Emily FinlayThe Top 5 Episodes of Ren and Stimpy
October 25th 2007 14:15
Ren and Stimpy was, as frankly-a-wanker creator John K will testify, an animation milestone. Sure, The Simpsons was screwing around with people's heads back in 1993, but not with the style, colour or level of disgust The Ren and Stimpy Show was pulling off. John K was unceremoniously dropped by Nickelodeon from his own show before Season 3 aired, but his mark still lived on....til around the end of Season 4, it was all downhill from there. Anyhoo, I've been obsessed with this show since I was six, and figured I'd get a kick out of discussing my five favourite episodes. And, you know, maybe you will too.
5: A Visit to Anthony (Season 2)
This was the very first episode of Ren and Stimpy I ever saw. I was six, probably far too young for such exploits, and my dad and I were in stitches by the end of it. This one focuses on the concept of cartoon characters visiting their fans, but being massive disappointments. The titular Anthony is so appalled to catch Ren on the toilet, for example, he starts hyperventilating in distress. The final act centers around Anthony's father, a burly mountain of a man, blaming Ren and Stimpy for the near-death of his son (at the hands of Victor, the card-carrying professional bully). This was some dark shit, but also hilarious. Good times.
4: Stimpy's Fan Club (Season 2)
Maybe the absolute darkest episode of the show, this episode focuses on Ren literally going insane with jealousy over Stimpy's massive fanclub. Having taken the position of letter-answerer for his fanclub, Ren has taken to sending incredibly rude replies (he tells a kid who admits to bed-wetting "You make me SICK. I have mailed letters to all your friends, telling them never to sleep over with you"), but eventually it all becomes too much for him. Here's a line of dialogue, uttered by Ren, as he stands over Stimpy, mad with jealousy, and contemplates killing him (yes, really):
How easily I end the force... with these hands! These DIRTY HANDS! And with these hands...I hold the fate of millions.... They think he's a god, but he's as mortal as we. I KNOW! Just one quick TWIST... then it's over. Just one!"
Heavy.
3: Fake Dad (Season 2)
John K. and the rest of the staff on the show were big fans of lummoxes. Kawolski, the lummox Ren adopts for the weekend in this episode, was the ultimate lummox. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any images of him anywhere on the internet, but the kid had everything: massive girth, incredible bodyhair, subtlely disgusting lips, a deep, moaning voice, intense anger mixed with laziness....he was a creature of true beauty. What really had me in hysterics in this episode- which isn't going to sound the least bit funny when I describe it- was a perfect example of exaggeration comedy. Ren is burping Kawolski after eating his sandwich (meat flavoured, with meat for bread). He pats the massive lummox, getting crushed in the process, begging him to burp. At this point, a titlecard reading "36 Weeks Later" appears, and it cuts back to Ren, still going at it. At this point, I lose it. Pure class.
2: Space Madness (Season 1)
Easily the highlight of Season 1, and one of the most famous episodes. Basically, Ren and Stimpy are on a space voyage, and Ren goes insane. Absolutely insane. A foreshadowing to the rest of the show, really, where everyone would be insane all the time. After a period of floating around in bathtub water and getting incredibly territorial over his soapbar, Ren eventually lures Stimpy into an obsession over a giant red button, the purpose of which is unknown. Eventually, Stimpy presses it and....everybody explodes. Didn't see that one coming, did you? Anyway, I'm rushing through this one a bit because this next one really excites me-
1: Jerry the Bellybutton Elf (Season 3)
Throughout my watching of the "Season 3 and a half-ish" boxset, I noticed that a lot of episodes in the set were really...*about* something. 'Ren's Bitter Half' was about fear of Nazi influence. 'Hard Times for Haggis' was a surprisingly harrowing look at how fragile celebrity status can be. This episode, however, absolutely took the cake as a full on, psychodelic freakout expose of the dangers of drug addiction. Stimpy can't stop poking at his bellybutton, which makes funny noises everytime he touches it. Ren catches onto his activities, and warns him "I saw stuff like this in the 60s. If you keep playing with fire, you're going to get burned!". Stimpy continues to play around, in increasingly abstract and dangerous ways: sharpening pencils in there, filling it with baking soda which proceeds to explode, etc. One night, Stimpy, who clearly hasn't slept in ages, hears a voice eminating from his bellybutton, encouraging him to "climb inside". This heralds the start of his full-on freakout- when he pulls himself into his own bellybutton, Stimpy finds himself in a crazy, psychodelic musical number, falling deeper and deeper into himself, before finally dropping into his inner bellybutton.
So now, Stimpy meets Jerry, the results of his messing around. Jerry seems like a nice enough guy, even if he forces Stimpy to service his every need. Stimpy is worn out, and has no real time for himself, but Jerry is happy. That is, until Stimpy presents him with a meal of Lintloaf, Jerry's most hated meal. At this point, Jerry proceeds to chase him, screaming, with a chainsaw, before eventually transforming into a horrible, horrible monster.
