Airdate: Monday, August 11, 2008
Sender: Agnes in sweden!
Strong Bad: (singing) I'm gonna check my uhngh! And then I'll check my uhngh! And then we'll turn it out.
"Agnes in Sweden!" asks Strong Bad if he could do a magic trick, like "take Homestar Runner in a box and take a saw and saw him".
Strong Bad: You're a girl. From Sweden. And you want me to take a saw to Homestar Runner. Um, I think we might need to get married, Agnes. Of course I can do a magic trick, babehoney. But what kind should it be, honbaby?
Strong Bad discusses (and riffs on) several different types of stage magician, including:
- "Community Center talent show type magic" with stuff like cups and balls, rings that become mysteriously disconnected, "the ubiquitous live woodland creature cleverly smooshed into the lining of one's jacket or pants", and "the mystical Cone of Newspaper", a trick Strong Bad was never able to understand the point of.
- "Moneygicians" who order elaborate props from novelty stores and catalogs.Strong Bad: (standing next to a purple box covered in painted-on stars and various geegaws) That's right, folks! Gazemaze in gazemazement, as I totally ordered Magic Novelties and Amusement Catalog Item #1407B, assembled it, read the instructions on how to use it! And you didn't!
(Cut to the audience, where Strong Sad and Homestar are standing next to similar boxes)
Homestar: Hate to burst your bubble, man... - "Flowy-sleeved Moneygicians" who have fancy costumes, hot assistants, high production values, and... "not a lot of magic", to the point Strong Bad thinks they should just spend all that money on bribing the audience to believe that magic happened.Strong Bad: (standing next to Bubs' Concession Stand, which has the word "POOF" graffitied on it) Here's a thousand bucks. I made this building disappear.
Bubs: That's gaze-mazing! - "Street magicians", who do all sorts of weird and stupid things to themselves in public that barely qualify as magic.Strong Bad: (on the roof of the concession stand) For six straight days, I will not drink, I will not blink, I will not think! And I definitely will not do any magic while standing on top of Bubs' Concession Stand!
Homestar: What magic!
After getting that out of his system, Strong Bad decides it's time to take a saw to Homestar and saw him. Sadly, he doesn't get that far, as the elaborate prop arms Strong Bad gave Homestar fall off before he can even touch Homestar.
Strong Bad: Well, sweet wife Agnes, that didn't turn out exactly as I hoped. But now, not only does Coach Z think I'm a good magician, he also thinks I'm a class 3 dark wizard! Oh, and one more thing, Agnes... (holds up a playing card, the 4 of My Butt) Was this your card?
(An audience gasps, New Paper comes down.)
(An audience gasps, New Paper comes down.)
Tropes:
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: Parodied with Strong Bad's take on Magicians with big production values, saying it'd be easier to just bribe the audience into believing that magic happened.
- Comically Missing the Point: Homestar's fake arms fall off during the final imagine spot, causing Coach Z to believe Strong Bad cut them off without touching him and that he's a dark wizard.
- Continuity Nod: The soapbox from "fingers" makes yet another appearance, this time reading "SEVENTEEN FOR FREE".
- Distracted by the Sexy: Strong Bad passes up an opportunity to make fun of Agnes' poor English because he's too excited at the prospect of getting with a possibly-hot Scandinavian woman (and physically abusing Homestar in the process).
- Engaging Conversation: This episode's email is from a girl named Agnes who asks Strong Bad to saw Homestar in half. Strong Bad, who can hardly believe his luck, says that they should definitely get married.
- Even Nerds Have Standards: Coach Z's creepiness proves to be too much for D&D Greg in an Easter Egg.
- Love at First Sight:Strong Bad: You're a girl. From Sweden. And you want me to take a saw to Homestar Runner. Um, I think we might need to get married, Agnes.
- Off with His Head!: Strong Sad somehow creates a convincing illusion of his own head spontaneously falling off and shattering on the floor. Even the incredibly jaded Strong Bad falls for it.
- Portmanteau: "Gazemaze" and "gazemazement" are used to the point of becoming a Running Gag.
- Pull a Rabbit out of My Hat: Strong Bad brings up people hiding "the ubiquitous live woodland creature" hidden in their clothes, in this case demonstrated with a guy stuffing a squirrel down his pants. He also produces The Cheat from his pants leg a little later on.
- Saw a Woman in Half: The finale is Strong Bad using an actual saw on Homestar. He doesn't get that far.Strong Bad: This might hurt a lottle.
[Homestar's fake arms fall off]
Homestar Runner: Oops.
Coach Z: That saw didn't even touch him! He's pure evil! - Scare Quotes: The sign advertising Strong Bad's street magic performance:"Street"
"Magic"
"Today" - Strange Minds Think Alike:Strong Bad: That's right, folks! Gazemaze in gazemazement, as I totally ordered Magic Novelties and Amusement Catalog Item #1407B, assembled it, read the instructions on how to use it! And you didn't!
[Cut to Strong Sad and Homestar Runner in the audience, who each have that same prop]
Homestar Runner: Hate to burst your bubble, man. - Take That!: Strong Bad mocks all walks of magician, from people doing cheap magic set tricks to David Blaine-type stunts which he points out aren't really magic.
- Trouser Space: After Strong Bad tries (and fails) to do the "mystical Cone of Newspaper" trick, The Cheat suddenly pops out of the cuff of his pants.
Strong Sad: (offscreen) Wait, Strong Bad, you left out an important kind of magic!
Strong Bad: What?
(zoom out to reveal Strong Sad standing next to Strong Bad, wearing a blue leotard that says "Spandex Wonder".)
Strong Sad: The magic of il-l-l-l-l-lusion!
Strong Bad: Ugh, I hope to high heaven that outfit is an illusion!
(Strong Sad's head suddenly falls off and shatters on the floor, while the real Strong Sad pops in from the other side of the screen)
Strong Sad: Il-l-l-l-l-lusion!
Strong Bad: Wah! (jumps and clings onto the headless Strong Sad dummy)
Strong Bad: What?
(zoom out to reveal Strong Sad standing next to Strong Bad, wearing a blue leotard that says "Spandex Wonder".)
Strong Sad: The magic of il-l-l-l-l-lusion!
Strong Bad: Ugh, I hope to high heaven that outfit is an illusion!
(Strong Sad's head suddenly falls off and shatters on the floor, while the real Strong Sad pops in from the other side of the screen)
Strong Sad: Il-l-l-l-l-lusion!
Strong Bad: Wah! (jumps and clings onto the headless Strong Sad dummy)
(Cut to a Teen Girl Squad-style scene featuring Coach Z)
Coach Z: How can I defeat him, o' my master?
D&D Greg: First you'll have to procure some root of mandrake powder.
Coach Z: Ooh! I should have plenty o' that layin' around! That's what I use to defeat the dark fungus from downungus!
D&D Greg: (beat) Uh, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave my parent's basement now.
Coach Z: How can I defeat him, o' my master?
D&D Greg: First you'll have to procure some root of mandrake powder.
Coach Z: Ooh! I should have plenty o' that layin' around! That's what I use to defeat the dark fungus from downungus!
D&D Greg: (beat) Uh, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave my parent's basement now.
