RJ Writing Ink

Rick and Morty S6, Ep 10 Review

Two steps forward, one step back; it’s a term I like to use when fictional characters undergo development only to backslide partially. I’m mentioning this because after watching the season finale of Rick and Morty, I feel like an idiot. In my previous episode review, I kept asserting Rick was improving and trying to be a better grandson to Morty. It turns out that Justin and Dan played us! However, because they played us, the season finale was so good. That, and it made some jabs at Star Wars.

Just because I love something enough to stick with it doesn’t mean I won’t offer criticism. In hindsight, you can compare that to what happens with Rick and Morty in the finale.

Never Give a Kid a Real Lightsaber Without Proper Training

It’s Christmastime for the Smith family, and Rick’s acting nicer than ever, even giving Morty an actual, working lightsaber as a gift. What should a dream come true, though, turns into a nightmare when a mishap sends the blade tumbling towards the planet’s core. Morty’s desperate attempts to get it back reveal that the “Rick” who gave him the lightsaber is a robot. After being called “boring” by Morty last episode, Rick felt betrayed. Thus, he replaced himself with a nicer robot decoy that could be the grandpa Morty wanted. Meanwhile, he’s returned to his obsession with Rick Prime.

This could’ve been an easy way for the writers to make all of Rick’s character development null and void. It would’ve reduced Rick and Morty’s relationship to its absolute lowest. It might have even made the Smith family regress as a whole. Instead, the show chose to have that still matter. Rick tried to be better but wound up backsliding, much to Morty’s indignation. Morty’s so mad, he refuses to ask Rick or Rickbot for help, turning to President Curtis instead.

From this point on, the episode starts throwing barbs at Star Wars and the fandom. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you know how divisive and toxic the fandom can be. People gatekeep it, insist that they’re the true fans, and refuse to acknowledge certain pieces of media and dump on it. They even have President Curtis dump on the Sequel Trilogy and how it wasn’t that good. Things like this make me wonder why I am a fan of the franchise. 

The answer: I know how it can be better, and so can Rick.

Rick Can grow, But He Also Needs That Closure

Like I said at the beginning, two steps forward, one step back. Rick has learned to let people in despite all the hardships he’s faced. However, he’s spent forty years looking for Rick Prime. That’s not something he can let go of, no matter how much he wants to. I may not like this obsession, but I understand where he’s coming from.

It’s like what I said about Star Wars. Even if things go bad with it, I’m not turning my back on it. I’ve seen what it can be when it’s good, and we’ve seen what Rick can be when he’s a good person. 

So, after a hilarious battle in space against the President (Rickbot doesn’t make it), Morty decides not to leave alone. He’s going to help Rick find Rick Prime. And that is where Season 6 ends

Let the Hunt Begin!

So, what do I think of the season finale of Rick and Morty? I loved it. I love the jabs at Star Wars, its varying degrees of quality, and the angry fans. I thought the Rickbot twist was the best of both worlds. And I love how Season 7 might see Rick and Morty start to hunt down the Rickest Rick of them all.

In addition, next year marks the show’s tenth anniversary. The fact that it’s still going strong after ten years is a testament to how great the show is. This season was one of the show’s best, and I’m hoping that next year can keep up that momentum. Rick and Morty forever and forever ten years of Rick and Morty!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

I Give “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” a 5/5

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Amphibia S3, Episode 9 Review

A few months back, fans of Amphibia got word that the first half of Season 3 would feature a Christmas special. And despite the 10th episode being meant as the midseason finale, that got pushed back in favor of this special. It makes sense why; Disney wanted to get it out for Christmas. Fortunately, “A Froggy Little Christmas” ends up serving as a pretty good replacement/halfway point for Amphibia’s final season. It’s got all the trappings of the holiday and sets us up for the show’s final act all at once. Plus, it’s got an original song written and performed by Rebecca Sugar. Having the creator of Steven Universe write and perform in your show is pretty amazing, if you think about it.

