For good works of media to really stand the
test of time, it’s best that they don’t include anything dated, such as trends
that are set to be popular for a certain amount of time.A common popular trend is different styles of
music, mainly rock n roll or pop, which seems to vary from decade to
decade.This trendy subject is a major
factor in this particular episode with the rock n roll style feeling like it
simply cannot exist anywhere but the 80s.Dated as the overall episode ends up feeling as a result, it ultimately
comes together in a solid yet flawed final result.
After having the subject of popular music set
itself up as a key story element in an opening scene with Scrooge and the kids,
it works its way into the main plot with the Beagle family.In yet another one of their schemes to
riches, Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys discover a robbing opportunity via a
televised music competition with a million-dollar prize.The flashy scenery, exuberant host, and just
about every attempt from everyone to sound hip throughout the competition sell
the feel of this music style of the era.The Beagle Boys are quick to get caught up in the whole thing when their
attempt at robbing the cash prize is exposed live on stage.
Instead of being arrested, they’re believed
to be contestants, and Ma Beagle is quick to indulge the façade by reminding
the boys of a song they apparently have.The result is “Boogie Beagle Blues,” and for all its dated feels, it’s
pretty catchy and fun as a song by itself.In the episode’s context, the song is so good that the Beagle Boys are
unanimously named the contest winners with no other entry even bothering to
challenge them.
From here, things
suddenly take a turn for the Beagle Boys as they take on new ways to make
money.As now popular singers, it
becomes their new main profession, though they don’t immediately figure that
they have to keep working at it instead of just enjoying the money right away.Through it all, Ma Beagle becomes domineering
of how they go about their music gigs, making choices on their routines and how
much effort they put into their trade.One can’t help but feel that this isn’t like a family that’s meant to go
the criminal route to get what they want.What Ma Beagle is implementing for her boys is strict, but totally
honest and what’s usually expected from real music acts.Speaking of her strictness, her regiment and
dominance over the Beagle Boys eventually gets Ma Beagle fired, showing her
boys having a more expected amorality to them.
However, it’s at this moment when Ma Beagle’s motives start getting
confusing.During a meeting of mothers
of criminal children, she shows regret for her boys now earning money an honest
way with their music.The problem is
that she’s the one who encouraged them to keep up the musical act in the first
place, and was genuine about it.Now,
her believing that they should stop doing this and go back to acting like true
criminals is just too sudden and doesn’t make sense; there’s no natural shift
in mindsets.
For comparison, look at how
Scrooge goes about this whole affair since the Beagle Boys now partner with him
by using a record company he owns.Scrooge starts off lamenting working with his enemies; then something
happens to have him warm up to the idea with him realizing how much he can
benefit from a cut of the profit they generate; then he goes back to dreading
the setup upon hearing the Beagle Boys’ purchase demands that ultimately leave
him with no money.There’s always some
reasonable cause to change Scrooge’s outlook on the circumstance, the very
thing missing from Ma Beagle.Maybe her
being fired could be worked as a reason to want to get her boys to return to
crime, but it feels like it’s all because of them taking interest in something
she set them up for.It overall hurts
the engagement of the conflict.
Either
way, the status quo is quickly reinstated when the Beagle Boys are in a
creative crisis of coming up with a new song for a show, and Ma Beagle suddenly
shows up with one.It turns out to be
the same song with lyrics that insult the audience, and just like that, the
Beagle Boys’ fame is over and they’re back to being criminals.
Ultimately, this episode ends up being
another thing that just happens and shakes things up for 22 minutes.It’s held back by a combination of a dated
setup to make the show seem hip, and confusing mood swings on matters leaving
questions on how certain mindsets make sense.Still, the audience is likely to walk away with solid fun, and above
everything else, a pretty catchy pop ditty to have them “sing the Boogie Beagle
Blues.”
B-
The Ranking
1.Blue Collar Scrooge
2.My Mother the Psychic
3.Allowance Day
4.The Big Flub
5.The Land of Trala La
6.The Good Muddahs
7.Dough Ray Me
8.A Case of Mistaken Identity
9.Bubba’s Big Brainstorm
10.Beaglemania
11.Metal Attraction
12.Bubbeo and Juliet
The next review covers Huey, Dewey, and Louie profiting off trends, but first, a look at an episode of the reboot.
