Line #55 Headscratchers/ANTFarm


1	* The program is an acronym for "Advanced ''Natural'' ''Talents''". Isn't this discriminatory?
2	** No... unless you mean it's discriminating against talentless people, in which case, yeah it is, but so?
3	* How can they afford iPads (or antpads) for all the ants amongst the budget cuts? Is the ANT program draining school funds? I'm surprised this hasn't come up yet.
4	** It seems as though only the four main A.N.Ts have one so that may not be the problem. Or they could also be less expensive in their universe. Though, they do have their own room with equipment for each A.N.T for the respective talent. Though I've yet to see Olive's. Maybe just her computer to look up things and memorize?
5	** Don't forget that Angus is a techhnology genius. Maybe he just built the things.
6	* These kids are allowed to skip grades? I can understand Olive, since her "gift" would actually be useful in school, but the other kids, no. We're supposed to believe that being good with music, art, or some other thing that has absolutely nothing to do with almost every subject taught in school, will get you to skip multiple grades?
7	** Maybe Chyna and Fletcher also achieve in other subjects other than art and music.
8	** Just saying, but the series seems to be based around the concept of "global giftedness", an extremely rare trait. That's the only explanation I can think of for why a musician and an artist can presumably take high school level classes. Even with a character like Olive, a high aptitude in verbal skills doesn't necessarily denote high skill in every other subject. Plus, grade-skipping like that (three grades at once?) is rare in itself, so I find it interesting that Webster High managed to get together an ''entire class'' of kids with that kind of global aptitude.
9	*** Global whatedness?
10	*** Olive's talent isn't good verbal skills, it's memorizing everything she sees and hears. That would definitely help with high school classes.
11	*** And if it's aptitude at ''everything'', then why is Fletcher in it? He's a complete idiot at everything but art.
12	** Being a great artist/musician at their age requires a lot of discipline, something that would naturally help in high school.
13	*** Yeah, a lot of discipline ''in that field''. But it doesn't speak for anything in other fields, namely their actual academic subjects.
14	** It's revealed that Principal Skidmore created the A.N.T. program, so exploit the talents of gifted kids for her own benefits.
15	* Maybe the better question is, why didn't they just set it in a 7-12 grade school and leave it at that?
16	** Because then we wouldn't get great characters like Paisley and Cameron (well, we'd probably see Cameron, since he's the main character's brother, but still).
17	** That would basically destroy the whole dynamic. Young kids in high school who have to find a way to survive while being almost [[InsufferableGenius Insufferable Geniuses]] with their talent. (Though the IG part is mainly Olive)
18	* If the pictures of baby Lexi are indeed showing her great skill at cheerleading, why wasn't she an A.N.T? Being a cheerleader requires skill and discipline too.
19	** The program is new and she was too old by that time (it seems to only have kids that are [[DawsonCasting supposed to be younger]])? And it may just be something she's kind of good at and not really advanced (and they just wanted something to show in the opening to keep up the pattern and not give two kids normal pictures). By the way, the pictures are of beauty contests, not cheerleading.
20	*** Turns out Lexi and the [=ANTs=] are going to a new boarding school next season. Either that or ANT Farm Wiki is a lie that somehow created fake resources and a newspaper and brainwashed everyone to believe that the paper had already existed and was trustworthy.
21	* How come none of the ants run for school president?
22	** They probably weren't allowed to.
23	** That, and a lot of older kids, who need those positions more college admissions and whatnot, probably wouldn't want a bunch of a 11 year olds running the school, regardless of how smart they are. The show has pretty much shown us Smart =/= Maturity.
24	* Why didn't Mrs. Parks go with the family on the roadtrip to Los Angeles on the "America Needs Talent" episode? While we're at it, why did Fletcher? But wouldn't a mother want to be there when her child performs on live TV?
25	** Aside from him being a main cast member and Roxanne Parks being just above an extra. I understand availability and Fletcher being contracted to do all of the episodes. And adding the mom to the plot would've taken away from the main plots. But they could've at least explained why she isn't there and why Fletcher is.
26	*** All he did was suggest the scenic route. Which was a huge setback.
27	** While we're on the subject of Mrs. Parks, how come she is never around? You mean to tell me that a cop (alas, not a good one) has more free time to take part in his kids & their friends' antics than a children's party performer? Why have her in the show at all if she has only been in two episodes?
28	** And why was she disappointed with Chyna, Olive, Fletcher, and Angus for performing as the Happy Fuzzy Friends (?) at the concert? I understand why she would be upset with Cameron for working as a tattoo artist, but Chyna and her friends hadn't technically done anything wrong. Shouldn't she have been proud of them for creating an entire album and band website?
29	** They lied to her, repeatedly. What sort of parent would be proud of them for doing that?
