With Friends Like These / Sailing the Seven Zzzz's - (Rocko's Modern Life Season 4 Episode 1) - 'Toon Reviews 44

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We’ve been covering a lot of material from present day as well as the not-so-distant past with review material.  Now, we’re going back to the 90s for one last look at one of the few Nickelodeon shows that I believe hold up very well:

Rocko’s Modern Life (Season 4)

Basic Premise

Going into this new set of reviews, I think it’s best to state my current stance on Nickelodeon.  If you recall my final thoughts on Season 3 of The Loud House, at that point I lost a lot of interest I used to have for that show.  That was mainly because almost every element seemed to appeal well to kids, but with overly simplistic characters, humor, stories, morals, etc., it kind of fell flat for any older age.  For that, even though one other Loud House season is now complete and another is currently airing, I’m at the point where I can’t bring myself to review any more of it.  In addition, I’ve come to realize that this is pretty much the norm for Nickelodeon shows as a whole throughout its tenure.  Unlike other animation companies I cover material from like Disney, Warner Bros, Cartoon Network, and Netflix, Nickelodeon’s output only seems focused on appealing to kids.  Now kids are a part of the audiences of everything I’ve covered, don’t get me wrong, but shows from those other networks feel smarter, fresher, and more creative.  As a result, they don’t just easily appeal to kids, but really to all ages.  In Nickelodeon’s case, I’ve grown to see that more often than not, they don’t seem to transcend demographics very well.  Their shows either start strong but overly basic comedy and stories in later seasons cause them to lose steam, or from an adult perspective, were just dumb and dull from the get-go.  Basically, old or new, unlike the general output of the other animation firms I mentioned, that of Nickelodeon really doesn’t have much to satisfy my tastes in entertainment nowadays.  Yet, there are still a couple exceptions to this rule, and it’s highly remarkable how well they hold up.  I already completely covered one exception, now here's a review set for the last batch of episodes of another exception.

For how lacking I’ve found this networks output to be in recent years, I’m pleased to say that to me, at any age, there’s still a lot to love about Rocko’s Modern Life.  It’s crazy and antic-driven a lot of the time, but there’s always a relatable universal method to the madness.  So far, as observed in its first three seasons, it’s mined a lot of creative comedic potential in just about all modern tasks, something that's truly universal.  It’s no wonder why the quality has remained consistently strong and why the show has remained one of my favorites, not just from Nickelodeon, but ever.  However, clichéd but true, all good things must come to an end, especially when it comes to Nickelodeon shows.  With the series formula firmly established, it’s probably easy to figure out what to expect this season, meaning that the style and tone will be more of the same.  That’s actually refreshing considering how strong the formula already is, but there is one interesting catch to it.  At this point in the run, series creator Joe Murray had stepped down as creative officer, and passed the reigns over to the late Stephen Hillenberg.  Murray would still oversee the series so his vision would be maintained, and even allowed it to continue when he decided to leave the show completely after this season.  The fact that the show was cancelled after that claim is a testament to how respectful to the creator the show turned out to be.  That said, with Hillenberg headlining this season, reviewing it could really show how it influenced his own series, Nickelodeon’s biggest juggernaut, SpongeBob Squarepants.

As a bonus, this set will also include a look at the series’ revival Netflix special, Static Cling which Murray would fully headline.  This series having a concept so universal and relatable, I for one think that rather than just catering to the nostalgia crowd, such a revival is a great idea in theory.  Under the right circumstances, it can go on forever, especially if with the original creator.

So with all this background in place, it’s now time to get going with the final stretch of what is, in my opinion, one of the most enduring shows in Nickelodeon’s history.  As usual though, it’s important to remember that review day can be a very dangerous day.

Now on with the reviews:

With Friends Like These

So to kick off the season, we have the familiar setup where someone has something that all their friends want, and must choose who gets it and who gets left out.  At least in my experience, these types of stories hardly ever come off as pleasing. The biggest drawback is the stories making the candidates the featured protagonist has to choose overly competitive and thoroughly unlikable.  Sadly, this cartoon is no different, even with its fair attempts at making it work on a comedic level.  

Things do start out well however, as Heffer and Filburt crazily set out to win tickets for an upcoming wrestling match.  The madcap energy of trying to answer several phones at once to be the right numbered call feels at home in the series.  For all their attempts, they’re unable to answer at the right time, and as a bigger twist, the big winner turns out to be Rocko.  This should be considered a major achievement considering Rocko’s status as the straight man bearing the brunt of the burdens of the eccentric world around him.  Winning something has got to mean a lot to him, especially for something he genuinely enjoys like wrestling.  

Then reality hits where even when something good happens to Rocko, he’s reminded that life is never truly easy.  Because he won two tickets, Heffer and Filburt spend the cartoon bribing Rocko with favors so that they can go to the match with him.  Admittedly, the way they come to this setup is staged humorously and cleverly.  After Rocko wins, Heffer and Filburt prepare to part ways.  They claim to be ok with things, but the long pauses give away that they want to rush over to Rocko to convince him to take one of them with him.  You’re just waiting for one of them to take off after Rocko, and when Heffer does that and ends up finding Filburt already there, it’s quite an adrenaline rush.  

