Return to 50 Webs
Disclaimer#1: All images, characters and material is (C) 1990/1991 Walt Disney Company and is being used without permission. The webmaster has made sure that no money was made in the creation of this webpage and that all material used here is used with the up most affection and respect to the Walt Disney Company and the Tale Spin Team.
Disclaimer#2: The views expressed here are solely the views of the webmaster and no one else's. The webmaster has no intentions to change anyone's minds about a particular subject and respects the views of the viewers. Comments about this and other editorial can be E-Mail at gweagle@eastlink.ca or signing the Cloudkicker guest book.
Shell Shocked
Reviewed: 08/28/2008
You just knew the TMNT bashing would continue...
I never got the point of poking fun at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles other than that they were a very popular show back at around the time the Rangers were shown. I almost never saw Jymn Magon do that with TaleSpin and while TaleSpin couldn't beat TMNT in the ratings; they were the closest to them in terms of popularity during their run. Jealousy just doesn't work for ratings. Anyhow; it's time for this episode which I have been told has a huge logic break with Fat Cat. Does it in reality?! Let's rant on and find out shall we?!
This episode is written by Julia Jane Roberts and the story is edited by Ken Koonce and David Weimers. You just knew those two would come back at some point. Sadly; this is the second episode of the entire series animated by Sun Woo. Still; this is better than dealing with Darkwing Duck or even TaleSpin where they went hog wild with Sun Woo (and TaleSpin somehow still managed to look good in spite of it.)
Annoying Moment #1: They are using the awesome first opening sequence for this one. Let's hope it stays that way because I'm getting sick of writing this.
We begin this one SURFING IN THE USA (Read: The beach complete with bad surfing music) with the pan shot of the empty beach (Huh? Was there a viral outbreak in the water or something?) and then cut into a small sandy hill as Dale runs down a hill with the whoopie cushion (It's Dale so it's apporos); but Chip stops him with the LEGAL HAND OF GOD OUT OF NOWHERE which allows Dale to oversell with the anime wobble. Dale protests this outrage while Chip just stands there writing in pencil on a piece of paper which to me looks like his last will and testament for the Dale fight that would likely follow if BS&P hasn't stepped in. Chip states that it's all in good time; but he wants to act like Sunni on speed. It just doesn't work since Chip is no diva. Chip asking Dale to blow up something is really disturbing considering that it's DALE that he's talking to and blowing up stuff is like inviting death to Dale. Dale blows him off because he wants to go swimming see. Chip takes no notice because he has everything planned see and I hope they don't go to Sunni's template because no one can top it (well maybe TaleSpin if Magon wanted to go there; but he didn't.). We then cut over stage right to see Gadget asking Chip if she is supposed to dust the sand dunes next as she is wearing that almost as hot as her last outfit; pink one piece bathing suit. Monty looks like a complete tool without the pilot hat and wearing that silly purple bathing suit of is.
Zipper is wearing his red bathing trunks from Weather Or Not. Gadget is confused again; so Chip corrects her as Monty and Zipper put their stuff down. Monty praises Chip's planning skills; but wants him to go easy on the planning since this is their day off. You know; maybe the reason crime is up is due to all the attempts to TAKE A DAY OFF. Then again; the Rangers bring them to justice all the time so it balances out. Chip comes in to state that they'll have fun because that is planned too. Dale grabs his notes; and it's planned all right...planned to the point of having no fun at all. Hint: Fun is only five minutes long. HAHA! Dale is SHOCKED and APPALLED (in that order) at this; and since he wasted time; Chip then cuts the fun to four minutes. Now Chip is dead as Dale has icicle daggers shooting from his eyes then blitzes Chip and tackles him down onto the yellow mats on the sand taking some rolls and decent bumps on the way. Dale blows him off really good because he spoiled all the fun. YAY! Dale actually fighting with Chip; this would be a main event anywhere in the chipmunk wrestling world. Chip then proclaims that if he doesn't take charge; nothing gets done. But why only five minutes of fun instead of at least thirty Chip?! Sorry; not buying his story about taking charge and Dale decides to play some mind games as he wants to be the leader. Now that would be awesome to see; if only to screw Chip big time.
