History WMG / DemoReel

* Film/HarryPotter- [=DuPre=] as Harry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore, Rebecca as Hermione, Snape, and [=McGonnogal=], and Tacoma as Ron, Malfoy, and Longbottom.

* Franchise/SpiderMan Film Trilogy- [=DuPre=] as Spidey, the Green Goblin, and Jameson, Rebecca as Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Doc Ock, and Tacoma as Venom, Harry Osborn, and the Sandman.

* Enchanted- Rebecca as Giselle, Tacoma as Robert, Donnie as Edward

* Tacoma asked that they not ''see'' what [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Alfred]] sees, Donnie's problem is that he is too LiteralMinded.

[[WMG: Donnie will meet Tommy Wiseau]]

* Alternately, they'll consider remaking ''Film/TheRoom'', but Donnie will reject the idea on the grounds that it's the one movie he could never hope to outdo.

** Confirmed as of episode 3 as [[spoiler: the voice of Donnie's distant wife.]]

* The character shows up as one of "Batman's" fears (twice) and [[spoiler: was the villain in WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph vs. VideoGame/AngryBirds]].

** Confirmed, as in Blue Patches, Doug-as-Donnie meta-rants about what an awful concept Critic was (“You took something that was miserable from the past and you just obsessed over it, you made it your life”), and in ''The Review Must Go On'', Critic is in CrazyJealousGuy mode and accuses Donnie of being a ReplacementGoldfish when in reality they have very few things in common.

* He sees a lot of his mother in Rebecca which is why he gave her a job as an actress knowing how hard it is to get started in the business. Also the failed stunt is why female actresses that die in their original movies are saved [[spoiler: like Sévérine in ''{{Film/Skyfall}}'']] or turn up okay even if it's not really explained [[spoiler: Rachel Dawes in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'']]. Learning of Demo Reel, probably through Donnie's wife, [[GreaterScopeVillain his father]] tipped off SWAG (why else would the Swedish Actors Guild care what a little, American studio does unless there's something in it for them, like the chance to make a big-budget Hollywood movie?) to do the dirty work for him.

* It's called ''Blue Badges'' and when the [[spoiler: SWAG Agent's]] car is being towed he shouts that he has a handicap sticker. In European countries, a handicap sticker/sign is called a blue badge. ForeShadowing?

* At the end of the Film/LostInTranslation episode, Rebecca, Tacoma and Quinn's fates are uncertain, and Donnie [[spoiler: has been kidnapped]]. Only Carl is left.
** [[spoiler: Confirmed in episode 5]]

* [[spoiler: Confirmed]]

If that's not a thinly-veiled hint that perhaps Doug isn't happy about canceling ''WebVideo/DemoReel'', a show he said he'd been wanting to do since 2008, and going back to the Nostalgia Critic, a character he said he was over and done with, and is perhaps putting on a brave face for fans while he's hurting on the inside … it sure seems that way.

In reality, Tacoma never did reveal his father’s criminal connections or win the Pulitzer Prize. Instead, he become a member of his father’s gang and eventually died in prison, of a drug overdose, or of fatal injuries in a violent conflict with a rival gang or the police. In purgatory, he finally made the right choice and fulfilled his dreams of becoming a good screenwriter.

Rebecca’s Rape as Backstory, failure at finding any long-time jobs, and constant accusations of being stupid originally had a much more severe effect on her self-confidence and mental health. She sank into a deep and long depression that eventually made her take her own life. In this world, she got a much more positive outlook on life, realizing that it is possible-no matter how difficult it may be- to enjoy the good things life has to offer, even if you encounter huge setbacks.

Quinn was a member of the IRA who, after some tragic incident, left the organization and didn’t want to ever be associated with it again. He started drinking to deal with the pain, slipping into alcoholism, which eventually led to his death. He is ashamed of his past and wants to forget that he was ever a part of such an organization.

It’s pretty much canon that Carl was a member of the East-German Secret Police, and that he has killed and tortured several people and animals in the line of duty, giving him a lot of things he would have to redeem himself for. He has also been shown to regret at least some of these actions, making this even more likely. It’s even possible that he briefly realized that he was in a purgatory when he thought he was going to die in “Wreck It Ralph VS Angry Birds”…

Fabrizio’s stay in purgatory made him a lot friendlier, though he will still remain there until he gets off this whole mobster-thing.

When Donnie’s friends disappeared without a trace one by one, they were actually released from the purgatory and allowed to pass on, letting their souls finally be at peace. But they all decided to return for one final goodbye before they actually ascended, to give Donnie some closure. They now knew their true nature, which made them appreciate the times they had together even more. They were also happy for Donnie, who wasn't actually dead and therefore could return to the world of the living. Finally becoming the popular entertainer he always wanted to be.

