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Gruel & Unusual Punishment Re-Rant

Reviewed: 12/05/2010
Additional Commentary: 11/09/2021

Even Their Terrorism Is Whackier Than Ours!

Original Airdate: 12/04/1990 (Syndication), Episode #42 (TaleSpin DVD Volume 2, Disc 2), Episode #37 (Production Order).

Gruel & Unusual Punishment Notes
Gruel & Unusual Punishment Transcript

Well; this is the second last episode of 1990 for TaleSpin (besides the Christmas episode Jolly Molly Christmas) as we see Baloo take part in the most extreme version of The World's Biggest Loser. In more ways than one I do believe. (2015 Gregory Weagle Says: Yeah; this is basically TaleSpin's version of the fat character trying to lose weight; already done by Tummi in Gummi Bears and Monterey Jack in Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers (Battle of The Bulge; blacklisted because of those pesky stereotypical fruit bats which misdirected the Rescue Ranger fandom into beliving that it was blacklisted because the title had the word "Battle" in it. Never mind that Disney could have easily changed the title in the episode.). This episode leans more towards Rescue Rangers, but with a lot less racism in it, as Baloo is losing weight to go out on a date with Rebecca to the Pilot's Ball. Kit suggests that he go to a weight loss center (Speaking of pop-culture references...) endorsed by a parody of Elizabeth Taylor. While Liz had been around the entertainment industry since the 1940's; her battles with her weight are squarely in the 1980's. Again; another pop-culture reference. Maybe the problem isn't pop-culture references per se. I mean; if kids don't get it, does it mean that they will change the channel? More often than not; no. And why should adults care? It's not like they are the target audience anyway. Plus; if done properly like TaleSpin does pop-culture, then the references are really cool. The reason why most people don't complain about TaleSpin referencing pop-culture (other than rose-tinted glasses syndrome of course.) is because their show is set in 1937; before 90% of the people who worked on this show were even born. Baloo spills food onto a map covering the location. Baloo parachutes into Bedevilled Island which is basically a prison for Thembrian's worst criminals, headed by a sadistic warden whom Baloo mistakes as a fitness instructor. An old man wants to escape prison to "see his mother" and Baloo helps him; only this old man is a mad scientist who wants to blow up the Thembrian Gruel Reserves. Because he hates the stuff. That is the most absurd weight loss plot I have ever heard. Anyhow; this is one of the few episodes that actually has an actual known history as the original plot was called Bedevilled Eggheads and the only one containing story credits. All the details are in the notes link provided above. Broadcast Sally was going to be in this episode; so yes, there is evidence that Eisner was milking Baloo so much that one shotters could not be intergrated into the rotation. In other words; it wasn't for a lack of trying by the writers. Hopefully; more details will come out on other episodes from Tim Van Hal.). Let's rant on shall we...?!

This episode is written by Mark and Michael Edens. (I went through my rants on Rescue Rangers and discovered that there was one episode that the siblings worked on and it was awesome: Rest Home Rangers. One of the best Monty stories out there too. Then I realized that Michael Edens is a good writer actually because most of Mark Edens' solo work was godawful. So, pairing them up together was a great idea because one of them is good, and one of them is awful. Both of them are better.) The story is edited by Ken Koonce & David Weimers. The animation is done by Walt Disney Animation (Japan) Inc./Hanho Heung-Up Company Limited. (Wrong 2010 Me! Additional services were provided by Tama Production Company Limited instead. It says so in the credits and the animation style is similar to Vowel Play. I don't know how you got those two mixed up. Plus; this points to Tama Productions doing most of the animation. Not that it matters anymore, since even Japanese animation is sourced out to other studios outside Japan.)

We begin this one at the docks of Higher...For...Hire and then head inside the office as Baloo is raiding the fridge. Apparently; there is nothing to eat except for a peanut butter sandwhich which is funny considering all the stuff still left in the fridge. Baloo then hears Rebecca and then stuffs the sandwich in his mouth. Rebecca appears in a pink dress because she wants Baloo to see the gown she's wearing for the Pilot's Ball. (Oh, so that's why he only took the peanut butter sandwich: To make sure there is little incriminating evidence against him. Lovely!) She twirls around (and she's wearing pink slippers I see) as Baloo talks with his mouth full. Geez; what a shock that is?! Rebecca accuses him of eating in the office which is hilarious considering that the fridge is in the office, Baloo gulps and no sells. (Yeah; Rebecca is the jerk of the outfit and yet Baloo outright lies to her about eating in the office, when it's clear that he's doing it and being rude at the same time. Remember; Baloo has done this routine over and over again. Again, I'm tired of people using their fee-fees as an excuse to bash a character instead of bashing them based on logic and reason.) Rebecca blows off going to the Pilot's Ball with a plump pilot. Look on the bright side Rebecca; at least they aren't making you do the diet angle like they did Daisy in that hate crime comic Disney published long ago. (Oh lord, that debacle! If that comic book was a 1950's cartoon short, Mr. Enter would crucify that so much that Disney would be forced to whitewash it merely out of principle. Yes, it was that awful. Daisy at the end ate her dairy even though we discover that she didn't gain any weight at all. Also, let's not forget Daisy bawling her eyes out so much for no reason that I literally created a system out of it for anyone who bawls for no reason. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: I have retired the system out of principle and the fact that George Pig is the new standard for crying. Not even Daisy could cry a shower like George Pig does.)) Rebecca takes out a pocket mirror and sees herself look good; while seeing Baloo pick his teeth with a toothpick. Oh swell; now he's learning bad habits from Gomer of all people. Rebecca asks if Baloo has a tuxedo and Baloo asks if penguins swim. Answer: yes Pop-A-Bear.

