Down the Hatch/Road Rash (Rocko's Modern Life Season 2 Episode 4) - 'Toon Reviews 24

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Down the Hatch

Sometimes this show astounds with how creative it can get through its interpretation of life.  Once before, it did so with a cartoon within another cartoon starring Bloaty and Squirmy, two parasites living on Rocko’s dog, Spunky.  Now they’re back as they give a creative angle of a life-or-death situation Spunky gets into. 

It happens when Heffer, through his simple-mindedness, gives Spunky a Fatheads cheese tablet.  This attributes to the well-known warning against letting animals eat people food with these tablets apparently making any animal who eats them explode.  It’s revealed through a humorously staged flashback of a cat belonging to Rocko’s grandma exploding over that tablet.  From there, the focus in the outside world is on Rocko and Heffer trying to get the tablet out of Spunky before he explodes. 

While this part of the cartoon stands out for a few exaggerated expressions and sight gags, the most interesting thing involves those parasites.  Bloaty and Squirmy’s subplot brings a creative idea of what happens when the tablet lands in Spunky’s stomach.  Just like the parasites’ previous appearance, the creativity isn’t really in what they do, but mostly stands out for how their actions are out of the norm for creatures of their kind.  There is a strong sense of imagination when getting to their main role through staging Spunky’s stomach as a river ride with fake sights based on other parasites and diseases.  It’s a solid way for miniscule vermin to view their surroundings which is nice and well-suited for animation since real vermin probably wouldn’t live nearly as creatively. 

Then there’s Bloaty and Squirmy’s main objective here when their boat finds the tablet moored along the stomach acid.  It’s basically a common sitcom plot of characters finding something valuable and exploiting it for money.  While this uses story beats of being consumed by greed over the discovery, it again means a lot more from the creatures going through the motions.  It’s basically an interpretation of a wild idea of what may be going on with that tablet ingested.  Honestly, scenarios like bad things being swallowed can inspire many creative ideas of what may be happening to it on the inside, so it’s great to see one come to life. 

Plus, a few things make the familiar story stand as its own thing than simply a product of clichés.  There’s a dark edge to the story with what the tablet does to animals who eat it in mind.  It kills off the driver of Bloaty and Squirmy’s boat with just one lick just before he can run off to exploit the tablet himself.  There’s also subtle awareness to this plot’s familiarity with the sudden appearance of a group of vermin calling out Bloaty and Squirmy for their greed making for decent self-aware humor.  Speaking of humor, what goes on makes for solid laughs at the end when an angry mob tears down the tablet and, of course, they all explode.  It makes for a funny scene of random explosions around Spunky’s body and more laughs come from a random remark from the doctor of this meaning Spunky’s pregnant.  Finally, while Bloaty and Squirmy being the only vermin left brings an apocalyptic atmosphere, it’s humorous to note that it’s taken account of as no big deal.  Interestingly, this is by far the most accurate they are to actual vermin here. 

This cartoon is very basic by itself, but it does offer a lot of fun through the inside story incited by a relatable incident with pets.

A-

Road Rash

Road trip stories are another common element of media, but to me, they’re almost always enjoyable.  There’s clear imagination within the thoughts of the destination, and the people, places, and challenges of the journey.  In a show that specializes in imaginative interpretations of everyday life, its road trip story is entertaining and impressionable. 

Heffer is won over by tourist traps and wishes that he could see them some day.  His chance comes when it’s reported that one of the tourist spots, Flem Rock, is going to erupt for one last time.  With the aid of a convenient motorcycle and a passionate as possible speech about road trips, Rocko and Heffer set off on a several hundred mile drive to Flem Rock. 

The setup is a perfect one for how even things that sound easy and pleasing have a lot to tough out.  Travelling is no exception, and here it’s mined for strong entertainment.  Traveling with a guide as misguided as Heffer makes staying on course a bigger challenge than usual.  The depiction of this is particularly funny as Rocko and Heffer become so lost, they pass through objectively better attractions and wind up back at Rocko’s house at one point.  That’s just for one scene though, but the trip features many more fun takes on the challenges most would expect. 

One involves the need for entertainment on such a long drive.  The only option is a tape of disco music played on bagpipes, and Rocko’s reaction to it is presented in stages that build upon themselves.  At first he has a slight disdain, yet tolerates it.  However, as the cartoon goes on, he can hardly stand it and feels the need to wreck the tape deck over it and ends up wrecking the motorcycle as well.

