Nicktoons: Halloween Edition

 As promised, I wanted to talk about a few Halloween episodes from some of the Nickelodeon shows I grew up with.

Rugrats: Candy Bar Creep Show

I had to look through the wiki for a refresher. The only thing I really remembered was Angelica telling the babies about the Reptar candy bars and how they turn your tongue green.

There's a haunted house at the Pickles house and the trick or treaters are being taken through there. The babies think that screaming will get them Reptar bars and decide they need to go inside the haunted house to do so. When they do, they get into the decorations and wind up scaring the group of kids Angelica is with. And they are able to get Reptar bars because the kids are scared so badly they drop their bags of candy. 

Doug's Halloween Adventure

YouTube had this posted and it was fun getting to see this one again. I think I'd only seen it a handful of times.

The episode begins with a commerical promoting the new ride in Funky Town- Bloodstone Manor. Doug and Skeeter both get tickets to go to it on opening night. But after hearing about the story it was based on, Doug chickens out. He instead suggests to Skeeter they go trick or treating. 

Skeeter is dressed as a spaceship from the Space Munks video game (the same one from "Doug's Lost Weekend") and when he pushes a button, it comes apart- the pieces are attached by springs. 

Doug is Race Canyon, which is a character based off Indiana Jones. 
I also find it a little strange that his Race Canyon persona gets to sit at the round table in the Christmas episode with Smash Adams and Quailman... but he's only appeared this one time. (It's all part of a daydream sequence where Doug talks with his alter egos to figure out how to save Porkchop).

Eventually Doug and Skeeter get to Funky Town, but they just miss the cut-off to get inside before the park closes. 
But they decide to go in anyway. Roger is there as well. Despite his prior attempts to scare them, he's the one who's the most afraid of the ride. They have to first cross the threshold of death, which looks like a floor opening to a bottomless pit. But it turns out to be an illusion- it's all glass. 

Then they get into a cart and run through various scary attractions. But then the ride stops midway through because the park closes at 10 o'clock. Despite Roger's insistences, they get out of the cart and try to find someone that'll help them leave.

Then Roger disappears out of nowhere... Doug and Skeeter run into the spooky host of the place and he orders them to leave. But Doug decides that they can't leave without Roger or he'd never be able to live with himself. He'd played chicken one time too many that night already.

So the guy shows them his control room downstairs... and they find out that Roger tricked them in an effort to scare them. But they get him back big time. Thanks to the host's special effects, they masquerade as ghosts and frighten him into leaving the park. 

Hey Arnold's Halloween

Two stories are going on simultaneously: Helga, Harold and a bunch of the kids coordinate their costumes and decide to dress up as aliens for Halloween. 
Meanwhile, Arnold and Gerald are fully aware of this fact and decide to do a "War of the Worlds" broadcast to coincide with this. Unfortunately, they make their narrative a little too convincing...  one thing that helped their cause was that the anchor of a local alien conspiracy channel picks it up and broacasts it to a wider audience. (He's memorable in my head because he sounds exactly like The Brain from Pinky & The Brain from Animaniacs- Maurice LaMarche is the voice actor's name...clearly I'm a huge nerd cuz I knew that and I also spelled his name perfectly without having to try)

To top it all off, Harold had the bright idea to use permanent paint for their costumes. I forget the exact quote, but it's something like: "yeah, the paint I got had something called 'permanent' because I thought we'd be out all night."
And Helga's dad is one of those types that isn't afraid of aliens and actually takes matters into his own hands to "exterminate" them. 

Stinky is also in the broadcast prank. He'd rigged the watertower with lights so it would look like a spaceship. When he crosses paths with the other kids, he makes a comment about Arnold's idea. 
Helga is [obviously] not pleased. 

"ARNOLD!!"

...

Arnold: Did you hear something just now?
Gerald: Nope...

...

Things escalate so much that the climax happens at the watertower and Big Bob Pataki is about to strangle Helga to death... then the watertower bursts when someone throws a projectile at it to attack the "aliens" and the water washes the makeup off, prompting him to stop. 

Yikes... 
A brilliant prank for sure, but not one Arnold wants to repeat in the future. 

Hey Arnold!: The Headless Cabbie

Arnold is hosting a sleepover with Gerald, Harold, Stinky and Sid. They swap scary stories before bedtime and Arnold tells one he heard from Grandpa.

The story goes that a woman goes to the park, looking for her lost Scottie dog, and she gets a ride from a horse and carriage. As the ride progresses, she gets more and more manic, urging the cabbie to go after the dog she sees ahead of them. But he's so caught up in the action, he's unaware of the low branch of a nearby tree. His scarf wraps around it and the force is so strong that he winds up decapitated. 
And legend has it you'll go through the park at night and still hear the barking Scottie dog and the manic laugh of the lady. 

It's still early in the evening and the guys all agree to get ice cream. But Harold is still freaked out about the story and doesn't want them to take the shortcut through the park. A series of concidences makes him edgier. This includes what sounds like carriage wheels against cobblestones, but it turns out to be Eugene who is clogging... clogging in the middle of the night in the park... yeah, I don't get it either. And they also come across a Scottie dog and Stinky decides they should take it with them.

All of this leads up to them coming across a carriage that looks like it's being driven by a headless cabbie and there's someone laughing manically next to him. Everyone starts to run away, but then the driver calls after them.
"Hey, wait, it's me, Ernie!"

Yeah, Ernie Potts is driving carriages for a little extra cash. And the creepy laugh wound up being Mr. Hyunh. 

But then at the end, after the kids and Ernie part ways, he picks up another customer.
A lady that's looking for her Scottie dog. And she hands Ernie a scarf before they go into the park. 

... yeah, it just ends there... and we never find out whether the story winds up happening for real or not. 

***

Rocko's Modern Life: Sugar Frosted Frights

I haven't talked about Rocko yet, but that'll be coming soon enough.

I kinda forgot this episode existed until I got the season 3 DVD set for Christmas last year. 

Rocko is dressed as Really Really Big Man and Heffer just has a glow-in-the-dark Jack-o-Lantern pattern on his stomach. They go over to Filbert's house to find it decked out with toilet paper and dozens of "No Trespassing" signs. 
They go inside to get him to come out of his shell... literally. And he tells them about why he's afraid of Halloween. When he was a kid, his parents alway went to parties on Halloween and left him with his Crazy Aunt Gretchen. (Supposedly she was born in an aquarium and never wanted to leave so she literally lives inside of a life-sized fish tank with only her legs sticking out of it).
But her story was that candy is poison and if you touch a single piece, you'll die. 
Filbert, who is pretty much afraid of everything, takes this to heart and just never knew any better.

