Recap / Rugrats S 4 E 1 Chanukah

The first episode of the fourth season of Rugrats (1991).

The episode begins with Didi's mother (Stu's mother-in-law), Minka, telling Tommy and his friends (and Tommy's cousin, Angelica) the story of the first Chanukah. Long ago, in the land of Israel, the Israelites lived peacefully with the Greeks, until one day, a new Greek king, Antiochus V Eupator, came and wanted everyone to wear what he wore and read what he read, as well as worship his gods. Although some people thought this new way of life was fine, Judah was not one of them. One day, as he was privately trying to read the stories his forefathers read in a dark cave, King Antiochus' royal advisor found out and confiscated them. Outraged, Judah stepped forward to challenge the king. Judah bravely led the Israelites against the more powerful armies of King Antiochius. The story is suddenly cut short when Didi asks her mom for help in making latkes in the kitchen. Boris, who is asleep on the couch, awakens when he hears about the latkes, and says how much he loves Chanukah. Angelica is glad the story is over and searches for the TV remote so that she can watch A Very Cynthia Christmas, unaware that Spike is sitting on it.

In the kitchen, Didi is cooking latkes, and Chas questions why people make pancakes out of potatoes. Didi explains to him that on Chanukah, the Jewish people fry them as well as donuts to remind them of the oil involved in the miracle of the first Chanukah. Boris then says that the true miracle is how long Jews have survived since the latkes have clogged their arteries for over two millenia. As he eats a latke, Chas tells him about how his play of the meaning of Chanukah at the Synagogue made the front page. Boris is outraged when he finds out that his lifelong rival, Shlomo, has his picture in the paper. When Didi tries to tell Chas that Boris and Shlomo were friends as children, Boris tells them that Shlomo managed to outdo him at everything they did together, including staring his own successful business. Minka tells Didi that if Boris and Shlomo can perform the play without killing each other, that will be the real miracle of Chanukah.

In the living room, Phil and Lil complain about the taste of the dreidels and the chocolate coins, and Tommy tells them that it's not even the weirdest part. He tells them and Chuckie about how Didi and Minka are making pancakes at dinner time, and the menorah on top of his TV. Tommy tells his friends that even though he's not sure what it is, he does know that every night, he has to wear a funny hat while Boris says things he doesn't understand and Didi lights another candle. Afterwards, he gets a present, such as the clown pillow he shows Chuckie, which scares him. Phil and Lil believe that every is now Tommy's birthday, meaning he's now an adult who has to get a job. Tommy tells the twins that he doesn't feel any older, but the twins tell him that maybe it's because he didn't blow the candles out yet. Tommy tries to do so, when Angelica walks in, having found the remote. The babies explain to her that they're trying to blow out Tommy's birthday candles; Angelica tells him that the candles aren't for Tommy's birthday, they're for Chanukah. Chuckie asks Angelica what Chanukah is, and Angelica tells him and the other babies that Chanukah takes place in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when all the best holiday specials air on television, one of which, A Very Cynthia Christmas, she is planning to watch.

In the basement, Stu is working on a giant mechanical menorah for the synagogue, which Lou objects to. Stu tells Lou that he wants Tommy to be proud of his Jewish heritage, and to prove to Didi that he is very supportive of Chanukah. Lou warns Stu that he might be overdoing it, but Stu is determined to prove him wrong by turning the menorah on, which causes a power surge just as Angelica is about to turn the TV on. When Minka sees this and asks what's going on, Didi tells her about the menorah Stu is building for the play, which she hopes isn't inappropriate. At first, Stu's menorah seems to be working just fine, but soon goes faster and faster until it explodes. Didi passes by the basement door and tells Stu and Lou it's time to go to the synagogue. Stu tells her to go ahead and that he'll meet her there as soon as he can, while Lou tries to put out the fire in the basement.

Meanwhile, as Angelica is delighted to hear that A Very Cynthia Christmas will be coming on after Santa Vs. the Alien, Boris complains about Shlomo, who is being cast as King Antiochus, saying that he took the part specifically so he could poke him with his sword. Didi then walks up to Angelica and shuts the TV off, telling her it's time to go to the synagogue to watch Boris' play on The Meaning of Chanukah. Angelica doesn't want to go to the synagogue to see the play, as all she wants is to watch A Very Cynthia Christmas. The babies overhear Boris complain about the Meaning of Chanukah, and believe Shlomo to be the "Meanie of Chanukah". Chuckie empathizes with Boris, as he once had to play with a meanie at daycare who made him lick a slide, hung him from the monkey bars, and put a worm on his head. Tommy worries if Shlomo will do that to Boris, but Chuckie tells him that an adult meanie will do much worse things. Tommy asks Chuckie what happened to the meanie at daycare, and Chuckie tells him that the teacher dug him out of the sand and made them both take a nap. This convinces Tommy that they should put the Meanie down for a nap of his own, but Chuckie objects to this idea.

When the babies and their parents arrive at the Synagogue, Angelica asks Didi if there's a TV there. Tommy then asks Phil and Lil if they have what they need for their plan, and the twins reveal that they brought the pillow, a blanket, and a flashlight. Tommy tells the twins that the Meanie is going down.

The synagogue is filled with many Chanukah-related activities, including a driedel sale, a photo shoot of Judah kicking King Antiochus, and a latke contest. Angelica tells Cynthia that they might not be able to see A Very Cynthia Christmas tonight, but at least they can still have pancakes for dinner. When Angelica tastes a latke, she dislikes the taste, saying that pancakes shouldn't be made from potatoes. She tosses her latke on the floor, causing a man dressed like a dreidel to slip on it. She then runs off to look for a TV to watch A Very Cynthia Christmas on.

