History YMMV / AquaTeenHungerForce

* CrossesTheLineTwice: Good luck finding an episode that ''doesn't'' cross the line in some way.

** "Truly, they were a (insert series title here)."

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Even with the show's [[WidgetSeries unrealistic absurdity]], character interpretations can still be made from a cynical viewpoint:

** Pretty much every episode, given the [[WidgetSeries nature of the series]], and became increasingly bizarre as the show went on. While some episodes are tame (such as "Rabbot" or "The Dressing"), other episodes (like "Wi-Tri" and "One Hundred") are just straight-up weird.

** The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future for his utterly nonsensical ExpositionDump{{s}}.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: "The Greatest Story Ever Told" as its name implies is filled with religious parodies. It was released on Adult Swim's website 3 days after the show's supposed cancellation, mirroring the death and resurrection of Jesus.
* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Shouldn't need explaining.

** Shake has become this for many fans in later seasons. He is hurt much more often, many times unjustified, and suffers as much, if not even more non-canon deaths than Carl. Fans began to ''sympathize'' with him, especially in the last season where he TookALevelInKindness (the sole exception being in "Hospice") but is still either brutally hurt or killed in every episode[[note]]Sans [[ThrowTheDogABone "Mouth Quest",]] being the only episode to avert this[[/note]].
**

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Shake has become this for many fans in later seasons. He is hurt much more often, many times unjustified, and suffers as much, if not even more non-canon deaths than Carl. Fans began to ''sympathize'' with him, especially in the last season where he TookALevelInKindness (the sole exception being in "Hospice") but is still either brutally hurt or killed in every episode[[note]]Sans [[ThrowTheDogABone "Mouth Quest",]] being the only episode to avert this[[/note]].
** As mentioned above, the Bible Fruit. Apparently, [[AcceptableReligiousTargets being somewhat pushy in their beliefs]] [[DisproportionateRetribution gave Frylock cart blanche to push them]] OffTheWagon and blow them to smithereens.

* Don't forget Shake as well.

YMMV entries specific to the [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForceColonMovieFilmForTheaters film]] belong [[YMMV/AquaTeenHungerForceColonMovieFilmForTheaters here]].

** Can't forget "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary" from the episode of the same name - a prog-metal "alternative" to "Happy Birthday To You," performed by Zakk Wylde and a [[Music/{{Rush}} Geddy Lee]] sound-alike.

** Truly they were... an Aqua Teen Hunger Force. [[note]]a joking TitleDrop done at the end of one of the show's many SeriesFauxnale when it appeared that the main cast was moving away.[[note]]
*** ... Your emergency break is on!

* IdiotPlot: The show practically ''runs'' on the characters (most prominently [[{{Jerkass}} Shake]] and [[CloudCuckoolander Meatwad]]) being complete idiots and making poor choices. [[IdiotPlot/AquaTeenHungerForce A page even had to be made for standout examples]].

* DiagnosedByTheAudience:
** Sometimes Shake's behavior is bizarre enough to make the viewer wonder if there's something wrong with him. He abuses his enemies and [[WithFriendsLikeThese his friends]] (especially Meatwad) in the most diabolical ways and is even willing to ''commit suicide'' to abuse Meatwad much further. He can also be so [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] to the point where it becomes [[TooDumbToLive lethal]].
** It's heavily indicated that Meatwad has some kind of mental disability. In "Super Bowl" and "Ezekial," he outright calls himself "messed up in the head" and retarded in those respective episodes, and in "Rabbot Redux," when Shake complains to Frylock about Meatwad upsetting him, Frylock responds, "He doesn't know any better, and he's ''never'' gonna know any better. And you know that." According to one episode, Meatwad doesn't even have a brain.

** Jubilee appears to be a HotterAndSexier looking, yet otherwise innocent, {{parody}} of ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' until it's revealed she's stuck in an amateur porno ring, being forced do humiliating sexual acts such as ''crawling on all fours and eating dog food''. Especially heartrending is the scene where Jubilee [[YourMakeupIsRunning weeps her eyes out]] before the next shoot, while her entourage (particularly her BastardBoyfriend, Knapsacky) plays nice but ultimately only cares about getting her to debase herself for their profit. What's more, it's all but stated they got her addicted to cocaine as a means to keep her under their control.

