I watched the new episode after it premiered in Italy.
"The Hurt Lockers" was decent but could use improvement.
At the gym, the school has just seen a demonstration on water safety from Meryl, where she stuffs some implements into her hair afterwards. Now for another announcement, there's a sinkhole in the art hallway. Anyone with lockers in the area will be relocated and paired while it gets patched. Lincoln and co. see an opportunity to ask the principal if they could share lockers with each other. So Lincoln proceeds to create a presentation for Principal Ramirez that goes on for over 2,000 slides that explains why he and his friends should share lockers. She was worn down by all that, so she makes some calls, and sure enough, it's approved. I don't know if I could survive a 2,000-slide presentation. Anyway, the first pair is Rusty and Zach. The latter has fitted a security system with voice recognition, retinal detection, a fingerprint reader, and a self-defense mode for their locker. Liam got one of his chickens to stay in his and Stella's locker, which prompted her to build an egg collector. For Clincoln McLoud, it's a mess, which Clyde fixes up when Lincoln isn't looking.
The next day, however, brings problems for the gang. Rusty is trying do his 500 daily brushes when Zach asks to get his math book, but he refuses because he still needs to brush his hair, and now he's lost track. Then Clyde stores a souffle for it to rise when Lincoln comes and asks for his gym clothes. He refuses, since the souffle is quite sensitive to loud noises and shocks, and he doesn't know when it'll finish. Then Stella asks Liam to get her sewing needle in order to alter the glee club outfits. Alas, he's stored a bunch of hay in the locker. Then Rusty rushes to retrieve his homework, but the security system doesn't recognize him at all, causing him to kick it, which activates the self-defense mode and zaps it. Then Clyde searches for his book report, which is now buried in the locker pile. He pulls it and it ends up falling into Lincoln's magic hat. It somehow ends up in Charles's mouth. Then Liam finds the egg machine jammed, and bumping it causes the eggs to fly out at Stella.
At lunch, the gang is dismayed by the situation they're in. Lincoln decides to go to Ms. Ramirez with another 2,000-slide presentation listing the 2,000 reasons why they should switch locker partners again. He only goes as far as the prologue with his childhood before Ramirez lets them try again, but that's it. Meryl brings out a bingo machine and assigns them all new partners. Lincoln gets locker 34. Unfortunately, that's Chandler, who gave his previous locker partner an atomic wedgie that's lasted three days. Zach ends up with Lynn and her sweaty socks. Stella ends up with Chef Pat, who uses her locker as an extension of the meat locker. She puts her bag on one hook, and it freezes. Rusty ends up with a battered locker that turns out to belong to Crikey, the mascot of the Kangaroos, who punches him. Liam ends up with Jenna and the other cheerleaders, who start to annoy him with their cheers. Finally, Clyde ends up with Andrew, who's going through some sort of cat phase where he gets really territorial with his locker, scaring Clyde away. Really.
The next day, they prepare to deal with their respective locker partners. It doesn't go well at all, as they all start rolling down the hallway on a bunch of balls and end up stumbling. Then the cheerleaders go and throw them into the patched sinkhole. It opens up and they fall down. Later, they head back to Ms. Ramirez's office with yet another 2,000+ slide presentation, but she refuses to get involved anymore. They walk out, realizing that they should have just stuck it out with each other. Meryl couldn't help but overhear and offer the kids her own locker. Lincoln questions why she'd do so if she needed it, but she says she doesn't need to; she keeps all her stuff in her hair. Sure enough, they take up her offer and they all sort it out. The arrangement works for the most part, until a bird flies out of his magic hat and confronts the chicken, which activates the security system's self-defense mode and targets Lincoln, forcing him to run as it fires.
This episode was mostly alright. It was fun seeing how the gang start to conflict with each other over the difficulties of sharing each others' lockers in an exceptional situation like a sinkhole in the hallway. I've never experienced it, but it is quite an intriguing scenario to show. Of course, that also means that it felt like a missed opportunity to further explore all this. A friend of mine online said that the show should have given more time to Lincoln and co. trying to deal with the hassles of sharing lockers, and I agree. It should have been a further opportunity to develop these characters. After all, we've spent years with them, why not go further? Also, the resolution felt unearned, as my friend says, and I honestly do think that it felt a tad flat towards the end. Other parts of the episode were fun, though. Like the cheerleader bit with Liam. That was pretty funny. It was the highlight of the otherwise middling middle part of the episode. And Meryl's gag was a pretty nice reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Ultimately, I would give this episode an 8/10. It's watchable for the most part, but could do better.
I watched the new episode after it premiered in Italy.
"Love Stinks" was a pretty good episode.
Lola is prepping for bed after a 3-hour facial when she smells something bad. Thinking it's from Lana, she smothers it with "Lilac Spice" and goes to bed. That's when she smells something on it, causing her to scream and Lana to burst in with a bat (what was she doing outside the room?). Lola pulls away the sheets to find a skunk sleeping on the bed. Yes, a skunk. You'd scream too if that happened to you. Lana doesn't seem fazed, to Lola's anger, but she has a reason: Lana's taking care of it. She named it Anne (like Ronnie Anne? Or Anne Boonchuy?), and Anne has a cold, so she's keeping her here until she feels better. Lola reluctantly lets her stay. The next morning, she wakes up to get oat milk and finds Lana trying to feed a grossed-out Anne a "sausage slop smoothie" to give her strength (I wouldn't drink it either). She gets a video call from Liam, where he asks for help with a pig giving birth. The pig was literally shooting piglets out of her. Lana asks Lola to do her a solid and take care of Anne while she heads out. After getting a concession for bathing twice a week and deodorant, Lana heads out as Liam gets buried by the piglets. Wow.
Lola eyes the skunk before taking a sip of her oat milk, and Anne actually begs her for it. Reluctantly, she gives her bottle to her. She's surprised that she actually takes to it so much, so she decides to have her go along. They head for Reiningers. She tells Anne to go off while she shops and meets an adoring Miguel. She's wants to try a new scent for the Little Miss Room Freshener pageant. He shows her a fresh new lineup of perfumes when she hears a commotion; Anne's fighting a lady for a scarf. She tells her to heel and let go of the scarf, and decides that Anne needs a new scent. Anne picks the "Feisty Freesia" scent. I don't think I've tried that scent. Cue a short makeover montage at a salon that leads to a fabulous new look for them both! Once at home, she asks Lynn Sr. to carry the packages. He realizes too late that Lola was with a skunk…and there's a lot of packages, which fall over on him. They head up to take a nap. When she sees Anne on the floor, she invites her up on the bed. She admits that she was wrong about her; for a skunk, she was surprisingly sweet and elegant. She decides that she should have a much more elegant name, and rechristens her Antoinette. Kinda dangerous, don't you think?
Then Lana wakes her up from it. Her finger is too close to her nose; she was trying to wake her up, but she saw a booger inside her nose. It was time for Anne to go back to the wild. However, Lola has become so attached to her that she doesn't want her to leave. Attached to a skunk! But Lana says that skunks need fresh air and a balanced diet, and offers to do it, but she declines, saying she'll do it tomorrow before school. The next day, she tries to release her at Tall Timbers Park and gives her a designer bag and tries to leave. However, they can't go through with it, so she decides to take Antoinette to hide her from Lana, and takes her to school. Once there, she hides her in her locker, and swears to bring her perfumes and more oat milk. Lana comes by and asks to store dirt. As she reluctantly drags it along in her bag, Anne runs out of oat milk and runs off.
