This week, features Sue and Pepper doing stuff. The online summary is admittingly very vague. Guess we'll just have to watch the episode!
Oh, and Happy Valentines Day!
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As always, any additional sources can be sent to me on Twitter @theblackwidower, or by email at theblackwidower@noprestige.com, and I'll post them as soon as I am able.
We get another Pepper episode here and it's one where get another skunk pet which automatically gives me a soft spot for this episode as I admit I love skunks. The guest pet, Mitzi, is a southern-belle-sounding skunk who is essentially a walking air-freshener. The other pets take an immediate liking to her scents, making Pepper a bit jealous of her taking the spotlight away from her comedy acts. This also leads to some neat fantasy scenes, including a beach scene, which is something I'd like to see more of in LPS; this show hasn't really gotten an episode that takes place at a beach yet.
ReplyDeleteI was afraid this would be another typical jealousy plot we see in a lot of cartoons, but we get a nice twist here. Mitzi is immediately concerned over Pepper's troubles and we find out that she has her own problems. We get a lovely song with Pepper and Mitzi both singing very beautifully here with Mitzi's side sounding a tad like a country song what with her accent and all. At this point the plot becomes a "let's help each other" story and we get some nice interaction between the two skunks. The visualizations of the smells are also well done here, especially at the end with the blending of both skunks scents and the rainbow-colored scent from Pepper.
This is all the pets' plot. The human plot...is just plain boring. Not much really happens here, it's basically just Sue constantly freaking out. We do get some shout-outs to previous episodes like Fun Russell and Alligators and Handbags, but this doesn't really mean much because they only reference their respective human plots, and neither of those episode had good human plots anyway. Resolution is nice, but it still doesn't make the overall plot that entertaining.
Overall, the pets plot is great, but the human plot left a lot to be desired.
"Sue Syndrome"
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard this episode was going to be Sue centric, I didn't really think I was going to like that much. I make no secret I don't care much for Sue, I don't hate her, she just doesn't interest me, she is miles below Youngmee as far favorites an just interesting characters, even Cora and Emma has prudential, that I don't see in Sue, that being said I really liked this episode mainly for the pet plot, but the Sue plot was okay.
They made Sue very relate able, fear of public speaking, I sympathies with her, and he reaction to public speaking was pretty funny, and the solution that was clever, though I rather they found a way for her to just get over public speaking, instead of finding a trick, a trick that reminds of Rainbow Dash in "Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3" so it loses some originality, but that is okay. It was a okay plot that did better that I thought it would be. I liked Sue better than I did before this episode, so that an accomplishment.
But the best part was the pet plot, that is the mvp of the episode, I loved how they teased what the plot would be about, at first it seemed it would be about Pepper's jealousy towards Mitzi, but they turned it around to be Mitzi and her problems, I love how quickly Pepper gets over what jealous she had and befriend Mitzi and helps out and becomes like a big sister.
I love the song, it was an awesome song, Ashleigh Ball and Tabatha St Germain was amazing singing in that voice.
The only problem I had, though I understand you needed it to move the plot, but the other pets they were acting kind of like jerks and not understanding they were making Mitzi uncomfortable.
All and all this episode was okay, I will give it a 8 / 10.
Ahh, "Sue Syndrome"... Meh.
ReplyDeleteI'd consider this Mid High Tier at best - not bad, but not truly noteworthy, either.
TBH, Sue's just not an interesting character (as proven in the past by the overall even weaker material of Season 1, for example) to be devoting time to at all, IMHO. Yeah, been there, done that, done it better elsewhere... Real shame. Her part in the conflict wasn't as stupid / rage - inducting as I thought it would be. Just formulaic - and this late in the game, you just can't afford to do that when you're building up to your season finale, you know?
Seriously, I think the pet plot is the highlight of all this nonsense - and that one's flaw is that it just came off a bit mean spirited at first... Thankfully, things rebounded by the end.
Also, this particular episode (amongst others) is just an indication of why this show should have tried to utilize the 11 minute format at some points. That way the more interesting stuff isn't anchored down by weaker material that can easily be re-written or cut out for something better.
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ReplyDeleteMajor:
ReplyDelete-Susie, she can really move! Susie, has got an attitude! Susie. She's the fastest thing ALIII-EEE-IIVE!
-Minka's response to Pepper's joke set-up. "Eggs can talk?" There's one at every show.
-Ashleigh Ball knows the difference between an Applejack-Texasy southern and Georgia southern.
-Man, that girl with the braces is SUPER-happy!
-I always love when cartoons skunks do Pepe le Pew hops.
-Nice, relaxed mountain fantasy, followed by a good beach one.
-Sue's voice thing is actually pretty funny. Bonus points for not slipping into Minka's voice.
-Minka's face at the start of the fruit-and-flowers scene. It would be kinda creepy if it wasn't on a pink monkey.
-"That's just common sense." Or, as Pepper probably meant it 'common scents'.
-The song's second chorus. uh...kiss? It feels like I should be saying that, but also it doesn't.
-I've never heard of Blythe's method of pretending to be imitating someone else, but there does seem to be a logic to it.
-Pepper sounds kinda cute when says 'makin' me mad'.
-I bet peppermint-rose smells fantastic.
-Mitzi's expression when her scowl starts to break. Also, Pepper's giant laugh-mouth.
-A girl in the presentation ceremony audience has something written on her face. The one in the purple hat behind the jocks. I can't tell what it is, though. Mystery!
-General skunky fun.
Meh:
-This episode leaked on Wednesday, but I'm still not getting this done until now.
-All of those runners are wearing the same track suit. Aren't competitions usually between two or more schools?
-Can't Sue just not give a speech? Or just come up to the podium, say "thanks" and go? They can't force her to give a long speech, right?
-"What the huh?" Sue doesn't want to give a speech. Not that hard to figure out, guys.
-Not really a meh, just a question. When Jasper and Youngmee are talking on Blythe's phone, why do they look at where they'd be on her phone's screen?
-Why is Sue avoiding her friends? Does she not realize they'll just try to help her at this point?
-I get the feeling handing Blythe the pet-carrier is the extent of mrs. Twombly's involvement in this episode. Also, is her voice off, or is it just me?
-Know what else is gonna smell like a rotten egg? Those two eggs Pepper tossed.
-ugh, swallowing down your vomit is the worst.
-"And Pepper, I think you two are really gonna hit it off". Why, because they're skunks? Blythe, you racist.
-Did Mitzi make big-horn sheep scent?
-That bird during the beach sequence is a jerk.
-Shell and later sand nipples.
-"'Glossophobia'. That is a funny word." Is it?
-So...Mitzi's scents are like drugs. Right? That's the gag they're going for with the pets all acting addicted to them?
-"I'm t-t-terrified of clowns!" So visualize something else.
-Pepper adopts an accent for one line of the song.
-The pets' baggy eyes when asking about color-scents. Yeah, those aromas are drugs.
-"Before we were so rudely interrupted..." Oh, my God, Zoe. You saw how tired Mitzi was and all Pepper asked was for the pets to give her a minute.
-Both of these problems can be solved in a sentence. "I don't want to give a speech" and "I'd be delighted to make ya'll those scents, but I just need to set a spell first, okay, sweetie-lambs?"