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Night of The Living Spud
Reviewed: 03/23/2007
It's the Night of the Nightmare Rant!
Well here we go and please have mercy on the Muddlefoot's soul...
The episode is written by Steve Roberts and the story is edited by Duane Capizzi. This would be the third episode in a row animated by Sun Woo. Funny story: The producer of this episode is Overseas Animation Supervisor for TaleSpin, Russell Mooney.
And we start this episode at a campfire which seems apporos for this episode since I would like to burn it right now. We see three Jr. Woodchucks (I think) telling bad ghost stories to each other. One of the little ducks (Dana Hill I think) tries a bad impersonation of a creepy beast which makes me laugh a little. Well; this is COMEDY BABY! Once we see a pair of badly animated trees sway , the dreaded smoke cloud appears AND THAT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH! The two slightly fat small ducks try to be frightened; but they screw it up badly...Oh great; that wasn't so funny. Of course; it's DARKWING....DUCK!
Darkwing: I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the moth that seeks your porch light!
Okay; that was really stupid and nonsense to boot. I think we are in for a really long episode now. The tough guy duck blows him off since it's only a jerk in the costume. Wow; he's the only one right now who is slightly over and he makes most child characters look good. Drake repeats the spot (UGH!) and the tough guy duck blows him off. I like the Ducktales Junior Woodchucks a lot better since Doofus was over and the Nephews still had more than enough heat to be likable. Drake defends this outrage which might not be a bad idea in this episode. Of course; he steals the compass to prove that he's lying...Badly...Okay; Drake isn't even trying at this point which is a really bad sign. Educational stuff commences which is pointless since it isn't entertaining enough to be worth it. Tough Guy Duck wants a payback and Drake really screws that up...Badly, while Sun Woo screws up Drake's wussy bump in trying to steal the compass again. Tough Guy Duck wants a scary story. Riiight. This loser didn't get the memo from the last four episodes: THIS IS COMEDY BABY!
Horror doesn't work unless it's dramatic or it's so bad that it is self-parody. Disney Television Animation can't do either well unless it's Jymn Magon at the helm. Drake decides to play along and has one about the...Wait for it....A Vampire Potato?! WHAT THE HECK?! Even Tough Guy Duck's laughing so you know it's horrible. Really Steve? That's the best you could come up with? Why not the Vampire Broccoli; or the Vampire Spinach or even the Vampire Liver? At least those edible products are on the top of the list of things kids are fearful for...unless you're Zora from Digimon 01. I mean; everyone loves potatoes and all it's going to do for this episode is make everyone gain sympathy for the potato to eat everyone brains and get the episode over with quickly. Drake's vampire look is pretty good though; I'll give him that much. So; it's time to return to the flashback because having Drake narrate stuff gets him so over. NOT!
And of course; the sadist part of the episode happens as we return to Bushroot's GREENHOUSE FROM HELL as Reggie Bushroot has returned to mid-season form after being reduced to cabbage in his debut. He thought he was buried before...? See; Bushroot's MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN #2 is to grow a plant bride so he can marry it and have a plant family; I guess. This scene is the only really good part of this episode actually. He calls for Spike and here he comes after playing fetch with Drake. Well; that's one logic break chopped off at least. Spike brings Bushroot the rolling cart filled with plant products. Bushroot does the lame ask for the product and Spike gives it to him spot. Sadly; no mild reference to feces so Disney is tightening up the content as well as the budget for this show. I don't see how fluoride is a plant grower; but I thought it was cute to see Reggie try to give it the dairy whipped topping. And of course; he wants the main event which is the blossom of Posey. Sadly; Spike forgot that ingredient so he has to bail in order to find causing the delay in Bushroot's lovely experiment. Well; Spike is a Plant Dog so intelligence is not his forte.
Spike goes to the locker and pulls out a yellow jar. Spike tries to run but he trips and the yellow jar flies into the air which makes no sense at all. First logic break of the episode which actually isn't so bad all things considered. Spike fails to catch it of course and it smashes against the ground; basically killing Posey. Morality question: Since Spike is a plant...Can that scene be grounds as an abortion or a murder? Bushroot is still asking for Posey and getting nothing...AND THE ROCK SEZS NOTHING! Spike goes back into the locker pulls out another yellow jar which I suspect is the one with the potato in it. Reggie puts the potato crap into the flower pot as he gets a cartoon bubble showing a sexy drawn female red daisy who actually looks hotter than Lotta Lamour. That moment would be painted over in anime actually. That was pretty cute as Bushroot waters the flower pot and waits for the result to reveal themselves. The flowerpot explodes revealing a the GAINT VAMPIRE POTATO OF HIDEOUS DEATH! And man she is ugly! Now; I know that this lops off a CONTINUITY ERROR and renders a foreshadowing of the debut with Larson and Gary killing the poor potato; but this is one of those times where a CONTINUITY ERROR would not be so bad after all. Bushroot does his decent Frankenstein promo which show that he's trying when he really shouldn't. Sadly; he realizes that he has been buried by his turncoat plant dog and he let's Spike have it by pinching his mouth and then thrusting him down with a decent bump.
