Season 1 "Rugrats" is a strange beast and really was it's own thing to what the show would do in peak seasons 2 and 3. One of the episode formats that seemed to die after season 1 was the ones where Tommy would be somewhere, go off on his own and random stuff just happens. Tommy goes to a restaurant, causes chaos, nobody notices and then he goes home. Tommy goes inside a mail bag causes chaos at the post office then goes home, Grandpa Lou takes Tommy to the grocery store, Tommy has a goal to get Reptar cereal, causes havoc and leaves with the cereal. That kind of goes away after season 1.
As I want to write about a baseball theme at the start of baseball season (when this is being published) I wanted to write about season 1, Episode 5b : Baseball. I like the title, it's simple, snappy, easy on eyes. I will write about it's more famous partner episode in the future. This episode aired on September 8, 1991.
I do love how Rugrats episodes could start with something looks totally like something else then becomes what it really is. A pretty much small example of how the show was about imagination of the babies as they saw the world then the world itself being shown. Also that Tommy's toy boat is a Gillian's Island reference. Grandpa Loud is listening to K-OLD radio, because old people like radio or something. He wins a phone in radio contest with the best question I've ever heard. The prize is tickets to a baseball game. He's going to take Tommy and Stu to the game.
Because of the episode's format and like many season 1 episodes, it's very simple in what it's doing. I do wonder if Lou and or Stu decided to buy Tommy teamwear, or they already had that stuff. Tommy has a balloon with the team mascot on it, and he's not interested in the sport of baseball. (Darn youth of Today, focused on their fancy balloons instead of baseball, sad) He saves it from floating away. That was once just to make sure that the episode is messing with us.
There's also the baseball from the radio contest named Bucky Majors. He has heavy bats , this is to show that he's either very strong or pumped full of steroids, it is 1991. He also batted hard enough to shred a baseball. Tommy's balloon ,this time does float away and Tommy has one mission. I do like the timing of the baseball announcer with the balloon. Tommy goes to see the mascot, maybe he has a new balloon and ends up on the baseball field. Stu and Lou are distracted and think a stuffed bear is Tommy. (Typical)
He ends up in a popcorn thing and funny enough the man doesn't notice his thing is heavier. I do admire that they didn't so a silly score on the baseball game and kept it 1-0 through before the 9th inning. Tommy's balloon apparently doesn't want to go in the sky so he's able to follow it around and not really being noticed. If Tommy was a spy he could take 3 governments in a day. Stu and Lou fell asleep and were awakened by Tommy pressing an organ's peddle.
Didi comes home and she gets the note that the guy are the game, to turn on Channel 2 to see the game to hope to see them in the stands. Well she gets a different viewing as Tommy grabs his balloon but then falls, he ditches the balloon for the baseball that was hit and Bucky Majors ends up catching a baby and a ball. (It's out!) Didi faints. Stu and Lou realize that the baby he caught was Tommy. Spike has my favorite reaction to seeing Tommy, he licks the TV screen. Then it ends with press stuff and Lou talking to Bucky about real baseball and stuff.
This episode doesn't have much Tommy talking, it's very light on him saying anything. He says bear alot, some mutterings, some woah, and ahs, but nothing really being said from him. He doesn't even say balloon. He also doesn't go around and unintentionally mess up anything this episode either. The only real chaotic thing was walking on the peddles. The biggest thing in the episode is Tommy falling from the sky and thankfully being caught.
It's OUT! Copyright Paramount
I do like the depiction of a baseball game here. There's the announcers who do seem to have to find ways to fill time, but aren't really there for the show to make any out loud funny jokes. I do like their interaction and slight awkwardness. Bucky Majors is a straight forward baseball player, but he does seem humble if only slightly exaggerated. The idea of a baseball game going innings without a run is a thing that happens. That is pretty fun.
Stu and Lou really only lose attention of Tommy because they assumed he was still there, but they kind of forgot he had a bear with him? Where'd they think the bear went? Later they fell asleep at the game, so yeah. There's actually not a lot of Stu and Lou talking this episode either. Lou gets the most lines, but yeah our main characters don't talk much here. The best part was when they wake up and Stu asks questions and Lou's reaction. It's a very watch and look at it episode to see stuff. Tommy and Spike's connection is shown at the start in the bath and later at the end where Spike likes the TV. Didi faints he's like hey it's Tommy and likes the TV. I also liked when Didi comes home he was rolling around on the floor waiting for Tommy to return.
It's a fun, simple episode. They made a light plot work very well here, and it's a fun baseball episode.
That's it for now, tune in next time when we try to reenact this episode, hmmm going to be hard.
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