History TearJerker / RockosModernLife

[[quoteright:259:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_74.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:259:"I guess no one loves me!"]]

'''Heffer:''' You're not my father! You're just some jerk in wolf's clothing!

** After waking up shocked to discover that his appendix has been removed, he tearfully takes it home in a jar and buries it in his back yard. [[spoiler:Fortunately, Angel!Pinky, along with all his baby teeth and tonsils, visit just before ascending to heaven and gives Rocko a proper goodbye]].

* In "Kiss Me I'm Foreign", Filburt has to pretend he's married to Rocko [[CitizenshipMarriage to prevent him from being deported]]. A few scenes later, he has to break up with Dr. Hutchison. Seeing the normally perky Hutchison and Filburt [[StarCrossedLovers cross paths with sadness in their eyes]] can get rather depressing. [[spoiler: Thankfully, they get back together in the end when Rocko gets his green card.]]

* Imaged above, in "Who's for Dinner?", Heffer is distraught that the Wolfe family he grew up with for years had adopted him (with the intent to fatten him up and eat him before accepting him). He tries to find his real parents only to get rudely dismissed by an image of his birth father and told he looks just like another one of his hundred "ugly" kids. It was after this that Heffer realized that the literal [[RaisedByWolves wolves that raised him]] were his real family after all, leading to a happy ending. According to [[WordOfGod Joe Murray]], this episode was never intended to be taken seriously, and was surprised to find [[MisaimedFandom several television critics calling such a silly cartoon "groundbreaking."]] Nevertheless, poor Heffer's devastation at the discovery that [[ObliviousAdoption the family of wolves he was raised by are not, in fact, his biological family]] is heartbreaking.
-->'''George:''' Now, Heffer, I'm still your father.\\

** In the accompanying episode “To Heck and Back”, Heffer has his own revelation upon being banished to Hell (or rather [[{{Bowdlerize}} Heck]]) after choking on a chicken bone. He’s shown past incidents on how his gluttonous ways have hurt his family and Rocko on several occasions, after which [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Heffer is crying remorsefully]].

* Imaged above, in "Who's for Dinner?", Heffer is distraught that the Wolfe family he grew up with for years had adopted him (with the intent to fatten him up and eat him before accepting him). He tries to find his real parents only to get rudely dismissed by an image of his birth father and told he looks just like another one of his hundred "ugly" kids. It was after this that Heffer realized that the literal [[RaisedByWolves wolves that raised him]] were his real family after all, leading to a happy ending. According to [[WordOfGod Joe Murry]], this episode was never intended to be taken seriously, and was surprised to find [[MisaimedFandom several television critics calling such a silly cartoon "groundbreaking."]] Nevertheless, poor Heffer's devastation at the discovery that [[ObliviousAdoption the family of wolves he was raised by are not, in fact, his biological family]] is heartbreaking.

* Imaged above, in "Who's for Dinner?", Heffer is distraught that the Wolfe family he grew up for years had adopted him (with the intent to fatten him up and eat him before accepting him). He tries to find his real parents only to get rudely dismissed by an image of his birth father and told he looks just like another one of his hundred "ugly" kids. It was after this that Heffer realized that the literal [[RaisedByWolves wolves that raised him]] were his real family after all, leading to a happy ending. According to [[WordOfGod Joe Murry]], this episode was never intended to be taken seriously, and was surprised to find [[MisaimedFandom several television critics calling such a silly cartoon "groundbreaking."]] Nevertheless, poor Heffer's devastation at the discovery that [[ObliviousAdoption the family of wolves he was raised by are not, in fact, his biological family]] is heartbreaking.

--> "You're going to be old one day, junior, if you're lucky. And then you too will feel the heartbreak of a prune diet or lost memories... the pain and loneliness of losing a loved one. Maybe ''then'' you'll understand why old-timers aren't always the bright ray of sunshine you find yourself to be, eh boy?"

* The final scene in "Leap Frogs". After an entire gut-bustingly hilarious episode of Mrs. Bighead trying to seduce Rocko, she suddenly becomes a sympathetic figure when Mr. Bighead comes home and insults her openly. Rocko then, despite having a great disgust for Mrs. Bighead, kisses her on the hand and tells Mr. Bighead that Mrs. Bighead is a fine woman who can have any man she wants. Mr. Bighead gets jealous, but then realizes that Rocko is right and Bev and Ed make love by breaking plates with their tongues). The scene is a defining moment for Rocko, but one that many for years didn't get to see. It was a banned episode (only after three airings) but probably one of the finest of the series.

* As often as Ed Bighead is depicted as the grouchy JerkAss he is, there are a number of episodes showing a more humble side of him and just how he came to be so bitter. He's feeling the stress of age and not looking like the toad he once was, he has a strained relationship with his only son and doesn't seem to have much to live for besides his loving wife. "Nothing To Sneeze At," the episode where Bev gets a nose, makes it clear just how much worse he'd be off without her: the two of them cry when Bev realizes her sense of smell means she can't be around his horrible body odor and he has a literal meltdown (as in he melts into a puddle of goo from shock) when he momentarily thinks that she's ''died''! The old timer's speech in "Crusin'" could easily apply to Ed: he isn't the way he is without reason.

* The premise of ''Static Cling'', that Rocko has difficulty adjusting to the 21st century and misses the 90s, is bound to hit just a little too close to home for viewers who grew up during said era.

* "Road Rash" is all about Rocko and Heffer trekking across the country to see a natural wonder before it collapses in on itself. They get there just in time, then moments later the whole formation is bulldozed away and replaced with a parking lot. For anyone who has had to witness an ecosystem get replaced by something mundane, it can hit hard.