Baloo assures Rebecca that he won't let her down and Rebecca thinks he'll lose weight. Baloo does the cross your heart and hope to diet spot in response. (Only in the end, he almost died.) We head to Baloo and Kit's room as we see a small wooden CHEST OF DEMONS and Baloo strips his clothes off again right in front of Kit. Wow; I forgot that he did that spot in this episode as well. (Who said that TaleSpin had no fanservice?!) Baloo opens the CHEST OF DEMONS and reveals his worn tuxedo which the moths seem to have had their evening snack. Baloo calls it so suave, so debonair as Baloo tries it on and it only meets about halfway. Kit also calls Baloo fat. HOLY CRAP KIT! You know that word is dangerous son. No, not really. (Well; fat is weightism if used as an insult. Used in health terms is all right; but that's not how Kit was using the word. When words mean nothing, context is your savior. Use it and you'll rarely be fooled.) Baloo then claims he's not fat (and uses the word fat too) as he struggles with the tuxedo; but the tuxedo screws him over. Baloo calls himself well upholstered. As Gruffi would say: Yeah; and it's getting more upholstered if you catch my drift. One of the buttons flings from Baloo's sad attempt to get the tuxedo on and it flies around the room and stuffs itself right in Baloo's mouth. HAHA! Baloo slaps the back of his head and out comes the black button as Baloo claims it had topspin. Kit brings in the big wall mirror as Baloo looks himself in the mirror as it is the MAGIC MIRROR OF VANITY. HAHA! He looks like a midget fireplug. Kit corrects the mirror (and somehow it made Baloo look like he lost a hundred pounds.) and it shatters on cue. HAHA! I betcha the button broke the mirror too. Baloo walks on glass as Kit takes the mirror away and Baloo sits on the CHEST OF DEMONS and it breaks. (Walking on broken glass barefoot is a BAD idea; and yes, I am speaking from experience here.) Wow; Baloo can break a treasure chest; but not a table. (Methinks the logic in this show is at rare points, wacky like a cartoon. Because if they don't remind us of that, then we'll change the channel because live action would do the same thing and not pretend that it's a cartoon. Although with CGI, it's a moot point now.) Baloo sulks over the tonnage he has and if he doesn't drop it; Rebecca will find herself another escort.

Kit then has a plan which is to go to the Elizabeth Taper Center which is a famous fat farm -- third use of the word fat in this episode alone -- for the big stars when they get too big. (I'm not joking here either, Kit does call the Elizabeth Taper Center a fat farm. I've already gone over the reference to Elizabeth Taylor in the opening paragraph, so I won't repeat it here.) Funny how Baloo can only use the word once and Rebecca none so far but Kit can use it twice. Kit heard it on the radio as he invokes the POINTY FINGER OF DEATH because they have the strictest weight loss counselors around. (Now in one of the alpha scripts; Broadcast Sally on the radio was supposed to inform Baloo of this center, but it was nixed. Also; I want to make a correction in the notes: Kit did in fact say that he heard it on the radio in the final version; which I said it as if he should have been added that little detail, but wasn't.) Baloo even steps on the glass again which sadly disappears and moves about twenty feet away from the heroes. Logic break number one for the episode three minutes in. (That's more than half a Chargeman Ken episode where there are logic holes in every second of that production.) Baloo proclaims that if it's good enough for Liz Taper; it's good enough for him as he runs out of the bedroom. We go into the sky as we get a side shot of the SeaDuck flying over the black clouds and we see Kit Cloudkicker cloudsurfing for a while complete with Kit's theme music. (Kit's airfoil looks like a piece of paper in some of the shots.) Kit reels himself in good into the tailsection of the SeaDuck as we head to the cockpit to see Baloo with his parachute with WildCat as co-pilot as Baloo asks WildCat for map directions and WildCat notices the green things on the map. Baloo then brings out the GREEN TACO OF DOOM and eats it which allows the green stuff to splatter on the map creating new islands. (And thus it's Baloo's fault for everything that is going to happen to him very soon. Also, WildCat was shown looking out the window and didn't see Baloo's messy eating.) Wildcat notices that there is more than there used to be as Kit comes in and asks why Baloo starts his diet with a double order of guacamole tacos.

Baloo naturally talks with his mouth full because he cannot lose weight on an empty stomach. Well; that actually makes sense in a way as Baloo throws away the rest of the guacamole taco anyway. I guess he didn't want Kit to blow him off for eating it all. (That's an awful waste of a good taco. And there are millions of recipes nowadays that have far more calories and fat than a guacamole taco.) We then see WildCat pointing outside the window of the SeaDuck, Baloo unbuckles his belt and tells Kit to tell Rebecca that he'll be back in time to go to the party as he opens the pilot's door and jumps out. Not before he tells Kit not to tell Rebecca that he's losing weight because that's his surprise. Kind of silly since Rebecca would figure it out why Baloo hasn't been around. (Plus; Rebecca asked him if he would promise to lose some weight anyway.) Anyhow; Baloo jumps into an island with the coastline looking like a fatass tree. (It's a bad sign when there is no way to get in or not without a plane.) Baloo opens the parachute and we head into the jungle as we are on Bedevilled Island Prison. (I should note that Bedevilled Island is a leftover from the two part episode title "Bedevilled Eggheads" script that was nixed.) I know this because there is a white sign in red letters with a black skull & crossbones on it. The animals shriek as we cut to Baloo dropping down and I'm shocked the parachute hasn't ripped yet. Baloo runs in and completely ignores the sign because he's going to drop some pound-aroos. I was tempted to call that logic break number two since Baloo clearly saw the sign; but in hindsight in seeing this episode before, it makes sense. (Nope; he didn't see it since he was jogging in the jungle when he past it and the sign was hidden well enough.) We head deep into the jungle as Baloo hums and dances an annoying jig. Scene changer and the dancing and walking make Baloo very hot and tired. Baloo finds the conveniently placed river and does the lay-in-bed spot along with washing his face and hands that his original character did in Jungle Book, Jungle Book 2 and the early TaleSpin promos. I thought we were parodying the Jungle Book; not paying homage to it. He also starts eating bananas over the tree tops and other fruits. Not a bad thing since they are low in calories, but watch the sugars Baloo! (You speak from experience I see, 2010 me!)

Thankfully; no waterfall bump occurs. (Why? A waterfall bump is usually funny and Kit is not on top of him, so what gives with your sense of humor on the day this was written?) Scene changer with more river fruit riding and then we hear someone on the megaphone as we cut to a path. We see a Thembrian bull with a gallstone around his neck (!!!) pulling a white antique car with a Thembrian in a Nazi Uniform (ZOINKS!) on a megaphone yelling at some prisoners who look like they are going on a death march with a Thembrian Guard behind them. (In the TaleSpin memos for this episode; Colonel Spigot was supposed to be voiced by Danny Mann. In fact; it was discovered through these memos and an interview by Michael Gough from Laura Ann Trombley (the one behind the video of the 1990 Disney Channel edition of Plunder and Lightning and I cannot thank her enough because it shows the massive differences between the episodes you see now and the differences shown when it first aired as a television movie.) that the Thembrians were supposed to be legit Nazis. Somehow; Disney didn't figure this out until midway through production that the production teams wanted Nazis. Once they did find out, the idea was nixed (and in this case, rightfully so, since TaleSpin was going to be dubbed in Germany which is very, very strict with Nazi references in general) and Michael Gough redubbed all the lines Colonel Spigot had when he was voiced by Danny Mann. Danny still worked on the show and no one seemed to be fired or fined for this stupidty. Probably because none of the actual recordings made it in the final productions.) The last Thembrian prisoner has a ball & chain; so he's likely the most used prisoner of the episode. (He also looks completely different from the other prisoners too.) We then see Baloo hiding in the bushes thinking that he's found the Liz Taper Center. See; this is why the logic works: Baloo truly believed in his mind that this is what Kit was talking about a fat farm. (You see, Baloo doesn't have much of a concept of nuance. When Kit was talking about a fat farm and being tough, I don't think Kit felt that they were this sadistic.) Baloo gets behind the ball & chain prisoner and greets him calling it some place.