If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
When a show has been going on for a while, it’s unsurprising
that it would run out of ideas at some point.
As this show’s fourth season is nearly over, and by extension the show
at this point had been running for around five years, it’s fitting that this
concept would inspire a cartoon.
Considering that a good number of cartoons this season alone have come
off as dull with their concept executions, deciding to focus on being stuck for
ideas feels natural. One might even
argue that it explains a lot about the overall series production.
It all gets going when the Eds are given a
clear incentive to go after money.
Kevin’s got a huge surplus of jawbreakers from the factory his dad works at in his garage, and all the kids are paying him to get their hands on
some. As they don’t have the money to get
in on the jawbreakers themselves, of course matters turn to coming up with a
scam to solve that problem.
However, it
turns out for that for once, Eddy is completely stumped for scam ideas which is
an interesting twist on expectations. Eddy
is the idea man in the group, always dreaming up scams for the whole team to
execute, but for once, he has nothing.
Him being so embarrassed to admit this greatly reflects the circumstance
while framing him in a relatable, almost sympathetic way. It even highlights the idea that there may be
more to what they do than just get money for jawbreakers. On a self-aware level though, it can also be
seen as how hard it can be for shows to go on when they don’t seem to have good
ideas.
In a pretty clever sense, Eddy
not having an idea for a scam ends up being a catalyst for something fairly
interesting that’s even executed well for good measure. At his friends’ suggestion, Eddy decides to strike
a deal with the other kids to have them come up with a scam in exchange for a
cut of potential profits. Circumstances
bring Jimmy in on all this, and it’s acknowledged that he has potential of
headlining a scam, complete with a direct reminder of an earlier cartoon to
prove it. As it turns out, this hidden
trait of Jimmy’s is in full force as he clearly shows a definitive vision for a
scam. He doesn’t outright state what it
is, but knows exactly how to pull it off as he instructs the Eds on what key components
to retrieve.
From here, the usual formula
is in place as the scam is put together, and it offers the unique appeal that
comes with it. It’s amusing enough to
watch Eddy and Double D go around finding ways to fulfill Jimmy’s request for a
bunch of refrigerators and fence posts.
However, the comedic highlight easily comes from Ed who gets extension
cords, picks them up easily except they get stuck between trees, and Ed keeps
walking with them unaware. Double D and
Eddy observing the problem their friend doesn’t notice only to cut to the scam
ready to go sells the comedy of the situation by not even saying how obvious
the fix is.
Then comes the scam itself
which could very well be seen as the most inventive creations of the
series. What Jimmy was setting out to
create was a bunch of giant ice pops coming in various colors and coming with
fruit on the inside. Seeing these treats
in full is certainly satisfying as a clear result of hard work and effort to
make something creative. Truly, it’s
believable that anyone watching would wish these ice pops existed in real life,
and Jimmy knows what he’s talking about when he says they’ll be rich from
them.
Then comes a striking blow to the
whole plan; Eddy completely turns down Jimmy’s scam and declaring it a lame
idea despite all the effort and clearly satisfying results. Yes, Eddy is known for his ego and naturally
wouldn’t like that Jimmy would upstage him, but wasn’t that the whole
point? He had gone out of his way to
have others give him an idea for a scam.
What’s stopping him from taking credit for Jimmy’s idea to make himself
look like a marketing genius? This is an
obviously boneheaded move that could have been avoided, and that makes what
happens later sting pretty badly. After
having Ed humorously and literally knock sense into him, Eddy comes up with his
own scam at last, and it’s one that’s truthfully lame. He just has kids stick their heads in holes
to find out their ‘hat size’ promising nothing of value. Unsurprisingly, no one pays any mind to this,
topped off with Kevin rubbing it in that he’s out of money due to being far
more impressed with Jimmy’s ice pops.
The sight of Jimmy pulling wagons and toys filled with money even adds
to the sting, showing that the Eds could have been successful if it wasn’t for
this uncalled-for mood swing. Moral
values of scams aside, it makes Eddy come off as hard to get behind for being
so boneheaded.
