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The Pied Piper Power Play
Reviewed: 07/03/2010
The shortest 22 minute episode in DTVA history.....
You may notice that the episodes I'm watching are from the Toon Disney version and this episode is almost a minute and a half short compared to the other episodes. The reason for it is not because someone had a gun pointed in the mouth; nor a 90 second stranglehold. It was because of one character: Mouseo; who happens to be deaf-mute. Either he was offensive to mutes (lawsuit by defamation); or offensive to the estate of the inspiration behind the character (lawsuit due to copyright and trademark); I'm not sure. That explains why the final time looks weird. Other than that; I have nothing else to say. Let's rant on and find out shall we...?!
This episode is written by Dean Stefan. Sadly; I have no animation studio; nor a story editor; but the directors were Bob Zamboni and John Kimball. You'll just have to bear with me on this one; no pun intended.
We begin this one inside a weird greenhouse (complete with yellow globe from Walt Disney World which adds an extra pipe) as we see in the far shot Norton Ninuml tending to his GARDEN FROM HELL. Norton is upset for being called mad. Iwata just called and he feels the same way when he was called that with Wii. Norton proclaims that he will show them all (of his tiny manhood. ZAP! OUCH! Ummmm....) by taking a pair of tongs and showing a bake potato he created using electrical current (as shown with the plug). Thanks; but no thanks Norton. We can bake our baked potatoes just fine without you. Norton tosses the potato away as he takes the plug towards an easel containing the state of Idaho and an electrical plug as Norton proclaims that once he plugs it in; he'll bake all the potatoes in the state of Idaho. This is a fully baked plan unlike his previous half baked plans. Doesn't matter Norton; it's still a MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN all the same. He proclaims that he'll be so awesome that he'll be called Mr. Potato Head. Ummm; no Norton. More like Mr. Potato Brain.
We then suffer a jump cut as the electrical wire is already plugged into the easel containing the state of Idaho. There is lightning and sparks; but not much in the way of improving Norton's sex life as the lights go out. Norton panics as usual as his tiny manhood has short circuited again. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! ZAP! OUCH! Ummmmm.... Then we jump cut again with Norton having a candlelight in his hands (so we stopped the teleports and resorted to jump cuts) as a letter drops onto the ground and Norton grabs it. He puts the candlelight on his head and opens the letter discovering that the power company has shut off his power because Norton failed to pay the bills. HAHA! Norton blows them off as simple minded fools...who want their MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH. The wax drips from Norton's brain (how symbolic?) as we cut to a zoom out shot of Norton's lab AFTER HAPPY HOUR (after dark) as Norton rants about getting revenge for people interfering in his quest to rule over all with science.
So we head to morning with the STOCK FOOTAGE OF DOOM as we zoom in and cut to Chip looking tired in his night gear and Dale...Oh my god; Dale dressing up as the Smawai again! Oh; this is going to be fun to watch considering what happened last time to Dale. He's the great Daleini this time as Dale brings out the nutty pendulum and Chip is getting sleepy. HAHA! Well; that isn't too hard considering Chip looks like he's walking dead now. Of course we see Gadget trying to fix something banana yellow and she starts yawning. Ah; I see Dale has finally seen the light on Gedo. Gadget turns around and asks if he said something and she has red ear plugs in her ears. HAHA! Now THAT'S being prepared for Dale's silly antics. Chip could learn something from her. Gadget explains that she wore them to keep the sound levels from harming her hearing as Dale walks away and Chip laughs like he always does (See Out to Launch for the moment). So we jump cut (WHAT?!) to the living room as Dale is with Monty and Monty is opening up a lead pipe canister of something. He brings out a broken toothpick and puts it together as Monty relates one of his BS stories about cheese and getting them stuck in his bicuspids. Ummm; that's not a BS story, that was Monty's lunch from a week ago. Monty explains that he saw something on the ground (referring to it as a she) and it's his lucky toothpick. See; it's special because it's made of stoned rosewood and it goes through cheese like melted butter basically. Monty walks out because he needs to check the mouse traps as Dale asks if it's too early for breakfast. Monty assures Dale that it's never too early to stuff your face and gain 30 ounces more.