From there though, the conventions that come with these types of stories become realized, and it’s not pretty.  Heffer and Filburt try to one-up each other with various favors to butter Rocko up for their own personal gain.  I’d love to enjoy the comic timing of their banter and over the top performances, but the context dries up the enjoyment.  Not only are these focal characters selfishly unlikable, but they aren’t subtle about their motives in the slightest.   Plus, they resort to disturbing actions like Filburt blowing up a movie theater. Rocko is quick to know what they’re up to, and with a backbone, calls Heffer and Filburt out.  Actually, he does it several times to the point of deciding to go alone.  

While clichéd, the best outcome would be for Heffer and Filburt to realize their faults.  Instead, they’re even more drastic with their moves by handcuffing themselves to Rocko so he has no choice but to take them to the match.  The following sequence of them arguing as they drag Rocko could be funny, but it’s largely unfair to Rocko who gets beaten senselessly by all the obstacles they walk through.  It’s humorously random, but again, context sucks the enjoyment out.  Finally, when they reach the match, Rocko gives his ‘friends’ what they deserve by dementedly ripping up the tickets so no one gets to go.  However, it’s a hollow comeuppance as the later apology is half-hearted, Heffer and Filburt are forgiven too easily, and another contest brings the same painful series of events.  

I know Rocko’s a bad luck character by nature, but there’s usually good heart to balance things out.  This cartoon has none of that with all misfortune coming from his friends being total jerks to fit an unpleasing story structure.  Some moments add some solid entertainment, but it’s a sorry sight that we start the season like this.

D

Sailing the 7 Zzzz’s

The official start of the season may have been a flop, but its companion brings much better results.  This is a work that features many of the best qualities of the series and examples of how it does a lot for the potential of animation’s possibilities.  A lot of it comes down to the general premise which is very out-of-the-norm, yet executed in a generally pleasing manner.  In a way, it also puts an effective funny spin on the heavy subject of traumatic memories.  Maybe traumatic is over-dramatic, but not to the featured character, Ed Bighead.  

During a night at an opera about a pirate, the performance triggers a buried memory from when he was six, was in a school play about a pirate, and choked from major stage fright.  Making a scene while watching the play in the present is not unlike what would happen if people involved in bad accidents or battles would see little reminders of them.  This is only the beginning of reliving the memory though.  After coming home from the play and going to bed, Ed becomes completely warped in his pirate role.  In addition to dreaming of being a pirate, he acts like he really is one while sleepwalking.  

If that’s not enough, just as Ed is usually bothered by him, Rocko has to endure his neighbor’s antics and is very annoyed by them.  His reaction to what goes on is clearly more justified than Ed’s ever were as Ed acting like a pirate wakes him up at 3:00 AM, and never lets up.  Plus, it only gets worse every time.  The first time, Ed is just loud and keeps Rocko awake.  Then, Ed gets so into his dream, right down to there being full pirate scenes depicting what’s going on his mind, that he captures Rocko and treats him like an enemy pirate holding a map.  To showcase the stakes of this behavior, he uses a plunger for a sword, treats Rocko’s house like a ship, and forces him to walk a plank.  

The issue escalating, Rocko soon becomes desperate to stop Ed’s shenanigans.  Heffer and Filburt, reveling in the humor of the scenario as usual, suggest stopping Ed by just giving him the map he wants.  That’s smart thinking given how into his dreams Ed has gotten, so this is instantly a step up from the previous cartoon.  That said, the freeloading side of their characters still overshadows the heart somewhat.  Coming over to watch the humor of Ed Bighead as a pirate is fine, but then when Ed starts aggressively attacking, Heffer and Filburt get roped into his warped fantasy.  It gets especially bad for Rocko when they get into character so much that they aid Ed in attacking.  

Still, the sequence is plenty exciting as Ed captures Spunky and fires objects at Rocko’s house with a cannon that’s actually a washing machine.  Rocko’s house even gets in on the façade as it appears to sink like a ship.  For a grand finish, Rocko pulls off the ultimate action move, swinging to Ed’s house like a pirate would from ship to ship, to surrender the map and be done with it all.  The map turns out to be the perfect fix as Ed immediately follows it, and even uncovers a treasure; a squeaky monkey toy Spunky was using throughout the cartoon.  So Ed finally gets closure for his embarrassing childhood experience, while Rocko settles the issue and is roped into another as his friends bring him on a dream submarine voyage.  

Where this cartoon shines is how it successfully mines great entertainment out of an outlandish setup, and in spite of a few character moments, it works almost like a dream.

A

The Ranking

1.      Sailing the 7 Zzzz’s

2.      With Friends Like These

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Rocko and Heffer get up to quite an April Fool's Day, and the group has to look after an egg holding Filburt and Dr. Hutchison's babies. 

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.