The third episode of the third season of Rocko's Modern Life.
Bye Bye Birdie
Rocko and Heffer pet-sit for Filburt while he goes to the hospital, but accidentally kill their new ward.
Belch of Destiny
Heffer uses his talent for belching to win a talent contest, but becomes distraught when his father calls him an embarrassment.
"Bye Bye Birdie" provides examples of:
- Ash Face: Happens to Rocko when Turdy torches him after having drank from a gas pump.
- Babies Ever After: This episode ends with the hog giving Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt a box filled with baby monkey-birds.
- Binomium ridiculus: When Rocko confesses to Filburt that Turdy died in his and Heffer's care, Filburt reveals that Turdy belonged to a rare species of bird called "Tirdus Minimus", which has a three-week lifespan.
- Bird-Poop Gag: This episode begins with Rocko, having just washed his car, being surrounded by a flock of birds. When Rocko is about to drive his car out of the driveway, a fart sound can be heard as a yellow dropping falls onto the car. It is then revealed that the yellow spot was actually mustard that Heffer was trying to squirt onto his hot dog.
- Butt Sticker: When Heffer sits on the couch, he is unaware that he sat on Turdy. They scream when Rocko and Heffer find him stuck to Heffer's butt.
- Dead Pet Sketch: Parodied; Filburt isn't broken up about the accidental death of his pet bird because it was from an extremely short-lived species, and was going to die of old age soon anyway. However, near the end of the episode, Filburt is quite shocked to find out the actual cause of death for the bird; Heffer sat on it.
- Dirty Old Woman: When Turdy escapes a second time, he takes Mrs. Bighead's bikini top as she sunbathes herself. She doesn't mind in the least, which is more than can be said for Rocko.Mrs. Bighead: (suggestively) Oh, such a naughty bird.
- Feathered Fiend: When Rocko first tries looking after Turdy, Turdy attacks him and Spunky. He also causes lots of trouble for the citizens of O-Town.Gorilla: He scared my kid!Dog: He ruined my car!Rabbit: He chewed my garden!Pig: He pecked my customers!Cowboy: He ate my pony!(Turdy belches and a horse's whinny is heard.)Gordon the Foot: He ripped my socks!
- Fire-Breathing Diner: When Turdy escapes a third time, an annoyed Heffer thinks it's the hog telling Rocko to keep Turdy away from his pet monkey. It then turns out it's actually a fireman who informs him that Turdy got into a gas pump. Turdy then opens his beak and torches Rocko.
- Firehouse Dalmatian: The fireman who returns Turdy to Rocko is a Dalmatian dressed in a fireman's uniform.
- Hypochondriac: What prompts Filburt to go to the hospital in the first place.Filburt: I'm pretty sure it's something serious this time.Dr. Hutchison: It's a rash.Filburt: She's in denial. Poor thing.[...]Filburt: Oh, Rocko, terrible news.Rocko: Yes?Filburt: [angry] The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me! Fools!
- Iris Out: This episode ends with one on the hog's pet monkey as Dr. Hutchison pushes Filburt on the swing she is sitting atop.
- Karmic Death: Turdy dies after Heffer sits on him, and since Turdy has been nothing but trouble to Rocko and the citizens of O-Town, he had it coming.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: Heffer plays a surfer record when he tries to trick Rocko into thinking that Turdy is still alive. After Rocko tells Filburt that Turdy is dead and there's nothing they can do about it, the record winds down.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: At the end of the episode, the hog's pet monkey is revealed to have given birth to baby monkey-birds, which are tiny monkeys with bird wings.
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: During Turdy's funeral, Rocko is asked to say a few words. As Turdy has caused him and Heffer nothing but trouble, the nicest thing Rocko can say about Turdy is "Turdy was.. a... bird." Filburt is touched by this nonetheless.
- Of Corpse He's Alive: After Turdy dies, Heffer tries to convince Rocko that he is still alive by working him like a puppet, then dressing him in surfer clothes and spinning him on a record player.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Dr. Hutchison really doesn't like her husband's bird. Indeed, it's one of the few scenes in the series wherein she doesn't sport a huge grin and instead looks fairly annoyed at Filburt's attachment to the thing.
- Orbital Shot: After Heffer dresses Turdy in surfer clothes and spins him on a record player to convince Rocko that Turdy is still alive, the next shot is from Turdy's point of view as he spins around on the record player and Rocko tells Heffer that Turdy is dead and there's nothing they can do about it.
- Playground Song: During Turdy's funeral, Heffer is asked briefly to speak. He uses a variation of "Beans, Beans".Heffer: Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat...
Filburt: All right, that's enough of that! - Ripped from the Headlines: This episode was based on a tabloid story Joe Murray had read about a man who tried hiding his friend's dead dog, which had died while he was pet-sitting, in a suitcase at the bus station because he didn't have the heart to tell the owner.
