Recap / Dr. Crafty Season 3 Month 2: Valentine's Month

Dr. Crafty Recap Index
Season:
Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
Month:
#1: Season 3 Premiere Month | #2: Valentines Month | #3: Season 3 Commission Month
#4: Cartoon Month | #5: Disney Month | #6: Hero Month
Bonus Content:
Season 3 Patreon Episodes | Season 3 Promotional Videos

Airing Range: 3/1/19 - 3/22/19

Love is in the air as the Crafty Crew celebrates Valentines' Day for the entire month. However, Crafty is strangely despondent; something about the month bothers him greatly, which becomes increasingly obvious as the month continues… until he finally reveals why.

Tropes Applicable to the Month as a whole:

• Valentine's Day Episode: This month deals with art depicting couples of all sorts. There's also a sub-plot connecting the episodes concerning Crafty's past with Sasha, and how the breakup affected him.

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Chara-Cafe E8: "Ad-ORC-able!"

Air Date: 3/1/19

Pepper finds Crafty feeling moody over the Valentine's Month festivities and does her best to cheer him up, including helping him with this month's Chara-Café piece: a loving relationship between two unlikely people.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Bad Boss: An impatient Crafty tries urging his zombie writers to expedite the plot so he and Pepper can meet the couple they're designing. The writers take a while to heed his request, and when he implicitly threatens them, the two zombies appear onscreen and growl at him.
  Pepper: It really is a good month to do so, as well! And I think the happy couple will be very excited to meet you.
  Crafty: Yeah, why don't we go ahead and skip to that part?
  Pepper: What do you mean?
  Crafty: I really want to meet them now. Maybe we can tell the writers to hurry it up?
  Pepper: Oh, um... I guess?
  [Crickets idly chirp for a while as nothing happens.]
  Pepper: ... Writers?
  [The writers still do nothing.]
  Crafty: Fine! Be that way! I guess we can wait...
  [At the sound of a ding, both hosts look up in recognition.]
  Pepper: Oh, I uh... I think it's done!
  Crafty: YES! I knew that would work!
  Pepper: Maybe the writers are having pity on you. *Giggles*
  Crafty: Or maybe, they know who's boss!
  [Katy and Michaela appear and stare Crafty down, audibly growling. Crafty looks very nervous.]
  Crafty: I was just kidding!! Please don't erase me!
  [The zombies slowly leave as Crafty smiles at them nervously.]
  Pepper: Let's, um... just go meet the happy couple!
• Foreshadowing: Crafty is noticeably frustrated about not receiving any Valentines' Day recognition. It's presented as a rather trivial affair, especially with how Pepper resolves Crafty's woes fairly quickly by sharing her candy with him. But it's the first hint that February is a tough month for Crafty. Things continue to build up until the very last episode of the month pays it all off.
• Hopeless Suitors: Tons of admirers from across the globe have sent Valentine gifts to Pepper—mainly heart candies—in hopes of wooing her. Unfortunately for them, she's not interested, and she cites her asexuality as the main reason.
• Opposites Attract: For this episode's concoction, a steampunk character and a fantasy character are paired together in a relationship.
• Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: The couple created in this episode consists of a skinny, dorky steampunk boy and a tall, muscular orc girl.

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Top Ten Tub E8: "Couples!"

Air Date: 3/1/19

Ever the romantic, Messi is excited to introduce her and Crafty's favorite fictionalcouples.

This episode's list contains the following:

• 10. Roger and Jessica Rabbit
• 9. Harley Quinn and The Joker
• 8. Deadpool and Death
• 7. Takeo Gōda and Rinko Yamato
• 6. Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent
• 5. Jack Skellington and Sally
• 4. Belle and the Beast
• 3. Mary Poppins and Bert
• 2. Héctor and Imelda Elena
• 1. Garnet