Also, note how the intro was changed to reflect the holiday season.

The Plantar’s First Christmas

It’s Christmastime in L.A., and as it turns out, the Boonchuy’s are hardcore lovers of the holiday, going all out with the decorating. However, the festive mood gets taken down somewhat when Mrs. Boonchuy decides to turn down her dream of making a float for the annual Christmas parade. With Mr. X hunting the Plantar’s, and Andrias still after Anne, they don’t want to take any chances. Feeling bad, Anne decides to surprise her parents by making a float in secret, with help from the Thai community and people she’s met since coming back to LA.

It’s a classic scenario for Christmas specials: person X wants to do something special for person Y, so they go all out. Still, it’s a formula that works, and seeing Anne show just how much she’s grateful to her parents for everything they’ve done is touching to watch.

Meanwhile, the Plantar’s, being frogs out of water, struggle to understand the meaning of Christmas. As in, their froggy little Christmas is about trying to make sense of the centuries of traditions and concepts that go into the holiday. That’s actually a very interesting concept, when you think about it. Christmas makes sense to people on Earth because most people at least know the concept. From an outsider’s perspective, Christmas can seem kind of confusing. It’s a mix of Christian ideas and folklore from across the world and pre-Christian festivals, plus the pursuit of capitalism. It can mean different things for everyone; in Sprig’s case, he tries to make Anne the perfect Christmas gift, only to get frustrated by his failures.

Andrias is On Santa’s Naughty List

Back in Amphibia, King Andrias’ plans are progressing faster than he had hoped. His army is almost ready to invade Earth, but Anne still remains a thorn in his side. Thus, he uses a prototype drone that he remotely controls in order to try and off Anne once more. And, just to be a jerk, he uses said drone to take control of a Santa float in the parade, creating an evil, Santa robot that openly attacks the Boonchuy-Plantar family.

This moment is far more important than some might realize. When he first sent the Cloak-Bot, Andrias instructed it to not be seen, not wanting to alert the authorities. Now, he’s not even trying to be subtle, caring more about seeing Anne dead. Granted, he disguises his murderous intent behind a Santa robot, but the fact remains that this was seen by everyone in LA. While Anne and the others manage to defeat the robot and return home safe, the event’s reported on the news. In other words, people will notice this, and start asking questions.

However, it turns out that Andrias may no longer need to worry about keeping his plans a secret. It’s revealed that his advanced robotic army is already massive. My best guess, it numbers in the tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. If they invade Earth, there’s little humanity can do to stop Andrias.

So yeah, this is bad.

A Froggy Little Christmas to All

For the moment, though, all is right with Anne’s world, with the episode ending on the final verse to Rebecca Sugar’s song.

Throughout the episode, we’ve seen an animated version of Rebecca Sugar play a song on her ukulele about Christmas and all the different ways people celebrate it. It’s a very non-traditional song, with lyrics referencing Krampus and even the Japanese tradition of eating KFC on Christmas. The point behind the song, though, is that Christmas is different for everyone. What matters is sharing it with the ones you love.

With that, and a touching end credits that shows Anne giving her mom the butterfly she got in Newtopia, the first half of Season 3 comes to an end. Amphibia will likely return for its final act sometime in Spring 2022, which will be a very bittersweet event. Until then, though, whether or not you actually celebrate the holiday, have yourself a froggy little Christmas, everyone.

I Give “A Froggy Little Christmas” a 4.5/5

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Stray Observations

• It’s revealed that Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy emigrated from Bangok to LA, meaning that they went through similar problems to what Anne did when she ended up in Amphibia.
• Anne writes anonymous letters to Sasha and Marcy’s parents telling them what happened to their daughters. Hoping to see them in the final act of the series!

DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 18/Holiday Special Review

“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Old Scrooge laid barbed wire, about Santa he groused!” With those words from Della Duck, the third DuckTales! Christmas episode opens with the Duck family celebrating with the favorite tradition of Scrooge McDuck: keeping Santa out! And if it weren’t so early in the morning, I’d have laughed my butt off at that.

