Recap / Dr. Crafty Season 4 Month 5: Halloween Month

Dr. Crafty Recap Index
Season:
Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4
Month:
#1: Season 4 Premiere Month | #2: Season 4 Commission Month | #3: Sonic Month
#4: High School Month | #5: Halloween Month
Bonus Content:
Season 4 Promotional Videos

Airing Range: 10/1/2021 - 10/23/2021

After quite an eventful, indulgent season, the Crafty Crew gets to have a proper Halloween Month season finale that Crafty has wanted since Season 1! As everyone builds up to the final party of the season, they discuss horror content from various works, from the genuinely horrifying to the adorably spooky. They also take the time to revisit some content that they've discussed before, making this month just as much of a celebration of the show as the Season 4 Premiere Month.

Tropes Applicable to the Month as a whole:

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Main Show E91: "Don't Drink and Draw"

Air Date: 10/1/2021

Crafty's excitement for the Halloween Month couldn't be higher. As everyone sets up for the party, Crafty invites various guests from across different franchises... so he can design monster forms for each of them with Nurse.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Call-Back: Crafty is beyond excited for this monthly theme in this episode. Unlike the HalloWinter Special of Season 1, the Crafty Crew is on time with this Halloween finale, and Crafty intends to make the most of it.

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Chara-Cafe E17: "SPAAAAACE"

Air Date: 10/2/2021

After showing off their unusual costume choices, Crafty and Pepper set out to design an equally strange space witch—a space witch who must prove her legitimacy as a witch to Jedah Dohma.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Casting Gag: The Chara-Cafe concoction for this episode is a witch, and when Jedah tests for her legitimacy as a witch, she's voiced by Elsie Lovelock, who already voices fellow witch Stylene on Dr. Crafty.
• Cheap Costume: The two hosts start off the episode in costume. Crafty mistakenly believes that they've dressed up as each other—with him as Pepper—but Pepper had actually dressed up in a Dr. Doofenshmirtz getup. Neither costume is particularly convincing; their starkly different body types aside, Pepper just dons the skinny Doof's clothes and does nothing more, while Crafty wears an apron with an uncharacteristically perverse joke for Pepper written upon it.
  [Pepper makes a grand entrance, dressed in a black shirt and lab coat.]
  Pepper: OoooooOOOOOOooooooo~!
  Crafty: Pepper, please.
  Pepper: Sorry, Doctor...
  Crafty: If you really want to be scary, do it more like this: OoooooOOOOOOooooooo~!!
  Pepper: Aheheh, I'll try that next time!
  Crafty: Say, what is your costume?
  Pepper: Isn't it obvious?
  Crafty: Wait! I've got it! You're dressed as me!
  Pepper: Oh, no, Doctor! I'm dressed as Dr. Doofenshmirtz!
  Crafty: Oh...
  Pepper: Who are you dressed as?
  [Crafty promptly rips off his CHECK OUT THESE BUNS apron.]
  Crafty: N-no one!
  Pepper: Aw. Well, I thought that apron looked cute on you.

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Main Show E92: "Crawling in My Legendary Skin"

Air Date: 10/8/2021

Junkrat respawns after his grisly end in "Original Episode; Do Not Steal," and he decides to revisit the Crafty Castle with friends in hopes of getting some Halloween candy. Inspired, Crafty and Nurse set out to design some horror-themed Overwatch skins for some of the playable characters.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Unexplained Recovery: Despite his brutal death in "Original Episode; Do Not Steal," the castle's Junkrat comes back to life. He's gathered friends to go trick-or-treating with, and when they ask how he came back to life, Junkrat offhandedly mentions that he respawned.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: After being thoroughly mauled by Scout and Duke, Junkrat manages to enter the castle and collapses right in front of Crafty in his lab. Crafty isn't phased by how Junkrat somehow came back to life only to die again in front of him. He simply thinks the scene was set up by Nurse to add to the Halloween spirit.

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Top Ten Tub E17: "Scariest Animated Characters"

Air Date: 10/9/2021

Like Crafty, Messi is similarly excited to participate in a Halloween episode. In particular, the two hosts discuss the freakiest animated characters to ever grace a screen.

