Format
In this episode, there is no specific gathering phase. It simply begin with an ingredient listing, with a short clip of the restaurant cook plating the poutine. At this point the production values we're probably quite average so their shopping at a store would most likely not be as extravagant as it would later prove to be.
Another aspect of EMT that was solidified in this episode is the ending tradition of “Next time, we eat...”. This, while not revolutionary, signifies a sense of forward thinking. Forward thinking in the idea that there will be a “next time” but also by virtue of being a tag-line that would serve as a sticky message for the audience.
The Food
Cooking during Fast-food Pizza was merely melting cheese in the oven. This was a pure-minded approach to the original ideal of EMT. EMT is, at it's core, people who wish to combine the best features of pre-existing food products together to create a sensation-combination like never before. The fast food pizza is literally a combination of their favorite fast food items, amalgamated using cheese which, in turn, is another loved food product.
In this episode they use the same approach except instead of using the canvas of a pizza, they chose to use that of the sandwich. Not only that but this sandwich also would serve as a self portrait of where the creators are from, Canada. The french-toasted baguettes, steamés, poutines, and maple syrup are extremely flamboyant signals of a French-Canadian influence.
An important point to note is the gentle involvement of bacon. At this point, bacon had not been glorified as the dominant force in EMT's process yet it had been evident even in the Fast-food Pizza. One package of bacon was used yet Perrault made it a point to stack additional strips in his sandwich and also mentioned a comment on bacon during the feasting phase.
Characters
In this episode, Harley Morenstein graces the audience with a taste of his true potential as a host. Through this entire episode he speaks with determination and precision. He lets out no “uhs or “ums” as he delivers his sharp, yet natural dialog. Furthermore, Harley seems to have taken a more overlord-esque approach to his host position and performs a smaller role in the feasting process. During this second episode we get a sense that Harley is worried about the health-related ramifications when he mentions the implications of the poutine container and when he say's “you're both going to die at the end of this sandwich.”
Alex Perrault, retains the same look from the initial EMT video. He dons the same gray T-shirt and shades. Whether or not this was the moment where he got his title, Muscles Glasses, is unknown but it would seem that Perrault had already began to conceive of himself as a character with a standard costume. This worked in his favor as he did become the mascot of EMT. This, could not have been planned better as Perrault serves as both a mascot and as the symbol of the EMT concept.
Introduced to EMT in this episode is Ameer Atari, also known as Prince Atari. He is a friend of the show and previously worked on a YouTube series called The Game Haters. In this episode not much is said of Ameer but he does provide visual comfort as an additional member of the feast phase.
Creativity and Humor
After one single episode, EMT showed great progress in their humor and creativity department. Right off the bat, Harley begins the show with a dramatic turn towards the camera and a defiant statement to the audience. The strength in this scene alone dominates the viewer and instantly elevates the show to a level above the amateurism of their first foray.
In this episode Harley has additional hilariously direct commentary while listing the ingredients, especially when mentioning the poutine and finishes off with a shining monologue on the origins of the maple syrup.
At this point, the EMT crew had become aware of the potential hilarity that comes from organic conversation before and during the feasting phase. This episode had some very funny dialogue such as the phrase “I just tasted bacon for the first time”.
Visuals
Sterling Toth, the cinematographer, upped his technique on this second episode of EMT. At this point he had made a wise decision to have the camera be hand held as it adds a dramatic tension to the scenes. An important development in Toth's technique is his use of more interesting angles and framing of both the characters and the food. One of the more beautiful shots is the in-restaurant shot of the poutine plating. Although the last episode showed that Toth had a knack for b-roll, the show was made better due to him making his compositions more interesting.
The first EMT episode was shot outside during the daytime yet it was dominated by a cooler light. This was most likely due to the automatic exposure of the camera. In this episode, Toth utilizes manual white balance and color corrects most of the footage to have a warm look to it. Combined with the ample lighting used, this episode set a color scheme that would uniformly remain in future EMT episodes.
The editing process for this video was very concise and to the point. More so than the first episode. The beauty about this is that there was a lot of footage caught that was interesting and relevant thus lengthening the audiences captivation during the cooking and feasting phases.
Sound
Once again, we are treated to proper sound composition and design. From the “doom” effect during the title block, to the strategic placement of the music. The dialog in this episode had no background noise, and the vocals were crisp and well edited together. It should be noted that this is the first occurrence of the bird sound used for censorship.
In this episode, we are introduced to the most commonly utilized arrangement of the EMT theme song. The previous episode had a different arrangement that was less appealing than the one used in this video. In addition, the editing of the footage was beautifully choreographed to go with the music. In doing this both had attained synchronicity and set a rhythm that kept the audience enthralled in the video. This is a fantastic technique for any editor to have and works extremely well for EMT.
Summary
This episode took the raw doe that was EMT episode 1 and baked it into this slick and finely produced creation that strikes directly at the heart of those watching. There was a simultaneous improvement in every facet of the show and solidification of various traditions that would remain in episodes to come. The creators of EMT could not have wished for a better second step forward than this and one can only watch, in awe, all the factors that aligned to create EMT.
Memorable Phrases
“Whenever you get anything in a silver take-out tray, you're a fat s**t.” - Harley, commenting on the poutine container.
“This syrup is coming straight from tit of the mother maple tree in Quebec; we drained it of all of her tit syrup.” - Harley's Monologue on the Maple Syrup used.
“I work at a shipping facility.”
“I work out a lot.” Atari and Perrault, while estimating the weight of a sandwich.“I just tasted bacon for the first time” - Alex, while eating the sandwich.
Additional Information
This was the first instance of the “Next time, we eat...” tradition.
In this episode, Harley dons a medium-cut hair and a five o'clock shadow.
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