'Toon Reviews 18: Rocko's Modern Life Season 1 Episode 6: The Good the Bad and the Wallaby/Trash-O-Madness

The Good the Bad and the Wallaby

This is one of the more charming and interesting exploits of Rocko trying out one of life’s activities which takes him all the way down to a cattle ranch.  He’s invited to come by his Uncle Gib, who oddly enough is not a wallaby, and already he’s set up with a clear goal of what to do.  The last time he was there, he tried to live up to his uncle’s great cowboy skills of lassoing and horseback riding, but things never worked out, so Rocko is determined for things to be different with this new visit. 

In addition, Heffer comes along with Rocko impressed with the idea of being among a herd of cattle, although being a steer himself sets up many potential dangers.  From there, the cartoon becomes a sequence of antics of both Rocko and Heffer each trying to accomplish what they set out to do at the ranch.  They’re basically the brand of creative interpretations to the challenges that come with life’s activities we’ve come to expect, but that doesn’t stop them from being thoroughly enjoyable. 

With Rocko, horseback riding becomes especially challenging when the horse he tries riding, which is the same one he rode on his last visit to the ranch, is now dead and preserved, and the build-up to the reveal both seen and spoken sells the humor of the moment.  Other antics aren’t nearly as clever, but have comedy quirks to them such as him roping random things instead of his own cattle. 

As for Heffer, it’s particularly amusing to watch a civilized cow from the city interact and try to behave like native cows on the ranch such as sleeping standing up (which he finds uncomfortable) and constantly popping in on Rocko to get him to brand him to be part of the herd.  There's even a risqué scene where he manages to get "milked" by the ranch hands despite being a male cow that ended up cut from later TV airings and even the DVD release. But here it is now:

Anyway, Heffer ultimately brands himself with a flimsy felt marker mark and the other cattle fall for it.  However, his desire to be with other steer demonstrates an innocence and naiveté from Heffer’s character when he treats being among other steers like being part of his own kind which could be noble, yet he doesn’t seem to understand what happens to cattle raised on a ranch. 

It’s not until the herd is sent to market when Heffer finally sees the big picture.  In a humorous twist, Heffer believes that going to market means they’ll be picking up snacks, when in reality, they’re going to be sold for food.  However, it’s out of this dark situation that brings in an impressive moment from Rocko.  Riding that same dead horse and utilizing roping skills that latch him onto the truck carrying his friend, Rocko is sent on an exciting chase for the cattle.  He ends up riding an unconventional sheep when the dead horse doesn’t work out, stops the truck by getting on top and asking the drivers politely, and conveniently misses all hazards and lands on a soft chair after being flung when the vehicle stops…at least at first. 

In the end, the cartoon stands out for showing that while some goals have the potential to be met like Rocko becoming good at ranch work, there are some that aren’t always worth pursuing, like Heffer being among other cattle, yet he’s still happy where he is.  Adding on an exciting western ballad from Uncle Gib to close everything off, we can walk away with an immensely entertaining Wild West adventure, and working in the show's brand of entertainment makes it particularly special.

A+

Trash-O-Madness

You might be thrown off about how this cartoon is animated in a slightly more bizarre way than the rest of the series.  This is because it’s a reworked version of the original series pilot, i.e. a short cartoon meant to test the characters and settings of a show to convince the networks to make it.  It was originally animated by series creator, Joe Murray, and his team of artists, with many of the original scenes incorporated into the aired version with new scenes added in to make it long enough, different music to fit the rest of the show’s styles, and Rocko’s color being changed from yellow to beige.  Basically, reviewing this cartoon would be a lot like reviewing the pilot, but its background makes it somewhat interesting.

The plot is on the basic trials and tribulations Rocko faces while getting through life, with particular emphasis on his relationship with and care for his dog, Spunky, and how they’ve moved into this life from their old home in Australia.  The first moments of them waking up to start the day demonstrate the heart of the wallaby-dog dynamic with a wholesome family moment like most days would start.  Then, as soon as Rocko notices the garbage truck, it’s an all-out rush for him and Spunky to grab all the garbage they can around the house. 

If needing to rush to meet the garbage truck isn’t enough, Rocko’s task to collect all the trash is made even more challenging by how his cleaning spree leads to many ways for Spunky to get himself into trouble.  The dog gets inflated by the vacuum, chews on a piece of slime from a box that’s been in the refrigerator since World War II and won’t let it go, and to top it all, ends up with the rest of the trash in a Chinese takeout-crafted compactor, though the latter does amuse with a cartoonish shape for the compactor. 

In keeping with the show’s theme of how life is full of unpredictable challenges, garbage day is made even more of a hassle when Rocko gets pursued by Earl, a mutant dog who escaped from the science lab.  This mean dog is constantly thwarting Rocko’s attempts to simply get out of his house to dump his garbage, popping in on any door he attempts to run out of, leading him to have to try and avoid him by lowing his garbage from the roof with a fishing pole.  Since life still won’t let up on its challenges for Rocko, as it likely wouldn’t do for most people, the situation gets tenser when Earl figures out what he’s up to and catches the garbage with Spunky mixed in.  This moment brings about an admirable quality of Rocko when after being mostly calm and friendly while dealing with the challenging chore, becomes firm and tough when Earl refuses to cooperate, and willing to get physical with Earl to get Spunky back despite the pain he gets. 

In the end, when the chore is done, the day ends with one last wholesome scene of Rocko explaining how much Spunky means to him on account that he’s the only family he has in this new town.  We’re left with a basic story that demonstrates the comedic and relatable strengths of the series, making sense why this pilot got the whole series off the ground.  The aired version can get distracting visually though as we constantly cut from the sketchy pilot style to the current style making for a huge lack of consistency although some new scene like Earl sharpening his teeth and Rocko grabbing the fishing pole do help the story flow better.  Even with that, you’re in for not just a fun take on one of life’s tasks that always needs to be done, but an interesting piece of the show’s history with the cartoon’s context in mind.

A

The Ranking

1. Skid Marks
2. The Good the Bad and the Wallaby
3. To Heck and Back
4. Who Gives a Buck?
5. Dirty Dog
6. Trash-O-Madness
7. Jet Scream
8. Keeping Up With the Bigheads
9. No Pain No Gain
10. Power Trip
11. Bedfellows
12. Leap Frogs

The next Rocko's Modern Life review highlights this show's look at the challenges of going to a baseball game and the movies, both of which coming off amazingly.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Steven Universe episode called "It Could've Been Great."


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