I betcha Chip doesn't play along with that...I check the DVD...And he actually DOES playing along after some more funny spots with Gadget as she flicks the yellow mat and allows Zipper to go flying off screen taking some wussy bumps along the way. She just knows how to do someone in; Monty calls Dale a born leader when it comes to fun. When Monty is correct you are hosed. Chip gives Dale the sheet and he's the leader for today. This ought to be fun. Chip tries to get Dale to organize the stuff; but he orders them all to have more fun as Monty can play with a balloon as a water toy; Dale wants to play frisbee with Zipper and Chip is to build a sandcastle while his fedora hat is switched with the DUMBEST HAT IN DTVA HISTORY! Everyone not named Chip seems to like this and they start having fun; while Chip is holding the bucket wondering how he got himself into this mess. HAHA! So we have the scene changer of doom and we see Chip playing Frisbee with Zipper; Monty relaxing on his whoopie cushion on the water, Gadget under the pink umbrella tree making her own blend of sunblock which lasts for about 2 hours, 18 minutes and 36 seconds exactly (Only Gadget would make a blend of sunblock despite having good enough stuff on hand which makes her only a step above Mr. Hardcore) and Chip is...well...Where is Chip? Monty blows off mother nature and she blows back with the tidal wave to swamp Monty for challenging her. See; make the insult and pay it off. Why the Darkwing Duck writers didn't do that often enough; I'll never know.
Chip is building a sand castle to finish the CONTINUITY and he's NOT having fun because bossing Dale around was his forte see. He actually uses blueprints to build one and they aren't really special. The term wing it is not in Chip's word context manual I see as he crumbles the blueprints and storms off. Thankfully for him; Dale arrives to leap up backward and destroy the sand castle of course (with his back on less) while catching the Frisbee. Dale gets up and walks stage left dusting the sand by wiggling his tail. He does some tricks with it and then throws a nasty curve ball to Zipper. Zipper tries to grab it; but the LEGAL CRABBY CLAW OF GOD grabs it from the bottom as Zipper takes a pretty nasty shot to the head as a result. Zipper is a little drunk as we see a crab wearing a sardine can on his ass saying mother of pearl which is the first time I have ever seen DTVA hind-shadow instead of foreshadow. I guess this episode aired BEFORE One-Upsman-Chip. He cannot believe what this beach has come to. Well; wearing a sardine can on your ass does lend creditability to that theory since I doubt that it's some crazed fashion statement. He puts the bottle cap on his head as Dale arrives asking why he has a sardine can on his butt and not a shell like all good hermit crabs do. The army of shell less crabs arrives (all with various international objects on their asses) stating that in the morning; all their shells disappeared when they woke up. Dale is SHOCKED at this as the crab makes a really heinous comment by stating that if Dale was any sharper he would cut himself. I'm amazed that Disney didn't cut this out since it's a more intentional suicide comment than Kit's always line to Baloo in P&L Part Four. Maybe it use an audio mistake after all. Disney has never explained the Always mute to anyone at this point.
Chip steps in acting heartless to the crabs on finding new shells and the crabs rightfully blow him off. Monty swears in DUBBED AUSSIE STYLE (Crikey!). Hey; I made a funnie! And I smell a logic break since we actually SAW some shells on the shore at the start of the episode. Is that the logic break Chris Barat talked about with me?! We exchange notes as they are the Rescue Rangers and they help people which is true; but a logic break here since we are dealing with real crabs who can speak. So they are animals actually; which the Rangers have also helped thus contradicting the sentence. My head hurts as they offer to look for them tomorrow because it's their day off see. Now that's the first time. Oh wait; Dale's the leader, that's why he wants to wait. I betcha Chip blows him off because the Rangers always help them NOW. Chip doesn't; but the crabs helpfully blows them off and shoo them back to their side of the beach. Monty blows them off with the Gruffi pose and Chip responds to that in kind because they are the Rescue Rangers and we help people NOW see. He goes into the morality play of doom about losing their home which is even funnier in hindsight since we know in the pilot that Monty lost his home because of Mr. Fat MURDERING it out to sea.
Gadget agrees with Chip because it would make the crabs less crabby. I always love the geek; she talks more than what is needed just to get the correct context out of it and then fumbles along the way. Monty tells Gadget to drop her speech so she drops the yellow mat she was carrying in a funny spot. Chip tries to get his plan underway; but Dale butts in because he's the official leader for the day see. Oh boy! I knew this would come back to bite Chip in the ass. Chip proclaims this to be a serious case and Dale justifies his position by stating that he did a good job being the leader of fun. Baloo needs to sit down and talk to Dale about this being two different things...and because Dale is leader for the day. Chip recoils and decides to let Dale lead which seems just a little too easy for my liking; but with Dale as the leader, he'll find a way to balance it out. Dale decides to find the shells first and wonders for a sign. Then he gets the LIGHTBLUB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY (From Dale?! Yeah right?!); and it's Rescue Rangers Away as he slides down the hill. So that logically leads to....