This episode's list contains the following:

• 10. Amygdala
• 9. The Other Mother
• 8. Ghostfreak
• 7. The Beast
• 6. Scarecrow^note From the Batman: New Animated Series, specifically.
• 5. Him
• 4. Bill Cipher
• 3. The Moon
• 2. The Lich
• 1. King Ramses

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• invoked Anti-Climax Boss: Crafty explains why he ranks Amygdala so low on his list: past its extremely effective buildup, it is no more significant than any other Bloodborne boss. He can't help but feel like its fight deserves something mechanically unique to compliment what it already offers.
• Continuity Nod: When Bill Cipher becomes the next subject, Crafty intensely declares, "We meet again... sort of," which is in reference to Bill's presence in the castle during Season 3's Cartoon Month.
• Non-Standard Character Design: King Ramses of Courage the Cowardly Dog takes the top spot on this episode's list. Crafty's reason for placing the character so high is quite simple: Ramses' 3D rendering clashes so heavily with Courage's otherwise 2D animation that it ups the fear factor behind him a ton.

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Main Show E93: "The Villainous Turnabout"

Air Date: 10/15/2021

When the castle is mobbed by a team of Disney lawyers, only one person can save the Crew: Jedah Dohma. As Jedah holds off his rival lawyers, Crafty and Nurse create a poster commemorating some of Disney's best villains—with some unexpected help from Disgustilda.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Enemy Mine: When the Crafty Crew's castle is visited by Disney's lawsuit-hungry lawyers, Jedah steps up to the plate to ward them off. He acknowledges that he has no problem fighting on the Crewmates' behalf to do so, even though he's spent most of his time harassing them beforehand. His negotiations last for most of the episode, and he emerges from the confrontation tired, but very triumphant.
  [As Nurse and Crafty present the finished art piece for the episode, an exhausted Jedah suddenly joins them.]
  Jedah: Ahhh! Hoo...! It's done!
  Crafty: Jedah! How?! What?!
  Nurse: Oh! Welcome back, Jedah!
  Jedah: Indeed—*gasp*—I have returned in one piece... And to report that your legal problems are over!
  Crafty: How? How did you get out of here alive?
  Jedah: Oh, the resolution turned out to be quite simple, actually! I made them an offer they couldn't refuse.
  [A Cut Away Gag shows a Capcom building. Its logo is swiftly overtaken by a wrecking ball with a Mickey Mouse emblem. A Disney Logo just as quickly takes the Capcom logo's place.]
  Jedah: THAT'S for not making a new Darkstalkers game, you Mega-Morons! MYAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!
• Sinister Silhouettes: The Disney villains are rendered in silhouette on the episode's artwork, with the characters' visible outlines each bearing a unique color to help viewers identify them. The art footage reveals how this effect was accomplished: Crafty, for the most part, develops full line work for the villains, with the vast portion of it becoming invisible against the black background as the poster nears completion.
• Wham Line: Disgustilda makes an unexpected appearance to talk about how Crafty's antagonists tie in with his show's themes and ideas. A shocked Crafty asks how she came up with such a well-constructed argument. At this, Disgustilda almost gives away that she got help from Sasha, who kept her whereabouts deliberately vague the last time she and Crafty spoke. Realizing she may have jeopardized her friend's wish for privacy, Disgustilda half-assedly excuses herself, leaving Crafty to ponder over who her roommate could be until Jedah reappears.
  Crafty: Disgustilda... When did you become so... not-ridiculous?
  Disgustilda: Ha ha ha ha, probably 'round the time I met my new roommate, who started stayin' with me 'round the last season!
  Crafty: 'Roommate?' I don't remember anyone staying with you when I went to your house.
  [Disgustilda's dopey grin drops.]
  Disgustilda: Oh! Did-did I say 'roommate?' I meant, uh, ah, well... Oh, ohh-hoho! Would you look at the time?! I gotta go clean me um... uh, muh melons. They are incredibly filthy... I'M OFF!
  [Disgustila crashes through the castle's foundation in her haste to leave.]
  Crafty: ... Huh.