Nevertheless, this
cartoon ends up as one of this season’s most interesting. Tying into the idea of long running shows
being strapped for ideas might not have been its intention, but it’s still
fitting for where this show is at this point.
It isn’t perfect for sure, but the interesting insight still makes the
final product worthwhile.
A-
Postcards from the Ed
It’s ironic that the first cartoon of this episode
highlighted the idea of not having creative ideas for things, but its companion
has a very creative idea and executes it well.In addition to this idea being executed well in terms of comedy and
storytelling, a notable element is how it highlights unique quirks of
the cul-de-sac characters.
Leading into
this main idea is a scam that also adds to the irony about the last cartoon
covering the lack of ideas.It’s an
Egyptian temple made of cardboard boxes with lots of interesting details to
make it appealing to the kids, like hieroglyphics drawn in crayon.This is a clear example of the Eds’ scams
having very impressive effort put into them making them worth rooting for.The fact that it only fails because Ed,
posing as the mummy, arrives late to play his part is indicative of the appeal
of what theese characters come up with.
It’s this backfire of a scam that starts off the one to drive the plot
of this cartoon.The Eds are just doing
their thing with the Egyptian scam, and are spotted by Jonny and Plank.There is a catch though with two extra
characters with them; Plank’s parents as represented by two longer pieces of
wood with husband-and-wife features drawn on them.Jonny has always had an interest in treating inanimate objects like they’re alive, demonstrating childlike wonder.However, when it comes to Plank, there’s
often been a bit of ambiguity to how aware of things he really is.So, with his parents introduced, it can be
seen as interesting development that can also work as imagination.
Each Ed observes Plank’s parents in their own
way playing into either perspective.Ed,
being notably naïve and childlike, unsurprisingly interacts them like they’re
actual people.Eddy and Double D sees
them for the pieces of wood as they are with Double D looking at a nice extension
of Jonny’s imagination, and Eddy finding the whole idea stupid.Jonny, who’s been giving Plank’s parents a
tour of the cul-de-sac, has gotten tired from working at it all day, and asks
the Eds to continue the tour for him.Double D and especially Ed are happy to oblige while Eddy, based on his
own opinion of the setup, backs down.From there, the tour gets going with a simple gesture of pushing Plank’s
parents around in a shopping cart to take in the cul-de-sac’s simple findings.Simple as the tour starts out as, in an
entertaining measure, it escalates into something much crazier, making it stand
out much more.
After just brushing off
the ideas of Plank’s parents as stupid, Eddy has a complete change of opinion
as he sees an opportunity for money.Right in the middle of Ed and Double D’s simple tour, Eddy barges in
with a tour bus made of a cardboard box and wagon to snatch up Plank’s
parents.He’s now posing as their tour
guide, and is ready for all potential profit.As wrong as he is for kidnapping Plank’s parents from his friends who
genuinely want to serve them, Eddy has the charisma to make the cul-de-sac tour
stand out better.Because of this,
mundane sights of the neighborhood like garbage mountains, manhole covers, and
even grass feel much more special.He
even has ways of making rivals like Sarah and Jimmy look like interesting
tourist traps, and it’s fitting in this context with Sarah seen pushing Jimmy in a baby carriage; seriously what’s up with that?
Still, as fun as Eddy is, he’s clearly over
his head, and his friends set out to talk sense in him.The fact that Ed is the one more determined
to track Eddy down says a lot about his sincerity to fulfilling this task for
Jonny.He amusingly uses the scent of
Eddy’s cologne to find out where the tour has gone, and is at his most firm
when finally confronting them at the playground.Unfortunately, for all his and Double D’s
efforts, they don’t stop Eddy’s crazy tour, and it meets a rather gruesome end
when the tour goes under the monkey bars.The low bars completely break Plank’s parents’ heads off, which of
course means death in terms of the nature of inanimate objects with faces.If that’s not enough, Eddy doesn’t even have
a chance to cover what he did when Jonny and Plank appear and see
everything.Before Ed can end up taking
the blame, he’s quick to reveal that Eddy did it, and the claim is not
contradicted or denied.Eddy does try to
lighten the situation by saying the heads can be fixed with glue or nails, but
as far as Jonny’s concerned, Plank is an orphan, and Eddy will pay dearly.His final punishment is fitting with him tied
to the top of a tree surrounded by other planks with angry faces which he also
claims as stupid.What isn’t fitting
however is that Double D and Ed are punished too even though they were clearly
trying to stop Eddy and admitted they weren’t responsible for what
happened.This is a total one step
forward two steps back deal that holds the cartoon back from ultimate greatness,
and it sadly tends to be a common occurrence at this point.
