Recap / Pinky And The Brain S 1 E 7

Episode: Season 1, Episode 7
Title: Napoleon Brainaparte
Directed by: Audu Paden
Written by: Peter Hastings and John Loy
Air Date: November 26, 1995
Previous: TV or not TV
Next: A Pinky and the Brain Christmas
Guest Starring: Joe Lala, Tress MacNeille

"Napoleon Brainaparte" is the seventh episode of the first season of Pinky and the Brain.

It is a period piece set during the Napoleonic Era—if you go by the under-construction Arc de Triomphe and references to Napoleon returning from Austria, the date is 1809. In any case, Pinky and the Brain are running on a hamster wheel that powers a generator that pilots some beautician's weird electric shock device. The Brain's latest crackpot plan to take over the world involves crepes Suzette. Brain will change the recipe to make crepes Suzette to include nutmeg, which will cause an explosion. When the people of France make crepes Suzette to celebrate Napoleon's triumphant return from Austria, there will be explosions all over the country. In the chaos, Brain will take control.

All that results in Brain blowing up a cooking school. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Talleyrand has ordered that all the associated lowlifes, criminals, and weird-looking people must be removed from the streets of Paris before the emperor returns. Pinky and the Brain get swept up in the mass arrests, and are taken to the imperial palace where they are to be interned in the dungeons...but the Brain is mistaken for Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte himself.

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Tropes:

• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Talleyrand tells his assistant (a hunchback) that to prepare for Bonaparte's return, he is to issue an order to "clear the streets of any undesirables: rabble-rousers, revolutionaries... in fact, anyone who looks really weird." Then he quickly adds, "Except you".
• Artistic License – History:
  • Duh, it's a cartoon. But Pinky and the Brain are shown spinning a wheel that spins a magnet and powers a generator in the beautician's shop. The first experimental AC generators, going off Michael Faraday's theories, were made a good quarter-century after this time frame.
  • Also, Napoleon was not eight inches tall.
• Brick Joke: At the end of the episode, Brain and Pinky's chef students, which had been forgotten by that point, appear just in time to save them from Talleyrand's Hired Gun. Unfortunately, they end up bringing along a huge crepe Suzette.
• Call-Back: When Brain poses his Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering? question, Pinky says "But first you'd have to take that whole bridge apart, wouldn't you?" This is a Brick Joke to Brain's comment about sending the London Bridge to America, and a historical in-joke, as the bridge was taken apart.
• Call-Forward: Pinky and the Brain ride past the Louvre.
  Pinky: They should build a huge glass pyramid right in front of that building!^note I.M. Pei's glass Louvre Pyramid, now the main entrance to the building, was dedicated in 1989.
  Brain: That's preposterous, Pinky, they might as well send the London Bridge to America!^note The 19th century London Bridge was demolished, sent to America, and reassembled in Arizona in 1967.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: After seeing Brain put on a display of imperial temper, Pinky comments that he acted just like the real Napoleon...and immediately realizes that the real Napoleon will be showing up soon.
• Halfway Plot Switch: Shortly after teaching the explosive Crepe Suzettes recipe, Brain is mistaken for Napoleon, which he decides to use as his plan instead. However, the exploding crepes are not forgotten.
• Historical Domain Character: Napoleon Bonaparte and his foreign minister Talleyrand, who organizes a coup.
• Hypocritical Humor: When Brain decides to impersonate Napoleon, Pinky asks him if he's sure he can fool everyone, leading to this:
  Brain: Hmm, it will be difficult. They're expecting a tiny little megalomaniac who's bent on ruling the world. Instead, they've got me.
• Insistent Terminology: During his time impersonating Napoleon, Brain told Pinky to refer to him as "Emperor Brain".
• Just a Stupid Accent: All the characters except our mouse heroes speak English with French accents.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: The narrator says "Paris" while "Rule Britannia" plays. After the narrator insists "PARIS!", the band skitters to a disorganized halt before kicking up again with "La Marseillaise".
• Made of Explodium: Brain's plan is to make Crepe Suzettes explosive by adding nutmeg.
• Mistaken Identity: Everybody mistakes Brain for Napoleon. When Pinky tries to clear the air, Brain stops him, wanting to take advantage of the misunderstanding.
• The Napoleon: Brain is mistaken for Napoleon due to his short height. Turns out the real Napoleon is just as small as Brain.
• Narrator: A narrator sets the scene by announcing that the show is taking place in Paris.
• Now You Tell Me: After Brain accidentally ends up in the test crepe, we get this exchange:
  Brain: The nutmeg, Pinky.
  Pinky: Right! [Starts sprinkling it on the crepe.]
  Brain: Don't add the nutmeg.
  Pinky: Don't?
  [Cue the explosion that wrecks the entire shop.]
• Rube Goldberg Device: The crazy device with flasks, pulleys, levers, and conveyor belts, powered by Pinky paddling on the hamster wheel, that Brain uses to make crepes Suzette.
• Shout-Out:
  • Napoleon talks like Marlon Brando, in reference to Brando playing him in the 1954 film Desirée. He even makes a habit of shouting "JOSEPHIIIIIIIIINE!!!"
  • Pinky and Brain reference part of the chorus to "We Are the World".
• Spotting the Thread: In a rare moment of intelligence, Pinky realizes that when the real Napoleon returns, Brain's charade will be exposed. However, Brain assures him that he didn't overlook that detail.
• Squashed Flat: This happens when the Brain is slammed into the side of the carriage. He assumes his regular shape with an audible "pop".
• This Is Going to Suck: Just as the chef students are putting nutmeg on a huge crepe Suzette, Brain and Pinky have this exchange:
  Pinky: Is this a good thing, Emperor Brain?
  Brain: [removing his hat] Just call me "Brain", Pinky. I believe the "Emperor" routine nears completion.
  [Cue the gigantic explosion that sends the two of them flying.]
• Xanatos Speed Chess: Upon realizing that everybody mistakes him for Napoleon, Brain quickly takes advantage of it.
• You Must Be This Tall to Ride: To avoid the real Napoleon from entering France and exposing him as an impostor, Brain decrees that no one over eight inches tall be allowed in the country. Unfortunately for him, Napoleon is just below the height requirement.