At lunchtime, Lola comes back with tempura and discovers that the skunk is missing, throwing it and all sorts of stuff onto Principal Huggins, who reprimands her. She searches around the cafeteria. Later, while the twins are at Mr. Sayers' class watching him dressed like Abe Lincoln, everyone notices a stench from the vents. Realizing what happened, she suggests everyone leave. As they do so, Lana hears the vent grate open. She doubles back and finds some desks stacked together to reach the vent. Lola is traversing the dirty, dusty vents inhabited by spiders. She finds a trail of paw prints and follows them with high hopes. Unfortunately, they lead to a trio of rats playing cards for gambling with cheese. I don't know what they're doing either. She backs away and keeps going, ending up in another classroom, followed by the teacher's lounge (where Miss Allegra is dancing). She then ends up above the principal's office, where Huggins commands Cheryl to turn on the AC to take out the smell. A worried Lola is blasted by the air through the vents and smashes into Lana, who was also inside trying to figure out what's going on.
The twin immediately puts two and two together and realizes that Lola brought Anne to school. She denies at first, but quickly admits to it. When she gets called out on it, she defends herself, saying that the skunk was like "a stinkier mini-me". She begs Lana to help her find the skunk. She agrees and is about to tell her that she'll lead the way when Lola spots Anne. The two rush to each other's arms. As Lana comes closer, they hear a creak before they fall through the vent into a hallway. They end up surrounded by Cheryl and a bunch of other students. She yells, "Skunk!", and everyone panics, scaring Anne and causing her to release a very powerful spray that causes almost everyone else to flee the school. You'd think a stink bomb blew. As the cloud clears, Principal Huggins declares to them that he's calling animal control and sets off, but Lola stops him, saying that she'll take Anne out of the school. Huggins is shocked at the fact that Lola was responsible; he was betting on Lana. Honestly, I would, too. Anyway, she admits that Anne needed to go to the wild and that Lola was being selfish. Lana assures her that she just got too attached, and understands since she let go of a lot of other animals, but they can still hang out.
Afterwards, Anne's settled into a new house in a tree at the park (I'd prefer an open amphitheater myself). Lola brings her a gift basket full of fine toiletries for the skunk, because living in the wild "doesn't mean you can't take care of yourself". Then, a stampede of piglets from Liam's farm rushes by, splashing them with mud while Liam calls them for bottle-feeding. The normally disgusted Lola takes it in stride and dubs the mud their own personal mud mask. "Nature is classier than I thought!"
This was a pretty great episode after a series of rather mediocre ones. First off, it was great seeing Lola actually show a different side to an animal normally considered gross to most people. Again, most people would respond similarly to Huggins. The way Lola changes from spending time with Anne was pretty impressive, turning her from a reluctant caretaker to effectively a style partner. It's quite a fun twist on that formula. Also, can we appreciate how much Lana's also grown regarding animals? I guess she took the lessons Sam was teaching her at the animal shelter to heart. There should be more episodes with her and Lana, but I do think that it shows how much both twins have the potential to actually change for the better in different ways. Pacing was perfectly done, with each beat hitting like it should. There were plenty of funny moments throughout. There was also great restraint in the gross-out humor. And it was nice seeing characters like Miguel, Principal Huggins, and Cheryl again. If I may nitpick, maybe they could have toned down the anthropomorphism towards the end. And maybe Lola should have noticed how much Lana has changed since episodes like the podcast episode with the animal shelter and "Animal House" in Season 5.
Really, though, these are quite minor things that don't affect the quality of the episode much. I mean, it was seriously wonderful in so many ways, I couldn't help but smile. After the rollercoaster that was Seasons 5-6, at least this ended quite well. Unfortunately, based on what we'll see in the upcoming episode, it'll take a while to ensure that there's a high standard in episode writing that ensures relatability to the audience. It's the show's forte, and it would serve quite well to return to it. As for the season as a whole, this was still another season in flux for the series with the fall of The Casagrandes and the rise of The Really Loud House, so much has changed over the past few years, underscored by the sheer length of the season's run. I will say that there were many things I wish the show could have done quite differently so that it can appeal to a wider audience without resorting to gimmicks that affect the show's quality. It's a lesson that should be taken to heart in the industry. With matters such as the current economic crises, the decline of cable, and now the WGA strike, the importance of good writing is greater than ever.
Thankfully, this episode delivered for the most part. I would give this episode a 9.5/10. Great job!
OK, after a significant delay, here's my review.
I watched yesterday's new episode. I was reviewing it, but I got sidetracked, and I lost two drafts of it.
"Waking History" was too incredulous for my tastes.
Lisa is ordering Todd on the roof to adjust a satellite dish to watch The Dream Boat. A squirrel jumps on him, causing the signal to break up. It catches a breaking news report that catches Lisa's eye. Katherine Mulligan is at the future site of the schnitzel bánh mì fusion restaurant, Guten Morgen Vietnam. Adrian Cronauer would love it. Anyway, Dr. Alvarez of the Royal Woods Museum is there for an announcement: the workers at the construction site found an ancient ice cave underground. Not only that, but they also found inside a perfectly preserved prehistoric woman encased in ice. The woman is set to be displayed at the Royal Woods History Museum. When the signal breaks, she and Todd head to the museum. They arrive to congratulate Dr. Alvarez on the discovery. She is hoping to extract the woman's DNA to unlock knowledge within. Lisa, however, proposes using a new "reanimator machine" she built to bring the woman back to life, saying that they could learn much more that way. Of course, the doctor refuses, even when she dangles the prospect of a Nobel Prize, because of the risk.
While she sets off to prepare for a volleyball game with the other scientists, Todd promptly calls out that he knows she's plotting to do it anyway. She defends it in the pursuit of knowledge (and a museum wing in her honor, of course). How thoughtful. Regarding the question of how to actually do it, she says with Dr. Alvarez out, they could sneak the machine inside. The next morning, the two sneak the thing past a distracted guard. She tells Todd to be careful with taking the woman out of the ice. Cue Todd doing a "mega headbutt" on the block of ice, shattering it, saying he watched too much wrestling. He should be lucky no one else was looking. They activate the ray and fire it at the woman. At first, it doesn't appear to have done anything. And then she wakes up. I can't believe that worked, because it would be a hell of a lot more believable if it didn't, considering Lisa's recklessness. Somehow, she didn't hear all the commotion and didn't realize it until she literally bumped into her. I know this is a cartoon, but even that has caused me to revoke the suspension of disbelief.
Lisa, for one, is amazed. She introduces herself and asks for her name in English. She licks her hand and does a few grunts. She interprets that as a language. She asks Todd to translate, since she programmed him to understand a million dialects. A few more grunts and he says that her name is Frances. Why would she even be named that if any culture that would have coined such it didn't yet exist in her time? When she demonstrates making fire, Lisa is surprised that someone from the Paleolithic period would understand it. I know it's not common knowledge, and I'm not qualified to judge, but wasn't that kinda obvious? Then she takes a dodo bird and burns it. I don't know if it was a taxidermy or a model, but Lisa's reaction to it by saying she'll find another one felt pretty callous. Then Frances spots a prehistoric animal hide art that, per Todd, came from Chonk, someone she deems overrated and derivative. Dunno how that worked. She spots a wooly mammoth and proceeds to throw a spear she assembles from pilfered artifacts onto it. It hits Todd instead, causing his bottom half to shear off, so she makes a new set of wheels from other museum artifacts.
