Why'd they use the names Emily and Steve twice in the same season?

[RetroGuy2000]

I've been wondering this for a while.

In season one of FOL, we meet Miss Emily Mahoney. We also meet Emily, a student (played by Helen Hunt).

We also meet Mr Steven Bradley, and also a delivery boy named Steve.

Why did the season one writers duplicate those names? It's not as if there weren't plenty of other names available.

In the real world, you do often come across situations where there are two people with the same first name who work together, or go to school together, or whatever. Heck, I even worked with two people with the same first name and last name, who both worked in the same department (and boy was that ever confusing). But why do this in television? It can only confuse the viewer.

On Game of Thrones, the producers changed the (book) name of Robert of the Vale to Robin of the Vale, because the name Robert had already been used for King Robert Barratheon, and a variation of the name Robert had also been used for Robb Stark. They didn't want to confuse viewers with three people named Robert.

It was the same for Jayne Westerling and Jayne Poole: JW's name was changed to Talisa.

['80sSitcoms]

I often take issue with that too, like, really, you couldn't have come up with another name?

But I guess it hasn't bothered me in season 1 because it's so sparse; Emily the student is a one-shot deal in the final 13th episode after Emily Mahoney has been long gone 8 episodes prior, and do viewers even ever know Miss Mahoney's first name? (sure we fans do, but I don't recall her first name ever being revealed on camera---[UPDATE]---we do see her name tag in LMLD, and it does say "Emily Mahoney", but I don't think her name is ever spoken in those 4 shows)

I guess Steven and Steve are different enough since they're separated by an "n", lol.

Funnily enough, he's credited everywhere as "Steven Bradley", but in LMLD, his name tag says "Stephen Bradley"

[RetroGuy2000]

Haha! Good catch! And surely, he should know how to spell his own name!

['80sSitcoms]

Oo! Oo! Don't forget there were 3 Emilys in season 1!


Emily Mahoney
Emily the stoner

and

Emily Dickinson

[RetroGuy2000]

Well, Emily Dickinson didn't do an on-screen appearance...

['80sSitcoms]

But a couple of seasons later "baby Emily" did! Maybe "Alikins" was a big poetry lover, or a great friend of Emily the stoner, or a loyal admirer of Miss Mahoney's! lol

[RetroGuy2000]

Now, wouldn't that have been cool? As you suggest, maybe "Ali-kins" had been a friend or even a roommate of Helen Hunt Emily during "Season Zero".

It's too bad they never did a "FOL yearbook" for fans, the way they did for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That could have answered so many questions!

['80sSitcoms]

Yes, I remember us discussing a few years ago that if they ever put out a FOL book for fans, they should do it in the style of the Eastland yearbook!


Preferably with Cindy crossing the finish line on the front cover!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Yes, I remember us discussing a few years ago that if they ever put out a FOL book for fans, they should do it in the style of the Eastland yearbook!


Preferably with Cindy crossing the finish line on the front cover!

Why would they show the person who came in second place?!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Why would they show the person who came in second place?!

Just because it was a line in the show, lol. That would be a great "shout-out" to season 1 fans.



(and that's if she came in 2nd, and if she even ran! lol)

[RetroGuy2000]

But Sue Ann crossed the finish line first...

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

But Sue Ann crossed the finish line first...

No one crossed the finish line in the episode; you said so yourself in another thread that we never saw whatever became of the race and the girls' parts in it, if any. So it's a "Choose Your Own Adventure" for fans, lol. But I mean when Mr. Bradley told Molly he wanted a picture of Cindy crossing the finish line to be on the cover of the yearbook; whether or not it ever happened, it would just be a great in-joke for season 1 fans. Especially if you open up the yearbook and see a photo of Sue Ann pouting on the inside cover. As a reference to Natalie's catty dig, "Even Sue Ann, in her days of glory, never made that!" (ooohhhhh! lol)

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

No one crossed the finish line in the episode;

No, not in the episode itself. But we all know. Mr. Bradley had to cheat in order to get Cindy's time below Sue Ann's time.

But I mean when Mr. Bradley told Molly he wanted a picture of Cindy crossing the finish line to be on the cover of the yearbook; whether or not it ever happened, it would just be a great in-joke for season 1 fans. Especially if you open up the yearbook and see a photo of Sue Ann pouting on the inside cover. As a reference to Natalie's catty dig, "Even Sue Ann, in her days of glory, never made that!" (ooohhhhh! lol)

Emmmmmmmmm!!!!

[Lorimar Television]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Emily the student is a one-shot deal in the final 13th episode after Emily Mahoney has been long gone 8 episodes prior, and do viewers even ever know Miss Mahoney's first name? (sure we fans do, but I don't recall her first name ever being revealed on camera---[UPDATE]---we do see her name tag in LMLD, and it does say "Emily Mahoney", but I don't think her name is ever spoken in those 4 shows)

Mrs Garrett called Ms. Mahoney by name in LMLD actually

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

Mrs Garrett called Ms. Mahoney by name in LMLD actually

Oh, good memory! I can hear her in my head saying "Emily" now, lol. It's such a shame Ms. Mahoney went the way of the dodo; it was so nice watching Mrs. Garrett have a fellow woman to talk to.