The twenty-second episode of the third season of Rugrats.
New Kid In Town
After Angelica bullies the babies one time too many, they start hanging out with a kid named Josh, only to find that he may be worse.
Pickles Vs. Pickles
Angelica sues her parents after they punish her for refusing to eat broccoli.
"New Kid In Town" provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Angelica has a moment in this episode when she stops Josh from jumping on the babies.Josh: This is none of your business! These are MY babies now.
Angelica: This caterpult says different! [launches a water balloon]
Josh: I'm not scared of you!
Angelica: Oh, yeah? Well, you're making a big mistake, bucko! [launches another water balloon] - The Bad Guy Wins: At least Angelica does. The only reason why this ends on a happy note is because Josh, who is even worse, loses; even the babies are more than happy to be bossed around by Angelica once again.
- Big Damn Heroes: Angelica has a moment when she launches a water balloon at Josh just as he is about to jump on the babies.Angelica: *launches a water balloon that just barely avoids hitting Josh* The next one won't miss!
Babies: (overjoyed) Angelica! - Book Ends: This episode begins and ends with Angelica hanging from the monkey bars by her legs while Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil dig a moat around it.
- Character Catchphrase: Josh's catchphrase is "Fair is fair", which he uses every time the babies do something they don't want to.
- Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of this episode, Angelica orders the babies to dig a "moat" for her "castle" (a jungle gym at the park). She claims "There could be an invasion any minute," and tells the babies that she's going to go get her "caterpult" (a wagon with a makeshift slingshot attached that she uses to throw water balloons) just in case. At the end of the episode, she uses it against Josh (who was bullying the babies) when she comes to the rescue.
- Dramatic Irony: The audience is witness to Josh's gradual transformation from the babies' new "friend" to the bully and tyrant he really is. He manipulates them to give their snacks to him, or push him on the tire swing, all in the name of "Fair is fair". Meanwhile, Angelica sees this happening from afar and thinks the babies are doing this of their own volition, fueling her insecure belief that the babies like serving him better than they do her. It's only once Tommy comes forward to ask Angelica for help that she realizes that true extent of the babies' "willing" servitude.
- Enfant Terrible: Josh, natch.
- False Reassurance: Josh has the babies lie in the sand while he prepares to launch himself from the swings. Tommy is afraid he's going to try to jump over them, but Josh assures them he isn't. He says he is going to jump on them, much to their shock. Luckily, Angelica stops him before he can do so.
- Fat Bastard: Josh is considerably heavy, and he turns out to be a total dick to the babies.
- Faux Affably Evil: Josh at first seems like a nice kid and keeps it up when he takes stuff for himself, claiming "fair is fair". Though when the babies have had enough, he drops the act and becomes more aggressive.
- Foil : Between Angelica and Josh. Both kids are ultimately jerks to the babies, that much is true on paper. But Angelica is straightforward about her bully-some nature; what you see is what you get. And she draws the line at jumping onto the babies from a swing. Meanwhile, Josh pretends to be halfway decent in order to win over the fragile babies, and has no qualms about swinging onto the babies just to punish them for trying to go to Angelica for help.
- Hate Sink: Josh was added into the plot to specifically show he's far worse than Angelica.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: Angelica, when she confronts Josh for trying to jump on the babies.Josh: Hey, what's the big idea?
Angelica: I'M the big idea, and I say quit messing with these babies! They don't have to be bossed around by you or anyone else! *to the babies* Come on, get up off the ground, dummies! - Inelegant Blubbering: Josh when Angelica shoves him for picking on the babies, causing him to scrape his arm.
- I Want My Mommy!: Josh cries for his mom after Angelica pushes him to the ground.
- Ironic Echo: "Fair is Fair". Josh first brings this up as a philosophy that will seemingly benefit the babies once they leave Angelica. As the story progresses, he uses this more and more to justify why they should let him have his way, like giving him their snacks or pushing him on the tire swing. When it gets to a point where Josh doesn't even pretend he's not a bully and orders the babies to dig him a moat, he derisively declares "Fair is fair", as though meaning to affirm he only meant for things to be "fair" on his terms.
- Irony: The babies initially wish they didn't have to take orders from Angelica. But when Josh turns out to be such a two-faced bully to the babies, it's the point that when they ultimately return to Angelica, they're practically happy that they're doing more of the same thing.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While Angelica takes delight in bullying the babies, she objects to anybody else (especially Josh) doing it; she even refuses to let any actual physical harm come to the babies.
