Recap / Dr. Crafty Season 1 Month 1: Season 1 Premiere Month

Dr. Crafty Recap Index
Season:
Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
Month:
#1: Season 1 Premiere Month | #2: Gaming Month | #3: Fiona Frightening Month
#4: Season 1 Commission Month | #5: Pokémon Month | #6: HalloWinter Special Month
Bonus Content:
Season 1 Promotional Videos

Airing Range: 5/24/17^* For this month, every single episode was uploaded on the same day.

In the swamps of Florida in a castle lair resides Dr. Crafty and his assistant Nurse Worse. They are a mad scientist duo with one big goal in mind: to entertain millions with a speed-art webisode series overlaid with comedic and informative commentary. For the show's very first month, Crafty and Nurse acquaint viewers with the show's basic concept and establish the kinds of art—or Concoctions—that will be shown going forward. This month's art is focused on showing off Crafty and Nurse's designs, along with the various kinds of Concoctions allowed under Crafty's commission guidelines.

Tropes Applicable to the Month as a whole:

• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: The artwork of Crafty and Nurse shown being produced throughout these episodes are noticeably inconsistent with how they are depicted in their pose sets, in addition to art of the characters going forward. Crafty's bodily proportions are a bit bulkier and less exaggerated, whereas Nurse's were slimmer and not as muscly. These odd quirks in the episode artwork is due to them being among the earliest drawings of the characters; the pose sets were created sometime after the show's artist had become more familiar with his designs.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: As the first month of the show, the format is played with considerably. Crafty and Nurse each have an episode where they host independently from each other, with the remaining two episodes demonstrating their chemistry together. According to invoked Word of God, this presentation choice was intended to help gauge audience reactions towards the three commentating styles: Crafty's comedic approach, Nurse's informative approach, or both approaches at once. To make the process easier for everyone, all four episodes were uploaded on the same day, rather than once a week like every subsequent month. Ultimately, audiences responded most positively to both commentary styles at once.
• Technician vs. Performer: While their commentary styles ultimately overlap going forward, this month demonstrates a distinct dichotomy in Nurse and Crafty's commentary styles:
  • Nurse is the Technician of the duo. She is most interested in discussing digital art tips and the art process in general. She is very formal and straightforward in her approach, and her commentary segments tend to be fewer in number but longer in length than Crafty's.
  • Crafty is the Performer of the duo. Ironically, he is the artist of the two—the one putting the skills Nurse discusses into practice. However, he is more interested in cracking jokes about the art or anything else that comes to his mind. He has an informal and unpredictable approach, and his commentary segments tend to be greater in number but shorter in length than Nurse's.

---

Main Show E1: "The Dreadful Doctor"

Air Date: 5/24/17

Crafty introduces himself in this episode. He also operates alone this time, giving viewers a taste of his eccentric commentary independent from Nurse's.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Badass Longcoat: Crafty draws attention to his magnificent lab coat and how cool he thinks it looks. However, he also admits that it's a pain to keep clean; its sheer size and whiteness mean it accumulates a lot of visible dirt stains.
• Card-Carrying Villain: For his introduction, Crafty does everything in his power to appear as villainous as possible. He contemplates out loud about mutating puppies because the word "chibi" disgusts him, and he emphasizes how evil his parents were in his youth whenever he brings them up.
  Crafty quoting his father: 'That's a face only a mother could hate!'
• Early-Bird Cameo: In this episode, Nurse Worse shows up a few times ahead of schedule, first showing off Crafty's commission sheet, then later whispering to him about a production snafu on the production footage. Crafty shoos her away the first time to wait for her official debut episode, but he lets her second appearance slide because she was quiet and left as soon as she appeared.
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • Crafty significantly talks himself up as a big bad supervillain—the most that he ever does on the show since this episode. It's discretely hinted at through Crafty's commentary here, but succeeding episodes grow more comfortable exposing Crafty's true personality: a deeply troubled person putting forth an act to boost his self-esteem.
  • Any time Crafty brings up his parents, he tries making them seem just as evil as he is. However, as time goes on, Crafty describes them this way less and less, especially after later episodes show them to be anything but villainous.
• Self-Deprecation: It becomes clear that, despite his bravado, Crafty doesn't have the highest opinion of himself. However, after picking at his flaws, he tries bouncing back with an egotistical remark. During the full-body drawing's production, he laments his unsuccessful love life, then tries twisting the matter into something morbidly positive:
  Crafty: There you go, ladies. Dr. Crafty's kissable face. Many a lovely lady has fallen for that look!
  [He suddenly looks disturbed.]
  Crafty: ... Usually off of cliffs, funnily enough. Beauty truly is a curse, it seems.
• That Came Out Wrong: Crafty introduces the first full-body art piece on the show as the full package. The in-universe audience mistakes what he means for something lewd and starts cheering. When Crafty clarifies, the cheering turns to booing, which reminds him of his mother.