That was one bump where a wussy bump would have been funnier. This is like shooting potatoes in a barrel; both ways. Bushroot thinks this plan is over; but decides to become game in this case. Bushroot holds her wrist and proposes marriage to the vampire potato and it growls no. Bushroot takes it like a man who doesn't get the fact that no means no. He's a heel; what did you expect? Spike dances from left to right in a bad animation spot throwing dust as Bushroot changes to his marriage clothes. This marriage is a non-starter methinks. Reggie stuffs a lilac dress which is so hideous even the FASHION POLICE OF LAW wouldn't try...Oh; forget it! I shouldn't be wasting my A material on this episode. I personally shouldn't be ranting on this episode; but I have to. I'm behind as it is. The dress rips into shreds of episode...because she's TOO FAT! So Bushroot uses FUZZY CARTOON LOGIC and tries to lift the vampire potato and gets squashed of course. Considering Reggie's weight; I'm surprised he was able to lift her off the ground at all. I guess plants are like ants after all.
Well; live and learn unless you're Steve Roberts. Steve doesn't learn at all that potatoes=bad idea written all over it. So Bushroot pushes her out of the GREENHOUSE FROM HELL into the LIVING GREENHOUSE FROM HELL. What's the difference? One's a real greenhouse and one is an illegal cloning lab. I think you can tell which is which. Bushroot give her all the needs of a good potato and she growls to say that she hates it. Well; I wouldn't expect gratitude out of something that is only good when it's cooked in oil or water or both. Bushroot is ticked off and that only makes Posey mad. I'm skipping the joke because it's getting tedious to type. Much like this episode as her growl creates a lot of ugly wind on Reggie. Reggie decides to be used rather than use Posey; and decides to get her some presents...Or as they say; rob stores since he's a PLANT DUCK now. Bushroot runs out the door and instantly; Posey rams through the glass which the animators screwed up making us think that they made an animation error since the camera angle was the same as for Reggie's exit and that's it for the good portion of the episode. For now anyway....
We now head to Drake Mallard's home as the DREADED VOICEOVER OF DOOM continues from Drake. Drake is in EGO TRIP mode as he calls himself debonair. I would blow him off right there but Tough Guy Duck doesn't even try to. That's just sad folks as we head to Drake Mallard's living room as we see Drake Mallard with his feet on the coffee table watching television. Remember kiddies; before there was the World Wide Spider Web. Ooops; wrong show. I mean World Wide Web; we got our news, sports and entertainment from television...and there was more of a family feeling than there is now with all the porno going around now...and of course; Gosalyn states that the Muddlefoots are moving. Drake of course sells it by jumping up and down for joy. OH GOD DRAKE! He buried them in one move! I know that I'm watching the DVD instead of the show which the air dates can be out of order; but come on!
The Muddlefoots were a pretty funny family lead by the doofus Herb (Jim Cummings I believe), the SAFETY QUEEN OF DOOM Binky (She even gets to prove that in one full episode- voiced by Susan Tolsky returning after her awesome performance in Sheepskin Deep) and Tank Muddlefoot (voiced by the late Dana Hill who voiced Max in Goof Troop) who is the bully brother of Honker. Honker is the best, Tank is the worst; Herb and Binky are somewhere in between. AND DRAKE BURYS THEM IN ONE SHOT! Thanks a lot Steve! TOTAL MARKDOWN CITY FOR THAT MOMENT! Okay; let's move on. We head outside as Honker and Herb are moving a couch towards the moving truck. I think. Well; at least Herb does as much as Honker does in that spot; instead of Baloo letting Kit do all the work...and before Herb and Honker can do a spot to be funny; Drake ruins it by grabbing the couch which is bigger than his own body weight and stuffs it into the camper via the side door by himself without any help or context or reason. That is Logic Break #2 for the episode.