Her actress issues were pretty deep-rooted, and sexism in Hollywood isn't exactly going to go away any time soon. She had great fun telling what Tacoma what the Blue Patches sequel should be like, and while she gave a great performance too, the film was destroyed and nobody else will see it. Plus, excuse for more her/Donnie interaction, which was always nice.

* He sees a lot of his mother in Rebecca which is why he gave her a job as an actress knowing how hard it is to get started in the business. Also the failed stunt is why female actresses that die in their original movies are saved [[spoiler: like Sévérine in ''{{Film/Skyfall}}'']] or turn up okay even if it's not really explained [[spoiler: Rachel Dawes in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'']]. Learning of Demo Reel, probably through Donnie's wife, [[BiggerBad his father]] tipped off SWAG (why else would the Swedish Actors Guild care what a little, American studio does unless there's something in it for them, like the chance to make a big-budget Hollywood movie?) to do the dirty work for him.

* The character shows up as one of "Batman's" fears (twice) and [[spoiler: was the villain in Disney/WreckItRalph vs. VideoGame/AngryBirds]].

* Donnie thinks that ''Disney/WreckItRalph'' is nostalgic. As of the airing of the episode, it was still showing in theatres.

* And it will be during a Demo Reel parodying Andrew Lloyd Webber's ThePhantomOfTheOpera.

ThePhantomOfTheOpera (twice):

* {{Twilight}}- [=DuPre=] as Edward, Rebecca as Bella, and Tacoma as Jacob.
* SpiderMan Film Trilogy- [=DuPre=] as Spidey, the Green Goblin, and Jameson, Rebecca as Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Doc Ock, and Tacoma as Venom, Harry Osborn, and the Sandman.
* StarWars trilogy- [=DuPre=] as Luke and Obi-Wan, Rebecca as Leia, Boba Fett, and C-3P0, Tacoma as Han Solo, the Emperor, Yoda, and Lando Calrissian

** Alternatively, Team NChick's new team, Chez Apocalypse, playing a rival production team

[[WMG: Donnie is a [[TimeLord Time Lord]]]]

I thought it was odd that Doug chose to use "The Review Must Go On" instead of Sad Panda's "Hello I'm the Nostalgia Critic" song or something more upbeat and happy. "The Review Must Go On" was used at the end of the Critic's ''Film/MoulinRouge'' review. It was funny and epic but ultimately a pretty sad song, about how the Critic is tired and exhausted of his reviews, one of many foreshadowing moments leading up to the end of the Nostalgia Critic in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' a few months later. It was used in reference to the use of the song "The Show Must Go On" in ''Film/MoulinRouge'', where Satine resolves to put on a charade, all the while knowing that she's dying. The original song, by {{Queen}}, despite sounding epic and uplifting, is actually about Freddie Mercury's struggle to keep performing despite dying of AIDS. The line "my make-up may be flaking / but my smile still stays on" is a reference to Mercury's use of makeup to conceal from the public the fact that he was seriously ill. He almost wasn't able to record the song because he was so debilitated.

* PiratesOfTheCaribbean trilogy- [=DuPre=] as Jack Sparrow and Bootstrap Bill, Rebecca as Elizabeth Swann and Tia Dalma, and Tacoma as Will Turner, Hector Barbossa, and Davey Jones

[[WMG: The series will be to the Internet what ''{{Entourage}}'' was to film.]]

* If anything, it will be more like ''BeKindRewind'', only they'll remake the videos ([[StylisticSuck Albeit badly made]]) on purpose. ''Entourage'' is about guys in the Hollywood movie business, not into remaking films.

[[WMG: They will remake ''BeKindRewind''.]]

[[WMG: DemoReel may return with Douchie in purgatory as Donnie.]]

[[WMG: "The Review Must Go On" isn't a triumphant return at all]]

*** Why make the reference the use of a slow, tragic song the Critic was singing about how draining and exhausting reviews were for him, and of how much of a toll they were taking on him, which ended with him being shot? It's not a triumphant song, it's a song about death, exhaustion, and putting on a brave face for fans/friends/family. Yet this is the song Doug chose for his "triumphant return" episode, not the more upbeat "Hello I'm the Nostalgia Critic" song by [[WebVideo/SadPandQAndA Sad Panda]] or anything else.

