The Return of Raggedy Android
Year produced: 2002
Production code: 102-010
Original U.S. air date: 9/19/2003 (first aired in the U.K. on 12/8/2002)
In the flesh!
The one with Jenny's exo-skin... again.
Mezmer's is a popular hangout spot for teens all over town, but the owner has a strict "no robots" policy. Desperate to get in, Jenny dons the new and improved Exo-Skin to pass off as a "perfectly normal human girl". But what happens when the exo-skin refuses to let Jenny take it off will result in big trouble.
"The Return of Raggedy Android" contains examples of:
- An Aesop: "Normal" is relative. Never deny who you truly are just to fit someone else's idea of acceptable, or you may lose yourself in the process.
- If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. There’s probably something wrong with it, or there’s something to be expected in return.
- Welcome all customers to your business, as long as they don't disrupt it. If you discriminate them, you will drive people away and lose business.
- Arc Words: "Normal", both relating to Jenny's normal human look with the exo-skin on, and her true normal self as a robot.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When Mezmers explains why he hates robots:Mezmers: They're dangerous, they can't be trusted, and they stink too!
- Asshole Victim: Mr. Mezmer’s restaurant gets destroyed by the Space Bikers. But he discriminates against robots and does not treat his employees with respect.
- Big "NO!": By the suit when Jenny destroys it.
- Bond One-Liner: Towards the climax, Jenny starts to fight back the suit's influence, though it doesn't give her up without a fight. At one point of the scuffle, the suit tries spouting more of its manipulative reasoning by saying "You're just a girl, it's not normal for girls to save boys." To this, just before using the Chekhov's Gun to free herself, Jenny defiantly responds "Well it's normal for this girl to save anyone!"
- Break Them by Talking: Or rather, "Break them by tempting". The suit is able to convince Jenny to remain a "normal girl" by gaslighting that the real her "...isn't beautiful", and tempts her with the idea that "normal is good". And in the process, she seamlessly takes over Jenny's mind as well.
- Chekhov's Gun: Brad accidentally spilling a smoothie on the skin, temporarily breaking it and revealing Jenny's robot arm, comes in handy as she uses such to destroy the suit so she can bust out of it and fight the space bikers.
- Crazy-Prepared: Mr. Mesmer has a sign showing he has the right to refuse service to both robots and space bikers.
- Fantastic Racism: This episode goes so far as to have the owner of Mezmer's diner flat out call Jenny a "filthy mechanized nuisance" to her face, and subsequently reveal that he has the right to refuse service to robots when she protests.
- Hate Sink: The Exo-Skin. Considering she emotionally abused Jenny by using gender as the main insult.
- Hard Truth Aesop: Racist people don't just change overnight just because you commit just one act of kindness. Therefore, they're not really worth your time because you shouldn't take their insults to heart.
- Here We Go Again!: In the end, the suit begins to take over Mr. Mezmer.
- Jerk with the Heart of a Jerk: Mr. Mezmer here has no respect for his employees or customers. He rushed Brad and has a strict no-robot and no-Space Biker policy for no reason explained. He doesn’t even show any form of gratitude when she saves everyone from the Space Bikers.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Mr. Mezmer gets attacked by the Exo-Skin in the last scene when everyone leaves due to his treatment of Jenny.
- Mirror Reveal: The night after the skin attaches itself to Jenny in her sleep, she wakes up to a glorious morning, never suspecting something's off. It takes looking into a mirror to realize she's become a "normal girl" again, setting off some alarm bells that something's off and kicking off her conversation with her "second skin".
- Neutral Female: The exo-suit invokes this by convincing Jenny that "normal" girls don't fight, instead letting the boys do all the fighting.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Jenny when she is about to destroy the suit.Jenny: Well, it's normal for this girl to save everybody!
- Sequel Episode: To "Raggedy Android."
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Jenny gives a heck of a one to the exo-skin when she resists its movements long enough to call it out for stopping her from trying to save Brad, culminating in a Pre-Mortem One-Liner where she destroys the suit and returns to her true normal self as a robot.
- The Bus Came Back: The Exo-Skin was first worn by Jenny in the episode “Raggedy Android”. Where it was blatantly rushed, and resembled a life-sized Ragdoll.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Even after Jenny saves everyone from the Space Bikers, Mr. Mesmer blames her for his diner being destroyed, even though it was the bikers fault, and firmly claims "no robots allowed". Subverted with Brad and all the customers, who appreciate Jenny for saving them and walk out of the diner (with Brad quitting) in disgust for how Mr. Mesmer treated her.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The exo-suit is last seen taking over Mr. Mezmer at the end of the episode. Mr. Mezmer is shown to be fine in later episodes, but it remains unknown what became of the exo-suit.
