History YMMV / Regularshow

** Eileen quickly became popular due to her adorable chemistry with Rigby, and playing a major role in his CharacterDevelopment. She was so popular, even with the show's staff, that she became an AscendedExtra in the final season.

* CommonKnowledge: Among the most infamous of ''Regular Show'' scenes is the one where Mordecai pushes Rigby off a microwave during an argument with Rigby, melting him to death. Many people believe he solely did so [[DisproportionateRetribution because Rigby tried to make Mordecai jealous of his relationship with Margaret]], and see this as the biggest piece of evidence that he is a [[LoveMakesYouCrazy depraved, Margaret-obsessed maniac]]. However, watching the scene reveals that Rigby tried to do the same to Mordecai moments before, making his reaction [[KillingInSelfDefense seem a little more reasonable]].

---> '''Benson''': Who would've thought that a mandatory team building activity would get us to the championship?\\
'''Mordecai''': Thanks to my power hook!\\
'''Rigby''': No way! Thanks to my atomic fireball!\\
'''Benson''': And because of my *chuckles* backup balls!

---> "Carmenita's special parts should only be manipulated by a professional."

---> Gila monster, pigeon, marmot, dik-dik, baboon, bushpig, long pig, aardwolf, manatee, bat-eared fox, red bat, spotted bat, dog-faced bat, opossum, emu, hairy long-nosed armadillo, big hairy armadillo, screaming hairy armadillo, colocolo, spectacled bear, lowland tapir, red deer, shy albatross, komondor dog, hagfish, sonoran sidewinder, snorkel viper, oak-leaf rattler, bacon, narwhal, kookaburra, aha ha, blobfish, bulldog stargazer, tufted titmouse, screaming cowbird, green jay, lady amhersts pheasant, polish chicken, quetzal, Surinam toad, tomato frog, turtle frog, Christmas tree worm, vampire squid, coelacanth, mugger crocodile, aya-aye, dumbo octopus, and platypus.
* AngstWhatAngst: In the finale, Mordecai asks Rigby if he felt any remorse of the people that were killed, with Rigby stating that they're probably fine. Granted, we do later find out that the people Anti-Pops killed came back after [[spoiler: he died]], and Chance Sureshot reveals that his clone was the one who was killed, but there's other characters they met that were killed in the past, even before they went into space.

** Klorgbane only appeared in two episodes, but he's well-remembered for being a threatening KnightOfCerebus [[spoiler: as well as killing the love of Skips' life.]]
** [[spoiler: Stef from the finale [[note]]The woman Mordecai met and later got married to.[[/note]] became popular after her name was revealed.]]
* FandomRivalry:

* FanonDiscontinuity: It's safe to say that some fans (particularly the Thomas fans) just prefer to ignore "The Real Thomas" episode, [[spoiler: where it was revealed all this time, that he was a Russian spy and then went on the run.]]

** Watching [[spoiler: the parts of the montage where Pops' birth and childhood are depicted can come off as pretty chilling]] once you see the finale, since it gives off the vibe that [[spoiler: we've seen his entire life all the way to his death]].
** Speaking of the finale, Muscle Man [[spoiler: thinking he almost killed Pops]] in "Prankless" is even more heartbreaking.
** The ending to [[Recap/RegularShowS06E28DumpedAtTheAlter Dumped At The Alter]] takes an even more bitter turn when you realize [[spoiler: that's literally CJ's last major appearance in the show. While she still makes a couple of cameos afterwards, she seemingly never actually makes up with Mordecai.]] And of course ''not'' helped that WordOfGod states that [[spoiler: CJ cut ties with Margaret, Eileen, Mordecai, and Rigby, arguably due to how her relationship with Mordecai was screwed up beyond repair]].
** In an incredibly creepy example of foreshadowing, or just one heck of a coincidence, Pops, in the fourth Halloween special, is [[spoiler: sacrificed to a giant hole in his own scary story]]. In addition to this, in his segment, he's dressed as [[spoiler: the sun. In the finale, he dies via incineration by a star]].

