Dan & Phil Part 84: Still Alive

[itasca00]

It's no Easter baking, but a fun video nevertheless. I have no complaints. Here are my highlights:

• [0:45] Phil reveals that Screen Time reports that he spends about four hours per day on Instagram.
• [1:15] The first life hack Phil attempts involves dissolving an egg’s shell with vinegar, leaving it surrounded by only a thin, squishy membrane.
• [1:23] Phil cracks himself up saying:

  P: Ooh, it looks very satisfying to squeeze.

  Then, he immediately follows this up by saying:

  P: Luckily, I’m ovulating today, so let me just lay an egg. Oof!
  *reveals egg*
  P: There we go. Uh…
  *sniffs egg*
  P: Fresh.

  As I've seen said on Tumblr, truly cursed content.
• [2:17] Phil reveals that he left the egg in the vinegar for eight full days instead of one. Yikes.
• [3:06] Phil is too rough with the egg, and it pops, covering him with vinegary egg whites and yolk.
• [3:42] The second life hack Phil attempts involves bunching some tin foil together, sanding down the rough edges, and polishing it with oil to create a perfect, reflective metal orb. This life hack is a flop.
• [5:32] The third life hack Phil attempts involves taking graphite out of a pencil, microwaving it on a plate for three minutes, and breaking the graphite apart with some water to reveal a perfectly formed diamond. This life hack is also a flop. I was shocked.
• [7:14] The fourth life hack Phil attempts involves boiling some salt water, sticking a string in it, and allowing a salt crystal to form overnight.
• [8:12] Phil reveals the amazing crystal that has formed, and he is absolutely mesmerized by it.
• [8:54] The fifth life hack Phil attempts involves him using a blowtorch on some sand to make glass. This life hack is also a flop.
• [9:26] Phil is shown on a beach collecting some sand. I wonder who could have been filming him?
• [10:44] The sixth and final life hack Phil attempts involves him microwaving a rock in some water for three minutes to magically form a geode. This life hack is also a flop. Again, I was shocked.
• Phil continues to remain consistent in listing all three versions of the AmazingPhil Shop at the top of the video description and listing the Dan and Phil Shop with his individual merch links.

Edit: Highlights at the top of the page...it's been a while.

[Phantasy]

That was...ehh. Some cute/ funny moments and I appreciate the scenery change, but I’m starting to get solo content fatigue. Not even a crumb of a casual “us” or “we” mention to nibble on. I’m someone who will always enjoy their duo content more than their solo stuff. I certainly appreciate and enjoy when they do individual content and don’t just see them as one person, but to me they are more balanced content creators and entertainers when together. But the longer Phil pumps out solo content, the more acutely aware I am of how well they compliment each others content and I miss that.

So, Easter miracles aside... I’m guessing the best we’ll get is some pseudo-snarky tweet from Dan about how unlike Jesus he has not risen yet.

[laurenbacall]

can anyone remember if phil has even mentioned dan in any of his 2019 videos? as far as i do, he hasn't. i'm beginning to feel like dan was a group hallucination - some kind of mandela effect

[rizzo]

the video was a nice change of pace. seeing something other than the white wall was great and i really enjoyed phil's shock at the egg popping. overall, i'd rate it a strong.... 6.8/10.

the cat content earned a higher rating in my books. that was the highlight of the day.

That was...ehh. Some cute/ funny moments and I appreciate the scenery change, but I’m starting to get solo content fatigue. Not even a crumb of a casual “us” or “we” mention to nibble on. I’m someone who will always enjoy their duo content more than their solo stuff. I certainly appreciate and enjoy when they do individual content and don’t just see them as one person, but to me they are more balanced content creators and entertainers when together. But the longer Phil pumps out solo content, the more acutely aware I am of how well they compliment each others content and I miss that.