Drake is ruining this episode by not only acting like a jerk; he's also leeching off the Muddlefoot's heat. He also does the same for the cream loveseat as he asks for a destination and then Herb shows just how dumb Drake is by proclaiming that they aren't moving at all which saps all of Drake's strength as his foot takes a wussy bump off of the loveseat. I guess that's Honker's seat since Herb is SO FAT! Herb's only going on a little camping trip; so he needs to bring home to them. Hey; that spot is so goofy that it's more relevent today than sixteen years ago. Tank is actually doing some man's work by carrying the fridge on the wheel rollers just to show how girlie he really is. Binky is carrying a flower pot as Honker does nothing because he's the most over I guess. Binky wants the VCR too and Gosalyn gets inspired as she gets off the first Keen Gear of the episode.
Drake accuses her of hating camping which I believe Drake is lying because Gosalyn is over and Kit loves camping and adventure anywhere. Then again; Gos and Kit are worlds apart different. Read the first episode rant that I did on Darkwing for the notes. Gos wants to catch Big Webfoot which Drake blows off as a fairy tale. Much like Muddlefoot's heat if they don't do something funny. Tank improves his work rate by carrying the washing machine (I think) which is cute to see as Gos grabs Honker and they are off. Drake goes back into his house blowing Gosalyn off and seeing this as a good thing since he can be as lazy as Baloo. Geez; Baloo is looking more and more over the more I watch Drake Mallard. Drake uses the remote control and the television news comes on with a newsflash that is sure to screw Drake into becoming DARKWING...DUCK! The Television Announcer looks like Ken Powers from Quack Pack if he was a dogsperson. Apparently; Bushroot is on the warpath again stealing from Fabric King. Well; that's not the worst pun I've heard from this episode....
We head to Fabric King warehouse as Bushroot is looking at various color fabric's in bulk while a dogsperson fat lady is tied up looking uninterested. At least sell some fear there lady! It's a DUCK PLANT you're dealing with. See what I mean when I say that Reggie is getting buried?! Anyhow; he cannot decide and the fat tied up lady sounds so uninterested that her selling of fear is terrible beyond belief. This is the same Steve Roberts who wore a ***** TaleSpin episode in Bullethead Baloo which allowed a groin shot on Baloo for goodness sake. The SMOKE OF DOOM appears AND THAT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH! I know that this episode is so bad that I should just rant it straight up; but I've got to amuse myself somehow. Darkwing Duck appears of course with Launchpad holding a baseball bat-sized black striped fabric for the cheap prisoner gag. Well; Darkwing Duck is actually improving if that means anything. Launchpad takes a gaint swing for GOOD GUYS everywhere and it's a MAN-SIZED bump for Reggie Bushroot. If that's all Reggie is good for then he's done for. And I was loving him so much too. Darkwing invokes the gas gun for Bushroot to suck gas.
This episode sucks eggs already; so that was pointless and it hits; but Bushroot no-sells. Yippeee!! Reggie has a strength after all. Hey Drake; bring a chainsaw next time you doofus! Bushroot is standing for himself finally in spite of everyone trying to bury him; including the writers. Bushroot then goes for the most hideous attack I've seen this side of Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (In a good way though) as he invokes pollen dandruff from his head. Finally; an awesome attack from the guy. This episode may suck but Bushroot is making a show out of it even though it's a steep climb from here. Drake and Launchpad start sneezing of course which allows Reggie to bail. Sadly; Drake and Launchpad don't have the decency to sell it like it's COMEDY BABY! Drake and Launchpad get onto the motorcycle and the race is on! So Bushroot counters with the POISON IVY LEAGUE CARPET OF DOOM which is just so like Reggie for some reason. He's trying; you cannot take that away from his. Then a really stupid spot occurs as Reggie goes left and Launchpad tells Drake to turn left which lands a wussy bump into Hamburger Hippo's Burger Joint again. That just makes no sense whatsoever as Drake and Launchpad are hip deep into the hamburgers. It's so lame even Drake doesn't get in a proper death reference. That is just sad folks.
We now go to a road as the Muddlefoot's camper starts breaking down as the singing is so crappy that it is actually funny. Well; with no Drake around this should be smooth sailing from here. Herb decides that this is enough and he parks into a clearing and tells Binky to get the chips ready. The camper stops and Gosalyn bust out of the camper complete with the FAIRY KILLING BUTTERFLY NET OF DOOM. Hey Gos; to catch a man ape; you need a big cage with bananas. That's how Dusty Rhodes got that man in an ape suit that he called Baby Doll Number Two in a promo for the NWA. Honker is forced to follow as Tank comes out and gives an evil laugh...and he somehow manages to outclass Tarus Bullba in that department. So he decides to play the old camp joke of being the fake Big Webfoot himself using the fur duck feet. Well; that would normally be a fashion faux pas, but in Tank's case that would be apporos.
