Monday, October 21, 2019

Speaking Terms / Tooth and Nail (Rocko's Modern Life Season 3 Episode 9) - 'Toon Reviews 36

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Speaking Terms

Leave it to this show that specializes in wild perspectives on life to successfully portray the frustrating circumstance as best friend fallouts as something pleasing. 
The cartoon takes place on the set of a talk show run by a talk show fox named Nosey.  She’s a highly entertaining TV personality bringing life and energy into any situation she’s placed in.  After all, she is described as someone who never minds her own business as folks who are nosey tend to do.  However, Nosey is just part of the staging for the imaginative approach to the featured fall-out of the story.  This character and her talk show bring an energetic way of explaining how both Rocko and Heffer have had a fight and haven’t spoken to each other in days.  Somehow, I believe that explaining the fight this way is a lot nicer to see than seeing what actually happened. 
On that subject, the interview portion of the talk show bring both sides of the argument that are both clearly exaggerated by the person recounting things.  It’s easy to tell right from the staging of the flashbacks of Rocko and Heffer’s fallout.  The teller of the tale is drawn in a simple innocent style and acting so over-the-top happy-go-lucky.  Likewise, the ex-friend of each recount is portrayed as the same purple hulking monster with scary eyes and fangs acting over-the-top jerky.  It’s so ridiculous, you can’t help but be drawn more into the hilarity of the absurdity than the drama behind what amounts to a petty argument.  The actual argument is incredibly minor though. Heffer hastily made Rocko a head out of lint or toilet paper as a gift after forgetting Rocko’s birthday and Rocko did not take it well. 
They’re both dense and not too likable for how one-sided and selfish they are when explaining the issue, but that’s part of the humor of the staging.  By the time both sides are explained, Rocko and Heffer are practically a riot when they start spatting at each other on live TV, their anger sounding very over-the-top.  Filburt, who brought their argument to this show’s attention, even comments on how their behavior is making them a hit on the show.  Really, that’s the best way to react to anyone so involved in a fight which is hard to make a point of when stories try to make petty fights seem like they’re worth taking seriously.  Heck, even Nosey isn’t really much help to making the situation better as she expects Rocko and Heffer to continue fighting to keep the ratings up. 
It’s therefore a shock when Heffer’s mother, Virginia Wolfe, acts as the odd one out in the audience by actually taking the fight seriously and scolds the boys into making up.  Even if the whole argument is staged as a joke, that doesn’t stop Rocko and Heffer making up come off as a genuinely endearing moment.  In fact, it may very well be the most genuine showing of friendship between these characters to date. 
As for the show, while it seems to become a bust, which while good for Rocko and Heffer, is unfortunate given how fun it was, it still manages to be a hit.  All Filburt has to do is make an offhand remark about aliens.  This turns out to work as a solid setup for a punchline as the cartoon ends with Filburt actually being taken by aliens, so his statement wasn’t really a ruse after all.  It’s just more important that Rocko and Heffer have mended their friendship. 
Thanks to the comedic approach to their fight as the basis for a talk show making it feel engaging, the ordeal turns out to be worth caring about.  That’s remarkable considering that the opposite result is typically expected from fights.

A+

 
Tooth and Nail


Addictions are one of the unhealthiest challenges or disorders people tend to face in life.  This cartoon allows this show to tackle such a theme as an addiction Rocko’s faced with comes in the form of the common bad habit of nail-biting. That said, the execution of his personal conflict isn’t exactly handled the best way possible.  Right away, it feels downright immature. 
He, Heffer, and Filburt meet at a diner where food is ordered via scratch and sniff cards, except Rocko is unable to work his card.  This is all because of his bad nail-biting habit which has made him chew his nails down to the bone.  It goes without saying that he has a problem, but this is where the storytelling gets kind of frustrating.  Heffer states the painfully obvious point that Rocko has a nail-biting problem over and over.  As overbearing as this is, Rocko isn’t innocent either as he stubbornly insists that he doesn’t have a problem.  The thing is that it just doesn’t feel right for someone like him to be this dense and understand that he really does have a problem.  It can be argued that refusing to admit he has a problem is a part of addictions but it still feels like it goes too far. 
Rocko is also uncharacteristically aggressive as his nail-biting problem makes things difficult for him at home too. Can he seriously admit that everything’s fine when he can’t even open a soda can or scratch himself when affected by a bunch of Spunky’s fleas?  Every time there’s a cut to his chewed up nails, you can’t help but beg him to get some help.  There is at least one funny bit to come from the effects of his nail-biting as he randomly hides his hands in a ham and monkey puppet when Heffer and Filburt come to check on him.  In addition to being a humorous off-the-wall sight gag, this moment shows Rocko develop some awareness over chewing up his finger nails. 
The cartoon then goes in a more pleasing direction as he joins a help group to settle his problem.  While he doesn’t have the money to actually get into the club, he does get the home version of the help group.  Keeping with the random nature of the series, Rocko is greeted by a vast assortment of creatures on makeshift stairs representing the steps he needs to take.  The thing is, most of the steps are just random nonsense like squeezing fish, smelling rhinos, shaving weasels, and smelling feet.  While this is in-line with the expected oddball nature of the series, the steps that actually do connect to Rocko’s problem are of special mention.  The process begins with him admitting he has a problem which feels like a genuinely legit way to conquer addiction.  There’s also the last step where a creature looking like the Grim Reaper shows a dark future that can come from Rocko’s nail-biting.  Maybe it’s not death, but Rocko ending up in a dumpster chewing on any nails imaginable is somewhat disturbing.  Things get confusing when the next scene suggests that Rocko went through was just a dream when it constantly felt real and the series has done stuff like this before.  Nevertheless, it feels like something was gained with Rocko claiming that he’ll never bite nails again after this experience, and it’s implied that he sticks to this plan.  It’s just too bad we end with constant obvious mentions of a gambling problem of some of the steps who go to Vegas. 
Ultimately though, despite all shortcomings, the cartoon is a commendable and relatable way of overcoming any and all addictions and bad habits.
A-

The Ranking

1.      Camera Shy

2.      The Emperor’s New Joe

3.      Ed is Dead: A Thriller

4.      Bye Bye Birdie

5.      Speaking Terms

6.      Sugar Frosted Frights

7.      I See London I See France

8.      Nothing to Sneeze At

9.      Schnit-Heads

10.  Dear John

11.  The Fat Lands

12.  Belch of Destiny

13.  Tooth and Nail

14.  Rocko’s Happy Vermin

15.  Manic Mechanic

16.  Old Fogey Frog

17.  Fish-N-Chumps

18.  Fortune Cookie

 
 
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which is one of the deepest satires on working in the arts via a show called Wacky Delly.
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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