A gas station which contains signs of the...wait for it. Shell logo?! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh boy! BWHAHAHAHA! I can just hear anime purists and People For A Commercial Free Childhood howl so loudly that dogs can be heard barking from a forty mile radius. I wonder how much Disney PAID Shell to get THAT spot in?! Does SHELL even know?! Shaman King and Yu-Gi-Oh had similar paid ads in their cartoons (the Pepsi drinking and gas station for starters) which were painted out by 4Kids (although I can understand why they did it; but they could have replaced it with funny parody names and logo like Nintendo did with the Blast Corps. Comic in Nintendo Power). This makes Bullethead Baloo look “sub-tile” as Baloo would say in terms of product tie in. Dale of course doesn't find the missing shells in the Shell Gas Station; DUH!! They walk out of the garage (back in regular clothes for some odd reason) and Chip blows him off (too nicely I might add) for the obvious but ultra funny gaffe. Dale sulks on the edge of the sidewalk wondering how he was supposed to know about these things. Gadget tells Dale that a little research can go a long way as Dale calls it reading books and stuff. Dale then gets the LIGHTBULB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY and runs off as Monty now wants Chip to take over the case. Gadget calls that unfair because they made Dale leader for a day. Chip agrees with Gadget (since he wants to marry her see) and Dale needs all the help that they can get. Personally; I call it unfair because Dale is carrying this episode kicking and screaming and Chip would ruin it if he stepped in. See; I'm not biased against Corey Burton for his comments on Ed Gilbert and TaleSpin in any way; no siree!
The Rescue Ranger follow Dale; so we logically head to the “Comix” book store in town. See; this is why I HATE otakus: They make a big deal out of English names and grammar in Japan as misspelled and proclaim that it's the Japanese trying to speak English (Engrish as they say) and yet this would fit their insulting context done by ENGLISH writers. It's a PRO-NOUN guys; and ANYTHING GOES in a name. So when the Japanese yell out Finality Blastor, or Calamity Blastor, Voido Extreme and various other; they are SPELL NAMES. English grammar does not apply; just as SquareEnix does it with Fira, Blizzara, Thundaga and so on here in ENGLISH. Get over it and move on. So we head inside as Dale opens the pink “Comix” book (NOT THAT ONE!) and then lies on it midsection first as he calls this research. Well; at least he's doing something constructive instead of the usual goofing off. At least he's not trying to MURDER his audience like a certain Rhinokey does. AHHAHAHAHAHA! Chip blows him off and that is enough to get Dale up and it's nose butting time. Wow; Sunwoo's animation is really FEELING IT TODAY BABEE! I haven't seen so much life in them since TaleSpin. I guess they were cost cutting when Darkwing Duck came along; but then they looked even better than Kennedy Cartoons by that time.
Dale's reaction is absolutely priceless; but more so because of Sun Woo. Monty has a question (Monty?! Questioning someone?! WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT?!) and it's simple: Do they tell us where to find missing shells? Dale gulps as Monty is mad now and Dale admits that he doesn't. Well; you cannot accuse Dale of having a false ego that's for sure. A big ego; maybe, but not a false one. Monty calls Dale's bluff and Dale ignores him because he has ANOTHER place to look for them and then storms off. The Rangers are confused on this one as we get the scene changer and head out to the shoreline outside of town near a wharf as we see about a hundred shells all lined up in a row on the shoreline. Mole is planting them on the beach selling the rhyme because he just has to be the bump machine or joke for the series. Wart blows him off because they steal sea shells from the sea shore as he is carrying a wooden wheel of ladder rope. If Don Karnage was around; he would say that they PLUNDER the sea shells. Then again; he would be doing a lot more than merely plundering sea shells. And here comes Mepps and Snout carrying Mr. Fat on a stretcher as Mole proclaims that he can hear the ocean if he puts it to his ear. I think that sound is his brain and Mr. Fat knows it which explains his blow off. This is part of his plan see as Mole wants to know where the batteries are.
Mr. Fat grabs the shell because it doesn't have batteries. He calls it the mystery of nature and blows off Mole's lack of brain power as he tries to bean Mole with it; but misses and falls off the stretcher. UH OH! I smell a burying going on here as Snout proclaims that the last sea shell is set up. Mr. Fat gets up and proclaims that once he has all the shells at his command; he'll be able to control the fish of the sea and make that MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH off the cats. This is the second time he has tried to steal fish to control the cat population in this series (next to Part two of To The Rescue) and I think I have figured out the obvious logic break here: How can ANYNONE hear the roar of the ocean with sea shells from a DISTANCE?! You have to be pretty close to hear it and it would have made sense to put the sea shells in the middle of the water on a platform than this. Plus; this is pointless to steal shells since according to How Stuff Works, he doesn't even need a sea shell to get the same effect. Simply using a cup of some kind would work just as well. Although spiral conch shells do produce the best results; so at least the writers aren't completely off base here. I was tempted to say that the logic break is that fish cannot hear sound; but fish do in fact hear sound according to experts. We pan over to the fish plant which looks old and goofy as we cut back to Mr. Fat back on the stretcher sitting up as it's time to clean up the cannery. They walk off as we see the shell lined up in a row near the shoreline. I like this plan; but the shells are in the wrong place to be effective.