** Pops' continuous association/fascination with butterflies could be seen as this, seeing as how [[spoiler: he's the only character to permanently die by the end of the series]], and there's an [[ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth entire trope]] about this.
** In the episode "Rap It Up," Pops recites a rather sweet, charming poem about hugs. It's cute upon watching initially, but rather sad after watching the show's final episode. In the finale, [[spoiler: Pops dies hugging Anti-Pops, and in their last moments, Anti-Pops gives him a hug back]].
** ''Death Punchies'' shows a PlayedForLaughs montage of Rigby losing in a game called punchies, capped off with [[TheBigGuy Skips]] sending him to the hospital. In ''Over The Top'', [[spoiler: Skips ''kills'' Rigby in a game of arm wrestling.]]
*** Also in the same episode, when Rigby goes completely nuts with the Death Punch, one moment is shown where he punches Pops into the sun. [[spoiler: Now, how does Pops die in the finale?]]
** ''The End of Muscle Man'', Muscle Man makes everyone in the park think he's going to die because of his declining health, but this ends up being a fake out. (he wanted to kill off his Muscle Man ''persona'' for Starla, because he thought it would be better to put his wildness behind him and just be Mitch for when the finally get married)In the finale [[spoiler: Anti-Pops really ''does'' end up killing Muscle Man, along with High-Five Ghost. Thankfully, they come back in the end thanks to Pops' HeroicSacrifice.]]
** "Don" bears some similarities to the series finale. [[spoiler: Just like Pops, Rigby has to hug his brother to prevent everything from being erased.]]
** The short mini-episode "Fun Run" ends with Pops getting carried off to the sky towards the sun by a flock of seagulls. In the show's final episode, Pops [[spoiler: dies by incineration when he's flung into a star]]. What was at first just a very surreal joke ending is now a lot creepier in hindsight.
** In the [[BigDamnMovie Regular Show movie]], Rigby tells Mordecai that if he dies saving the world, that he wants Benson to build a bronze statue of him in his memory at the park, because "that would be really cool." [[spoiler: Pops died in the final episode, and Benson erected a statue in his memory at the park]].

** Maellard was a ''very'' callous JerkWithAHeartOfGold in the majority of his appearances, with a couple PetTheDog moments towards Benson and Pops here and there. But the finale pushed him into straight-up woobie territory, after [[spoiler: he finds out that his son Pops has died, and he begins to cry]].
* MagnificentBastard:

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample ** Oddly enough, [[spoiler: Rigby! The horrible revelation in 'House Rules' has made Mordecai quietly but desperately protective of him.]]

** Klorgbane crossed it when he destroyed Skips' high school prom, knocked out the principal, and got [[spoiler: Mona killed in the crossfire]] just so he could fight Skips. He also [[spoiler:killed Archibald]] in present time.
** [[spoiler: Anti-Pops]] crosses it when he begins erasing reality, starting with murdering [[spoiler: Muscle Man and High Five Ghost]] just to piss off Pops.

* RealismInducedHorror: Regular Show is usually steeped in a lot of surreal conflicts. But the episode "That's My Television" tells the tale of [=RGB2=], an actor bullied into a contract by corrupt executives that view him more as a cash cow and not a living being or his own person. His life is so terrible he actually ''begs'' Mordecai and Rigby to help him escape the studio. From the perspective of TV fans, it's terrifying to discover behind the scenes cruelty; especially from the entertainment industry which is DEFINITELY no stranger to this sort of abusive treatment. [[spoiler: The reveal that [=RGB2=] is a withered old man trapped in a costume, while surreal and outlandish, makes this all the more horrifying.]]

---> '''Rigby:''' This was the most disturbing day of my life.

----> '''Pops:''' I can feel the excitement in my bladder!