So, Easter miracles aside... I’m guessing the best we’ll get is some pseudo-snarky tweet from Dan about how unlike Jesus he has not risen yet.

lmao dan is cursing himself because he has to rethink his clever easter tweet now that you've spoiled it.

i agree with your post on the whole. i'm so so so appreciative of phil solo content because, frankly, it's just about all the content we're getting, but it definitely just highlights the absence of dan and joint content. meh. it is what it is, i guess. perhaps we'll get something before dan's birthday.

on the flip side... i almost wish phil would get more adventurous? like. this was a great start, but we're all essentially relying on him at this point, so idk... get outta the house. go do something in a park. taste test different milkshake spots. idfk. switch it up, bud.

can anyone remember if phil has even mentioned dan in any of his 2019 videos? as far as i do, he hasn't. i'm beginning to feel like dan was a group hallucination - some kind of mandela effect

he ~famously~ mentioned dan helping him redecorate his new filming spot. so, dan isn't a figment of our imaginations just yet. (getting there though. glad people are catching that dude in the wild on occasion.)

[alittledizzy]

can anyone remember if phil has even mentioned dan in any of his 2019 videos? as far as i do, he hasn't. i'm beginning to feel like dan was a group hallucination - some kind of mandela effect

he ~famously~ mentioned dan helping him redecorate his new filming spot. so, dan isn't a figment of our imaginations just yet. (getting there though. glad people are catching that dude in the wild on occasion.)

We also got multiple Dan mentions in the google search history video (I think on tumblr there's a compilation and it's over two minutes of just Dan/domestic anecdotes in that video - plus he showed off what Dan got him for his birthday) and he mentioned Dan in the Weakest Link video. So nope, not a figment.

[flarequake]

I laughed so much at that video, it’s so silly and ridiculous, he’s so sparky and snappy with the bants and edits, though he cut himself off twice with adverts right ahead of the last word (and both for toilet roll, what fun). I was sceptical of that tinfoil one when I saw it on ig sometime, he just ended up with a load of oily bits of foil. Squeezing the egg, though, silly plonker boy, does he look good in the black T-shirt and glasses, plus quiff. How many times did we love him in black tops and glasses, hoping one day for a trifecta of quiff too and now look at him, breaking out the holy trinity for us not-quite-all the dang time. Had to laugh at the “kitchen”. A corner of a white good with a plank of wood propped between it and a handily-placed pot plant. Sure, Phil Loved the sand bit too, good change of scenery.

[Catallena]

That video was immediately good because it got Phil out of the claustrophobia zone. My anxiety thanks him. Also we got black shirt Phil with glasses IN MOTION. Even if it was only for a short while due to an exploding egg, that was hot. My sexuality thanks him as well.

Videos like this suit Phil's style and personality quite nicely. It's wasn't my favorite thing he has ever done, but I wouldn't mind if he makes more videos like this and I think this type of content could do well in terms of views for him as well. I do think it needs some more polishing though. I know Phil is all about talking fast as if he has had one cup of coffee too many, but I think he needs to slow down with a format like this. Talk a bit slower and don't cram too many hacks into 12 minutes. Either do less hacks or just make the video a few minutes longer. As much as I enjoyed the video, I think a more relaxed vibe would make me enjoy it even more.

Aside from all that there were weird filming angles and echos galore. Hm.

I'm really curious about what happened to that Q&A though. He went to Brighton and collected sand and a rock for this video before announcing the technical difficulties with that one. Also what happened that he didn't bother checking on his experiments for 8 whole days? I'm confused.

[Ataraxia25]

I loved it! It was very funny and I felt so grateful for Phil, he is amazing! I love him.


also, my first thought when he opened the microwave:

Speaking of behind the scenes, what an empty, echo-y flat. And wow, that is probably the cleanest microwave I've ever seen. Wonder why.....

[rikonee]

I absolutely love, love, LOVE that video. I'm so glad the setting isn't as cramped and he finally uses a table instead of carrying his props around like the fizzy milk video.

Phil in quiff, glasses, and black tshirt? Thank you God. Imo, this is the right step for him. Still a fun AP video, but it could make casual viewers interested too.