He calls them lean and mean as the prisoner calls him a comedian voiced by John Stephenson (Anyhow, the running joke in Thembria is that if you are not serious at all, your a Grade S comedian and deserve to get shot because it kills the vigor of resolve in the mommy-land.). Also, if you are a comedian in Thembria: YOU CAN BE SHOT! Since this is Thembrian turf; Baloo CAN BE SHOT! Baloo claims that he's really a pilot and he's Baloo and flying is his game. The prisoner is SHOCKED as Baloo proclaims that if it has wings; he can fly it, sometimes if it doesn't have wings. Then the Thembrian Guard number one comes in to break it up. Huh? Where was he? Taking a tasty cake break or something? POW! OUCH! Ummmm... Thembrian Guard makes up for it by using the needle of the rifle to poke Baloo's ass to force him to move. HAHA! (For those keeping count; including the syndication pilot; we are now sixteen for twenty one episodes that the guns have been pulled out.) We head to the Bedeviled Island Prison of Death as we pan over from the guards to the sky shot of the prisoners as Baloo has the Thembrian Prison Uniform on. I guess that was leftover when Dunder became one. AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Exactly; what crime would Dunder had committed to deserve being on Bedevilled Island?) Baloo is dying to meet Liz Taper (death reference #1) for the episode as Colonel Slammer, who was the guy who was shouting orders in the white antique car. Colonel Slammer voiced by the late Allan Melvin whom passed away in 2008. Colonel Slammer brings out the big ass health book of death for fun. Fans have called him many titles: Colonel Slammer, Warden Slammer, Commandant Slammer and my own title: Sadist Slammer. Miss Finster wishes she had the sadism Slammer has; seriously. Slammer gives Baloo the big ass book of DA RULES (FAIRY GODPARENTS!), orders him to read it and memorize it as he tells Baloo he's getting special equipment. Baloo gets a ankle ball & chain for good measure as Baloo thinks that will tone the legs good. The Thembrian Guard throws the weight to Baloo which Baloo thinks it's a medicine ball. Baloo throws the ball and gravity takes over as Baloo flies into the air and takes a nasty bump onto Colonel Slammer as Slammer is now on bottom. HAHA! Poor Slammer; I know how you feel. Kit and Oscar even more so.

Slammer yells for the guards and we go to the scene changer as Baloo is being carried by two Thembrian guards. We head to the SUN HOUSE OF HELL as Slammer explains that when the sun shines on the box; it creates up to two hundred degrees inside. I'm guessing it's *F since in *C that would close to double the boiling point of water. Doesn't really matter since it's sadistic either way and heatstroke is instant. Slammer has a glass eye in his left eye by the way as Baloo thinks a solar powered sauna is neat. HAHA! (Oh; so this must be the sweatbox Kevin Sullivan was talking about during his Satanist gimmick in the 1980's (Youtube user Tellenhawk has four straight hours of Kevin Sullivan in Championship Wrestling from Florida being evil and it's so beyond the pale funny, although I don't think that was his intention.) Bedevilled Island is supposed to be TaleSpin's answer to Cuba, but it's like this torture was used in the Southern USA until the late 1800's.) This is great; Baloo's is so much like a man child that he has no idea that he is actually a prisoner in Thembrian's prison. Considering the international incidents this bear commits, it is very fitting at this point. The guards throw Baloo into the hot house as Slammer gleefully praises Baloo for that promo. Baloo wants a box-lunch in return as the guard board up the door and leave. Time passes as we see the sun cause the roof to go all red and we cut to inside as Baloo sweats and looks at the themo as it breaks due to the sun's deadly rays. The Thembrian guards finally decide to drag Baloo out of the hot house as Baloo comments about losing ten pounds. He's going to lose his head if he doesn't realize that he's screwed. We then head to the command center as the guards are guarding the front and we head inside with Slammer is at his desk asking Baloo if he has gained anything from the experience. Nice touch as we see the sun go to BEFORE HAPPY HOUR (sunset) right on cue as we see the top ceiling fan which is connected to a bicycle machine as Baloo proclaims that he was supposed to be losing weight. Slammer is not amused and accuses him of being a comedian as Baloo proclaims that he's a pilot see. (You see, Thembria has no sense of humor, so anything that is not serious is considered comedy, which saps the vigor of the mommy-land. No wonder they hate Usland swine.)

Baloo does his flying promo before Slammer cuts him off and pounds the desk. Slammer takes the file folder and places it in the cabinet proclaiming that Baloo better shape up. Baloo agrees with him because Rebecca will kill him (death reference number two for the episode). You can never accuse TaleSpin of using 4Kids editing that is for sure. (Because in syndication at the time, the rules were loose enough that you could get away with stuff that couldn't be done on broadcast television; but you still had to have standards and practices in order to make it watchable for all.) Slammer orders Baloo on the AIR CONDITIONING BIKE OF DEATH, Baloo gets on, rides his bicycle as the ceiling fan works, Slammer puts his feet on the desk and proclaims that it's so tiring being cruel and sadistic. I don't get how people think Disney used deference when it came to using Nazi's because this whole episode reeks of violating Godwin's Law. Slammer yells at Baloo to go faster and Baloo rides faster. We go to the outside shot of Slammer's office AFTER HAPPY HOUR (Unless you are in Thembria; then it's DURING SAD HOUR. After dark of course.) on an opposite shot as we see that prisoner with the ball & chain practice the fine art of not being seen by the guards which is pointless since they are clearly asleep on the next shot. (Not really; if he made a sudden noise, then they would wake up and shoot him.) The prisoner walks in and we head to morning as the guards with rifles yawn and a rooster crows. Actually; Disney Captions must have been scolded somewhere during the release of the first volume set because Captions refers to it as [rooster crowing] now. Actually; now that I think about it; that "Oh My God" from Case of the Cola Cult was also done by the first volume team because Kit said the same thing in audio in A Baloo Switcheroo; but Disney Captions changed it to "Oh my gosh!". So, Disney Captions was censoring bad words for their text at this point. Then again; I can understand why they would scold Disney Captions for [cock crowing]. "Oh my God" on the other hand... (Yeah; because the rooster was merely crowing and the cock thing was devised by Disney Captions themselves and they didn't execute self control. "Oh My God" on the other hand is in the audio and editing it out is a bad idea. Although editing out Baloo saying fucking in Plunder and Lightning part four would have been understandable as well for different reasons.)

