Headscratchers / Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show

Why Eddy's Brother's home?

• Of all places to hide, why on Earth did Eddy choose his brother's place?!
  • Eddy chose to reach his brother as a desperate measure to prevent the kids from beating him, Edd, and Ed up. Eddy expected his big brother would beat up the kids, not him. Eddy didn't come up with a backup plan of what to do if his big brother started beating him up instead of the kids except most likely crawl away and tunnel to safety as you can visibly see when Edd tried chewing Eddy's Brother out.
  • There are a variety of reasons: Most of the time the older brother helps the younger sibling (Ed helps Sarah) so he could've thought that maybe he wasn't that much of a jerk (after all, they were trying to kill, Ed, and Edd), maybe Eddy thought now that his brother's an adult that he'd be more responsible (Eddy should know by now that Adults Are Useless), he had no other alternatives (the only possible one being the Kankers, and we know how this would end), at that point going to a Jerkass sociopathic Big Brother Bully and deal with the physical abuse was a better alternative to the kids who appeared to be out for blood, you don't think rationally when there's an angry mob on your tail and calling the parents/the police would probably mean that they would've had to confess and face consequences anyway. There's also the theory that he knew how the bastard would've reacted and planned a Wounded Gazelle Gambit.
  • Perhaps Eddy's brother hadn't done anything to him since he moved out. It's implied through postcards and packages that the two were at least in correspondence with one another, especially his "Having a blast, from your big bro." card. Maybe Eddy thought that his brother had outgrown that. Remember, Eddy felt safe until his brother wanted to play uncle and seemed pretty surprised that he still wanted to do that to him. Not to mention the Eds were desperate, Eddy probably wasn't thinking about the possibility that his brother would harm him.
  • Children who are abused from a young age by those they are supposed to love and trust often have a twisted mentality, especially if they don't know that the abuse isn't normal. Eddy knows that his brother isn't actually as cool as Eddy makes him out to be in his tall tales (he isn't a whaler, for example), but he might not have known exactly what he'd be leading Double-D and Ed into. There's also his act to consider: when have we ever known Eddy to freely admit he's wrong without serious pushing? His brother being super cool was the last part of the fake ego he had left, what with the last scam ruining everything else.
  • What's made clear is that Eddy is Believing Their Own Lies when it comes to his brother. People who are traumatized often block out the memory of the trauma. Eddy probably suppressed everything his brother did to him and replaced it with this idealized image in order to deal with the trauma. It's not until his brother said he wanted to play Uncle that Eddy started to remember what his "totally awesome bro" was really like.
  • If you had a bunch of kids trying to beat you up, wouldn't you want your older sibling (who is feared by many) to back you up?

Barricading the door

• How come the Eds didn't do more to secure the door to Eddy's brother's room? Sure those door locks were super strong and secure, but why didn't they also barricade it or something to buy them more time?
  • There didn't seem anything heavy enough in Eddy's Brother's room to barricade the door, you can only find a camel prop, some sand, trophies, a cup, and lots of useless junk.
  • Also, the Eds overestimated how safe they were with the door locks. They didn't even bother to evacuate until after the angry Cul-de-sac kids started breaking down the door.

Stop, Ed, stop!

• Why didn't Eddy and/or Double D force Ed to stop loudly eating that crunchy butter toast? Like seriously, swipe that toast right out of his hands or whisper at him that he's helping the kids audibly locate them.
  • Eddy probably couldn't figure out Ed needed to stop eating it. And so was Double D, who was sweating like mad.
  • Fear and rational thinking apparently do not mix for Eddy or Double D.