Next to what happened to Della, the reason why Scrooge hates Santa Claus has to be the biggest mystery of the DuckTales! reboot. The mere mention of him is enough to make him go nuts. But the show’s never given us an actual reason for his hate for St. Nick. Until now. That’s right, we finally learn why Scrooge hates Santa

Santa and Scrooge: Friends Forever?

Twas the night before Christmas, when who shows up at Scrooge’s door? None other than Santa Claus, who falls right on the floor! Somehow, Santa injured his leg and can’t do his annual toy run, so he asks Scrooge to do it. In exchange, he promises to never come to his house again. So, Scrooge and Webby fly around the world delivering presents so they can save Christmas!

As far as the “Saving Christmas” plot goes, this is a standard setup. What serves as the big draw of the episode is the flashbacks that reveal the story of Santa and Scrooge. It turns out that, in the past, they were business partners!

Years ago, Scrooge and Santa worked together running a delivery service. They’d go around the world delivering coal to people to warm their homes. Santa brought the charisma and jolly feelings, while Scrooge got him his flying reindeer and a magic diamond that slowed down time. Both Scrooge and Santa admit that they made a great team and got along great together. Which begs the question: what happened between them?

Turns out, Scrooge’s capitalist mindset happened.

How Scrooge Almost Ruined Christmas

It turns out, the pair had less of a falling out and more like Scrooge’s greed and ego led him to drive Santa away. Scrooge only cared about selling people the coal and earning money from it. So when Santa wanted to give people toys for free, he saw this as a betrayal and severed all ties with him. The worst part, though, is that even after all these years, Scrooge insists that his way is right. He goes so far as to swap all the presents out with coal; with invoices!

Seeing Santa (and even Webby) rightfully call Scrooge out on his actions helped to drive home the heart of the one-sided feud between the two. Scrooge is someone who believes in practicality above all, thinking that’s all people need in a gift. But he wants to charge people for it, which defeats the point of his argument. Santa understands the importance of generosity, hence why he faked his injury in the first place: to get Scrooge to finally see how selfish he had been. Truthfully, Santa back the friend who first believed in him when no one else would.

Thankfully, Scrooge sees reason, and he and the Duck family work together to save Christmas. And Scrooge finally drops his Santa vendetta at last.

A Great Christmas Story

I have to admit, I was expecting Scrooge’s grudge against Santa to be the result of something else. Like, he never gave him the present he wanted as a kid. Having them as business partners before their splitting up was a much more creative idea, though. It doesn’t just fit Scrooge’s character, but also highlights the downsides to his business-oriented mindset. That’s a pretty good moral to be had.

I know that the events of this year put a damper on the Holidays, but I refuse to let 2020 wreck Christmas! This Christmas episode helped to start the season off on the right foot, and that’s good enough for me.

I Give “How Santa Stole Christmas” a 4.5/5

Stray Observations

• This was the first time we’ve seen Launchpad since the Darkwing Duck special
• So, why did Santa give coal to naughty children?
• There was a deep reference to an old comic in this episode

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

South Park, Season 23, Episode 10, “Christmas Snow” Review

Since its inception, South Park’s been intrinsically tied to Christmas. In fact, if it weren’t for that video Christmas Card Matt and Trey made in college, South Park wouldn’t exist. Therefore, it feels appropriate to end its 23rd Season with a Christmas episode. However, don’t let the name “Christmas Snow” or the return of the official intro fool you. This finale’s about a different kind of Christmas snow.

Return of the Original Intro

Firstly, I felt surprised to see the normal South Park intro make its return. Given the season’s theme of faux spin-offs, I thought we wouldn’t see it again. At first glance, one would think this mean’s that Matt and Trey ran out of fake spin-off ideas. Thus, they went back to their usual routine. However, this proves to be a red herring, as once we get into the episode, we see why.