They open the door as apparently the entire filing cabinets have been stolen, along with the ceiling fan as Slammer is asleep at the desk. Nice lightning by the animators. Slammer wakes up and calls this a short night. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. He looks up and notices the ceiling fan has been robbed. Slammer is SHOCKED and APPALLED as someone is going to prison for this. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Irony immunity much there Colonel? Thankfully for him; he remembers that he is in a prison. POW! OUCH! Ummmm... Slammer then notices to his right that Baloo was snoring as his nose twitches which is enough for Slammer to accuse him of playing innocent and stealing the fan. Don't you just love Thembrian logic?! Slammer yells at Baloo and Baloo wakes up as Slammer accuses him of stealing his ceiling fan. Slammer proclaims that this is going in his file as he pulls a file folder out and then realizes that his filing cabinets are stolen. HAHA! And somehow; he's not entombed in file folders...Oh wait; never mind. Slammer pops from the carnage and orders Baloo back in the hot house. (Why don't you strap him to the "Tree of Woe" for a bit as well?!) Baloo gets carried out by the guard as Baloo wants some breakfast first. We head back to the hot house as Baloo now knows how a fried egg feels. Tell me about it; lest I remind people of my H1N1 scare several years back. We head inside as Baloo sweats some more as Baloo wants bacon and orange juice and wishes that a day without orange juice is a day without sunshine. Slammer arrives as he asks if it's hot enough for him and then opens the door as Baloo falls flat on his face on cue. HAHA! Apparently; lunch isn't so hot as Baloo wakes up right on cue for that one. To Monty: BE JEALOUS! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmmmm... (Monty don't care as at least he isn't eating steam.) We head into the mess hall as Baloo walks inside. Did I mention that Baloo keeps holding the ball & chain all the time while walking? We see various prisoners (and even one gaurd) eating out of wooden bowls. Baloo calls it all gruel as he annoys a Thembrian guard. More on that later. Baloo decides to sit down because of his new found buddy (You know the one.) and blows the steam away to discover that there is NOTHING in the bowl!

Baloo calls it steam in which the prisoner blows it off because it was cold steam yesterday.. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh those wacky Thembrians. Of course it could be worse as character building develops with the small Thembrian hating gruel. Baloo cannot stand it as he needs something to eat. Baloo bails stage right and goes up and does the “I want some more” promo (I believe that came from Oliver Twist as well; which is ironic since Kit Cloudkicker was supposed to be the orphan of this outfit.) as we see that it's Colonel Slammer at the steam table with a water steam hose. I think you can guess the results here. He blows steams right in Baloo's face, Baloo falls and break a table full of dishes. FINALLY! A table in this series that does break. Surprise; it came from Thembria.. Baloo gets up and he's fed up at how he's poorly treated because he doesn't care if Rebecca thinks he's a poor fat slob which is the fourth fat reference of the episode. (Remember how Rhinokey went out of his way to avoid calling Hoppo "fat" in The Wuzzles?) He tries to walk out of the mess hall; but is cut off by the rifles of the Thembrian guards. Colonel Slammer then tells him the truth while waving the walking stick: He's a prisoner at Bedeviled Island Maximum Security Prison. Baloo still cannot believe it as Colonel Slammer blows off Liz Tapir. (I just love how Baloo was so stupid in not realizing that anyone with an IQ of 12 or above would have seen that this was clearly a prison just on the security guards alone. I hope Kit gets a belly laugh out of this because it is sure as hell funny.) Maybe she should get "Blow Away". If you don't get the joke; you don't watch enough WWE early 1990's wrestling. (Playboy Buddy Rose did a commercial for "Blow Away" which was a fake product that was supposed to make him lose weight. It obviously didn't work. Sadly; the joke ceased being funny when Buddy Rose died in 2009 after being morbidly obese.)

Anyhow; Slammer goes to a Thembrian guard with a pile of papers as Slammer takes some and runs down Baloo's list of crimes: Theft of a Thembrian government ceiling fan, violation of the Thembrian government files, wanton destruction of Thembrian government dishes and worst of all: wasting Thembrian government steam. I guess breaking a Thembrian government table is all okay then. (If this happened in a fair court of law; only the wanton destruction of dishes would be the crime Baloo would be nailed with, and he'll only pay a one hundred dollar fine just like in Inherit The Wind.) Slammer asks if Baloo knows what the punishment is for this and Baloo answers that it's another trip to the hot house. Slammer states that it's not quite that. But he is getting warmer. We head to Baloo having a target around his neck and a blindfold on as Slammer steals the ball & chain from Baloo which Baloo doesn't mind because it was starting to chafe anyway. HAHA! That's the least of your worries, Pop-A-Bear. Slammer puts the ball & chain into the conveniently placed cannon and I must say that Thembrian know how to recycle. No wonder the “Right” doesn't like this. Reycling is Communism! I would say socialism; but this is TaleSpin so Communism works a lot better here. (I'm guessing the steampunk genre has a lot of recycling too.) We then see four guards and four cannons as Slammer takes out his sword as Baloo thinks he's going to break a pinata. Slammer corrects him because he is going to be executed. HAHA! If you listen closely; you can hear Rebecca Cunningham laughing all the way to the bank. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: Yes, Rebecca almost got killed by a firing squad in The Time Bandit and now it's Baloo's turn. Kit's execution was via beheading in Plunder and Lightning Part 1.) Baloo panics right on cue because he's allergic to lead as he waves his hands and that ends the segment ten and a half minutes in. (I like this episode more than Battle Of The Bulge mainly because I love how Baloo was so determined to lose weight that he forgot that he had parachuted into the wrong island and now he's paying the price with his life for it. Thembrian justice is so wacky that North Korea is likely taking down notes as we speak.)

After the commercial break; Colonel Slammer cuts his You Cannot Do That On Television promo (By singing like a telegram operator...) as Baloo tries to stop the execution and manages to by asking for one last request. That stops Colonel Slammer in his tracks as Baloo asks for lots and lots of food since dieting is no longer possible. He wants roast beef, mash potatoes, angel food cake, devil's food cake and even somewhere in between cake. So, Baloo wants heaven, hell and purgatory cake. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: Wow, I'm surprised you refrained from the Rhinokey joke here, because that was legit true and funny to boot! Baloo is seriously fucked now.) Please don't sell it Slammer! He'll eat you out of house and home when that happens! Baloo also wants mildly annoying duck and wild duck as Slammer's ears fall on cue. Now that is new meaning to the term falling on deaf ears there sir. Slammer finally no sells him and yells fire as Baloo is seriously almost dead as the guards pull the ropes and Baloo is d....Oh silly me; Disney characters cannot die and since this is Thembria, the cannons don't work because they're using shells that don't have gunpowder and because they are from the last gunpowder shortage. HAHA! (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: Holy crap, with the current circuit and chip shortages going on, that really hits much closer to home than it should be.) Great excuse to get around BS&P without making Slammer look like a joke. (Even funnier; as we'll see later, the explosive Professor Crackpotkin used was in fact gunpowder from the shell that were supposed to be used on Baloo. So yeah, this is what happens when you have both Edens sibling working on scripts instead of just Mark Edens. The results are much better.) Baloo calls it tough luck as Slammer counters that it's tough luck for him because it's against DA RULES (FAIRY GODPARENTS!) not to die (death reference number three for the episode) at your own execution. BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! I cannot argue with that overwhelming logic there Slammer. (There is no way you can do that spot and try to 4Kids it without cutting it out entirely.)