Another gag is so tongue and cheek you won't see it on TV or DVD anymore.  You can see it here right now though:

The people met on the road is another point of interest for the cartoon.  There is at least one who doesn’t have much to him, that being a farmer Rocko and Heffer get directions from.  In fact, he’s kind of boring, telling them a long-winded directionless anecdote instead of what they need.  The people get a little better throughout the trip.  Heffer stops at a sausage place where the employee, through all his apathy implying he’s not happy with his job, supplies essential things for the trip.  As Heffer orders and finishes a sausage order no one has been able to finish, he’s awarded a car shaped like a weenie just as Rocko destroys the motorcycle. 

The most memorable encounter is with a biker gang who ride up just as the weenie-mobile breaks down.  It stands out for breaking stereotypes where they’re willing to help Rocko and Heffer fix their ride instead of threaten and beat them like what’s expected from bikers.  It also stands out for a large number of subtle weenie and bun jokes since their fixing up a hotdog-shaped car. 

In the end, the trip is made possible by Rocko wanting to make the most of what he was put through.  After going with the flow for most of the trip, he drives the weenie-mobile to Flem Rock at top speed just as it erupts like a blowing nose for the last time.  The trip itself doesn’t seem worth it with the attraction and the only person who scaled it being so small. Also, it’s promptly replaced by a Chokey Chicken seconds later. 

Still, it’s satisfying that after all this, Rocko understands the good of seeing the sights.  Something was gained from all the ordeals even if he clearly doesn’t want to do it again any time soon.  It leaves this show’s take on road trips as a fun and relatable journey worth taking.

A

The Ranking

1. Tickled Pinky
2. The Lounge Singer
3. Road Rash
4. I Have No Son
5. Down the Hatch
6. Pipe Dreams
7. She’s the Toad

The next Rocko's Modern Life review makes an exciting adventure out of Heffer's TV habit, and Rocko must endure public transportation.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is an all-new Christmas special review.

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.

'Toon Reviews 16: Hey Arnold Season 3 Episode 14: Grandpa's Birthday/Road Trip

Grandpa’s Birthday

This cartoon has a pretty interesting premise given the title.  Rather than focusing on a mere birthday, more emphasis is put on what the birthday means for the person in question, and it really pays off as funny and heartfelt watch. 

With his birthday coming up, Grandpa is in a particularly bad mood, getting tense with every little thing that happens.  I find these moments enjoyable for how exaggerated they are, not to mention when Arnold investigates Grandpa’s behavior, it turns out that there’s a legitimate reason for it.  His upcoming birthday is his 81^st, and no one in his family has ever lived past 81 creating a family curse, so he’s preparing to “buy the farm.”  He may not seem sickly, but considering how old he already is and his background, it does make some sense for Grandpa to feel the way he does.  He has a lot of energy when he’s berating others, and does incredibly well at his physical, but even this isn't enough to convince Grandpa to not worry so much.  To him, age 81 is when his time is done, and no amount of good strength is enough to change that. 

Now while Grandpa’s beliefs in the family curse mostly consist of comedic outbursts towards difficult people, there’s also time for heartfelt moments.  One of them is one of the quieter moments of the cartoon where Grandpa discusses to Arnold some of his most pleasing memories in which he sounds like he’s talking from the heart to someone he has a good relationship with while still holding onto the death anxieties that drive his angst.  His memories come into play when Arnold tries to take Grandpa’s mind off of the family curse by taking him on a day of fun to give Grandpa a chance to relive his glory days.  It’s a very pleasing montage of any fun thing imaginable set to an old-time music piece that instantly makes you think of being with a grandparent.  It could be said that this turns out to be a great way for Grandpa to spend what’s apparently his last day on Earth, especially since despite having a good time, he hasn’t forgotten that he’s supposed to croak in accordance with the family curse. 

So, you can imagine the mood whiplash when after such a nice montage, we cut to the whole boarding house come to watch Grandpa pass at the stroke of midnight.  The eerie mood of everyone watching with an organ playing and a storm outside is perfectly fitting for the drama of the moment capped off with a bell tolling for every individual reaction just as a bedside candle blows out with Grandpa’s last breath.  It’s a chilling yet greatly constructed way to bring about a death…at least until Grandpa suddenly gets up, hilariously shocked that he’s still in the boarding house.  It turns out there was a simple mathematical error in the family curse (he was 10 years off in fact) which leads to a great cause for celebration and annoyances from the boarders who stayed up so late for nothing. 