** "Steak Me Amadeus" has one for Music/{{Lynyrd Skynyrd}}'s "Tuesday's Gone" after [[spoiler: Mordecai gets dumped.]]

*** He gets another one from Mother Duck who [[spoiler: points out Mordecai and Rigby saved the park AND the world despite the damage. That Benson yelling at babies is just plain wrong. AND that he was the person who ordered Mordecai and Rigby to stop the Geese in the first place.]]

** The antagonist of season 8, [[spoiler: Anti-Pops]], who was built up as the TrueFinalBoss of the series' final story arc ends up getting OutOfFocus for a huge portion of his own story arc. What's worse is that TheDreaded villain was finally gaining some comedic moments in the last 3 episodes before switching into a GenericDoomsdayVillain with not much backstory.

* TooCoolToLive: Pops, a CoolOldGuy who spreads joy and helps others out of the goodness of his heart [[spoiler: ends up dying in the final season]].
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:

** Pops. Easily the most sensitive and vulnerable character in the show, and the one who is the most easily provoked to tears. He's also kind of a ButtMonkey, and a lot of episodes that feature him as a main character ("Prankless," "Marvolo the Wizard," "Dizzy," etc,) show something bad happening to him. This is amped up to 11 after the finale, in which he [[spoiler: dies to save all of his friends]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Mordecai's LoveTriangle with CJ and Margaret and his failed attempts to be together with any of them is supposed to come across as something tragic, and make viewers empathize with him. However, Mordecai’s inability to choose between the two, on top of being MasterOfTheMixedMessage just makes him come across as a shallow, pathetic, and irresponsible person who is ignorant to how his erratic actions hurt others.

** It's obvious they weren't planning on Thomas turning out to be [[spoiler:a Russian spy]] when he first appeared, as the retconning in the flashbacks seems rather forced. However, some of the scenes that don't feel like forced foreshadowing do explain a lot about Thomas and why he didn't seem to be featured a lot after being introduced in "Exit 9B."

*** In Mordecai's case, he is either a likable OnlySaneMan who makes believable mistakes for someone his age or he is UnintentionallyUnsympathetic due to how terribly he deals with his love life, whether with Margaret or CJ.

** On the flip side of the shipping coin, Margaret gets demonized as a siren who dares threaten CJ and Mordecai's relationship by kissing him and later admitting she still had feelings for him when she didn’t even keep in touch with him after leaving for college, and due to fans claiming she played with Mordecai's emotions and in the earlier episodes constantly went on dates with other guys when it was obvious Mordecai was into her. This ignores the fact Mordecai kept being the MasterofMixedMessages around her (something she calls him out for) and it’s not her fault he couldn’t make a move when he had the chance, and while Mordecai kissing her in front of CJ wasn’t great and CJ has every right to be mad and untrusting, the two of them had unresolved issues that came flooding back after they reunited, making the situation more complicated, and Margaret tried her best to not make things awkward after the fact, which once again was caused by Mordecai and his wishy-washyness with the both of them.

** Margaret is either a likable, well written supporting character with good romantic chemistry with Mordecai or an annoying, bland plot device for Mordecai. After Season 5, this sentiment managed to die down a bit, only to come back on later seasons, especially one the love triangle between her, Mordecai, and CJ started, as some blame her for ruining their relationship and admitting later she still had feelings for Mordecai, when she didn’t even keep in touch with him after she left

** CJ is a perfectly nice girl who has a lot in common with Mordecai and only gets angry when she either fears for Mordecai or has had her heart broken by him inadvertently. Unfortunately people tend to dislike her due to her fiery temper even if she did nothing to deserve what's been done to her/paint her as a controlling girlfriend with anger issues, when while she did overreact in some scenarios Mordecai ''did'' kiss his ex in front of her. It wasn't ''helped'' when WordOfGod years later after the show's end would confirm that CJ cut ties with ''everyone'', putting it more as if she did that due to her anger towards Mordecai.
** On the flip side of the shipping coin, Margret gets demonized as a siren who dares threaten CJ and Mordecai's relationship.