* UncannyValley: Ever wonder what a cup, box of fries, and meatball would look like in RealLife if they each had human faces? The official poster for the film [[http://www.filmonpaper.com/posters/aqua-teen-hunger-force-colon-movie-film-for-theaters-one-sheet-usa/ clears this up]].

** "I get it. It ain't making me laugh, but I get it."

* BaseBreakingCharacter:

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Occurs very frequently throughout the series, with many scenes happening for little-to-no reason other than to be bizarre, [[RuleOfFunny funny]], or both.

* DesignatedMonkey: Master Shake is both a DesignatedMonkey and a KarmaHoudini. When Shake is actively being a jerk and hurting people, he tends to get away with it. But his biggest [[HumiliationConga Humiliation Congas]] come from his well-intentioned ([[ItsAllAboutMe for him]], [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} anyway]]) stupidity and/or him being an unrelated victim. This is especially demonstrated in the last season where Shake is largely OutOfFocus but will still be brutally hurt before the episode ends.

** The bomb scare also caused Creator/CartoonNetwork's general manager to resign and Stuart Snyder to take his place, leading to what many consider the network's DorkAge, including the cancellation of Creator/{{Toonami}}, the creation of [=CN Real=], and phasing out anime as well as old favorites such as ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. That's right, a single guerrilla marketing campaign for a movie nearly brought the entire Cartoon Network to its knees with the ensuing fallout.

* OvershadowedByControversy: TheMovie will always be more remembered for its ViralMarketing campaign that caused the Boston Bomb Scare, as well as being indirectly responsible for Cartoon Network's perceived NetworkDecay in subsequent years [[note]]After the Bomb Scare, then-CEO of CN Jim Samples stepped down from his position in light of backlash. He was then replaced by Stuart Snyder, who pushed out many of the network's animated series in favor of live-action series in a misguided attempt at competing with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon more. Snyder himself was later replaced by Christina Miller, who received widespread criticism from many longtime CN fans due to her questionable executive decisions that included seemingly prioritizing ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' reruns in the network's scheduling above all else, accusations of enforcing the AnimationAgeGhetto by placing emphasis on more LighterAndSofter works, and apparently favoring domestic cartoonists over creators from outside of [=CN=].[[/note]].
* RewatchBonus: All the numerous hints at [[spoiler:Frylock being a lesbian trapped in a man's body as a box of fries]] become a lot more noticeable once you've seen TheMovie.
* SeasonalRot: General consensus is that Seasons 3 and 4 started slowly declining in quality, but were still entertaining to watch, with TheMovie being the series' last hurrah before fully falling into this trope with Season 5. Common complaints include the series slowly phasing out fan favorites like the Mooninites and Dr. Weird (with season 4 axing {{Cold Open}}s altogether,) as well as more heavy reliance on [[BloodierAndGorier blood and gore]] and VulgarHumor, and already {{Jerkass}} characters [[TookALevelInJerkass taking further levels in Jerkass]] so much as to strain their likability as {{Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist}}s.

** In the episode “Bible Fruit”, Meatwad asks Master Shake if he can watch ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', to which Shake replies with “Well, now we’re too damn cheap to get it”, a reference to Adult Swim losing the show’s broadcast rights to Creator/ComedyCentral in 2008. However, in December 2021, the series LEFT Comedy Central and RETURNED to Adult Swim, making this gag incredibly outdated.

* IdiotPlot: The show practically ''runs'' on the characters (most prominently [[{{Jerkass}} Shake]] and [[CloudCuckoolander Meatwad]]) being complete idiots and making poor choices. Standouts include "Broodwich", "T-Shirt of the Living Dead", and "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary".

** Master Shake's behavior brings a lot into question. Does he bully Meatwad in an attempt to [[ToughLove toughen him up]], or just because [[TheSociopath he's a sociopathic jerk with no life]]? It can also be inferred that he was raised by AbusiveParents who couldn't have been bothered to raise him right ([[FreudianExcuse which he explicitly mentions in "Reedickyoulus"]]). Lastly, he may be jealous of the affection Meatwad receives in contrast to him, prompting him to take his anger out on Frylock for acting like a [[ParentalSubstitute father figure]] towards the former while giving him no affectionate attention. Also, it's stated in some episodes that like the latter, Shake has no brain and thus lacks any form of intellect, making him perpetually idealistic.