differs from the official broadcast version in several ways. The episode title sequence changed. It is edited differently and includes some new scenes and animated sequences. The scene interstitial screens are slightly different. The New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Consulate, where Murray works, is represented as occupying space in the back of a shop. However in the broadcast episode, the consulate is in a more normal-looking office building.
Episode four, "Yoko
Yoko (Flight of the Conchords)
"Yoko" is the fourth episode of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. It first aired in the United States on Sunday, July 8, 2007.This episode received a Emmy Award nomination in 2008 for "Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series"....
" was also later made available as a download. Both episodes are still available to download for $1.99 each from the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store.
Behind the scenes
In this episode, the character Mel shows Bret that she carries around a picture of Jemaine's lips in her wallet. This was inspired by an incident that happened to the band during the filming of their documentary A Texan Odyssey which covered their trip to the 2006 South by SouthwestSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
(SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. The incident was caught on camera and is included in the documentary.
Cultural references
At his party Dave asks the band, "Have you tried the Gulab Jamuns? They are off the hook". Gulab JamunGulab jamun
Gulab jamun is a popular dessert in countries of the Indian Subcontinent such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids, traditionally, khoya, an Indian milk product is rolled into a ball together with some flour and then deep fried...
s are an Indian and Pakistani dessert consisting of milky dough balls soaked in a sugar syrup.
Murray is wearing a New Zealand All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
rugby shirt when the band is in Dave's pawn shop obtaining a camera. In the same scene, Murray and Bret have a conversation about the band Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
and their album "Rumours
Rumours
Rumours is the eleventh studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Largely recorded in California during 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut and was released on 4 February 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. The record peaked at the top of both the...
".
During the filming of the video for "Robots", Jemaine tells Murray that he wanted robot costumes "like Daft Punk" rather than the amateur versions hand-crafted by Murray. Daft Punk
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
is a French electronic music duo known for their use of robot costumes in their music videos and live performances. Murray replies with a characteristic lack of musical knowledge: "I don't know who he is".