A Serpent's Tooth
In New York, Pearl King (Renee Taylor) is the typical overbearing mother, struggling to have her children obey her wishes for them to respect her and live respectful lives. Her son Marc (Brett Marx) wants to go into agriculture when Pearl wants him to be a dentist, and her daughter Madlene (JoAnn Willette) dresses like Madonna instead of a conservative young woman. Desperate for a solution to her problem, Pearl is given a serpent's tooth by her friend Myron (Louis Quinn), which allows for anything she asks for to magically come true. While her children finally start obeying Pearl, the tooth is also capable of taking anything it is told literally, and Pearl's constant usage of idioms, metaphors, and hyperbole start leading to disaster for her and the family.
Tropes:
- And I Must Scream:
- Discontent with how Pearl treats him, Richie the neighbor boy taunts her by making silly faces. She warns him that one day his face will be stuck that way, and the serpent's tooth immediately makes that happen, making it so Pearl has to feed him chicken soup via a baster.
- This also happens to Pearl herself when she accidentally turns herself into a pillar of salt. It's downplayed, as she's content with her children partly obeying her standards and expressing the gratitude she so wanted.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Myron tells Pearl the phrase directly when she is given the serpent's tooth, and he was right to be cautious when she solidifies herself into a pillar of salt.
- Bittersweet Ending: Thanks to Pearl's last wish, her children no longer have to endure her overbearing nature and are free to live their own lives, while also being able to show her the respect she craved from them. The downside is that this happens as a result of her inadvertently turning herself into a pillar of salt. She doesn't mind her new state, though, and declares that it was worth it in the end.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Pearl cares for her kids and just wants them to lead decent and respectful lives, but the kids themselves note that her hovering over them 24 hours a day is stifling them from actually living independently.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Richie, the son of Pearl's neighbor, is prone to teasing her and making faces, and he doesn't even bother telling his mother to call the police when the Kings appear to have been robbed. Pearl's off-hand wishes give the boy a taste of his own medicine.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: She's 21 to be technical, but Madlene dresses like Madonna early in the episode and is shown to be the more hot-headed one between her and her brother in regards to Pearl's treatment of them.
- Butt-Monkey: Richie the neighbor boy becomes one as Pearl's wishes torture him. At first, the serpent's tooth freezes his face and results in him needing chicken soup (which Pearl made a universal antidote) fed to him through a baster. He then becomes her errand boy and ends up riding his bike up and down the city for three hours looking for a loaf of pumpernickel, and when he gets back, she pays him a mere dollar for his grueling work, to which he angrily tells her that his mom's going to punish him for being late for dinner. With another one of Pearl's wishes, he promptly goes into a conniption fit, to which Pearl offers another to give him another dollar instead of calling the hospital.
- Control Freak: Pearl just can't resist having the feeling of total control over her childrens' lives, even though they're angry and scared of her newfound power.
- Everybody Has Standards: Pearl may be an overbearing mother who tries putting her children on a leash, and she may not approve of Madlene's choice in fashion or men, but when she unwittingly uses the serpent's tooth to turn Madlene's boyfriend Barry into a slice of bread, she's horrified at what she's done, crying as Madlene puts Barry into the fridge since she has no idea what to do for him.
- Exact Words: The serpent's tooth turns its wielder into a Reality Warper, but it makes no room for idioms, hyperbole, or figures of speech, which Pearl dispenses on a constant basis.
- Fate Worse than Death: Subverted. Pearl turns herself into a pillar of salt thanks to her final wish, but she actually doesn't mind it in the least, as her kids are now able to show her respect and live somewhat respectful lives.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Richie may be an insufferable brat, but he's got a valid complaint of how Pearl's request for pumpernickel had him riding his bike up and down New York City for three hours and made him late for dinner, and he has a right to be pissed when Pearl only gives him a dollar for the trouble.
- Literal-Minded: The serpent's tooth, which takes all of Pearl's idioms literally.
- Literary Allusion Title: The episode's title and plot are both inspired by the line "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" from King Lear, Act 1, Scene 4. Myron even recites the quote himself, noting that the prophets of his native country say it often.
- Meaningful Name: Pearl's family name of "King" illustrates the controlling and tyrannical figure her children see her as.
- My Beloved Smother: Pearl is the arch-typical example of such a mother, willing to put her own life on the line for her kids' to be successful, and not minding in the least that she becomes a salt statue, so long as the kids finally respect her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Pearl turns Barry into a slice of date nut bread, she shows clear remorse for what she did to him, driving her to the realization that the tooth is too dangerous for her to wield. Justified, as this is the first time she's (unwittingly) harmed someone with the tooth in a way she can't reverse.
- Not Hyperbole: The titular tooth has the power to make anything its wielder commands come true. It unfortunately falls into the hands of Pearl, who eagerly partakes in the classic motherhood trope of exaggerating things with idioms and metaphors.
- No Sympathy: While Pearl desperately craves her kids' attention and is horrified at Barry's fate, she shows a lot less patience with Richie, only paying him a dollar for his torturous trip for pumpernickel and giving him another dollar instead of calling an ambulance when he goes into conniptions.
- Oh, Crap!: Everyone when Pearl accidentally wishes Barry into a slice of date nut bread. Since he's evidently unable to be turned back, Madlene can only think of putting him in a plastic container and placing him in the fridge.
- P.O.V. Cam: A brief shot from Marc's view is seen as Pearl and Madlene argue, the camera being blurred due to Pearl's first off-hand wish ruining his eyesight.
- Running Gag: The titular tooth glows to the tune of tribal drums whenever Pearl makes a command to it, intentionally or otherwise.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Myron, Pearl's friend who gives her the serpent's tooth.
- Stealth Insult: A rare example where it's self-inflicted. Near the end of the episode, Pearl claims, while holding the tooth, "If any mother has ever loved you as much as I have, may I turn into a pillar of salt!" That's exactly what happens, showing that her brand of "love" is nothing special.
- Struggling Single Mother: Pearl's husband died years before the episode began, and she's struggling to have her kids live respectable lives with him gone.
- Taken for Granite: Pearl's fate after she absent-mindedly declares "May I turn into a pillar of salt!" if any mother loves their kids more than she does hers.
- Too Dumb to Live: After she tries to reform and give up the serpent's tooth, Pearl takes it back because she's too attached to its power, despite being warned by her family and friends that it's far too dangerous for her to use. As Madlene calls her out, Pearl claims that she only wants what's best for her and her brother, and ultimately decrees that if anyone harbors greater love for their children, she'll turn into a pillar of salt. The tooth makes that happen immediately, though she doesn't mind in the end.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pearl enjoys cooking chicken soup every day, and thanks to the tooth, she turns it into a literal universal antidote.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Myron gives Pearl the titular tooth as a way to help her children get into better shape life-wise. She ultimately uses it to turn herself into a salt pillar.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Pearl's daughter Madlene calls her out for inflicting physical ailments on her, Marc, and Richie, turning Barry into a slice of bread, and taking the titular tooth back after she tries to get rid of it because of how overwhelming its power is.
- Worth It: The solidified Pearl thinks this to herself at the end of the episode, as her kids finally show her some respect and comply (partially) with her wishes.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: The titular tooth is able to conjure anything its holder declares, and since Pearl is a fan of using idioms and hyperbole, it takes her statements literally.
