The approaching summer vacation had raised a fair amount of excitement for many of the summer activities that came with it. For Abby and Samson it had meant picking up some of the work with regard to planting and tending to the plants and fields that had been planted at the end of the previous summer. It would mean that in time they might have some apples to collect, along with some stocks of wheat and so on. A lot of it was possible only to the irrigation efforts that the Brown family had made when they started the ranch. Samson and Abby had helped improve that after they became Animalians, and her dad had told her that with the food needs Animalia had and some wetter weather than had been normal that they might do fairly well.
There was also the coming IAC where they'd all get their shot at the real competition. However, for the moment, IAC was still on the horizon and what Abby was looking into was not actually related to some of the things that had been discussed during the visit to Mieni, and that was the Animalian Odd Couple. The things that Abby had heard about Susan and Tzan's idea sounded interesting and would make for an interesting take on the idea. However, at present, the show was only going to be a web-show, not unlike Animalia Ambassadoria, but the Animalian Odd Couple would at least attempt to make it look like it would be a normal TV series. That really peaked Abby's interest, and while her parents worked on dinner and no pressing homework at the moment, she logged onto her computer and pulled up Animalia's webpage and went to its media outlet.
"Here you are... what's up?" came Samson's voice from the doorway to the computer room/office.
"Susan and Tzan were supposed to have posted their first episode of the Animalian Odd Couple today," Abby looked up and over to Samson. While he didn't always spend the night, he was a frequent guest at the Brown home, and that made Abby rather happy. "I was thinking to watch what they came up with."
"Susan and Tzan," Samson said slowly, "the dolphin and hammerhead from Mieni? Their show?"
"Yeah, want to watch with me?" Abby said with a nod.
Samson smiled and moved to kneel beside Abby and looked to the screen. Abby then clicked on the button that would play the episode. It started with a shot of Susan and Tzan standing together for their opening titles, which amounted to each holding up a cardboard sign with the words "Animalian Odd Couple" written on it. Susan held the sign that read "Animalian" and Tzan held the sign that read Odd Couple. They then flipped the cards. Susan's read "Episode One: Welcome to Our Show." Tzan's read: "Episode One: Welcome to Mieni." Tzan looked at Susan's sign and grumbled, "that's not what we agreed on!" From there the screen faded into black.
The screen then opened again inside one of the huts on Mieni where the Animalians that were living at Mieni full time lived. It showed a fairly simple bedroom with some light coming in from a nearby window. In a way it looked like the weather was nice outside. They then heard Susan's voice coming from behind the camera.
"Good morning, everyone," a happy-go-lucky voice said cheerily as the camera moved from looking at a dresser to a door that lead into other parts of the hut, "Our Show starts with the first arrival of the tourists coming to Mieni! It's all so exciting. My housemate, Tzan, and I will be working with tour guide and lifeguard duty today with the first tourists coming to Mieni. It'll be fun.... Let's go see what Tzan is up to!"
Abby and Samson watched as the camera moved toward the doorway. The camera screen entered into a hallway and came to another door, though this one was closed. They soon heard Susan continue to narrate.
"Tzan's okay," Susan spoke, "but she can be a bit grumpy at times, but don't worry, I'm sure I can make her smile!" The door then opened to reveal Tzan standing there in black bikini with white polka dots on it. A white shirt lay draped on hammock at the back of the room. "Hey, Tzan you excited for the day?"
Tzan was seen to visibly jump as she hadn't expected Susan's arrival in her room.
"Susan! What you doing!?" Tzan gave an angry growl.
"I'm introducing you to all our loyal fans," Susan answered.
"We haven't even premiered, yet," Tzan answered, "we don't have fans... yet."
"You still need an introduction," Susan answered, "So that everyone knows your Tzan."
Tzan only shook her head and sighed. She then turned and moved and reached for the camera. She grabbed at it and took the camera from Susan. Tzan held the camera so that it's focus remained on the Hammerhead Animalian.
"Instead of introducing me, how about you go get dressed," Tzan spoke, "remember that while they're letting us put on this web-show, we are still working... and they will have rules about nudity and so on. The areas where we're working at are NOT nude beaches. You need to get dressed."
"Okay, okay," Susan admitted.
There was a moment of some silence, though the sound of Susan walking back to her room could be softly heard before Tzan said to the camera.
"Don't mind Susan," Tzan spoke, "She can be flighty and overly peppy... but I'm sure I can get her to pay attention and be serious on the things that she needs to be serious on... and admittedly, she isn't too bad. I suppose that is what makes us the "Animalian Odd Couple." We live on Mieni Atoll our show will try to show day to day life on Mieni for us and for friends of ours that we know. And for anyone who is thinking with something other than their heads... there will be NO shots of anyone in the shower."
From there the screen went black, like a commercial break on a television show. Samson and Abby both watched as the episode continued with a lot of the same back and forth sort of exchanges between Susan and Tzan. To many, it might generate some idea that Susan was annoying and was more trouble than she was worth, but Abby noticed Tzan give something of a smile at various points through the episode. It was something that did betray that Susan and Tzan were in fact friends, despite their very different personalities. And in the way they filmed the episode, they managed to have it so that those two different personalities balanced each other out, with Tzan often being serious and even brooding being balanced by Susan's boundless energy and optimism. They were there as the first guests arrived to provide a welcome that would never be forgotten as Tzan ultimately had to hold Susan back from hugging everyone as they arrived. But in the end, the episode did end well with a little girl approaching Susan and Tzan on the beach to tell them that they were "cool."
"So, what did you think?" Abby asked to Samson as the episode ended.
"Pretty interesting... as they did it as a first person shot," Samson spoke, "though, I've never seen the original Odd Couple, so I can't really say how accurate they were..."
"They aren't copying the old Odd Couple series," Abby answered, "they've borrowed the title because of how different they are and the fact that fate has, for the moment put them together."
"I see," Samson shrugged, "It was still a good starting episode."
"I thought so, too," Abby agreed.