---

Main Show E2: "The Worst Nurse"

Air Date: 5/24/17

Nurse officially introduces herself here. Like Crafty in the episode prior, she helms "The Worst Nurse" alone to establish her more formal approach.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Early-Installment Weirdness: Whereas Crafty spends "The Dreadful Doctor" flexing his villainy far more than what became the norm, Nurse spends "The Worst Nurse" acting way more formal than she would be going forward. Consequentially, there aren't as many gags in this episode compared to its predecessor; Nurse's commentary is focused on establishing the basic art process that the show adheres to.
• Fear of Thunder: Nurse gets spooked by the lighting effect that starts off the episode, and she's startled again when it returns before the episode ends. The effect is achieved by Crafty or someone else playing with the castle's fuse box.
• Infodump: Most of this episode is dedicated to explaining Crafty's art rendering process, with Nurse describing exactly how linework, shading, highlighting, and coloring are done throughout the show. For the most part, the artwork throughout the show adheres to this process, aside from the natural artistic changes and improvements that come with time.
• Irony: Despite Crafty being the artist of the duo, it's Nurse who explains some important foundational lessons for digital art in this episode, including the art process used for the entire show.
• We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties: This is the first episode in which an art piece's production footage is lost. In-Universe, the lost footage is explained by Crafty, who apparently spilled tea on his computer.
  Crafty: It was only one time...
• Vocal Evolution: Here, Nurse's voice is much closer to Megami33's natural cadence, while also bearing the slightest hint of a British accent. Going forward, Megami33 ditches the accent, going instead for a higher-pitched, peppier version of her normal voice.

---

Main Show E3: "The Dubious Duo"

Air Date: 5/24/17

The duo commentates over the speed-art footage together for the first time, engaging in witty back-and-forth all the while.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Call-Back: The art footage briefly shows off Crafty using Bing to search for art references. It prompts Nurse to ask about Crafty's Google Goggles, which were established back in "The Dreadful Doctor."
  Nurse: Wait, you’re using Bing? What about your Google goggles?
  Crafty: ... So. Much. Nude Ryan Reynolds. Why, Deadpool? Why?!
  Nurse: [blushing] I’m sickened, yet curious.
• The Cameo: Crafty remarks that he looks similar to Doc Brown with his hair uncolored. Doc Brown himself suddenly appears and delivers his catchphrase. This is the first time someone from another work appears on the show in-person.
  Doc Brown: GREAT SCOT!!
• I'll Be in My Bunk: This episode kicks off a Running Gag, in which Crafty obliviously says something about himself that attracts Nurse. She's so overcome by the attraction that she declares her departure to her quarters—for reasons not outright stated. Nurse's crush on Crafty is what keeps her around despite how much he annoys her.
• Innocuously Important Episode: This episode houses a physical cameo of Back to the Future's Doc Brown. His appearance seems to be merely a gag, and later episodes house jokes just like it. But it also establishes that characters from other works can exist in the Dr. Crafty universe. Later seasons capitalize on this quality for massive plot development, even introducing elements from those other works beyond just the characters.
• Lame Pun Reaction: Crafty acknowledges that this episode is the first in which he and Nurse co-commentate over the art footage. He cracks a joke about it, and Nurse can't believe her ears:
  Crafty: Let’s see if we have... chemistry, shall we?
  [He laughs.]
  Nurse: ... I regret knowing you.
  Crafty: ROLL THE TAPE!
  Nurse: Ugh... Aye aye, Dr. Captain.
• Manchild: The first full-body picture of the duo together shows Nurse holding an exuberantly cheering Crafty. She likens the action to carrying a six-foot five-year-old.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: Nurse asks Crafty why he wears a sweater in the hot and humid Florida area that they live in. Crafty justifies himself, and mid-way through the conversation, his brain fries and he nonchalantly blurts out a random line before falling over.
  Nurse: Don't you get hot wearing a triple-layer outfit?
  Crafty: Having a styling turtle-neck sweater is worth the complete and total lack of comfort!
  Nurse: ... How many heat strokes have you had today?
  Crafty: I started losing count when I lost the brain cells that remember numbers.
  [Crafty lights up in recognition.]
  Crafty: Nope. Wait. There we go! I just forgot what maple syrup is. Tomato juice.
  [Crafty falls to the floor, with a tolling bell signaling that he fainted.]
• Take That!: Nurse laments her tiny height, and Crafty chides her for not eating her vegetables as a child. When Nurse clarifies that she had been eating her veggies, Crafty makes a wry remark about the quality of American produce.