** The development of Mordecai and Margaret's relationship has been ''agonizingly'' slow. After four seasons of Mordecai making minimal effort to take their relationship beyond friendship, Margaret finally gives him a kiss when he sees her off at the airport. So they're finally together, right? Nope, next episode involving them says that Mordecai is still considered to be in the "friend zone". At the end, they share a mutual kiss, and the next episode has Margaret introducing him to the rest of her family. But "Steak Me Amadeus"'s plot revolves around Mordecai asking Margaret to be his girlfriend and getting heartbroken when Margaret shoots him down. Given everything that had happened prior, it was pretty easy to think that ''she already was''.
** And things got worse with the Mordecai-Margaret-CJ love triangle that started with CJ becoming upset over Mordecai kissing Margaret on "Merry Christmas, Mordecai". The following episode "Sad Sax" has Mordecai try to reconcile with CJ but she either ignores his attempts or the two times she started comes around to him Margaret ends up calling him or she sees the two of them talking o and both times she assumes the worst and storms off. They do reconcile after Mordecai assures her she’s the only person he wants to be with, but CJ's trust issues continue when she freaks out seeing Mordecai and Margaret together in the Chopper 5 in "1000th Chopper Flight Party and assumes the worst, although she is remorseful when she finds out Margaret has a boyfriend, but then in "Not Great Double Date" Margaret ends up revealing she lied because she was sick of things being awkward around her own friends, and that she still has feelings for Mordecai. It ends with Mordecai hijacking Muscle Man's wedding reception to make a speech on how he doesn’t know if he has a solemate, and before he seemingly is about to presumably dump CJ she cuts him off again once again thinking Mordecai loves Margaret and the two deciding to break up in "Dumped at the Altar" (then continued on "Dumptown, USA" with Mordecai running away to be alone with his grief, Rigby rescuing him, and telling Mordecai that he should forget about dating and enjoy the single life and with "Just Friends" with Mordecai and Margaret admitting that, while they do like each other, the two of them are content to just be friends and not rush into a relationship. It finally ended with the series finale with Mordecai getting together with neither Margaret nor CJ and marrying a bat girl he met during his time as a famous artist, though, according to WordOfGod, Mordecai still has a platonic friendship with Margaret, while his friendship and romantic relationship with CJ is pretty much done).

*** In Mordecai's case, he is either a likable OnlySaneMan who makes believable mistakes or he is UnintentionallyUnsympathetic due to how terribly he deals with his love life, whether with Margaret or CJ.
** Margaret is either a funny, well written supporting character or an annoying, bland plot device for Mordecai. After Season 5, this sentiment managed to die down a bit, only to come back on later seasons, especially one the love triangle between her, Mordecai, and CJ started, as some blame her for ruining their relationship and admitting later she still had feelings for Mordecai, when she didn’t even keep in touch with him after she left
** CJ is also considerably divisive, depending on one's stance in the love triangle. Many prefer her as Mordecai's love interest over Margaret and an overall character due to her laid back, witty, and tomboyish personality, and having a lot in common with Mordecai, although some dislike her for her anger and trust issues with Margaret and her overreacting in "Sad Sax" and "1000th Chopper Flight Party" from seeing them together and immediately assuming the worst, in the latter episode she even went full hurricane again and almost killed Mordecai, Margaret, and Margaret's parents, which some defend by the fact Mordecai has technically (unintentionally) cheated on her twice with Margaret so she has some right to be worried/untrusting.