******* Just because it's a parody doesn't mean it can't work for the character. Take a look at the Snob/Clodd scene in part five of ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'', it's a parody of the opera scene in Franchise/StarWars, but it still furthers the story and Doug's love for the "every piece of work is a little miracle" anvil. Critic has hated his job for years, and has a breakdown in ScoobyDoo about the fans just wanting to see him hurt. And speaking of TBF, they'd already planned it out and were writing by this point, Doug said in a commentary that he'd inserted loads of {{foreshadowing}} for the movie in post-WebVideo/SuburbanKnights reviews, and ''Film/MoulinRouge'' is a biggie.

* Team [=NChick=], who will then nitpick everything about Demo Reel's set up

[[WMG: The letter that Dupre got at the end of the 1st episode will be relevant:]]

[[WMG: Donnie has a fear of [[SuperMarioBros Mario]].]]
* The character shows up as one of "Batman's" fears (twice) and [[spoiler: was the villian in WreckItRalph vs. AngryBirds]].

** As will be the fact that Carl and Quinn are [[BlatantLies most definately not former mercenaries]].

* Donnie thinks that WreckItRalph is nostalgic. As of the airing of the episode, it was still showing in theatres.
** Confirmed, as in Blue Patches, Doug-as-Donnie meta-rants about what an awful concept Critic was (“You took something that was miserable from the past and you just obsessed over it, you made it your life”), and in The Review Must Go On, Critic is in CrazyJealousGuy mode and accuses Donnie of being a ReplacementGoldfish when in reality they have very few things in common.

* He met his wife (part of the crew) on the set of one of his short films. What he didn't know was that she was there on purpose, a [[ActorAllusion former childstar]] (though in this case, one that got famous too fast and experimented with a dangerous lifestyle) that was trying to get back into the good graces of her family (one of her parents was on speaking terms with his father). He married her and settled down in a white collar job and a house in the suburbs. But, he was bored and jaded by the stuff that was coming out of Hollywood and she was increasingly distant and travelled more for her job as the marriage had not been her idea. Then he found out about the massive pre-nup; he accepted it at the time as his only "family" left was technically his father and his father's family but it was enough of a push for him to quit his job, change his name and start up DemoReel.
* He sees a lot of his mother in Rebecca which is why he gave her a job as an actress knowing how hard it is to get started in the business. Also the failed stunt is why female actresses that die in their original movies are saved [[spoiler: like Sévérine in ''{{Film/Skyfall}}'']] or turn up okay even if it's not really explained [[spoiler: Rachel Dawes in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'']]. Learning of DemoReel, probably through Donnie's wife, [[BiggerBad his father]] tipped off SWAG (why else would the Swedish Actors Guild care what a little, American studio does unless there's something in it for them, like the chance to make a big-budget Hollywood movie?) to do the dirty work for him.

* At the end of the LostInTranslation episode, Rebecca, Tacoma and Quinn's fates are uncertain, and Donnie [[spoiler: has been kidnapped]]. Only Carl is left.

On facebook, Malcolm was talking to Rachel about needing to watch ''Film/APatchOfBlue'' for the fourth episode. Donnie's favorite film is ''Blue Badges'' or ''Blue Patches'', and that's the only film that could fit. The actress who plays the lead Selina, is Elizabeth Hartman (who sounds like Elissa Hoffman), who was plagued with depression, threw herself out of a window in 1987 and reports say '''she was killed by Hollywood'''. Something else worth noting is that Hartman's last role was Mrs. Brisby in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', one of Doug's favorite films.

[[WMG: Mrs. DuPre is (a version of) Mara Wilson]]

In episode 3, Mara Wilson cameoed as Donnie's wife during the phone call. Knowing what we know about Donnie after episode 5, I believe that Mrs. DuPre IS Mara and not just a randomly named character (eg Heidi Thurman[-DuPre]). Of course, this Mara is a different version of the one already established in the Awesomeverse. Mara and Donnie have something major in common: They were world-famous child stars. While filming their own movies (Matilda, Jingle Sells), their mothers die. They soldier on but their coping is on opposite paths. Donnie and Mara are cast in the same movie at some point after the Phantom Menace equivalent is released, fall in love, marry, and have kids. However, Donnie still hasnt gotten over the scars of child stardom and his mother's death. Mara and Donnie drift apart and Mara leaves him as Donnie starts up Demo Reel. Because Mara has no interest in returning to acting regularly, Demo Reel cant be used to rekindle the marriage.

His dad had to come back from deserting his wife to look after him, and did nothing to stop his child getting abused by complete strangers on the street. Other family members very likely did nothing to help either, so when his fiancee comes along with an unfair pre-nup agreement, they lept at the chance to exclude him. It would be a darker version of Tacoma's backstory, and you might as well add to the already-DarkAndTroubledPast.

