CODY’S EPISODE REVIEW



It Came From Beneath the Sea Duck

 

Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Krakatoa Specials

 

Summary

 

Kit gets the babysitting job from hell.  After eliciting a promise from him to go no further than the corner store for ice cream, Rebecca and a very reluctant Baloo go shopping.  As soon as the adults are out of the apartment, Molly turns into the energetic holy terror we all know and fear. She nearly destroys the apartment and Kit rushes around saving her from herself. Exhausted after only a few minutes of Mollysitting, a desperate Kit bribes her — he agrees to buy her Frosty Pep ice cream if she’ll take a nap as soon as they get back. She agrees so Kit loads her into her little red wagon (the Dangermobile) and carts her to the corner store. While he’s paying the vendor, Molly accidentally rolls down the hill towards the docks. Kit races after her and catches her just as she’s about to go over the edge of a pier.

 

Meanwhile Don Karnage has devised a new plan for getting into Cape Suzette: he decides to send Mad Dog and Dumptruck into the harbor in a submarine. They cut the net across the harbor entrance that’s supposed to keep out sharks, inadvertently letting a really big squid into the bay.  As luck would have it, they crash into the very pier where Kit has just saved Molly. After a tussle in which Molly drops her Frosty Pep, the pirates are frightened away by the squid, which eats the Frosty Pep and immediately decides that he’s got to have more.

 

Kit gets Molly back to the apartment a little too late and a very displeased Rebecca is right there waiting for them.  Refusing to listen to Kit’s explanation, she throws both him and Baloo out of the apartment. As they’re leaving the building, Wildcat runs up and tells them that the Harbor Patrol is going to blow a sea monster out of the bay. Baloo eagerly hurries off to watch, but Kit decides to stay and try to reason with Rebecca but she refuses to see him. The squid crawls up her waterfall and breaks into the apartment while she’s putting away groceries. The squid sees Molly with the Frosty Pep and lunges for her. Kit runs in, grabs Molly, and tries to get to the phone to call Baloo. The squid knocks them out the window. Baloo, who has seen them from the docks, saves them and flies out over the ocean with a squid along for the ride. Kit realizes that the squid wants Molly’s ice cream, so he pours some red hot pepper in it and offers it to the critter. Indignant, Molly tries to get it back and ends up wrapped in the squid’s tentacle. After getting a taste of red hot pepper Frosty Pep, the squid lets go of the plane and Kit jumps off after them. He saves Molly and he and Baloo take her home to a thankful and very contrite Rebecca.

 

Mad Dog and Dumptruck, who obviously couldn’t steal anything, present Karnage with Rebecca’s sink, which had fallen on them when Baloo flew out over the ocean. The squid lands on the pirates’ plane and the two imbeciles end up paddling back to Pirate Island on the overturned submarine with a disgruntled Karnage staying as far away from them as possible.

Quibbles and Bits

Gidget:   Rebecca’s apartment is way too large and opulent for a fledgling entrepreneur.   How the hell did she manage to score a penthouse with a waterfall?   Or afford the repairs after Molly attracts monsters to the place?   Here, the squid is pulled through the wall, dragging the kitchen plumbing behind him.  In Mommy For a Day, Molly’s pet ‘buffalo’ punches a big hole in the bathroom.  Can’t blame Baloo for that one.

Cody: Maybe she's Khan's mistress and lavish digs is the price for her silence. *slaps herself* .  Oh, here’s one --- when Kit is trying to convince Rebecca to let him in, he’s standing on her balcony overlooking the waterfall. How did he get there? Shouldn’t he be in the hallway where the elevator is?

Gidget:  Not too bright, is he?  (ducks flying bricks) And what babysitter carries a clipboard around?  When Molly knocks over the coat rack, Kit overreacts by exclaiming, “Look at this mess!  Boy, Miz Cunningham would skin me alive if she saw this!”   Sounds silly to me that even Rebecca would blow up over a couple of coats on the floor.  It’s not serious, as if Molly broke anything or made a stain in the carpet.  Kit is so goody-goody in this episode, it’s hard to believe he used to be a pirate.   Saying, ‘Oh my gosh!’ when Molly rolls into busy traffic?  He’s been neutered, I tell ya!

