Static Cling - (Rocko's Modern Life Bonus Review) - 'Toon Reviews 44

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This is a review a very recent special mostly made to capture the nostalgic value of Rocko's Modern Life for this generation.  However, in recapturing the past, this special also proves that the main themes and ideas of the overall series are truly timeless, outrageous undertones and all.  From Netflix, this is:

Static Cling

(August 9, 2019)

In today’s generation of media, reboots of old nostalgic properties are very commonplace.  It would make sense to show concern over the clear lack of originality TV and film are designed for, but at the same time, it always helps to keep an open mind.  For every pointless retelling of the same story in live action or series with a very deviating tone, there are always reboots that keep the original style, and be entertaining in their own right.  That’s where this special falls when it comes to reboots as part of a trend of Nickelodeon to boost its relevance by introducing this new generation to its nostalgic properties.  Heck, Joe Murray even returned to the creative head’s position to lead the project.  This along with the return of the original cast, and a faithful recreation of the original series’ art style and comedic tone suggest a worthy follow-up to the true Nickelodeon staples.  Ultimately, I’m pleased to say that this is exactly the case, all following the perfect type of story for this franchise to tell.

To sell the feel of the show being gone for a long time, the special smartly establishes itself as a direct continuation of the random ending of the original series finale “Future Schlock.”  While that cartoon’s ending could have just been written off as a gag, it’s a pretty smart and clever move to have it serve as a basis for the background of Rocko and his friends.  It shows awareness to the characters’ roots as well as the knowledge and memories of the series’ original audience.  Speaking of the latter point, Rocko and his closest companions, Heffer, Filburt, and Spunky the dog, have essential points of connecting to their original audience.  All of which reach out to their home generation of the 90s.  Them being stuck together in Rocko’s house flying through space is reflective of how social gatherings would work with them just hanging out with each other directly.  There’s no internet platforms or services; while they’re lost in space, all they do is converse, watch TV, and in Heffer’s case, pass time with a song.  Speaking of watching TV, I personally find it a very welcome touch that their source of entertainment is a sole VHS of The Fatheads with only a small selection of episodes.  I know that certainly takes me back to that era.  In fact, them doing this same thing in the void of space for 20 years is the very allegory to perfectly capture this actual series being away from the air for roughly that amount of time.  Then, in the usual fashion of Rocko’s Modern Life, comedy is what drives the story to really take off when the group discovers they had an easy fix to get out of space all along.  By this, I mean that Heffer had been sitting on the rocket’s remote control for all this time.  Once those laughs are had, our main group’s course is set for their old home of O-Town, and the special’s story officially unfolds.

On this note, there’s something constantly standing out about the setup of the special throughout the whole affair.  Although I personally see a lot of smart commentary and solid entertainment from what’s done with it overall, I’d like to start with the most glaring issue it has.  It all relates to how this special handles continuity for the events of the original series.  I mean, it’s very clear that a lot of effort is put in to have this modern upgrade be a strong connection to its predecessor.  The reflective capture of the original art style and bringing back the original voice actors is a good touch, but there’s one element to have the continuity go the extra mile.  Crafting the background of Rocko and his friends after the events of the final episode of the original series is just about as direct as you can get.  However, while it gets the basic idea of them being in space for so long right, there are also a couple of notable inaccuracies and points of confusion in this department.  The O-Town the group lands in is supposed to be a more modernized version of what it's mainly known as, except a more futuristic version was already seen in “Future Schlock.”  In fact, that cartoon’s version of the main setting was far more modernized than today’s society.  Then there is the basic matters of the characters’ ages.  It’s not too far-fetched that Rocko and his friends don’t age since it was established in “Future Schlock” that age isn’t affected by travelling through space.  Despite that, all of the citizens of O-Town are exactly as young as you’d remember, a much bigger break in continuity.  I mean, characters still on Earth were shown to age, particularly Ed Bighead, so that not being the case here is kind of glaring.  I know Filburt had that anti-aging cream, but it’s hard to believe that everyone used it to stay young.  Being strong in continuity in some areas but not going all out sticks out a lot throughout the special. Nevertheless the important thing is that none of this takes away from the positive viewing experience.