In an effort to curb car accidents, Santa has booze banned in South Park for the holidays. As a result, the grown-ups have no pick-me-up to get them through the stress of the holidays and become miserable. So they turn to another big guy in a red suit and a beard. And it’s someone I haven’t been a fan of this season: Randy Marsh.

Tegridy Weed Christmas Snow

I guess Matt and Trey couldn’t stay away from Tegridy Farms, even if not everyone liked it. They even take the time to reference the fact that some of the Tegridy Farms episodes weren’t that well-received. The moment of self-mocking passes, though, as Randy gets into the meat of the episode. Inspired by the snow falling on the ground, he and Towelie use their leftover weed to create what they call “Christmas Snow”.

The moment I saw the white stuff on the marijuana, I thought it was either mold or cocaine. Much to my amusement, it turned out to be the latter. While the Mayor freaks out since cocaine is very illegal (and dangerous), Randy nonchalantly fixes the problem. In what I can only assume is a jab at the efforts to legalize weed, Randy does a quick montage, comes back and says “Okay, coke is now legal”.

As hilarious as that scene was, I couldn’t help but feel a little disturbed at the implied undertones. Next to marijuana, cocaine is one of the most illegal drugs in the world, yet the people of South Park snort that Christmas Snow like there’s no tomorrow. At least the show reminds us of how bad coke is, so I think it evens out in the end.

Of course, none of this goes over well with Santa.

Santa Grinches the Coke

Maybe he’s genuinley trying to keep the people of South Park safe, or he’s mad at them running Mr. Hankey out last year. Either way, Santa refuses to let the grown ups get high on the road. Thus, in a reversal of the Dr. Seuss story, Santa Grinches everyone’s cocaine, leading Randy to chase him off a cliff.

What happens next is, in hindsight, one of the funniest things I’ve seen all season. Randy convinces Santa to try his Tegridy Christmas Snow, and the jolly man loves it. Then Jesus shows up and starts trying it as well. The trinity of South Park is sitting in the woods, snorting on that Christmas snow. As a result of loving it so much, they decide to share it with everyone. So, Jesus spreads the coke in the air as actual Christmas snow. It’s so weird and so funny. I think.

So That Happened.

To be honest, I didn’t think that this episode was that funny at first. However, after sleeping on it, I admit that the premise of “Christmas Snow” is pretty funny. I was just letting my dislike of Tegridy Farms get in the way of that. At the least, it beats the literal crap-show that was “Turd Burglars” which I refuse to discuss anymore.

That said, I honestly hope that next season, South Park puts its focus back on its original stars, the four boys of South Park. At the least, I hope that this is the last time we see Tegridy Farms. It’s a joke that’s run its course a thousand times over!

I Give “Christmas Snow” a 3.5/5. And that’s me being generous. Happy Holidays, South Park

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The First Spongebob Christmas Special

This special has been on long enough that I don’t think I need to explain much about the plot. So let’s just go over the basics.

After Sandy teaches Spongebob about the concept of Christmas, he shares the holiday with the rest of Bikini Bottom, and soon everyone is in on it. Everyone except for Squidward, who thinks everyone is being stupid.

So Christmas Eve comes, and Squidward is being the Scrooge who refuses to celebrate the holiday. So while everyone is waiting for Santa to come, he goes to sleep. Santa doesn’t show up, and everyone becomes disillusioned with the holiday. Even Spongebob tearfully admits that Squidward was right. Feeling guilty, Squidward decides to dress up as Santa to make Spongebob happy, and then ends up giving away all his stuff as gifts. Then the real Santa shows up and thanks him.

Good Times With Spongebob

As a kid who was making the transition from Nick Jr. to Nickelodeon proper, this was one of the first Christmas specials that I saw growing up, and I loved it. I was a huge Spongebob fan throughout my childhood and tried to emulate him as much as possible. I enjoyed watching his Christmas special every year. That being said, there was one thing about the special that always bugged me: why did everyone stay up to wait for Santa?