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Comfort Food: After the show is finished, Messi vows to stuff herself with chocolate and ice cream while watching Bridget Jones' Diary. Both are intended to distract her from how she's still single. Serena offers to join Messi this time, hoping to win her over as her girlfriend. But Messi, like clockwork, is still as oblivious to Serena's crush as ever.
  Crafty: Well, I have to ask, Messi. What're your plans for Valentines' day?
  Messi: Well, I may not have a special lady in my life yet, but I can still gorge on chocolate and ice cream while watching Bridgette Jones' Diary for the eight millionth time.
  [Serena appears.]
  Serena: I can help with that, Ms. Messibelle!
  Messi: Oh, great! Can you go to the store and buy me a big tub of ice cream? I'm all out.
  Serena: I'd love you— I-I mean, love to! Be right back...
  [Serena leaves.]
  Messi: [oblivious] What a nice girl.
  Crafty: ...You're actually a complete idiot, aren't you?
  Messi: What?
  [Crafty just facepalms and walks away.]
  Messi: ...Whaaat?
• The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Crafty places Jessica and Roger Rabbit's widely beloved relationship at the very bottom of this episode's top ten list. Messi is incredulous, as is the audience, so Crafty hurries to explain: he simply feels that Who Framed Roger Rabbit barely explores their dynamic, for as much as he enjoys it for what it is. Messi comes around to Crafty's stance, but the audience ignores his efforts and still boos him. Someone even knocks him out with a Blue Shell.
  Messi: Aw, come on, guys! His opinion isn't bad! He just thinks that way...
• Take That!: When covering the Beast, Messibelle launches into a tirade against those who think Beauty and the Beast is about Stockholm Syndrome, a concept she views with utter contempt. The rant is not only scathing, but it comes from someone who's been studying relationship dynamics intensely.
  Messi: A lot of people over the years have accused this pairing of romanticizing Stockholm Syndrome, wherein a kidnapped victim feels sympathy... for their captor... Those people are f(honk)ing morons. Stockholm Syndrome isn't even a real psychological condition! And if it was, they've got it backwards! Belle doesn't feel sympathy for him, or change her own behaviors for him. The Beast changes for her, and becomes a better human! That's the whole. F(honk)ing. POINT! But nooooo! You guys gotta have your whole hot takes and feel so smart for pointing out logical inconsistencies in a F(HONK)ING FAIRYTALE! Well, goo for you, buddy. How about instead of doing that, you go out and touch a real woman instead of complaining about stories starring a 2D one?!
  [Reaching her limit, Messi roars like Godzilla. She spends the next few seconds catching her breath.]
  Crafty: Feel better, darling?
  Messi: [wearily] ... What were we talking about?
  Crafty: Um... Beauty and the Beast?
  [Without hesitation, Messi restarts her introduction to the #4 spot, as if she hadn't just finished it earlier.]
  Messi: Beauty and the Beast! The ship that launched a thousand monster boyfriends. This absolutely iconic pair is...
  [Crafty facepalms.]

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Questionable Qloset E2: "Return to the Qloset"

Air Date: 3/1/19

Back in the Qloset, Crystelle reveals that she shares a history with a certain demonic lawyer.

This episode's questions for Crystelle are revealed on the following three cards:

1. The Death (Zombie Staff): "How and why does Crafty need to zombify his workers?"
2. The Justice (Jedah): "What're your thoughts on Jedah & Jedah Law Services?"
3. The Star (Crystelle): "Were you always the way you are, or were you human in the past?"

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Arbitrary Skepticism: When asked about Jedah & Jedah law services, Crystelle shudders, begrudgingly admitting that she and Jedah are college exes. She considers their relationship embarrassing in hindsight, especially since Jedah's been trying to use his legal firm to debunk her psychic powers ever since they broke up. This is despite him being a demon with his own magical powers, and how he has first-hand experience with Crystelle's abilities.
• Cards of Power: For this episode, Crystelle draws the Star (herself), the Death (The Zombie Minions), and the Justice (Jedah). Keeping in line with the monthly theme, the Justice question introduces Crystelle's failed relationship with Jedah Dohma.
• Noodle Incident: When asked about how Crafty's workers got zombified in Episode 2, Crafty suddenly walks in to lay out a disclaimer: that's just how the workers ended up after completing college. Exactly what happened to them in their colleges is up to the viewers' imaginations.

