We’re adding another Nicktoon to the review repertoire today which
is one of the most bizarre yet highly creative and ingenious looks at everyday
life:
Rocko’s Modern Life (Season 1)
Basic Premise
When it
comes to animated TV shows, some of my favorites are those that depict relatable moments
of everyday life, and those that allow creators to stretch
their imaginations and bring to life humorous scenarios that can’t be expressed
in any other medium. This classic
animated series from Nickelodeon is somewhat of a combination of the two types
of series. With it turning 25 this year
and set to be rebooted with a TV movie called “Static Cling” in the near
future, I’m pleased to start doing reviews of Rocko’s Modern Life.
The premise
of the show is one we all can relate to where every little thing we do in life
is hardly ever easy with challenges stemming around every corner. However, it stands out through not just
interpreting the activity, but also letting loose highly creative mindsets through exaggerating the challenges that come with them resulting in
hilariously memorable antics throughout the runtime. At the center of all these attempts at
getting through life is a basic yet likable protagonist, Rocko himself. He’s an
Australian wallaby whose only goal is to live a happy, healthy, and
productive life, which is made near-impossible when he’s constantly seeing how
difficult the tasks he sets out to do really are. Making Rocko’s attempts at living a good life
even more interesting are the distinct characters he runs into, like his cute
yet incident-prone dog Spunky, his gluttonous yet well-meaning steer friend
Heffer, the neurotic turtle Filburt, and his easily irritated next-door
neighbors, the Bigheads. Even if the
challenges are exaggerated, you can easily see yourself as Rocko and
connect with the basic difficulty of the craziness he endures, making for
an experience that’s both hilarious and relatable. We’ll get a first taste of this setup at work
in this look at the first season of this show.
It should be noted that the order the
cartoons will be reviewed in will not be in the production order, so there will
be some continuity errors. Unlike
another Nicktoon I review on this blog, I can’t find a website with the proper
order, so the airing order is all I have to follow .
Also, I've recently decided that scoring the cartoons with numbers makes my reviews feel a little too objective which can be a problem should people not agree with my opinion, especially things I rate a 10/10. What seems like perfection to me could be highly problematic for others, basically. What I need is a rating system that ties into how I feel about something, but also be considerate of people who might not fully agree, much like my recommendation ratings I give to reviews of specials. This is why, starting with this set of reviews, I'm going to add in a new rating system akin to grades you'd get on a test with A+ being the highest (with the exception of the rare A++) and F- being the lowest. This is just a change I thought I'd share.
With all that said, let’s begin
while also remembering that review day can be a very “dangerous” day.
Now on with the reviews:
No Pain No
Gain
Unlike most
shows I’ve reviewed whose first episodes usually devote themselves to giving
thorough introductions to the characters we follow through the series, this one
begins with a standard cartoon that more or less follows the premise of the
series. It’s a bit of a random entry to
start on and one that can be viewed out of order without missing anything, but
despite its traits applying to most cartoons of this show, it’s still a
commendable way to show what you get out of this series.
The relatable topic here is Rocko and
Heffer feeling out of shape which prompts them to join a
health club called Flambé le Flab run by classy business owners who pop up a
lot in various occupations, the Chameleon Brothers. All throughout Rocko and Heffer’s weight loss attempts, the basic yet identifiable hardships that come from exercising
shine through the cartoonish exaggerations of the states of being. It’s even shown right
at the start to illustrate how in desperate need of Rocko and Heffer to get
into better shape, especially a gag of Heffer breaking through the doorframe
and falling through the floor due to his weight. As to be expected though, the most effective
use of exaggerations come from the health
club itself. The antics are
mostly a result of Rocko’s inexperience with exercise equipment and generally
not being as fit as everyone else, and Heffer either focusing more on eating
something than actually working out.
It’s astounding how much creativity the cartoon gets out of a concept as
simple as the difficulties of exercising.
We have Rocko being unable to keep up with fast-paced stretches that he
ends up being bounced around like a ball, getting comically crushed by a barbells
that seem light enough for him, getting unbelievably stretched out even in the
eyes by the all too advanced Anatomizer, and more. What Rocko’s put through may be extremely
exaggerated, but it’s still easy to identify yourself in his place since exercising
in real life is hardly as easy as some people make it out to be.