As a kid growing up, I was always taught that if you wanted Santa Claus to show up, then you needed to go to sleep so that he wouldn’t be seen. Granted, I know that that was so that parents could put out the presents. Why wouldn’t Sandy tell him that? Most kids will know that idea.

Furthermore, I get why Squidward wanted to rub the fact that he was right in Spongebob’s face. I would be probably be annoyed by Spongebob’s attempts to get him into the holiday spirit. But being right doesn’t give him the right to be a total jackass. Even so, I think Squidward’s decision to dress up as Santa was one of the nicest things I’ve ever seen him do. Too bad I don’t see him do that any more.

In all, though, this remains one of my all-time favorite Christmas Specials, and I hope that you guys have a Merry Christmas.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

Yes, people, I am a Brony, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I never cared for My Little Pony at first, thought it was not for me. But then I saw Rainbow Dash beat the circuits out of Starscream in an episode of Death Battle:

And then Pinkie Pie fighting Deadpool:

And then Twilight Sparkle fought Raven.

The point being, the ponies from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are pretty cool. Unlike previous versions, the characters in this version are not overly “girly” and go on funny and exciting adventures. But I’m not here to talk about the show outright. Today, I want to talk about their new holiday special, The Best Gift Ever.

My Little Pony: The Best Gift Ever

It’s the day before Hearth’s Warming Eve, the Equestrian equivalent to Christmas, and the Mane Six is busy trying to get each other gifts. And Twilight is… having her holiday meltdown from the stress of getting gifts for everyone. And preparing for her family to visit.

So Applejack suggests that they do a Hearth’s Warming helper (AKA a Secret Santa). So the gang goes their separate ways to find the perfect gifts for each other:

• Rarity heads to recover the gift she got for Applejack after it got sent to the wrong address
• Discord tags along with Rainbow Dash to get Fluttershy a new pet
• Fluttershy and Applejack head to a craft fair for gifts for Spike and Rainbow Dash
• Spike wants to get Rarity the best gift ever (because he loves her).
• Pinkie Pie heads to a trio of Reindeer to get a gift for Twilight.
• And Twilight’s gift for Pinkie Pie?

It wouldn’t be an adventure, though, if they didn’t run into hijinks. So things end up getting crazy, and no one ends up getting the gifts they wanted to give.

That’s alright, though, because, like any episode of My Little Pony, there’s a moral behind everything. The moral in this case is that you shouldn’t stress so much about what to get your friends and family for the holiday season. Getting gifts is always fun, but the best gift can be just spending time with loved ones and enjoying yourself. That’s what the holidays are for!

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s mention the touches that I liked about this special- in photo form!

So, yeah, the message of the story is one that has been told a thousand times, but I don’t think that that is a bad thing as long as it’s told in a fun way. And considering how much care Hasbro, the cast, and writers of the show put into it, I’d say that it was plenty of fun. I know I enjoyed it, at least.

Don’t go anywhere yet! I’ve got a bevy of more blogs that I want to do today! Then, check back tomorrow as I go over a bonus movie, recap the year, and what I look forward to in 2019.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

When it comes to Christmas Specials, I’ve seen plenty of them over the years. I’ve watched A Charlie Brown Christmas countless times, and some of the other Peanuts specials. I’m familiar with Frosty the Snowman, seen it a couple of times. And I hold the Spongebob Squarepants Christmas Special as one of my favorite specials. Christmas movies, though, I don’t know that many.

I’ve seen several adaptations of A Christmas Carol, including one I wish I never saw. Nightmare Before Christmas was terrific, and every year my family loves watching A Christmas Story on repeat. My favorite Christmas movie, though, has to be 2003’s Elf.

Elf

I never saw Elf in theaters, but I love watching it every year. I don’t know why, but I just love it.