My favorite moments are the ones where Phil clocks the IG hacks like "When I see that, I call bullcrap". If there is one thing I don't like, maybe he should rush it less and make the video longer.

I know I have said this before but I really appreaciate Phil and his contents in this uncertain-kinda-hiatus era. It's not perfect, but he's trying to give more content, try new things, and communicate more (even tho it takes like a week). It makes me love him more and more.

[pastelspectre]

i loved this new phil video!! i really appreciate these phil videos in this sort of hiatus.

[TuxedoSam]

I loved phil's new vid a lot and love him very much yes i came just to say this sorry

[dancy]

Interestingly enough, I'd probably consider this to simultaneously be one of his least original, yet one of his funniest video this year. I was also quite glad to not have to see the white background for once!

I'm really curious about what happened to that Q&A though. He went to Brighton and collected sand and a rock for this video before announcing the technical difficulties with that one. Also what happened that he didn't bother checking on his experiments for 8 whole days? I'm confused.

Yeah, I'm rather confused too. If I'm correct, the timeline is basically like this:

April 3: Phil announces Q&A (which he claimed he'd film the day after)
April 8: Phil posts teaser pics of his new merch
April 9: D&P travel to Brighton and have a boardgame night with PJ & Sophie
April 10: D&P spend the whole day in Brighton
April 11: D&P travel back home AND Phil posts an Instagram story with a screenshot of the Q&A and says it's coming soon
April 16: Phil lets us know the Q&A is delayed because of technical issues and announces another video that will be uploaded before
April 18: Phil releases his new merch
April 19: Phil says that he's uploading his new video tomorrow
April 20: Phil uploads Trying Out Weird Instagram Life Hacks (and spent some time drinking sangria in a pretty garden).


So presumably, the bits where he gets the sand and the rock were filmed in Brighton, meaning he started filming it after his trip there and still managed to film the second part 8 days after before uploading it yesterday. In that case, I think he must've filmed the first part a couple of hours after coming home from Brighton on the 11th, filmed the second part on the 19th for who-knows-what-reason and completed editing it the day after.

I'm also going to assume that he did film the Q&A before going to Brighton, though maybe not on the day he said he would, and somehow it took him over a week to tell us about the "technical issues", which as some have pointed out already might have to with a spon deal that's taking a bit long but we shall see!

[coffeepenguin]

When Phil got out that egg, I paused the video and was just staring into nothing repeating "why" for a minute, but you go you, act out your mpreg fantasies, I guess. That said, personally, I think it's one of Phil's best videos since the start of the year and I hope he continues in that direction. Basically, what many of you have already said. The change in background and little clips from the beach don't hurt either.


Another theory about the delay of the Q&A video: might it be because he somehow addresses joint content in it and then there was a change in plans? Oh, well, he did say "technical issues", so I must be grasping at straws The spon related one is of course a solid theory. Or, like, actual technical issues as in corrupted footage or something.

[Birdie]

I love Phil and that's all I'm sure of at this point. His content at the moment might not be too original but it's fun and lighthearted and I couldn't ask for more from him because that's exactly the kind of content I subscribed to him for all those years ago.

I'm trying not to think about the filming flat too hard because the whole thing just confuses me, lol.

[QuiteFriendly]

Interestingly enough, I'd probably consider this to simultaneously be one of his least original, yet one of his funniest video this year. I was also quite glad to not have to see the white background for once!

I'm really curious about what happened to that Q&A though. He went to Brighton and collected sand and a rock for this video before announcing the technical difficulties with that one. Also what happened that he didn't bother checking on his experiments for 8 whole days? I'm confused.

