Rugrats The Flashback
There really aren't that many Mother's Day themed specials, but at the same time it's not un common for a series to do an episode about the holiday. It's not really a big let's gather around the TV holiday compared to what it really is for. (Same with Father's Day, which seems to have a harder time, in cases because of how TV is done in terms of seasons)
One hard of this holiday is those who don't have a mother for any such reason that arises. It can be hard, especially in terms if a mother has died. There's a strangeness about that day for those in that situation. It especially can feel like a loneliness, but for a kid, a lost parent is a big thing. That's probably why a lot of media - insert Disney joke about killing off the mom here- works that in such away.
So, let's talk about Rugrats. Again, I've said before this is one of my favorite animated series, and top Nicktoon. My favorite Rugrat character has always been Chuckie. When you watch some of the first few seasons [ I have to clarify here that I'm talking about Rugrats and not Rugrats 2021, I'm not calling the original version Rugrats 1991, because no] a viewer could notice that Chuckie didn't seem to have a mother character. It was him and his dad for the most part. It was never really addressed in the episodes. There's only an oft mention in season 1, when Didi says to Chuckie, his Mom and Dad will pick him up in the morning. Chuckie's Dad, Chaz, works and that's the reason why Chuckie would be over at Tommy's house a lot more than even the twins, might have been the single father.
Rugrats ended in 1994, but the reruns were very popular and Nickelodeon decided "eh, let's bring it back" and there were two specials devoted to the holidays of Passover and Chanukah In continuation this special is counted as part of season 4, a revival season of sorts. Originally aired on May 6, 1997. The episode is simply called "Mother's Day".
Rugrats being a show with babies/toddlers as main characters (Chuckie and Angelica would be more toddler, they toddle ;p ) it puts an interesting view on how they view the holiday. Angelica being Angelica is the one making her mother a gift. She's the one, like usual, who tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that it's Mother's Day and what the holiday is for. She's at least not lying to them this time.
This inspires them to want to give their own mothers some gifts. Rugrats being Rugrats, also gives the adults story arc and plot. Didi wants to take her mother out for a good day, Stu is trying to make an invention, which goes wrong, of course. (You have to love his quirks and Didi's patience) Which will later become a plot where Betty helps him by trying to train his robot to be a good mother.
Chaz comes over to the Pickles' family home with Chuckie. He has something he wants to talk about something with Didi. He has a box of stuff that belong to Chuckie's mom and doesn't want Chuckie to find it. Chuckie goes to be with his friends and they tell him they are looking for gifts for Mother's Day, and mentions he doesn't have one. The way it's said by Christine Cavanaugh, the voice of Chuckie, really makes it impactful. It's said softly with confidence and you can also hear how it kind of breaks a bit. He also decides not to go looking for gifts with his friends, "it's for kids with moms."
That and it going back to Chaz seeing his usual awkward self, but can also see how he misses his late wife it's something else and can tell he doesn't want the stuff around because it makes him miss his wife. The episode doesn't say death outright, which is interesting, because this show had said it before, there's a whole episode where Chuckie (interesting) is sad a bug died, and it says death. But networks S&P are weird.
It's a really emotional thing for this kind of show to do, it's not even laid on think or melodramatic, it just kind of feels oft from the show's normalcy but it's not being overly focused on it in some strange way that it works. [ I tear up] The episode puts in levity and fun, as well, like Stu is getting attacked by his robot.
Tommy, Phil, and Lil's search for Mother's Day gifts is sweet. Again, it's working with their young age as they try to find something around the house and yard that they think their mothers would like. It's also sweet where they have memories about their mother like Phil and Lil giving their Mom, their first laugh and Tommy first seeing his mom. Chuckie says he doesn't remember much, but a scene he has in a dream. "You can't give presents to dream." This special does get to me, it always has, which is actually why I've had this on the list to write about for years, but never did.
I like how the trio want to help Chuckie by finding him a mom, It's sweet and kind of funny at the same time. (And the plot of the second movie) The suggestions are , again, fitting for them like Spike, the dog. (woof) Chuckie working along with it is kind of fun too. (Lil pretending to be Chuckie's Mom is someone's fanfiction, you're going to leave this in when you post it, aren't you?)
It's kind of funny how much the episode lacked Angelia until she wonders what the babies are doing. Angelica decides to be Chuckie's "Mommy" (Uhhh) which since she's Angelica means she just wants something done for her. I mean, if she was going to really be his mom, she would be on the phone all the time, and then gives him almost anything he wants. I do feel bad for Chuckie, he was so happy that Angelica wanted to be his mom. It's thing the show does where the babies forget Angelica does things.
