Don't kill me, I have so much to give!
The Zooniverse's beloved gorilla, Bollo, is dying, so Bob Fossil recruits Howard to pretend to be him while a wealthy benefactor of the zoo comes to visit. While Howard is playing the part, the Grim Reaper (a Cockney cab driver) comes for Bollo, and takes Howard off to Monkey Hell in his place.While Bollo makes a miraculous recovery, Howard talks a Grim Reaper into letting him go back to haunt Vince, who after some persuading, comes to his rescue. Both of them get captured in Monkey Hell, but Vince's hairstyling skills (and some unlikely help from Naboo) save the day.
The Mighty Boosh episode "Bollo" contains these tropes:
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Vince gives Howard a hard time for having sex with Jack the Fox. Later, Howard gets sent to Monkey Hell for real for bumming a fox. Howard insists that that's just a rumor, but the fox corroborates Vince's accusations.
- Chekhov's Gun: Naboo's Miracle Wax, which is introduced at first in what seems like a one-off joke about Vince's vanity, but later becomes key for Vince and Howard's escape.
- Chekhov's Skill: Vince's hair styling abilities are a defining character trait, but Vince's vanity seems like it would be useless in an adventure. However, Vince's hair skills are essential for winning his freedom from Monkey Hell.
- Hypocritical Humor: Howard spends much of the beginning of the episode reciting Hamlet's soliloquy and making grand statements about how he will Face Death with Dignity. When Death actually comes for him, he begs to be spared."Don't kill me. I have so much to give!"
- Fleeting Passionate Hobbies: In this episode, the skill Howard is convinced he's good at is acting, but after many grand Shakespearean proclamations, his acting skills are put to the test by playing a gorilla in a cage.
- The Grim Reaper: In this episode there are many of them, all the typical black robed skeletons, but they drive the dead to the afterlife in cabs and all speak with Cockney accents. They have an office much like a cab stand where they hang out, drink coffee (somehow) and wait to be dispatched.
- Kinda Busy Here: Vince's cell phone goes off as Howard, back on Earth for a short time as a ghost, tells him urgently about his need to be rescued from Monkey Hell. Vince picks up and wastes time with an inane conversation while Howard stares at him aghast.
- Magic Mirror: A mirror in the afterlife cab station serves as a portal to the land of the living, and Naboo has a similar mirror in his hut that takes you to a room of mirrors that are all portals to somewhere.
- Method Acting: Howard is so committed to the craft of acting that he imitates a monkey by throwing his own shit at visitors.
- Obi-Wan Moment: Bollo, who's been a mentor and old friend to Vince, is slowly and quietly dying in the zoo infirmary. Vince and Bollo share tender goodbyes as they talk about how much they mean to each other. Bollo seemingly fades away, and Vince pulls a sheet over a head. Subverted moments later when Bollo recovers miraculously and says he feels fine.
- Only Smart People May Pass: Subverted. Mr. Susan insists that Vince listen to him closely and carefully choose which mirror to pass through to reach his destination. But Vince, who's definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, completely ignores him and randomly picks the right mirror on the first try.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Howard's gorilla costume is mostly just a cheap mask.
- Poltergeist: The Grim Reaper mentions to Howard that his options as a ghost are saying goodbye to loved ones, or moving cups around. Howard laughs at the latter, but he later gets his revenge on Bob Fossil by moving cups in his office, completely terrifying him (even though a previous scene established that Howard is perfectly visible).
- Rescued from the Underworld: Vince travels to Monkey Hell to rescue his good friend Howard, and they are able to return home thanks to Vince's hair skills.
- Rock Me, Asmodeus!: The Ape of Death (basically monkey Satan) and his minions, all of whom resemble ape versions of KISS, perform a rousing Glam Rock-inspired musical number near the end of the episode.
- Threshold Guardians: Mr. Susan, a weird creature made of cleaning supplies, lives in the room of mirrors and taunts travelers in a sing-song voice about their ability to choose the correct mirror to continue their journey. He's no obstacle for Vince, though.
- Void Between the Worlds: In between life and the afterlife is a vast, black space that you have to travel through in a cab.