Ultimately, he goes with Rocko and Heffer to go trick or treating. He eats his first piece of candy and goes completely mental. Not quite as bad as Beavis turning into Cornholio when he overdoses on sugar and caffeine, but he does kinda terrorize the neighborhood for a few minutes of the segment. There's even a scene that parodies "Night on Bald Mountain" where he towers over the town and munches on all of the candy he can get his hands on.

In the background, there's also the legend of the Hopping Hessian. The trio, during their gallivanting, wind up in a part of town associated with him. There's a bridge and "the old photo booth". They come face to face with the Hopping Hessian and it looks like he'd caught up to them.

The episode then fast-forwards to next year's Halloween. Filbert comes over to Rocko's and finds the ghost, Gordon the foot, and Heffer all viewing a slideshow of photos from the previous Halloween. And they're all hanging out like they're best friends... yeah, random and weird.

Then at the end, Filbert says, "wait just a gosh darn minute... who took all of those photos?" 
...because there's a photo with all of them in it. 

Ed's Dead: A Thriller

Part two of the same episode.

Rocko notices that his neighbors, the Bigheads, had been arguing more than usual. 

The next thing he knows, he overhears a terrifying skuffle where Mr. Bighead is begging for mercy. The next morning, it's eerily quiet nextdoor. Mr. Bighead is nowhere to be found and Mrs. Bighead is doing some things that look suspicious. Like burying something in an Ed-shaped hole in the ground. And the hedges she'd clipped the other day read "Kill Ed" when lighning flashes. 

As it turns out, she'd been doing a meat sculpture of his likeness for art class. And Ed was missing because he'd gone to the hospital to get a wart removed. 

But for a while, it was looking like another Alfred Hitchcock movie. 

Fortune Cookie

This isn't Halloween-related, but it's close enough... it has to do with bad luck.

Filbert gets chosen to be the next Mr. Lucky for this show, Mega-Spin. Where he will spin a wheel and have a chance at winning a new trailer home.

Before that, though, he goes to a Chinese restaurant with Rocko and Heffer. At the end of the meal, they all have fortune cookies. 

Filbert's reads: Bad luck and misfortune will haunt your pathetic soul for all eternity

The next thing he knows, he runs into every unlucky thing you can imagine. A bunch of black cats start following him. He goes under ladders. Mirrors break. And Really Really Big Man's attempt to talk an irate pigeon off a ledge goes completely array.

Filbert tells Rocko what happens and Rocko tries his best to convince him that it's all in his head. The trio goes back to the Chinese restaurant and get more fortune cookies. For some reason, Filbert keeps getting the same fortune over and over and over and over again... 

But then another brilliant idea comes to light: there happens to be a gift shop full of good luck charms. So when Filbert goes on Mega-Spin, he is decked out on all of the good luck stuff he could fit on his person. The wheel goes off its hinges and causes untold havoc. But in the end, it falls back into position and it lands on the one lucky space on the entire wheel. 

Rocko's such a great series. Can't wait to talk about that one too. But this last episode, it's always been one of the most memorable for me.

Doug: the final 4

Doug Pumps Up

This is another episode that showcases the dynamic between Doug and Chalky. 

After offering to hold Patti's shopping bags and falling over when Beebe and Connie add theirs, Doug decides to sign up for the city wide fitness test. Chalky's running the sign-up sheets at the mall and doesn't quite take him seriously when he wants to sign up.

I wouldn’t go as far to say Doug is a full on klutz although he does have his moments... but while training for the fitness test, he has a couple of freak accidents.
But he winds up in this situation after Chalky suggests he start with small weights instead of the big 100 pound barbells. It’s solid advice, but I kinda get why Doug didn’t want to listen. While Chalky really doesn’t go out of his way to act like he’s better than everyone else, if you dislike him because he’s rich and athletic, you’ll take his attitude the wrong way.

After Doug accidentally drops the barbell on his foot, he tries the rope climb (ugh, I’m sure I’m not the only one who hated that rope) and accidentally gives himself rope burn going all the way down.

The day of the event, he intends to be a spectator until he talks to Patti. She pulled a muscle with her shopping bags, but she’s concerned she’ll look silly if she runs with her arm in a sling. But both decide to go out and do their best anyway.
Not only does he beat Chalky in a sit-up contest, but he sets a new school record with 501.

Wow- the most I’ve ever done in a row is 50 as part of my black belt test. But after having metal put in my back to straighten my spine, I haven’t really been able to do them since. Plus the friction between the base of my tailbone and the floor hurts when I attempt crunches so I just don’t.


Doug Runs

Not gonna sugarcoat it, Mayor Robert Bob White has shown repeatedly how bad he is at his job. Yet he’s run and won the last several elections unopposed... until now.
Mrs. Dink has decided to run against him. And his initial reaction is “it’s one of those election things. They have them every once in a while.”

Anyway the whole episode focuses on Willie and Doug running for class treasurer and the mayor is so unconcerned about his own election that he throws his entire campaign behind Willie. Which includes tons of flyers and attack ads. One of the biggest issues in the school is the vending machine eating money and breaking down. So in the heat of the moment, Doug declares, “If I’m elected treasurer, candy and soda will be free!” and immediately regrets it.

He goes to Mrs. Dink for advice and she suggests making campaign promises you can keep. Which is something so many politicians have not followed through with... :sigh: moving on...

On the campaign trail, Mrs. Dink talks about how she’d been on the city council for years and the mayor has refused to listen to any of their suggestions about fixing streets and highways.
Which he says, “fix our streets and highways? That’s not my job! My job is just to sit in that big chair and ‘be the mayor.’”

In the final push for election, Doug backs off from his initial promise and amends it into something more plausible and very eloquent. Unfortunately, that doesn’t go over very well. Everyone else would rather have free stuff than honesty, apparently.

So Mrs Dink wins by a landslide and the class treasurer goes to.... Dan Freebird?
Yeah, Skeeter used a bunch of signage from his uncle’s previous run for city treasurer to support Doug (“they were free and, look, he has the same initials as you!”). Apparently he didn’t scribble his name off enough of them so he won instead of Doug.

...oops

Doug's Runaway Journal

I’ve never lost any of my notebooks for journaling (or whatever else either), but this is one episode I can definitely relate to. Doug’s journal is M.I.A. and he goes everywhere trying to track it down.

