Chapel



"And now, the latest exploits of America's third favorite drug dealer..."

- Narrator, "Inked."

Chapel is a monthly web series about a female Wisconsin drug dealer with terrible luck. Ashley Banks (no, not that one) gets out of prison, and becomes a drug dealer, going by the name "Chapel."

Passes The Bechdel Test with flying colors (most of the main cast are women).

Not to be confused with Mr. Chapel, Chapel The Evergreen, or Chapel Smith. Although Word of God says she was named after Nurse Chapel.

This web series is produced by Rob Matsushita and Claymore Pictures, and can be found here or on their official homepage. Matsushita is also one of the actors on Chad Vader. Emily Mills stars as Chapel.

Chapel finished its first season in 2010, and has just started the second season.

This web series contains examples of:

"Butch: So, do you...like girls? Chapel: I don't like anybody, man!"
 * Absurdly Sharp Blade: Chapel manages to  with a sword she bought...at Ren Faire.
 * Action Survivor: Arguably Chapel herself.
 * Acting for Two: Ben Wilson plays twin brothers Henry and Harold. Kathy Lynn Sliter plays former doctor Rosanne in "Extremed" and Dr. Vet, Chapel's new boss, in "Karated."
 * Anti-Hero: Chapel may be a Type III.
 * Arch Enemy: Burke. Full stop.
 * Asexuality: Discussed and somewhat confirmed in "Handcuffed."

"Butch: Sorry I caught you. Chapel: Sorry I ran."
 * Backstory: The pilot episode, "Audited."
 * Berserk Button: Lehaney from "Famed" was apparently in "that movie with the pie." No one gets to say more than that when reminding her of it.
 * The first season finale.
 * Big Bad: A few to choose from, but seems to rise to the top.
 * Book Safe: A gun is hidden in an encyclopedia in "Complicated."
 * Bounty Hunter: Butch Sauft, the man who originally caught Chapel. But it wasn't personal.

"Princess: Take it. It's kind of a big deal."
 * Breast Attack: "You just SHOT ME IN THE BOOB!!!"
 * Bullets Do Not Work That Way: In "Extremed," when  "That's impossible! You know how unlucky you would have to be?"
 * Camera Abuse: Invoked when Yvonne delivers a point-blank shotgun blast.
 * Chained to a Bed: At the beginning of "Guilted," Chapel wakes up to find herself in a wig and dress and tied to a bed. She's arguably more upset about the dress.
 * Character Title
 * Cool Shades: Part of Chapel's new look for the second season is a pair of vintage Ray-Ban's.
 * Click. "Hello.": Benny is told by Burke that he was never Burke's partner, but a gift for her real partner. Enter.
 * Convenient Misfire: At the end of "Complicated."
 * Country Matters: Benny's nickname for Yvonne in "Battered, Part One.".
 * Create Your Own Villain: Not like they were exactly friends before, but  gets a whole lot worse when Chapel doesn't kill her quite thoroughly enough.
 * Crime-Time TV: Chapel herself falls into the Outsiders/Hangers On category.
 * Deliberately Monochrome: The pilot episode, "Audited," is shot mostly in black and white.
 * Didn't Want an Adventure: In Chapel's case, "I could have finished high school..."
 * Disproportionate Reward: In "Jacked, Part Two," mobster Capobianco tells Chapel that he owes her a favor for saving his life, even though Princess, his own daughter, did a lot more work. Lampshaded by Chapel, who points out that she "only shot the one guy," but Princess insists that Chapel take the favor anyway.

"Chapel: Are we cool? Yvonne: Is my brother still dead? (Beat.) Then I guess we're not cool."
 * Double Tap:  nails a couple of cops at close range with a silenced .25 Colt in "Handcuffed."
 * Evil Laugh: Burke, but an honorable mention goes to Yvonne's crazed giggle in "Battered, Part Two."
 * Eye Scream:  takes a bullet to the eyeball in "Extremed."
 * Facial Horror: Burke, and we're finally shown the extent of the damage in "Neutralized." However, it's hinted that ...
 * The Farmer and the Viper: Chapel manages to save Yvonne's life, but it doesn't matter--Yvonne still wants revenge.

"Chapel: "No, I'll be just as bad as you. There's a difference.""
 * First-Person Smartass
 * Freeze-Frame Bonus: Going frame-by-frame through the shot of the "Won't It Rule" webpage has a few extra jokes, including a Shout-Out to the creators of Chad Vader.
 * Girls with Guns: Um, yeah.
 * Groin Attack: Female-on-female example, when Chapel kicks Stone in the groin in the episode "Handcuffed."
 * How We Got Here: Used in "Complicated," "Battered, Part One," and "Handcuffed."
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: In "Matched," Chapel gets the drop on Burke, who tells her, "Chapel, if you kill me, you will be just like me."

