The tenth episode of the fourth season of Rocko's Modern Life.
Turkey Time
Rocko's house becomes a refuge for Thanksgiving turkey.
Floundering Fathers
After Mr. Bighead denies Rocko entry in a parade, Filbert and Heffer challenge his claims that his ancestors were the first people in O-Town.
"Turkey Time" provides examples of
- Alliterative Title: Turkey Time.
- Batman Gambit: After Rocko claims to not have turkey in his house, Ed calls Filburt and asks what time he's going to Thanksgiving dinner at Rocko's. He knows Filburt won't have any idea what he's talking about but will ask others about it. Word quickly spreads, leading to the whole town breathing down Rocko's neck for some turkey.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Everyone else is won over by the Cuteness Proximity, but Ed still wants turkey for dinner. During his angry rant, he insists on the Piano Drop while standing in the absolute worst spot to say so. Painful injury ensues.
- Cuteness Proximity: The sadness in the eyes of the turkeys apparently prevents even the most turkey-hungry of people from killing them. (Except Ed.)
- Delayed Reaction: Heffer tells Rocko that they need to cook the turkey. There's about six seconds or so of Rocko not realizing what Heffer just said before doing an Eye Take and reprimanding Heffer.
- Entendre Failure: Heffer makes a throat-slitting gesture when he tries to tell Rocko what he needs to do to the turkey. Rocko smiles at him blankly, not understanding.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite having tried to goad Rocko into killing the turkey, Heffer cannot bring himself to end the turkey's life either.
- Laser-Guided Karma: For inciting a hungry mob against Rocko and trying to kill the turkeys he was sheltering, Ed has a piano fall on him and is forced to serve the turkeys their turkey feed.
- Literal-Minded: Rocko thinks that having a turkey for Thanksgiving literally means inviting one over for dinner.
- Piano Drop: At the end of the episode, one is dropped on Ed.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: The turkey doing this is why Heffer can't go through with killing it.
- The Scapegoat: While denouncing the turkeys escaping as the worst crime in town history, Ed stresses this is in no way his fault. The report cuts away just as an angry mob grabs onto him.
- Serious Business: All the turkeys escaping getting eaten is dubbed by Ed Bighead as the "worst crime in O-Town history."
- Stuffed into a Trashcan: In the episode, Rocko and Heffer are stuffed into trash cans by an angry mob after the O-Town citizens find out that Rocko and Heffer served them all a vegetarian turkey.
- Thanksgiving Episode: The episode involves Rocko trying to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. Like most things in Rocko's life, things go off the rails.
- The Television Talks Back: The newscaster responds to Rocko through the television at one point.Newscaster: What kinda no-good inconsiderate backstabbing kind of person is this Rocko?
Rocko: Now wait just a second there!
Newscaster: If he were a halfway decent person, he would invite his friends to his fancy-shmancy party!
Rocko: Fancy-shmancy party?
Newscaster: YOU HEARD ME!
Rocko: DON'T PUSH ME!
Newscaster: Oh yeah? What're ya gonna do about it, huh?
"Floundering Fathers" provides examples of:
- Alliterative Title: Floundering Fathers.
- Big "NO!": Filburt in response to Heffer trying to push the big rock back where it came from.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Heffer's unusual story about how the giant rock got to O-Town is proven true.
- Didn't See That Coming: The sign on the rock proves Heffer's story is actually true. He's just as surprised as anybody to learn this.
- Generation Xerox: The ancient wallaby is wearing a shirt with the same pattern as Rocko's, proving that they're kin.
- Literal Metaphor: After Ed receives a Shockingly Expensive Bill, he becomes "tongue-tied". As in a bunch of knots end up in his tongue.Ed: (Garbled as he grasps his tongue) I hate my life!
- Luminescent Blush: Heffer blushes sheepishly when Rocko's ancestor mentioned how he was trapped below the giant rock for 200 years because Heffer's ancestors stupidly pushed it over his front door, trapping him inside.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: When Heffer forgets to mail in the entry form for his, Rocko, and Filbert's float, he tries to pass the buck by claiming he asked him imaginary friend Ferb to do it. Said friend turns out to be real and claims "You lie!".
- Only the Chosen May Wield: Parodied. Heffer's story about his ancestors ends with them pulling a serrated electric knife stuck in the O-Town rock, with the words "Whosoever pulleth this motorized appliance out of this piece of rock will be the founder of O-Town".
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Ed refuses to let Rocko into the O-Town parade because he's an immigrant.
- Race Against the Clock: When it's revealed that Heffer hadn't mailed in their parade entry form, Rocko ends up having to drive their float to the parade committee headquarters like crazy before the entry deadline. Even though he makes it with seven seconds to spare, Ed instantly rejects the entry because he believes the Founders' day celebration isn't for foreigners.
- "Rashomon"-Style: Mr. Bighead, Filbert, and Heffer all tell wildly-differing accounts as to who was the real founder of O-Town.
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: When Rocko's ancestor reveals that Ed's ancestor shortchanged the native Americans by 29 cents when buying the land, it means that at 200 years of inflation and interest, Ed owes the descendants $37,000 and two tons of breath mintsnote .
