Rugrats Revisited: Part 4
By: Rodney McIntosh
We now continue Rugrats Revisited, with the second half of season 2, and my thoughts
on the season as a whole.
Next up is the 14th episode, which is the first of the many holiday specials this show has
under its belt (Besides the Halloween episode from last season), beginning with the first
Christmas special: The Santa Experience. In this episode, the Pickles family, and their
friends, pack up and go to a cabin in the mountains to spend Christmas together. During
all of this, Angelica is skeptical on the existence of Santa Claus, after a bad experience
with a mall Santa early into the episode, while Tommy and Chuckie are skeptical on if
he's is good or bad, and Phil and Lil find themselves in a Gift of the Magi situation, due to
Angelica's latest scheme.
This episode is a double-length episode, and is noteworthy in many regards. For starters,
it is the only episode to open with a version of the theme song that's different from the
rest of the season; having a Christmas-themed version of the show's theme song. Also,
this is the first episode in which we see Angelica's mom, Charlotte; whom, even from the
start, is always on her cell phone. One of the biggest things is that this special and the
Rugrats Chanukah special (Which we'll get to in a few seasons) are the only episodes of
the series to air in prime time on broadcast television, back in 2001...and it not faring well
in the ratings (After all, why watch a nearly 10-year-old Christmas special, when you can
watch a rerun of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?)
As for how I actually feel about the episode itself, it honestly holds up pretty well; it's
still just as enjoyable as when I first watched it as a kid. It's one of the episodes that best
captures the personality of Angelica; she might be a bully to the babies most of the time,
but when it comes down to it, she does care about them. It's a really good episode, and
one of the most memorable of the season.
Episode 15 returns us to our regularly scheduled Rugrats fare, with the first half being
Visitors from Outer Space. In this episode, Tommy has a dream about being abducted by
aliens, after hearing Grandpa talk about stuff he saw in a tabloid about an alien invasion,
among other bizarre things (The name of it makes it sound like a parody of the National
Enquirer, but the reports in it are a bit more like Weekly World News). This one's packed
with a lot of classic sci-fi references (For example, the puppet used by Balok in the Star
Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" appears in the background of one scene), and is
quite enjoyable.
Next up is episode 16, which opens with Chuckie Loses His Glasses. In this one, the kids
decide to play hide & seek, since they're stuck inside on a rainy day...but, while he's
counting, Angelica steals Chuckie's glasses; so he's left stumbling around to try and find
them, while seeing monsters everywhere. This one's quite memorable for how weird it
was, and for a gross ending; featuring a dizzy Angelica puking on her dad...but the
audience gets an unpleasant POV shot, so she's barfing on the camera (For the record, she
was likely eating watermelon earlier; based on how it looked. I know this, because
reasons).
The second half of Episode 17 is Angelica the Magnificent. In this one, Angelica is given
a magician playset, and puts on a show for the babies...and ends up believing she turned
Lil into a butterfly. Thus, the babies have to try and figure out how to bring Lil back,
before anyone notices she's gone. This is another one of those stories that has a very
simple premise, but they managed to make it work exceptionally well.
Wingardium Leviosa!
Episode 18 opens up with Meet the Carmichaels. In this one, we're introduced to our last
major addition to the cast in the classic era: Susie Carmichael, whom is one of my
favorite characters, as she was the cool big sister to the babies, and served as the opposite
of Angelica. In this one, the Carmichaels move in across the street, and while the parents
meet each other (With Stu going fanboy when he learns that Randy is a writer on the
Dummi Bears), Tommy meets Susie, and helps her to try and find her bedroom. Aside
from introducing new characters, this episode's kinda weak; I might have skipped talking
about it if this wasn't Susie's first episode. Thankfully, we'll get better episodes with her
later on.
The B-side is The Box, which is another good episode. In this one, Stu buys a fancy new
toy, that is of the "Some Assembly Required" variety...but while he struggles to assemble
it, Tommy, and the other babies, have more fun with the cardboard box it came in. This
one's a favorite of mine; it's very imaginative, and reminds me of when I was a kid; as I
loved playing in oversized cardboard boxes.
Episode 20 opens up with The Seven Voyages of Cynthia. In this one, Tommy and
Chuckie play with Cynthia, without Angelica's permission, and end up losing her; as she
ends up in the sewers, with Spike going on a journey to retrieve the doll for Angelica.
Honestly, I'd have to rank this episode as one of the worst of the season; the plot was
weak, and just seeing something so important to someone end up so tattered and far from
it's owner is just sad. Also, the flashbacks where we see from Spike’s point of view were
creepy to me when I was a kid; with everyone’s voices being distorted.
Episode 22 begins with The Slide. In this one, after accidentally going down the "big kids'
slide" at a pizza place, Chuckie becomes afraid of slides, even though he used to love
them; thus, Susie tries to help him overcome his fear. This one's a pretty good episode; a
story of overcoming one's fear in order to resume enjoying something they loved, which
is something I can definitely relate to.
The second half is The Big Flush. In this one, the families go to a public swimming pool;
signing up to have their kids receive swimming lessons...but the kids think the pool is a
"giant potty", and decide to go on a journey to flush it. Given there's a sub-plot about
Stu's fear of the diving board, the two stories that make up episode 22 end up carrying a
theme of overcoming fear. This one's enjoyable; it's one of those stories where the
concept is completely out there, that it makes for a fun watch.