Anyhow; we return to the GREENHOUSE FROM HELL as Bushroot comes back with some threads and some frozen yoghurt which makes me love that villain even more except for Gosalyn. Bushroot discovers that Posey is gone (DUH!) and at least the animators got the angle right this time around. Bushroot likes it for a second and then realizes that he's her bride to be and he needs her so he runs into the moonlight. We head into the badly animated woods where Tank is dressed up like a total tool because only Honker could be fooled by this disguise. The goggles and breathing pipe give it away of course. Tank is supposed to be a tough guy male of Gosalyn but he doesn't have the empathy to make it work. He sees the bushes move and think that it's Honker. So he foolishly opens them to reveal Posey. Now if Tank was smart; he would bring a chainsaw and some butter to fry this mutant potato and put the idea out of it's misery. Sadly; there is still about 15 minutes left in the episode so the episode MUST CONTINUE. Tank is scared stiff with the hair sticking out end (nice spot for a change Sun Woo) and Posey grabs him to do horrible things that a potato does when it goes postal; I guess. We go to the road from the CITY OF SAINT CANARD which looks like building stacked onto each other. Logic Break #3 for the episode.
Drake and Lauchpad are walking by themselves. So that bike finally broke down or is that a CONTINUITY ERROR I see. I'll take the former for Steve's sake. Drake continues to ruin careers by blowing off Launchpad's attempt at shortcuts. Why you would depend on LP for that is beyond me. LP sees a truck coming which is badly animated and LP tries the diplomatic way to call for it by using the hitchhiking sign. Drake blows him off by actually STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD because that's more assertive. Or maybe it's because Drake is really stupid. Remember what Chris Barat said about the writers being so lazy because he's just a cartoon duck. You're seeing it in full bloom...and of course; the truck runs Drake over DUH! Launchpad comes over as a ferret furry in overalls with a wheat straw in his mouth (because cigarettes are illegal in a Disney Television Animation show.) and a straw hat pulls DW out. Oh great; we've gone from the bad idea of a mutant potato to even lamer hick comedy...and that country hillbilly is smarter than Drake; what a shock?! Probably to keep Peggy Charmon at bay I bet..
The hillbilly offers Drake a ride and I do not like where this episode is going as the hillbilly does the stereotypical spit drop to prove that he's a hick. Look; redneck comedy can be funny, but since this is a kids cartoon, the insulting parts that make it humorous are going to be nonexistent due to BS&P and considering how Eisner basically hates anything that might remotely cause a stink; this is going to be as dull as dry sand. We go on the road as the hillbilly is apparently a government agent transporting aliens in the back of the truck. I guess this is humor towards Republication Conspiracy Theories; but I don't get the point of it. Drake wants out; but the hillbilly wants him to stay because you get to see things...and of course; Posey appears on cue allowing the hillbilly to show of his driving skills which is basically all he can do with any sort of competence. He calls Posey bigger than Jake's cow. That would be foreshadowing to another episode featuring a dead ringer to Crazy Eddy and more Southern hick jokes. I though TaleSpin handled the south well since Baloo is Southern and over; and Crazy Eddy was over as well.
This hillbilly is not over in case you are wondering. The animation is good here though. The hillbilly calls Posey a russet because it is mean. Okay; that finally makes some sense even if I don't get the point of the russet here. LP wants a strategy against them and the hillbilly The Hillbilly whose name is Duane states that you need to say tater backwards and shake the pollen off a Lycium Nycanthropus plant. For those don't understand that; the hillbilly is another Duane Capizzi pun since he's story editing this episode, that gives away the finish right in advance and tater means retat backwards. Geez; that's too close to saying retard there guys! Duane's a lot smart than he should be and I bet it was a BS&P decision too and of course; he doesn't know what it is because he's a hick and he spits out the window again just to annoy me. It's funny that Disney never allowed the word hick since Fairly Oddparents allowed it freely. Then again; that's 1991 for ya.