It's fairly obvious to everyone that he flirts a lot, and judging by pre-nup talk, their relationship was always rocky. So he needed some affection, got drunk and slept with someone (his reaction after seeing Egoraptor on the other bed instead of Uncle Yo suggests this has happened before), ruining her faith in him. She gives him money so he can do whatever he wants - innuendo slightly intended - without bothering her, and has no patience for "I love you"s.

Just last month, Critic was helping Harvey Finevoice getting over his anger towards Linkara, and now he's willing to have Doug go through a breakdown to get himself back in the limelight. An WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall villain poisoned his mind, and made him forget that he hated his job for years.

Ok, this theory actually has some practical reasoning behind it: Doug is in an awkward position. He already [[BrokenBase broke his base once]], and trying to pull the AuthorsSavingThrow of the century. And the forums are making it quite clear that there are still plenty of people out there who want more Demo Reel, so Doug can't risk alienating those people, thus he MUST continue Demo Reel in some form. But, how to do this if Donnie was just the Critic the whole time?

[[WMG: DemoReel was always planned to be a short aside.]]
Writer! Doug was established as another level of fiction in ToBoldlyFlee with the story bleeding into his world, and the other producers shown also play exagerated versions of themselves. Therefore what ''his'' creative struggles and motives are don't necesarily have any connection to the real Doug Walker.

Further backing that up is that frankly, it was over. The characters had resolved all their interpersonal issues and come to terms with their lives; it would have been a completely different kind of story. The bitterness and infighting were what drove the drama and humor, with evryone a big happy group there was nothing to do but watch a group of friends make the genuinely best movies they can, which would get old really fast.

** The Critic character straight-up says that "we already know what Demo Reel was this whole time. What Donny was this whole time. You were even starting to write it" twenty-one minutes into "The Review Must Go On".

** In "Blue Patches", Donnie ranted over people who were obsessed with the past and made it their lives, in short a TakeThat towards Critic. Plus, Critic was being played as evil and what was the point in making Donnie so tragic if you're just going to take that away.
* The original Demo Reel concept was likely an honest attempt at something new as it revolved around Doug's love of parody sketch humour (see the Judge Dredd bit from ToBoldlyFlee), involved leasing studio space which is optimal for the large GreenScreen effects with props and sets (as seen in the first episode) and addressed Doug's worries about copyright crackdowns while still being based on popular films. After the first episode [[EpicFail went over like a lead balloon]] the series was [[ReTool re-tooled]] at which point this WMG may become valid.

If Doug even needs another Nostalgia Critic hiatus we might get a second season of Demo Reel, but this time TheReveal would be that Donnie is actually Douchie Mc Nitpick learning a lesson about being a filmmaker. Would probably only happen if Doug's fandom, represented by Douchie, grows up, or if Doug wants to try to [[AnAesop teach them a lesson]] about what filmmakers have to go through.

I thought it was odd that Doug chose to use "The Review Must Go On" instead of Sad Panda's "Hello I'm the Nostalgia Critic" song or something more upbeat and happy. "The Review Must Go On" was used at the end of the Critic's MoulinRouge review. It was funny and epic but ultimately a pretty sad song, about how the Critic is tired and exhausted of his reviews, one of many foreshadowing moments leading up to the end of the Nostalgia Critic in ToBoldlyFlee a few months later. It was used in reference to the use of the song "The Show Must Go On" in MoulinRouge, where Satine resolves to put on a charade, all the while knowing that she's dying. The original song, by {{Queen}}, despite sounding epic and uplifting, is actually about Freddie Murcury's struggle to keep performing despite dying of AIDS. The line "my make-up may be flaking / but my smile still stays on" is a reference to Murcury's use of makeup to conceal from the public the fact that he was seriously ill. He almost wasn't able to record the song because he was so debilitated.

If that's not a thinly-veiled hint that perhaps Doug isn't happy about canceling DemoReel, a show he said he'd been wanting to do since 2008, and going back to the Nostalgia Critic, a character he said he was over and done with, and is perhaps putting on a brave face for fans while he's hurting on the inside … it sure seems that way.

*** Why make the reference the use of a slow, tragic song the Critic was singing about how draining and exhausting reviews were for him, and of how much of a toll they were taking on him, which ended with him being shot? It's not a triumphant song, it's a song about death, exhaustion, and putting on a brave face for fans/friends/family. Yet this is the song Doug chose for his "triumphant return" episode, not the more upbeat "Hello I'm the Nostalgia Critic" song by SadPanda or anything else.