30	* Am I the only one who is hella confused as to why they chose Hairspray for their musical? Chyna and Lexi were competing for the leads. Chyna competing is automatically nonsensical; a major focal point of the show is racial tension, and Chyna could not play the caucasian Tracy Turnblad. Lexi is a ''bit'' more likely to play Tracy, but she has that beauty queen flair that would be perfectly suited for an Amber than it would a Tracy, while Chyna would make the ideal Lil' Inez.
31	** Um, when did they do Hairspray? I know they attempted to do Grease, and Chyna was the naive Sandy, while Lexi was casts as Rizzo, and aside from the 'certain facets' of Rizzo that Disney couldn't show, Lexi was a perfect Rizzo Expy. (Or maybe Lexi is a lot like Rizzo). Anyway, what is the name of the Hairspray episode, if is there is one?
32	*** There wasn't an episode about it, but it was only mentioned in the 1st episode.
33	** Chyna and Lexi competing for the lead makes more tension than having them audition for different roles. The writers probably didn't even watch Hairspray. Also they said in the premiere that they were going to do Hairspray.
34	*** Maybe off screen, they changed at the last minute like what happened in the episode where they had to do a different play when they didn't get the school rights for Grease.
35	** But the drama teacher is probably the most useless adult and worst teacher ever, so maybe its just his own ineptitude that causes this ridiculousness since he just barely knows what he's doing. Especially with his "do you think I'd be a teacher if I (insert insanely simple task that all teachers should know)?" comments
36	*** Wasn't it also mentioned in the first episode that Grease was already performed? Why do it again? I can believe the drama teacher's stupidity, but wouldn't at least Lexi note that Grease had already been done? Not as a complaint, but at least have her MENTION it casually.
37	* One episode examines Olive's unhappiness in high school and the ANT program, to the point where she would rather stay in kindergarten than deal with them. Chyna guilts Olive severely, saying that Olive was betraying their friendship, despite Olive being ''very'' clear that, while she's glad she met Chyna, she's not happy in the program. [[StatusQuoIsGod In the end she goes back.]] Why couldn't Chyna respect Olive's wishes and just hang out with her after school and during breaks?
38	** Because basically, it's wrong and she knows she belongs there. She was technically skipping her lessons and missing an education and she probably knew that in the back of her mind.
39	** Or couldn't Chyna find either a different reason to convince her, or help Olive find ways to enjoy high school.
40	* Then why didn't she just go to classes for people her own age? Besides the ANT program, of course.
41	* Are Chyna, Olive, Fletcher, and Angus the only four kids in the A.N.T. program?
42	** The others just aren't important enough. I can distinctly remember Svetlana(the gymnast), Benny(the robotics guy) and don't forget Nigel and Violet.
43	*** And I recall a girl named Niyah.
44	* Since they were shown starting their summer vacation in ''[=EndurANTs=]'', are they all sophomores now, and are Lexi, Cameron and Paisley juniors? I can see Paisley and Cameron still being sophomores.
45	* How was Chyna allowed to go with Olive and Fletcher before the concert in ''[=ChANTs=] of a Lifetime''??
46	** Don't artists usually have dress rehersals before a concert, espicially seeing how big Trifecta is and their obligation to put on a good show for their many fans?
47	*** Because Chyna had a solo, which also probably meant Laurin and Syerra had a duet to rehearse while Chyna was gone. That said it's not as if that concert consisted of two songs. But the rest of the set was probably everything they normally sing and didn't need as much rehearsal for that.
48	* In "[=sciANTs=] fair", Lexi clearly states that she doesn't want to be seen socializing with Cameron. However, in many later episodes (and even in the episode before this one)she has talked with Cameron when other people have been around.
49	* In the season 2 premiere, Lexi has a party. She doesn't invite Kennedy, among others. The question is, why is Kennedy there?
50	** Speaking of Kennedy… [[spoiler:It actually makes a lot of sense that she was TheMole in "[=FinANTial=] Crisis". She would need to be well-informed on all topics regarding the typical American in order to pass as anyone but Mr. Hashimoto's daughter. Plus, her assumed name is just a mashup of two presidents' (JFK and Martin Van Buren) last names.]]
51	* In "past, [=presANT=] & future", Chyna gets stuck in the 1980s and takes TheSlowPath back to the present. The now-40-something Chyna volunteers to travel back to the 80s ''again'' and smash the time machine so that none of this ever happens. She does so, and Chyna (now her proper teenage self) reappears. The problem is, Chyna's 80-something-year-old self now hobbles in. Where exactly did she come from? The whole reason for smashing the time machine was to prevent Zoltan's younger self from causing a TemporalParadox by choosing ''not'' to return to the past! Am I just over-thinking this whole thing?
52	** Eh, probably.
53	* How old is Dixon? He looks like he's in his twenties, but he's dating thirteen-year-old Olive.
54	* In the episode "Cantonese Style Cuisine" why did the restaurant have two work uniforms that perfectly fit two 11 year olds? And how did nobody notice the very obvious children that were "working" there?

Context Headscratchers / ANTFarm