So we head to another part of the beach and Sun Woo animating the waves is amazing here. How Sun Woo turned to crap after this episode is beyond me as we pan over to Dale and the Rangers walking on the beach searching for clues; or following aimlessly Dale. Either answer works fine as Dale calls this unfair. He calls the shells dumb and thank goodness those crabs aren't around or Dale would have been cut in more ways than one. The waves crash as Chip now wants to take over the case. At least he is being nice about it which is quite a character development for him; but Dale goes all jerky on us with more nose butting. I knew Monty would be a bad influence on Dale..Oh wait; that's like psychological projection on my part; never mind. Monty proclaims that Dale cannot find the ocean and Dale realizes that he has stopped in front of a boiling river. Again; WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO SUN WOO ANIMATION?! They were never like this; even when TALESPIN was animated, and Sun Woo was pretty good in spite of the blown spots. Chip blows him off because Dale is the leader and they follow him. Chip does the Gruffi pose to annoy me; so Dale blows him off because he was listening to the sound of the ocean.
The sound logic break beckons as Monty's hearing is gone. Dale runs down because he's following the sound of the ocean and he finds the shells lined up on the beach. Wow; Dale used deduction to find them. This is a special day! IN YOUR FACE CHIP! HAHA! Yeah; this whole plan breaks logic; but this is the same Tad Stones who produced DARKWING...DUCK so call this the first signs of COMEDY BABEE! Chip takes it well; but still points out that someone put those shells there and that the case is not over. Dale blows him off harshly like a jerk because his job was to find them. Just like the best selling mainstream video games from Nintendo are there to do the job of entertainment; not be some form of serious art Mr. Hardcore. When Dale is the smart one; you know Chip is screwed badly. Dale runs over and tries to un-pop the shell himself like a selfish funny jerk; but no dice. Dale gets shoved off by the shell and takes a wussy bump onto the ground. Well; I knew that Sun Woo would resort to it at some point. Dale calls the shell a wise guy which is silly because the shell isn't human. I guess wise shell would make kids say hell... AHHAHAHAHA!
Monty swears in DUBBED AUSSIE STYLE as the shells turn around like a bunch of stiff dancers as Gadget points out the obvious here. We then cut to inside the cannery as Mr. Fat is playing with the levers (WRONG LEVERS!) proclaiming that the thing works like a charm. The levers (WRONG LEVERS!) are connected to the cable which is attached to the shells on the shoreline. It's showtime as the heels drop their rope ladders down the chute as the levers (WRONG LEVERS!) play and we hear the sound of the shimmy from the shells. We then cut to in the ocean blue as the school of fish get confused and turn towards the sound in the opposite direction. I never knew that fish schools were teaching surfer dialog in school. AHHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Umm... So we head back to underneath the cannery; to a wooden tank which empty as the Rangers are standing on it wondering why it's there. Gadget points out the obvious as the Rangers panic because here comes the WAVE OF FISH~! HAHA! Dale orders the Rangers to run stage left which is stupid because that's in the DIRECT PATH of the fish and even Chip is on my side as he pleads for Dale to change course. However; it's too late as the Ranger get swamped in the fish wave to end the segment nearly 11 minutes in. Yeah; this plan is silly, but it's creative and fun so far...
After the commercial break; we repeat the previous sequence as the Rangers drown in the fish wave; and then we see the heels on rope ladders beating the heck out of the fish in such a wussy fashion that Lance Storm would see this and go: Damn; that's a weak beating. Mole asks if they got them all. What does he think those fish are; Pokemon?! The fish jump in the water tank as Mepps is happy with the results; while whining at the same time in a funny spot. He pushes the red button with the stick which makes better contact than the beating of the fish; and the heels climb up the rope ladder. Chip pops from the water (and you know it's him since his fedora hat is floating on the surface of the water) and panics as he looks around for the other Rangers. Where is Zipper?! And why does Chip NOT notice him?! Why do the animators and writers NOT notice him?! We cut over to the other Rangers minus Zipper choking on water as they get played around by the jumping fish. And Monty finds Zipper which gives Sun Woo it's first screwed spot of the episode. Dale tells no one to panic while panicking. HAHA! I love it when Dale psychologically projects. Gadget goes into his complex speaking about the walls as Monty tries to escape (either it's because he thinks he can get out; or he wants to get away from Gadget's complex speaking like Michael Eisner being chased by a pack of logistains); but slides down the wall in failure. Dale continues to panic while shaking Chip's coat because he'll think of something. Dale is making Moosel look like a wuss in terms of being a psychopath; and that's SAYING SOMETHING.