We return to the campsite with a funny visual of Herb and Binky Muddlefoot watching a show on television with the camper as juice. There's just some about it that makes it so relevant with today's youth. We see Tank Muddlefoot walking back and sitting down on the couch looking like zombie because he was poisoned by the mutant potato. The anime faint eyes gave it away. The Ken Power's look-a-like is back on the news which should really get Bearcat's goat if he/she ever reads this rant. He's talking about the vampire potato on the loose of course and Ken is invoking more fear than usual which means that the Muddlefoots are about to be zombies in a few moments. Binky comes out and give Tank his favorite dish; instant mashed potatoes which is fitting since this episode has been mashed to pieces. Symptom #1: They love potatoes. That would have been funny if Tank didn't LIKE potatoes in the first place. Symptom #2: They are in a trance and do not speak. Apparently; saying zombie isn't allowed on Saint Canard television. He eats something from Muddlefoot's hands ;probably a potato chip to continue to be not funny. Herb doesn't like the movie which is funny since they are watching real news. Geez; even Ken Powers cannot convince Herb that it's real. Symptom #3: They grow potato roots from their heads. That doesn't make sense since potatoes are ground plants.
Shouldn't they grow from their feet to make the joke fit? I guess even the writers are too lazy to notice how unfunny this is getting. Binky comes out and she thinks Tank needs a haircut as she doesn't notice. They are dense but not as dense as Drake. The vampire could be anywhere and of course Posey appears out of the bushes. Sadly; the writers and animators completely screw up the scene because Binky claims she sees the giant potato BEFORE they show the potato; not AFTER the fact. MEMO to writers: After they see mutant potato they say giant potato equals funny. Before equalsNot Funny. Get it?! Anyhow; we cut to Gosalyn and Honker in the wood as Gosalyn hears the sound of Big Webfoot coming from the campsite. They sneak behind the bushes and Gosalyn tells Honker to grab him while she mans the net. Yeah; Honker is the Kit of the show; doing all the work.
I was hoping Gosalyn would get those spots. Honker does a pretty good scare promo to amuse me. Sadly; Gosalyn doesn't sell and basically throws Honker into the line of fire right behind Posey. Honker is finished at this point and that means the Muddlefoots are disabled for the rest of the episode. Curse you Steve Roberts for burying this funny family in one segment! Honker's screaming for help is so uber lame that I had to mention it. Gosalyn nails Posey with the FAIRY KILLING BUTTERFLY NET OF DOOM. However; since it's not a fairy godparent; Posey no sells and Gosalyn looks remotely scared as the animators make her look terrible as the segment ends at 11:36...We're half way through this and I'm sick of it already. Now it's just Posey and Gosalyn left to try to salvage an episode....
After the commercial break; we return to the truck as the hillbilly is still driving and boring me to death with doing nothing of note. Drake and Launchpad are the only ones who look remotely interested at this point. The truck finally stops just as LP and DW get scared about a vampire. This is where LP and DW get off as the door opens and Launchpad sees Hamburger Hippo! Just like all fast food joints; they grow anywhere they please. Just like Wal-Mart. Anyhow; Launchpad and Drake get off just as the hillbilly refers to himself as Moe Duane and then Moe speeds off into the windy night. He must be scared of the VAMPIRE POTATO! So much for being smarter than Drake. Funny moment: As Drake said that Duane should be in the looney bin; the subtitle writers spelled Duane as Duyane. Even the subtitle writer thinks this episode sucks and I'm inclined to agree with it. Drake decides to meet the local who are all Southern hicks (like the accent doesn't give THAT away?!) and dogs and ferrets to boot.
One is a gray bulldog talking about seeing a vampire as the locals are too stupid to know what a vampire is. I guess they don't get television here in the country which is really stereotypical of Disney and they should know better since redneck comedy is too insulting to be on a kids show. One of them would kill it with a stake in the heart. Like that would work on a potato. I hear that you need to slice it in half; put butter on it and then nuke it in the microwave. Oh come on; we're talking about a POTATO here! I have NOTHING to work with here for jokes. I could go for the stick a fork joke in there; but that's the only good joke for a potato and I don't see them using a pun here. So they see Drake and they declare him the vampire; so they jump him and pin him to the ground in a rack formation. Okay; this could work. They decide to drive a stake through his heart to prove that he's the vampire..or not! I never really get the joke! And sadly; Gosalyn of all people stops the funny stuff before it came even remotely happens. If this was TaleSpin; Baloo would be cracking a joke that was semi-funny at that spot. Drake got to do absolutely NOTHING! My respect for Steve Roberts is falling faster than my chances of getting a good paying job at this point. Of course; they believe Drake is the vampire thus making it less funny than before. I knew this Southern Hick comedy wouldn't work on Disney. They are so out of touch with reality to pull it off. Gosalyn stops the fun again if you can call it that. My respect for Gosalyn fell a notch after this.