Ending the Chase

• Why does everyone in the movie just...give up at the end? Whatever Noodle Incident happened before the beginning must've been in Moral Event Horizon territory. Rolf has a freaking bite out of his side, arm, and head, and Jonny started out with a beartrap on his head. And everyone was willing to chase them around just to either get revenge or to watch them get pulverized. Yet, when they find Eddy's brother and he hits him a few times (which is very minor considering the kind of insane slapstick that happens to these characters on a regular basis) and Eddy reveals he made up everything about his brother, they suddenly all cheer for the Eds and become their best friends. Why? Nothing even happened to Ed or Edd, so how come Eddy getting a minor comeuppance suddenly makes everyone forget everything that happened?
  • Being humiliated in front of everyone you know after hamming up your brother as a cool guy that loves and respects you is a 'minor comeuppance'? The guy's a grown man, if he still gets his kicks out of bullying kids, there's reason to believe he's a jerkass. Plus, Eddy finally swallowed his pride and admitted how pathetic he was. The kids never really had a problem with the Eds aside from them being so obnoxious.
    • Which is all very well and good, but compared with some of the crap that Eddy's been through and then just brushed off throughout the series, what his brother did was really minor. It seemed more like normal, brotherly picking, exaggerated to fit with the fact that everyone in this universe is Made of Iron.
  • It wasn't Played for Laughs like everything else in the entire show. The difference here is that it wasn't funny, and Eddy's Brother had no intent to stop. Anyone else who beats up someone in this show stops after they've had their fill, Eddy's brother was enjoying himself beating Eddy up. What got them wasn't the fact that Eddy got beat up, it was the fact they realized why Eddy was like he was. Think about it, Eddy's Brother outright said he'd done this same thing to Eddy all the time back home and loved it. And back then, his parents were probably the only ones who'd stop him, if they knew at all, meaning we just saw the tip of the iceberg. And we don't know how strong Eddy's Brother was, considering Rolf, the only one who really knew him and the strongest character in the show (except maybe the Kankers) was outright terrified of the guy, Eddy's brother is probably stronger than him and thus the strongest person to beat up Eddy. This would mean that the abuse he dealt out to him hurt much more than what happened before. So it wasn't just that Eddy's brother beat him up, it's because Eddy's brother took pride in doing that every day they lived together, and probably much worse. In other words, the kids experienced in-universe Fridge Horror and realized what Eddy's childhood was like. As for letting Edd and Ed off the hook? Edd stood up to Eddy's brother, something they were all too terrified to do until afterward, and got slammed into the ground for it. They probably respected him because of that. Ed took Eddy's brother down, likewise respect, and he's too dumb to know better, they probably didn't hold that against him.
  • Basically, they all realized that nothing Eddy did to them, regardless of severity, was really his fault (plus, they may have finally figured out that it was an accident, as far as we know). Also, as stated, they realized what Eddy's childhood was really like, and then they saw his friends STAND UP to his brother, even when they themselves were unable to. They saw the Eds finally defeat the reason they were such jerks to everybody. Let's also not forget that they weren't exactly well-adjusted adults. They were not-entirely-emotionally-stable kids who had stayed up all night, hadn't eaten since the day before, and had been through a lot. At the very least, they were thinking, "Y'know what? I'm tired, I'm hungry, I just want to go home, I'm just gonna forget about this." Either way, treating the Eds like heroes would be the only logical decision in their minds. Whether that sticks or not, though, is up in the air.
    • Plus, seeing Eddy's brother being so sadistic towards him probably made them realize that nothing they could do would even hold a candle compared to what Eddy went through on a regular basis.
  • It's one thing for kids to beat each other up. It's awful, but that's one thing. It's entirely another for a grown adult to harm a child, especially when that child is coming to them for help and when asked to stop, threatens to take away the protection the child was seeking. That was the big sticking point, that not only was Eddy's Brother horribly abusive and had been all of Eddy's childhood, but as an adult, when given the opportunity, will gladly start hurting him again with the promise of no consequences. (remember when he asked if anyone knew Eddy was there?) And not just that, he hurts Edd when he stands up to him, showing that this is not just brother roughhousing. He's more than willing to beat on a kid he's just met. (also, depending on your views on Would Not Hit a Girl / Would Hit a Girl, the fact that he thought he was beating on a little girl might just add to the evidence that he's a scumbag)
  • Most of the slapstick and pain the kids go through are played for laughs and have no real consequences. It's kid's stuff. Eddy's brother was causing real pain and suffering to his little brother, who was begging him to stop.