Chip is not amused as the cage closes on our heroes while the fish continue to jump without a care in the world as we cut back to Mr. Fat playing with his levers (WRONG LEVERS!). Okay; that was more disturbing than I had intended and that was intended for Norton Ninmul anyhow. He stops his logic breaking music as the shell turn away from him; and Mr. Fat calls it a success. Mr. Fat wants some peace and quiet as Mepps yells up him allowing him to bump his head on the stray open window. Oh; Mepps is really going to get it now as we pan down to Mepps who pops up to the surface on the rope ladder shouting. And all he shouts and whines about is getting all the fish. I was tempted to get a joke in about a certain worker from Reboot and comparing him to Mepps; but I respect my job so I won't. Besides; we all know it's Mr. Hardcore and Mepps that are separated at birth here. Mr. Fat really blows him off because it's rude to shout. Now that's psychological projection if I ever heard it. He shouts at Mepps on the net in place and the heels stammer like Honker after a good bullying from Drake; which Mr. Fat blows off since it's rude to mumble. Mr. Fat would make a good parent after all...or not...I was hoping he mumbled just to complete the projection. So we cut back to the net as the Rangers climb out of the fish tank (How they did it I don't know) as Chip is thankful for the lucky break due to the net being used as a ladder. Wow; Sun Woo even animated the wet water and everything.
Dale blows off it as luck and calls it his leadership skills. I smell a bonk on the head from Chip after that comment. Hint: Chip looked peeved as Chip doesn't do it and basically blames him for getting in the tank in the first place. Dale calls it an accident and Monty blows that one off which my opinion of him goes up a notch. Of course they still don't know who stole the shells. OH COME ON GUYS! The previous episode had a clam shell and pearl; there is only one being you can deduce from the evidence. Although; Monty does have a point about the fiend having more tricks up his sleeve. Dale tells him not to worry because he's in charge see. And Chip still doesn't bonk him on the head. FOR SHAME CHIP! Thankfully; Dale runs off stage right and takes an off-screen MAN-SIZED bump right into the wooden pole with his face to make up for the lack of bonking from Chip. Dale sees stars; the stars of his crack leadership. AHHAHAHAHAHA! So Dale slides down the pole as we cut to a close up shot of Mr. Fat putting on a white glove (It's NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU BASTARDS!) and touches the steel cannery; because it's far too filthy and his unwashed would turn on him if it isn't up to his lofty expectation.
So he yells at them on the closeup and the heels bail to clean up the place as Mr. Fat walks around proclaiming that he wants to greet his subjects in style. Gadget finally gets off Golly #1 for the episode at the 13 minute mark as she realizes that it is Fat Cat behind this. NO?! REALLY?! The fact that there were SEASHELLS stolen doesn't ring a bell from the start?! I know that the audience already knew Mr. Fat was behind this before they found out anyway; but COME ON. The evidence is too obvious not to notice. Monty at least knew he was because such a scheme; but he wouldn't tell anyway. Chip has a plan as he would turn the seashells around and use them to set the fish free. Well; at least they are being constant on the logic break; I'll give them that much. Dale begs Chip (even saying please no less) because he's in charge. And of course he repeats the spot. If you are going to do that; at least make it in a funny way. Dale does it well; otherwise, I'm going to have to walk to his tree house and knock on the door yelling at them to NOT REPEAT SPOTS! Chip slaps Dale in the face for that spot (BOO HISS!) and Dale absolutely no sells it (YAY!). Dale then attempts to leave stage left; but Chip corrects him because the door to the cannery is stage right. Dale proclaims that he knew that and runs off stage right. The Rangers have some real apathy as it's Rescue Rangers Away. I guess they don't like repeating spots in the same episode either. So we get the scene changer as we cut to....
