The thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of Rocko's Modern Life, as well as the Series Finale.
Put Out to Pasture
Heffer's friends and neighbors reminisce on past encounters with him after he undergoes a near-death experience.
Future Schlock
In the not-too-distant future, Filburt regales his kids with the story of how his friends Rocko and Heffer got shot into space.
"Put Out to Pasture" provides examples of:
- Absurdly Bright Light: In Rocko's flashback, this is the result of using Heffer, stuffed with potato products, as a potato lamp. Takes a moment to kick in, however.
- Anger Born of Worry: When Heffer makes a full recovery, everybody who went to see him at the hospital excitedly pats him in relief... and then they yell how Heffer had them all worried and that he should never endanger himself like that again.
- Big Eater: This episode really highlights what a glutton Heffer is.
- The reason Heffer is in the hospital in the first place is because he ate a whole bunch of Pasture Puffies in one sitting, enough to be potentially fatal, according to the news report he was watching when he lost consciousness.
- The boys have to redo their potato lamp project because Heffer ate the potato. When they take a snack break and each get a bag of potato chips, Heffer eats all of his in one sitting and then eats all of Rocko's and Filburt's as well. Filburt gets so angry that he starts stuffing things down Heffer's throat, ending with the light bulb for their project — which inexplicably lights up. Realizing that it was due to all the potato chips he ate, they then start giving Heffer all the potato products in the school. When the time comes to present the next morning, Heffer's bulb is so powerful it sucks up all the power in town and sends a beam of light out into space.
- Drool Deluge: A hungry Heffer watches as Filburt arranges his potato chips before eating them. At one point, a torrent of drool is cascading out of his mouth.
- Everyone Went to School Together: Rocko's memory of high school shows that he went to school with Filburt, Heffer and the Chameleon Brothers.
- Extreme Omnivore: In a fit of anger, Filburt force-feeds Heffer the potato chip bag and an engine. And Heffer takes it!
- I Was Quite a Looker: Ed used to have a handsome (human) face, until Heffer accidentally hit him when delivering his newspaper and sent him face first into the blender.
- The Quiet One: As a kid, Heffer was pretty quiet and less brash. He evidently grew out of that sometime after becoming an adult.
- Sanity Slippage: Filburt when Heffer wants his potato chips.Filburt: NO NO NO NO NO NO NONONONONONO!!! I'm not givin' him nothin'. I got PLANS for these chips! YOU ATE YOURS FAT BOY!!! These babies are MIIINE!!!
(Heffer fights with Filburt)
Filburt: YOU FULL YET!?! You've eaten almost everything in the ROOM! Oh! Wait a second! Here's the POTATO CHIP BAG! There might be a CRUMB IN THERE!! YEAH! Y'LIKE THAT, HUH, Y'LIKE EATING THAT?! Wait, wait, you didn't eat THIS YET! YOU WANNA EAT THIS TOO?! HOW'S THAT TASTE?! Come on, what else can we stuff in your FAT MOUTH?! Oh, here y'go! Since you ate the POTATO, YOU CAN EAT THE LIGHTBULB!!! - We Are Not Going Through That Again: As the cast leaves the hospital, Heffer pulls out yet another bag of Pasture Puffies, but Rocko takes it away from him before he can go into another food-induced coma.
- We Interrupt This Program: Once again, Bun Master is conveniently interrupted by an O-Town Action News report. Lovingly lampshaded by the news reporter.Newscaster: And now for yet another ridiculously plot-heavy O-Town Special Bulletin!
- Whole Episode Flashback: As Heffer lies in the hospital near death, the others reminisce about when they first met him.
"Future Schlock" provides examples of:
- Accidental Astronaut:
- In Filburt's flashback, Rocko and Heffer accidentally get launched into space when they follow a monkey that was used as a test subject for Conglom-O that they were trying to save into the very rocket he was set to be on, and the monkey presses the launch button. They return to Earth seventeen years later.