****** Actually he wrote the song to parody the scene in Moulin Rogue. He may have thought he'd never top the review, but he never said he was using the episode to set up the Critic's death.
******* Just because it's a parody doesn't mean it can't work for the character. Take a look at the Snob/Clodd scene in part five of WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee, it's a parody of the opera scene in StarWars, but it still furthers the story and Doug's love for the "every piece of work is a little miracle" anvil. Critic has hated his job for years, and has a breakdown in ScoobyDoo about the fans just wanting to see him hurt. And speaking of TBF, they'd already planned it out and were writing by this point, Doug said in a commentary that he'd inserted loads of {{foreshadowing}} for the movie in post-SuburbanKnights reviews, and MoulinRouge is a biggie.

In reality, Tahoma never did reveal his father’s criminal connections or win the Pulitzer Prize. Instead, he become a member of his father’s gang and eventually died in prison, of a drug overdose, or of fatal injuries in a violent conflict with a rival gang or the police. In purgatory, he finally made the right choice and fulfilled his dreams of becoming a good screenwriter.

When Donnie’s friends disappeared without a trace one by one, they were actually released from the purgatory and allowed to pass on, letting their souls finally be at peace. But they all decided to return for one final goodbye before they actually ascended, to give Donnie some closure. They now knew thier true nature, which made them appreciate the times they had together even more. They were also happy for Donnie, who wasn't actually dead and therefore could return to the world of the living. Finally becoming the popular entertainer he always wanted to be.

** MaraWilson had already taught him that lesson. And ToBoldlyFlee had him blaming himself for everything going wrong in the world, even internet laws. He didn't need any more "insight".

*** And both times it was casually passed over as a joke and never taken seriously. Once during Episode 2 when she was on her sugar rush, and once in Episode 4 when they were playing Truth or Dare. Tacoma asked her about her first sexual experience, and when she started to talk about it, he and Fabrisio stopped her. What she was upset about was how people didn't take her seriously and how Tacoma misspoke and said her career wasn't going anywhere.

[[WMG: The sketches in the new Critic episodes are sub-contracted to the DemoReel characters.]]

* Tacoma asked that they not ''see'' what [[BatMan Alfred]] sees, Donnie's problem is that he is too LiteralMinded.

* Alternately, they'll consider remaking TheRoom, but Donnie will reject the idea on the grounds that it's the one movie he could never hope to outdo.

Don't pretend you didn't see this coming. Why would he look like he just got back from the Amazon if the house he escaped from was in the US? How long were Tacoma, Rebecca, and Quinn out for? I doubt that he could got to Africa and back in that time. Also, he picked up Carl in his TARDIS and that's why he's back at the studio at the end of Blue Patches. And that also explains how he was able to talk to [[BumReviews Chester]] about the Christmas collaboration when he was kidnapped.

** But Rebecca would never agree to acting like MsFanservice with her issues, and Tacoma wouldn't either, given that he never wanted to be an EthnicScrappy. Plus Word Of Actor and Co-Writer is that they're all dead.

** But Rebecca would never agree to acting like MsFanservice with her issues, and Tacoma wouldn't either, given that he never wanted to be an EthnicScrappy.

* It explains the use of the same actors in-universe and why those sketches resemble the movies the crew put out rather than the more competent "behind-the-scenes" acting.

** Except right at the end he wants back in the PlotHole (as how many times did Doug brag about Critic getting his happy ending and being okay? loads), and makes the big CharacterDevelopment deal of realizing he can't get stuck in the past anymore and needs to move on.

On facebook, Malcolm was talking to Rachel about needing to watch Film/APatchOfBlue for the forth episode. Donnie's favorite film is "Blue Badges" or "Blue Patches", and that's the only film that could fit. The actress who plays the lead Selina, is Elizabeth Hartman (who sounds like Elissa Hoffman), who was plagued with depression, threw herself out of a window in 1987 and reports say '''she was killed by Hollywood'''. Something else worth noting is that Hartman's last role was Mrs. Brisby in Film/TheSecretOfNIMH, one of Doug's favorite films.

* After revisiting his own work and denying it was him, his mind was already fractured, but attempting to come out of retirement to conclude what he considered the worst movie franchise of all time (at least at the time, considering his first editorial since his return), his mind literally broke under the stress, forcing him into an imaginary world of his own design!

Thinking you had Daddy's attention for years, but realizing that he was planning another big character all that time? One who is a complete TakeThat to how you acted, even? Then it makes somewhat more sense why Demo Reel is the only new show he forced Doug to give up, why he acted so psychotically, why he had a SelfServingMemory that made him forget that he loathed his job, and why he accused Donnie of being a ReplacementGoldfish when Chester's recent cynicism and Ask That Guy's new patheticness make them more suitable targets.

*** '''''ALL JOSSED!!!!!!!!!'''''