Gosalyn tries to explain that the Vampire Potato just turned the Muddlefoot's into zombie; but the hicks are too dumb to fall for it. They don't know what a Muddlefoot is. Well; the refresher states that a Muddlefoot is a confused foot; or a chaos foot. Something that would turn on you. Of in this case; make you laugh which Steve Roberts isn't even giving them at this point. The bulldog's name is Zeke if you care to know and he tries to pound the stake into Drake's heart. I'm hoping he does the same to me to end my misery. I had to take a bathroom break and play a few Youtube videos just to get me back into the mood to write this rant after the commercial break. Gosalyn stops him again; this time looking angry as Zeke wants proof that Drake isn't a vampire. Gos proposes a vampire test and Drake agrees with it as he's free again. UH OH! You don't want to accept THAT test around these people Drake. Zeke states that vampires are supposed to bounce; so naturally Zack gets to do the honors of throwing DARKWING....DUCK off of the highest tree in the country. Drake wants the written test; but no dice as he is thrown down hard and he sticks to the ground like a lawn dart. Okay; that was pretty funny. Maybe this will help get through this bad episode: Let Drake be an international object.
That should be proof enough that he's a vampire. However; the hicks are relative that they propose a second test. I guess they heard a MAN-SIZED bump; because I didn't see it. The next test: Vampires hate hot red pepper sauce. Wait; that only works on squids who eat Frosty Pep guys! So Drake is forced onto the 50's retro chair while making a horn sound effect which comes OUT OF NOWHERE and goes in the same place. Zeke brings out the hot chili peppers from the jar. So of course; he puts about three dozen of them into Drake. Drake take it well for about five seconds as his face is orange hot (HUH?!), complete with train whistle and school bell sound effects. Okay; that is complete overkill now as Drake unleashes the flamethrower which is well done in animation; but misses everyone. Of course that spot is now a commercial for a cold medicine so it's completely lame by my standards. Drake also does the cliché rocket spot (complete with smoke AND THAT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH) as he goes up at least one hundred feet. Zeke wants the stake; but Zack eats a chili pepper and he REPEATS THE PREVIOUS TWO SPOTS! Sure sign of a bad character for life: DON'T REPEAT THE SPOT!
Zeke thinks Zack is a vampire and Launchpad thinks that this is wrong. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. Gosalyn then proposes the ultimate test: Set Drake on fire. Now that more like it and it took her almost 15 minutes to do a good spot. Drake hates this idea and accuses Gosalyn of turning heel. Gosalyn doesn't turn heel until she becomes Quiverwing Quack Drake! However; this is payback for Drake's saying that Gos should be whacked with a mallet. Zeke lights a match and wants to also throw gas onto Drake as well! OH GOD! If this is where WCW got their idea for the Human Torch match then Disney deserves to get sued. If only on general principal alone. I betcha this was cut by Disney in 1995. Drake mentions Duane's name and Zeke is stunned by this as he puts out the match and Drake is saved by Moe's mere name. Wow; these hillbillies are even more stupid than Drake is. That is just peachy. The hicks let Drake loose and discover that there is still a vampire on the loose. So they decide to run into battle against it. Good; that should eliminate the gene pool right there.
Drake is ticked off because there is a vampire potato on the loose and it's driving him crazy. This episode is driving me crazy as the bushes start to move which are the same bushes that the hicks went OVER a few seconds ago. That's Logic Break #5 of the episode which isn't the worst thing in this asinine episode. Drake calls it just the wind and I predict that it's Bushroot behind those bushes because if it were Posey then. Drake calls for Launchpad to go over using the harsh FINGER POINTING OF DOOM to force him and LP sells and goes to the bushes... those hicks would be zombies in a few seconds. OH CRAP! It's Posey! Logic Break #6 of the episode. Drake calls a vampire potato ridiculous.
Finally; someone who actually agrees with me for a change. Another real comment that shows that Steve has no clue that this episode stinks...Badly.... Launchpad and Posey have a silly fight which is so lame that is could be a contender for The Mighty Hercules in bad fighting sequences. Drake accuses Gosalyn of watching too many horror movies. I accuse Drake of making too many stupid statements myself. Launchpad appears and he's a zombie. He's silent and eats potato chips just to show that he's a zombie. Drake blows it off and thinks Launchpad is normal. Okay; who's the zombie here?! Drake decides to return to the campsite where the Muddlefoots are to prove that they are all right. Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn walk towards the campsite with Posey coming close behind to finish the job as they say....