Cody: Hey! So he goes a little overboard with the "good widdle bearcub" routine. He's trying to reform!

Gidget:  Suuuuure….

Cody:  Mad Dog and Dumptruck don’t seem to remember having been in Cape Suzette before. Now, I know these guys are dumb, but I didn’t think they were that dumb.  Also, Mad Dog, Dumptruck, and Kit don’t seem to recognize each other. Is this just an episode glitch or would they really act that way?

Gidget:  Yeah, the only thing Mad Dog does is exclaim, “Kids!”  Although I did like this exchange:
Dumptruck:  The captain told us not to be seen!
Mad Dog (mimicking Dumptruck’s Swedish accent):  Vell den, ve’ll take them vith us!

Cody: Kit also tells Molly that the Air Pirates have never gotten past the cliff guns. I guess they got new ones since Plunder and Lightning.

Kit pours red hot pepper into the Frosty Pep ice cream when he realizes that is what the squid wants. Molly sees him do this, but when he tries to give it to the squid, she tackles it with the indignant protest that it’s hers. She saw him pour the red hot pepper in the ice cream and, though she is incredibly whiny and annoying, she isn’t stupid.  And when Kit and Molly are hanging precariously out of the apartment and fall, Molly never lets go of that Frosty Pep.

Gidget:   I don’t know how she can hold onto it.  Ice cream cartons are so cold they burn!  And how come the squid never got an ice cream headache? 

Funny Stuff

 

Cody:  Rebecca waves to Baloo. “Come along, Sunny Jim. The white sales beckon.”

Baloo slinks after her, looking about as dejected and henpecked as a bear can be.

Gidget:  *makes whipcracking noises*

 

Cody:  Molly starts to crawl out the window to jump into the waterfall.  “Hey, Kit…let’s play High Diver Queen!”

Gidget:  Actually, I just viewed this ep and noticed something.  The background of the scene where Rebecca leaves Kit with instructions and drags Baloo shopping is mostly waterfall.  When Molly wriggles over the balcony to jump, there’s no waterfall.  Just trees in the window. O_o
Actually, I liked it when chasing Molly resulted in Kit getting bonked in the head and trampled.  When she jumps on a ‘trampoline’ (a long white fur coat stretched across two chairs), Kit dives under it to catch her.  The whole thing collapses on top of him and she scurries over him, unharmed.

Molly is impressed.  “You’re a good pretender, Kit.  That looks like it really hurt!”

 

Cody:  Kit chases Molly through town where traffic lights, luckily, change at just the right time so that neither kid gets plowed by a car. Then, she rolls through vegetable vendors and past stores. Kit is ever so polite. As he’s jumping on people’s backs and shoving past them, he says “Excuse me, pardon me,” with this frantic, wild-eyed look about him. In fact, he’s so harassed that he jumps on Baloo and speeds past without even giving any sign of recognition.

Gidget: Oh, that was hilarious.  Remember how poor Baloo had to carry all those packages?  Becky’s got him trained good.  And her wifely query, “Baloo, what do you think of these towels?” right before Kit plows into ‘em!

 

Cody:  Beyond reach of the Cape Suzette cannons, Karnage prepares to drop Mad Dog and Dumptruck off in a submarine so that they can go into Cape Suzette and “rob the place blind.”  Hearing Mad Dog and Dumptruck arguing in the cargo hold, he storms back to them. “Either you two get in the submarine or I will use your worthless hides for seat covers!”

 

Obviously, this is not an idle threat. The pirates suddenly become very eager to get into the submarine. Karnage certainly has a way of motivating his men.

