The Demon in the Mattress
Original air date: 12/3/1999
Production code: CCD-103a
Muriel orders a special mattress so that she can sleep comfortably at night. However, when the mattress arrives, it comes with a complimentary demon, who seizes control of Muriel's body.
Freaky Fred
Original air date: 12/3/1999
Production code: CCD-103b
A relative of Muriel's has come to the farmhouse for a visit. This relative, however, proves to be rather insane, and develops a liking towards Courage.
"The Demon in the Mattress" features examples of the following tropes:
- Butt Biter: After exorcising the demon from Muriel and seeing it take over Eustace instead, then try to attack Muriel, Courage chomps onto his butt to stall him.
- Cat Scare: The Demon of the Mattress pulls this on Courage while possessing Muriel.Demon: It would be lovely if I could have a cup... of... TEA!
Courage: AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaah... [gives Demon a Disapproving Look] - Landline Eavesdropping: Courage uses the phone to listen in on Muriel talking to the suspicious mattress salesman.
- Pet the Dog: Eustace is cranky as ever in this episode, but he's much less apathetic and ineffectual than usual, and he actively works alongside Courage in order to exorcize and defeat the Monster of the Week. Of course, all this actually accomplishes is get him possessed and shipped away with the mattress to parts unknown. No wonder he usually prefers to stay in the sidelines.
- Possession Levitation: After Muriel gets possessed by the demon living in her new bed mattress by it going up her nose, her body floats as she's sleeping.
- Shout-Out: To The Exorcist when Possessed!Muriel's head does the famous 360 turn... then falls off.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Eustace has this reaction when he initially reads the last part of the exorcism spell, looking as if he can't believe what he's saying — "Kick 'em in the dishpan, hoo hoo hoo?" Courage shrugs too, as if to say he doesn't know either.
"Freaky Fred" features examples of the following tropes:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The possible candidates for Muriel's cousin Fred as imagined by Courage: a mummy, a giant bug, Frankenstein's monster, and a mime (and that's the one he shudders about). In an an interesting subversion, Fred is actually a compulsive barber, and while less "monstrous" than the mummy or the bugs, he turns out to be far scarier.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: Freaky Fred has a near-constant one, particularly when he's thinking about how "naughty" he is or when he's planning on shaving something. It stretches out so far that it's wider than the rest of his head.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: It's quite easy to interpret Fred's poem as ramblings of an insane serial-rapist. Plus the whole "locked in a bathroom" thing...
- Even Evil Has Standards: Not "evil" per say, but even Fred drew the line at shaving Courage's tail even saying that would be "weird."
- Jerkass Has a Point: Eustace calls Fred a "freak" and he's actually right for once, given the man's wide, creepy grin and obsession with shaving people completely bald.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Freaky Fred. He's not really nightmarish, he's just... naughty, due to the constant and extremely creepy look on his face, which scares the living daylights out of poor Courage even before he finds out Fred wants to shave him bald.
- Properly Paranoid: Surprisingly, it's Eustace who falls into this trope. He knows full-well Fred will stir up trouble somehow and creates a big lock in the bathroom.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Eustace leaves the house during the events of this episode and rightfully stays out.
- Shaped Like Itself: When Muriel hears the door slam after Eustace locks Courage in the bathroom with Fred, Eustace tells her "The door slammed", and they leave it at that.
- Shout-Out: Fred's rhyming is a tribute to the rhyming schemes in the works of Dr. Seuss.
- Villain Opening Scene: The episode opens on Fred presenting himself to the viewer through Internal Monologue on his way to the Bagge residence. His status as a villain is debatable, though, given that his antagonistic actions are due to compulsion and not malice.