- Youthful Freckles: The Exo-Skin makes Jenny look like a pigtailed redhead with freckles.
The Boy Who Cried Robot
Year produced: 2002
Production code: 102-003
Original U.S. air date: 9/19/2003 (first aired in the U.K. on 12/8/2002)
MLAATR's remake of a classic tale.
The one with Tuck's nagging.
Tuck can't help but call Jenny for every little thing that happens, so when a big problem arises, Tuck's call for help wind up going ignored.
"The Boy Who Cried Robot" contains examples of:
- An Aesop: People have lives to live. They can’t always be there for you, even if they're close friends.
- Don’t call for help unless you seriously are in need of it. One way or another, Tuck sure learns this lesson towards the end the hard way.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Tuck to Jenny. He calls her for very small reasons, and just to entertain him and his friends.
- Big "WHAT?!": Jenny screams a really long one upon hearing her name once more after a montage of Tuck's menial summonings, only to realize it was Brad who called her this time.
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Broken Aesop: Played with. The entirety of the episode's moral is (on Jenny's part) how you shouldn't always enable those who ask for your help when it's not necessary. But after reading the ending of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" meant to teach her the consequences of proverbially crying wolf (a real wolf eats him), she's convinced she needs to come to Tuck's rescue in case something bad really happens. Nope! He was just calling Jenny to introduce Lon's pet wolf dog. Regardless, Jenny heaps some consequences of her own onto Tuck, showing what she really thinks of his constant misuse of her good nature.- On another note, the episode earlier starts with Tuck trying to strong arm Jenny into permitting his Frivolous Summoning by setting up An Aesop that being a friend or a hero isn't about big grand acts, but also the small personal ones. While somewhat good on paper, the problem is that Tuck practically misuses Jenny's good nature to impress his other friends, counterintuitively teaching that small acts don't count for nothing if they're used continually. Not to mention there's a certain hypocrisy that he brings up friendship when, really, friendship should be a two-way street.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Jenny, who’s normally very friendly and supportive finally snaps at Tuck, and teaches him a lesson about false alarms with her lasers.
- Chased Off into the Sunset: The episode ends with Jenny angrily chasing Tuck away and shooting lasers at him after he cries wolf on her one too many times.
- Frivolous Summoning: Tuck repeatedly summons Jenny for several meaningless tasks. Eventually Brad tells her that she's being used and introduces her to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". After reading the book though and hearing Tuck actually screaming about a wolf, Jenny is convinced she needs to help no matter what. The moment she arrives though, she finds Tuck just summoned her to introduce her to a dog named Wolf. Jenny grows fed up at this point, and she decides that Tuck needs to be taught a lesson.
- Irony: Tuck starts screaming for help when Jenny chases him at the end, marking the only real 'emergency' he has in the episode.
- Jerkass: Tuck annoys Jenny to no end here. He constantly shouts for her as if he was being hurt or needed severe help and blissfully ignores her warnings. Not to mention he acts more egotistic here than usual, and never once does he realize his own selfish actions.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Tuck gets quite the punishment for summoning Jenny for all those meager tasks and especially making her think he's in danger when in reality he was showing his new friend's pet, when she angrily chases him as he screams for help.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jenny was willing to toss aside the lesson she learned (about not helping every insignificant thing) and disregard Brad when she suspects Tuck's shrieking and yelling her name meant he was in dire danger! ...But no. It turns out he was playing with Lon's pet. This goose chase was for nothing. Not to say Tuck doesn't face consequences for his actions.
- Red Herring: Tuck befriends a kid named Lon who is hairy and has a fang. There are a few hints that Lon is a werewolf, at one point even telling Tuck that it's time for him to meet the wolf he talked about while the full moon appears, but it ultimately turns out that the wolf in question was just a pet Lon wanted to show Tuck.
- Shout-Out: The episode's title and premise parody The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which is the actual book Brad gave Jenny from the book mobile.
- Lon's name is a reference to Lon Chaney, an actor who appeared in the 1941 film The Wolfman.
- The magazine Jenny reads, Teen Yak, is a spoof of Teen Ink.
- Ed requests then gets denied the book The Catcher in the Rye from the Book Mobile lady. This may be a reference to the controversy the book generated in schools due to its language and content.
- The Dog Bites Back: Jenny finally chases Tuck while firing her lasers at him for all the useless help he called her for.
- Tempting Fate: When Jenny wonders to Brad what happened to the titular "Boy who cried Wolf", Brad guesses he just gets a ticket "for disturbing the peace". According to the illustration of a wolf bearing down upon the boy and devouring him, Brad's theory as to how the classic story ends is truly a hit and miss.Jenny: "Gets a ticket", huh?