Gidget:   I like Karnage’s little send-off:
Mad Dog glances at the opening dubiously.  “Captain, are you sure this is safe?”
”Of course, Mad Dog, your well being is my prime concern.”  Then he boots him into the porthole!

And when asked where to meet, Karnage responds, “Behind the old tugboat wreck --- away from those nasty cannons!”
Mad Dog persists, “Is that where we’re gonna land?”
Smiling, Karnage says, “Who said anything about landing?” and pulls a lever, unceremoniously dropping the sub with his men in it into the bay.

Cody:

Cody:  After being dropped into the ocean, Mad Dog and Dumptruck have an argument over who will pedal:

“Why do I have to pedal?” Dumptruck demands.

“Because I went to school!” Mad Dog says proudly.

“Did not.”

“Well I saw a picture of one once.”

After Hacksaw successfully evades another volley of cannon fire, Karnage laughs. “Ha-ha! You missed me, you sisters of a warthog!”

Quotes

Kit tries to wake Baloo up so they can go to Becky’s where Kit has just landed his first babysitting job. Looking at his clipboard, he gets a wicked idea. Splashing a little water onto the hammock, he “bites” Baloo’s ample posterior with the clip. Baloo yells and falls out of the hammock, into the water. He comes up spluttering and drags himself onto the dock, one hand clamped on his butt.
“Shark attack! Shark attack! I’ve been bit! I…”

“Wakey, wakey, Baloo,” Kit says, smiling mischievously.

Baloo laughs. “Kit! Ooh, baby! You scared me out of about a year’s worth of flight time.”

 

Gidget:  Heh-heh.  I like it when Baloo follows Kit to Becky’s as though he’s going to the gallows.  He’s so whipped.
Baloo:  “…besides, this ritzy part of town always gives me the willies.  Now can’t we forget this and go back to the docks?”


Cody:  As they’re taking the elevator to Rebecca’s apartment, Baloo tries to dissuade Kit from babysitting.
“But if you don’t go with Miz Cunningham, she’ll stay home,” Kit says. “If she stays home, I won’t get my first babysitting job.”

“You mean ya wanna baby-sit?” Baloo asks incredulously.

“Sure. I want to prove to our boss that she can depend on me.”

“Really?”

“That…and the money’s good.” Kit rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

The elevator stops and they step onto Rebecca’s floor, Baloo doing his level best to talk him out of it.

“Ya sure ya don’t wanna change your mind, partner?” he asks, barring the door.

“I’m sure. Now please move,” Kit says firmly, using his clipboard to push the doorbell.

“But I hate goin’ shoppin’ with Miz Cunningham. It’s always ‘Baloo, carry this’ and ‘Oh, isn’t this cute!’ It’s enough to drive me stark ravin’…” He notices that Rebecca is standing behind him, arms folded and looking unamused. “Happy! Just telling Kit here what a lovely day it is to go shopping.”

“Cut the baloney, Baloo,” Rebecca laughs. She leans around the bear. “Ah, Kit. Come in.”

Kit strolls into the apartment with a dejected Baloo following.

The pilot looks around the spacious living room. “Ah, so this is where all our profits go.”

Rebecca sniffs. “Don’t start that again.”
           

 

Gidget:  Molly begs Kit to take her downtown.
”Sorry, Danger Woman,” Kit says firmly.  “If I take you past the corner store, your mom will explode.”
Suddenly, Molly hears the cliff guns shooting at the pirates.  “Uh-oh!  There she went!”

Cody:  Kit takes Molly to the corner store to get an ice cream.

“But I don’t wanna ride in the sissy wagon,” whines Molly.

“Wagon? No, no. This is the Danger-mobile,” Kit says.

“Oh,” Molly leans forward. “Vroom, vroom, vroom.”

Kit runs towards the store. “I think I’m getting the hang of this babysitting stuff.”


