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Honor Thy
Ed
You really don’t get a lot of haunted house stories these
days, but around the time of this show, they frequently appeared in cartoons
and used to their full advantage. The
haunted house in this cartoon is no exception.
After yet another random and unrelated event that surprisingly doesn’t
fit into the main plot, the Eds find the kids attracted to the spooky
appearance of an old house. Based on how
it looks, they take turns guessing the background of the house which is
accompanied by Jimmy screaming cowardly.
Eddy, acting all brave, insists that there’s really nothing to be afraid
of in this house, though you can tell that it’s pretty much just an act. It only takes Kevin promising him a
jawbreaker for him to actually go inside to see just how scary the house really
is.
Once the Eds enter, care is taken to
make everything that happens later really work.
When they enter, while the scary appearance exists, there’s nothing
really wrong with the house. That said,
Eddy decides to exploit the preconceived notions of the place just to frighten
the kids. Through imitating scary noises
and screams of terror, the kids are legitimately worried for their safety,
showcasing instances of heart despite what their relationship with the Eds is
like. However, Ed ,who joins Eddy’s prank,
reveals that it was all a ruse leaving the kids disgusted.
After a truly despicable act, the rest of the
cartoon poses to give the Eds consequences.
Eddy’s all set to leave but gets the keyhole to the door stuck on his
finger, leaving the Eds trapped inside.
Their cries for help don’t do any good either as the kids see it as more
lies and leave. Then as circumstances
lead the Eds to the cellar, they’re driven away from their major interests
appearing right in front of them. Eddy
is attracted to the sight of a piggy bank he can’t reach into because of the
keyhole on his finger. Double D finds a
lot of books lying around in a trail, so he plays the role of archivist to
collect and preserve them. Ed known to
enjoy the simple things in life is attracted only to the sight of Chunky
Puffs.
All these things are merely bait
to lure the Eds further into the house, mainly on a train carrying trashcans to
ride in. The train ride is pretty cool to see, but also has a creepy atmosphere
with mostly everything dark, leaving the Eds unable to see what’s ahead of
them. What’s more, they’re stripped
naked, placed in trashcans with different outfits painted on, and travel
through a tunnel of neon heart lights.
Then comes the whole point of all this.
At the end of the ride, they find the Kanker sisters who have set up a
wedding for the Eds and themselves, and say the Eds must be their honorable
husbands or they’ll beat them up. They
even have their own rings for their ‘husbands’ with Eddy having his ring all
along with the keyhole.
I know the Eds
deserved some consequences for their trick, but I do think being forced to
marry the Kankers is a little much, especially since it involved stripping them of their clothes. Adding to the sting is all the kids mocking them as they pass by. At least they get out of this is the rest of
the series is anything to go by. Plus, I
can overall say that this cartoon nailed the aesthetic of haunted houses.
A
Scrambled
Ed
I’d like to believe that there are times when people find
themselves too out of focus with reality.
I can only imagine that when they’re dragged into certain situations,
things can have a tendency to go majorly off the rails. While this may seem like an exaggeration,
putting it together in a cartoon is perhaps the best way to bring that concept
to life. They were basically made to
showcase exaggerations.
Right at the
start, Double D showcases an example of being out of touch with reality. He’s revealed to have spent several hours on
an elaborate toothpick sculpture, apparently working through the night to
finish it. As he frequently says all
through the rest of the cartoon, he’s left sleepy and is constantly falling
asleep everywhere he’s taken. Despite
his sleep-deprivation, everyone else expects him to come help them with
whatever problem they have.
First of
course is Eddy’s daily scam. He and Ed
burst in on Double D’s room to bring him along in putting together an elaborate
sea ranch for the neighborhood. While
this is a good idea for a scam, it really can’t go anywhere with Double D
unable to stay focused. Also, no matter
how many times he says he’s sleepy, no one takes the hint. As for the construction of the sea ranch, all
Double D can do is rest on a rock and fumble through telling Eddy what will be
needed. However, it doesn’t sound like
what’s needed will be productive for the intended purpose as he writes up a
random equation while explaining everything.
All that ends up being constructed is a sign for the sea ranch. Then it promptly tips over blocking the creek
foreshadowing an event to come.
Unaware
of this, Ed and Eddy look for more things for the sea ranch while Double D,
who’s still sleep-deprived, tries to find rest.
When doing so, he’s dragged into even more crazy circumstances. Sarah and Jimmy, who are playing doctor, find
something odd about Double D’s behavior.
If the audience didn’t know any better, it would be a lot more
believable that Double D’s problem is that his brain’s broken like they claim. He seems delusional enough.
Other things he’s dragged into showcase how
Double D is the one Ed who appears to get along well with the other kids as
they come to ask him for advice on problems.
Kevin wants him to explain what’s wrong with his bike chain, Rolf needs
advice to remove lobsters from his garden, and Plank somehow has a branch
extension. However, they’re all
inconsiderate of how out of it Double D is, and the advice they’re given only
makes things worse. We don’t see all of
it though, but the shown effect of Rolf using wax on lobsters is very
hilarious.
To top it all off, the mess
from the sea ranch entrance causes a flood that washes everyone away,
exemplifying the magnitude of Double D’s sleep-deprivation. Afterwards, there’s no holding back on how
major the situation is. The kids are
marooned on rafts with the cul-de-sac completely flooded, and the sad music and
pain from hunter sell the foreboding after effects. Even with this apocalyptic scenario, the
cartoon goes out light-heartedly as everyone watches Ed happily
splash around in the flood waters. I
guess it can be taken as a sign that the junk pile blocking the creek will
eventually be undone to stop the flood, but as we still end with the flood,
that’s just a guess.
While it may not be
perfect, this is a clever story of the wild effects of what could happen when
people don’t get the sleep they need.
A
The Ranking
1. One + One = Ed
2. Urban Ed
3. Who Let the Ed In
4. Ready Set Ed
5. Dear Ed
6. Stop Look and Ed
7. Scrambled Ed
8. Rambling Ed
9. Home Cooked Ed
10. Honor Thy Ed
11. Floss Your Ed
12. Knock, Knock Who’s Ed
13. Know-it-All Ed
14. Eeny Meeny Miney Ed
15. Hands Across Ed
16. A Key to My Ed
17. In Like Ed
18. To Sir With Ed
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