"Chapel: "I've killed people, you know. Doing this. And the scariest fucking thing about it to me is that every single time it gets a little bit easier to live with. But I would kill twice as many people just to have your problems instead of mine...""
 * Important Haircut: In "Audited," after being grabbed by her hair several times during fights, Chapel gets her hair cut very short. It's more practical than symbolic.
 * It Gets Easier: Chapel says this almost exactly in "Famed."

"Chapel: Whoop-dee-hell, you saw four dead bodies. Doesn't make you Zoe Bell.
 * It's What I Do: Butch responds with this exact phrase when Chapel asks why his research on her was...oddly specific.
 * Legion of Doom: Pretty much the story of "Inked."
 * Let's You and Him Fight:  gambit during "Guilted."
 * Mortal Wound Reveal:  in "Famed."
 * Never Found the Body: In "Famed:"

Lehaney: Don't exaggerate. There weren't four dead bodies.

Chapel: ...What?"

":''' "Yeah, well, 's a douchebag.""
 * Noodle Incident: We never do find out why Burke needed a bullet wound in "Extremed." When asked directly in a flashback, she simply says, "That's not important."
 * Not Herself: In "Guilted," a flashback (told from another character's point of view) shows Chapel behaving very strangely indeed, even commenting that she has to go to a party, because she has "handsome men to impress." Hearing this, Chapel even lampshades it. Later, we find out
 * "On the Next...": Done as motion typography using just dialogue from the next episode, along with the title.
 * Pregnant Hostage: Who'd have thought it'd be ?
 * "Previously On...": Even the pilot had one when it was first uploaded, but this was cut when new viewers who hadn't seen the original shorts found it to be filled with spoilers.
 * Private Eye Monologue
 * Put on a Bus: Labyrinth decides to leave town to see . Labyrinth even goes so far as to say "put me on a bus, I'm outta here!"
 * Reality Subtext: In "Famed," Chapel is called upon to play drums, although she hasn't in years. In real life, Emily Mills is an accomplished drummer who plays in more than one band.
 * Real Life Relative: Danielle Atkins, who plays Ronnie, the sister of Henry and Harold, is Ben Wilson's real-life sister.
 * Real Life Writes the Plot: Burke's  was a result of her actress, Kelly Maxwell,.
 * Red Right Hand: Burke has a creepy half-mask that she sometimes puts makeup on.
 * Revolvers Are Just Better: When buying a gun in "Loaded," Chapel picks a customized Smith & Wesson .44 magnum, naming this trope for the reason.
 * Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Chapel says to, "  said you were dead."

""Forgot my purse.""
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Grocer's aviators in "Karated." Chapel's own Ray-Ban's are also a variant.
 * Shotguns Are Just Better: Yvonne seems to prefer using one in more than one episode.
 * Shout-Out: So many that they got their own movie, which is also a Shout-Out.
 * Shur Fine Guns: Will seems to be carrying at least one of these (if not two) in "Extremed."
 * Crazy theater girl Labyrinth is revealed to be.
 * Something Completely Different: The episode "Inked" is done in motion comic format.
 * Stylistic Suck: Lehaney reading from a movie script in "Famed." It's basically the same opening monologue from "Complicated," with a few cheesy lines thrown in.
 * Tag-Along Actor: The premise of the episode "Famed:" Lehaney, a once-famous actress, follows Chapel around to research for a possible upcoming role as a drug dealer in a gritty crime drama.
 * Terrible Trio: Burke, Stone, and Yvonne team up to kill Chapel in "Inked." Burke seems to be the brains, Yvonne the beauty, and Stone the muscle, but these roles are a bit subjective.
 * The Stinger: Almost every episode has one.
 * Theme Music Power-Up: When Chapel returns to  in "Battered, Part Two."

"Chapel: "Offhand, I'd say it's because YOU SUCK AT KILLING ME!!!""
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill:  in "Famed."
 * Time Skip: Between Season One and Two.
 * Trigger Happy: At first, Burke seems to not like guns at all, but after getting, she develops a pretty major gun fetish.
 * Unknown Rival: Chapel isn't even aware that  until the episode "Inked."
 * Verbed Title: Every episode.
 * Waking Up Elsewhere: When Chapel has to get out of town at the end of "Inked," Butch Sauft punches her out. She wakes up to see
 * What the Hell, Hero?: In "Famed," when  realizes that she's dying, she begs Chapel for help. Chapel's response?   HARSH.
 * Why Won't You Die?: Yvonne says this to Chapel in "Inked." Also counts as a Punctuated! For! Emphasis!.


 * Worthy Opponent: Burke says this to Chapel in "Matched."