I love Ms. Wingo’s comment about how great writers have had their journals published. That’s always kinda in the back of my mind when I think about getting published one day. And I’ve gotten into the habit (more so lately) about making a written record of old memories. 

Doug does get his journal back and despite Roger being the one who found it, all of his worst fears don’t come to pass. For one pretty funny reason.

“Put a sock in it, Funnie! I would have loved to have read your precious diary but I couldn’t... you call this handwriting? It’s nothing but chicken scratches. If I were you, pal, I’d learn how to type. Fast!”

Score 1 for sloppy handwriting!

Yeah, my own handwriting has been a mess my whole life. I’d like to say that’s why I got good at typing, but I just really took to typing class in 6th grade. There are still times I prefer writing by hand. It depends on the situation.

Anyway, it's a cool instance where sloppy handwriting can be its own super power... just as long as you don’t intend for anyone else to read it, haha


Doug Graduates

I didn’t get a chance to rewatch the graduation episode but it’s still worth an honorable mention because of its finality. It’s the end of the Nickelodeon series and also the last time our characters will walk the halls of Bluffington Elementary.
As usual, Doug feels like he’s the only one not excited about the upcoming change. So he decides to talk to the principal about it. The only problem is no one has ever seen him and several attempts to talk to him go array.
Finally, on graduation day, he gets into the principals office for that talk... 

...only to find Roger hiding out there. 

He has concerns of his own, having to leave after being in 6th grade for three years and complaining about how nobody here is afraid of him anymore.
Doug actually discovers the perfect advice to tell himself while he thinks of some to give to Roger. While it’s scary to think about going to a new building and meeting new teachers, all of his friends will still be there.
He shows up at the auditorium and finds out he missed the principal's speech about what the word “graduation” really means. And he's perfectly fine with that. 

Just some quick comments to round this out:

a) isn’t this a continuity error? Doug says he never met the principal but in the science fair episode, he did.

Also... as perfect as Doug’s revelation is, it’s not true for everyone. He has the luxury of living in a small town where it's a tight knit community. But I didn't have that same reassurance. Our school district had four middle schools and my best friend and I went to different ones. And I lost touch with some of my middle school friends in high school because the building was too big and we didn't share many classes.

Anyway, it's been a blast revisiting this series. But going forward with the other Nicktoons I grew up with, I probably won't go quite as overboard with discussion. Except for maybe "Hey Arnold!" When I get to that one, I can't make any promises. 

Doug: Trials of Peer Pressure and Honesty

Doug Tips the Scales

I found this one a few years ago on YouTube and read something interesting in the comments section. Someone said that this episode touched on a serious issue and how cartoons nowadays do not.
I really haven’t been up to date on the latest cartoons so I can’t confirm whether this is true or not. But I can’t think of many cartoons (past or present) that address body image issues quite like this.

Doug had spent a week at his grandma’s one summer and had put on some extra weight from too much pampering and junk food. And Beebe has a pool party in a week. So he does all kinds of stuff to lose weight. 

Judy has an interesting solution, but it’s only a temporary fix. She teaches him a “think thin” mantra, which works until he looks in a mirror.

“Hey, wait a minute. I’m still fat.”
“Well of course you’re still fat, Dougie. The point is that you feel better about it.”

Ultimately what works is eating beets and following Ronald Weisenheimer’s exercise videos.
He runs into some of his friends in between sessions and we hear a little about how they see themselves.
Connie and Larry suggest fashion choices to complement his body type. Neither seems to mind that they're not cookie-cutter thin. 

Connie: “I’m big boned”
(I’m sorry- every time I hear that, I hear Cartman’s voice: “I’m not fat, I’m big boned!”)
Larry: “And I’m stout.”
Doug: “So what am I?”
Both: “Husky...”

On the day of the pool party he'd reached his goal weight, but is still riddled with insecurity, so he plans not to swim. It turns out that all of his friends came up with their own excuses not to go into the pool. Skeeter is the most surprising because he’d said throughout the episode he was trying to *put on* weight. That’s not something you really think about- being self conscious about being too skinny opposed to too fat... but it’s possible.

In the end, Doug takes the leap of faith (literally, cuz he’s on a diving board) and everyone finally gets over their nerves and joins him.

***

A big theme in my favorite movie (The Breakfast Club) was peer pressure. Claire especially struggled with going along with what her friends expected from her. 
When I was in elementary school in the 90's, peer pressure was one of those big issues we were regularly talked to about. It usually coincided with the D.A.R.E. which educated about the harmful effects of drugs. 
Doug may not have an anti-drug story arc, but other types of peer pressure is a theme that comes up frequently.

Doug’s Big Brawl

Larry's a character who's been in the background for much of the series, but this was the first time he has a big role and is addessed by name.
He challenges Doug to a fight after he's caught in the middle of a game of keep-away (thanks to Roger and his buddies). 

Doug manages to get in one good punch and it knocks Larry to the ground. Just like what happened when he knocked down Patti’s old house with a single rock, he wins the admiration of his classmates but makes an enemy in the process.
His dad overhears about it when he gets home and offers one important piece of advice.
“Show me a man who resorts to violence and I’ll show you a man who’s run out of good ideas.”
Mr. Dink then asks “Did you cream him, Douglas?”
The scene that follows is pretty hilarious, especially when he gets more than he bargained for.

Back at school, Larry's AV club buddies launches their own smear campaign against Doug. It starts with flyers- I still don’t know what the hell a “pavid vermin” is. And a boobytrap in his locker.
Then we get to Mr. Bone’s lunch announcement. [sorry, I couldn't find any screenshots of this]

Quick side-bar: this was one of my favorite scenes in the series.
Mr. Bone introducing the lunch items one by one and all the students go “eww!!” and throw balls of paper at the TV screen for every option.
I found this so hilarious I actually put a similar scene in something I wrote, but it was about themes for prom... unfortunately I might have to delete it in a later edit, just because it’s such a strange tonal shift for the story I’m telling.

Anyway, the AV club interrupts the announcements to attack Doug and he finally storms over to their room to resolve the problem.
Larry immediately gives himself up and says that his friends were behind all of the smack talk. “They thought you made the AV club look dumb when you punched me.”
And they threatened to kick him out if he didn’t fight again and restore their reputation.
Um... I hate to sound like a pessimist, but I’ve always had the impression that AV kids were never considered cool. In fact they’re usually one of those cliques that’s picked on regularly.
Thanks to his dad’s advice and some other things, Doug finds a brilliant resolution to their problem- with some help from Skeeter.

