This time in One Shot Post: Rugrats again. We dip into a pair of season 3 segments from episode 12. Season 3 was the last season of Rugrats, back when Nickelodeon was using the syndication model amount and really only needed 65 episodes. Rugrats would be the only of the first three Nicktoons to come back... on Nickelodeon... that's right I stopped you from saying what about...? Season 3 of the Rugrats was pretty strong had some really memorable episodes.
I picked this one because well I like it, and this pairing happens to be one of my favorites of the series. This episode aired on December 12, 1993. Let's get started.
Cuffed
My favorite Rugrat is Chuckie Finster, but even going beyond that I like how this episode really only has two characters being Chuckie and Angelica, besides having Drew there, but from the main younger cast it's just those two. That's more unusual. Chuckie appearing without Tommy is even more rare. It makes for a tight and interesting story.
Drew is wrapping up gifts for poor kids in the orphanage because Rugrats apparently takes place with orphanages around. Unless they still exist and I'm the confused one, leave me alone. Anyway, Angelica sees some toy handcuffs and wants them. (Drew is some random kids without parents, handcuffs, what'd he mean by that?) He says no. Also Chuckie is coming later and Angelia is annoyed because she called him boring, and Drew says don't be mean to him after calling him her little friend. (Drew is confusing)
Chuckie says he'll just sit there and be quiet until his Dad comes back, which off all the Rugrats, I think that is something he'd do. Oh yeah, the handcuffs, Angelica wants Chuckie's help to get handcuffs. Poor Chuckie his life his him being told to random stuff by someone with the last name Pickles. Angelica gets the handcuffs.
The Chuckie and Angelica interactions in this episode are also a great treat. Chuckie, of course, is the cautious nervous one, especially with Angelica. When he has to look out for her parents while she's trying to get the handcuffs he screams thinking a sock a mouse is a sock and then asks if she needs help because he was lonely.
The episode also uses where Angelica tears into the package moment for a nice recall later. Chuckie asks what are they for and she decides to handcuff herself to Chuckie, "like the police do," then she finds out she can't find the key. You can see when she tore in the package the key flew off the back... more on that soon. Angelica can't find the key in the pack and thinks they made handcuffs without keys. She gets mad at Chuckie and blames him for the fact they are stuck together.
Honestly, being stuck to Angelica is worse for Chuckie than Chuckie being stuck to Angelica.
She tries to get every single she can find around the house but none of them work. (I'm happy that the 90's handcuff toys are were built to last) Angelica trying different things like her toy blow torch kit (what?) and plastic hammer don't work. Drew comes into to say Chuckie's Dad is on his way and this causes her to worry. Her later attempts are even funnier.
Chaz is at the door and this means Angelica has to hide the handcuffs, now she's going to find away to figure something out and Chuckie has something to tell her, but she's not listening. The true moral is: Angelica should have listened in the first place. She's able to convince Chaz and her dad to let Chuckie stay over. She'd rather make up a story than tell her father is very in character for her. Chaz agrees to let Chuckie stay over.
Chuckie thought she was telling the truth and is happy to be with her too, it's sweet, but also sad because she was lying. Chuckie was willing to be Angelica's friend and be happy. Anyway, Chuckie finally gets to say what he was trying to say: he found the key. They are free. Angelica decides to tell Chuckie to stay away from her and never speak to her, no matter what she says or does, he agrees and walks away. Just to make sure that was a stupid thing for her to do: she gets looped on to her bed's rail and can't reach the key. She calls Chuckie. He was standing outside the room and hears her but says nope, he's listening to what she just said, and walks away.
It's a great character dynamic episode. Angelica of course would not listen to her father when she wants something and especially when she many times gets what she wants. Chuckie has that fear of Angelica but he's also friendly and kind and was happy to think Angelica would want to be his friend. He also listened to her when she said don't talk to her, no matter what she says and she's now locked to her bed until her father finds her. Though, I guess he's still staying the night or something.
The episode is funny too, I like how Angelica tries to get out of the handcuffs, and the little jokes were fun. It's a fun episode. It's one of my favorites because of how the setup works and the way Chuckie's little win works without him directly doing it or knowing is a nice way to do it.
More after the jump
Another favorite that comes in right after it. This one has Chuckie doing narration with the best names for months and dates ever like, Janucember sixty second. (Stupid Smarch Weather) This episode also offers a slight twist for an episode where because of Chuckie's toy fire truck getting broke after he pushes it far causing Stu to trip over, he decides to have the others go on a mission.
It's also a nice snow day episode, because it snowed. Hence the title. Chuckie decides he wants to go to the North Pole and find Santa to get his truck fixed. Even the others are surprised that he wants to go an adventure, because he's Chuckie that never happens. (But you know , Decembuary 11th is a big date) The others agree and head to see Santa.
Working as the show does, the backyard of Tommy's house is now imagined as a frozen tundra trip to the farthest northern reaches. Again, it's a fun hallmark of Rugrats and is always fun to see the simplest things made grander and big.
Tommy goes to find someone to help and runs into Angelica. She's going to help them because of toys. Anyway, they make it to the North Pole and there's no Santa. Chuckie tells them they went to the South Pole. (oooh) Tommy puts a positive spin on it and says they discovered the South Pole. (uh alright)
The fun is over but Chuckie's truck does get fixed.
Not much happens in this episode as much as it's more a fun classic episode of Rugrats where it's using the show's strength of imagination and having a snow day in the backyard be seen as a big grand tundra adventure. It does break away from some of the show's conventions like it's Chuckie who is willing to go on this in the first place when he is usually the one who rejects the ideas or sometimes inspires an idea but still doesn't interject and want to do it. Angelica doesn't really antagonize either, she really kind of just joins in. Grandpa Lou making a snowman and eating everything before finishing is funny. It's a fun and good episode.
That's it for now , tune in next time when we write on Janucemberuary 77th.
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