So, Slammer gives Baloo twenty years for that as Baloo proclaims that he didn't peek as he takes the blindfold off. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: Just twenty years? FACKING BULLSHEET~!) We hear Slammer mutter and see him doing Thembrian fuzzy math as it's nine plus two carry the one; as he now has a two hundred and nineteen year prison term; up from one hundred ninty-nine years. HAHA! Not counting today of course. That's still less than he got for not commenting on the judge's hairdo so he's still getting off easy here. (Slammer seriously needs to work on his sadistic skills a lot more after that faux pas.) Baloo asks if he can have early parole on Saturday for the Pilot's Ball, Slammer gets the LIGHTBULB OF BLOODY CLAIRTY, realizes that the shipment of ammunition is coming on Saturday and they can shoot him dead then. HAHA! (What an end around that was?! I'm guessing that the ammunition is coming in the wee hours of Saturday morning too.) Baloo proclaims that there goes Saturday night right there as Slammer leaves. (Yeah; Baloo isn't going to the pay window either.) We go to the sky shot of the SeaDuck as we see Kit Cloudkicker, have mercy on his fragile soul, and WildCat carrying barrels of super glue into the tail section of the SeaDuck as Kit has the honor of lifting all the glue barrels off the carrier WildCat is holding. (Well; he only lifted one of them, but it was the last one; so I'm guessing that he lifted all of them because he's so industrious. Although that's only going to make him an easy target for Mr. Witherspoon.) The poor bastard! Kit puts it down gently as Kit hopes Baloo has lost a lot of weight. (Because goodness knows that Kit is losing weight, but somehow gaining no muscles. (2020 Gregory Weagle Says: If this line was the inspiration for steroid buff Kit by the artists: I WAS ONLY KIDDING, YOU SICK BASTARDS!)) Wildcat hopes it's not too much and invokes this gem:

WildCat: I had an aunt who lost two thousand pounds and she was miserable.
Kit: (Not buying it like someone who doesn't buy Pat Roberson doing two thousand pound leg presses.) Two thousand pounds?!
WildCat: Yeah; her car was stolen.

That was great. (I don't think Kit is religious or an athiest or even a humanist. Mainly because he's twelve years old and has been on the run for so long that having a belief in anything other than his own abilities would be discarded as a total waste of time.) I wonder why the writers didn't steal Gidget's "If you steal Grandpa's ashes, isn't that kidnapping?" line because it works even better with him. (WildCat's joke was simple and to the point that it's not a good idea to lose too much weight in a very short period of time, which is sound advice actually. Problem is, WildCat's analogy is way too far out in left field that Kit Cloudkicker is almost daring WildCat to admit that it has nothing to do with losing weight. In which, WildCat falls on his own trap and we laugh.) Kit leans on a barrel of glue hoping they can find the Elizabeth Taper center again. Kit takes the map and reads it asking which island is it and WildCat claims that it's the guacamole one. Kit is shocked as he wipes off the stuff and realizes that it's Bedevilled Island which is where Thembria sends their worst prisoners. Well; after Flight of the Snowduck, Spy In The Ointment and The Time Bandit; I think Baloo has earned the worst prisoner in all of Thembria status now. Wildcat of course confuses that with the island of guacamole instead. HAHA! Kit grabs WildCat as he proclaims that they need to help Baloo and they head to the cockpit, I guess. We head back to the prison from hell as we see Baloo at the rock pile. I wondered when that was going to happen since all prisons have this stereotype. We see Baloo attempt to use the SLEDGEHAMMER OF PLOT (oh, the irony!) on a rock; but he clearly tries too hard and the head of the sledgehammer nails him on the head in a very sick spot as Baloo is knocked out. I guess that spit shine on Baloo's hand caused the head of the sledgehammer to slip. HAHA! The effect would have been better if he was knocked out for more than five seconds. It's amazing how many times they are allowed to use the word execution in this episode alone. (I'm now more amazed how many times they have continued to have Baloo takes blows to the head. It's stopped being comical and it treading on scary land now.)

Anyhow; Baloo recovers and notices that the Gruel Hating Thembrian is crushing rocks like they were sand. Baloo comes over and asks how does he do it and the Thembrian proclaims that he knows where to strike as he strikes lightly and another rock crumbles. Like they say; there is always a weak point. In Kit's case; he might have the strongest legs; but he has the weakest feet in Usland. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmm...(THE FEATHERS~! That's what you get for punching 2010 me in the kisser, Kit.) Baloo asks why he is in prison and he doesn't know because he claims to be innocent. Baloo proclaims that there is probably a law against Thembria for being innocent. I love real comments that aren't supposed to be real comments. I mean; Thembria is looking more like the US today. (I wrote that one as a joke in 2010; and yet it is even more accurate today than it was five (eleven now) years ago. I scare myself sometimes since I never intended to predict the future.) See; her mother's heart was broken when he was sent here and tomorrow is her eighty-th birthday. Which is funny considering that he looks eighty years old. Then again; Thembria probably inflates the ages just to be Thembria. Because if you don't look twenty years older than you really are; YOU CAN BE SHOT! He promised to throw a party for her which I'm sure is against the law in Thembria and that's how he got in prison in the first place. After all; Molly got thrown in an ice prison for playing in the snow and smiling about it. (Because you see, in Thembria; having an imagination and smiling about it is independent thinking and that kills the vigor of the mommy-land. The funniest thing about Bubba's Big Brainstorm is that Thembria is the personification of the moral of that episode and it's much funnier because the ones who hate independent thinking and intellegence are in fact the "heels". I put it in scare quotes because they are really tweeners. Ironically; their hate for that kind of thinking will soon have a weak, but partial justification for it.) Baloo is in tears and wishes to find some way to help him. The prisoner claims that there is and whisper yells at Baloo that he's a pilot which Baloo agrees with him as the greatest by his estimation. Well; the prisoner built an airplane which can fly them both off the island see.