This is what keeps the cartoon entertaining despite Rocko constantly
getting beaten around through his feeble attempts. Even Heffer slacking off
of the exercising to eat can be seen as identifiable. It does make him lazy especially when he
makes weak excuses to justify adding on weight he’s meant to lose, but Heffer’s
role ties into a common behavior expressed when you don’t feel like
working out even though you have to.
As will be the case throughout much of the series, there’s an
undeniable charm to Heffer’s character in which it really feels like he values
Rocko as a friend through civil conversations and both of them enjoying each
other’s company regardless of whether they’re both on the same page. That’s why the ending scene when Rocko turns
down the offer to become a full-fledged member of the health club to be with
his friend is a well-done way of bringing in some heart to the cartoon. There’s not really a sense of accomplishment
though since it’s not convincing that Rocko and Heffer truly got into shape
like they set out to do, so the whole thing does feel empty and lacking in
value.
Still, it astounds for its
genuine relatability through its cartoonish depictions of living life, and this
is only the first instance of the show working these strengths.
A-
Who Gives a
Buck?
We all want
to find the best way possible to get a lot of money, and it’s challenging to
find out how to use your money well once you get it. As a show that uses exaggerations to make its
point on life’s relatable problems, the money problem makes the
resulting cartoon pretty impactful.
Rocko is in need of some new things for his
house especially a new dog bowl for Spunky.
When a credit card arrives in the mail, Rocko is pushed by Heffer to use
it to shop at the mall. While it’s
really predictable that Heffer’s advice won’t lead to any good given how
dim-witted he is, just from the look of Rocko’s empty and messy home, there’s
good to his idea.
At first, any misfortunes they do run into
are out of both his and Rocko’s control when they first drive to the mall. Some antics play with expectations like when
they try to find a parking space while following a man, but the man turns out
to think like a child since he’s been looking for his mom’s car for years. Others rely on crazy visuals like when they go up a maze of roads for a parking space, ending at the highest
level in space. Admittedly,
these antics go on a bit too long and don’t fit with the main shopping spree,
but at least they’re enjoyable on their own.
As for the actual shopping, the ordeal is approached with a lot of edge
and entertainment as a humble citizen like Rocko meets a shady store owner
who’s clearly doing whatever he can to get the first-time credit card user to
purchase his most expensive yet creatively designed dog bowl. In a strong show of morality, Rocko conflicts
over buying it knowing it’s expensive even though he can pay later. He ends up buying the bowl which at least
fulfills the need for his beloved dog, but in a combination of peer pressure
from Heffer and genuinely wanting to buy more nice-looking things, his first
purchase leads to many more. The
creative interpretation of the credit card looking burnt out from how much
Rocko uses it is a small one yet still effective for what it shows.
Eventually, the problem of credit cards comes
when Rocko has to pay for all the stuff he bought, and he can’t afford to do so.
The magnitude of the trouble is felt through angry phone calls and random
messages thrown through the window. It
even continues into his dreams where imagination goes all out to depict Rocko’s
psyche reacting to his inability to pay up when bits of the credit card he chopped
up earlier come to life to throw him in a debt version of Hell. It’s imaginative and frightful for sure, but
its impact doesn’t lead up to anything too huge when the conflict resolves
itself.
Everything Rocko bought is repurposed, though it does leave Rocko and
Spunky with nothing. However, we still
end on a good note with Heffer making up for running out when things got really
bad earlier by buying Spunky another one of the special dog dishes which
continues to show how good a friend he can be in spite of his major
faults. It’s also a plus that it gives
relevance to an earlier scene that could easily be written off as random.
This is only the second cartoon of the first
episode and already the show’s great talents are made clear. With a universally relatable
premise helped by exaggerated yet fitting antics and likable characters to
follow, this show is really starting to prove itself to be worth more than
money can buy.
A
The Ranking
- Who Gives a Buck?
- No Pain No Gain
The next Rocko's Modern Life review covers a rarely-seen cartoon where Bev Bighead gets the hots for Rocko, and the problematic side of Heffer's faults are revealed when he moves in with Rocko.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the Steven Universe episode, "When it Rains."
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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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