He slams the door and we go to the scene changer as we see the farmer's market fruit stand on a sidewalk as we zoom out to see Monty walking in talking about it. And then we see the smell overwhelm Monty on the close up and it's the CHEESE ATTACK OF DOOM two and a half minutes in. We then cut to the ground with a mousetrap of Swiss cheese as Monty uses the lucky toothpick to spring the trap safely. See; it came in handy after all. He pierces the cheese and eats it easily. Sadly for us; it's not enough for the Aussie Stereotype as he wants the main course. He then smells some more Swiss (and the logic breaks because he's supposed to go berserk when that happens) and he sees two mice swearing like chipmunks fighting over a block of cheese. So Monty breaks up the fight and swearing as they should share. Memo to mice: It's a trap! Then the mice suddenly go drunk as the most absurd music plays and Monty thinks that they stopped fighting over the cheese. No such luck you Aussie Stereotype as he hears it and turns into a zombie. How do I know?! The mice walk with the zombie walk stage right. So we head back to the living room as Dale is at the table watching a radio show with Doctor Phony. Let me guess; Dale likes bad morality boosting shows? Which doesn't make any sense whatsoever with him. Now Chip on the other hand.....Chip (sans hat) wonders what Dale is watching and Dale explains that it's a phone in show for depressed cats which Chip gleefully points out to Dale while giggling. Chip turns off the radio as the Rangers realize that Monty has not come back yet. Gadget calls this strange and we go to a jump cut of....
….........…..BZZZZZZZZZ! ATTENTION! CUT SCENE APPROCHING!!................................
{A knock on the door beckons and Dale answers it to reveal a mouse with purple gloves, white hair, a black hat, a white coat, a blue scarf and a horn as Dale asks for what he wants. The mouse honks the horn as Dale asks what he wants. Gadget addresses him as Mouseo and asks what he is doing here. Mouseo jumps for joy and kisses Gadget about ten times on both cheeks. Seriously! He then whistles and then gets confused silly. Dale has the Gruffi pose and calls him bashful as Gadget blows him off because Mouseo is a deaf-mute (called hearing impaired by Gadget). UH OH! I think we know why this scene was cut and if it's what I think was the reason; then I have only one thing to say: If Mouseo is offensive to deaf-mutes; then so is Kathy from The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (same character only with different sound effects- only she made it in it's DVD release (Come to think about it; considering that it was made in Canada, I'm surprised that the series isn't available anywhere despite the release in Canada.)). Considering that Disney no longer has a problem with Asian Pandas as seen in Lost Horizons; I don't see how this scene would not be reinstated for the DVD release if it came. Unless it's a copyright issue with Harpo and Groucho Marx (which is pretty stupid for different reasons- similar to WCW suing WWE over No Way Out because people would think the now would appear on the event which is funny considering that the now was supposed to be a radical outside organization according to kayfabe.); then that would make more sense. It was only one scene and it could have been cut; and the only thing that would be noticed would be the short running time.
Anyhow; the guise of the scene is that Mouseo was eating breakfast with his friends allowing Dale to ask what he is eating and Chip blows him off as a nitwit; then Mouseo states that his friends did the zombie walk out of here as Dale calls this better than chrades which Chip ribs him again. Mouseo went for help; but there were no mice around. You know what; I take it back: This scene does leave a hole in the storyline in that Mouseo is the only one who could tell the Rangers that something went wrong. Without it; it leaves a huge logic break in the episode in general. Bad form there BS&P; bad form. This is exactly what happens when you are a demographics, Detroit Diease company like Disney. Anyhow; Gadget wasn't effected due to the earplugs and Mouseo couldn't hear it and Gadget is the first mouse he's seen in a long time. Dale proclaims something and Chip asks what calling him smarty. Dale proclaims that this is a job for the Rescue Rangers and that ends the cut scene right there.}
…....WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULAR TOON DISNEY PROGRAM!.......