- Running Gag: Throughout the episode, a hog with a pet monkey tells Rocko and Heffer to keep Turdy away from his pet monkey. This annoys Heffer so much that he and Rocko think it's him when the fireman comes to the front door.Heffer: If it's that monkey guy...
- Seinfeldian Conversation: A rather non-sequitur one between Rocko and Heffer.Heffer: Hey, Rock, you wanna move to France?Rocko: Not really.Heffer: Yeah. Me neither.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: When Filburt returns, Rocko has to break the news on what happened to Turdy for him. Filburt takes it very well, explaining that Turdy was a rare subspecies of bird with a short lifespan who actually lasted a long time and, even though he'll miss his pet, life goes on. Subverted when Heffer pops out of the house.Heffer: Did you tell him I sat on it?
- Shout-Out:
- This episode's title is a reference to The 1960 comedy musical of the same name.
- The scene where a flock of birds sit on the telephone wire and Rocko's house is a reference to the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds.
- The scene where Heffer dresses Turdy in surfer clothes and pretends nothing is wrong is a direct homage to a similar scene in Weekend at Bernie's.
- What's a Henway?: When Rocko sees Heffer sitting on the telephone wire, he asks him what he is doing, to which Heff replies, "I'm eating my lunch."
- Wingding Eyes: Turdy's eyes turn into X's when he dies after Heffer sits on him. Lampshaded by Heffer:Heffer: Open your eyes! They have the little X's in them... that's not good.
"Belch of Destiny" provides examples of:
- Analogy Backfire: George is annoyed with Heffer for still being in the Weasel Scouts, and wishes he would graduate and do something important. He tells him to be somebody, and tries to think of an example, but has trouble when he sees Peter dressed as a cheerleader, Cindy filing her nails, Hiram sleeping during his meal, and Virginia welding while working on a wedding cake.
- Bandage Mummy: Teddy spends the entirety of the episode in a full-body cast and wheelchair as a result of Heffer and Filburt having a race at his house and Heffer's car exploding.
- Black Comedy:
- This episode begins with this conversation between Heffer and Filburt:
Filburt: Great race last weekend at Teddy's house. Too bad your car exploded in the third turn.
Heffer: Yeah. Where do you think Teddy's family is living now?- Later in the episode, Teddy is seen in a wheelchair and a full-body cast, and when Heffer arrives, he asks him if his mother is still hospitalized.
- Butt-Monkey: Teddy. He ends up in a full-body cast and wheelchair thanks to Heffer and Filburt having a race at his house and Heffer's car exploding, his parents end up hospitalized, and he later gets torched by the flames from Heffer's rocket.
- Gasshole: Heffer's talent at the talent show is speaking while belching.
- Glass-Shattering Sound: At the talent show, Heffer belches so loud that the auditorium's windows break.
- Helping Granny Cross the Street: Subverted; when Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt come across an elderly lady, Heffer tells Rocko to stop the car. Rocko does so, and Heffer and Filburt get out. They then run up to the elderly lady and push her aside so they can get lunch from a burger stand. At the end of the episode, when the other Weasel Scouts spot the elderly lady, she runs away from them.
- Heroic BSoD: Heffer suffers one after George calls him a freak. He tells the other Weasel Scouts to go to Astro Camp without him, and refuses to leave his house after they return to tell him to come with them.
- Iris Out: This episode ends with one after the Weasel Scouts chase the elderly lady away.
- Jerkass Realization: George realizes that he was wrong to call Heffer a freak for his talents when Virginia reminds him that he used to be just like Heffer by impressing someone with his own peculiar traits. He then goes up to Heffer's bedroom to apologize to him.
- Juggling Dangerously: At the talent show, William, one of the weasel scouts juggles an elephant and a piano.
- Manchild: This episode begins with Heffer and Filburt, who are on their way to the Weasel Scouts' meeting, playing with toy cars. Rocko also asks them if they're a little too old to still be in the Weasel Scouts.
- Manly Tears:
- Heffer cries these when George calls him a freak.
- George cries these when Virginia reminds him that he used to be just like Heffer.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When George is confronted by the other Weasel Scouts, he tells Virginia that Heffer's belching has gotten out of hand. Virginia then tells him that she remembers someone who had a few peculiar traits of his own, and a flashback sequence shows a young George impressing a young Virginia with his armpit farts.
- Performance Anxiety: Heffer gets stage fright when he has to perform in front of the other Weasel Scouts. He ends up messing up his lines when he reads his poem as a result.
- Scout-Out: This episode reveals that Heffer and Filburt have been in the Weasel Scouts for twelve years.
- Through a Face Full of Fur: George blushes when he reveals to Heffer that when he was young, he impressed Virginia with his armpit farts.
- We Want Our Jerk Back!: After George upsets Heffer by calling him a freak, Heffer tells the other Weasel Scouts to go to Astro Camp without him. At Astro Camp, the Weasel Scouts find it boring without Heffer around and miss him. Despite being in a full-body cast thanks to Heffer's antics, Teddy is the one who turns the rocket around to get back to Earth and convince George to let Heffer come with them.
