Sealab is essentially a situational workplace comedy, sure the situations are absolutely **ergo** absurd, and the workplace is a futuristic underwater research station manned by people who would, in real life, be either institutionalized as sociopaths or considered mentally retarded, but in its essence it’s about being stuck in a **ergo**ty job and making the best of it. In this case, making the best of it by planning world domination, building robots, blowing up toy confection machines, and taking dangerous golf excursions, travelling through time, and the continuous verbal abuse of fat, anthropomorphic dolphin children.
There first three epsiodes, "Radio Free Sealab", "Happycake", and "I-Robt" were introduced to Cartoon Network in December of 2000, and set the precedent for ending each episode with the entire station exploding. So, much like The Simpson's, despite the fact that something absolutely outrageous happens, each episode begins with our Sealab heroes, alive and well, and prepared for a new day of totally demented mayhem aboard their station of dreams. I'll be reviewing I-Robot first, because it comes first on the DVDs. And because I **ergo** feel like it.
I-Robot
Best Quote: “YEAH, WELL HAVE FUN ON THE ROBOT RESERVATION SUCKAS, WE’RE NOT GONNA HONOR THOSE BOGUS TREATIES” - Hesh
Air Date: Dec. 30, 2000
This episode, chock full of sci-fi mockery, snappy dialogue, and three alternate endings begins with Sealab on the verge of a nuclear meltdown. Unfortunately for the rest of Sealab, this coincides with Sparks asking the complex logistical and ethical question of whether or not one should put their brain into a robot body. A heated debate begins, including all of the crew, while Sealab inches closer and closer to emminent death. No one particularly gives a **ergo**, except for Dr. Quinn (as usual). As Sparks reveals more and more perks to eternal life in a robot body, a rulebook begins to form.
Rules To Being A Robot
-Never get old, or sick
-Body would be the perfect man.
-Robot body can be a beautiful woman.
-Strength of 5 men Gorillas-Look exactly the same (unless you become an Adrienne Barbobot)
-Only 5 Feet Tall-Laser Beam Eyes-X Ray Vision or Cloaking Device (You have to choose. Who needs x ray vision, they’ll beg to shove their **** into my robot)
- Big Chainsaw Hands (Only Adrienne Barbobot)
- Chew Nails And Shoot Them Out As Bullets (Nails, chains, you won’t have titanium teeth for nothing)
-Eat tires instead of licorice (Only Adrienne Barbobot)
-Your robot body is a brain surgeon
After the rules (however fleeting) are established by Sparks, who has suddenly been deemed the expert on human to robot transplants, talk shifts to the obviously pending human-robot wars. The pros and cons of each side are carefully weighed. Meanwhile, Pod 7 implodes. Still, no one **ergo** cares. Except Quinn. It is decided that Humans and Robots will likely go to war, especially after Robots are sent to the reservation and hunted for sport by humans and their robot smelling dogs. The Sealab crew quickly places their allegiance with the Robots. PLUS! CHOPPER DAVE! HEY-OOOO! Hesh considers putting his brain into something other than a 5 foot tall robot with EITHER x ray vision OR a cloaking device. He turns down a life in the robot zoo as Tigerbot Hesh, and delivers another classic Sealab quote (my personal fave from the episode). For the rest of the episode prime directives are broken, more pods implode, Pod 6 becomes jerks, and Captain Murphy’s nipples react to the very thought of a lifetime frozen in carbonite.
Quinn saves Sealab, and is unable to get props. In his fury at the lack of recognition he reveals the awful truth….that Quinn has implanted his own brain into a robot body. The Sealab crew accepts him after a heartfelt speech, and then they all blow the fuuuuuudge up.
The credits show Captain Murphy practicing various voices for "There Go My Nipples Again"
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The joy of cyborgs, explosions, and gratuitious use of the word “nipples” really gets season one off to a great start. Anyone who has ever sat around in a living room around a 5 foot bong has had a similarly retarded discussion about “what ifs”. It’s as though the writers were secretly hanging out in my best friend's basement in 2003 listening to our conversations.
This is a great episode because it includes all of the characters (while Quinn is absent most of the episode, he anchors it with his revelation), it's role in future episodes (Adrienne Barbobot is not gone for good), and it's alternate endings.
Quinn's speech remainds the same in Alternate Ending # 1, but includes my second favorite quote Stormy's "Whatever 3-PO". Alternate Ending # 2 is again the Quinn speech, but with added sexual banter between Quinn and Debbie.
While not the episode I use to introduce people to the series (I usually switch to Happycake or Chickmate) not only is it downright hilarious, but it sets up a lot of the gags with will continue throughout all four season. We can see an outline of the character relationships emerging (which, when watched with Radio Free Sealab and Chickmate become more clear). I love the relationship between Sparks and Murphey, not just in this episode, but in the entire series. It's just that perfect depiction of one friend who is smart, and therefore exploits the dimmer pal. Also, there is no real protagonist, even Dr. Quinn, who is working frantically to save the station, is doing it so grudgingly that he appears just as insolent as the rest of the crew. While not my favorite in Season One, it's still a stellar ep for the morselfs of one liners, and the introduction of a lot of jokes that will be recurrent through the series.
PLUS! CHOPPER DAVE! HEY-OOOOOOO!
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Message Edited by NightRangersAshes on 03-28-2010 05:56 PM
Link_Loves wrote:
I heard that Arrem_Lowlander is writing a post so long that it may take years before it actually gets posted in Rants.
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