* The premise of ''Static Cling'', that Rocko has difficulty adjusting to the 21st century and misses the 90s, is bound to hit just a little too close to home for viewers who grew up during said era.

** In the accompanying episode “To Heck and Back”, Heffer has his own revelation upon being banished to Hell (or rather Heck)after chocking on a chicken bone! He’s shown past incidents on how his gluttonous ways have hurt his family and Rocko on several occasions! After which, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Heffer is crying remorselessly!]]

* In "Kiss Me I'm Foreign", Filburt has to pretend he's married to Rocko to prevent him from being deported. A few scenes later, he has to break up with Dr. Hutchison. Seeing the normally perky Hutchison and Filburt [[StarCrossedLovers cross paths with sadness in their eyes]] can get rather depressing. [[spoiler: Thankfully, they get back together in the end when Rocko gets his green card.]]

* ''Tickled Pinky,'' the episode where Rocko has to have his appendix removed and has a dream before his surgery about spending one last day with an anthropomorphized version of it, a'la the "Make A Wish Foundation." It still seems to have been tailored to wring tears from anyone who's had to have organs removed, silly as it may be.

* At the end of the first half of ''Cruisin''', Rocko, fuming about how bitter and misanthropic Heffer's grandfather is, gets some advice from another elderly passenger that reduces him to tears.

* Rocko being shown the error of his ways in "Power Trip" when Really Really Big Man not only lets him see how his abuse of power led to Filburt landing in the street to get trampled, but how if he doesn't clean up his act, he'd on his way to becoming just like his boss. Rocko tearfully apologizes to both Big Man and his poor friend, now wrapped in bandages from his many injuries.

* As often as Ed Bighead is depicted as the grouchy JerkAss he is, there are a number of episodes showing a more humble side of him and just how he came to be so bitter. He's feeling the stress of age and not looking like the toad he once was, he has a strained relationship with his only son and doesn't seem to have much to live for besides his loving wife. "Nothing To Sneeze At," the episode where Bev gets a nose, makes it clear just how much worse he'd be off without her: the two of them cry when Bev realizes her sense of smell means she can't be around his horrible body odor and he has a literal meltdown (as in he melts into a puddle of goo from shock) when he momentarily thinks that she's ''died''! The old timer's speech in ''Crusin''' could easily apply to Ed: he isn't the way he is without reason.

* ''Future Schlock,'' Rocko, Heffer, and Spunky being blasted off in space and and an elderly Filburt telling his grown children in the future that he never saw them again and that they were gone forever in space. Fortunately, they return near the end of the episode.

* The premise of Static Cling, that Rocko has difficulty adjusting to the 21st century and misses the 90s, is bound to hit just a little too close to home for viewers who grew up during said era.
* Heffer and Filburt thinking Rocko has been run over in "Hypno Puppy Luv".

* The premise of Static Cling, that Rocko has difficulty adjusting to the 21st century and misses the 90s, is bound to hit just a little too close to home for viewers who grew up during said era.

'''Filburt:''' No! NO! THAT'S IT! ''I LOVE HER!'' '''[[PunctuatedPounding AND I'M! GONNA! MARRY! HER!]]'''

[[caption-width-right:259:"I guess no one likes me!"]]

* Imaged above, in "Who's for Dinner?", Heffer is distraught that the Wolfe family he grew up for years had adopted him (with the intent to fatten him up and eat him before accepting him). He tries to find his real parents only to get rudely dismissed by an image of his father dismissing him as just another one of his hundred "ugly" kids. It was after this that Heffer realized that the literal [[RaisedByWolves wolves that raised him]] were his real family after all, leading to a happy ending. According to [[WordOfGod Joe Murry]], this episode was never intended to be taken seriously, and was surprised to find [[MisaimedFandom several television critics calling such a silly cartoon "groundbreaking."]] Nevertheless, poor Heffer's devastation at the discovery that [[ObliviousAdoption the family of wolves he was raised by are not, in fact, his biological family]] is heartbreaking.

* According to [[WordOfGod Joe Murry]], ''Who's For Dinner'' was never intended to be taken seriously, and was surprised to find [[MisaimedFandom several television critics calling such a silly cartoon "groundbreaking."]] Nevertheless, poor Heffer's devastation at the discovery that [[ObliviousAdoption the family of wolves he was raised by are not, in fact, his biological family]] is heartbreaking.

'''Filburt:''' No! NO! THAT'S IT! ''I LOVE HER!'' '''[[PunctuatedPounding AND I'M! GONNA! MARRY! HER!]]'''
* Imaged above, in ''Who's for Dinner?'', Heffer is distraught that the Wolfe family he grew up for years had adopted him (with the intent to fatten him up and eat him before accepting him). He tries to find his real parents only to get rudely dismissed by an image of his father dismissing him as just another one of his hundred "ugly" kids. It was after this that Heffer realized that the literal [[RaisedByWolves wolves that raised him]] were his real family after all, leading to a happy ending.

'''Filburt:''' No! NO! THAT'S IT! ''I LOVE HER!'' '''[[PunctuatedPounding AND I'M! GONNA! MARRY! HER!]]'''

[[caption-width-right:259:"I guess no one likes me!"]][[labelnote:context]]

* ''Future Schlock,'' Rocko, Heffer, and Spunky being blasted off in space and and an elderly Filburt telling his grown children in the future that he never saw them again and that they were gone forever in space. Fortunately, they return near the end of the episode.

* ''Tickled Pinky,'' the episode where Rocko has to have his appendix removed and has a dream before his surgery about spending one last day with and anthropomorphized version of it, a'la the "Make A Wish Foundation." It still seems to have been tailored to wring tears from anyone who's had to have organs removed, silly as it may be.