Gidget:  And after their run-in with the pirates, Kit warns Molly not to tell her mother that they went all the way to the docks.
Molly agrees.  “I promise, Kit.  And I always keep my promises… don’t I, Mommy?”
With a sinking heart, Kit turns and see a very po’d Rebecca standing behind him.

 

Cody:  After Rebecca refuses to talk to him, Kit sits on the ledge beside the waterfall.

“Gosh all fishhooks! She’s never been this mad at me. How can I get her to let me in?” He thinks for a moment. “I could tell her there’s a giant squid crawling up her waterfall.” He looks down and does a double take. “Holy crow! There is a giant squid crawling up her waterfall!”

Gidget (as Wildcat):  Is that what they call it these days? (smacks herself)

 

 

Cody:  Chuckling over Wildcat’s sea monster story, Baloo gets ready for another nap under the Sea Duck’s wing. He happens to glance towards town where he sees a giant squid dangling Kit and Molly out of Rebecca’s apartment. “Great flamin’ cat whiskers!” he exclaims, sounding like some kind of hayseed reject.

 

 

Wildcat answers the phone as Baloo starts the Sea Duck’s engines.

“Wildcat! Let me talk to Baloo!” Kit screams.

“I’ll get him, Kit. Hold the phone,” Wildcat says.

“I am, I am!”

Wildcat leans out the door and yells, “Baloo! Pho—one!”

Baloo sticks his head out the window. “Not now! I’ve gotta save Kit from the sea monster!”

Wildcat calmly puts the phone back up to his ear and says, “Kit? Maybe you should call back when you’re not being eaten.”

Gidget:  Um…at first I kinda wondered how Kit managed to dial the phone while all this was going on.   Operators take a long time to put calls through.  And of all people, why would he call Wildcat?  Yeah, yeah, I know.  I think too much. :p

 

Cody:  Baloo flies the Sea Duck out over the ocean so that his practical joking hitchhiker won’t do any more damage to Cape Suzette. The squid sees Molly’s Frosty Pep and goes for it. Kit grabs the girl and runs back to the cargo hold, the squid’s tentacle following them. The critter grabs Molly’s ankle and she (finally) drops the Frosty Pep. The squid goes after it and Kit realizes what it wants.

When the squid drags Molly and the Frosty Pep out the window, Rebecca starts smacking it with a spatula, with the battle cry, “Take that, you big sushi!”
 
Gidget:   Actually, she was swinging a broom.

Cody:  So, she's finally figured out something to do with it besides fly on it, huh?

Gidget:  Meow!  J When she smacked it with the spatula, she sees Molly and Kit hanging on for dear life outside the balcony and she says the goofiest thing:  “Molly, you get back in here this instant!”

 

“Ya gotta get rid of this squid, kid!” Baloo yells.

“No kidding.” Kit reaches for a canister and pours it into the ice cream. “Red hot pepper. This should have a lot more pep than Frosty Pep.”

Uh… since when does the Sea Duck have a spice rack?

Cody:  Since Baloo took a gourmet cooking class? Dunno. I can't see it, either.

Gidget:  A mystery for the ages…

 

Cody:  As the pirates are paddling back to Pirate Island, Dumptruck and Mad Dog discuss their confusion over the dive command.

 

“But why do you say dive, dive when you want to sink, sink,” Dumptruck asks.

“Because you don’t say sink, sink,” Mad Dog retorts.

“Row, row!” Karnage says, exasperated.

“Aye, aye, captain, captain,” Dumptruck says.

Commentary

Cody:  This is one of my all-time favorite episodes. It’s funny, inventive, and (most importantly) stars Kit. It was also the very first TS ep I ever saw. Anyway, since I did a lot of babysitting myself, I could sympathize with Kit and it was nice to see someone who was having a harder job than I was. I love the explanation Kit gives to Baloo for wanting to take the job (aka: “I’m in it for the money, not because I particularly love Rebecca’s demon spawn”) and the look on his face when he realizes that the reason Rebecca pays so well (Molly is a handful) is priceless. The animation is very well done. No real mistakes, but the colors aren’t as rich as Stormy Weather. This is just a fun, laugh-a-minute episode that makes you feel good—and glad that you aren’t the one babysitting this bad seed.  It’s got great one-liners (Baloo: Great flamin’ cat whiskers! Kit: Gosh all fishhooks!) that I wish we would have seen more of.