Yeah, I'm rather confused too. If I'm correct, the timeline is basically like this:

April 3: Phil announces Q&A (which he claimed he'd film the day after)
April 8: Phil posts teaser pics of his new merch
April 9: D&P travel to Brighton and have a boardgame night with PJ & Sophie
April 10: D&P spend the whole day in Brighton
April 11: D&P travel back home AND Phil posts an Instagram story with a screenshot of the Q&A and says it's coming soon
April 16: Phil lets us know the Q&A is delayed because of technical issues and announces another video that will be uploaded before
April 18: Phil releases his new merch
April 19: Phil says that he's uploading his new video tomorrow
April 20: Phil uploads Trying Out Weird Instagram Life Hacks (and spent some time drinking sangria in a pretty garden).


So presumably, the bits where he gets the sand and the rock were filmed in Brighton, meaning he started filming it after his trip there and still managed to film the second part 8 days after before uploading it yesterday. In that case, I think he must've filmed the first part a couple of hours after coming home from Brighton on the 11th, filmed the second part on the 19th for who-knows-what-reason and completed editing it the day after.

I'm also going to assume that he did film the Q&A before going to Brighton, though maybe not on the day he said he would, and somehow it took him over a week to tell us about the "technical issues", which as some have pointed out already might have to with a spon deal that's taking a bit long but we shall see!

Do we know for sure that the sand/stone segments were filmed in Brighton?

And if it was, he might actually plan his videos ahead and knew he was going to make this video at some point. As he wears merch he still had to wait until after the release.

[flarequake]

Brighton has beach, London doesn’t except for a narrow strip at the edges of the Thames and maybe that’s bigger way further along, but we know they were in Brighton.

[Fazbaz]

Brighton has beach, London doesn’t except for a narrow strip at the edges of the Thames and maybe that’s bigger way further along, but we know they were in Brighton.

But doesn't Brighton only have a pebbly beach? For me it looked more like next to the Thames. On the other hand he did say that the sand was still wet from the sea so

[Birdie]

(Late to the merch discussion, but I'm rewatching the latest video and I love the corgi sweater BUT I wish the corgi wasn't dead in the centre. It would look so much cuter if it wasn't in my opinion. Also I forgot about the egg bursting business and I'm grossed out all over again, thanks, Phil.)

Re Brighton: I'm pretty sure that's not Brighton unless it's a part of Brighton I have managed to miss when I lived there. Brighton has a pebble and shell beach, not a sandy beach. The background with the quay wall and ladders looks a lot more like the little stretches of Beach along the Thames in London. I'm pretty sure he just popped round there to get some sand.

Edit: Lmao, Fazbaz beat me to it. But yeah, I agree. He did say sea but it looks such an awful lot like the bank of the Thames, doesn't it.

[kavat]

I enjoyed the video more than I thought I would. It did feel like he had one too many coffees, or was running late for something, because he was talking so fast. But I liked that he didn't try to fool anyone that he thought it was going to work, it was literally "this looks stupid, it is stupid, that was stupid".

[Catallena]

I just saw a beach and assumed Brighton, but I guess the banks of the Thames makes more sense. Good call! Still wondering what happened in those 8 days though.

[autumnhearth]

Could he have started filming before he visited his parents for Mother’s Day? That would also be the sea and might explain a longer absence?

[Stakhanov]

It took a while but an AP video did eventually arrive. Alas It wasn't the Q&A which I'm more interested about, but hey any content is a start I suppose. At the excruciatingly slow pace of one video per 2 weeks-month Dan and Phil are going to lose the engagement of a lot people, so i do hope they turn a corner unless they want to wither away into obscurity.

The good: The tests he did were interesting and there's a certain charm in his clumsiness that makes it a loss let dry than the "instructional" style videos he based it on. It looked like a nicely upgraded version of the original video. By talking, he creates a nice flow that makes it feel a bit like you're watching your little cousin do a magic trick.

The bad: Like most of Phil's videos It lacks any stories of revelations about himself that make me feel a real emotional connection to him. His choice of topic didn't really have much potential for that and it seems like he never really wants to commit to making that sort of content anyway. In that sense, the "changes" he brought to his channel are a disappointment for me. As long as he keeps it that superficial his videos are always just going to be between lightly entertaining and mildly boring for me.