Why were the kids so surprised about Eddy's Brother?

• Out of curiosity, there are more than a few kids on the Cul-de-sac who are actively terrified of Eddy's Brother, namely Rolf and Kevin. So, why is it in the movie they're so shocked to see how abusive he is to Eddy? Wouldn't they know if he was that bad to begin with?
  • They might not have known he was abusive to Eddy. Throughout that episode, Eddy made his brother out to be someone who would stand up for him and pound any kid who bothered him. Obviously, that was wrong and we learn Eddy merely made those things up to gain respect (and possibly hide his own fear of his brother).
    • If the kids had got to Eddy, then he might have had a "nobody hits him but me", kind of moment, where he's abusive, but he's the only one allowed to do it.
    • Bullying other kids is being a jerk, but beating up your brother is crossing the line. He's old enough that he knows better and would be arrested. He only got out of it because his parents wanted it kept hidden.
    • Perhaps his parents hadn't known about it. Eddy's brother could absolutely have just blamed the other kids for Eddy's beatings, or better yet, terrorize the other kids and then blame Eddy, thereby justifying the beating. This might explain why Eddy's parents never do anything in the present day to prevent their son from getting beaten up by the rest of the Cul-de-Sac in almost every episode, and why Eddy ended up the way he is - to them, he may have always been a "rabble-rouser." It's very hard to shake an identity you've already been given, and much easier to slip into it, especially if you see your "idolized" older brother being "respected" for being a jerk.
  • Maybe Kevin was just afraid of losing his social status.
    • In "Pass it on Ed", it's pretty heavily implied that Eddy's Brother used to pick on Kevin when he was around, which was probably because of Eddy- Eddy mentions that people "respected" him when he was with his brother, so it seems likely that, abusive or no, Eddy's Brother probably would have beat up Kevin if he caught Kevin attacking Eddy.
  • Kevin was afraid Eddy's Brother would beat him up for picking on Eddy; as for Rolf, apparently Eddy's Brother did something to his chickens.

The Kankers not going apeshit on Eddy's Brother?

• Why exactly May and Marie were holding Lee back when Eddy's brother was beating Eddy? It feels weird, considering that Kankers' wrath is comparable to a natural disaster (the episode with the ship in a bottle, anyone?), so beating up one guy shouldn't be that much of a problem for them.
  • Maybe it's because they were still worried that Eddy's Brother would beat up Lee, since the pain Eddy's Brother caused to Eddy looks a lot worse than the pain the Kankers themselves cause to others. The Kankers are teenagers while Eddy's Brother is a grown man and they too can get seriously hurt. Plus, even Rolf feared Eddy's Brother. That may be why they gave him his just desserts when he was more vulnerable (knocked out cold).

Beating Eddy up in front of a live audience

• Why did EB start beating the shit outta Eddy in front of everyone? There were ten witnesses, did he sincerely expect to get away scot-free?
  • Yes. He was a big, tough guy. They were all kids who were scared stiff. Heck, Double D tried calling him out, that didn't go well.
    • Plus they probably wouldn't want to call the police, if they did the cops would probably wonder why they're all about one-hundred miles away from home and call their parents.

How does EB still have his job?

• Assuming Eddy's Brother works at the amusement park so he can torture children, he's bound to have done this many times before. How is it that he was not arrested or apparently even punished prior to the movie?
  • For the same reason no one bats an eyelash when the Eds try to scam other kids and get beaten to a pulp, raped, or falsely imprisoned afterward?
    • Also, they are children, he's an adult. And a clever, manipulative one, at that. If a kid runs off to their mom/dad and claims that Eddy's Brother did something, he's probably good enough at lying that it looks like the kid is making it up or that it's an accident. He's careful to ask Eddy whether their parents are there before he even comes out of his trailer, making sure no adults who can do anything about it are there to see him pummelling a child. If he's at his job, he's probably even sneakier about it.
  • Or if he tortures children, it's in a way that just comes across as good-natured teasing and the adults don't bat an eyelid at it.

Why only Eddy?

• Rather than beating up Eddy, why didn't Eddy's brother go after the other kids? Going after them, rather than just Eddy and his two friends, would've given him more victims to beat up and re-establishing himself as top dog, plus it puts Eddy in his debt so he could call on him for favors by reminding him that he pretty much saved his life. If Eddy's brother wanted to see Eddy beat up, then why not just stand aside and let the neighborhood kids do it? Whatever beatings Eddy's brother could proscribe was probably nothing compared to what the neighborhood kids would've done if Eddy was willing to trek all the way to his abusive brother's house. Eddy's brother could keep his hands clean and honestly say that he never touched his brother if Eddy's injuries came up.
  • Eddy's brother must have found it more fun to beat Eddy up than just watching the Kids do it.
  • Eddy may have annoyed his big brother worse than the other kids did, after all, EB had to live in the same house with Eddy for at least a short time. Also, Eddy was the one who knocked on his brother's door, Eddy's brother may have been sleeping or just slacking around and gets ticked off by being disturbed.
  • Eddy's Brother can't attack the other kids because he's an adult and the kids are minors. He'll just end up in jail if the kids' parents decide to press charges against him.

Was Sarah really that weak?

• So when Sarah attempts to stand up to the Kankers because they were bullying Jimmy, she immediately becomes outnumbered by them and remains helpless as they wet-willie her? Throughout the series, Sarah can beat up all 3 Eds (and even Jonny) with no hesitation by herself due to her Super-Strength, but she won't use that same Super-Strength to beat up all 3 Kankers at the same time? Seriously?
  • Word of God says that Sarah and Jimmy are ages 6-7 and May is 13, Marie is 14 and Lee is 15.
  • Most of the other kids are boys (and Nazz isn't the type to get into fights), so maybe Sarah isn't that strong, but the others are unwilling to fight back because she's a girl and so much younger than them. The Kankers meanwhile have no problem hitting another girl. Plus whenever we've seen the Kankers in action, they're very good at working together.
    • In many episodes, Sarah is shown to be able to lift heavy things (like a car, which she threw on Nazz). So she can't utilize that same strength to fight back against the Kankers? It's mind-boggling. By the way, with Jonny, he was actually able to take on all 3 Kankers and win, so how come Sarah couldn't when she's shown to be stronger than Jonny?
    • Don't know if Jonny actually "won" when he took on all 3 Kankers. He was only interested in retrieving Plank from them after May stole Plank for backscratching purposes. Jonny barely survived getting Plank back and you can see he was badly bruised in his struggle when he got out of their trailer with Plank.
  • Sarah did try to squirm her way out of being pinned to the ground by May and Marie. If she were strong enough to break free, she could have rescued Jimmy and ran away with him.
  • They've overpowered her before: in "Run For Your Ed", they effortlessly did so and trashed her room. And Sarah is demonstrably weaker than Ed, having lost to him in the Halloween special; and simply yelling at her was all it took for him to make her grovel. And they also have good stamina since they assault one another on a regular basis, whereas Sarah is a Glass Cannon.
  • Basically, everyone in the show's universe has Super-Strength to a certain extent due to Rule of Funny, but some characters are extra strong. If Ed and Eddy's Brother are the top of the pyramid, the Kankers are easily second place (note how a lot of times, Ed's beatings are a result of him being too dumb or nice to fight back; whenever he gets serious, he's terrifying). Sarah only appears so strong because she's rarely challenged by people who outrank her. Even during the Ship in a Bottle episode, she never really fights the Kankers so much as lays down and tries not to piss them off. The film is the first time in the entire series that she actively gets into a fight with them, and they prove how horribly outmatched she is.

Was Double D really that strong?

• I would love to know how Double D managed to use a spinning wheel to propel the car and launch into a desert. Surely there has to some scienecey explanation to this, how did Edd launch a car into the sky with a spinning wheel?
  • Standard law of physics. Ed was running the car at top speed, so all Edd had to do was redirect the car's forward momentum into rotational momentum, generating enough centrifugal force to launch all the kids off of it before finally letting go of the roundabout, converting the rotational momentum back into forward momentum and sending the car flying.

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