The ongoing negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have been quite interesting, to say the least. Over the weekend, the studios announced that they had made their “best and final offer,” which prompted some lighthearted responses from union members.
Union members took to social media to poke fun at the studios’ choice of words. Screenwriter Mike Flanagan and a few others came up with possible movie titles, such as “Best Final Offer,” “2 Best Final,” and “Best Final Offer: 3D.” They were clearly amused by the studios’ claim that this offer was the ultimate and could not be improved upon.
Actress Eden Danger joined in on the fun, suggesting titles like “OFFER FINAL OFFER BEST & FINAL OFFER LAST & FINAL OFFER SMART & FINAL OFFER FINAL OFFER TOKYO DRIFT.” It was clear that union members were finding humor in the studios’ insistence that this was their absolute final offer.
Other union members decided to draw comparisons to other situations. Warren Leight compared the studios’ offer to David Brooks’ infamous $78 meal in a New Jersey terminal. As Leight put it, this offer was the AMPTP’s last, best, and final $78 meal at a Newark Airport.
One union member, Mike Puateri, even shared a humorous anecdote about washing the dishes. He said to his wife, “Okay, I’ll wash the dishes tonight, but you have to dry them. This is my last, best, and final offer.” It seems that union members were finding humor in the studios’ use of the phrase.
Comedy writer Mark Agee took a different approach. He shared that he had given his “best and final offer” to a doctor with the last matching heart for his transplant. If the doctor didn’t take it, Agee joked that he would walk away. It was a clever way to mock the studios’ claim that this was their ultimate offer.
Even a faux Carol Lombardini joined in on the fun. She jokingly pleaded with the WGA to accept the studios’ offer so they wouldn’t have to come back with an even-better last-last double-best bottomless Oreo dream extreme offer-tini. It was clear that union members were finding amusement in the studios’ repeated use of the phrase “best and final offer.”
While many union members found humor in the studios’ claim, some were not amused. Former Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff pointed out that a “last, best, and final offer” is typically reserved for the negotiating party with all the power. She criticized the studios for taking 140 days to come to the table, calling it irresponsible and the opposite of powerful.
Other union members echoed Vernoff’s sentiment. David Slack suggested that if the studios had already made their “last, best, and final” offer three times and had to improve it, they should stop calling it that. Scott Collette even suggested that if the studios’ offer was not suitable, the WGA could argue for the involvement of a federal mediator.
Overall, the union members’ responses to the studios’ claim of a “best and final offer” were lighthearted and playful. It seems that they found humor in the studios’ choice of words and used it as an opportunity to create some entertaining scenarios. Whether or not these responses will impact the ongoing negotiations remains to be seen, but for now, they provide a much-needed moment of levity in what can be a tense process.