We head to Norton's lab with a zoom in as we see Norton's truck approach the lab. He opens the back and we see a bunch of mice looking like zombies in the shadows. The mice zombie walk out of the truck from a platform and we cut back to the city as we see a police car riding with Kirby and Muldoon in it of course. Muldoon is driving this time as Kirby reads his notes about robberies happening in the last six days. Muldoon asks what they stole and Kirby states that it's unbelievable because they stole potatoes. You know you're too old when THAT happens. Muldoon asks the stupidity difference and Kirby just wants to call the whole thing off. Too late to be doing that Kirby as we cut to top of the police car with the Rangers They stumble and bumble a bit as Dale admits that Monty was checking out his favorite mouse traps and Chip blows him off because a good detective NEVER loses the slightest bit of detail see. Dale counters that Chip already did: because the mouse traps were about a full block behind them now. HAHA! That should teach him to give Dale some work rate. So we head to a long west pan shot of the Farmer's Market as the Rangers run over to a slice of Swiss Cheese near a mousetrap on the ground.
Chip proclaims that Monty couldn't be here because the cheese would be gone. Zipper than flies over to an eaten apple and notices Monty's lucky toothpick and flies over. Chip calls it a clue and gives it to Dale to try to deduce. Dale proclaims that it's made of rosewood and has MJ on it. Dale's deduction: it belongs to Moonwalk Jackson and Dale does the moonwalk and a decent one too. HAHA! Memo to Chip: Dale is screwing with your mind and we all know it. Chip calls him out on it and tells him to try it again. Dale then proclaims that MJ stands for Mr. Fat and Chip gets flustered. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh come on Chip; it's OBVIOUS Dale is screwing with your head. Dale is not THAT stupid. Chip asks why Mr. Fat would engrave it MJ instead of FC and Dale gleefully answers that one for me. Chip comes over and tells Dale everything about Monty and Dale finally gets it while Chip mocks him for getting it right. Dale gleefully points out that Monty showed it to him and he has that look of “I knew it all along and I just screwed you partner” and Chip finally gives up. HAHA!
Zipper talks with nothing of note and Chip proclaims that Monty would never leave the toothpick on purpose; but they don't know where he is; so they must find someone who witnessed the crime. Dale brings out his ACORN PEDULUM OF DEATH out and wants to make someone spill the beans on the whole thing because the Great Daleini sees all and knows nothing. Chip gleefully blows that one off for me and gives Dale the toothpick for fun. Chip walks away to find more clue as I see Gadget is wearing her earplugs again. She must have inserted them during the walk in; so no logic break there. Dale then invokes the Gadget Trick of Doom and brings out the DARKWING....DUCK MAGIC LENS OF DEATH! Isn't it sad that Drake has to STEAL that one from Dale? He got them from a box of Puffy-Wuffies as he uses the magnifying glass to see Chip's ass. HAHA!
Dale claims that Chip is a shifty character with beady eyes and wearing Chip's hat. Well; I don't call him Dirty Chip Rat for no reason after all. That leads to Chip getting mad (duh), Dale being an idiot (duh) and Chip bonking Dale on the head (duh). HAHA! Dale is truly a nuts-for-brains; don't ever change Dale. Gadget then yells (remember that she has the earplugs on and they are still in her ears natch) as we cut over to her noticing some mouse prints. Now that makes no sense since concrete cannot create tracks like that unless there is dirt nearby and I see none close by. Chip grabs the magic lens and the Rangers follow the cluster of tracks towards the tire tracks on the road nearby. Chip proclaims that this means only one thing and Dale answers gleefully: The mice became truck drivers. BWHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA! I betcha Chip bonks Dale on the head again for that one. I check the Youtube video.....Nope; only a blow off. BOO! HISS! The Rangers jump onto the pavement and follow the tracks as we logically lead to....