The 23rd episode opens up with King Ten Pin. In this one, Grandpa Lou competes in a
bowling championship in an effort to finally defeat his long-time rival, while the babies
begin to explore in an effort to find the "champion chip"; which Angelica claimed is "a
giant chocolate chip cookie". This one's a pretty good episode; the babies' adventure feels
like it takes a backseat to Lou's bowling championship, with the reigning champion
(Lou's rival) getting an intro fitting for a boxer, and how everyone kept interrupting Lou
whenever he tries to tell everyone about last time he and his rival played against each
other (Apparently, they wanted to show the full thing, but the episode ran a bit long, so
they cut that scene and made it into a gag that nobody would let him finish the story).
The B-side is Runaway Angelica. In this one, after getting punished for wrecking Drew's
office, Angelica decides that she'll run away from home, in an effort to make her parents
sorry for ever punishing her; so she loads up in her toy car and drives over to Tommy's
house to hide out. This is another one that's a bit different from your normal Rugrats fare;
it's a bit light on the humor, as it focuses more on a surprisingly heavy subject, with a
heartwarming ending to close it off. This is a must-see from the season, for how it stands
out from the crowd; really showing off the talent of the show's writers.
I’m just running in the ‘90s~
The second half of episode 24 is Toys in the Attic. In this one, Tommy and Angelica are
staying with Grandpa Boris and Grandma Minka for the weekend, while their parents
take a mini-vacation to themselves. Feeling like they're going to be bored and have
nothing to do, they realize there might be something good after seeing a ball bounce
down the stairs to the attic (It falling out of a box Boris was moving up there), leading to
them sneaking out of their room during naptime to find the stash of toys. This one's
honestly a pretty good episode; the adventure is short but fun, and had a heartwarming
ending; with Boris and Minka sitting in the attic with the kids, showing them old photos
and telling them the stories behind them (A similar setup would be used for the Rugrats
Passover special; which we'll get to soon enough).
Episode 25’s second half is Susie vs. Angelica. In this one, Angelica, believing she's the
best at everything she does, is challenged by Susie to figure out who is better; by
competing in a series of challenges. This one's enjoyable; another one with a simple setup
that works pretty well, with the final challenge (A race around the backyard) serving as
an exciting conclusion, that ends in karma sneaking up on Angelica for kicking Phil and
Lil’s ball over the fence earlier.
At last, we reach the season finale: the 26th episode of the season, which begins with
Tooth or Dare. In this one, after Angelica learns of the Tooth Fairy, she plots to use this
to make money...by stealing Chuckie's teeth. This is one of the classics of the season;
with Angelica's scheme to get rich via the Tooth Fairy reminding me of Eddy's moneymaking schemes on Ed Edd n Eddy, and her methods of trying to extract Chuckie's teeth
getting more and more absurd as the episode goes on.
The second half of our season finale is Party Animals. In this one, after being told the
story of Aladdin, the babies and Angelica make a wish on a toy lamp for the world to be
"like the circus"...and, with Drew and Charlotte having a costume party downstairs, the
babies believe the wish was granted. This one is another favorite from the season; you get
a great adventure, with the aspect of the kids being afraid of the "giant baby" that's
chasing them around, as well as some amusing bits with the adults (Like Stu getting
arrested for trying to get back into Drew's house through an open window).
Now, with the second season finished, what are my thoughts on it as a whole? This
season got off to a very strong start, slumped a bit at the mid-way point, but picked back
up toward the end. In contrast to season 1, the writing is a lot better (The babies have
actual reason for the things they do, instead of just having them wonder off and create a
big mess, with little reason for it. Also, there are episodes with some surprisingly
emotional parts), the animation is much more refined (Just going from last season’s StuMaker's Elves to this season's Toy Palace will show a dramatic leap in animation quality;
there's still some moments that are noticeably rough in some episodes, but it's much more
polished than last season), and we're introduced to the last major reoccurring characters
until the movie (Charlotte and Susie). There is still a sense of continuity, as well; like the
part in The Big Flush where Chuckie mentions things that happened in previous episodes
(There's a few things thrown in that didn't happen in any episode, though).
The season wasn't without its weak points, though; many of the episodes from the midway point of the series are not that great; in fact, I skipped out on mentioning the ones I
was merely neutral on, in an effort to just focus on just what's noteworthy in some way.
But, that aside, I'd say this was actually better than season 1.
...And now, for my picks on the season's best, worst, and weirdest.
Worst: The Seven Voyages of Cynthia
As I mentioned while discussing this episode, I feel this is easily the worst of the season;
I mean, just the concept of Angelica's favorite toy going through the sewers and ending
up at the city dump was depressing, and I'll be honest, the flashbacks from Spike's point
of view were kinda creepy.
Weirdest: Chuckie Loses His Glasses
While nowhere near the level of weirdness of last season's Slumber Party, this episode
gets pretty surreal; as we see the world through Chuckie's eyes without his glasses, with
ordinary things appearing as monsters. This is one of those episodes where they take
something simple and manage to spin it into something weird.
Exhibit A: This looks like something you’d see on Aaah! Real Monsters
Best: The Inside Story
This one is easily another contender for weirdest, but at the same time, I consider it easily
the best of the season; the introduction of the imaginary adventures really opened the
door for the writers to run wild, and this episode is proof of that. It's honestly a fun ride
from start to finish, and although other shows have done parodies of Fantastic Voyage,
the Rugrats episode as a unique charm to it in the little things; like his stomach being a
lunch box.
Also, the signs they see while in his lungs
A runner-up would be The Santa Experience. It actually surprised me just how well this
special has aged, with one of the earliest instances of Angelica realizing she made a great
mistake and attempting to correct it. Even though it's mostly your typical fare for a
Christmas special, it's still surprisingly enjoyable.
Next time, we learn of the Legend of the Satchmo, as we dive into the first half of the 3rd
season, so stay tuned for more