I don't trust her/ copyright Paramount
She has him doing her work of making her Mother's day gift. (Grandma?) She also renamed Chuckie, Blaine. (The heck?) She's right Blaine is a TV name. No offense to people really named Blaine, you just live in TV Land... (after the Everybody Loves Raymond reruns) I kind of feel bad for Chuckie because he's so happy. It is kind of cute that Angelia acts her like mother a bit.
That goes south, because we can't have nice things, when she wants him to get a hat for her sculpture and oops, because she changed her mind to a flower, and she wants one where a bee flies on it. Chuckie respects and fears the bee and really wants to get the flower, but his friends think its insane. They stand up for him and she uses fake guilt on him. Chuckie ticked off that be and then it flew into his mouth. That was something.
Chuckie's war cry/ Copyright Peanuts
She decides to disown him. She throws the babies into a closet, for time out. Chuckie says doesn't deserve a mom. I love how his friends help him and they mention that Angelia sucked as a mom. (Our fact checkers say: true) I also like how the friends saying what a Mom is, helps him decided that his Dad is a good choice. Chuckie's Dad of any of the parental figures on the show, I've always felt was the best of the parents on the show, he cares heavily about his son and even understands his fears. There's a whole episode where he tries to break into the Pickles' house when he wanted to be with Chuckie in a black out. I do remember there being posts about the parents on this show being "bad parents" but that's never been my thought- maybe Angelica's sometimes. Stu and Didi care for their son and later sons, they seem to be a new parenting couple and the mom uses books to help her, she wants to do the best, as an example. I mean, you kind of need the parents to not be hovering over the kids for the episodes to work anyway.
Chuckie and friends find the box Chaz had given to Didi to hide. (good work, Didi, didn't even try to put that somewhere) Chuckie finds a picture that's the lady from his dreams- his mother. He grabs the picture. I like how Angelica's mom appreciates her daughter's gift, Didi's plot, remember she had a plot?, works out Everything culminates well.
Oh great, you made dinner!/ Copyright Paramount
The episode then hits you. Chuckie runs over to his father and presents him the picture. There's a dead silence [sorry for the term here] even the music gives up. You see a smiling Chuckie presenting this picture to his father as a gift. It even pans around the room a bit (also close that door, you're letting the angry bees who want Chuckie's blood for trying to eat their own in). His father deflects it, because again you can see he's not wanting to talk about with Chuckie and his own sadness comes into it. Chuckie thinks his father didn't like the gift. copyright Paramount
This special presents everything well. Didi talks to Chaz and says maybe he should talk to Chuckie about the stuff in the box. I like the line of missing her together. Chaz agrees and starts to talk to him about the stuff in the box. The episode also implied she got some sort of sickness that probably caused her death. There's a poem. This whole part of the special always gets to me.
The ending is also optimistic, Chuckie shows his friends' his backyard and telling them his mother is in the flowers, clouds, grass, sun, and wind. It's a sweet ending.
It's a finely crafted special that Rugrats hit out of the park well. The idea that Mother's Day doesn't have to be over the top and grand, just a showing of appreciation and care is fine. Simple things are worth value. Charlotte loves the work Angelica put into her sculpture for her , doesn't care if it's broken. Didi' s mother loves being with her daughter and doesn't need fancy $80 mud. Stu didn't have to give his wife a fancy invention gift, she loves the simple flowers both her son and husband give. Betty's part where she tires to program the robot to be motherly, shows her dedication and how much work she loves being a mother. She loved their gift of a plunger. Chuckie realizes his Dad pretty much fills the a role of both a father and mother to him, and he loves his father. Then he and father have both lost someone close, and the last minutes are a well done thing.
It can be a hard time for those who might not have a mother to share it with, for any reason. For those that do, don't sweat it, the simple things and just showing love and care is good. This is a great episode of Rugrats. Even if it goes off the model of the imagination of other episode[meaning, where the Rugrats pretend something is something else] and uses it's groundedness well. I can't help but tear up watching this episode, and it's not even melodramatic, and I think that's why it works.
It was nominated for an Emmy though it lost to "The Simpsons" , but (big but) this episode should have won. It's a great episode from a great series. Mother's Day, the episode, is the idea of relationships that can be had with a mother and shows that some don't have that. Chuckie realizing that his father does everything for him was a good showing in how he has something to appreciate even if his mother is gone. It can be a hard holiday for some, for any reason, but it's also good to be able to value in the simplest ways. It also shows that losing someone special is hard and getting those thoughts out can be hard. It's something you don't see much in these kind of shows, but glad they did it.
That's it for now. Happy Mother's Day.