They pretty much stage the whole thing on video cast and cut the feed with only Skeeter’s commentary to go by.

The biggest example of overcoming peer pressure might be Doug Throws a Party where the spotlight shifts to a rousing game of true or dare. 

Willy to Larry: "Ok, Larry. Who do you have a crush on?"(Beebe)
Larry to Skeeter: "I dare you to stand on your head in front of everyone." (In his underwear)
Skeeter to Patti: "I dare you to (Roger: "kiss")... to kiss... um... Porkchop!"

Patti has a good one for Roger: “I dare you to say something nice...about Doug.”
And after some stalling, he says “I think Funnie is...a...really nice...guy.”

But in an attempt to salvage his reputation, he turns the tables on Doug. He anticipates a very specific dare involving Patti, but gets something completely different.
Connie had come late with Patti and was hiding a bad haircut under a hat. Roger dared Doug to take it off to embarrass her. At the last minute, he chickens out. Patti is so impressed by his kindness that she kisses him on the cheek.

 

(In the whole Doug and Patti story arc, it’s kinda surprising that he didn’t spend an extra moment focusing on that)
Roger goes ahead and does it anyway, but Connie gets the last laugh when she punches him in the gut. Hell yeah!! Can’t say he didn’t deserve that.

***

Doug Way Out West

The second half of the truth or dare episode has Doug and his classmates visiting a local dude ranch. He rode a pony as a kid so he has some equine knowledge... but somehow he winds up convincing everyone (including himself) he had a past life as a cowboy. He even had an alter ego with a theme song- Durango Doug. Yeah, one of those guys who eats nail for breakfast without milk.

At the ranch, he quickly learns he’d made a grave error in judgement for putting down “Other” ("wow... other") under riding experience. Sugar is practically a bucking bronco so things don’t go well.
It’s kinda funny to see how his tune changes so much that he reimagines the “Durango” sequence where his new rawhide brand is of a chicken laying an egg...

So he’s able to keep up the charade until Patti finds him missing and she’s concerned he’d seriously hurt himself. Then after he confesses the truth, she really tears into him for being an idiot- if that’s not proof she returns his feelings, I don’t know what is. And at the end ,she gives him a few tips on riding. Like how leg pressure is how you make them go.

...I’ve ridden twice in my life and that never helped me. Both of the horses I rode didn’t listen to me or were more interested in snacking on whatever foliage or hay was around. I love horses so it’s kinda discouraging that my history riding them hasn’t been especially enjoyable.

***

Arnold’s schtick in “Hey Arnold!” is telling others to do the right thing.
Although Doug already has a pretty good moral compass and does this anyway, two storylines really put this mantra to the test.

Doug’s Hot Property

I didn’t get to find this one again on YouTube but it’s always stuck in my head.
Doug and Skeeter go into their local comic book store one day and the shopkeeper shows them “Man-o-Steel Man- Issue #1” which isn't for sale. 

(According to a wiki, Doug owns every other issue of the comic except this one and it's extremely rare as could be expected)

Fast forward to another scene- two high school guys are selling comics out of the trunk of their car in a parking lot. And one of them was the same issue #1 comic so Doug buys it.

He and Skeeter are in complete disbelief and amazed at their luck... then they find their comic book store had been broken into. So yeah... Doug finds out he bought stolen property.
As hard as it is, he decides to return it. It’s kinda scary going back to the reopened store and seeing how much everything changed. Guards and signs everywhere. Only one kid allowed in the store at a time. And the shopkeeper became mean old man.
If memory serves me, when he gives the comic back, he actually asks “ok jerk, where’d you get it?”
Shaking, Doug tells him the complete truth.
“I bought it fair and square, from a couple of high school guys. I didn’t know it was yours...”
That was enough to change things back to normal and the shopkeeper was back to his old generous self. 

Doug’s in the Money

Another of my favorites that’s also extremely memorable.
It starts with Doug going to the bank to exchange penny rolls for dollars to get a burger and a shake. It speaks to a much simpler time when pocket change really added up.

Anyway he finds an envelope full of money and turns it into the police station. And they laugh at him like he’s crazy.
Paraphrasing here: they’re like “this kid found a wad of money and turned it in? Who does that?”
Geesh... since when did doing the right thing make you a freak?
(Actually, Doug imagines a sideshow being run by a guy from the police station where he’s the “amazing honest boy”...)
Word gets around REALLY quickly and everyone at school finds out. Roger leads the charge of people making fun of him, as usual.

So 30 days pass and nobody claims it so Doug gets the money. And suddenly everyone treats him differently. (For me, the weirdest part is seeing Roger with his eyebrows arching in the opposite direction)
While counting out the $14,447 dollars, he overhears a news report with the actual owner of the money. Part of her plea included the phrase “I’d lost my head if it wasn’t bolted to my neck.”
Um... I gotta ask, if this money was so important, how the hell did it take her at least 31 days to realize it was missing?
Also, the cynic in me is like “slow news day, huh?” You usually don’t see news stories on tv about losing money like that. If it was stolen from a charity or it was some sort of domestic abuse situation, that'd be a more believable use of "evening news" TV time.

Doug’s first reaction: “I think I’m gonna be sick... Ugh, my money belongs to little old lady. Why me?”

We already kinda know how this is gonna end but some highlights.

Judy compares his predicament to something out of Shakespeare (“not him again...”) and she aptly names it “to keep or to weep, that is the question.”
Doug fires back at her, resolving to keep the money. “I’m guilt-free, Porkchop, and nothing’s gonna change my mind.”
...except a dream sequence that perfectly sums up the superego part of his predicament.
He imagines her house in foreclosure, the bank taking her belongings and she’s just wearing a barrel. Then she says the line again: “I swear I’d lost my head if it wasn’t bolted to my neck.”
Then the one guy says, completely deadpan, “Sorry, lady, we had to take the bolts too.” And her head falls off, “oh no...!”

Haha!! I’m sorry, but I just found that so hilarious. They had to take the bolts too!
Sometimes I’ll just quote this line out of nowhere and fall over laughing all over again.

So Doug, with a crowd behind him again for some reason, gives her the money back. 

She’s not in the sorry state he’d feared but she’s so grateful she gives him.... a pack of gum... I wish I was kidding.