…..Norton's lab on the cliff (of course) as we zoom in and cut into Norton's Lab (complete with metal green bean on top to show off Norton's kidneys in a nut shell). We zoom in as Norton is addressing the mice and he orders them into the cages. The mice sell and zombie quick walk into the cages as they shut behind them. Norton continues the evil talk and goes all Oliver-Newton-John on us. Now that is EVIL~! But in a good way as he goes to his new device: The MOUSE MACHINE OF CHEESE~! Complete with red bicycle lights for eyes and a cheddar cheese hairstyle. Norton calls them runnies as he turns on the machine and it makes the space stock music as we see various mice running on the wheels to waste some time. Even Monty does a decent job of running as we zoom up to his eyes and that ends the segment eight and a half minutes in (as aired on Toon Disney; almost ten minutes in the original). This has been a okay episode thus far and this is the third time the Aussie Stereotype hasn't sucked. Maybe making him look like a zombie does work wonders after all.
After the commercial break; we continue onto a dirt road street near a bridge as we see the tire tracks and the Rangers near some tire tracks on the near shot. Chip proclaims that the hard part is over and the rest is a piece of cake. Riiiiiiiiggggggghhhhtttttt Chipper! Are you on Stupidity Camera or what?! And of course Chip gets screwed as the tracks go in different directions. HAHA! Gadget yells on what to do now and Chip yells at her to split up and cover more ground that way because we have to do a Scooby Doo episode somewhere in this mess. Chip chooses Gadget to go one way and Dale gets Zipper the other way. Dale blows him off and BE JEALOUS! C&D Argument #654 ensues complete with swearing like chipmunks. Now all we need is Chipmunk Wrestling to ensue and my life will be complete for this episode. I think Gadget must be lucky to have the earplugs on now eh?! Foolishly; she unplugs the earplugs and I betcha she turns into a zombie and zombie walks out on them. I check the Youtube video....Damn; I'm so good.
Well; at least they got her out of the way as Zipper isn't amused by these turn of events. Too bad I enjoy zombie Gadget as much as the real sadist Gadget. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmmm.....Zipper's voice is enough for the chipmunks to panic as Gadget is gone. They look around and Chip pointlessly uses the MAGIC LENS OF DOOM (and he pulls off the Gadget Trick of Doom, natch) and notices her earplugs on the ground. Chip gives them to Dale and Dale puts them on the ears which is pointless since the sound only effects mice. But the funny effort is still there though. Chip uses the magic lens to notices some mouse tracks which we don't see (bad form there animators) and Dale of course cannot hear. How hilarious that Mouseo got censored; but the hearing jokes not involving Mouseo did not. This sounds like a copyright issue to me without question now. Chip unplug an earplug and yells that he found her footprints and Dale blows him off because he's out of pockets. HAHA! And magically; the footprints appear on the next shot. Chip and Dale follow with magic lens on tow as Chip hopes it's not too late.
So we logically head inside Norton's lab as we see Gadget zombie walk in and walks straight towards Norton. Norton turns around and grabs her as Mr. Fat is having a heart attack over his gimmick being stolen by a whiny dork. Cannot say I blame him as Norton places Gadget in the same cage as Monty and she zombie walks to the wheel beside Monty and we get more running on wheels to waste time. Gadget looks much cooler doing it than Monty I should point out as we cut back to Norton walking towards the green bean machine (I guess potatoes are too brown to get past BS&P) as he checks the knobs proclaiming that mouse energy is free and forever as we get another recycled shot of Monty and Gadget running on the wheel. Then a sound beckons and Norton notices that the needle on the gauge reads not so good; so he orders the mice to a five minute break and everyone slumps down and pants heavily; which that alone ends the Youtube segment nearly ten and a half minutes in (about 12 minutes in the original)
After the Youtube break; we cut back to Norton attending the machine while the caged mice look on on the west pan shot as we see the chipmunks and Zipper watching from afar. Dale wonders what Norton is up to; other than being an evil whiny dork. Chip sums it up nicely: He's using the mice as lemons to make power. Dale asks why Norton would show mercy and Chip ignores it of course. He wants to set the mice free and the only way is to pull the conveniently placed lever (WRONG LEVER!) shown in plain sight. Chip has a pink rubber band and he's going to use the trick Gadget taught him. Ummm; you already pulled off the trick by magically revealing the rubber band out of nowhere Chipper. Chip needs someone to run interference and Zipper offers to do just that as he flies away to annoy Norton as he usually does. Zipper flies onto the table with beakers and potatoes. So Zipper eats away at the skin earning a blow off from Dale for being lazy. Chip blows him off as we cut to a far shot of Norton working and a shadow of Zipper acting like a bat. Oooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy.