Let’s start off from the beginning: the movie’s about a human named Buddy. Buddy is a normal human who came to the North Pole as a baby and ended up being raised by Santa and the elves. But then the day comes when he realizes that he is actually human, and the elves tell him the truth. His mom and dad fell in love, his mom gave him up for adoption (and passed away), and his dad doesn’t know he exists. He’s living in a “magical place” called New York City.

I couldn’t help but laugh at that joke. So, Buddy, wanting to meet the dad he never knew he had, heads to New York.

The thing I like most about Elf is the fact that Buddy is clearly a fish out of the water, in a good way. Buddy is childlike and sees the good in everyone that he meets, greeting each day with a skip and a smile. In contrast, this is… well this is New York. It’s the city that never sleeps, and it’s an ocean of cynics. Almost everyone that Buddy meets either doesn’t believe him about being from the North Pole or is convinced he has an ulterior motive. Buddy just takes it in stride, though. And his optimism ends up rubbing off on everyone he meets. Plus there’s this.

Thank heavens for gifs. Everyone he meets ends up regaining their holiday spirit, and what it means to be nice in general. Everyone except for his dad. Dear old dad ended up on the naughty list for being the Scrooge of New York. And in spite of Buddy endearing himself to the rest of his family, Walter wants nothing to do with him. At the lowest point of the film, Walter snaps at him and tells him to get out of his life.

Things Get Better

This was a sad sight, but even sadder was how it almost broke Buddy. But at that moment, Santa (played by Ed Asner. This is where I got my love of him as Santa) comes crashing into Central Park. The sheer lack of Christmas Spirit sucked his sleigh dry. So, like any good Christmas movie with Santa, Buddy has to save Christmas.

The way he ends up doing this is in one of the most heart-warming ways I have ever seen. Buddy ends up reconciling with his dad, who finally accepts him as his son no matter who he is, and they all team up to save Christmas through the power of song.

I loved the caroling the most. I’ve heard Christmas Carols sung better, but what gets me is how many people sing it. Everyone that Buddy has met since he came to New York ends up joining in to sing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”. This moment goes beyond the plot of the movie for me, though. I think it shows just how much of a positive impact the kindness of one person can have on people. That’s something that a lot of the world desperately needs. And it works: Santa’s sleigh gets back up to full power on its own, and Ed Asner gives such a hearty “Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!”

I could keep rambling on about why this movie is great, but I don’t want to take away from your sugarplum dreams. I loved this movie, it’s my favorite Christmas film, and plenty of other people agree with me on Elf

Don’t think for a second that my 25 Days will be done tomorrow because it’s Christmas! I’m going to be doing a double-header tomorrow as I talk about two more Christmas Specials I watched. And on December 26th, I’ve got a bonus story about one of the best Christmas Gifts that I ever got. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Click here to see my reviews for various films. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

The year 1968. The way I see it, it was one of the the worst years in American history. It started with the Tet Offensive: dozens of strikes by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese agents across South Vietnam. It awoke Americans to the fact that, despite everything their government told them, the Vietnam War was not going their way. Then in April, the Civil Rights Movement lost one of its greatest champions. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination triggered riots across the country poured out their grief. Then, a few short months later, presdiential candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated. It must have felt like the world was caving in. America needed something good to end the year on. What it got can only be described as a kind of magic. Magic that comes from being in the right place in the right time and making history. We got Earthrise.

For seven years, NASA had been moving step by step in its exploration of space. The endgame: landing a man on the moon and return him home before the decade was out. With less than a year left before the deadline, NASA decided to speed up its plans: they would travel all the way to the moon before the year’s end. So, on December 21st, 1968, a Saturn V rocket carried three men, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, to deep space. For the first time, humanity would leave Earth behind and head for deep space. They weren’t even sure if they could make it to the moon. Even the astronauts said the odds of success were fifty-fifty.