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Main Show E55: "Mischief Match Maker"

Air Date: 3/1/19

Nurse prepares the lab for a Valentine's festival, but Crafty seems suspiciously bothered by them. When starting up today's work, they are given the difficult task of forming random romantic pairings between submitted OCs.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Character Development: Back in "Crafty Hearts Re:Grouped," Nurse promises to treat Crafty better than she had throughout Season 2. She demonstrates growth in this episode after falling back on old habits at first. She beats him up when he questions her remark about Dr. Crafty fanfiction, but she mellows out when the art for the episode is completed. Just before she makes a snide remark about Crafty's work, she outwardly stops herself and delivers a compliment instead, which takes Crafty by surprise. She extends the kindness later when she offers to dance with him, taking her first steps to truly demonstrate her affection for him beyond swooning.
• Unexpected Kindness: Just when it seems like Nurse is going to make a snarky remark about Crafty's finished art, as she would sometimes have done during Season 2, she instead gives Crafty a sincere compliment. Crafty is positively taken aback by the remark but is no less thankful for it. Because of Nurse's kindness, he opts to dance with her during the holiday dance that they set up for the OC pairs.

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Main Show E56: "Blind Hate"

Air Date: 3/8/19

As if the last episode's matches were hard to make, Crafty now has to pair up Skeletor and Garnet. He and Nurse have to put up with the former as they discuss crackships.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• invoked Crack Pairing: The show's patrons voted on two random characters to ship for an In-Universe example of the trope for this episode: Skeletor and Garnet. Neither Crafty nor Nurse can fathom what the voters were thinking, but the pairing at least gives them an excuse to discuss the concept of crack pairings as a whole.
• Overly Long Gag: For the duration of his first physical appearance onscreen, Skeletor loudly, incessantly drinks from a coffee cup in-between sentences. It annoys Nurse to the point of concern for Skeletor's health.

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Main Show E57: "This is Crack(ship)"

Air Date: 3/15/19

Crafty's Valentine's blues have reached an all-time low; something is up with him, but he's not willing to say what it is. The cohosts leave him to his devices as they prepare to deal with some weird pairings themselves.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Big Beautiful Woman: The OC paired with Nurse is Yuki, the persona of her owner, YukiGoomba. Around the time this episode was uploaded, Yuki's artist was deciding on how to adjust her proportions. The artwork for this episode opts to make Yuki chubby, and Nurse is very eager to spend some time with her after the show. Notably, after this episode was uploaded, YukiGoomba herself settled on making Yuki consistently chubby in her artwork of the character.
• invoked Crack Pairing: Following up on "Blind Hate," "This is Crack(ship) features crack pairings between various Original Characters and the Crafty crew. This time, instead of discussing Crack-Ships as a concept, this episode explores the consequences of them before Crafty's depression takes center stage.
• Foreshadowing: The flashback for this episode takes place after a young Crafty recovered from almost drowning. When he brought Sasha home with him to introduce her to the family, Crafty's mother was initially confused. The doctors told her that the girl who got Crafty to the hospital was quite chubby, while Sasha is quite lean. At this, Sasha quietly confirmed to Crafty that she couldn't have called for help—she didn't own a phone. Crafty's mother wrote the confusion off, concluding that the doctor just made a mistake. It's later revealed that the doctor was not mistaken.
• Negative Continuity: The "stunt double" rule established in "Pros and Comms" is cited again. This time, it is implied that there is an agreement made between the interacting characters in shipping drawings, preventing any party involved from nonconsensual romance or worse. Before Nurse's intervention, the visiting Gecko almost breaches this agreement when he tries giving Pepper a pervy hug.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: By this point in the month, Crafty has become absolutely forlorn. It almost turns him off from running the show for this episode; he doesn't offer any commentary until Nurse's piece shows up onscreen halfway through the episode. Everyone's concerned for his well-being, and Nurse soon has Crafty sit down so they can arrange a talk for later about what's bothering him.
• Shout-Out:
  • For Crafty's Crack-Ship artwork, Crafty references an image of SpongeBob striking a karate pose, even drawing himself wearing a pink set of Sponge's massive foam karate gloves. He is paired with Sandy—not Sandy Cheeks, but Minion of the East's Sandy—who no doubt influenced how Crafty is depicted in the drawing.
  • When Crafty asks her if "Sasha" is her real name, Sasha admits that it's just an alias and that he'd need to add 400,000 more letters to the English alphabet to spell her real name. The number and how it ties into her alias is a reference to the Heavy Weapons Guy's default minigun, which he nicknames "Sasha." Purportedly, the Heavy's Sasha costs 400,000 dollars to fire for twelve seconds.
• Take That!: Pepper makes a jab at Naruto by saying she only sees "good" anime. Nurse bursts out laughing at how unexpected her remark was, but Pepper just grows concerned about being rude to her coworker.