The cartoon on the whole is still very good
for proving to still have good ideas and executing them to an entertaining and
somewhat character-building degree.
A
Series Ranking
1.An Ed is Born
2.One
+ One = Ed
3.The Day the Ed Stood Still
4.A Glass of Warm
Ed
5.It Came from Outer Ed
6.Rent-A-Ed
7.Once Upon an Ed
8.Fa
La La La Ed
9.Urban
Ed
10.Ed…Pass it On
11.One
of Those Eds
12.Laugh
Ed Laugh
13.Dawn
of the Eds
14.Don’t
Rain on My Ed
15.Wish You Were Ed
16.Dueling Eds
17.Mirror,
Mirror On the Ed
18.Gimme, Gimme Never Ed
19.Ed-N-Seek
20.Keeping
Up With the Eds
21.Who
Let the Ed In
22.Avast
Ye Eds
23.Flea
Bitten Ed
24.Fool
on the Ed
25.Ready
Set Ed
26.The
Ed-Touchables
27.Who
What Where Ed
28.Dear
Ed
29.Momma’s Little Ed
30.Brother, Can You Spare an Ed?
31.Hot
Buttered Ed
32.Ed or Tails
33.Stop
Look and Ed
34.See No Ed
35.Shoo
Ed
36.Rock-a-Bye Ed
37.Little
Ed Blue
38.Ed
in a Halfshell
39.Scrambled
Ed
40.Pain
in the Ed
41.O-Ed Eleven
42.Vert
Ed Go
43.Ed
Overboard
44.Postcards
from the Ed
45.Oath
to an Ed
46.Ed, Ed, and Away
47.Button
Yer Ed
48.An Ed in the Bush
49.Read
All About Ed
50.Rambling
Ed
51.Home
Cooked Ed
52.Honor
Thy Ed
53.Stuck
in Ed
54.Floss
Your Ed
55.Robbin’
Ed
56.Quick
Shot Ed
57.Look
Into My Eds
58.The Luck of the Ed
59.The
Good Ol’ Ed
60.Is There An Ed in the House?
61.Knock,
Knock Who’s Ed
62.A
Boy and His Ed
63.Eds-Aggerate
64.Three Squares and an Ed
65.One
Size Fits Ed
66.Will Work for Ed
67.Boys Will Be Eds
68.High
Heeled Ed
69.Know-it-All
Ed
70.For Your Ed Only
71.Dim Lit Ed
72.Cry
Ed
73.Eeny
Meeny Miney Ed
74.A
Pinch to Grow an Ed
75.Pop
Goes the Ed
76.Hands
Across Ed
77.They
Call Him Mr. Ed
78.An
Ed Too Many
79.Sir
Ed-a-Lot
80.For
the Ed By the Ed
81.Over
Your Ed
82.From Here to Ed
83.A
Key to My Ed
84.Once
Bitten Twice Ed
85.X Marks the Ed
86.It’s
Way Ed
87.Here’s
Mud in Your Ed
88.In
Like Ed
89.A
Twist of Ed
90.A
Case of Ed
91.Thick as an Ed
92.My Fair Ed
93.To
Sir With Ed
94.Nagged
to Ed
95.Tag
Yer Ed
96.Stiff Upper Ed
97.Sorry Wrong Ed
98.If
it Smells Like an Ed
99.Your
Ed Here
The next Ed Edd n Eddy review has the Kanker sisters bring destruction to the cul-de-sac to find their ship-in-a-bottle while the Eds try to get it off Ed's finger, and the kids are met with a mysterious boomerang.
Next time is more review fun from DuckTales.
If you would like to check out other Ed Edd n Eddy reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