The YouTube comments were relentless, saying what a jerk the lady was and also my comment about why it took so long for her to look for the money.
I love Roger’s comeback “oh goodie, gum. I hope you bought enough for everybody.”
Doug walks away, totally done with the whole thing, when Judy drives up. She saw everything and actually treats him to a burger and a shake. “Come on, you earned it.”
I love that so much. He spends a lot of the series embarrassed by Judy that it’s cool to see sweet gestures like that come out of nowhere.

***

Doug's Mail Order Mania


Whenever I see the Word Unscramble in the puzzle section of the paper, this storyline always comes to mind.

Doug opens a piece of junk mail. Inside, there's a puzzle and a letter saying if he solves it and make it through enough rounds, he could win a zillion dollars. After succeeding, he receives a follow-up letter saying to enclose $25 with the next one. Therein lies the rub.

One thing I picked up a few years during a rewatch: the contest was run by “Ponzi Publishing”... the incident with Bernie Madoff happened a couple of years before I made this connection. I also learned (thanks to the comments section) the term “Ponzi scheme” predated him (and Doug for that matter...) so it was an educational experience I didn’t expect.

Doug winds up becoming so desperate to win this prize he ropes Skeeter into it and they pull their pocket change. They succeed, but also are too strapped for cash to join their friends for a shake. I only bring this up because Beebe makes a comment: “Broke? Broke? What is broke?” To which Chalky replies “we’ll explain on the way, Beebe.”

...yikes

So now they’re “grand super bonus finalists” but need $50 to proceed. If we learn anything from the time they broke Mr. Dink’s grill, Doug and Skeeter aren’t very good at raising funds through odd jobs. In the end, Doug cashes his savings bond, but finally learns the truth at the post office.

“But I’m a grand super bonus finalist.”
“Sure, kid. You and a zillion others.”

The one good thing to come out of this story arc was that Doug eventually won something in the end: 3rd place for a sculpture he’d worked on all episode. Judy might not have lent him money for the scam, but she was at least nice enough to mail in his entry for the Tri-County Art Festival.

(couldn't find the actual art piece, but here is Porkchop posing for 

"Dog Crossing the Delaware")

.

Doug & Patti

I’d been looking forward to talking about this for a while.Even as a kid, I was a huge romantic. Whenever storylines in my favorite cartoons revolved characters getting together or staying together, they had my full attention.
You’re talking to the same person who spent weeks in mourning when Darian broke up with Serena in Sailor Moon. Granted, it was temporary and he did it to protect her from a dark future, but still... that messed me up.

And I already mentioned in a previous post how I didn’t enjoy Doug’s 1st movie because Patti spent most of it mad at him over various misunderstandings.
Even if the same cast was still involved, I didn’t like that tension.

***

Watching the series back in recent months, I really enjoyed these episodes. When Doug had an opportunity to impress Patti, I was cheering in his corner.
One thing I didn’t pick up on as a kid was the whole dynamic of their friendship. It’s easy to get wrapped up in potential romance, but seeing how Patti valued Doug as a friend, it was really cool to see.
I also noticed very quickly how quickly Doug jumps to conclusions and bends over backwards to avert disaster. Actually, 99% of the time, Patti’s reactions aren’t anything like his worst nightmares.
Or his dizziest daydreams for that matter... Pretty much every daydream involves him doing this extraordinary thing he couldn’t in reality and at the end, she swoons over him: “Oh Doug, you’re such a (insert relevant compliment here).” If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all and I can imagine people on a different wavelength than me getting sick of them a lot faster.

For this post, I’ll highlight 6 episodes in particular.
Starting with two where their friendship was at the brink of ending...

Doug Rocks the House

Based on title alone, I was positive this was the one where he and Skeeter formed a garage band and almost everyone they recruited played drums... that wasn’t on YouTube, sadly. It was a good episode.

This segment starts with Roger and his buddies throwing rocks at a house to see who can break a window. Doug gets roped into it just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
A few funny coincidences transpire in this short time. He says out loud, “don’t you have to ask permission first?” and this random construction worker comes out of nowhere to give him the OK. 

The house was in bad shape- if you’ve seen “It’s a Wonderful Life,” you know the house on 320 Sycamore. I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers drew reference from it for the house.

So Doug throws the rock, misses the window, but a chain reaction inside the house causes it to collapse. Just in time for Patti to walk by: “Doug Funnie, you’re... terrible.”
At school, this complete accident makes Doug an overnight celebrity and everyone wants him to sign their rocks. Yeah, people are weird... He makes numerous attempts to apologize to Patti, crashing and burning every time, until he uncovers the truth.

It used to be her house. She and her dad moved out of it a short time after her mom died.

I don’t know if the show ever fully explains all the details but I assumed her mom died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver and the same accident is why her dad is in a wheelchair.

I’ve already thrown some criticism at this series about continuity errors. But watching this again, I have to say the writing could’ve used some improvements. Doug has no idea that it’s her house and nobody thought to clue him in. And a lot of Patti’s dialogue isn’t very good. She’s free to be mad about the whole thing, but she won’t even explain why. She just shuts him down at every opportunity and storms off. One time he says “you wouldn’t let me finish” and she lets him, but after he loses his train of thought, she gets mad and leaves.

By the end, she does accept his apologies and a gift he gives her. He found a door knocker by the lot and it was actually her neighbors’.
But all of this could’ve been hashed out better.
Also- there was a HUGE missed opportunity- Roger says at the beginning, “we wouldn’t want Patti to miss this.”- he set him up! And nobody realizes this... they could’ve done something more with this. Granted, Roger gets his comeuppance a lot through the series, but he went a little too far this time.

Doug’s Magic Act

At least twice in this series, Doug shows off his propensity for prestidigitation. Another time when he showed off his skills ("Doug's Fan Club"), he gained a shadow (in the form of a boy from Judy’s youth Shakespeare company) and got so annoyed with him tagging along that he loses his temper with him. By the end, he apologized and Todd took back his role of Prospero in The Tempest (“Oh brave new world with such people in it!”)

In both segments, we find that “veni vidi vici” was his version of abracadabra.
It wasn’t until years later I found out what that really meant. Apparently, it was a famous quote by Julius Caesar.

This time around, he does a magic show for Patti one afternoon. And because she’s in a rush (Beet ball practice), he skips to the finale. A handcuff trick the owner of the magic shop swore was something extra special.
Doug tosses out the key, thinking it’ll be an easy resolution...
You can guess where this is going.