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Shake-Up Salon E5: "InsectSmoothie"

Air Date: 10/16/2021

For this last episode of the Shake-Up Salon for the season, Stylene designs a new look for an old friend: Beetlejuice, whose wacky antics quickly start to interfere with things.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Demonic Possession: Just before the art is complete, Beetlejuice decides to possess Crafty for a laugh. The moment he does, he immediately likens the experience to "walking on stilts" due to Crafty's skeletal legs.

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Main Show E94: "Crafty Horror Picture Show"

Air Date: 10/22/2021

This is it. This is the big celebration that the month has been building up towards. When a random couple comes to the castle in search of help for their car, the Crafty Crew greets them with a loving nod to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And the episode artwork celebrates not only Rocky Horror, but the Crew's camaraderie throughout the season.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Book Ends: The Season 4 Premiere Month ends its main show episodes with an anniversary party; Halloween Month ends its main show episodes with a Halloween party. Both are held so the Crew can look back on different aspects of the show, with "Happy Crafty Day's" party celebrating how the Crewmates all met and this episode's party celebrating the journey they've taken to reach this point.
• Call-Back: In Mindstein's base, Screw finds an opportunity to check up on Metal Crafty. Apparently, Metal has been locked up in Mindstein's main office since "Let's. Get. Metal," and he's been screaming so much until now that he lost his voice.
• Continuity Nod: The Crew's "Time Warp" parody includes nods to various gags throughout the series, some of which stretch all the way back to Season 1. Notably, Crafty and Nurse don their Team Skull masks and poses for a brief moment, which, up until this point, hadn't been seen since "IT'S YA BOI!!!"
• Fanservice: During the opening musical, every Crafty Crewmate dresses as a character from Rocky Horror, and their outfits all highlight their assets in various ways. That includes Crafty as Craftette, who sets the stage with quite a skimpy Dr. Frank N. Furter costume.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The final scene transitions over to Mindstein's lair, where Screw frees Metal Crafty and vows to repair his voice so they can discuss something privately. It's noticeable that Screw is, for the first time on the show in the present-day, acting without Mindstein's direction, a detail assisted by Mindstein's complete absence from the scene. Screw clearly does not want her mother to know about what she's doing or what she's thinking about.
  [The last scene of Crafty's Castle fades to black, transitioning over to Screw opening a door to a dark room. The camera cuts from in front of her to behind her to show what she is looking at: a worn out Metal Crafty, barely able to stand on his own. Screw hurries over to pick him up, with Metal propping himself on her shoulder.]
  Screw: Are you all right?
  [Metal silently gestures towards where his mouth would be.]
  Screw: You've been screaming so much... Your voice chip has short-circuited.
  [Screw quietly guides Metal towards the exit.]
  Screw: Come with me. I'll try and fix your voice. We've got things to discuss.
• Shout-Out: During the "Time Warp" parody, Dracula appears and is swiftly taken out by Pepper, of all people, who throws a large trident straight into his chest. This is a nod to a DnD campaign that Pepper plays a part in, during which she takes on not only a vampire, but demons, with great success. Her personality in this game is no different from how it is in the show.
• Whole-Plot Reference: This episode is one giant love letter to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not only does the episode start with the film's iconic lips singing an intro tune, but the Crafty Crewmates dress the part of the different characters and perform a parody of "Sweet Transvestite" to a random passerby couple who happen to look like Brad and Janet. Later, the Crew ends the art production by performing "Time Warp," which functions as a celebration for the show as a whole.

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Questionable Qloset E11: "Revolving Door"

Air Date: 10/23/2021

As the Halloween celebrations wind down, Crystelle takes the viewers through the last three questions of Season 4—one of which is quite a bit more involved than any question prior.

This episode's questions for Crystelle are revealed on the following three cards:

1. The Temperance (Pepper): "Has Pepper found out any experimental recipes to try and help the Crafty Crew?"
2. The Justice (Jedah): "What exactly motivated Jedah to pursue lawyering full-time?"
3. Multi-Card Question: "Has the cast tried speed dating?"