Norton runs away like a scalded whiny dork would as we see Zipper acting like a bat, DUH! Norton continues to run like the whiny dork that he is as we cut back to Chip and Dale putting the rubber band around a foot stool (NOT THAT ONE!) as Norton continues to run from the blood thirsty Zipper Bat. And just to make the people at Nintendo look bad; he calls it a blood sucking bat. HAHA! So the chipmunk slingshot off the rubber band stool (NOT THAT ONE!) and they grab onto the lever (WRONG LEVER!) and it tugs about ½ way through as Zipper panics. Chip wants more weight; so Zipper pulls on Dale's ass and that's enough to pull the lever (WRONG LEVER!) all the way through. I see Zipper is back on the roids again. The cages open and the mice do absolutely nothing...AND THE ROCK SEZS NOTHING! Methinks the Rangers haven't noticed the tiny flaw in this MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN: snapping the mice out of zombie state to get them to move. Chip notices the obvious; so Dale become Daleini again and brings out his ACORN PEDULUM OF DEATH again just to amuse me. Chip wants to know what the hell Dale is doing but Dale ignores him and does his funny spiel. Okay; it isn't as funny as Molly trying to be a mother; but it actually works (although the mice do a funny no sell at first because Daleini didn't say “Daleini sezs”. HAHA!) as the mice jump down from their cages. To Chip: BE JEALOUS!
Sadly; this plan goes a rye as Norton returns complete with the French Legion Hat of Doom (This is a special day when the whiny dork has some inklings for culture) which leads to Norton and Dale having a contest to see who is the bigger dork and who can win in brainwashing techniques. HAHA! I'm hoping Dale wins; but since we have about eight minutes to go; Norton is clearly going to win this one. (There is two recycled sequences of the mice zombie walking back in this sequence which dampers the awesomeness a little bit.) Sadly; Dale basically beats himself as he brainwashes himself and goes full on zombie. HAHA! If I were Chip; I'd bonk him on the head for that one. I doubt he will though. Everyone gets back into the cages including Dale as we cut to Chip and Zipper gasping in horror behind a potato. That actually ends the segment about 13 minutes in (around 15 minutes in the original). Wow; I'm liking this episode thus far even without Mouseo's performance.
After the commercial break; we go to a blurry shot of Norton's lab and zoom in again. We then cut into the lab as Norton is chaining up and padlocking the cages on the zoom in shot pan northwest as he dares the mice to get out of the cages. I don't think you need to worry about them escaping since Chip is too much of a fuddy-duddy to play mind control games. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmm.... Norton checks the gauge and notices that he's forced to give them another five minute break (Ah nuts!). The Rangers running on wheel stops instantly and pants as usual. Norton walks away as Chip and Zipper hide from him. Once Norton is gone, Chip goes to the cage containing the Rangers and tries to wake Dale up; but no dice. Zipper has a plan and tells Chip to snap his finger and say Daleini said to wake up. Does that really...?! Oh wait; it does as Chip does exactly what Zipper said and Dale wakes up easily.
Dale then accuses Chip of being in a cage. HAHA! Chip gleefully blows him off and tells Dale to bring out the earplugs and use them; which Dale does on his ears. HAHA! Chip blows him off and Dale cannot hear him, DUH! Chip orders Dale to put the earplugs on Gadget's ears and Dale does exactly that. That somehow wakes up Gadget from her zombie state. Huh?! Honestly; how does that work? It's not like she can hear the space effects anymore. Gadget yells that she dreams that she ran and won the Boston Marathon. HAHA! If only Gadget, if only. Chip sums up the dream perfectly as he exchanges notes with Norton on the situation; mostly with yelling of course. Gadget deduces that the power is being piped into the big ass green bean machine and she tells Chip to disable the brainwashing mouse machine by switching the poles in the opposite directions. And they must hurry before Norton gets back from the five minute break. Dale ribs the zombie Monty because Gadget is so great.