...The platform near the levers (WRONG LEVERS!) as Mepps and Mole bring him the worst made chair in history as Mr. Fat looks outside the open window. He turns around as Mepps whines about the chair and of course Fat Cat hates it despite Mole being extra thoughtful in cleaning the seat. It's nice to know some heels do like to be clean that aren't named Ammonia Pine. So Mole calls it a throne and suddenly Mr. Fat likes it...until he sits on it and it breaks allowing him to fall on his fat ass. Mole is nervous as Mr. Fat blows them off and they bail with the pieces complete with Hanna Barbera looping and running sound effect. Now you know you are watching a classic. I was waiting so long to invoke that; but Sun Woo WOULDN'T LET ME! The Ranger sneak in through the front door since Dale is in charge of course. Dale invokes the POINTY FINGER OF DEATH on Mr. Fat; but Mr. Fat walks away without noticing it. Chip then goes to Dale proclaiming that this is his big chance to redeem himself I guess. So Dale ponders the plan which we all know is going to blow up in his face and they run to the cannery machine. Dale then invokes the MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN: Monty and Zipper go 45 degrees into the cannery machine; and the rest go in different directions inside the cannery to surprise Mr. Fat. Why do this is beyond me since Mr. Fat is NOWHERE to be surprised. Although; the thought from Dale is certainly there.
So we cut to Monty and Zipper sneaking and sliding on a pipe (well Monty is anyway) which Zipper speaks English for the first time in the series (saying: I think so). And then we cut to Gadget jumping on the belts and steel rods inside talking about moss growing on the north side of arc welding so she's heading west. Or so she thinks. It's stuff like this that got this and TaleSpin screwed out of their contracts in my humble opinion. Chip is seen going through the furnace level wondering which left to go on so we cut to Dale climbing inside the pipe proclaiming that he cannot wait to see the look of Mr. Fat's face. But will you like that Dale?! So we cut to outside the cannery as we see Mepps trying to pull a boomerang like device which clearly is part of the canning equipment from the cannery machine which prompts Mr. Fat to grab him by the tail and bounce him down on his ass. Wow; Mr. Fat really has his working boots on today; if he was wearing them in the first place. Mr. Fat blows him off because he has style and class as we cut to various shots of the Rescue Rangers climbing inside the machine ready to surprise Mr. Fat. 2:1 odds say that they get caught here to end the segment.
Mr. Fat has breeding and a temper as well so Mepps whines about the part being nice. Mr. Fat is ticked off and the urge to grab Gadget with his dirty, old man, perverted, stalking paws is rising. So he finds the old boot on the belt (HOLY CRAP?! Where did he find THAT ONE?!) and destroys the part; which blows off the Rangers cover and they all drop out of the holes screaming. HAHA! Sadly; Sun Woo made the bump wussy, what a shock?! See; that temper does pay off in the end; Mr. Fat is such a genius when he's mad. Mepps likes this because the Rangers are screwed as they recover; and Dale acts all drunk on us. Mr. Fat is mad as hell and has his old boot ready to MURDER them rodents! So he scoops up the Rangers; proclaiming that it's time to give them the vacation of death (more or less) and then tosses the wrapped up boot right into the ocean blue. The boot sinks down as we end the segment nearly sixteen minutes in. I guess grabbing Gadget is against BS&P now.
After the commercial break; we cut down at the bottom of the ocean floor which is full of trash as we cut to inside the boot with Dale panicking despite the water only making it up to their ankles. HAHA! Gadget has her mining helmet on just for such an occasion. Okay; where in the world does Gadget keep these inventions?! At least with Eleroo you could create the illusion that his pouch was bottomless. I have nothing to work with here. Chip blows him off of course as Zipper starts drinking water and Monty plugs up the holes with zero success as the water is coming in. Dale wants to use Chip's fedora hat to bail water; but Chip blows him off with the obvious question: Where do you bail the water too?! Monty wants a plan and I suspect Dale wants to get out of the leadership business at this point. Then Gadget really makes my day by acting all calm and then when she gets close to Dale; she panics and screams right in Dale's face. Dale then goes into denial mode that he can think; but then realizes that he is had and proclaims that he cannot think and shakes Chip. Chip brushes him off and finally takes over as leader. He asks Gadget what the situation is and Gadget calls it hopeless. However; she would like some wax. Dale looks in his pockets for a crayon; but finds nothing and he groans again as there is junk in that water too. However; Gadget finds that he has a balloon and sees a way out in a jiff.