Three days later, Christmas Eve, 1968. Apollo 8 prepared for the burn that would place it in orbit around the moon. For several tense minutes, there would be no contact between Earth and the crew. Down to the very second, the crew reported in. It was one of the most important events in human history. But that was nothing compared to what the crew and the people on Earth saw next. I’m not going to even bother describing it, just watch this clip:

I wasn’t alive when this moment happened, but when I learned about the story about this moment, I felt like I was going to cry from how beautiful it was. To see the world that we called our home, the only place in the universe that we can call our home, and then to hear the crew of Apollo 8 read from the Book of Genesis, on Christmas Eve no less! I know it sounds cheesy, but it feels it like was true miracle, the greatest gift humanity had ever gotten. The Christmas that mankind saw its home as it truly was, something very special.

Mankind needed Earthrise when it happened. The year had seen pain and hardship and turmoil. America had opened its eyes to the war it was fighting, it felt loss, and then despair. But in just a few moments, all that hardship was erased by the sight of our home. And mankind knew how important that moment was. Time chose the crew of Apollo 8 as its Men of the Year. After the crew came back, Frank Borman recieved a simple telegram that sums the importance of Earthrise:

Thank you, Apollo 8. You saved 1968.

Fifty years tonight since that fateful moment, and so much has changed. 2018 has seen its fair share of triumphs and losses. Movie history was made, there were controversies, tragedies, and the loss of great people (Stan Lee, Stephen Hillenberg, and more). We could use something like Earthrise again, but I think we can do something just as good. Tonight, look at one of the greatest photo’s in human history and remember what we can do with the will and drive to succeed. If we can go to the moon, then we are just as capable of solving the many problems our world is facing. Good night, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays no matter who you are or where you come from.

People, I believe that I have now hit rock bottom on Christmas Specials. Why? Because I just found the Christmas Episode for last season of American Dad. I was into American Dad for a time, along with Seth Macfarlane’s other shows (even got his autograph). But then I grew out of them. But then I saw this special and decided to give it another shot.

American Dad Christmas

Two things you need to know about American Dad: it’s about the family of extremely conservative CIA agent Stan Smith, and every Christmas Special has seen something bad happen to them. Past examples include:

• Getting separated by the Rapture
• Fighting the Anti-Christ. Twice!
• Stan wishing to be single for Christmas only to end up with the wrong family after the wish was undone
• Santa sending an army of elves to kill them
• Santa killing Stan’s dad and turning him into Krampus

Bottom line, the Smiths and Christmas don’t mix. So in this episode, Stan decides to just bail on the whole thing and have the Smiths go into stasis for the day to wait out the holiday. Except for his son, Steve, is isn’t ready to give up on Christmas and runs off to ride a train. But then that train full of kids gets kidnapped and taken to the North Pole by Santa.

Crazy Plan

Apparently, Santa needs them as slave labor in his mines to search for these magical gemstones. They were once part of the eyes of this mythical giant that was slain by the ancient Sumerian hero Gilgamesh and granting him godly power. Santa’s plan is to use them to do the same thing to himself.

Why, though? What on earth does he possibly have to gain from such a convoluted plan? That’s really dumb, but also cool at the same time. But still dumb! That is literally what I thought to myself while I was watching this episode! I admit that this episode had an interesting premise, but it didn’t really do much to make me think of the Christmas spirit. In fact, the revelation that Santa set up everything just for a ridiculous plot to become a god made Steve finally hate Christmas. Thankfully, the hate doesn’t last long and by the end Steve likes Christmas again. Oh, and Santa and the elves got sucked into the giant’s mouth, but then we see his hand climb out the neck in dramatic fashion.

Not a traditional Christmas Special, by far, but this is adult animation. So it gets a pass. I think I need to go have some eggnog after this. American Dad can be weird at times.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts!