In addition to appealing to nostalgic fans of the series, it’s also important for this special to resonate with the current generation.  For that, there’s a believable explanation for things like the lack of characters aging.  With everyone retaining their familiar ages and appearances, today’s audiences can get a feel of the cast’s true nature, introducing them to the appeal of the series.  On that note, it also makes the special stand out the best in showcasing how its theme of depicting the challenges of daily life is one for all ages.  

As soon as Rocko and the gang land in their old home, they discover that while it looks familiar, many customs have changed a lot in those 20 years they were away.  Separating societal norms from the 90s to the 2010s, phones are constantly upgrading; internet videos are all the rage and make stars out of ordinary people; food trucks are everywhere and prepare all sorts of high-calorie, radioactive snacks; movies are in lifelike 3D and reach mass audiences by being dark and gritty; the list goes on.  There’s a balanced perspective to all of these modern changes too.  Eccentric characters like Heffer and Filburt adjust well to the changes, making for little effective gags serving as the bulk of the special’s comedy mainly with phones and internet videos.  Rocko, typically being the one to endure the hardship of life’s challenges a lot, is put down by all the changes.  Like I’d imagine that like most audience members when it comes to dealing with so many changes , he’s overwhelmed, putting his frustrations at their most understandable.  After an extensive sequence of said challenges pushing him around so much, the main plot for the special unfolds.

Relating to the earlier scene of Rocko and his friends preparing to watch that Fatheads VHS, Rocko feels that what he needs to deal with the changes is a viewing of the show.  Think of it as the relatable concept of using favorite pieces of media as escapism; I certainly know what that’s like.  The only problem is that The Fatheads have been off the air for years without any reruns even.  I guess when it came to depicting life’s challenges, no one ever considered the existence of streaming services or DVD box sets to keep the legacy of older shows alive.  Now what would normally be seen as a minor challenge gains weight when we look into what Ed Bighead has gotten up to while Rocko was away.  The usual curmudgeon neighbor has actually been living a good life for all these years, happily working as an executive at the huge business facility for O-Town, Conglom-O.  However, as if by fate, he really fudges things up as soon as Rocko returns.  A simple mathematical mistake puts the stocks of Conglom-O through the floor, and given its vital service to O-Town, that’s enough to threaten the town’s way of life.  Of course, it’s ridiculous to think that all of this happens because of a typo, but it’s very in line with the tone the main series has built for itself.  With legit stakes, Rocko feels that the best way to make back the money by having Conglom-O fund a new revival special for The Fatheads.  You can also sense a lot of self-awareness to what nostalgic fans might express when convincing favorite shows to come back, saying there’s a big fan base and whatnot.  Word spreads quickly about that and production begins, but there’s a catch.  Playing to the idea that network executives prioritizing money over quality, the initial Fatheads special is full of cheapness and mainstream fixes.  Funded by the suspiciously business-savvy Chameleon Brothers, it’s nothing more than a poorly made mess with only CGI to make it look cool.  Even considering crowd-pleasing features to media, it’s easy to tell this would not be the right thing to make the money O-Town needs.  To Rocko, there’s only one person who can do the Fatheads special justice.

Rocko and his friends go on a trip around the world to track down the creator of The Fatheads, the Bigheads’ son Ralph.  After all, the best people to reboot a show for a new generation are usually the original creators, at least most of the time.  In the original series, Ralph Bighead was always a fascinating character, breaking free from his business-oriented job to follow his creative passions, and later reflect the creative process.  Plus, he feels especially authentic being voiced by this series’ creator, Joe Murray himself.  This special even goes the extra mile with an especially broad reflection on society changes which Ralph himself is part of.  Following several treks around the world, Rocko and his friends ultimately find Ralph in the desert selling Fatheads ice pops.  Not only do they ultimately convince him to make the special properly, but Ralph reveals something even bigger.  During these past 20 years, Ralph changed his gender, and is now Rachel, revealing herself to be trans.  Personally, I’d like to know what inspired the change, but I have a feeling that the outcome of a major art project, i.e. Ralph’s last appearance, inspired it.  The real takeaway here is that this is one of the broadest representations of not-so-often respectfully represented people in media.  Though it takes time to reveal Rachel, the special does so without any huge bravado or anything to make it come off as an anomaly.  Truthfully, trans people are not anomalies, and have the right to be represented just like anyone else.  In fact, it’s simply endearing that Rachel is accepted by Rocko and the others, but then the special goes the extra mile when it comes to the subject. 