Lisa is absolutely awestruck at how skilled prehistoric people were. I'm not so sure it's Flintstones-level. She wanders and bumps into a T. rex skeleton, scaring her into a trash bin, where she finds a bag of cheese puffs that ends up calming her. Then she hears the sound of a car horn from Mr. Grouse's car, where Scoots was blocking the way. It causes her to burst out of the museum. Lisa and Todd go after her before they get in trouble as soon Mr. Grouse begins honking at her for blocking him. She takes a club and hits the hood, prompting him to launch her into Gus' Games & Grub with it. She is entranced by the place and ends up playing Dance Battle, where she gets a high score. Somehow that's what causes her to panic? Doesn't seem logical. As she smashes it and bursts through the side (no broken glass?), she ends up at Flip's, where she's also entranced by the red Flippee. She drinks it from the tap, causing a brain freeze and making her attack it. Flip comes from a bath to the commotion. He tells her to stop, which causes her to growl, mistaking him for another caveman. Lisa and Todd arrive to hear her growls, which he translates as her mistaking Flip for her old neighbor who stole her wooly mammoth.
Cue Flip running out in a towel. He climbs up to the roof before Frances tries to bring him down with it. After failing to convince her that Flip wasn't a Neanderthal, Lisa is told by him to do something useful. Todd retrieves him, but Frances tries to grab him, so he goes back up. His arms get broken off, with Lisa saying it is getting "out of hand" (Todd recognizes that Luan-worthy pun). She has no choice but to call Dr. Alvarez and ask for her help. After Lisa fixes Todd's arms, Dr. Alvarez arrives with a volleyball net. She tries to get Frances with the net, but ends up being thrown back. She says they need to calm her down; Lisa quickly remembers that cheese puffs do that, so she takes a bag and throws it to her. She calms down enough for Dr. Alvarez to restrain her. She's surprised at how a Paleolithic person could enjoy cheese puffs. Lisa apologizes and thanks her for her help (so does Flip, but he's charging her for the puffs).
Back at the museum, Lisa apologizes to Frances for putting her through all this. However, Frances quickly pulls her and Todd into a hug, saying "Friends" as she does so. Realizing her capacity to adapt to modernity, she asks Dr. Alvarez if they could keep her around. Soon, Frances becomes part of a living exhibit with Lisa and Todd. They watch The Dream Boat, where the main girl Kelly picks the person to eliminate. When she picks a guy named Kyle, Frances becomes enraged and smashes the TV with the club.
I already suspected that it would be disappointing, so I wasn't surprised. First off, Lisa comes across as a sort of callous piece of shit. I know this is a five-year-old I'm talking about, but going blindly into this is pretty damning. Her actions are frankly beyond the pale, and I feel that I'm liking her less and less. Second of all, Todd is a very poor fit for Lisa. He is uninteresting at best and enabling her worst impulses at worst. It's a common complaint I hear. This leads me to the third point. no one thought of pairing her with someone else, someone better. It feels like a completely different show, and I say this in a negative way. Pairing her with one of the siblings or even Darcy Helmandollar (she should appear more) would have been prudent, with someone more capable balancing out Lisa's poor judgement. Four, I would criticize the structure. I think Lisa needed to be told off by Dr. Alvarez for doing such things behind her back. She didn't get any meaningful consequences. Which leads me to my fifth point: Frances shouldn't have been brought to life. I've always stated that the sci-fi was clunky and unfitting for the show. And finally, with regards to Frances, it's even more egregious with the scientific inaccuracies involving stuff like reviving a hominid preserved in ice. I'm no expert, of course.
All these flaws combined made for a pretty disappointing course. Honestly, this was a very poor showing for a season premiere. I get that change in the animation industry takes time, but it's been what, five years since they've started doing all this? You would think at some point someone in the crew would start questioning the writing decisions involved in episodes. I know this is just one episode, but I expected better, especially regarding scientific matters. Whatever happened to versimilitude? Having said that, I would give credit for some of the comedic timing, particularly from Todd as played by Brian Stepanek. From stuff like the headbutting to the pun of the hand, there was stuff that made the episode a bit easier to swallow overall. John DiMaggio also did quite well with Flip. At least here he's being put in small doses, and he is used quite effectively in his scenes. That's a sign of the show knowing when to deploy characters at the right moment. It's a positive development. My only wish is that it be done faster, and in conjunction with all the other things that I and a number of other viewers feel would improve the show.
Ultimately, I would have to give it a 6/10. It's not something I would be likely to watch again.
Edited by tgsr on May 19th 2023 at 8:38:16 AM
Disasturbator
we do have a reviews section by the way
New theme music also a box
Oh, OK.
I guess I can move it all there.
Edit: I just checked. I believe the review section is for the entire show. And pages for recent episodes haven't been made up yet.
Edited by tgsr on May 22nd 2023 at 10:48:30 AM
I watched the latest episode a few days ago. It took me a while to write the review.
"Pranks Fore Nothing" was pretty good.
At Fairway, Lori runs out of the campus cafe tailed by her classmates Ewan, Marisa, and Raj, who came from previous episodes. Coach Niblick's called an emergency golf practice, and they're in a rush. They arrive only to find the course empty. Lori then finds out that the email announcing it was from thenibster@hahachumps.prank. I didn't know emails could have URLs like that. Suddenly, they're bombarded by pudding-filled balloons. They're from two students from Sand Trap University, Brooke and Chet. It turns out that the two colleges compete each year in a prank war, and Fairway always loses and gets forced to clean toilets. But this time, Lori has an ace up her sleeve. She makes a call and soon, she introduces them to her sister Luan, the master of pranking. She's there to train them in a prank boot camp to beat Sand Trap, with Mr. (or rather, Commander) Coconuts drilling. Luan reminds him they're just kids (aren't they eighteen?). She teaches them pie-launching, which they do poorly. She demonstrates how to launch properly. Lori tries it and it goes too far, almost hitting the coach (but he ducks and it hits a gopher).
Next, she demonstrates a sprinkler system rigged with laser detectors to splash anyone who passes through them, with cardboard cutouts of Brooke and Chet being launched up and landing on the gopher. Then she introduces "things that go 'ka-blam!'". When she asks for a volunteer, Ewan steps up and she brings him to hit a golf ball in the "Ka-Blam Zone". He strikes it with his club and it explodes into a mushroom cloud of glitter, covering him and the gopher, who proceeds to chase after the group. Afterwards, they take a drink to celebrate Lori and co. making it through prank boot camp (although it seems Luan has great doubts). She leaves them with advice: "Anything can be a prank. And I mean anything. Even an exit!". And cue stink bomb! They set off to take down Chet and Brooke. First, they rig one of Sand Trap U's golf carts with pies and glitter bombs. Suddenly, it starts running by itself with them on it. But for some reason, they don't try to get off before crashing into a tree. And somehow, they don't get thrown off by the collision. Instead, they just remain seated and pied.
It turns out that Chet and Brooke were controlling the cart with a remote control beforehand. They gloat and walk away as the glitter bomb activates. Next they dig a ditch, fill it with water, and cover it with turf. They end up falling into another one; Brooke did the same thing. And then she has Chet dump a golf balls on them from another cart. Then they fill the sprinklers with tapioca pudding. Unfortunately, Coach Niblick turns out to be visiting the Sand Trap U golf course. Lori tries to turn it off, but the wheel breaks. They are forced to activate the sprinklers, and are promptly covered in tapioca. And it turns out to be Chet in disguise. Chet and Brooke gloat about wiping the floor with them. Back at Fairway, they wallow in misery. Marisa laments that they literally have nothing to counter them with. That causes Lori to remember Luan's advice: "Anything can be a prank." There's an idea! As Brooke and Chet celebrate with drinks, they overhear the quartet loudly declaring that Fairway has an epic prank prepared for them. They're even covered in dirt.