* BrokenBase: Who should Mordecai be with? CJ or Margaret? Does he even deserve to be with either as of "Merry Christmas Mordecai"? [[spoiler:As of "Sad Sax," the answer is that he's deeply sorry for breaking C.J.'s heart, doesn't love Margaret enough to be with her anymore [but still likes her], and wants to be with C.J.]] Speaking of "Sad Sax," was Mordecai's quest to make up with C.J. over the events of "Merry Christmas, Mordecai" sincere or was this a cheap way to piss off fans who want Margaret and Mordecai to be a couple? There’s also debate on who is more in the wrong, many mostly blame Mordecai for his communication issues, kissing his ex in front of CJ, and hijacking his own friend's wedding reception to make a speech about solemates and was presumably [[note]] Later Rigby asks if by "going with your gut" meant go crazy and try to dump your girlfriend at a wedding, which Mordecai replies that he’s not good at this kind of stuff, implying that he was going to dump CJ and not profess his love [[/note]] going to dump his girlfriend in front of everyone, Margaret for kissing Mordecai and admitting she still has feelings for Mordecai while not even keeping in touch with him after she broke up with him to leave for college, or CJ for her trust and anger issues towards Margaret and her actions in "1000th Chopper Flight Party" where her assuming the worst once again nearly killed people. Though, in the end, none of this mattered, as "Dumped at the Altar" showed Mordecai and CJ "taking a break" from each other after, "Dumptown USA" had Rigby tell Mordecai to forget about girls and find out what he wants out of life, "Just Friends" as the title would imply ends with Mordecai and Margaret agreeing to just stay friends, and the series finale showed that Mordecai ended up marrying a bat girl named Stef (according to WordOfGod) when Mordecai finally gets his art career off the ground and becomes famous for his work. While Margaret is now Mordecai's platonic friend, CJ basically washed her hands of Mordecai and is now a pro dodgeball player.

--> '''Benson''': Who would've thought that a mandatory team building activity would get us to the championship?\\

--> "Carmenita's special parts should only be manipulated by a professional."

--> '''Rigby:''' This was the most disturbing day of my life.

--> '''Pops:''' I can feel the excitement in my bladder!

** CJ is also considerably divisive, depending on one's stance in the love triangle. Many prefer her as Mordecai's love interest over Margaret and an overall character due to her laid back, witty, and tomboyish personality, and having a lot in common with Mordecai, although some dislike her for her anger and trust issues with Margaret and her overreacting in "Sad Sax" and "1000th Chopper Flight Party" from seeing them together and immediately assuming the worst, in the latter episode she even went full hurricane again and almost killed Mordecai, Margaret, and Margaret's parents, which some defend by the fact Mordecai has technically (unintentionally) cheated on her twice with Margaret so she has some right to be worried.

* BrokenBase: Who should Mordecai be with? CJ or Margaret? Does he even deserve to be with either as of "Merry Christmas Mordecai"? [[spoiler:As of "Sad Sax," the answer is that he's deeply sorry for breaking C.J.'s heart, doesn't love Margaret enough to be with her anymore [but still likes her], and wants to be with C.J.]] Speaking of "Sad Sax," was Mordecai's quest to make up with C.J. over the events of "Merry Christmas, Mordecai" sincere or was this a cheap way to piss off fans who want Margaret and Mordecai to be a couple? There’s also debate on who is more in the wrong, many mostly blame Mordecai for his communication issues, kissing his ex in front of CJ, and hijacking his own friend's wedding reception to make a speech about solemates and was presumably [[note]] Later Rigby asks if by "going with your gut" meant go crazy and try to dump your girlfriend at a wedding, which Mordecai replies that he’s not good at this kind of stuff, implying that he was going to dump CJ and not profess his love [[/note]] going to dump his girlfriend in front of everyone, Margaret for kissing Mordecai and admitting she still has feelings for Mordecai, or CJ for her trust and anger issues towards Margaret and her actions in "1000th Chopper Flight Party" where her assuming the worst once again nearly killed people. Though, in the end, none of this mattered, as "Dumped at the Altar" showed Mordecai and CJ "taking a break" from each other after, "Dumptown USA" had Rigby tell Mordecai to forget about girls and find out what he wants out of life, "Just Friends" as the title would imply ends with Mordecai and Margaret agreeing to just stay friends, and the series finale showed that Mordecai ended up marrying a bat girl named Stef (according to WordOfGod) when Mordecai finally gets his art career off the ground and becomes famous for his work. While Margaret is now Mordecai's platonic friend, CJ basically washed her hands of Mordecai and is now a pro dodgeball player.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Near the end of season 7 a sub-plot formed of Mordecai wanting to either become a pilot or open an airport but by season 8 (the final season) nothing comes of that.
** And speaking of season 8, the fact that it takes place in outer space and is also the final season of the show, it was a missed opportunity to use Music/{{Europe}}'s "The Final Countdown".

