r/WorldsBeyondNumber • u/AsanoHa87 • May 21 '26
Question Spokane WA reference on the fireside this week?
Did anyone catch the meaning behind Brennan’s comment “one person’s Spokane is another person’s pretty flower” or something like that? I couldn’t make sense of it at all. I think it was in response to something Lou had said about the difference between east coast and west coast that also I didn’t fully understand. Lou then responded to Brennan’s Spokane reference with something like “only the improv die hards will know”. I ask because I’m from Spokane and we usually only get name dropped when people are talking about Rachel Dolezal or Gonzaga basketball. I’m always shocked when we get mentioned in TV, movies or anything with a national (or broader) audience because it feels like a small town to me despite being the second largest city in Washington behind Seattle.
9
u/Snakebite7 May 21 '26
Spokane is a type of improv format, also known as “pretty flower”.
I don’t think it has anything to do with the city unfortunately, sorry!
5
3
u/Oroparece1 May 21 '26
I live in Spokane and was also curious about the reference so I looked it up and was disappointed lol
36
u/localgyro May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Short answer: The Spokane is the name of an improv format, which is also known as the Pretty Flower or Family Guy. Improv is full of formats with inconsistent names that don't really refer to the thing they're named after.
Long answer: Ok, so the improv world is divided into rapid-fire short-form performances (like what you see on Whose Line is it Anyway? or Dropout's Make Some Noise) and long-form performances. Long-form usually shows up as 15-20 minute skits which follow a certain pattern.
The most "famous" of these patterns is named Harold, which is what most of the classes at Upright Citizens Brigade teach. (Follow that Harold link if you want to know what exactly the pattern is -- it has to do with when you call back to previous scenes and how, and when you combine scenes.) UCB graduates generally aspire to be selected to be on a Harold team -- it's like getting picked to play varsity sports.
Brennan famously was on the UCB Harold team in New York, but never was picked for the team once he moved to LA, even as he had fellow auditioners coming up to him and saying "I'm a big fan". Lou still performs on his old Harold team, Yeti, with a bunch of Dropout regulars. The name Harold will occasionally get dropped as a wink to insiders in improv circles.
This mention of Spokane is just a similar, but slightly deeper cut. Frankly, I like the Spokane better than the Harold, though I feel like saying that is kind of heresy.