Now, Ed Bighead has always been a major grouch, but the events of this special are legit blows to his pride, making any negative trait somewhat understandable.  He’s the one who did the accounting error that caused the situation, and he’s losing his job and house as a result, giving gravity to how all of this affects him.  Plus, he’s known for having a difficult relationship with his kid, so when he learns that the gender’s been changed and Ralph is now Rachel, he’s unable to accept that.  In other words, while this special is showing that there is acceptance for trans people, there are always going to be people who won’t feel the same way.  This sadly can include family, and it stands out all the more here with the theme of finding it difficult to accept change.  In fact, Ed’s lack of acceptance is so big, it pushes Rachel not to go through with headlining the Fatheads special.  For coming from a series so well-known for being totally off-the-wall bizarre, it’s amazing that when it comes to reaching out to a certain group, this special can be totally respectable.  Plus, the fact that it got people from the GLADD organization to help write this part of the special clearly pays off and shows the authenticity.

In the context of the story though, this major disagreement means no special, and no hope for O-Town to recover financially.  Amidst the ensuing panic, there’s a nice scene of Rocko and Ed reflecting on how difficult it’s been for both of them to accept the many changes that have occurred.  The hardships they’ve caused for Ed speak for themselves, but Rocko felt that he could make them work if he just had his favorite show back to ease all difficulties.  There’s just something nice about the idea of two polar opposites forgetting their differences and finding some sort of common ground.  Again, it’s endearing that such a crazy and weird series can get this wholesome when making a universal point.  It’s during this conversation of contrasting personalities where an epiphany is reached as Rocko and Ed grow open to the changes in their lives.  They clearly don’t need an obvious lesson on change from a literal ‘winds of change’, but that still makes the special feel right at home with the original series.  As for the Fatheads special, it may seem like a quick resolve, but with convincing staging, you can buy Rachel being moved to make it anyway when looking back on her family.

So the Fatheads special is completed with everyone in O-Town gathered to check it out and fund it to save Conglom-O.  Ultimately, if you find the Fatheads scenes from the series proper funny, you’ll probably have a good time with what the new special has to offer.  There is a difference of the Fathead couple getting a new baby, but nothing’s changed about the overall tone, humor, and quality.  It really makes sense that the town finds a lot to love with the special.  In fact, it’s downright off-putting that Rocko is the one to show major disdain over that little change, as if it’s enough to disrespect the legacy of The Fatheads which is not the case.  It also doesn’t make sense for Rocko’s character since he’s not known for getting worked up over little things like this.  Could it be that he needed the show to be exactly how he remembers it to deal with all the changes of his new home?  I guess, but the heart of that matter really doesn’t show.  Plus, the winds of change show up to get him to accept the special and like it for what it is, but then what was the point of its earlier scene?  This is just an uncalled scene to drive home the theme of change that the special could have benefitted without.  Other than that, the conclusion is still very solid.  Rocko does grow to adapt to the changes in his life despite that outburst, Ed accepts Rachel who starts reconnecting with her family, and O-Town is financially stable again.  With a touch of the trademark wacky humor driving anything, in spite of one last gross-out gag of Ed’s boss booger-flicking, it leaves the special worthy of the series it’s part of.

It may not be perfect, but there’s a lot to admire about Static Cling.  It looks and feels like Rocko’s Modern Life, it makes the point clear that its aesthetic and points are still relevant 20 years later, it’s endearing when it needs to be, and it’s a story everyone can relate to no matter what their generation.  In an age of endless reboots where more originality is needed, this special is an example of a reboot big on passion and universal appeal.  Also, if this is the last there is of Rocko’s Modern Life, I say it went out strong.

Highly Recommended

I may not be into Nickelodeon as much as I used to be, but I’m pleased to say that Rocko’s Modern Life is one of the network’s shows I can enjoy for life.  For four seasons and one reboot special, it has thrived with a universal point on life’s challenges, and brought them to life in a style all its own.  It will always be remembered for its striking personalities, envelope-pushing humor, extreme gags, and animated spirit.  With its faithful reboot special, it’s even clearer that all generations can get great enjoyment out of it.  So be sure to check it out for nostalgia purposes, of if you’ve never seen it before, it’s no secret that you’re in for a hoot.  

Next time, we'll be wrapping up this blog's reviewing of Xiaolin Showdown.  Until then:

Stay Animated Folks!