They try everything possible to get them off and Patti finally convinces him to go to the magic shop.
(In case you’re asking why they didn’t cut them off: “They cost 7 allowances, Patti.”)
His one concern was people seeing them cuffed together... my 30 something year old present self wants to have so much fun with that innuendo, but I’ll keep my mouth shut.

By the time they arrive, it’s closed for the day and she’s not happy, saying how he’d only thought of himself this whole time.
It’s funny how I gave the previous episode a hard time for bad writing... sure, Patti forgives really easy after Doug’s big speech, but it was a great speech.
At one point, I swear it sounded like Billy West, Doug’s voice actor (as well as Roger’s, Percy’s and a few others) got a little choked up doing it. Or it was just a performance he really nailed. 

Like with a lot of my quotes, they're not 100% perfect, but I hope the feeling comes through.

"And for the record, I was thinking of you. It's true, you know. You're all I think about, Patti. That's why I bought this trick. To show you. That's why I saved up 7 allowances. If I had any idea it would be like this, I wouldn't have even tried it. I just wanted you to, know you, like me or something. And now, I feel so incredibly stupid... I wish I never moved here in the first place."

She immediately says she's sorry, she'd been frustrated. Then she adds something that made me fangirl so hard for them as a couple: "I'm glad you moved here because out of all of my friends, I think I like being around you most of all." 
Magic finally happens when they hold hands and the cuffs fall off. And a bigger finish follows.

Patti also decides to skip out on practice and they go for a shake.
One of the best finales in any of the Nicktoon shows, I think...

The next two revolve around another type of worst case scenario- Doug’s fear of Patti thinking he’s a big loser because of things didn’t exactly go as planned.
The end results either wound up being very funny or very sweet.

Doug’s Secret Song

As good as “Banging on a Trash Can” was, Doug’s other song about Patti was even better. Although with today’s humor, I’m sure someone would make all kinds of inappropriate jokes about the lyrics... I really don’t wanna make that leap and ruin it.
But it’s a great idea and had a super catchy melody,

Skeeter overhears him singing it to himself and of course he swears him to secrecy about it.
Cut to them overhearing Mr. Dink moaning and they rush over thinking it’s an emergency.
Instead they find he’d recorded a video of himself singing.

He asks if they like it and Skeeter replies, “Like it? We thought you were dying...”
Omg- I almost died laughing! That was the best thing ever! (so I scrolled back the video on YouTube so I could hear that line again).
Doug rephrases it, "we were dying to hear your song, Mr. Dink." To which Mrs. Dink replies, "[you were] right the first time, boys."

Apparently, a new store opened in the mall where you can record your own music videos...
If that setup and Doug’s daydream of a 90's style rap video isn’t a time capsule of a simpler time, I don’t know what is. So bad it’s good. Doug rapping with no shirt on and the three girls as his cheerleaders chanting his name. Wow...

Once there, Skeeter suggests he do his new song. His power of suggestion winds up being very strong because Doug winds up getting the hiccups and forgetting the words. The whole recording is a disaster.
And it gets worse from there...
Skeeter insists they watch it once before erasing it. Turns out they’d received the wrong tape by mistake. Theirs featured Patti singing a good version of “Killer Tofu”. They also know from a previous conversation that she’s at Beebe’s for an up-all-night party. So they rush over to switch the tapes... even with Porkchop helping out, they couldn't stop the inevitable... 

Surprise ending: it turns out there was a three way mix-up at the video store and Mr. Bone was the third person involved. While Doug finds solace in the situation (“someone up there likes me...”), the other members of the Yodeler's Society of Bluffington don’t see in the humor in it.
I’m kinda surprised Mr. Bone didn’t make a comment about giving Doug detention to compensate for the humiliation this caused him.

Doug’s Got No Gift

...nice grammar by the way. (I know every title starts with "Doug" or "Doug’s," but I can’t help myself).

Patti’s birthday party is coming up. Doug’s on his way to buy her a gift when Skeeter draws his attention to a new arcade game. 

The neematoad gag make a comeback!

...guess what winds up happening.

Doug may have successfully bagged a neematoad and added his initials to “the list,” but when it’s gift buying time, he discovers he’s broke.
Skeeter: “Oo.. I hate when that happens.”

Mrs. Dink makes a really good suggestion about making a gift and Mr. Dink lends him tools and his shed as a workspace.
Those two really do come through a lot when Doug is in a jam. Awesome people.

Doug winds up making something with wood and nails, but has no clue what it’s supposed to be. So he’s on edge about it making him a laughingstock at the party.
Everyone else gave Patti Beet balls- all different kinds. One interesting thing of note was the fact Chalky gave Patti the exact Beet ball Doug had his eye on. Of course, the cynic in me is like, “of course Chalky gets the top-of-the line one. He’s mr perfect and he can more easily afford it.”
In more ways than one, everything works out perfectly for Doug. Not only did he avoid the awkward redundant gift scenario, but Patti thought his gift was a Beet ball caddie because all of her gifts fit into it perfectly. Talk about a happy coincidence.
And it gets even better...
Patti talks to him one on one and showers him with compliments. Including "I didn’t want to make a big deal in there, but I liked your present most of all."

I didn’t realize until after the fact how this was a full circle moment. The storyline begins and ends with him initialing something.
But while high scores on arcade machines can be overwritten or erased completely (when some jerk decides to pull the plug), a heartwarming moment between friends can last a lifetime.

A quick honorable mention before the last two. "Doug's Dinner Date" is one of the most memorable episodes. Patti is hosting a dinner party and tells Doug, "We’re having your favorite- liver and onions”. And he spends days building up the courage to overcome one of the things he hates most. (I especially love when Judy tries to help him with an acting exercise where they pretend to be liver and onions and her bedroom floor is the frying pan).
Long story short- he overcomes the challenge, only to find out he’s terrible at recognizing sarcasm.
(Actually, as a kid, I didn’t recognize it either. Sarcasm was a more subtle art back then. Nowadays, you really can’t miss it... unless you’re Sheldon from Big Bang Theory).

The final two skew towards romance. No big revelations or anything, but for anyone shipped for Doug and Patti, they were big highlights in the series.

Doug’s Fair Lady

One fun thing about diving back into this series was recalling various quotes and not knowing which episodes they came from.

One of them was Patti holding his hand for 20 seconds and he writes in his journal, “I may never wash this hand again.” And about a date that came about because Skeeter suggested making it a group thing.
Lucky for me, these two things wound up being in the same segment.