At first, the duo is unfazed. However, paranoia sets and they tear apart their course. By dawn, their search ends up fruitless. When they cry out, Lori and co. come in and reveal there was nothing at all; that was the prank! Pretty obvious, but wonderful in its simplicity, like with the movie WarGames (although with lighter stakes). Lori tells them about Luan's statement, "Anything can be a prank," and extrapolates that the best prank of all is nothing! And Chet and Brooke fell for it! Chet declares it the best prank he's ever seen, but Brooke insists they still can't win the war. Since they're running on a ten points per prank system, and the duo basically pranked themselves on each hole in their golf course, Fairway receives 180 points, meaning they win the prank war! As they walk out, Raj, Marisa, and Ewan cheer for Lori. Unfortunately, they end up being confronted by the vengeful gopher. He whistles for all the other gophers and they chase after them.
This was quite a refreshing episode compared to "Waking History". First, we get Lori's dynamic with her college peers. While it's not much, we do get to see more of Raj, Marisa, and Ewan and how they interact with her. It was something I think they can expand on. Second of all, there was Luan's role in the episode. Honestly, she should have had more screentime here. But I do get that this was a Lori episode. Nevertheless, it was nice seeing Luan use her pranking skills in a non-malicious manner. After so many April Fool's Day episodes, this was a breath of fresh air. Third is Brooke and Chet, the rivals of Fairway. Played excellently by Kausar Mohammed and Zeno Robinson, they throw themselves into the role of antagonists and have their own personal charms. And finally, the episode does quite well with things such as pacing. Each part hit its mark quite well. The Chekhov's gun move with Luan's advice to Lori and co. was excellent, although the resolution was kinda telegraphed. Another minor nitpick was the gopher at the end. It felt too mean-spirited for my tastes.
All in all, this was an excellent episode. I would give this one a 9/10.
I watched yesterday's new episode. I made a draft review but I lost it.
"Child's Play" was a great show.
Luna and co. are saving for a new speaker system. After deducting Chunk's roadie fee, guitar strings, and Sully's sunflower seeds, they have $93. While they show disappointment, Luan comes in with Mr. Coconuts and greets them as her favorite "baaa-nd" (cue Mazzy mimicking a rim shot) and reveals a safe behind her mirror. As her alter-ego, she tells everyone to cover their eyes to hide the combo. That includes Luan herself, to Sam's confusion. Once she opens the safe and throws the puppet in, she pulls out a duffel bag filled with a lot of money! Luan tells the amazed band that the money's from kiddie parties, where the parents pay a lot of money. That gives Luna an idea (which Sully gets wrong), and she asks Luan to connect them with her clients. When she agrees, they are basically over the moon. Afterwards, Luan accidentally traps Mr. Coconuts in the safe. Luckily, she peeked, to his dismay. Their first gig is the fourth birthday party of Caitlin and Amanda (obviously named after two of the crew). They perform "Play It Loud" from "Really Loud Music" (an Emmy-winning song), but it proves too intense for the kids, embarrassing everyone there.
The band decides to try writing new songs that would fit the clientele, but soon end up very much stuck, and after only seven minutes (and gas from Sully), they're on the verge of giving up when they hear Lily sing a little ditty while riding her trike. After Sully gets the wrong idea again, they decide to perform it, and it's a hit with the kids at the next birthday party. However the birthday boy wants another song. Sam tries to tell him they only got the one song, but he doesn't take it well. He basically leads a riot, and they escape when Mazzy claims that Blarney the Dinosaur was outside. Later, they write down Lily's song about peanut butter and perform it at Gus' Games & Grub, where the kids cause Gus to spill spaghetti on Cheryl's hair. Meryl finds the lighter side of this, though. I like that. Then the band tracks Lily as she chases after Geo, and they perform at a party for a kid's completion of a jazz tap dance class. Katherine Mulligan comes in, and they immediately recognize her. She's carrying her niece Adeline (probably named after one of the writers), and she's inviting them to perform on her morning show, Kat Chat. Not only that, but she's giving a big appearance fee for them.
This gets the Moon Goats very excited for it. They could potentially be able to not only get the speaker system, but a new stage package as well! They accept, but Katherine imposes a condition: they need to compose a new song specifically for it, since she really wants an exclusive performance. Right now, it's no big deal, but then Luna comes home and finds that Lily isn't here at all. She goes to her room to find Luan sticking Mr. Coconuts into her safe. She asks where Lily is, and she finds their parents had brought her to Aunt Ruth's cabin. And unfortunately, they're off for the whole weekend. This gives Sully an actual good idea: they could just take tunes from another toddler. On paper, it's a great idea, but not in practice. One kid at Super Mart gets scared when they hide in the fruit. An attempt to get a trio of kids at a toy store to play instruments and sing causes them to get chased out. They make progress with kids at the kiddie train, but a tunnel in between appearances, and they end up falling off the roof when they hit it.
As a result, they ended up basically banned from shopping throughout town, and they're afraid that the TV gig is a bust. Just then, Sully plays a little tune with the kazoo he got at the toy store. It's one of the things he loved to do as a little kid. That's when Luna realizes they needed to act like little kids again in order to get into the mindset! Sure enough, they play on the swings (and get thrown off and tangled), ride the merry-go-round, and jump in a bounce house with a some other toddlers. They have the time of their lives, and they soon get inspired (and Sully gets a baby bonnet for him to wear from one of the bounce house kids). At the TV station, they perform their new song, and it's a big hit among the toddler audience! Pretty rad! Sure enough, they get the new speakers and stage package and deploy them on their next concert at the park, where they all sport baby bonnets for the performance, where Lily is part of the audience. She's definitely rocking out.
This was a great show. The Moon Goats have finally been given quite the presence after so long. With Luna as the charismatic leader, Sam as the introspective partner, Sully as the goofball, and Mazzy as the snarker, we get a lesson on how to establish character dynamics ASAP. Each interaction between the members showcases how their personalities interact in their respective ways, most particularly with Sully, who's been given quite a presence of his own courtesy of A.J. LoCascio. He made him a lovable doofus anyone could like. As a musical episode, this was paced perfectly. Each moment hit at the right time, driving the story forward. Each song is written simply but performed perfectly, with perfectly precocious lyrics both befitting the in-universe audience and themselves. It actually kinda reminds me of Jeff Rosenstock and his work with Craig of the Creek.
Speaking of, the writers here clearly took lessons from that show in showing the little interactions and gestures that speak volumes about everyone's relationships. Most prominent of those would be with the scene at the bounce house, where Luna and Sam are holding each other's hands as they jump up and down with the other kids. Knowing their relationship, this really provides even more depth to the sequence. It shows them completely enjoying each other's company in the moment, which makes it a highlight of the episode for me. Other mentions include Luna and Luan's interactions, which showcase a surprisingly strong bond despite their clashing personalities. Luan clearly admires Luna and co. to a certain extent, and is more than happy to help her find success. This is why we need a Luan and Luna episode. Also, Cheryl and Meryl's cameo at Gus'. Meryl clearly likes to see the bright side of things to take. That's going with the flow for you.