Monty wants it in half the time of course. So Gadget asks Dale to blow up the balloon which is really asking for it due to Dale's hyper ventilating already too much in this episode. Dale no sells because he doesn't want a party; so Chip grabs the balloon and blows it up instead. Gadget is unsure about the boot taking stress and Monty is unsure about his stress levels. Maybe if he didn't eat so much cheese; he wouldn't be worrying about stress so much. Chip blows up the balloon to as big as it can be and then Gadget plugs the end of it against the hole in the boot to fill it with water; and the boot goes flying out of the water and lands with a good bump onto the beach about ten feet away from the cannery. Now that was sound thinking Gadget; I wish she would do it more often. Zipper pushes through the steel reinforcements (so it was an army boot) and gets outside in order to push the strap aside which lets the Rangers out. The Rangers are happy as it's time to stop Mr. Fat. One problem; it's BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (Read: Sunset) and Monty has a problems with about a hundred Fat Cats waiting in line at the cannery. And Sun Woo doesn't animate a single cat in that lineup scene as you only hear them meow. Okay; two of them nod their heads in the foreground there as Chip proclaims his plan is to turn the shells around in order to make the fish jump to sea. Which is exactly what they said beforehand; only difference is that they are going to do it Dale's way the first time we saw them. Irony is so damn ironic sometimes.
However; those shells are heavy, so Chip has a way to handle that one as he goes to Dale who is sulking on a rock asking him to do a favor for him. Dale blows it off because he's done nothing but mess up. Maybe so; but you messed up in a funny fashion and gave us a bit of Moosel that Moosel cannot give anymore; so I say it's all a job well done. Chip does the moral talk since Dale saved them. Dale no sells that bill of goods since it was Gadget's idea. Well; Dale had the balloon so without it; the plan goes nowhere. So Chip is in the right here as he proclaims that he's trying to make Dale feel better. Just TELL HIM that without the damn balloon; Gadget's plan is DEAD ON ARRIVAL. Why is that so hard to say Chipper?! Unless his pride for being better than Dale is still getting the best of him. Chip proclaims that they are a team and that the Rangers are not the Rangers without him to screw it up more or less. Dale proclaims that feeling bad feels so good which is just plain classic Dale. He always knows how to twist the context in his favor. Dale salutes Chip and asks for orders. Chip orders him to get the crabs..and he's not talking about Mr. Krabs; because lord knows his payment needs for his services. So we head outside to the lineup; as the fat catsare getting restless (and better animated by Sun Woo) as Mr. Fat tells Snout to let them in. A mouse letting cats come in; that's isn't inviting death in the very least, no siree! We cut over to the weighing scale as Snout introduces this as Chez Fat Cat. I can just hear Vikki Paine from Video on Trial right now saying....
Paine: I find Mr. Fat guilty....OF BEING A COMMUNIST!
We then see a fat purple cat wearing a badly drawn red backwards baseball cap and a black/blue sweater and that design just screams out: Gay Heathcliff Parody!! Snout wants to check the reservation; so Snout takes the golden rod and puts it on the weight scale. It reads golden fish; so that means it is okay. I wonder when it reads Mr. Fat?! Next one is a brown cat (wearing purple hat and a smaller version of Gay Heathcliff sweater) carrying the golden flashing bowl (which looks so fake) and it reads golden fish. So he's free to go. The next one is an old cat wearing a blue trench coat as he unveils the golden cat statue and gives it to Snout. He weighs it and it reads Mr. Fat! UH OH! What does it mean for our loser cat?! Snout gets nasty if he doesn't steal something worthy for Mr. Fat. The golden cat then speaks and gets off the scales calling his pal Robespierre. Okay; that was pretty funny. I don't get the joke; but it is still funny so I'll leave it to Chris Barat to explain it for me. The cats bail as Robespierre calls the golden cat Pierpont. I still don't get the sight gag here. Snout calls for the next one as we cut back to Mr. Fat as it is now AFTER HAPPY HOUR (read: After Dark; in typical Sun Woo fashion) sitting on his badly designed throne calling for patience as he welcomes them to his fish place. He wants all those jewels, gold and that MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH!
So he orders them to fork it over if they want the fish as we cut to Mole, Mepps and Snout with the butterfly nets looking concerned as Mole calls them pussies. HOLY CRAP?! I didn't think that sexual insult would ever make DTVA; but then again, Rebecca was called a skirt at least three times in TaleSpin; so it makes perfect sense. No wonder anime purists don't like dubs. Mole points out the obvious as Mr. Fat goes all French on them as long as the Cats hand over his fee of course. And then the ocean sound beckons as the fish jump around in the fish tank looking mighty restless. Mr. Fat realizes that the shells have been turned; so he goes to the levers (WRONG LEVERS!) to pull on them; but no dice. We then head outside the cannery near the tank as we see Chip, Dale and the crabs pull on the rope ladder at will. Okay; this doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I mean; there is no buildup to this because why would the crabs HELP after blowing off the Rangers earlier in the episode? This seems so tacked on that it isn't funny. The main crab is on the top of the tank as his voice is now completely different for no reason whatsoever. And WHAT THE HELL IS GADGET DOING WEARING HER BATHING SUIT?! After wearing her regular clothes for most of the episode?! I watched this show to get away from Darkwing Duck; not be REMINDED of it. Then again; it's Tad Stones, what did you expect?!