It does leave a mystery if the family curse is real and if Grandpa will buy the farm at age 91, but through his range of feelings on the matter and resulting memorable moments, what we have is a great way for him to appreciate the good health he has at such an old age.  With all this said, we’re left with a birthday cartoon unlike any other. 10/10

Road Trip

Cartoons focusing on Helga’s family life are worth looking forward towards.  They give interesting background on Helga’s mean behavior, and show potential for development from her parents beyond just being neglectful, and in this regard, this cartoon is no exception. 

Helga is roped into going on a cross-country road trip with her mother, Miriam.  Now, Miriam’s usual neglect is being driven to make and drink “smoothies” which make her lackadaisical resulting in her being anti-social, passing out a lot, and especially not providing her own daughter the care she needs.  It’s no wonder why Helga has many problems with Miriam and is not pleased with being trapped in a car with her. 

During the road trip however, Miriam does prove to have some likable qualities.  She makes genuine attempts to socialize with her daughter such as recounting stories of her past, and attempting to show she enjoys being with Helga.  These moments show that even if Helga’s parents are bad at being parents, they’re not neglectful on purpose and can show effort at being good parents, and this is easily seen in Miriam.  Still her faults are on full display as Miriam is very careless through dropping and spilling things, leaving her purse on top of the car causing it to fall off and get run over, and losing the directions.  To top it all, Miriam fails to pay attention to the road, and through veering out of the way of a huge truck, she drives off the road, through a field, into mud, and what an awesome crash scene it is.  Even if she means well, it’s clear that Miriam’s neglect is very prominent in everything she does, allowing the cartoon to be blunt about how unqualified she is to be a parent. 

At the same time, Helga is presented very well.  She’s clearly annoyed by everything her mom does which understandably prevents her from seeing Miriam’s attempts to bond with her, yet doesn’t go too far with her angst.  Even when they’re at their lowest point with a broken down car, no money to fix it, and being stranded in the middle of nowhere, she restrains herself from getting too mad or hurtful and is simply blunt with the hard truth that Miriam is a lousy mom.  However, because of her earlier good efforts, it’s easy to care when Miriam finds a way to redeem herself.  In an interesting turn of events, she finds an ad for a mechanical bull riding contest and enters it to get the money needed to fix the car.  It makes sense that Helga wouldn’t think her mom could do it after all the trouble she caused and can’t bring herself to watch Miriam.  The scene of Helga walking out on the competition is particularly touching, with no dialog and only a simple music piece to take in the lonely and hopeless feel of what’s happened and how she has to take on the responsibilities her mother can’t.  It’s truly one of Helga’s most sympathetic moments.  Then comes a surprise when Miriam ends up with the best mechanical bull riding time and wins the cash, proving she CAN do something right after all, and it even makes for a nice ending as she and Helga have a nice civil conversation all the way home. 

The only problem with this is that Miriam’s shining moment is hardly expanded upon after this with her going right back to her old habits in her next major appearance.  Fortunately, this cartoon by itself is a great heartfelt character-driven adventure. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Helga Blabs it All
2. Harold the Butcher
3. Cool Party
4. Grandpa’s Birthday
5. Crabby Author
6. Mr. Hyunh Goes Country
7. Road Trip
8. Helga Vs. Big Patty
9. Hey Harold!
10. Curly Snaps
11. The Aptitude Test
12. Pre-Teen Scream
13. The Pig War
14. Olga Gets Engaged
15. Oskar Gets a Job
16. Phoebe Takes the Fall
17. Best Man
18. Career Day
19. Gerald’s Tonsils
20. Rich Kid
21. Dangerous Lumber
22. Casa Paradiso
23. Arnold’s Room
24. Helga and the Nanny
25. Roller Coaster
26. Stinky Goes Hollywood
27. Sid’s Revenge
28. Arnold Betrays Iggy

The next Hey Arnold review covers the start of a running trope of Arnold crushing on the cute girl, Lila, along with a more slice-of-life driven cartoon about a grand prix.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the Steven Universe episode "Sadie's Song."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.