Baloo sees this as good; but the prisoner has one problem in that he must not overload it so he must lose ten pounds by AFTER HAPPY HOUR as the prisoner does the DOUGHBOY POKE OF DOOM on Baloo's belly and Baloo no sells of course because he would rather be shot of course. I see the DVD has some wear on that scene as the prisoner grabs Baloo's arm and they exit stage left. (Actually; I recheck the scene during transcripts and there was no wear that I could visibly see. So; I'm guessing that the DVD player I used in 2010 was shot. Figures, knowing it.) We cut to see Baloo jogging around in the hot house -- complete with ball & chain for extra weight resistance -- as we see the old prisoner sitting outside on a lawn chair and under an umbrella doing nothing but directing. That was an awesome sight to see. I guess the prisoner stole Slammer's umbrella and lawn chair too. We head to outside Bedevilled Island as the sun sets and it's AFTER HAPPY HOUR. We cut to inside the prison as the prisoner leads Baloo into practicing the fine art of not being seen and doing a poor job of it. Maybe blowing off Baloo is not a good idea here sir. Baloo almost blows it by going into the trashcan and find leftovers; but the Thembrian cuts him off at the pass. However; he trips and crashes into a pair of trashcans which signals the alarms to go off. The spotlights also go off as we have the prison escape. Baloo and the Thembrian run around for a bit before entering into a storage area before the guards can see them. Baloo turns around and sees the Thembrian's makeshift plane -- which are from parts stolen from Colonel Slammer including Slammer's car engine -- which was leftover from the last auto shortage. Sadly; there is no bullet shortage as they shoot to kill the entire roof using Transformer laser sound effects. WHAT THE HELL?! I thought the machine gun sounds were legal. (Sam Horta Editorial is doing the sound editing here and usually they use machine gun sounds, so did BS&P step in for some reason?) Baloo hides on top of the plane stating the obvious to me as we cut outside to Colonel Slammer and his guards running towards the wooden shed and the makeshift plane breaks through the wooden shed. Sadly; logic breaks since the roof was perfectly intact in that shot. This forces the tweeners to duck and the makeshift plane flies southeast.

Colonel Slammer blows him off because he'll get life for this; which is funny since Baloo was going to be executed on Saturday anyway. Ah; Thembrian logic; it allows Slammer to be within the shed instead of outside. (Wow; A Chargeman Ken-equse logic break, although Slammer probably fell face first into the hut and that's how he got it. At least I can explain it away, unlike some shows I know.) Morning arises as we head to the deadly sign which is blown off by the SeaDuck propellers. Would've worked if the sign was WELL HIDDEN to begin with. Ack! These logic breaks are hurting an otherwise funny episode. Kit thought this island was the Elizabeth Taper center as we see the SeaDuck stop and everyone jumps into the water. WildCat calls the island a glob of guacamole. Rebecca is SHOCKED and APPALLED that Baloo would actually try to lose weight all because he wouldn't disappoint her. Wildcat proclaims that the story is unbelievable as we see Kit, Rebecca and WildCat walk into the jungle and Rebecca wonders where the camp is. WildCat decides to be the tracker in an attempt to amuse me. After doing some cute spots; WildCat states that the camp is one half mile to the east. It's not metric; but that's fine by me, I respect all measurements. Rebecca is amazed by his skills which really involved reading a white sign that says "Camp 1/2 mile →" hidden in the bushes. HAHA! Works for me even if it makes little sense. Anyhow; we head to Slammer's office and head inside as Rebecca cannot believe that he escaped. Rebecca calls Baloo a fat pilot; not a fat criminal. In today's world; saying the word fat might be criminal. Nice touch with WildCat and Kit shaking and nodding on cue as Slammer no sells because he wants to know why he helped Professor Krackpotkin to escape. FINALLY! We have a name for the little Thembrian prisoner 16 and a half minutes in. It has to be hard to be someone who is named after two illegal drugs: Crack and Pot. Then again; most pilots are high anyway. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! POW! OUCH! Ummmmm... (Also an excellent decision by the writers to not reveal his name until right now because if they did reveal it earlier; it would have made Baloo look even dumber. Look; I realize that a lot of people around the world have unfortunate names and it's not their fault. However; who in their right mind would have Krackpotkin as a last name. Answer: An evil mother. That's why they waited until now because now it doesn't matter since you need to have Krackpotkin turn on Baloo and here's the best moment to do it.) Rebecca asks who in the blue hell is this professor and Slammer proclaims that he is a scientist who hates gruel. See; every day for twenty years his mother fed him gruel. I didn't know gruel burgers and pizza even existed; but then again, it's Thembria BABEE!

Slammer jumps onto the desk as he proclaims that Krack was crazy and he had a MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN, also known as the Krackpotkin Plan. Okay; that is a kick ass name and I should use it instead of the MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN in the future. "What About Mimi?" is dead anyway so the joke is really dated to drive into the ground at this point. (Which the MIMI JOKE ZONE PLAN has been officially retired from use in my website; unless I start ranting on "What About Mimi?" of course. Which isn't going to happen, although I might watch it a few times. I have a feeling and this wasn't mentioned; but I suspect that Krackpotkin's mother was killed by Krackpotkin for this and that's how he really got in prison. I mean; I realize that it's Thembria and independent thinking is grounds for inprisonment. However; if you are the worst criminal in Thembria, you would have to murder someone to get on Bedevilled Island since Molly and WildCat were in prison in Thembria merely for smiling.) It's a diabolical plan which is to destroy all the glorious Thembrian gruel reserve. He jumps off the desk as Slammer proclaims that he hasn't given up yet. Slammer shows the blueprints which he stomped on. HA! How fitting that it shows Baloo in a party hat?! Also, the airplane is a flying bomb packed with enough explosive gunpowder to blow a hole in the central gruel reservoir. HOLY FREAKIN CRAP?! That sounds like a 9/11 plan to me. Flying Dupes gets blackballed; but this episode somehow doesn't?! Sure; the series was blackballed after 9/11 for a year; but this episode was reinstated. Something tells me Flying Dupes was more than just what everyone thought it was. More on that in the final re-rant of the series. (I should note that this is how I summarized that the shells that were going to be used on killing Baloo had the gunpowder taken out and stolen by the professor.) We cut to the skies as we see the makeshift airplane bomb with Krack and Baloo flying it as Slammer voice over proclaims that he has radioed ahead to Colonel Spigot who is ready to shoot the plane down. They get close to the gruel reserve as we see Krack's demeanor is slowly turning evil to end the segment sixteen and a half minutes in. (Once again; this show starts making the Thembrians look like monster heels and then one of them does something so beyond the pale evil that it turns the country into a babyface and thus sticks as a tweener. Once again; really interesting psychology this show has in general. I could do without the dumb logic breaks though.)