As for the humor, it goes quite well with very funny gags. From Luan and Mr. Coconuts to Sully's burping to the spaghetti accident at Gus' to Katherine accidentally losing her niece, it's a delightful array of gags. Each one was used carefully and perfectly. That's how to do it. My only nitpick is that Lily could use a tad more screentime. It's minor, because I was happy to see her have fun at the concert at the end. It shows how Luna knows her audience quite well. And I think it serves a lesson for the crew of the show. Knowing the audience is essential to create an enjoyable experience. Likewise, using experiences can always bring benefits to the story. When the Moon Goats did it, they ended up with great songs. It's something to sing about.
I would give this episode a 9.5/10. This was a masterclass in running an episode about a teenage band.
I finally watched the new episode yesterday.
"Force of Habits" is a decent but shaky episode.
Leni comes home to Lori being basically constricted by their dad; she's home for the weekend. She extricates her from his arms and asks what's up with her. Lori's here with Bobby because he's meeting a new produce supplier and now they have a dinner date soon, which prompts her to ask if she just came back from a date with Gavin. When she nods, she brings her up to their old room as Lynn Sr. keeps bawling. Just then, Todd rolls in, sees him crying, remarks, "This family keeps getting weirder," and rolls out in a very surreal moment. In the room, the two squeal, which catches Luna's attention. She welcomes Lori home and asks Leni how her date went. Note how she starts using two of Leni's brushes as drums at this point. That'll be important. Anyway, Leni recalls her date, where the two were at the roller rink and they tripped and fell down on each other. And then she says he has an annoying habit. Yes, the sweetest sister is annoyed. And she's annoyed with Gavin snorting every time he laughs.
Anyone else would ask why she would be annoyed. I guess the others were caught off guard, because then Leni asks how they deal with their partners' habits. To them, the idea is preposterous, so Leni decides to check Sixteen 1/2 magazine. Later, Lori and Bobby go out to Jean Juan's for their date. Suddenly, he starts singing about the things he's doing right now. This actually causes Lori to get nervous. She's never noticed him singing spontaneously before. As he does, he causes a waiter to trip, to her embarrassment. Meanwhile Luna and Sam are at the movies. Sam is trying to pick which snack to bring inside, often exchanging them for something else. When she picks caramel popcorn, Luna promptly pays and pushes her to the movie, but the usher bars them from entry, since the movie's started. I don't think that's how it works? But it gives Sam the opportunity to exchange the popcorn, to Luna's dismay. Clearly, Leni's comments have gotten to them.
Later, Leni is putting eyeliner on Tanya the mannequin when Lori and Luna come in to complain about Bobby's singing and Sam's indecisiveness. Sure enough, Leni brings out Sixteen 1/2 magazine for advice. It says that since a romantic partner is a work in progress, you can make them get rid of those annoying habits in order for them to become more fabulous. And sure enough, each of the sisters convince their partners to cut down on their annoying habits. At Lynn's Table, the three talk about their success in getting their partners to change. Their dad comes by with their red velvet cakes and tears up at the sight of the three eldest siblings bonding. Leni takes a picture of the cakes for SwiftiePic. Then they express their move to plan a triple date at Dairyland. Once the date is set, the couples arrive there, and Leni takes a selfie with them at the entrance. She posts the picture while walking and ends up bumping right into the ticket booth. At the bottle toss, with Bobby, Lori keeps missing the bottles. When she rants about it, Bobby recalls her comment about making him more fabulous and says he would return the favor, causing her to throw the ball off course and hit Tippy in the teats.
As Tippy is taken away, he notes that she says "literally" even when it doesn't work. The idea that she could be annoying offends her. Meanwhile at the candy apple stand, Gavin asks Leni to cool it with the selfies and put the phone away for a while. She's doing it in order to have a record of her memories together, and she reluctantly puts her phone away, leaving her dour. And Luna and Sam are in line for a ride when the former begins doing the drumming thing. Sam asks her to stop, to her dismay. The tension is palpable when they all gather for lunch. Lori notices that Leni hasn't taken any pictures of her food. She snarks about people telling her to live in the moment. When Gavin recognizes it as a dig at him, Lori and Luna start acting out. When their partners ask what's going on with them, the sisters accuse them of being petty. Floored by the accusation, they counter that there wasn't any sort of malice at all; they really were being helpful and returning the favor. They don't buy it. Disgusted, they prepare to call off their dates, but the Louds declare that they were leaving first in an escalation of pettiness.
At the Seas of Cheese, the sisters mope about and complain about what they thought was hurtful behavior from their dates. Lori, however, surmises that if they were being hurtful to them, they might have genuinely instigated it. They think they should have never pointed out their partners' flaws in the first place. They intend to find them and apologize for all of it. Just then, the ride gets stuck. Wondering how they could get out, they hear Bobby complaining. They find out that he, Gavin, and Sam are also on the ride, two boats behind them. They call out to them to apologize for focusing on their negative habits. They assure them it's OK, and decide to get back to their date. They're still stranded, so they decide to paddle towards each other and end up climbing aboard one carrying two women. They reach for a hug but end up capsizing it, sending them overboard. The teens laugh while Bobby sings another ditty about cheese ending up in his underwear. The musically minded sister can tell it's a pretty good musical, so they all sing along with him, and Lori calls it the weirdest date ever, to the women's chagrin.
I thought the episode was alright, but I did notice some flaws. First off, I don't think the conversation between Lori and Leni about dates felt organic. They could have eased up into it. Second, introducing the idea of Leni being annoyed felt clunky. I mean, I get the concept. After all, The Really Loud House did quite well with Eva Carlton's edgier take on Leni, and it seems like it influenced the episode. Unfortunately, I think the execution was poor because it clashed with her previous portrayals. Liliana Mumy really sells Leni as the sweetheart of the show, so suggesting she's judging people superficially felt a bit off. Following up on that, I think they missed the opportunity to interrogate it. Lori and Luna could have questioned her about it. During the course of writing this review, I watched a couple of episodes of Seinfeld, and I thought that a more logical reaction to someone like her acting this way would be to question it. Of course, the conversation goes on, so it's a minor nitpick. More egregiously, it seems that Lori and Luna didn't end up sensing the possibility that Leni's comments could have played a role in the other two noticing Bobby's and Sam's habits. It could have played out like a G-rated version of "The Mango" episode. Their confidence in their partners would be undermined, and it could have introduced conflict between the sisters.
Another, some people have said that the characterization of the others was a bit off. Bobby's makes sense, since he has a singing voice. But we've seen Sam way less indecisive than she was depicted here. If anything, I would have thought Luna would be the indecisive one, like with "Really Loud Music". And we still don't know much about Gavin, but he should get some more characterization. The moments where the sisters get offended by the idea of having bad habits themselves could have been done better. It seems the idea would have been to make them act like George Costanza for taking things out of proportion. It would have helped here. But it seems the show got cold feet here. Maybe the conflict could have escalated here into a shouting match between the six of them. It would have definitely lived up to the name of the show. And finally, I think the aesop of the episode didn't fit. The scenario involves the sisters persuading their partners to change their bad habits, only to end up overreacting and being hypocritical towards them when they do the same. They were happy to do it, but the sisters think something else happened. The more appropriate lesson would have been on the idea of communication. It would have shown that they should be able to listen to each other, since a relationship has to go both ways.