The fair is in town and Doug wants to go with Patti, but doesn’t know how to ask her. Skeeter makes a clever suggestion for the two of them to go with Patti and Beebe as a group.
Kinda reminds me of prom. Nobody asked me so my mom just suggested I go and hang out with friends. And that I did... except for the three or so minutes everyone was slow dancing in couples on the dance floor but me, I had a good time anyway.

So Skeeter coaches him through his phone call of asking her out including a cue card that read “go to the fair stupid”- haha- completely forgot about that part. Despite that little snag, she said yes.
Much of the fair features carnival games where everyone but Doug wins something. (When the heck he suddenly become Charlie Brown?). Porkchop made out like a bandit. And the “Dunk the Mayor” booth was pretty hilarious.
But the climax happens with the Ferris wheel as Doug anxiously waits to see if Patti will ride with him. And she does. Supposedly it’s the fastest Ferris wheel on earth... I don’t know if I’d like that. I'm not a big thrill ride person and ferris wheels are supposed to go nice and easy.

So yeah, she helps him out of the ferris wheel after the ride's over and that's how they wound up holding hands for 20 seconds. 

Doug and Patti Sittin' in a Tree

While this storyline didn’t end exactly like everyone expected, it’s still one of the highlights of the series.
Patti asks Doug to see a movie with her. He’s excited to spend time alone with her, but one huge question hangs in the balance. Is this a date or not? Everyone else certainly seems to think it is.
Skeeter reads a book full of hints about what constitutes as a date. One night, Doug tails Judy and her current boyfriend Cassius (I wonder if she was seeing him because his name is Shakespearean...) to figure out what to do on a date. Some of these tips are pretty goofy like using a funny accent and big words. At one point, Cassius actually kisses her at the coffee shop just to shut her up for a minute! (Seriously- watch this episode again and tell me I’m wrong- kinda risqué for a kids’ show).

All of his classmates picking on him over the upcoming event- yikes, that’s giving me flashbacks of my own. More than once, other kids teased me when they found out I had a crush on somebody. Another time (maybe 4th grade?), one of my guy friends offered to be my boyfriend. Someone at gym class blamed me for their team losing a game and I was upset so he made that offer to help comfort me.

The other kids bugged us about it so much that he broke it off after maybe a day because he couldn’t handle it. That was the last time we hung out or acknowledged each other.
Ok, so it’s not like we were best friends or anything before that and I think we only went as far as handholding, but kids can be mean about stuff like this for no reason.

Ugh... I hate I'm spending half of these posts dredging up old memories about not fitting in at school. 

Doug and Patti go out on their date and have a really good time. But he never really finds out if it’s a date or not. Taking all of her actions into account (dressing up, buying her own ticket, etc), it’s inconclusive. It’s kinda cute when they bring the issue into the open- was this a "whatever" or a "you know"? Stuff like that. But after all of the trials and tribulation, we get a fun twist at the end.
They part ways at Patti’s house and Doug turns around to find all of the guys from school followed him there. And not for the reason he expects. They want tips on how to get girls. I guess all that teasing was just to disguise their own insecurities.

...

The question will always hang in the air about whether or not they really do get together in the future. I want so badly to believe yes, just like with Arnold and Helga. (They'll be getting a post all to themselves, trust me).

But after watching through a lot of the series, I don't think I'd be completely devestated if they don't. If there's anything I learned, Patti proved to be one of Doug's most valuable friends. Even when he's tripping over his own feet to impress her, she brings out something in him nobody else does. I'm not talking about all those times he fantasized about playing hero. I'm talking about something intangible you can't see.

Yeah, maybe this is just me overanalyzing a kid's show, but as someone who feels insecure around people in general, having someone like that around who can put you at ease the way Patti does with Doug (when he's not swooning over her or overthinking things)... it's kind of a big deal. 

Doug and his sister Judy

In general, most families have at least one weirdo. Depending how you define the term “weirdo." My family (especially my mom’s side) is full of them and we’re perfectly fine with that. In the movie Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Lindsay Lohan's character Lola described herself as a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.

All of these things can be used to describe Doug’s older sister. She’s a self-proclaimed actress who attends the Moody School for the gifted and loves Shakespeare.
I want to assume she’s one of those “love or hate” type of characters, but for the sake of this post, I can only speak for myself.

I always thought Judy was kinda nuts and over the top, but I’ve always kinda liked her. As I grew up, some of the things she went through became EXTREMELY relatable. And watching the series back now, I can appreciate a lot more than I did.
For example, there were instances where she really is a great older sister.
In "Doug’s Secret Admirer," before he leaves for a potential date, she offers some advice for how to break the ice. “Try ‘you look nice.’ Girls like that.”
Or when she does a showcase at his school ("Doug Can't Dig It"), she’s insistent on him being part of it, including getting their picture together for the school paper. He was dreading the whole thing because she usually does things to embarrass him. On this one occasion, she was subtle and probably wanted him to be involved because they don’t spend a lot of time together.

There are other examples, but as a whole, four episodes stand out to me as Judy Funnie story arcs.

Doug’s Babysitter

Their parents are going away for a cruise and leaving the two of them alone for the week. However, hell quickly breaks loose over the TV remote... and they were still in the driveway!
So reinforcements are called in: in the form of Mrs. Stinson. Doug and Judy are in agreement; she’s quite possibly the world’s strictest babysitter.
I said before how Judy can be over the top... that’s nothing compared to this. Mrs. Stinson has a whole song and dance about following her rules. Literally! Granted, some rules like doing chores and finishing homework before fun are reasonable... but banning Shakespeare (“that man had a dirty mind”), Judy’s crazy wardrobe and sunglasses...

Not to mention they’re only allowed to eat prunes and they’re practically under house arrest except for school... we're almost in LifeTime movie territory here. 

Judy had to sneak out to go to the movies and Mrs. Stinson calls the police to interrupt the movie and drag her back home. And when Doug sinks low enough to order school food to get away from prunes, she follows him to school to give him a brown bag of them... again, yikes.

Doug figures out that he and Judy need to combine forces to get their lives back. Part one is distracting Mrs. Stinson’s main spy: her parrot, Sunflower. Then they create a false trail that leads her to the perfect distraction.... Mr. Bone.
He happens to be accepting a disciplinarian award and she loves his speech. So while they’re all cozy with her favorite show (which takes place inside a penitentiary), Doug and Judy celebrate their new freedom at the Honker Burger.

Doug's Behind the Wheel


So the big conflict in this episode is Judy having trouble getting her drivers license because she failed parallel parking...
I never related to her as much as when I literally had the same problem.

