Airdate: Sunday, January 6, 2008
Sender: Lyd and Jules, ID and MO respectively
Lyd and Jules from "Idiot and Moron" write in to inform Strong Bad that he should be doing more to help the environment. Strong Bad boasts that he's done plenty to help the environment, like not dropping a piano on Marzipan's head and watering her flowers with "recycled cigarette butts" instead of bleach.
Strong Sad and Marzipan: (faintly chanting) Scrappy the Lappy! We think it's really crappy! Scrappy the Lappy!
Turns out that Strong Sad and Marzipan are outside, protesting how environmentally unsound Strong Bad's old computer is. Aside from the staggeringly high power bill ("The bill itself uses eight trees' worth of paper"), hitting enter on the Lappy causes power shortages throughout the rest of Free Country USA (slightly spoiling Homestar's video game time), and using the battery (somehow) burns down 45 acres of rainforest.
Fortunately for Strong Bad, it turns out Marzipan and Strong Sad's idea of being more environmentally friendly is to simply "take something I already do and word it differently so it sounds eco-friendly", as seen with Strong Sad's "sustainable MP3 player", Marzipan's "organic Thelma and Louise DVD", and Strong Bad's "65-mile-per-gallon hybrid piano".
Strong Bad's even found a new "green energy source" for the Lappy... in the form of The Cheat, painted green and running on a hamster wheel.
(New Paper comes down. It is made out of a different kind of paper and the font is green. It reads "Click gently to eco-mail Strong Bad. Printed on 100% post-consumer brown paper with green ink.)
Tropes:
- Big Blackout: Marzipan claims that the Lappy causes a brownout every time Strong Bad hits the enter key.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: Coach Z's idea of "cooking with hydroelectric power" is taking a hot dog with him into a hot shower.Coach Z: The world-famous Coach Z Sog-Dog! Mmmmm! Drink in that bun!
- Gender-Blender Name: Strong Bad isn't sure if the senders Lyd and Jules are ladies or not.
- Green Aesop: Mercilessly parodied. Turns out the Lappy is so out of date, it's a one-computer EPA violation, but Strong Sad and Marzipan's idea of helping the environment is "take something I already do and word it differently so it sounds eco-friendly".
- Hamster-Wheel Power: Strong Bad rigs the Lappy up to run on The Cheat painting himself green and running on a hamster wheel.
- Lampshade Hanging: After the email ends, the sounds of The Cheat running on the hamster wheel will eventually fade out. Eventually, Strong Bad will point out oddity of the soundless wheel.
- Long List: Strong Bad is seen typing a list of "Okay for Mom" euphemisms for the butt. An Easter egg accessible after the email ends shows that he gets up to 113.
- Oh, My Gods!: Marzipan and Strong Sad shout "Al Gore's beard!" when Strong Bad tries to drop a piano on them.
- Piano Drop: Strong Bad tries dropping a "hybrid piano" on Strong Sad and Marzipan.
- Reveal Shot: Homestar's video game keeps getting interrupted by brown-outs. Then it turns out he doesn't even have a cartridge plugged into the system. ("PLEASE INSERT GAME PAK, KID!")
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: Strong Bad doesn't even get to finish his sentence before Strong Sad answers his rhetorical question.Marzipan: That Lappy is energy sappy!
Strong Bad: That's very clever. How long did it take you to think up—
Strong Sad: Three days. - Self-Deprecation: An Easter egg for "Idiot and Moron" has the states of Idaho and Montana dancing with goofy faces. The Brothers Chaps later realized that MO actually stands for the state of Missouri, and updated the Easter egg to include a corrected version with the caption "Mike is a Moron!"
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: Strong Bad's electric bill is $70,000 and requires 8 trees worth of paper just to print out. He's surprised to find out that this isn't normal.
- Unusual Euphemism: Strong Bad apparently has a massive list of euphemisms for "butt" that are "Okay for Mom", including "bwathom" and "boat-take".
- Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: Strong Bad believes he deserves credit for his environmental contributions of not dropping pianos on Marzipan and dumping used cigarette butts on her garden instead of bleach.
Strong Bad: Boat-take...(hits enter, with a loud tapping sound audible)
(Cut to Homestar, trying to play a video game despite the power outages.)
Homestar: This is the easiest video game I've ever played. (lights go out again)