We return to the campsite where we see Gosalyn and Drake sneaking in. Gosalyn shows the Muddlefoots as zombies while Launchpad decides to join Binky, Honker, Tank and Herb eating potato chips. Now you would think that Honker eating potato chips would prove that they are zombies but Drake shows no dice here. He's got an answer for everything which doesn't make any sense even for them. Drake hates the Muddlefoots not unlike Timmy's Dad hates the Dingleberries. One major difference: You don't see Drake hating them at every point. However; he is burying them here which is not needed when you're seeing them for the first time EVER! Drake seems more content to prove that Gosalyn should be banned from watching movies ever again. However; Gosalyn decides to use the most obvious proof: Have Drake turn his back. And of course; Posey is right behind Drake. For once; that potato has some heat. Too bad it's all BABYFACE heat!
See; since Drake is considered just a cartoon duck, he is so dumb to fall for the obvious clues that the vampire potato puts in front of him. So we're supposed to feel bad for Drake if he becomes a zombie? I know this is COMEDY baby; but the COMEDY is disabled because the Muddlefoot's are best at it and they are out of commission right now! Posey grabs Drake and Gosalyn goes into the camper. Drake is hoping for a shotgun and of course his HOPE CHEST is gone. Drake goes for the POWER OF THE PUNCH and it causes more harm to himself of course. Ummm...Steve?! He's a POTATO! Even a punch should do some damage. That's Logic Break #7 for the episode. Posey no-sells so Drake goes for the gas gun and it spews smoke. AND THAT'S BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH and I fear this episode is bad for your health too now. Posey no-sells of course and swipes the gas gun away. Drake screams to Gosalyn...badly...and Gosalyn comes out to invoke the...wait for it...the potato peeler. That's two good spots for Gosalyn in this episode and she still cannot save this episode. Geez; this makes DAVE THE CLEANING BARBARIAN OF LAUGHS feel all gushy inside like the pussy that he is. Sadly; Gosalyn is using the first potato pun and it is lame as heck. Posey hates it so he swipes the potato peeler away and that spot is screwed up by Sun Woo.
Gosalyn smiles like she's been screwed and runs into the camper while Drake screams...badly...Please turn Drake into a zombie now! Gosalyn wonders if there is a deep fat fryer in there as Bushroot finally arrives almost 18 minutes into the episode. Sadly; both Reggie's combined couldn't save this episode. Bushroot then see Posey and Drake together and Bushroot see it as a tragedy. It's too late Reggie to try to save this episode; you should just mercy kill it about 10 minutes ago. He calls Drake a Casanova Duck. Ooooo..touche there Reggie! Drake then finds the only way to get her to stop bear hugging him: Bite him on screen. Hey; it worked for Oscar Vandersnoot and even he couldn't save this sad episode either.
Stupid question: Why can't a female bite a male on-screen? Drake scatters and the moronic ego trip returns to trip him up again as he thinks Posey is slow. Posey uses it's roots to grab Drake and plant him into the ground. Okay; that was pretty funny...Then Bushroot appears in the tractor and Drake stupidity thinks that he's going to save him. You think after all this, Drake would realize that it's not going to happen...So of course; Bushroot wants to kill him with the John Deere Tractor! Now that is irony folks. Remember that Bushroot was nearly killed by that same tractor in his debut. At least Steve Roberts is maintaining CONTINUITY from Bushroot debut. Sadly; he clearly built it around that spot and really failed to write a decent story to build up to it. Bushroot is going to mow down Drake as the segment ends here at 18:36?! Which is good because that means there is only about three minutes left in the episode.
After the commercial break; we see Bushroot about to MURDER Drake in a really ironic moment; however, Drake manages to duck underground after struggling a bit. Geez; that was pretty lame. Bushroot is screwed so he's forced to repeat the spot because Drake found a gopher hole. Memo to Reggie: You can say dead in this cartoon...This isn't 4Kids, this is Disney and he misses Drake AGAIN! Drake uses the network of gopher holes which are as big as his own body to crawl under. Are their mutant gophers too?! Well; those animals would be 100X better than a giant mutant potato. Please; just end my misery now. However; Posey's roots find him and he's forced to scatter again. Posey puts down her roots in order to surround Drake. Big mistake there as Drake finally grows a brain for a change as he grabs the potato vines and ties them up.