The main crab cuts the net and the fish jump and dive right into the sea and out of sight. Then we get the cute reclaim soldier clam spot which is a pretty neat visual as we cut back to Mr. Fat whining like Mepps (since he's not around) as his plans have been tossed back to sea. And now the fat cats are pissed off and the urge to kill Mr. Fat is rising. You think that look is to merely poke him with a stick?! It's the old look Kit gave at the beginning of part one: the one of I'll kill you if you get in my way type of look. Mr. Fat backs up pleading for mercy and a deal as the cats reveal their claws. See; this is what happens when you screw your customers and treat them like dirt. If only Michael Eisner hadn't done that with his talent; the turnover rate wouldn't have been so high. The stick welding cat wants to punch Mr. Fat's lights out as the cats surround Mr. Fat in the corner and we get an off-screen mugging and probably a rape feast of Mr. Fat which Disney was NEVER going to show. Okay; I made up the rape part; it was an assault. You happy now.....creeps.....The cat fight is a total squash as the heels get thrown out; except for Mr. Fat who is probably getting MURDERED as we speak. Sun Woo does a great job animating this which again makes me question why they turned into crap later in next year.
So we head to the shore AFTER HAPPY HOUR (Read: After Dark) as the crabs thank the Rangers for saving them. And Gadget is back in her regular clothes. MAKE UP YOUR MIND SUNWOO! He uses mother of pearl again as a way to swear in DUBBED ANIME STYLE which bugs me to this day along with the new voice. The crabs want to celebrate with a housewarming party and Dale gets all giddy. Gadget proclaims this proves that they would be less crabby if they got their homes back, making sure to speak more than what was ever needed to make the point crystal clear. The true mark of a geek. Thankfully; Monty stops her from further bad speaking as Dale cheers for the party. However; Chip has got his wish list and Dale is mad as hell for that spot. However; Chip tears up the list because the case is over so they can have a real day off to PAR-TI so to speak. Dale doesn't like that joke because joking about parties is bad. Amen Dale as Chip counters with the POINTY FINGER OF DEATH and a lot of chatter which is codeword that he is speaking words that cannot make it to DTVA. Monty calls that teamwork as Chip and Dale continue to swear .. ERRR ..I mean chatter like jerks to end the episode at 21:15. Man; they were on their game until Sunwoo ruined it with animation mistakes near the end. And while the Fat Cat steals fish to make other cats pay him angle was pretty creative; the logic break taints the idea a little bit. Great episode otherwise. **** (80%).
THE REVIEW LINE
Wow; two great episodes back to back for a change which is a pretty good sign for this series. I actually loved Mr. Fat's idea for his money making scheme to control the cats of the world as it was very creative and was almost realistic. However; it was negated somewhat by the only real logic break in the entire episode: You cannot hear the ocean from a distance. You must be up close to hear the ocean from a sea shell. If only Mr. Fat had put the shells in the middle of the water; the plan would have been solid along with the tank. Of course; he would have probably WON and Disney could not let him win as per BS&P so we get this. I really didn't like the finish of this episode; for one, getting the crabs back to help them was tacked on since there was no build up or reason for the crabs to help them after the Rangers made a bad impression on them, thanks to Dale of course. Second; Gadget keeps switching outfits in between takes and had no reason to since the rest of the Rangers wore their regular clothes throughout the episode from the six minute mark onward. I blame this more on Sunwoo than on faulty writing.
Otherwise; Sunwoo was actually at it's best as the animation was quite impressive; almost WD-Japan like. Of course; Dale was pretty awesome as he played the Moosel role of panicking and trying to act all cool about being the leader and being lucky enough to be passable; only for one of Mr. Fat's death traps to make him look like the bad leader that he is. Although I thought Chip was too nice in this episode; it is refreshing to see him at least not act like a jerk, but then with Dale being one it wasn't hard at all. Gadget was herself, Monty was all right and Zipper was Zipper as he did his usual 10 seconds of work which is slowly becoming a trend. Until Zipper Come Home at least. Overall; this was a very good episode marred by a few animation mistakes and a logic break that I could live with. Next up is Love Is A Many Splintered Thing to end Disc 2. This should be really good; so until then it's a....
Thumbs up for this episode and I'll see you next time.