Having said that, I do think the episode had some great moments. The part of Todd commenting on Lynn Sr. crying was absolutely hysterical. It's a fine deployment of surrealism for the gag. Also, it was fun seeing the three eldest kids bonding together over their relationships in general, however flawed the execution. I believe we're getting another one in the live-action series, this time with Leni, Luna, and Luan. I can't wait to see that. Also, it was interesting to see interactions between Sam, Bobby, and Gavin, though I do think they should have interacted more. The gags of Lynn Sr. bawling his eyes out and the ball hitting Tippy were pretty funny. And I do say the ending was pretty hilarious. Juvenile, but hilarious, nonetheless. And of course, it was nice to see how the relationships of the girls progressed. It's a sign of how much they've changed. I just think it could have been done better.
All in all, I would have to give this episode an 8/10, at my most generous. I think it needs to brush up on imitating some live-action comedies.
I watched the new episode today.
"Candy Crushed" was quite fun.
Lynn Sr. is presenting the Louds for dessert frosted Lynn-amon bundt cake. However, the dish he's carrying turns out empty. Lana denies taking it, and Lisa won't discount it growing legs. Then Lincoln and Luan note how Clyde's and her pastries have disappeared as well. Luckily, Lisa's programmed Todd with an understanding of…forensic astronomy? What is this? That's not even a real scientific discipline. Doesn't sound practical, either. Anyway, she initiates his culinary investigation mode. He finds a track of candy that's probably visible and likely doesn't need any fancy gizmos to find. Todd does, however, sense a strong signal upstairs. Everyone goes up, with Lynn Sr. carrying Todd. They track it to the twins' room, where they find Lola hiding a box underneath a pillow. She tells them off for bursting in, but the robot finds candy hidden everywhere inside the room…and the whole bundt cake in her stomach. Everyone is shocked at this. Rita asks everyone else to leave (and it seems like Todd disappeared?). She expresses concern that Lola's been eating too many sweets lately.
When she says she should take a break, she denies it. Of course, she proceeds to eat a lollipop immediately. When Rita calls her out, she throws it at a teddy bear sitting on an easel full of catalog clippings, covering a brochure for a pageant dress that she really wants. She offers a deal: if Lola avoids sweets for a week, she'll buy her the pageant dress. It sounds pretty easy, so she accepts. Rita takes the sweets, but not before Lola says farewell to the box, containing salted caramel truffles. The next morning, Lola asks her father for French toast for breakfast, extra Frenchy (or très français). She pours out the syrup when Rita tells her to hold the syrup. Since it's too late, she asks for pancakes à la mode. She reminds her that means "covered in ice cream". She asks for cereal and Lynn Sr. brings a bowl; Rita shoots that down as well. Confused as to what to eat, Lola is given a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. Lynn finds the French toast on her spot and prepares to chow, but Lola tosses it and declares, "You're either with me or against me, Lynn!" Lana is delighted by the resulting mess.
Later, she watches the Little Miss Motor Oil Pageant on TV. She comes in just as it goes to a commercial for X-Treme Fruity Sour Blasterz. She switches channels to find another commercial for salted caramel truffles. It's basically obscene food porn. Rita turns the TV off and suggests eating celery when she's tempted by sweets. It helps that she likes the crunch. Outside, she has a tea party with Celery with Mr. Sprinkles when she sees a Jack Sweet's Candy Factory delivery van at Mr. Grouse's house. It's his "chocolates of the month" subscription. Angered, she blasts him with the hose and declares, "You're either with me or against me, Mr. Grouse!" She also threatens and sprays the delivery guy. Then Lola brings her teddy on a drive round town. However, she hears the sound of an ice cream truck, so she steps on the gas and it chases after her. She yells at its driver, Dalton, to back off, but he cries out that she's his best customer. He crashes into a water fountain and he laments, "Why?!" "You're either with me or against me, Dalton!" she cries.
On Tuesday, she resists a candy shop (staffed by Sammie Crowley!). Wednesday at the movies, she sticks to celery while Linc and Lynn take popcorn and gummy worms with their respective Flippees. Thursday, she brings paperwork to Cheryl and declines her reward of chocolate from her hair. Now it's Friday. The twins' class are going on a field trip. Rita's packed celery for her snacks, but Lola declines, since the activities will occupy her mind. Unfortunately, their destination happens to be Jack Sweet's Candy Factory. And it's one of those Willie Wonka-style places, too! It's also the second cartoon this year to do that, after Craig of the Creek, although here it's actual candy instead of slime. The place's owner, Jack Sweet, zips down on a licorice zipline and reveals that everything in the factory is edible: even the sentient gummy bear factory workers (though that's not in their contract). Actually, that would turn me off from eating them. Lola steels herself to go through this wonderland when she is pushed with her class on the tour which gets backed with an R&B number like something from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. It actually slaps.
Throughout the tour, Lola is subjected to temptation. Thankfully, she spots the exit and is finally able to break out. She's only feet from the home stretch when it is blocked by Jack. When he notices that she's leaving, he tells her that she can't leave without trying one of his salted caramel truffles. Later, Lola comes home dejected. Rita's about to go out and get the dress when Lola starts crying, saying that she didn't deserve the dress. And the reason why is because she took Jack's truffle. She laments about how she'd ended up at a candy factory. And she tried so hard, but she couldn't in the end, so she feels like she let her down. But Rita isn't disappointed – she's impressed! Sugar is OK in moderation, and Lola went through an entire week and a candy factory and only took a single treat. Considering that before she was scarfing it, that's progress! To Lola's disbelief, Rita's still gonna buy that dress. After all, she has to give due credit, though there might be a problem with the matching shoes.
They hear Dalton's ice cream truck. He begs Lola to try his new ice cream flavors. She comes out and sprays him with the hose. She yells, "For the last time, Dalton, you're either with me or against me!"
This was a pretty good episode. I liked how relatable it was to learn self-control. It's something that was quite a learning experience. And the show does give credit to the progress Lola's made. Knowing the extent of the problem shows the benefit of managing expectations. You never know what progress you can actually achieve then. It's further underscored by Rita and Lola's interactions. She is nothing but supportive, and Lola definitely reciprocates. You gotta appreciate how it approaches this. I also think this episode did the lesson on bad habits better than "Force of Habits". I thought it was much better executed here with a more restrained approach. Plus, there were plenty of fun moments like the car chase, the tagline gag, and the factory tour. And Lola definitely shines here with both hilarious and introspective moments. My only complaint is that Todd's presence was rather superfluous. I think it would have been a lot simpler for the Louds to just find the trail of candy all by themselves. And it's a nitpick of mine, but I question the need for the sentient gummy bears.
Despite this, this was a very wonderful episode, especially with a neat little musical number. I would give this one a 9/10.
I watched the new episode yesterday.
"Master of Delusion" was alright.
Lincoln and co. are watching a zombie movie when a dove holding a note flies into the front window of his house. Liam opens the door, thinking it's from Mee-Maw, whose phone broke. It drops the note onto Lincoln's hands before falling on Rusty's head. Lincoln opens it and finds that it's for him: he's been selected to become the Amazing Brailster's junior illusionist, where he will learn tricks and perform at the Illusion Chateau. When the others express confusion, he explains that the Illusion Chateau is an exclusive clubhouse for magicians. Then they see the dove laying an egg on Rusty. Later, Lincoln arrives at the Illusion Chateau and is impressed by the scale of the place. He tries to open the door, only to find multiple doors leading to a wall. When he wonders how to get in, the Amazing Brailster magically appears. He assures him that he'll learn it in due time, and brings him inside. The inside is just as magnificent. While a self-playing cello provides the atmosphere, Lincoln gazes at the numerous magical artifacts, like the Great Colangelo's Cards of Chaos (another crew cameo).