I'll bypass the rest of the details of that journey. Ultimately, I did my license on the second attempt... and I haven't had to parallel park in over 15 years. I doubt I'd be able to if the opportunity came up.

Based on her DMV commentary, it sounded like Judy's driving style was as bad as Cher from “Clueless.” She did accuse the instructor of having no imagination...
Doug’s urgency about Judy passing the test goes back to Patti. Bumper Car Mania opens that weekend and he offered to take her.
At first, Judy tries (and fails) to adapt to other modes of transportation. Doug then suggests getting practice on a mall video game: Dino Drivers. She’s so embarrassed about having to stoop to that level that she wears a disguise and insists on being called “Violet.”
Maybe it’s all the distractions, but it takes her a long time to get a hang of it. But parallel parking is the one thing that keeps her from taking her place in the winners circle.

Final ditch attempt: they go out driving for real and he tries to give her parts to act out.
All kinds of chaos (and great dialogue) follows.

First, he suggests a secret agent plot line and she calls it stupid. 

"What's my motivation, Doug? What am I thinking? Does this mission mean to me?"

My personal favorite, which I still quote to this day whenever the opportunity comes up, comes after he says she's playing a blind girl who'd been underestimated her whole life.

"Doug, think for a second. If I'm blind, how can I be driving? Elementary plot problems..." 

Finally, she gets out of her head for two seconds (telling him off for making that promise to Patti without consulting her) and parallel parks flawlessly. And everyone, especially Judy, has a blast at Bumper Car Mania.

One little thing I have to point, though... 
I don’t know if this differs from state to state, but in Pennsylvania, when I failed my test, I had to wait a week before I could take it again. 

Doug’s deadline was only a couple days away and she finally succeeded the day before. I don’t even know if the DMV is open on weekends. I'm just saying... it's highly unlikely his plan would have come together this perfectly in real life. 

Doug’s on Stage

...Bluffington really makes a big deal about Founder's Day. This is one of three episodes that has some sort of focus on it.
(The others were “Doug’s Treasure Hunt” and “Doug’s a Big Fat Liar”)

The school hosts a pageant every year marking this annual event. And it’s the same dull pageant every year, which takes place in colonial times and has a script written in old English.
For Doug, the worst part is having to share a costume with Roger- he’s the back end of the same horse.
But his sister Judy is appointed director of the play and to the thrill of his classmates, she completely flips the script and turns it into a hip musical. Roger becomes the “pot roast of hospitality” with his cronies as vegetables and Doug gets to bust out his bongos for some instrumental accompaniment.

Skeeter also gets to live his lifelong dream when Judy turns the role of Thaddeus Bluff into an astronaut. Unfortunately, his dad learns about Judy’s embellishments while Skeeter and Doug rehearse in the basement and he puts in a personal call to the mayor. The mayor comes to the school and Mr. Bone follows suit to fire Judy and revert everything back to normal.

I’ve already alluded to the Mayor’s ineptitude in previous entries (and I have one other huge example planned for later)... but the fact he got involved in a school play of all things is ridiculous. It’s bad enough he can barely accomplish important things without consulting his wife but when he does get involved, it’s in trivial garbage.
Speaking of garbage, his worst showing by far was “Doug’s Monster Movie” where he gets wind of the littering problem in Bluffington and his actions actually make things WORSE., Including but not limited to littering the town with flyers about beautifying Bluffington (and also- Vote For Me!)

But I digress...

Come opening night, everyone is so stiff during the play because they hadn’t had much time with the old script. Patti’s one line was so stilted that it was cringeworthy.
One other line I always remembered was Boomer and Ned playing trees and Boomer says “hark” and how they can’t settle “betwixt these two trees”. Whenever I hear the word “betwixt”- I think of this.
On top of everything else, the audience is so bored out of their skulls that they fall asleep.

Judy disguises herself as a newspaper critic and is able to sneak backstage to save the production. Everyone wakes up to Skeeter gracing the stage as an astronaut. Mr. Bone isn’t happy, obviously. It’s kinda funny though when he tries to reason with Mr. Valentine and gets shut down.
“Put a sock in it, Bone! That’s my boy.” (The only time I recall in the series where he was really proud of Skeeter— usually when he’s on screen, he blows up at him after counting to “1...2...10!”)

Mr. Bone has no choice but to run backstage afterwards and demand they put on a proper version of the play... but before he can fully law down the law, the curtain call begins and everyone gives a standing ovation. So he winds up backing off and taking a bow with the rest of them.

Doug’s Sister Act

One of my personal favorites for sure.
Considering how Judy treats life like a play where she plays all of the best parts (paraphrasing how Doug described her in episode one), it’s amazing this situation hasn’t come up earlier in the series.

Mrs. Funnie invites Judy’s new boyfriend Kyle to dinner. In true dramatic fashion, Judy acts like it’s going to be the end of the world. All because her last boyfriend was so bored at dinner that he face planted on the table.
By complete accident, Doug gives her the perfect remedy. She immediately writes a play and characters for everyone to act out. Their dad is a writer and ex pirate who has the world’s worst case of writers block. Their mom studies potato worshipping natives from a foreign land. And Doug is... the Butler.
Yeah, he’s not happy about that or her comment about him being “too dull” to fit into the family. But thanks to his brilliant imagination, he makes lemonade... with a little help from Smash Adams.

Before dinner, he finds an excuse to get Kyle alone to play up his spy alter ego and gives him a sponge to contact him in case of trouble. Yeah, a literal sponge.
While Mrs. Funnie uses all of the possible potato puns you could think of and Mr. Funnie spends half of dinner with a blistering “headache,” Judy adds a little character development for Yancey the Butler. “Don’t mind, Yancey. Ever since the alien abduction, he’s never been the same.”
I actually forgot that was part of the script.

But in the climax, Kyle finds a note (“there’s a bomb in the lasagna"), things get really good... or off the rails, depending on who you ask.
Doug dives on the lasagna and does an epic death scene. Judy’s the only one who didn’t find it amusing.
The two of them reconcile on the porch. Doug explains he did it to get back at her for giving him the short end of the stick. She made him the only person in their “dull and boring” family...well, dull and boring.
Judy comes clean to Kyle but he already kinda knew it was all an act. Apparently, he really liked it, especially how it all came together “when the secret agent dove on the lasagna”.
Because this was so late in the season, we never really saw Kyle again. It’s too bad. He was one of those cool characters we only got to see the one time.