That leads to a jump cut to Chip climbing up the tripod of the mouse machine (with cheese hair block) and he unintentionally opens the panel leading to the wires. At least it looked unintentional as Chip looks inside and see two alligator connected to blue wires as Chip fiddles with them off-screen and gets fried good and pushed into the wastepaper basket with a decent bump. Chip blows off Gadget for missing a few details on the safety (What a shock considering that she is an innocent little sadist.) ; but at least we see the mice all wake up from their zombie state. Which is not really all that great considering that this also wakes up Monty and therefore gives about five minutes or less for the writers to try to get Monty over as a Super Mouse. Monty doesn't exactly like this reunion as Chip asks for further instructions concerning getting out.
Gadget goes all science babble on us which Monty tells her to say it in plain English. Gadget proclaims that too much juice equals total meltdown and Dale shows how to be a sadist himself by cheering for the meltdown. HAHA! Gadget gleefully points out that meltdown equals everyone getting blown up and dying. Which prompts Dale to boo the meltdown. HAHA! Now if only Chip would bonk him on the head at some point. Monty likes the meltdown idea and wants to go for it. What is this; beat Sadism Gadget to the punch day?! Chip even agrees with Monty and even Gadget wants to try this. Well; this goes up up there with Kit being nuts and too close to bullets flying near his head. Monty goes to the front of the cage and tells all the mice on his signal to run on the wheels as fast as they can. The mice completely swear like chipmunks and no sell. So Monty invokes the Gruffi pose and reminds them they will be back to being Norton's personal slaves if they do which forces them onto the wheels and they run fast. I just knew Monty would ruin this episode in some way. Okay; not much of a ruin mind you, but still enough to drag it down a bit. So we get lots and lots of running and spinning of the camera.....
And we cut to the front door as it opens and the light is shown as Norton enters after his five minute break (which seems like an hour rant wise) as he orders the mice to resume work and this time the mice don't have to ask twice as Norton panics because they are going too fast and his Pied Piper Device of Doom is broken. Norton panics some more as he sees his Green Bean Machine sparking with thunderbolts surrounding it. Norton orders them to stop; but Gadget takes it as to speed up and the mice all sell of course. Yeap; Gadget is back in mid-season form as a sadist. Norton gets a wooden step ladder and climbs up to the bean machine to override the system (oops Gadget-love!) and I'm sensing an obvious logic break: How can Norton climb a ladder without getting shocked since electrical power can go through the body that way? Gadget realizes her mistake and tells Chip that they need to destroy the override by using a potato to clog it good. Gadget then tells that this is a job for Zipper to go because apparently; his ten seconds of work is not up yet in DTVA time. Zipper salutes her and flies up towards the conveniently placed pile of potatoes and picks one up. Zipper struggles up towards the Green Bean Machine and throws it right into the blowing whistle pipe of doom who is whistling like a train whistle. Did Norton suddenly become a steam punk fan or something?! Norton cannot turn the wheel and realizes that he's being scammed by a yam. HAHA! More like a potato fly; but same thing basically.
More wheel running from the rodents as Gadget tells everyone to stop running because the first stage of meltdown has happened. Sadly for them; they won't have enough time to escape with their lives. Gadget tells Chip and Zipper to leave; but Chip no sells because he would never desert the Rangers and takes his hat off and is willing to die with them. HOLY CRAP!! I just got new found respect for Chip after that; I really do. Monty of course cannot let some meltdown kill his Super Mouse routine so he grabs his lucky toothpick (must have stolen it from Dale somewhere in between scenes) and throws it like a spear and it drives enough force to pick the padlock and we get a long sequence of the chains being removed from all of the cages from both sides. Huh?! I don't think this makes sense to have one padlock control all of the cages. Then again; after so many Gadget Tricks; I'm not surprised at all.