** The reveal that the Network CEO of "That's My Television" [[spoiler:trapped RGB2 in his suit for years, enslaving a man and stealing his life just to make more money]] might qualify him as the most deplorable villain on the whole series.

* AcceptableProfessionalTargets:
** Entertainment executives. Guys like Bert Coleman, the Night Owl, and [=RGB2=]'s boss are all abusive, sociopathic {{Hate Sink}}s who make rooting for Mordecai and Rigby very, very easy.
** [[RichBitch Rich jerks]] in general. The evil Country club owner, Rich Steve, and Rich Buckner in particular come to nasty ends for their selfish plans.

** While Muscle Man continues to be a {{Base Breaking Character}}, later seasons gave him a significant amount of character depth (such as exploring his family, high school years, and relationship with Starla) and toned down a lot of his more negative traits, winning over a lot of fans who initially detested him.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A show about a raccoon and blue jay who work at a park for a walking, talking gumball machine and a giant lollipop man. You do the math.
* [[WidgetSeries W(h)at Series]]: Very, very much. The cast is an assortment of animals, humans (sometimes realistic, sometimes cartoonish like Muscle Man), mythical creatures, and inanimate objects; and the plots, no matter how SliceOfLife they begin, will devolve into the surreal.
** The ShowWithinAShow ''Planet Chaser Starlight Excellent'' is a WidgetSeries.
** There's also "Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice, I Punch Your Face!"

*** For Rigby in particular, he's either a great JerkWithAHeartOfGold, or an obnoxious douchebag that Mordecai should just get rid of. The fact Mordecai has shown more responsibility and is [[OnlySaneMan the saner of the two]] doesn't help, although it's hard to tell how much of this is due to ProtagonistCenteredMorality since he's essentially an AuthorAvatar of J.G.Quintel (see AlternateCharacterInterpretation above).

** [[spoiler: Stef from the finale[[note]]The woman Mordecai met and later got married to.[[/note]] became popular after her name was revealed.]]

** [[spoiler: Stef from the finale. [[note]]The woman Mordecai met and later got married to.[[/note]] became popular after her name was revealed.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** ''Lift with Your Back'' kind of plays with this. It addresses the common accusation that Rigby is TheLoad by having him actually follow through with a job on his own. While that happens, the episode also calls to attention that Rigby has been a more reliable friend for Mordecai than anyone was willing to give him credit for.
** ''Eileen Flat Screen'' goes even further by showing Rigby doing something nice for Eileen by not only taking her new flatscreen home, but also installing it for her. And he does it of his own volition, instead of being talked into it by Mordecai or CJ. In earlier episodes he would have whined the entire time and refused to take it seriously, thus showing that [[CharacterDevelopment Rigby really has changed for the better.]]

** For those who do not support Mordecai beating up on the much smaller and weaker Rigby, Rigby punching him back and it actually hurting in "1000th Chopper Flight Party" is this.

* PopularWithFurries: The series has a fair amount of furry fans.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Seasons 6 and 7 have done this for Rigby, one of the more pronounced {{Base Breaking Character}}s of the show. Throughout the course of the season, he underwent a convincing case of CharacterDevelopment, [[TookALevelInKindness taking a level in kindess]], and officially started a relationship with Eileen.

* ValuesDissonance: A less serious example with Mordecai. Mordecai's DoggedNiceGuy tendencies towards Margaret came off as "simping" to many viewers after the term was coined circa-2019. As a result, fans became more likely to view him as pathetic at best and a traitor to his other friends at worst, paying special attention to the scene where he pushes Rigby off the microwave for sabotaging his attempts to impress her, which kills him (although Rigby attempted to do the same to him first).