If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:
Boob Tubed
Normally, I’m not a fan of TV episodes that teach not to watch
too much TV. The problem is that the
message comes from TV itself. It’s
somewhat frustrating that the audience learns not to overdo TV watching, yet
they learn through TV watching. Shows
clearly want good ratings, and then all of a sudden they say don’t watch. While this cartoon is against overdoing
TV, through its enjoyable aesthetic, that message and more stand out for
imaginative presentations.
Rocko is
buying a new home entertainment system and has his eye on a simple, cheap, and
sensible TV set. Since this is a show
that highlights the things going wrong, it’s not surprising that Rocko’s put in
a power struggle with the ordering machine.
He ends up buying a really expensive home entertainment system against
his will, and his frustrations feel like a strong match to anyone dealing with
such a glitch. Still, he and his friends
make the most of the expensive equipment Rocko was forced to buy, especially
the big fat couch potato, Heffer. For a
while, there are a couple of humorous depictions of what watching a big fancy
entertainment system is like. They
include the guys being literally blown away by the surround sound, and a
collection of various reactions to the videos in their movie marathon.
As for Heffer, he’s the one who leads on the
big TV party, and that’s fitting considering that an
overabundance of TV watching pretty much defines him. Even in the beginning of this cartoon, his
obsession is apparent with major fascination for every fancy TV system. Everything known about Heffer’s relationship
with TV builds up his obsession on its biggest display of all here. While Rocko and Filburt enjoy the system too,
they know when they’ve watched enough.
This is when Heffer becomes fully obsessed as he ignores his friends and
continues watching. Eventually, he’s
drawn to get incredibly close to the TV, something Filburt specifically warned
against earlier.
It’s through this
action the cartoon takes a particularly creative direction working off
relatable scenarios. Some of you may
know the saying that too much TV will rot your brain. In this cartoon’s case, since Heffer is
attached to TV so much to sit close to it, his brain doesn’t just rot. It’s sucked out of his head. This brings humorous after effects as he
talks nonsense and does ridiculous things like fly off Rocko’s roof naked.
Meanwhile, Rocko and Filburt actually venture
inside the TV to get Heffer’s brain back.
Even more creativity is at the forefront with depictions of what’s
inside the TV. There’s a huge snowstorm
inside, equating to what TV static is often described as, and there’s a spider
creature inside controlling what’s on every channel. The TV central filled with brains is an
interesting visual cue of just how many people are glued to TVs, not to mention
Heffer’s brain literally looks like a perfect fit.
That creative adventure in TV is a great way
to bring the resolution, though I personally think throwing the system away
when Heffer’s fixed is a little extreme.
Even after what happened, it feels like it would be safe enough if Heffer
just moderated the use. At least the gang
still has a mind for entertainment as they watch Filburt with a box on his
head.
This cartoon is one of the better
cartoons about controlling TV watching with creative ways of showing the
message instead of telling. In fact,
along with relatable instances of shopping mishaps and what using big systems
are like, this is practically one of the show’s best endeavors of modern life.
A+
Commuted Sentence
First off, I have
experienced traffic being built up for long distances many times. The cartoon has a play on this case with a
traffic jam Rocko gets caught in being over something incredibly minor. That’s just the beginning though with more
instances of car trouble following.
A
very common problem Rocko faces is finding a suitable parking space which is
also very relatable. However, most of
them are some of Rocko’s less pleasing occurrences because they happen as a
result of other people’s inconsideration instead of believable after
effects. The biggest one involves
Rocko’s tyrannical boss, Mr. Smitty. He
parks in the only space available even though he lives next door, has Rocko
park in the high crime area, and berates him for being late even though he made
him late. This has got to be one of the
worst boss characters to deal with and hardly feels like a good fit in the
cast.
Other characters may make life
hard for Rocko, but at least they have a heart.
An example of this is shown in this cartoon when Rocko’s car gets
impounded because Heffer dropped a ketchup bottle making it seem like Rocko
parked in the no park zone. This action
is clearly seen as unintentional and feels like the cops are to blame for not
noticing the ketchup isn’t part of the zone.
Also, Heffer does show consideration for Rocko losing his car and
needing to take public transportation to get to work.
Speaking of public transportation that also
features creative yet relatable challenges for Rocko to get through. Each form of it features a particular
drawback mined for a humorous exaggeration yet feels like a believable
depiction of their real life counterparts.
The taxi is very smoggy and unsanitary and doesn’t take Rocko far
because of his low profits. The bus
doesn’t wait for Rocko to take his seat, and some of the passengers are too
unsanitary. Just a fat sleeping passenger
drooling on Rocko is staged as a nightmarish occurrence. The subway is marked by stampeding commuters,
more unruly passengers, and comedic takes of the train stopping for police
activity…like arts and crafts. Even
riding a bike is dangerous when not only is Rocko chased by Earl the dog, but
even when he reaches his destination, he passes it and ends up late
anyway.
In fact, in a very unfortunate
circumstance, Rocko doesn’t get to work on time once. Mr. Smitty’s impatience and bad attitude
feels unpleasing though as he never realizes how hard Rocko is trying. Even after an elaborate stunt of getting to
work by cannon, he’s unmoved by his sole employee’s efforts and fires him. Not only is this too cruel to deal with, but
it can’t be a good business practice without other workers.
Fortunately, the cartoon is nice enough to
have things end well for Rocko when he gets a new job towing cars. It gives Mr. Smitty what he deserves and
finally frees Rocko’s car. I have to
question why Rocko leaves this job after he gets his car since he’s still fired
from the comic book store and has no income.
I guess if “Power Trip” means anything, this show really isn’t one to
follow continuity closely.
Aside from a
few mean moments, this cartoon is an enjoyable watch for anyone with a lot of
frustrations with traveling.
A
The Ranking
- 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 is on its Christmas special, and a highly creative yet relatable holiday work at that.
Before that, next time on MC Toon Reviews is another MC Toon Reviews Shorty on a Christmas special, featuring the Peanuts gang.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment