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Context Recap / RenAndStimpy2X07SonOfStimpy

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1'''Original air date:''' 1/13/1993 [[note]]MTV; first aired on Nickelodeon on 12/11/93.[[/note]] ''(produced in 1992)''
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3Stimpy is sitting at home in front of the TV one day when suddenly... something comes out of his butt; it makes a sound, and it smells funny. He tries to explain it to Ren, but he doesn't believe him[[note]]Ren: [[CharacterCatchphrase "You're an eediot."]][[/note]], and eventually doesn't "want to hear any more of [his] "stinky" fantasies!" After having named the thing "Stinky", Stimpy goes on a search for his "son"...who is NOT a fantasy, he IS real![[note]]Stimpy: "And I will find him!"[[/note]]
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5Anyway, he can't find him anywhere, even after asking his [[CollectorOfTheStrange "magic]] [[{{Squick}} nose goblins"]]... and gets depressed for three years. After all this time, Ren fruitlessly tries to pull his best friend out of this depression, first suggesting TV[[note]]Namely, Stimpy's two favorite shows, "Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy", and "Muddy Mudskipper".[[/note]], then trying to cheer him up first with his favorite catnip mouse, [[TemptingFate and finally]] his own [[TraumaButton "nice and 'stinky']] litter box, which results in making Stimpy even ''worse'', causing him to violently "[cry] about [his] imaginary BUTT stinkyness", as Ren puts it. Eventually, he gives up after stubborn Stimpy refuses to "[listen] to this anymore", convinced that "He's real! He's real! He's REAL!!", and all the while doesn't care about anything anymore. Months later, Stimpy is (still) waiting for "Stinky" to come home, and after Ren tries cheering him up again, he finally snaps, and goes by himself to "the naked city" to find poor little "Stinky"...who is out there in the cold! Lost! '''''ALONE!'''''[[note]]Stimpy: "He NEEDS me! He needs me..."[[/note]]...and is not coming back until he finds "him".
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7Yeah, it's that ridiculous, not to mention disgusting. However, John Kricfalusi wrote the episode this way on purpose, as discussed under "DeconstructiveParody".
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9In the home video release, this episode was preceeded by the Music/CatHairballs music video.
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11!!''Son of Stimpy'' contains examples of:
12* AnimateInanimateObject: The fart, natch.
13** And the boogers.
14* AnimationBump: John K. put extra care on the character expressions and painterly backgrounds to make this episode as good as possible. In the DVD commentary, he mentions that it's "feature quality animation, amazing on a tv budget."
15* BasedOnATrueStory: {{Parodied}} in the OpeningNarration, stating that "this here's a true story that we just made up."
16* {{Bathos}}: This episode is entirely ''fueled'' by this. Who else would get depressed over a fart disappearing?
17* BigWordShout:
18-->'''Stimpy''': RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!
19* {{Bowdlerize}}: Nickelodeon airings, as well as the episode's VHS release, removed the scene of Stimpy consulting a police sketch artist who tosses him into the street (although the "Cat Hairballs" music video briefly includes a clip of the scene).[[note]]The "Cat Hairballs" music video shows the part where Stimpy points to his butt while talking to the sketch artist.[[/note]]
20* BreakTheCutie: Stimpy, who is more of an "eediot" than a cutie, but this trope still applies.[[note]]One way or the other. Again, the episode really is that silly.[[/note]]
21-->'''Stimpy''': I don't care...
22* {{Callback}}: There are several from the first season:
23** The opening scene is similar to "Stimpy's Big Day"
24** The Magic Nose Goblins from one of the "What'll We Do Til Then?" segments appear.
25** The shows that Ren tries to cheer Stimpy up with are "Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy" ("Space Madness", "Marooned", "Black Hole") and "Muddy Muddskipper" ("Stimpy's Big Day")
26** Ren tells Stimpy to pull himself together is similar to how he tells him that in "Black Hole".
27** The way Ren reunites with Stimpy is identical to "The Big Shot"/
28** Ren and Stimpy saying "memoriiiiies" is from "The Big Shot" and "Black Hole".
29* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Then again, the viewers knew this from the start even if Ren didn't, and even then, it wasn't the point either way.
30* ChristmasEpisode: Or rather a...
31* DeconstructiveParody: This episode was deliberately made by John as a stealth deconstruction of pathos scenes in movies, using a deliberately ludicrous and baffling plotline that's PlayedForDrama[[note]]Except not; it's complicated.[[/note]], just to show how easy it is to make people cry at a scene if you use the right staging and music tricks. He discusses this at length [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/04/funny-pathos-vs-cheap-trick-pathos.html in this post]] on his blog, ''Blog/JohnKStuff''
32-->'''John''': ''"I purposely made a cartoon that used some filmic tricks to make people cry just to show that it's not hard to do it. And I didn't have to [[WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}} shoot anyone's Mom either]]. I made people cry over the fact that [[MundaneMadeAwesome Stimpy couldn't fart for a second time]]. I went out of my way to make the story have the most preposterous plot events in it-everything to undermine the seriousness of Stimpy's depression. Besides the mood tricks, I relied heavily on Stimpy and Ren's acting-the drawings of their expressions and their interactions. A lot of films will ignore this part of the pathos recipe. They rely on the filmic tricks and contrived story points."''
33* DismissiveKick: After they pop and deflate from overexertion, Ren kicks the deflated remains of Stimpy's butt.
34* DudeNotFunny: Deliberately invoked in order to prove the above point.
35* ExtremeCloseUp: Happens a couple times in the first few minutes, and one of the surprisingly few times it's not the gross out kind. First there's an up-close of Stimpy's butt seconds before the, um... "birth of Stinky". Then later when Stimpy tries to fart for Ren, we see a close up of Stimpy's butt cheeks as they strain, swell up, and [[PainToTheAss deflate like balloons.]]
36* FootBathTreatment: After searching for his sentient fart out in the cold, Stimpy returns home [[InstantIceJustAddCold encased in a block of ice]] and is given this treatment.
37* HappyEnding: [[spoiler: In the end, Stinky and Stimpy are reunited, and although Stinky can't stay, he has found a fiancee (an old fish head) and invites Stimpy to the wedding, making Stimpy the happy eediot we all know and love again.]]
38* HeroicBSOD: Stimpy goes into a ridiculously, and unrealistically long one, even by the trope's standards[[note]]Again, this as deliberately invoked[[/note]].
39-->'''Stimpy''': I don't care...
40* HeroicRROD: At the start of the episode, Stimpy tries to fart for Ren in order to prove that Stinky is real. After the first two attempts fail, Stimpy puts everything into the third try, which results in Stimpy's butt cheeks over exerting themselves, [[PainToTheAss swelling up,]] [[PainToTheAss then going limp and deflating complete with sound effect and Stimpy gasping in defeat.]]
41* HypocriticalHumor: Stimpy's talking boogers think he's crazy - because he talks to ''farts''.
42* {{Jerkass}}es: Stimpy's boogers. That's right, his ''boogers''. Oh yeah, and [[AnimateinanimateObject they talk.]]
43* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ren[[note]]But only because John [[ExecutiveMeddling had it forced on him]] by [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} the network]].[[/note]]
44* LittleNo: As they finally overexert themselves and their [[PopGoesTheHuman butt deflates]], Stimpy lets out an exhausted and defeated gasp of "Nooo..."
45* MadnessMantra: Parodied. In Stimpy's case, it's more like "stupidity mantra" with his constantly saying "I don't care..." and "He's real..."
46-->'''Stimpy''': [[RuleOfThree "I don't care"...]]
47* MaleGaze: Parodied a bit in regards to Stimpy's butt. In several of the extreme close up shots of it, Stimpy's butt looks very womanly and full and is drawn in great detail. Examples are in the opening scene right before the "birth" of Stinky, and during Stimpy's attempt to re-create the moment for Ren, especially on the third try right before it bursts and deflates.
48* MissedHimByThatMuch: While Stimpy is under the wheel of a truck, Stinky comes by and sits on his butt while regretting having left, unaware of where he's sitting on.
49* MoodWhiplash: One moment Stimpy's talking to boogers underneath a piano stool. He sits up, and the stool sticks to his head. Cute joke, right? The very next scene, he's gone into a three-year-long depression about the fart he was looking for.
50-->'''Stimpy''': "[[OverlyLongGag I don't care...]]"[[note]]Ren: FINE!! SIT THERE AND WALLOW!!! YOU '''FAT''', YOU-YOU '''STUPID'''...'''''WHO NEEDS YA?!!!!'''''[[/note]]
51* PainToTheAss: In an attempt to prove to Ren that Stinky is real, Stimpy tries farting a second time. Cue lots of straining to no avail. Then we're treated to an up-close shot of Stimpy's butt cheeks as they swell up from the strain then suddenly deflate like a couple of balloons.
52* PopGoesTheHuman: A downplayed example. After the strain of trying to fart becomes too much, Stimpy's ass cheeks burst and deflate.
53* SayMyName:
54-->'''Stimpy''': Stiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnkyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!
55-->'''Stimpy:''' RRRRRREEEEEEEN!
56* StealthPun: Meta example. As previously mentioned, in creating this episode, John K. went for the most insane plotline he could think of. In other words, in creating this episode [[spoiler:he had pulled something out of his you-know-what.]]
57* TimeSkip: Not specified onscreen, but after the audience sees Stimpy moping around for an unspecified amount of time over his lost fart, a line from Ren reveals it's been "three years already".
58* ToiletHumor: Kind of the whole point.
59* TorchesAndPitchforks: Invoked with the two bums that Stinky tries to make a home in, who then hunt him down while carrying lit matches.
60* TropeyComeHome: Or in this case, "Stinky Come Home"...
61-->'''Stimpy''': "STIIIIIIIIIIIIIINKYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"[[note]]STINKY!!!......stinky, stinky, stinky...[[/note]]
62* TraumaButton: Apparently saying the word "stinky" in front of Stimpy was this for him.
63-->'''Ren''': It's Mr. litter box, come on! Take a stinky one! (scatches steps) Nice and '''[[TemptingFate stinky]]'''!
64-->'''Stimpy''': Stinky...wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAAH!! '''''WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!'''''
65* TruthInTelevision: As "unfunny-on-purpose", and "completely-discordant-even-by-the-show's-standards" as this episode is, it does show, even if exaggerated, one of the things depression can do (such as anything related to the pushing of a berserk button that causes uncontrollable crying or other things).
66* UnderTheMistletoe: In a major case of HoYay, this happens between the two. When Ren is trying to look for an excuse to get Stimpy back inside, he looks upwards and spots the mistletoe on the top of the front door. After he points it out, Ren then looks at Stimpy with a sly smile and bats his eyelashes. Stimpy, after a moment, realizes what Ren is trying to do. He then says “GOSH DARN IT, Ren! Is that all you can THINK OF?!
67* WackySoundEffect:
68** When Stimpy's butt cheeks deflate after straining too hard they sound like a pair of balloons releasing air.

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