Christmas in Space

It’s time for another Regular Show Christmas Special. The final special, to be exact. In late 2016, Regular Show was wrapping up its 8th and final season, leading to its hour long finale in January 2017. That is a story for another day, though. The Holidays were a big part of Regular Show, and I grew to look forward to their holiday specials every year. The Halloween specials were the main ones, but they also had several Christmas episodes to go with it. So, for the final Christmas special, I guess they just decided to combine both into one. So we got CHRISTMAS IN SPACE!

Instead of a single storyline, this special followed the anthology format of the Halloween episodes, something every one noticed. Even Benson calls the group out about it at one point. Although, they were in space by that point. So, let’s look at each story as I give my two cents.

Planet Celsius

In this first story told by Skips, the Park Gang travels to the Planet Celsius so they can have a white Christmas. There’s just one rule: they can only stay while there’s sunlight, because afterwards, snow monsters will come and attack them. There’s also only sunlight for five minutes.

So, the gang has a good romp in the snow, playing with the natives, and exchanging Christmas gifts in five minutes. Then Muscle Man takes too long to do his family’s annual ski run, and they get caught outside in the dark. And the natives turn into snow monsters.

Right away, I felt this plot was similar to the movie Gremlins with the Celsians turning into monsters after dark seeming very familiar. Then again, I never actually watched the movie, so I could be wrong. I do know what thing that was a direct parody, though: Ludlow the Laser-Nosed Reindeer. He’s a poorly animated knock-off of Rudolph that comes down and saves everyone with his laser nose, then just floats away like a stiff board. I don’t know what the meaning behind that was. Christmas in Space, so why not?

Annoying Rock Caroler

Next is Benson’s story, where the Park gets visited by this strange, rock caroler. That is, someone who sings Christmas carols in rock form. In this case, he does The Twelve Days of Christmas. All twelve verses. And the gifts just appear and start attacking the Park Gang.

The Twelve Days of Christmas was not one of my favorite Christmas songs growing up, mainly because I never remember the lyrics after the fifth verse. I liked this story though because it made me realize something I never noticed: there are a lot of birds as gifts in that song! The first third of the song was just birds. Eventually, the gang gets rid of the caroler by giving him cookies, and then he explodes into snow. Because, why not?

Theoretical Mall

In Mordecai and Rigby’s story, they forget to get Pops his present for Christmas, so they have to go to the one mall in the universe that is open… theoretically.

This story is a homage to the classic show The Twilight Zone from start to finish. It even has the door in space and everything. Mordecai and Rigby have to travel to the fifth floor/fifth dimension of the mall to get their gift. As it turns out, the fifth dimension lets them see every possible choice they make. In Rigby terms, every time they get distracted, clones of the two are made that wander off. Soon, it’s a race to the elevator before the mall closes and implodes on them.

This story wasn’t that big on the Christmas theme, but this is the kind of surreal adventures that made me fall in love with Regular Show in the first place. Plus, the ending is classic Twilight Zone.

Krampus

Fed up with everyone’s stories, Benson decides to tell one of his own. In this one, Rigby disobeys Benson one too many times, so he calls Krampus the Christmas Demon to punish him for it. It was meant to be a joke, but it turns out that Krampus is real and actually comes for Rigby. Thus the Park Gang is forced into a battle against the anti-Santa.

This is the kind of story that can fit in both Halloween or Christmas: it’s both scary and keeps with the tradition of Christmas. Even Mordecai and Rigby admit that it’s a good story. Until Benson ruins it by having Krampus defeated by handbells. Benson has been trying to get the gang into handbells all episode, and this was a lame way to do it.

Someone does come along who appreciates Benson’s love of handbells though: Space Santa! Handbells and Christmas Carols for everyone as the episode ends! Christmas in Space!

So that’s basically it. Personally, my favorite Christmas episode of Regular Show was the original, but I want to save that for later. I still miss Regular Show, and I hope that it’s just the start to a bright career for creator J.G. Quintel. I still liked Christmas in Space, though. Now if only TBS would air his new show already.

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