Airdate: Monday, July 26, 2004
Sender: DJ Solerous, Australia
DJ Solerous ("Woah, the DJ Solerous?") wants to know if Strong Bad has ever made Homestar cry. Strong Bad not only claims that he has, but also remarks that it's incredibly easy, thanks to the help of a drawing of the most pathetically-sad character ever devised: a one-legged puppy named Li'l Brudder.
Out in the Field, it doesn't take long for Homestar to be reduced to a blubbering wreck at the sight of Li'l Brudder ("I don't know what I'm doing with my life! I'm thinking of getting into male modelling, o-or maybe high finance... I just don't know!")
Homestar: It's like I said... the heart of a champion!
Even The Cheat is reduced to tears by Li'l Brudder claiming "I'm gonna be a quarterback when I grow up! I'm gonna throw for 2,000 yards!" Strong Sad is moved as well, but he can't help but wonder if Li'l Brudder is inspired by himself.
Strong Bad: Uh, no, I think of you as a two-legged elephant... named "Tendafoot". (holds up a picture of Tendafoot) "I could power a small city with my whining!"
Strong Sad: I probably could...
Back at the Compy, Strong Bad remarks how easy it is to tug at folks' heartstrings with Li'l Brudder. But it seems even Strong Bad is not immune to the pathos of a one-legged puppy:
Tropes:
- Blatant Lies: Subverted. When Strong Bad claims that he's made Homestar cry multiple times, his inflection and hesitance make it seem like he's lying. However, Homestar's recognition of the Li'l Brudder picture and him actually crying in response prove that, for once, Strong Bad was telling the truth.
- Companion Cube: Homestar talks to the picture of Li'l Brudder, and later the picture of Tendafoot, asking them for life advice.
- Dream-Crushing Handicap: Despite being a one-legged puppy, Li'l Brudder's ambition is to be a star quarterback and "throw for 2,000 yards!"
- Hoist by His Own Petard: After using the Li'l Brudder picture to make others cry for laughs, Strong Bad starts to succumb to it and begins tearing up himself. When he realizes what he's doing, he hastily excuses himself.
- Hypocritical Humor: Strong Bad opens by singing, "I'm not gonna sing an email song this week—", then stops himself when he realizes what he's doing. He also claims that his drawing cracks him up, only for it to ultimately make him start crying himself.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: After making himself sad, Strong Bad excuses himself at the end with "I think I've got a food in the oven..."
- Inelegant Blubbering: Li'l Brudder can reduce all but the most hard-hearted of people to crying like a baby.
- Made Myself Sad: Despite Strong Bad thinking of Li'l Brudder as "hilarious", he almost starts to cry himself at the end.
- Malicious Misnaming: Strong Bad tells the sender "I, nor anyone else, have ever heard of DJ Smoldyface."
- Manly Tears: In the end, not even Strong Bad is a match for his creation's pathos, even though he tries not to show it.
- Metaphorgotten: Homestar's "confession" to Tendafoot, seen in an Easter egg.Homestar: I feel like I'm at a crossroads, and there's like a Denny's on one corner, and an IHOP on the other!
- The Pollyanna: Li'l Brudder is depicted by Strong Bad as stubbornly optimistic about his future, despite being a sickly one-legged puppy dog, which just adds to his ridiculous levels of pathos.
- Shout-Out: After making The Cheat cry with his picture of Li'l Brudder, Strong Bad tells him "Don't cry for me, The Cheat-entina..."
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: An Easter egg shows a flyer for a "Perfectly Legal Warehouse Rave".
- Tear Jerker: In-Universe. Strong Bad's picture of the one-legged dog Li'l Brudder and his accompanying depressing backstory cause people to start crying.
