(*Blows dust off thread, chokes profusely on dust, collapses on floor, considers not nicking other people's jokes in future*)
I first came across this series after hearing the music from it in our Good Captain Punjab's model series, and after finding a few episodes in YouTube, I think I'm hooked. I recently got the first two seasons on DVD, and I've decided to share a few personal favorites from the few episodes I've managed to watch:
[/i] fame) as Cyril Sneer's dying uncle Sam.
[li]
A Night To Remember![/li] The brick joke with Bert's moose horn. The backgrounds in the 'All Life Long' sequence are really rather stunning, even if the animation itself isn't exactly up to scratch. The bizarre intricacies of Bert and Ralph's "club" have to be seen to be believed, and their 'Secret Handshake' is really catchy.
[li]
Blast From The Past!
[/li] Bert's flying skills alone merit an entry in this list.
[li]
Power Trip!
[/li]Aunt Gertie's a hilarious character to watch, and it's a shame she never appeared after this episode. I also like this episode because it demonstrates Ralph's lack of competence at camping, which is almost comparable to mine! Something rather amusing that I realized while watching this is that Ralph and Melissa are going camping, even though they live in the woods anyway!
[li]
Stop The Clock!
[/li]The episode that introduces my favorite character, Bentley. Most of the other fans I know can't go more than a few seconds without complaining that Bentley just looks like a mini-version of Bert. However, I think that was the point, since in this episode he gets mistaken for an aged down Bert (Lord knows what'll happen when the mini-Lisa turns up in Season 4).
It was while watching this episode that I realized that almost every raccoon in this show-except for Bert, Troy Malone, and the aforementioned mini-Lisa-is related to Ralph in some way. What was up with that? And why did none of Bert's relatives ever turn up? Oh well, more work for the fan fiction writers!
[li]
Read No Evil!
[/li] I don't really have anything to say about this episode, but I just wanted to point something out: About halfway through, Cyril Sneer phones up Mr Mammoth to order some oil extracting equipment. Now, it's known that one of Sneer's other associates is called Mr Knox. As in,
Knox Oil & Gas. A missed opportunity for a
Local Hero shout out, perhaps?
[li]
Trouble Shooter!
[/li] The first episode I ever watched, which features the second appearance of Bentley. But here's my issue: At this point in the series, Bentley and his family are still living God knows where, and it's been established that his visits to the Evergreen Forest require a long train journey. So how did Bentley managed to run away to the Forest on his own, with nobody apparently aware of where he is?
And another thing: During a flashback sequence, Bentley's father is seen mending a pair of trousers. But whose are they? The most likely answer would be Lisa, but she's not been introduced yet. And neither of the parents wear trousers either. And Bentley would be too small to fit in them (not that he ever wore them either!).
On an aside note, I find myself reciting Dale's 'Computers Don't Make Errors' speech from
King Of The Hill during the scene where Cyril and the Pigs are trying to escape from the wrath of their malfunctioning computer!
[li]
Spring Fever!
[/li] I guess liking this episode is sort of obligatory among fans, as it introduces Lisa, and, like Bert was in this episode, many of us were no doubt attracted to her the moment she appeared! However, I can't help but feel an edge of creepiness in this relationship: Bert is, most have estimated, in his mid to late twenties. Lisa, on the other hand, is only about sixteen. See the problem there? Still doesn't stop me from feeling sorry for Bert when he doesn't get his girl...
[li]
The Headline Hunter![/li] If you were ever in any doubt that Bert was
not a womanizer, this and the above episode will settle the matter for you! In this episode, the characters hold a Bachelor Auction to raise funds for another of Lady Baden-Baden's projects (Ah yes, Lady Baden-Baden. Another hilarious character, who I like to imagine was part of the inspiration behind Dowager Hatt!). Bert is reluctant to go ahead with the idea, and we see why at the actual Auction: when his 'dream date' involves a picnic with plenty of-what else?-peanut butter, the only woman who will willingly bid for him is the mini-Lisa, who wins him for a measly $1.50. And to add insult to injury, she doesn't even have the money, so Bert has to lend it to her! His dejected expression says it all!
Incidentally, the mini-Lisa
has been named by the fandom: she is called
Annie Ringtail (sometimes Penny), and usually appears as a love interest for Bentley. Not that he usually admits it!
[li]
End Of The Line![/li] Hey, this is a train forum. Of
course I have to put an episode with a train in it on the list! Apart from that, this makes the list because of the brick joke involving the Pigs' highly combustible air freshener!
[/ul]
Blimey, that was a mouthful! So there's my two pence on this classic series. Now, here's my gripes with it:
[/i], but that was implied to be a dream, and I don't regard the specials as being canon with the series. On the plus side, it gives Noam Zylberman something to do until Bentley is introduced the following season.
[li]
Some Of The Voices[/li] Now, not to discredit any of the actors, who rank as being some of my favorites from across the pond, but some of the characters' voices do tend to grate at you a bit. Cedric's, for example, makes him sound extremely whiny. Not just Cedric, but Stuart Stone's version of Bentley. Nothing wrong with the voice itself, but most of Bentley's character development seemed to disappear when Stone took over. And speaking of Bentley...
[li]
The Invasion Of Lisa And Bentley[/li] I'll grant you, I
do like many of the Lisa and/or Bentley episodes, but it seems like they appear too darn much! Obviously, their relocation to the Evergreen Forest in
Moving In! was so that they could be utilized more often, but by the end of the series, they seemed to be there when they weren't strictly necessary.
I reckon that, had the Raccoons gone on for another season, they would have taken over the show at the expense of anyone not named Bert, Cyril or Cedric (and perhaps the mini-Lisa as well), which brings me on to:
[li]
The Lack Of Character Development[/li] And by this I mean for characters introduced late in the show's run, like George, Nicole, the mini-Lisa, and a few others. I suspect there were indeed plans to produce at least a sixth season, with the intention of fleshing out these characters and developing them further. However, the well known creative dispute between Kevin Gillis and Sheldon Wiseman resulted in the show ending rather abruptly before this could be done. Such a shame, I always wanted to know the true identity of the mini-Lisa...
[li]
Troy Malone[/li] Yup, he annoys me enough that he gets his own bullet point! He's SUCH a jerk! Even when Ralph nearly
KILLS himself doing what he did, Troy's still going "Ooh, lookit me! I'm so awesome! Who cares about mortal peril when you have
me around?" Well,
I do, Mr Malone. I mean, what would you have done if Ralph had actually
DIED in that crash, eh?! Would you still be bragging about your awesomeness, instead of taking responsibility for your actions, and maybe even giving Melissa some comfort in her time of grief?! Of
course you would, you ungrateful, self-centred, ring-tailed
SON OF A...Okay, I've calmed down now. But
STILL![li]
Only the first two seasons are available on DVD over here[/li] I mean, come on, people! We know those later episodes were shown on the BBC, so why deny us that pleasure. I've heard that Canada (you know, the country that
made this darn show!) has it even worse, with just the one season. The only place you can get all five seasons is
Germany, and even then, they don't have an English audio track. The episodes themselves don't seem to be in bad nick, so what's the holdup?!
[/ul]
I should probably stop now, before I go into a ban-inducing rant again...