- Manipulative Bastard: Josh, even more so than Angelica. He comes off as a Cool Big Bro at first and offering to be a nicer more fairer companion than Angelica. As time passes, he drops the act and it becomes obvious he just duped them to pose as his own servants and punching bags, right down to forcing them to dig the same moat Angelica made them.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: When Tommy comes to Angelica and tells her about how mean Josh is being to him and his friends, Angelica refuses to help him at first because he and the other babies refused to dig a moat for her, but later changes her mind upon seeing that Josh is going to hurt the babies for his own amusement.
- Thin-Skinned Bully: Josh proves to be even more vicious and sadistic than Angelica towards the babies, though Angelica only has to shove him once and he runs off sobbing hysterically to his mom.
- We Want Our Jerk Back!: When Josh bullies the babies into digging a moat around the jungle gym, Chuckie tells Tommy that he misses Angelica. Tommy and the twins also admit that they miss Angelica and the ways she used to bully them.
- Would Hit a Girl: Even Lil isn't safe from Josh's bullying.
- Would Hurt a Child: Josh has no qualms in jumping from a swing onto the babies For the Evulz, which would possibly be fatal, something that even Angelica morally refused to cross.
"Pickles Vs. Pickles" provides examples of:
- All Just a Dream: Much of this episode's events are revealed to be a dream of Drew's.
- Ambulance Chaser: At one point during the trial, she fires her lawyer, sending him off with:Angelica: It's back to chasing ambulances for you.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Angelica, again, manages to cow Drew to her demands. And she didn't even have to do anything.
- Catapult Nightmare: Drew wakes up from his nightmare this way.
- Continuity Nod: Angelica tells Drew about how last year for her birthday, she wanted a big train from Toy Palace that you could ride around on, which Drew couldn't get her, because the store was out.
- Courtroom Episode: Angelica sues her parents after they make her eat broccoli.
- Denied Food as Punishment: Drew and Charlotte punish Angelica by not giving her dessert when she refuses to eat her broccoli and tosses her dinner plate against the wall.
- Eat the Camera: Drew's dream ends with the camera zooming in on his mouth while he's being dragged out of the courtroom.
- Greens Precede Sweets: This episode begins with Drew and Charlotte trying unsuccessfully to get Angelica to eat broccoli. When Angelica refuses, Drew tells her that if she doesn't eat her broccoli, she won't get seconds on dessert. Angelica finds this unfair and retaliates by throwing her dinner plate against the wall.
- Kangaroo Court: The whole court is on Angelica's side and the judge even allows her to bring up her toys as witnesses. Although Drew is given a lawyer to defend him, he quickly gives up when he realizes how biased the jury and the judge are against his client.
- Kids Hate Vegetables: Angelica dislikes broccoli, and takes her hatred for it up to eleven by suing her parents for trying to make her eat it.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: This episode features attorneys named F. Lee Barnum
and Mr. Hershowitz. - Parental Bonus: Angelica's lawyer is Mr. Barnum. It's a double bonus because not only does the judge call the lawyer on making the court a circus, it would be remarkably prescient of another trial, this time with a laywer named Bailey...
- Pushover Parents: Zig-zagged with Drew. At the beginning of the episode, he and Charlotte punish Angelica by denying her dessert when she refuses to eat her broccoli. When Angelica hires Mr. Barnum as her lawyer, Drew at first tries to back out of the trial, but when he hears a list of demands from Angelica, courtesy of Mr. Barnum, he is determined not to be pushed around by Angelica. At the end of the episode, he apologizes to Angelica for trying to make her eat broccoli, and tells her she can try the foods she's ready to try. After he leaves, Angelica pulls out a food pyramid with most of the foods crossed out, implying that Drew has given into her demands many times before.
- Repeat After Me: This exchange between Mr. Hershowitz and Angelica;Mr. Hershowitz: Please answer Yes or No.
Angelica: Yes or No.
Mr. Hershowitz: Angelica, answer the question.
Angelica: Angelica, answer the question.
Mr. Hershowitz: Are you mimicking me?
Angelica: Are you mimicking me?
Mr. Hershowitz: Are you aware you're in a court of law?
Angelica: Are you aware you're in a court of law?
Mr. Hershowitz: Stop it!
Angelica: Stop it! - Shout-Out: The title is a reference to the film Kramer vs. Kramer.
- Tantrum Throwing: Angelica refuses to eat her broccoli so she throws her plate at a wall, breaking it.
- You Do NOT Want To Know: Drew's reply to his lawyer (Mr. Hershowitz)'s question when Angelica calls her doll Cynthia Pickles to the stand.Hershowitz: Who's Cynthia Pickles?
Drew: You don't want to know.
