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Rocko’s
Modern Christmas
There’s something about Christmas that brings out the best of
any show. This is a holiday dedicated to
happiness, goodwill, being with loved ones, and generosity. Surprisingly, through this special, Christmas
fits with this show’s atmosphere very well.
All year round, Rocko is a pleasant and
friendly guy living in a crazy and cynical world. This premise also applies to Christmas as
Rocko strives for a great holiday despite no snow and very few people showing
any spirit. It’s simple, but
that’s what makes it so appealing. It’s a
relatable concept among the inherent craziness of the series and stands out
with a strong plays on emotions.
Even as
Rocko’s Christmas feels drab, it’s great to see how positive he is about things
as he prepares a special occasion. For
the moment, the positivity seems to pay off.
His simple get-together with close friends turns into an all-out party
for all of O-Town. Also, as an extra potential helping of cheer, new neighbors
of Christmas elves move in. One young
elf even bonds with Rocko, following him around as he goes shopping for
decorations. The elf never talks, but
through what he gets up to, his youthful design, and simple expressions, he’s
interesting enough to follow. As for the
party, Rocko’s bond with the elf grows enough to convince the entire elf family
to come.
However, the story brings in
the harsh fact that even at Christmas, life goes on, and things can go
wrong. The local grump, Ed Bighead, is a
fitting choice for this Christmas story’s miser character. He relishes this role through enjoying the
lack of spirit in the beginning. However he grows particularly tense when he
finds out about Rocko’s party he apparently didn’t get an invitation
for. Moreover, he puts in a bad word for
the new elf neighbors as he informs everyone that they’re coming to the party
along with nasty rumors about them. With
how fast word spread earlier, it’s believable that these lies spread quickly too and,
everyone decides not to go to the party.
With Rocko unaware of all this as he puts a lot of effort into the
party, it’s an especially big sting when he ends up all alone. This is a time when he’s fully sympathetic
and you’re not expected to find it funny.
Rocko actually thought he could bring Christmas cheer to O-Town, but
things went wrong and he’s faced with the sad outcome of being all alone on
Christmas Eve. A call to his parents in
Australia not going through only adds to this.
With things going this wrong to a huge extent, what this
loneliness brings is very meaningful.
Even with his Christmas being a bust, Rocko still acts as a good friend
to that one little elf, and his positive attitude is very intact. That’s all it takes for things to work
out. The elf is moved to work his own
magic and makes it snow, something thought to only be done by one elf who was
lost in a blizzard. The sight of
Christmas snow over Rocko’s house astounds all of O-Town of how much cheer he
had all along. Rocko, seeing the good in people as usual, invites them for the
party despite everything, even Ed. Finally getting a call
from his parents and snow falling everywhere else completes the Christmas cheer
he was striving for.
Right here, the
special shows that being good at heart is key for any good coming to you, which
is especially meaningful in a Christmas special. It’s particularly effective through not just
being rewarding to Rocko at this time of year, but as a good payoff to what he
endures all the time. This may not be
well-known compared to other Christmas specials, but for its great impact from
the title character’s holiday, I highly recommend making it a tradition of
watching it.
A+
The Ranking
- Rocko’s Modern Christmas
- Tickled Pinky
- Boob Tubed
- The Lounge Singer
- Road Rash
- I Have No Son
- Commuted Sentence
- Down the Hatch
- Pipe Dreams
- She’s the Toad
The next Rocko's Modern Life review covers an ill-fated camping trip, and one of the show's more out-of-the-ordinary concepts with Rocko and Filburt needing to act like a married couple so Rocko won't be deported.
If you would like to check out other Rocko's Modern Life reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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