At this point he announces "I AM CTHORNOS, LORD OF CHAOS! And now....I feed." Long story short, Cthornos rips Ren into the bellybutton too and eats them both. You know, to death.
Needless to say, when I saw this at age six, it scared the absolute shit out of me. I couldn't watch the episode again on reruns. But now, now, I recognize it for the metaphoric masterpiece it is. Ahhhh, what a show.
5: A Visit to Anthony (Season 2)
This was the very first episode of Ren and Stimpy I ever saw. I was six, probably far too young for such exploits, and my dad and I were in stitches by the end of it. This one focuses on the concept of cartoon characters visiting their fans, but being massive disappointments. The titular Anthony is so appalled to catch Ren on the toilet, for example, he starts hyperventilating in distress. The final act centers around Anthony's father, a burly mountain of a man, blaming Ren and Stimpy for the near-death of his son (at the hands of Victor, the card-carrying professional bully). This was some dark shit, but also hilarious. Good times.
4: Stimpy's Fan Club (Season 2)
Maybe the absolute darkest episode of the show, this episode focuses on Ren literally going insane with jealousy over Stimpy's massive fanclub. Having taken the position of letter-answerer for his fanclub, Ren has taken to sending incredibly rude replies (he tells a kid who admits to bed-wetting "You make me SICK. I have mailed letters to all your friends, telling them never to sleep over with you"), but eventually it all becomes too much for him. Here's a line of dialogue, uttered by Ren, as he stands over Stimpy, mad with jealousy, and contemplates killing him (yes, really):
Heavy.
3: Fake Dad (Season 2)
John K. and the rest of the staff on the show were big fans of lummoxes. Kawolski, the lummox Ren adopts for the weekend in this episode, was the ultimate lummox. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any images of him anywhere on the internet, but the kid had everything: massive girth, incredible bodyhair, subtlely disgusting lips, a deep, moaning voice, intense anger mixed with laziness....he was a creature of true beauty. What really had me in hysterics in this episode- which isn't going to sound the least bit funny when I describe it- was a perfect example of exaggeration comedy. Ren is burping Kawolski after eating his sandwich (meat flavoured, with meat for bread). He pats the massive lummox, getting crushed in the process, begging him to burp. At this point, a titlecard reading "36 Weeks Later" appears, and it cuts back to Ren, still going at it. At this point, I lose it. Pure class.
2: Space Madness (Season 1)
Easily the highlight of Season 1, and one of the most famous episodes. Basically, Ren and Stimpy are on a space voyage, and Ren goes insane. Absolutely insane. A foreshadowing to the rest of the show, really, where everyone would be insane all the time. After a period of floating around in bathtub water and getting incredibly territorial over his soapbar, Ren eventually lures Stimpy into an obsession over a giant red button, the purpose of which is unknown. Eventually, Stimpy presses it and....everybody explodes. Didn't see that one coming, did you? Anyway, I'm rushing through this one a bit because this next one really excites me-
1: Jerry the Bellybutton Elf (Season 3)
Throughout my watching of the "Season 3 and a half-ish" boxset, I noticed that a lot of episodes in the set were really...*about* something. 'Ren's Bitter Half' was about fear of Nazi influence. 'Hard Times for Haggis' was a surprisingly harrowing look at how fragile celebrity status can be. This episode, however, absolutely took the cake as a full on, psychodelic freakout expose of the dangers of drug addiction. Stimpy can't stop poking at his bellybutton, which makes funny noises everytime he touches it. Ren catches onto his activities, and warns him "I saw stuff like this in the 60s. If you keep playing with fire, you're going to get burned!". Stimpy continues to play around, in increasingly abstract and dangerous ways: sharpening pencils in there, filling it with baking soda which proceeds to explode, etc. One night, Stimpy, who clearly hasn't slept in ages, hears a voice eminating from his bellybutton, encouraging him to "climb inside". This heralds the start of his full-on freakout- when he pulls himself into his own bellybutton, Stimpy finds himself in a crazy, psychodelic musical number, falling deeper and deeper into himself, before finally dropping into his inner bellybutton.
So now, Stimpy meets Jerry, the results of his messing around. Jerry seems like a nice enough guy, even if he forces Stimpy to service his every need. Stimpy is worn out, and has no real time for himself, but Jerry is happy. That is, until Stimpy presents him with a meal of Lintloaf, Jerry's most hated meal. At this point, Jerry proceeds to chase him, screaming, with a chainsaw, before eventually transforming into a horrible, horrible monster.
At this point he announces "I AM CTHORNOS, LORD OF CHAOS! And now....I feed." Long story short, Cthornos rips Ren into the bellybutton too and eats them both. You know, to death.
Needless to say, when I saw this at age six, it scared the absolute shit out of me. I couldn't watch the episode again on reruns. But now, now, I recognize it for the metaphoric masterpiece it is. Ahhhh, what a show.
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I loved the "stinky" episode ... I must get the first two seasons on DVD! Cheers for acknowledging them!