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Fool on the
Ed
It’s
not uncommon for the Eds to make fools of themselves, but here’s a cartoon
where they intentionally mess around for the fun of it. Factoring in how this show utilizes the
animation medium for all its creative potential, it’s nothing short of
fun.
The main idea is that Eddy is
pretty much a king of pranks when it comes to pulling off elaborate traps to
get others in an intense comedic setup. He’s
also completely aware of the attempts of others to prank him as the start of
the cartoon shows. Ed tries to get him
hit with a huge weight while getting glue, but Eddy not only drops the weight
on Ed, but also all his glue which gets him stuck to everything.
Double D tells Eddy to get the phone, but
Eddy pretends to get a normal call asking for Double D who’s sent roller
skating down the hall into water, flour, and bubble gum. With how elaborate Eddy is with pranks, these
scenes serve as what could be great build up for even more that he has in mind
for the entire cul-de-sac. Plus, it’s
made very clear that there’s no real malice in the pranks for how humorously
executed they really are. Since it’s
also made clear by now that cartoonish antics are part of the nature of the
show, it’s not even too worth it to worry about the pranks going too far and
hurting people. In the mindset of this
series, everything goes too far.
As for
Eddy’s reign of a king of pranks, it’s soon thwarted when the other kids get
caught in even more elaborate pranks than Eddy could pull off. There’s Rolf ending up in a barrel, Jonny
falling from a tree into a diaper, Jimmy opening a present with a scary balloon
creature, a bear trap biting onto Kevin, and more. A lot of these pranks actually do feel
malicious and are from a mysterious figure known as the Prank Master marked by
a joker card with the joker figure and name crossed out. Needless to say, Eddy and the others are very
intimidated by the Prank Master and the kids’ genuine reactions to his pranks
and make sure to be alert to when they’ll get it.
While staying alert, they find a jawbreaker
that just happens to be lying in the road.
Eddy gives a believable response that it could be part of one of the
Prank Master’s trap, so although he loves them, he advises everyone not to go
near it. However, Sarah and Jimmy come
by, just take the jawbreaker, and nothing happens. As it turns out, there never really was a
Prank Master and all the pranks the Eds saw were fabricated by the other kids. In other words, they pranked the Eds not by
catching them in a trap, but by messing with their minds and by extension legitimately injuring themselves. On their part, this is actually a smart twist
since you can’t really predict this coming based on their reactions to their
pranks seeming legit and not feeling like they’re an act. Still, this is undoubtedly shady business and
Eddy is determined to get back at them with a real prank.
At the end of the cartoon, he and the others
construct a huge stink bomb to blow at the other kids. The very size of the bomb and staging of its
launch highlight the grand scale of the prank as it promises to close the
cartoon with a bang, so to speak.
Success is threatened by the small garage door, but it does still go
off. Even if its odor does engulf the
Eds, it still reaches out to all the kids in the cul-de-sac technically meaning
that this plan was a success even if the masterminds are effected too.
That’s just the antics that define this show
at play with grand scale staging and top notch humor to keep the whole cartoon
fun and enjoyable.
A+
A Boy and
His Ed
As
social outcasts, the Eds’ actions can be seen as attempts to be well-liked by
other kids as well as get money for jawbreakers. This cartoon shows a big extent of this setup
as they try to get accepted by one of their biggest rivals, Kevin.
It’s hard to form an opinion on Kevin with
his stereotypical cool guy persona that defines his character and somewhat
overbearing tendency to call the Eds dorks.
At the same time, unlike other easily temperamental, or rude characters,
Kevin often acts out when the Eds’ eccentric behaviors provoke him. For that, he usually doesn’t leave much of a
sting with his unpleasant traits though this cartoon does highlight the best
and worst of him.
With how the Eds
provoke him into turning against them, it turns out to be a shame this ends up
happening at the start of the cartoon.
They try to seduce him into one of their scams when he’s trying to give
them something in a box. The Eds’
behavior becomes so much for them that he just forgets about it. Then other kids in the cul-de-sac are
revealed to have jawbreakers which they all got from Kevin. If that’s not enough, his dad has a new job
at a jawbreaker factory, and his garage is filled to the brim with the famed
candy sphere. To the Eds, this is easily
an opportunity they should never have passed up, and now Kevin has no intention
to provide them with any of his family’s supply.
This doesn’t mean the Eds are easily beaten
though as they soon get the idea that the only way to jawbreakers is to
befriend Kevin instead of scamming him.
There’s an entertaining sequence where Double D sets up a classroom just
to educate the others on Kevin. Ed and
Eddy act as unruly students with funny ways of messing around instead of paying
attention and Eddy stating plans to steal the jawbreakers which gets shot
down. The point of this complex class is
that the way to bond with Kevin is to look like him.
The later sight of the Eds wearing Kevin’s
clothes while trying to get his attention is certainly interesting. Plus, they’re completely genuine when trying
to bond with him. They ride up to him on
a bike like his, perform a cheerleading session in front of his house, and
offer to do one of his chores. However, Kevin
is completely unmoved by all of this, although the extent of this is a little
concerning. Unlike other times when the
Eds antagonize him and throw off his groove without consent, this time they’re
trying very hard to get him to like them.
Actions like slamming them and their bike into a pole and giving a harsh
review to their cheer just don’t feel warranted. At least this can’t be said when they get in
the way so much that they bring down part of his wall by using Ed to clean his
chimney. Property damage isn’t something
that can be taken so lightly, and it’s believable he’d chase the Eds down in
rage.
In the end, the Eds just go with a
plan to dig under the garage and steal the jawbreakers though it doesn’t make
sense that Double D goes along with this.
The school scene showed he’s aware of the dire consequences. While not exactly dire though, they do
miscalculate big time. Via coming out with darkened color schemes before other
shots of the location, there’s an impressive reveal that they ended up in
Kevin’s bathtub. With Kevin inside it at
the time, their eccentric behavior gets the appropriate response of having them
sent down the drain.
The retribution to
the lack of good social cues don’t always fit, but for the most part, this
cartoon is solid character-driven entertainment between a cool jock and three
outcasts.
A-
The Ranking
1. Dawn of the Eds
2. Ed-N-Seek
3. Fool on the Ed
4. The Ed-Touchables
5. Vert Ed Go
6. Read All About Ed
7. Quick Shot Ed
8. Look Into My Eds
9. A Boy and His Ed
10. A Pinch to Grow an Ed
11. Pop Goes the Ed
12. An Ed Too Many
13. Sir Ed-a-Lot
14. Over Your Ed
15. Nagged to Ed
16. Tag Yer Ed
The next Ed Edd n Eddy review shows the Eds behind on so many fads allegedly, and there's a look at what the Eds do when there are no kids to scam.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the amazing Steven Universe special, "Reunited."
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.
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