After the commercial break; we head to the tundra of Thembria as Rebecca orders WildCat -- who is piloting the SeaDuck -- to go faster because Baloo must be saved from two drug references. Okay; not exactly that, but close enough. We head into the cockpit as WildCat tells everyone to hold on to their air sick bags as he gives full throttle. We head to a sky shot of overhead Thembria near the gruel reserve as the makeshift airplane bomb is flying over and Baloo tells Krack that as soon as they meet his mother then he's returning to Cape Suzette to escort a special lady to the party tonight. Then we get rocket bombs flying as Baloo proclaims that they might be a little late. We then pan down to ground lever as THE ULTIMATE SHORT JOKE tells his Dunder (EWWWWWW! GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!) to lock and load. Dunder loads the big ass rocket bullet of doom into the BIG BERTHA TANK OF DEATH and then closes the hatch and salutes his colonel. The tank is called Really Big Bertha by the way hence the stupid pun. (I just realized that Bertha is a Germanic name given as early as the 500's. Also of note is that Big Bertha is a german heavy siege gun made on the eve of World War I. They were captured by the USA, shown in a museum and then scrapped after World War II was over.) Dunder asks if he can aim and Spigot wants to do that himself. Sadly; Spigot cannot reach the scope so Dunder apologizes and help Spigot up. Spigot looks through the telescope and gets it into position proclaiming that he cannot miss on the target shot of the makeshift plane bomb. Spigot jumps down and Dunder puts on the earmuffs just before he fires the cannons just to amuse me. Sadly; the shell misses by a mile. Colonel Spigot whines likes a little child while Dunder talks about a big boom which NEVER HAPPENED. I think Dunder is immune to irony as Spigot proclaims that Krack will be making a bigger boom if he blasts a hole in the gruel reserves. We cut back to the Gruel Reserves as Baloo is flying straight for them while Professor Crackpotkin is finally showing that he is evil ("NOTHING CAN STOP ME~!") while Baloo is confused. And here comes the SeaDuck to the rescue! Kit pops out and shouts to Baloo to turn back because Crackpotkin is a mad scientist.

Sadly; Baloo thinks he said a bad scientist and tries to reassure Crackpotkin in the process even if he got bad grades. You are officially screwed and dead Pop-A-Bear! (Also of note; the transparent shadows effect of Chargeman Ken on the makeshift plane is in evidence here sadly. Although to be fair, this is the only time that happened. In Chargeman Ken; there are literal crowd shots in transparent clear colors.) Rebecca calls for WildCat to get the SeaDuck closer as Baloo flies right over the Gruel Reserve which is enough for Crackpotkin to reveal his true colors and cut an awesome promo while cutting the rope to destroy the makeshift plane and jumps off the plane (complete with parachute) while cutting another awesome promo: "Goodbye Gruel World!" Sadly; Disney Captions missed the world part. (Also, I missed it too when I was doing transcripts! Thankfully; I fixed it in the new edit.) He opens his chute as Baloo gets off another dumb comment about not having a mother. Ironically; that's only story Krack's telling the truth about. The makeshift bomb sinks like a stone as Kit screams to WildCat to fly like he's never flown before. What's with the sound effects today as Kit leaves and makes an Hanna Barbara sound effect in the process. (A woosh sound that I think was a mistake.) WildCat sells and puts the SeaDuck into a dive towards Baloo but not before doing three spin arounds which look nearly impossible to do in real life. Rebecca opens the door and demands that Baloo jump. Baloo no sells because he's not a Mexican Jumping Bear like Kit was in Pizza Pie In The Sky. (So there is a Mexico in the TaleSpin world? Well; that doesn't surprise me since Bulgria exists for real and there is Swedish meatballs and Chinese firedrills even though those countries will likely have TaleSpin-equse names since China is called Mynah as per Drumming Up Business audio book.) Rebecca asks if he wants to be blown up and that's enough for Baloo to jump as the plane does a hyperbole as the makeshift bomb is still free falling away from the Gruel Reserves. Baloo and Rebecca bounce around with the glue barrels and it ends up with Rebecca on bottom. OUCH! BS&P?! What BS&P?! (Yeah; who said that there is no man on woman violence on this show? Also I just popped the balloon on that theory because I saw the Toon Disney version and this was not cut out. I just it has to be intentional violence. Speaking of OUCH; no impact sound effect when Baloo squashes Rebecca either; but we can hear Baloo's footsteps on the floor when he gets up and walks into the cockpit.)

Rebecca adds more to that theory as she thinks Baloo lost some weight. Must be that Ass-O-cise he's been doing. AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! Baloo has no time as he heads to the cockpit just as the makeshift bomb explodes on contact on an angle into the gruel reserve tanks -- even doing a black flash screen explosion effect for good measure -- as the gruel all pours out like crazy. Well; no wonder Krackpotkin hates that stuff; it's all green like spinach and you cannot spell it without saying 'ick'. Funny how Kit's promo was stolen by Timmy Turner for Vicky of all people in Fairly Oddparents. (Even better than that; the tank actually cracks after the explosion in a nice attention to detail moment.) We head to the cockpit as he takes Kit out of the navigational seat and takes over as co-pilot. What the hell did Kit do? It's BALOO'S fault for getting the map filled with guacamole in the first place with his sloppy eating. Kit's plan was great; it's Baloo and WildCat who screwed up here. (TESTIFY~! You can blame Kit for causing Baloo's massive memory loss concussion in The Old Man & The SeaDuck, breaking the compass and causing Rebecca to think Baloo was dying in Bearly Alive, and even being the cause of the attack on Cape Suzette by Don Karnage in Plunder and Lightning due to his fake heel turn, but this incident is your fault Pop-A-Bear!) Thembrians are forced to flee as Krackpotkin lands on a Thembrian statue and continues to take shots at Thembrian's favorite food because they thought he was insane. Ummm; you are still that crazy, Krackypotkins! The SeaDuck flies around as Kit wonders how Baloo's going to stop that GUREL! Baloo looks behind him and sees his answer: LOTS OF GLUE! Oh boy! I knew this finish was coming a mile away. (I mean, if they didn't have the glue barrels as the finish; then what would be the point of showing Kit and WildCat loading them into the SeaDuck? Sure, it is a sense of realism, but no one watches cartoons for realism. If they want realism, we would watch a documentary. Personally; I want a documentary on the creation of this show. Thankfully; Tim Van Hal is writing such a book because I'm tired of using second hand research to connect the dots on the creation and origins of each show developed. If Doctor Who can get away with this; so can TaleSpin.)