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Main Show E58: "LoveCrafty"

Air Date: 3/22/19

Sasha pays an unexpected visit to the castle late one night, to which Nurse finally deduces what has been bothering Crafty. Clearly sensing her friend's distress, she convinces him to elaborate on how he feels; he obliges by delving into his history.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Big Fancy Castle: The episode opens with an exterior shot of Crafty's castle—the first one that isn't silhouetted. It has an elaborate design, complete with specific sections for the kitchen and bathroom, and it is located in the Florida Everglades.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Barely missing his chance to see Sasha again, Crafty storms back into the castle and snaps at Nurse. He does so with way more venom than he ever has before, so much so that Nurse, instead of snapping back as she has done in the past, looks like she's about to cry. Realizing that he's gone too far, Crafty finally decides to open up to Nurse about his issues.
  [Crafty comes dashing back inside.]
  Crafty: RrrrrrAAAGH, DAMN IT ALL!!!
  [He punches the nearby television, sending it flying.]
  Nurse: Oh my goodness... Colin, please calm do—
  Crafty: NEVER call me that name! YOU DON'T GET TO—
  [Nurse begins choking up in shock, after which Crafty instantly calms down.]
  Crafty: Oh... Ohhhhh, dear. Nurse, I-I'm so sorry. I... I don't know what came over me...
  Nurse: It's okay. Clearly... there are some issues that need to be worked out. Ahem... Doctor, I think it's time we talked about this. Heart to heart. If... that is to say... you're okay with that.
  Crafty: ... Yes. I-I think you're right. Come on. Let's get started.
• Sexy Discretion Shot: Crafty flashes back to the moment he and Sasha became a couple. To cap off the turn in their relationship, the two started making out, with Sasha slowly dropping her human disguise with every kiss until she's back to her usual self. After she does, the flashback's view zooms out of the room as a bright blue light glows from within.
• Unexpectedly Dark Episode: Whereas "The Foreshadow Game" was dark due to its high stakes, "LoveCrafty" is dark for tackling some serious issues for many people in real life: depression, suicide, and lack of closure after an unexpected breakup. Crafty experienced all three of these problems in his past, with Sasha playing a huge part in them. He candidly discusses his issues and Sasha's role in helping him handle them—and when she eventually made things worse—with Nurse as he works on a piece to help himself work through his emotions.
• Wham Episode: This episode has two notable effects on Dr. Crafty's narrative.
  • Having just narrowly missed a chance to reunite with Sasha—possibly the last that he'd ever get—Crafty finally decides to open up to Nurse about his history with not just depression, but his suicidal thoughts and how Sasha both improved and worsened his mental state. They tackle all of these issues in an impromptu art therapy session, which cements the positive direction that Crafty and Nurse's friendship takes throughout Season 3.
    Nurse: Crafty, I’m proud of you.
    Crafty: W-why?
    Nurse: It’s not easy to talk about issues that you’ve had and hard experiences you’ve faced in the past and coming to terms with them. I’m also very flattered that you could share these things with me and trust me enough to listen!
    Crafty: I’m... I’m grateful, too. For listening, and... for being here with me. I honestly can say that you’re exactly the kind of person I need in my life right now. So... thank you.
    Nurse: [blushing] N-no problem, Crafty! Now I’m off to my quarters! Toodles!!
  • After Crafty and Nurse's therapy session, the episode cuts away from the castle to reveal Sasha's whereabouts after she left her message with Nurse: she's started rooming with Disgustilda, of all people, who allows her to stay for as long as she likes. This decision ensures that both of them become far more relevant to the story going forward, with Disgustilda in particular being slightly promoted past being just a gag character.
• Wham Line: Crafty finally recounts his past in detail, revealing that he has some deep-seated issues that extend back to his senior high school years. His summary also reveals why he fell into the sea at the time.
  Crafty: Back when I was younger, I was always alone. No matter how hard I tried to stand out as someone greater than before, I just became more and more invisible to the naked eye. Alone in a crowded room... The only people who acknowledged my existence were my parents, and though I had their attention, it wasn't nearly enough for me to be out of the black void I was living in. So, one night... I went to the local cliff. And I... fell.

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