---

Main Show E4: "The Cretinous Critters"

Air Date: 5/24/17

Wanting pets, Crafty makes arrangements for him and Nurse to each get one of their own. He draws art of their pets to celebrate, with the pieces being the show's first set of Creature Concoctions.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Art Initiates Life: This is the first episode to introduce Crafty's ability to voluntarily draw something to life; in this case, it's Nurse's pet slime monster, Goozie.
• Blob Monster: Crafty creates a tremendously chubby slime creature named Goozie for Nurse, and she promises to dote upon her new pet.
• Call-Back: As one of this episode's lessons, Nurse discusses the more complex shading method that she hinted at in "The Worst Nurse."
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • Goozie is rendered with some translucency on her body, a quality that isn't exhibited by any slime creatures drawn by Alex since. Season 2 introduces Messibelle, a fellow slime creature who sets a precedent for how slime creatures are rendered in the show (and in Alex's art in general) going forward.
  • Bonnie and Goozie are oddities of the first season, as they were created with the understanding that each Crafty Crewmate would have a pet of their own. However, the pets' relevance on the show vanished by the time of Season 2; even in Season 1, they sparsely appear after this episode. Starting with Season 2, only Pickles, Pepper's traveling companion, remains as the sole remnant of the idea.
• Establishing Character Moment: Bonnie, Crafty's dog, is first shown mauling Crafty off-screen, and he continues biting hard into Crafty's limbs thereafter. This contentious relationship between Bonnie and Crafty defines Bonnie's entire character during his time on the show.
• Hypocritical Humor: Crafty, a big-time Manchild, treats Nurse like a confused little girl when she asks for a pet.
  Nurse: Hmm... I want a pet.
  Crafty: Seriously? I hope you're ready for the responsibility, young lady. A monster's for life, not just for Christmas, y'know!
  [Nurse—a mature, grown-ass woman—just glares, startling Crafty.]
  Crafty: Very well! German Shepherd it is!
• Lame Pun Reaction: After the two discuss coloring one's line art in their artwork, Crafty rattles off some puns based on Nurse's encouragement of the practice. The moment implies that the two hosts are still growing acquainted with one another, as Nurse comes to learn that Crafty's pun-making is only going to get worse from here.
  Nurse: It can make a really nice difference if you have patience!
  Crafty: I used to have patience. Then the malpractice lawsuits came in. But, like my mother always said: 'Malpractice makes perfect!'
  Nurse: I'm starting to understand you more and more! And I don't like it.
• Take That!: Crafty discusses how he wanted an ugly dog to suit his villainous aesthetic. He briefly considered getting a pug, but he wanted an ugliness that could be blamed on him, not the dog's genetics. Nurse actually agrees with his thoughts on pugs, despite admonishing him for saying them out loud.
  Crafty: I was originally going to go with a pug, but turns out they're so injured that I couldn't make it any uglier. So I went with the next best thing!
  Nurse: That's very mean of you! But when you're right, you're right. Wow... that's such an alien feeling.

---