As the tidal wave of gruel approaches; Colonel Spigot decides that the only way to defeat this menace is with the SPOON OF DOOM. Ah those wacky Thembrians! Dunder sees the tidal wave and decides he wants to retreat. Spigot calls him out as a weasel and then retreats like a scalded dog. HAHA! We head into the cockpit as Baloo says that the glue will stick to them ribs. I think stupid ideas are sticking to Eden's brain methinks as the babyfaces pour all the barrels of glue right onto the ocean of gruel which start to stick and causes the dry stuff to stop in it's tracks. "Glue away!" is such a lame promo on top of a lame finish. Needless to say after about two barrels of it; the gruel sticks like glue as Professor Krackpotkin starts to recover and gets off one last awesome promo because he is ultimately covered with glue. HAHA! It's stupid but it works on Krackypotkins at least. The SeaDuck flies away as the gang declares victory. Baloo just wants to go home and eat Rebecca out of house and home again. Okay; maybe not quite that. (The finish was all right; but it only gave Len Uhley ideas for Stuck On You and that outrageous comedy of errors. At least there was a payoff to the glue and they stopped the terrorist from completely drowning Thembrian in their own gruel, so there's that. It's lame; but I have seen worse even in this show.) We return to the docks of Higher...For...Hire and then inside the office as Baloo stuffs his face while wearing his old suit just to annoy me. He probably gained all that weight back thanks to that meal. (Doubtful; you need at least four weeks of constant eating like that to regain ten pounds. I know this from experience.) Rebecca decides that she was wrong about Baloo's weight and that it's what inside that counts. Why? Rebecca's not at fault here. Baloo and WildCat screwed up here in their attempt to lose weight. Rebecca decides to give Baloo a present for trying even if it was hopeless. I hope Colonel Slammer didn't hear that? (Funny, since Baloo had to lose ten pounds just to make sure the makeshift plane wasn't overloaded. Unless Krackpotkin was lying about that; which in this case, he's a bigger sadist than Colonel Slammer! No wonder he was in prison.)

Baloo gets a red elastic cummerbund for his trouble as Rebecca now believes in a new slogan: More weight equal more bossing around Pop-A-Bear. HAHA! She may be a jerk; but she's OUR jerk. Baloo is screwed once again. (Considering that Baloo is a lazy slob, her retort to him being fat was hilarious and Baloo has no one to blame but himself. She's finally learning the art of how to do a thinly veiled fat joke. Although; considering who was acting at the time, it didn't exactly cast Sally Struthers in a positive light in hindsight. I also love how less difficult Rebecca has become. She has finally found her zone in backhanded compliments and expose Baloo's major flaws.) On second thought; the lesson isn't so lame anymore as Baloo is confused and then recoils and sulks to end the episode at 21:20. As I said before in the first rant: Lame finish aside (and logic breaks) that was a pretty entertaining episode for me. Forbidden words (Not really) + Baloo getting screwed + sadist tweener + sadist heel= Great TaleSpin Episode 101. **** (80%). (The rating is perfect even now and it's pretty much the same as I saw it in 2010. Kevin Johntson stated that TaleSpin's cast of characters needs to be studied; which to me is a big endorsement for character-based shows in general. Too bad character doesn't sell toys; and that needs to change in a more enlightened society. Tama Production Company is pretty good, even if some of the Chargeman Ken luster was present in this episode. However; Tama Pro is a good subcontractor in terms of animation and I'll take them over Hanho Heung-Up anyday of the week.)

Final Note: This episode uses the prop font in the credits as well and suffered from Post-Production in syndication later on which is produced by Jamie Mitchell. (Which I made the mistake in thinking that Jamie Mitchell was the Director/Producer of the show; when it was really the late Robert Taylor.)

THE REVIEW LINE

Wow; this is one of the better Edens episode that I have seen anywhere and I hope they realize that fewer goofy plot lines and fewer logic breaks equals a good episode. (The siblings together are a good team. It's usually Mark Edens who does a godawful job as per my rants on Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers.) Colonel Slammer was a gem to watch because he is a sadistic Thembrian who was in the end a face because he was warden of a prison and was only trying to give the prisoners what they deserve for their crimes against Thembria and the Thembrian race. His methods are really sadistic and actually apporos for this episode. (And of the wackiness that comes from Thembria.) Compare that to Miss Finster who comes off as a human hating sadist but is in the wrong profession to be pulling off such actions. Krackpotkin was great once he turned heel and showed through his deception. (TaleSpin's characters seem to have a lot of morally grey in them; even when there is a clear babyface/heel dynmanic. It feels believable to a certain extent; while at the same time, gives them distinct personalities that make them compelling to watch no matter what alignment they come from.) WildCat and Kit were themselves and it's always great to hear someone say fat when that word has so much stigma attached to it nowadays. (Only if you use it as an insult. Using it in a health context is perfectly all right; although fat farm has pretty much been retired as a phrase for a weight loss center due to being too negative and hurting their business (because it is confusing since fat farm might imply that they all eat more fat.) The only problems with this episode was the lame finish with the glue and the confusion of morals presented in this episode. I thought this was about the importance of losing weight and it turned into a mix your meals up and then appearances don't count moral. (No; there wasn't a moral to the story because Baloo wanted to lose weight willfully without any second thoughts or refusal (like Tummi). Thus the moral of the story would be: Don't be a messy eater. Which is a Vowel Play-equse moral, but good solid advice.) I have no problems with morals; I do have a problem with merely sticking morals in like throwing darts on a dartboard without the proper debate, the illusion that the moral might not work and some continuity errors might occur. (Your promo on morals is sound; but this episode is not a good example of what you are talking about 2010 me. War Of The Weirds is on more solid ground than this one.) There were a few logic breaks; but the episode was fun and maybe the best weight loss episode in DTVA. (It was the best weight loss episode in DTVA because it was fun and Baloo's decision to lose weight was made on his own, even though it ended up with Baloo causing an international incident with Thembria as usual.)

So, that is the second last episode of TaleSpin released in 1990. There is still Jolly Molly Christmas left; but if that's isn't a thumbs up episode then I'll eat my hat. (Don't worry; you are not going to eat your hat 2010 me. The episode was a clear thumbs up.) We would have 32 thumbs up and nine thumbs in the middle which is really on par with Gargoyles if not better in my view. (Wow; only nine thumbs in the middle? COME ON! You really were bias 2010 me! Although so far after 21 episodes, only two episodes have changed thumbs: Polly Wants A Treasure is a thumbs up while For Whom The Bell Klangs is a thumbs in the middle leaning up. So, not much has changed in fact. Oh; and this would be far better than Gargoyles after even 39 episodes in 2010 (Gargoyles was 20 thumbs up, 15 thumbs in the middle and four thumbs down.). Not sure about 2015 though.) So; I'll have the Christmas episode done on Christmas Eve (which is around the time the transcript will be written in 2015) and then it's My Fair Baloo, Waiders Of The Wost Treasure, Flight School and Bringing Down Babyface. So...

Thumbs up for this episode and I'll see you next time.

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