- At the end of the episode, Filburt's children accidentally launch Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt into space when they drive the rocket into Rocko's house.
- Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: The opening of the episode makes it seem like Heffer and Filburt are exploring Rocko's abandoned house, but then "Heffer" and "Filburt" come across a broken photograph and it becomes clear that they're Filburt and Dr. Hutchison's children all grown-up.
- We get a second one when we meet future Filburt. It starts out ominous, with the ominous machine, very high throne-esque chair and a Darth Vader style heavy breathing, and when his sons visit him, he starts with the dark phrase "What did I tell you about coming here?" implying he's become abusive and dangerous, and that they had done something so unforgivable he never wanted to see him again. But they both immediately recite "... that we should stop by as often as possible." After a Beat, Filburt remembers that is indeed the case, and he turns around to welcome them as a more grandfatherly figure, despite being their father. He also confirms that, when asked just how old he is, that he is only thirty-eight despite looking much older.
- Cliffhanger: Which would not be resolved for two decades.Rocko: Heh, heh, so, Filb, what have you been up to these past seventeen years?[Beat]Filburt: Are you kiddin'?Heffer: [singing] Nine hundred bazillion bottles of root beer on the wall, nine hundred bazillion bottles of root beer...
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode focuses partially on Gilbert, Shellbert, Norbert, and Missy, who are Filburt's children. When Gilbert and Norbert find a seventeen-year-old banana in Rocko's refrigerator, Filburt tells them, Shellbert and Missy the story of the last time he saw Rocko and Heffer.
- Distant Finale: Parodied. The futuristic O-Town and ancient looking Filburt are only seventeen years after the show's main timeline.
- Flashback Effects: Lampshaded. Filburt attempts to enlighten his kids via Flash Back, and forgets which button to press to "make things go all squiggly." Missy reminds him that it's the green one.
- Grand Finale: For the original run of the series. Static Cling made it a Series Fauxnale.
- Here We Go Again!: The episode ends with Rocko, Heffer, and now Filburt blasting off into space. The three would return to Earth in 20 years in Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling.
- Honorary Uncle: Heffer is known as "Uncle Heffer" to Filburt's offspring, no doubt due to the role Heffer played in incubating their egg.
- Mischief-Making Monkey: Rocko attempts to free one that was going to get launched into space. It hotwires Rocko's car and takes it for a ride, and is responsible for launching Rock and Heff into space.
- Mood Whiplash: After seeing the shrivled-up banana, Filburt speaks wistfully of Rocko, but then he struggles to remember Heffer's name and refers to him as "that fat guy" instead.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: During their 17-year space adventure, Rocko, Heffer and the monkey were apparently on some buck-wild adventure involving a bunch of talking bananas.
- Space Clothes: During the visit, Filburt says his children may each ask him one question. Rather than ask about the banana, Gilbert asks how old he is, while Norbert questions the future fashion choices. It's further parodied when Missy shows up dressed as Princess Leia.Norbert: Uh, why do we wear these things on our shoulders?
Filburt: Because it's THE FUTURE! - Way Past the Expiration Date: Filburt has been keeping a banana in Rocko's refigerator for seventeen years. Gilbert and Norbert finding it is what sets off this episode's plot.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The main plot takes place in old Filburt's recollections.
- With Catlike Tread: Rocko opens the door to the Bigheads' garage in an effort to be stealthy, but it makes multiple loud and out of place noises, including wild animal calls.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: When Rocko and Heffer return to Earth at the end of this episode, they don't appear to have aged a day. Likely, being out in space prevented them from aging.
- Younger Than They Look: Parodied; Future Filburt looks like he's in his eighties or nineties in this episode... but as he soon reveals to Gilbert and Norbert, he's only 38. At the end of the episode, he looks like his normal self, suggesting he just hadn't been taking care of himself since Rocko and Heffer were blasted into space.