 

Gidget:  This episode is a sort of guilty pleasure for me.   It has great lines and moves at a brisk clip.   I like the ‘Come along, Sunny Jim – the white sales beckon’ line.  But at the same time, the handling of Rebecca’s character offends the feminist in me.  I love how Baloo is dragged around town shopping and forced to carry the packages --- as usual --- it’s great fun to watch him suffer in only the way a man can.  Yet I get really tired of female characters being portrayed as shopaholics.  I hate shopping with a passion --- when a ‘greeter’ at the Gap or any aggressive sales clerk approaches me, I swear I hear the menacing duh-duh-duh-duh theme of Jaws.  Or those stupid greeting cards for women that make tired catty gags about shopping, insatiable lust for chocolate and looking for Mr. Right.  With all due respect to Cathy Guisewhite, I blame her whiny, unfunny strip Cathy.  Ah, but I digress...

 

Rebecca is very unreasonable in this ep when she blows up at Kit for a being a little late.  Methinks that she’s directed misplaced anger toward Kit because it was a ‘Balooish’ thing to do.  She even dumped popcorn over Baloo’s head!  At least it wasn’t hot spaghetti this time. As she’s putting away groceries, Rebecca mumbles to herself, “Just like Baloo, irresponsible, careless and foolish…”  And although it was kinda funny, I hated the part where Rebecca finally notices the squid behind her and squeals, “Woo-woo-woooooo!”  like she’s getting goosed.  Also, her hair changes dramatically; in the beginning, it’s light brown with beige streaks --- then it’s this really dark brown by the conclusion.  Even the streaks are darker.   I guess she colored her hair to take her mind off Molly’s supposed demise?  O_o

The squid and Molly fight over the Frosty Pep and Molly gets dragged out the window on the squid’s tentacles (well, maybe that isn’t so bad ); in the true tradition of her sister toon forebears, Rebecca ‘protects‘ her daughter by smacking the thing with a spatula, then a broom.   Guess she couldn’t find a vase or a potted plant to drop on its head.   Geez, Disney, why don’t you just put her in a housedress and curlers and hand her a rolling pin?   Personally, I would give it three Krakatoa Specials, so you’re a lot kinder to this ep than I am, Cody.  Still, even I turn into a puddle of sniffly goo when a grieving Rebecca kneels on the floor clutching Molly’s toy bear, sobbing.  Those damned string instruments are soooo sad, too!  And her delighted elation when Kit and Baloo bring her little demon spawn, er, darling home, safe and sound.  All is forgiven and in true hubby-fashion, Baloo casually slips an arm around Rebecca’s shoulders as they watch Kit gives a piggyback ride to bed.

 

Molly suddenly pipes up, “Kit?  Could you klunk your head on the chairs for me again?”

 

Kit:  “Uh…no.”

 

Baloo and Rebecca burst out laughing at this exchange.  Although they never see eye-to-eye on most things, they do present a united ‘married couple’ front where the kids are concerned.   The boss-employee tension fades for a while and if you look close, there are little moments to savor (for B&Bers, anyway).  Eg:  Disciplining Kit in Stormy Weather, sitting side by side on the dock as she tries to comfort Baloo in Sheepskin Deep, having a guacamole fight in War of the Weirds, etc.   The list goes on…!

Cody:  Okay, okay. You've got a point.  Both Kit and Becky did overreact a little to things.  I think Kit's entitled to it, though.  I mean, he lives with Baloo.  That would drive anyone to extremes!  Becky just lives with her demon spawn. She's got no excuse. ;-) 

 
September 2001


Back to Reviews Page