I guess Steve realized that he couldn't keep Drake as a cartoon duck for long. Drake then digs a move slanting to the right and pops out of the ground. How does that work?! I guess Drake's found a steroid that doesn't grow muscle and still give him super strength to dig holes in compact ground. Drake's ego trip returns and he gets caught in the remaining potato vines of Posey. His stupid levels are back to normal. We get a pretty dramatic moment of Posey trying to bite Drake on screen and make him into a zombie. However; Reggie appears and crashes right into Posey; both taking MAN-SIZED bumps in the process. What was the point of that?! So now Gosalyn appears with the frying pan as Reggie tries to plead forgiveness to Posey. It doesn't work as Posey grabs the frying pan and bashes him hard with it about four or five times. OUCH! Reggie is bumping for ten people on that spot. Drake then starts going over the finish without any buildup or context to it. Then they find out who the plant is: Reggie Bushroot. So Gosalyn and Drake go to Bushroot and start shaking his POLLEN DANDRUFF OF DEATH towards Posey while saying otatop which doesn't work at all...and then they realize that Duane never said that so they just say potato backwards. OH PLEASE! Just end it now and the heavens beckon as Posey finally turns back into a regular old potato after a really lame spot that just took forever and Posey would have turned them into zombies much quicker.
I think Posey's just confused. That of course breaks the curse and the Muddlefoots plus Luanchpad are back to normal. Well as normal as the Muddlefoots are. Launchpad goes towards Drake to explain what he found; but Drake claims the nightmare is over. Gosalyn wants to know how he did it and Drake tries to make it that he was a genius in research which Gosalyn rightfully blows off. Drake confesses that it was Moe who helped him and now Reggie is ticked off and some butt kicking and taking names will commence. Much like I should do after this rant is written. So Reggie goes for the bazooka which looks like a plumbing pipe. All is lost for the GANG OF GAG; but OUT OF NOWHERE the hicks show up to ruin everything. And I mean everything. So Drake channels the powers of Homer Simpson as he accuses Bushroot of being a vampire like Homer did to Lisa Simpson in one Halloween episode and of course Reggie blows it off. UH OH! Zeke lights the match and wants some fuel! OH GREAT! Now Sun Woo is repeating animation sequences! It's the exact same one as before. And since Bushroot is weak against fire; he runs off like a scalded dog and that is that....
We return as the campfire has nearly gone out as Drake complete his story. Two of the three Junior Woodchucks are scared stiff complete with HB teeth chattering sound effect. Now you know that you're watching a classic. The tough duck isn't buying it and calls it dumb. Too late to argue that point little guy. So Drake decides to use the howling Posey device and now even Tough Guy Duck is starting to get scared. They decide to foolishly listen to the sound of the night and of course a loud howl beckons which causes the JUNIOR WOODCHUCKS OF FRIGHT to run away like scaled ducks. Drake teases a scared look; but then just shrugs to ends the episode at 21:21 . Bushroot and Gosalyn did a few good spots; but that was all as this is as close to DUD as you can get. ½*( 10%)
THE REVIEW LINE
I really don't like this episode at all. It was on repeats on Family Channel Canada a lot in the past and I hated it before and I hate it now. I gave it a DUD then; and a good good spots from Gosalyn and Bushroot save it from becoming a DUD. It was clear from the episode's title that this one was in trouble. They tried to make Posey a monster heel; but he got sympathy because people love potatoes and they aren't going to buy into a potato being a serious threat. If it was a vegetable that the majority of the audience hates; then it would have worked fine. However; the whole thing wouldn't matter since the whole episode was spent burying Bushroot and the Muddlefoots. The Muddlefoots were a funny family; but you wouldn't know it from this episode as they were wasted in a silly premise to start with. However; Reggie was buried for a while before the writers finally decided to make him cool again; but it had little or no buildup to make him a force again.
Now I can't see him as more than a joke villain now and not a Fearsome Five villain that he's supposed to be. Everything was concentrated into big spots that weren't all that impressive and comedy that didn't work. The southern hick comedy was a failure from the start because the only thing funny about redneck comedy is the offensive stuff and that's not what Steve Roberts gave. However; it doesn't surprise me since Disney wouldn't allow it. So the hillbillies were there just to suck time and make Drake even more dumber than he should be. It also shows how lazy writers can be when they see: Oh; it's a cartoon duck. DUCKS RULEZ! And then forget how to write a proper storyline that makes sense. Add on seven logic breaks and some really bad animation along with the usual blown spots from Sun Woo and this was a disaster. TaleSpin had the characters and interaction to carry episodes to above average even at their worst. This one didn't. The next episode is Apes of Wrath and this one is much better. I just hope that I can enjoy it better than this one.
Thumbs way down for this episode and I'll see you all next time.