YMMV / Monsters at Work

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Mike's Workaholic behavior in the second episode can be interpreted as him overcompensating for his lack of scare talent as established in the prequel and he is trying to make up for lost time for all the years he's worked at Monsters, Inc. as Sulley's assistant.
  • Despite openly wanting Fritz's job and constantly threatening Tylor due to seeing him as a rival, Duncan never actively tries to oust or harm Fritz himself and plans to wait until Fritz retires or dies so he can legitimately inherit the position. Is Duncan not as malicious as he seems, or is he simply considering the possible consequences of attacking Fritz directly?
  • Mike acknowledges in the season finale that Roz and Roze never appear together at the same time, and openly suspects that Roze doesn't exist and has just been Roz in a Paper-Thin Disguise all along. It's never revealed whether he's right, allowing the viewer to make their own decision. Additionally, was Roz laughing at his accusation because she was trolling him and was pleased that her plan worked so well? Or was her laughing a dismissal of a silly theory Mike cooked up?
  • Assuming Mike is correct that Roz has been working undercover as Roze, why would Roz go out of her way to do this? Did she grow fond of her time working at Monsters, Inc. and decided to stay even after completing her mission? Or is she just there to torment Mike for her own amusement?
• Awesome Music:
  • Dominic Lewis manages to capture the spirit of Randy Newman's jazzy score to a T.
  • The second episode ends with Mike singing a snappy little ditty called "Comedy Can Be Dangerous", written and composed by Randy "United States Canada Mexico Panama" Rogel.
  • Starting with the third episode, each one has a different version of the iconic Monsters Inc. theme song that plays during the end credits. Not only are they really good, but they match the theme of the episodes (for example, a baseball organ version for the Baseball Episode).
• Base-Breaking Character: Duncan. Some find him to be an entertaining jerkass with his own sympathetic moments, while others find him to be only an obnoxious jerkass and believe him to only marginally improve his behavior throughout the season, making his moments of sincerity fall on deaf ears.
• Broken Base: Tylor being the main character with Mike and Sulley getting relegated to the show's B-Plots. Fans of this approach find it a bold risk that allows for a new perspective into the Monster world. Detractors however would much prefer to follow Mike and Sulley be the focus and see more of their beloved buddy dynamic, especially since trailers gave the impression Mike and Sulley would have more focus than the show ended up providing.
• Cliché Storm: Tylor's main arc in season one of not wanting to be around a group of eccentric misfits before inevitably coming to appreciate them is a pretty by-the-books trope. Viewers are generally more interested in Tylor's attempts to become a Jokester and Mike and Sulley's subplots.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • The MIFT team's employee, David, was killed through a shredder and all the MIFT team keeps his remains in a jar to remember him by. They explain this very casually.
  • Anything that comes out of Cutter’s mouth qualifies, from anything about the fates of late MIFT members to stories about the past husbands and dates she's had. For example, we still don't know if her second husband actually got out of that trap she placed for him.
• Ho Yay:
  • When Mike has to babysit Snore in "The Damaged Room", many of his arguments with Sulley make them sound Like an Old Married Couple. Even at the end of the episode he jokes that in the future maybe the two of them will have children of their own together.
  • Played for Laughs in "The Big Wazowskis". Mike hopes to win a romantic dinner for two at Harryhausen's so he can take Celia back there. Because the final game ends in a tie, he has to take Gary instead.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Most of the fans who watched the series are only interested in seeing Mike and Sulley again (especially since the very busy A-lister John Goodman was able to reprise his role), and how they cope with the changes from scream powers to laugh powers. And then there are those who want to see the characters from Monsters University appear again, like Prof. Derek Knight, Carla, and the slug student. And there are many others who are hoping to see Boo.
• Memetic Mutation: The reveal of Gary Gibbs has immediately led to Sonic Adventure 2 jokes, since Gary is a blue recolor of Mike and his arch-nemesis.
• Squick: Argus Blinks and his briefcase full of sentient eyeballs. They roll around all by themselves and make various slimy noises, all of which is enough to swiftly freak out Mike and Sulley. And that's not getting into MIFT having to chase them around, culminating in Duncan stepping on one and accidentally popping it. Mercifully, all we see is Duncan and Tylor's grossed-out reactions... along with the flattened, goopy eyeball being put back in the case.
• Unexpected Character:
  • Professor Knight's surprise cameo in the first scene as he was not announced to be returning beforehand.
  • Johnny Worthington appearing in the second season came as a surprise as well, considering he had not even been mentioned in any media taking place after Monsters University, nor was anyone expecting him to be a head of a scare company big enough to rival Monsters, Inc.

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