When he accidentally takes a smoke alarm, however, the magician tells him off for it. He warns him not to touch anything, since the place is full of trap doors; supposedly some magicians have disappeared inside the Illusion Chateau. That's creepy. At the prop room, Lincoln is introduced to his beloved pet, Trixie the Magic Mongoose. Then the Brailster declares the training to begin. The first trick: laundry. According to him, he must familiarize himself with the tools of the trade. After a frustrating wash, he finishes the laundry and asks if he can do the sawing-in-half trick. The magician refuses, saying Lincoln isn't ready. Then he gives him a list. To the boy's dismay, it consists of chores ("Magic chores."). Sure enough, the magic tricks linked to the items make it a frustrating endeavor. Eventually, he finishes them all. He asks if they could do actual magic tomorrow, but the Brailster refuses; there are still more tasks to be done. He assures him there's a reason for this that he'll find, then has him unclog the confetti cannon.
At school, Rusty is feeding the dove. Lincoln complains that the Brailster wouldn't let him learn any magic tricks. Rusty compares it to something his cousin Derek went through, where his boss wouldn't let him become a stunt car driver. Derek took a minivan and jumped it over a dumpster. Of course, Derek was actually a parking attendant. Zach clarifies that if Lincoln performs an impressive trick in front of him, he would have to teach actual magic tricks. Then Liam cracks an egg, which distresses the dove (Rusty dubbed her Rebecca). Later, the Brailster tells Lincoln that he's getting his mustache groomed for tomorrow's show, and tasks him to clean Trixie's cage. After he leaves, he looks around for something to use. He finds a straitjacket and decides to do an escape routine. He tries it in the prop room and ends up falling off onto Trixie's pet carrier, causing her to run off.
Fearing what could happen, he calls Clyde with his nose and announces the very specific code turquoise (how?). Clyde agrees and the friends gather. After Stella frees him from the straitjacket, they search the place. Liam lays out birdseed in the assumption that Trixie would respond like geese. Stella checks a bookshelf for a book that could help. She takes one and they're flipped behind the wall. Clyde is disturbed by the magician paraphernalia while Rusty and Rebecca flaunt their muscles in a funhouse mirror. Rusty accidentally pushes a bust of the Brailster and they fall down a trap door. Meanwhile, Zach and Linc search the auditorium stage. Behind Lincoln's back, Zach trips and falls into a sarcophagus placed on it and vanishes into thin air. Sensing that everyone has disappeared like those missing magicians, he panics (not helped by the self-playing cello setting the tone of the scene). Just as he is about to give up and call the Brailster, the magician appears, having sensed something wrong.
Lincoln admits that he lost Trixie, and explains how he was so desperate to learn magic tricks that he messed up, and things spiraled as well. (The cello starts playing mood music during this scene to Lincoln's dismay.) The magician comes by and empathizes with him; he's gone through the same thing when he was younger. But he explains that if he didn't learn the basics, "I couldn't do…this!" Cue him pulling out the other kids from his hat, to their confusion. Then Trixie comes out of the hat. Lincoln apologizes and says he'll resign, but the Brailster refuses, saying he still has great potential, he just can't get ahead of himself again. He agrees and poofs out, activating the smoke alarm to his dismay. When the show begins the next day, the magician asks Lincoln if he's prepared everything. They're all in order, and he assures him he'll do great and be on stage sooner than he thinks. Once he goes through the acts and does the straitjacket, he poofs out, and introduces Lincoln to the audience, including his friends, saying he'll potentially be doing his own magic act in the future. Lincoln then ends up stepping on a trap door switch.
This episode was alright. It's unique in that for the most part, this was a solo Lincoln episode, with the rest of his friends only playing small parts throughout. It gives a dynamic I'm not so sure we've seen in the show. Do correct me if I'm wrong. The episode beats were simple but well-constructed. We show how Lincoln experiences being an apprentice, and it's pretty much mundane work. I do appreciate the transparency regarding this manner. And it shows how Lincoln is willing to put in the work. Speaking of which, it kinda subverts the expectation of Karate Kid's "wax on, wax off" trope. The tasks don't directly involve magic tricks, just simple stuff like cleaning and organizing. I presume a lot of us had assumed otherwise. I know I did. I also appreciate how even with stuff like the self-playing cello, the setting has a sensible inner logic based on prestidigitation that makes it somewhat believable, like it was being pulled by hidden strings. It's a lot better than Lucy's magic, yeah? I also like the design of the Illusion Chateau, evoking Gothic influences that I think fits the old-fashioned turn-of-the-20th-cenfury aesthetic. The Amazing Brailster also fits this mold, though not as strikingly in design terms. And VAs did great too.
Ultimately, there isn't much to say. I would give it an 8.5/10. It doesn't have much flaws, but I doubt I would go out of my way to watch it again.
I watched the new short yesterday.
"Trash Grab" was pretty good.
Lynn Sr. is putting scraps of his leftover food into the trash, where the pets – Charles, Cliff, Walt, and Geo – go ahead and partake in it. They come in just as he throws the trash bag. Somehow, the trash bag disappears. They hear a cackle and find that Flip's raccoon Nacho has taken it. The next night, Lynn Sr. throws his honey-glazed "Salm-Lynn". The pets reach the garbage bin in time, only for Nacho to fish it out in front of them. Cliff and Walt chase after him but crash. Charles spots his silhouette and they attack, but it turns out to be a decoy made out of sacks of dirt. He laughs as he eats up the fish, leaving Charles angry. The following night, they stand guard at the bin. But then they get bored and the other pets eventually fall asleep. Nacho then covers them with a sheet just as Charles closes his eyes. When they wake up, they find themselves on Flip's biplane. Apparently, Nacho has convinced him to deliver to Florida. The pets make Walt float them down, and Geo ends up causing everyone to land painfully on the ground.
At the doghouse, after an embarrassing picture, Charles shows a slideshow of Nacho and a whiteboard to think of a plan to get rid of the raccoon. They hear Lana trying to get her pet snake El Diablo into a pet carrier so she could take him to the vet. Since he's showing reluctance, she takes a piece of the "Lynn-sagna" and lures him in. When he eats it, it hurts his tooth, so she sets it aside. This gives the pets their idea. They fit another carrier to resemble a restaurant to lure Nacho. When he arrives later that night, he is lured by the sight and smell of the Lynn-sagna. Once he enters, it's pulled away and Nacho is caught by the pets. They're about to celebrate when El Diablo comes back and grumpily seizes the Lynn-sagna, to Charles's dismay. Then they bring the raccoon up to the attic, and set off for a taste of "Peaches Lynn Cream". Afterwards, they lie in the living room full. Lana comes to the door when she hears a knock. It bursts open, pushing her to the ground; Flip is looking for Nacho with posters and asks if she knows where he is.