Tropes Found in This Episode:

• Cards of Power: For this episode, Crystelle draws the Temperance (Pepper), the Justice (Jedah)... and, as the final question for Season 4, a multi-card question. The last selection's question ties into Season 4's overarching theme of hedonism, as not only are all the Dr. Crafty-original characters involved, but so are a mountain of cameo appearances from the YouTube commentary community.
• Cut Away Gag: In response to the first question, Crystelle reveals that Pepper was once a protégé to the legendarily harsh and loud Chef Gordon Ramsay. As shown during a cutaway, it didn't last long; she constantly tried his patience until his explosive rants got her to comically burst into tears.
• Hurricane of Puns: Crystelle's outlook on PhantomSavage during the speed-dating gag quickly turns sour when he tries wooing her with puns. Phantom tries keeping the shtick going well after he detects his date's annoyance.
  Phantom: Ooo-hoohoo, mama! Look at you! Well, don't you have a glass-like complexion? Huho, I'm sure you're just a ball of fun, aren't ya? Why don't you come along with me, babe? I'll show you around town! Maybe, if you're really lucky, I'll show you around the globe! Heheheheheheh...
  [A now thoroughly irritated Crystelle clutches her head with her fingertips.]
  Phantom: ... Look, I'm gonna save us some time here. I think you're really hot, and when I say 'hot,' I don't just mean the chemical process it took to make your face. But I mean you're actually quite an attractive character. And, uh, as much as I find you attractive, you're going to find this cute for about three minutes, but I'm not going to stop after that. This is going to go all night. Are we... Crystal. Clear? Hmhmhmheeheeheeheeheehee...
• Overly Long Gag: When CuteAzelf101 is paired with Crafty in the speed-dating segment, she talks at length about Symphogear. Crafty says absolutely nothing throughout her rant; the camera zooms up on his unsettled face as the scene's colors slowly gray out.
• Repetitive Audio Glitch: For the brief moment when the Review Reviewer reunites with Messi, he's immediately afraid of her, which calls back to the gag of him turning into her pet cat in his own show. It's also during this scene that the background music skips over a single blast from a trumpet; the result sounds like an alarm, which fits perfectly with the Reviewer's apprehensions around his former owner.
• Running Gag: MasterTP1 keeps getting paired with Messibelle during the speed-dating segment, and whenever he announces his expectations for her to reappear, he instead receives a different Dr. Crafty character.
• Sex in a Shared Room: Kayden Monroe is briefly matched up with Pepper during the speed-dating gag. The very first thing he asks her is whether Pickles would accompany them while they have sex.
  Kayden: Honestly, I'm just confused by the logistics of how things would work in the bed, and... Does he watch?
• Shout-Out: A lot of the gags throughout the episode tie directly to the YouTube commentary community, especially with the speed-dating question.
  • There are a few nods to Doodletones' IT'S THE POLICE 3: & KNUCKLES, a video in which Crafty himself cameos in. Apparently, Jedah walked in on the scene in which one of the Gastrotones runs over the other in their courtroom.
  • Ceradust returns in the speed-dating segment and gets paired with Crafty. Rather than want to date, Cera references Crafty's appearance on the video and laments that he couldn't make it himself.
    Ceradust: Look, I'm not really here to date you, even though you are a spirit animal in my eyes. I just came in here to say I cannot believe that you and all of my other friends got to go to court to make fun of Key, and I never even got to go there once to call him a Chūnibyō!
• Take That!: When Kayden is paired with Metal Crafty, he dryly remarks that Metal just needs a better voice, and then he'd be perfect. This criticism is a subtle jab at Metal's uncredited voice actor, who was publicly exposed for some serious transgressions partway through Season 4's production and was fired thereafter.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The Commentators don't just speed date with the Crafty Crew, but with Disgustilda, Sasha, and Mindstein and her minions. Despite the obvious bad blood between the Crew and Mindstein, the Commentators still awkwardly flirt with her, Screw, and Metal Crafty like everyone else.

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