Still; I must say that sadly; Monty's toothpick throw was the correct booking decision despite what BS&P haters would like for it to happen. Chip then invokes the LASSO OF BANE TO ALL ACTION CARTOONS EVERWHERE on the lever and it's literally the wrong lever since it's against a control panel instead of being standalone. What were the animators smoking to get this so wrong?! The lever (WRONG LEVER LITERALLY!) pulls down and Dale throws up magically out of nowhere leaves to celebrate (what a shock?) as the mice all escape and dance with glee. We cut back to Norton at the ladder as he panics some more since the rodents are escaping, DUH! Norton finally gets the LIGHTBULB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY on the machine melting down as we cut to floor level as Gadget has a plan and she wants someone to pass the potatoes and Dale blows her off for wanting to have Thanksgiving Dinner. HAHA! Gadget points out that either the potatoes take the impact; or they do.
So we go to the scene changer as we get the water bucket passing spot from the Rangers (only with potatoes from the potato pile of course) as Gadget stuffs them into some machine chute. We cut to Dale doing the one potato, two potato spot in rapid fire for one last round of amusement as Gadget closes the chute as it can take no more. Gadget then notices that the potatoes are cooking inside the machine and working her plan out. Still; the Rangers bail anyway thus rendering the whole scene pointless in hindsight. This was clearly put there to pad the running time which is funny considering that it's in the original version of the episode. So we cut to outside BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (Sunset) as the police car rides during the last beat as Kirby is now driving (no logic break there either) talk about this being the best one of them all. They then stop the car and gasp in horror as they see Norton's lab pump up and that's enough for Kirby and Muldoon to drive up. We cut back to the lab as the buttery mash potatoes start slurping down in a wave and they take Norton with them. Wait; there's butter in those potatoes? I guess DNA splicing does work wonders in this world eh?! We see the police car drive around the bend and then see Norton coming out of the lab in a potato water slide. HAHA!
Kirby and Muldoon get out of the car and Kirby handcuffs Norton and places him under arrest for disturbing the peace and abusing animals. At least that's what I think he's being arrested for. Muldoon proclaims that he will be eating mash potatoes out of jailhouse plates as Norton whines like the dork that he is. We cut back to inside the lab as the potato Au Rotton (so sezs Norton) as the Rangers pop up from the potato carnage. Okay; I was wrong, that scene wasn't rendered pointless after all. Monty is glad that they aren't mashed Rangers as Chip wonders where Dale is and Dale pops up eating mashed potatoes like a drunk chipmunk. HAHA! He asks for gravy and Chip sprays mash potatoes right in Dale's face. Yeah; we didn't see him do it; but we KNOW he did it. Dale licks his face and we circle fade out to end the episode at 19:28 aired (21:15 in the original). Very good episode despite the lack of logic in the animation and too many jump cuts to be healthy. Dale was a riot as always and they kept Monty is check throughout most of it. **** (80%).
THE REVIEW LINE
Well; we are now at the halfway point of the final episodes of this series and this episode turned out to be great even without Mouseo's performance. Sure; the cut made the Rangers appear to know the answer, but really it didn't make that big of a difference when there were various jump cuts in the episode already. I should point out that Mouseo was removed; but most of the hearing jokes were not; so deaf-mute wasn't the issue here. I think the Harpo estate got mad and threaten to sue Disney for copyright which is a lot more plausible considering how the Prima Estate acted. And unlike Louie; Mouseo appeared for just a minute making him an easy victim to cut out completely instead of just paying the royalties like they did with the Prima Estate with Louie for the TaleSpin DVD release. At any rate; Dale was a riot and I felt Chip staying with the Rangers in spite of a chance to escape was Chip's crowning moment of awesome for him which is sad considering that Chip didn't have many if at all. Norton was the whiny dork that I expected him to be and Zipper/Gadget was Zipper/Gadget (blood sucking bat on his neck was funny as well). The hearing jokes were just there to suck though; but at least Monty was kept in check doing only one thing that was Super Mouse (although that thing was a good booking decision; so I will live). Overall; a pretty good episode as we head to the second half with the remaining two episodes released before the Disney Afternoon and five created just after to fill it up to 65. So; next weekend will be Gorilla My Dreams and the S.S. Drainpipe (with the return of Francis Capone and his minions). Somehow; I think the episode quality goes downhill from here. So......
Thumbs up for this episode and I'll see you next time.