She says she hasn't seen him, so he explains Nacho has lived with him his whole life. He gives her two-day-old taquitos, beef jerky, and extra-syrupy Flippee, and some nacho cheese in case she finds him. She tosses it and walks out with him to look for Nacho. The pets see the poster and soon feel guilty, so they bring the food up to him. He refuses, so they show him Flip's poster. He reminisces the reason why he came to the Loud House in the first place: he had tired of being fed the same things, so he found Lynn Sr.'s dishes in the trash, and he fell in love with it, because of course. After telling them that, the pets converse among themselves and decide to let him go. Lynn Sr. calls out for leftover Lynn-sagna and they head downstairs. They set up a candlelight dinner for the trash just as Flip comes by and spots Nacho, and reunite. Then he smells the Lynn-sagna and takes it from Charles's mouth. And then he starts eating from the trash, to everyone's disgust, as Lynn Sr. spots him and tells Rita, "Flip's in the backyard again". Apparently, this has actually happened before. Huh.
This was actually a pretty good short, for the most part. Charles, Cliff, Walt, Geo, and Nacho lead in a Tom and Jerry-styled short that translates well to this show and its retro style. You can appreciate how much it leans into the cartoonishness. This is combined with some little moments with Lana helping out El Diablo and Flip trying to find Nacho that further build up their characters, with Flip further expanding on how Nacho is involved in his life. It was great to have an explanation for it. It's a small nitpick, but I feel that the subject matter of the trash may not fit everyone's tastes. I know it does. But it doesn't detract much from the episode, so I can tolerate it to a certain extent. Flip eating from the trash was nasty, though. The pacing of the short was great. It didn't feel rushed, and utilized its short running time to tell the story effectively and engage the viewer. It felt like watching a full episode so much, you could barely tell only a short time had passed. Amazing. I sure hope more shorts will be structured like this.
I would give this short a 9/10.
We have new graphic novels coming soon!
Please recap the books when you get them because I never see them where I live and I often think the book plots are creative.
see my completed Tangled (Varian) fanfic collection! https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467056/chapters/59049532
I've had to switch to Amazon because they shut down Book Depository. And I tried Barnes & Noble but now there's something going on with my payment system.
New episode title and airdate!
So, one of the upcoming episodes got an early release in Canada.
New promo from YTV with footage of upcoming episodes!
New promo!
remember when nickelodeon had more than 2 cartoon franchises at a time?
I watched the new episode after it premiered in Italy.
"Doom Service" was quite fun, but had some flaws.
The Louds are at the mall looking for a coffee table after Lana broke it while using it as a dogsled pulled by the pets. Aren't they too small? Lincoln spots a kiosk for cheap vacations, with a familiar looking and sounding guy in a palm tree costume pitching a trip to a resort on the shores of Lake Michigan. Lynn Sr. objects since they're here to get the table but the kids beg him to take it. The guy shows them the price and they're shocked at how cheap it is. Lisa is suspicious, so he claims that it's the off-season, and there's a limited time to take advantage of it. That convinces them to take the offer, and Lynn Sr. is given a contract. Lisa advises him to read it, but Lynn and Lola shoot down the idea, and Lynn Sr. assures everyone it will be fine and signs the contract. The guy laughs evilly, deepening Lisa's suspicions. The next day they arrive at the resort. Looks pretty nice, eh? Unfortunately, they find Vic McGillicuddy and his pet gila monster Gilly on the front desk; he was the guy in the palm tree costume and the hotel actually belongs to him.
Knowing him, any sane person would turn around, or at least tread carefully. Lincoln rightly questions it, but Lynn Sr. doesn't really think of it. The family follows him to room 237 and end up in what is basically a dump. An expensive dump that charges quarters to use anything at all. That happens to have pigeons in hiding. He goes back to Vic to demand a different room. He says they're "yellow-level clients", and they can upgrade to a different room. Unfortunately the price for that is equivalent to a very nice car, and he declines. Cue evil laughter from Vic and Gilly. Lincoln is optimistic that they'll still have a good time, and Luan notes that the finale of The Dream Boat is coming up. They watch it, where some guy was calling out another for splashing a gal with an eye condition. Unfortunately, the TV cuts out. Lynn Sr. is having trouble getting quarters in, so Lola hip-checks him and does it herself, but it's too late: they missed the ending.
The next day, they find a great breakfast buffet, and Lynn tries to get some food, but she's scared off by Gilly. Vic tells them that they could only get canned tuna. And you have to pay to use the can opener. Then they go to the pool. Lincoln tries to do a cannonball but is caught and dragged back down. Vic tells them that they could only dup their feet in there. They have to pay to actually swim inside it. Then Lola goes to the spa and asks what yellow-level customers get. Cue slapping massage from Gilly. Then Lynn Sr. and Lincoln end up in a barrel going down a waterfall. The two head back to the front desk. Lynn Sr. demands a refund, but Vic pulls out the contract where it states in the fine print, "Absolutely, POSITIVELY NO REFUNDS!!!". He basically admits defeat and bawls while Rita and the others consider just calling it quits, but Lincoln has an idea. He suggests getting Katherine Mulligan to do an exposé on the hotel.
So a disguised Katherine goes undercover as "Katie Mullie" to check it out. Lincoln brings her to the pool for her to jump in, but nothing happens except Vic giving her a warm towel. Lynn then brings her to the buffet, but the same thing happens: nothing out of the ordinary for Katherine, and a scare from Gilly for Lynn. Then Lola brings her to the spa and tells her to get the yellow-level treatment. This time, that's what she gets. Soon Katherine does her piece on TV and says that the resort was actually "the best place I've ever stayed at"; she even says the Gilly's massage was actually enjoyable, to the Louds' dismay. Vic bursts into the room and rubs it right in their faces. He says that Katherine Mulligan had made the mistake of bringing the news van to the hotel, so he covered his tracks, and Mulligan's piece has caused customers to pour in, so he's kicking them out of their room to the beige-level: a shack in the woods. The Louds are pissed at being thrown into the dirt. Lynn Sr. and the twins spot Gilly chewing on the tires of Vanzilla, and the others question why he even has a gila monster in the first place, with Leni wondering if there was a law against owning one.
Lisa actually entertains the idea, and searches online. After a brief interruption of the Wi-Fi (because you have to actually pay to use the internet), she finds the wildlife regulations for Michigan. It turns out gila monsters aren't allowed in hotels. They confront Vic with this knowledge and Lisa says that they have already called for animal control. He promptly folds and says he'll do anything just to keep Gilly. So Lynn Sr. asks him for one thing: "the vacation we were promised". He agrees to it. Lisa calls off animal control. And Vic caresses Gilly, having the gall to say, "Did those mean people scare you?" and gives her kisses to their disgust. Later, everyone's at the pool relaxing as Lola commands him to keep the TV running with quarters. Meanwhile, Katherine Mulligan keeps getting a massage from Gilly, clearly enjoying herself.
Honestly, it was a fun episode, but I thought it felt off to me. I feel like some of the other Louds weren't able to play big enough roles in this episode. I also think Vic felt like a discount Chip Whistler from Big City Greens. He was a rather crappy imitation of him, in my opinion. Also, it felt like he didn't have enough of a comeuppance for screwing with the Louds. I mean, is he gonna keep scamming? And I think he should have gone all boastful about specifically targeting the Louds out of a sense of spite. If you're gonna be a villain, at least be proud of it. On the other hand, some of the stuff was quite funny. The gag of paying to use stuff? It split my sides. And Lynn Sr. is still the highlight of the episode for me. Brian Stepanek still has it. But that goes without saying. And it was quite a good decision to have Lisa and Lincoln find that something was fishy out of all this scheming. Maybe it could have been paced better, though. I thought it felt a bit too fast and a bit too slow simultaneously. I could see why it isn't for everyone.
This episode was ultimately kind of a mixed bag, but it's decent enough. I would give it an 8/10.