The ugly: the merch. I hate the incessant promoting he does. They have both become hypercommericial and I find it off-putting. It's kind of sad when you have to talk about new merch in every other video. Didn't use to be like that in the earlier days and if you look at the evolution in the last couple of years, it's gotten so much worse. I would have hoped that with the cactus subscriptions, Phil would have slowed down a bit but the reverse seems to be happening.

[Birdie]

Aw, come on, he has to promote his merch somehow and a quick spon at the beginning of a video plus wearing it in the video is totally fine with me. I know he's rich but he won't stay that way if he doesn't promote his merch and his content from time to time. I actually like the way Phil does it to be honest. He could be making 10 minute long "Look at my new merch" videos like others do but he's not doing that. I can take a little spon at the start of a video and there's nothing "hyper commercial" about that imo. He plugs new merch when he releases it and why wouldn't he?

Also, honest question: If you find Phil's videos boring and not personal enough, why do you stick around? I thought it might be his personality but you said you think he's too distanced and there's no emotional connection. But he's been making this kind of content forever so it's not like this is a new development. This isn't shade, I'm just curious why you'd keep watching a Youtuber you find boring and too distanced. Phil will probably never be the deep, personal and thoughtful kind of creator and I actually enjoy that a lot.

(I also think he has gotten a lot more personal in the last few months. I loved his Weakest Link video and his talk with his younger self a lot because he talked a lot about how he used to be and how he changed over the last ten years. He's still distanced but good for him. He's not our friend, he's a content creator, and I actually like that he keeps that line intact and clear, instead of blurring it like other creators do.)

[alittledizzy]

Aw, come on, he has to promote his merch somehow and a quick spon at the beginning of a video plus wearing it in the video is totally fine with me. I know he's rich but he won't stay that way if he doesn't promote his merch and his content from time to time. I actually like the way Phil does it to be honest. He could be making 10 minute long "Look at my new merch" videos like others do but he's not doing that. I can take a little spon at the start of a video and there's nothing "hyper commercial" about that imo. He plugs new merch when he releases it and why wouldn't he?

Also, honest question: If you find Phil's videos boring and not personal enough, why do you stick around? I thought it might be his personality but you said you think he's too distanced and there's no emotional connection. But he's been making this kind of content forever so it's not like this is a new development. This isn't shade, I'm just curious why you'd keep watching a Youtuber you find boring and too distanced. Phil will probably never be the deep, personal and thoughtful kind of creator and I actually enjoy that a lot.

(I also think he has gotten a lot more personal in the last few months. I loved his Weakest Link video and his talk with his younger self a lot because he talked a lot about how he used to be and how he changed over the last ten years. He's still distanced but good for him. He's not our friend, he's a content creator, and I actually like that he keeps that line intact and clear, instead of blurring it like other creators do.)

I don't have much to add, I just really agree with this and like how you worded it. His distance is comforting in a way; I do still feel like I know enough of Phil to have an emotional connection with him but there's a stability in what he presents that I feel like is never going to be a bad kind of surprise. I thought his new video was delightful, it was entertaining and had the exact kind of Phil humor I like, and I do agree that in the past few months he's added a dimension of personal-indulgence that he lacked before but that even in that there's a reassuring kind of familiarity.

(I'm also fine with the merch spon. Dude's gotta wear clothes. And I don't think he exactly pre-planned that egg thing so at least one wardrobe swap out was definitely just divine intervention at play.)

[liola]

His spon literally lasted less than 30 seconds at best, I'd rather he does that than the hyper critical "ugh merch is bad and so annoying to talk about but also I make tons of money off it and you all know it so this is just pretence" kind of attitude that sometimes Dan used to get in the gaming videos, so it's definitely personal preference.

This is a video I've already rewatched by the way, there's a certain comedy timing in the way he talks and moves that just makes it so entertaining to me