Backstage, the Rabbi tells the cast and crew that since Fred King is sick, Lowell Armstein will be playing the part of the Village Kvetch. Lowell is outraged, believing that he would be playing the part of King Antiochus. The Rabbi tells Lowell he told him he'd be replacing Mr. King. Lowell tells the Rabbi that he prepared a monologue with music. The Rabbi then realizes that Stu was supposed to come with the menorah, but now he's running late. As it it turns out, Stu managed to land himself right in the middle of a Christmas parade.

As Boris and Shlomo start to bicker with each other, Angelica comes to an ark, which she mistakes for an entertainment center. The Rabbi asks her if she'd like to know more about the Torah. Angelica tries to ask him if he knows where she can find a television, when she suddenly sees a portable TV on a janitor's cart. The Rabbi tries to tell Angelica about the Torah when Angelica runs after the janitor's cart. Angelica soon runs into the man in the driedel costume when he exits the men's restroom, who tells her that she broke his shin. Angelica tries to apologize, but the man takes her to the nursery where she can't cause any trouble.

At the auditorium, the babies can't find the Meanie of Chanukah, even though they've looked everywhere. The play begins, and the babies find Shlomo attacking Boris. They rush onto the stage to try to stop Shlomo, much to Didi's shock.

In the second act, Angelica tries unsuccessfully to escape from the nursery, where Didi drops the babies off, not understanding what's gotten into them, and handing them off to Ester, the nursery's manager. Ester tells them not to worry, and to go enjoy the rest of the play. Angelica asks the babies why they're there, and the babies tell her they tried to save Boris from the Meanie of Chanukah by putting the latter down for a nap, but their parents wouldn't let them. This gives Angelica an idea. She tells the babies that the only thing that succeeds in putting a grown-up down for a nap is a television, since Lou always falls asleep in front of one, and she knows where one is.

Meanwhile, as Boris and Shlomo continue acting in the play, Boris inadvertently manages to pants Shlomo, resulting in a genuine fight between the two. The Rabbi cuts the play short for an intermission featuring another verse from the women of the senior choir.

Back at the nursery, Ester is distracted doing a diaper change, and the babies manage to help Angelica escape. As this happens, Boris and Shlomo continue arguing with each other. Shlomo tells Boris that he's sick of hearing about his children and grandchildren, when Boris tells him that he'd be proud of his own children and grandchildren if he had any, but he was too busy with his fancy business. But then Shlomo reveals that his wife, Sadie, passed away before she could bear him any children and his business was all he had to fall back on. He tells Boris that he doesn't want to be King Antiochus anymore, and hands him his crown, which Boris hands to Lowell. After the women of the senior choir finish their song, Lowell rushes onstage and recites some poetry he wrote.

Inside the janitor's closet, the janitor falls asleep from watching his portable TV, which Angelica takes from him so she can watch the remaining minutes of A Very Cynthia Christmas. As Tommy tries to take the TV so he can stop the Meanie of Chanukah, Angelica takes it away from him and tells him that she and Cynthia have some catching up to do. Tommy asks Angelica how they're supposed to stop the Meanie of Chanukah now, and as Angelica tries to tell Tommy that there is no Meanie of Chanukah, she runs into Shlomo backstage and breaks the TV in the process. The babies follow Angelica, then hide when they see Shlomo. Angelica cries over the broken TV, and Shlomo tries to calm her down, but he breaks the TV even more, causing Angelica to cry even harder. The babies see Shlomo picking up Angelica, trying to calm her down, and believe he's being mean to her. Phil tries to scare Shlomo away by using Tommy's pillowcase to pretend he's a ghost, but ends up running into a table leg. Tommy then has an idea; since Boris always falls asleep after hearing a story, he's going to try to read the story of Chanukah to Shlomo. The babies run up to Shlomo, and he doesn't know what they want. Boris does, and tells Shlomo they want him to read the rest of the story. Shlomo tells Boris that since he's Tommy's grandfather, he should read the story, but Boris insists that Shlomo do it.

Shlomo picks up where Minka left off, where Judah defeated and exiled King Antiochus and won the right for his people to live and learn in the way of their forefathers, but the land of Israel was in ruins after the war. When he and his friends came to their menorah, they found it broken and its flame put out. Shlomo then explains to the babies that a menorah is like the night-light of the Jewish people, shining on the whole world in times of darkness to remind them not to be afraid to be different and to be proud of who they are. Boris is impressed, and explains to the babies that the menorah is filled with oil to make it burn. Shlomo adds that some people use candles in their menorahs. Boris then continues the story, saying that although the Israelites repaired their temple, the Greeks only left them enough oil to burn in the menorah for one night, but they lit the menorah anyway. Since it would take eight days to make more oil, the Israelites needed a miracle, and they got one, where eight days passed and the flame was still burning. So every year, the Jewish people light a menorah to remember the miracle of Chanukah. Shlomo falls asleep, and Tommy is delighted that his plan worked.

As Lowell continues his poetry, Stu arrives with the menorah. The Rabbi tells him to go on, and not worry about Lowell. Didi is worried, and rightfully so, when the menorah explodes, causing the curtains to collapse and revealing Boris, Shlomo, and the babies backstage. Minka tells Didi to look, and Boris wakes Shlomo up. Shlomo ends the play and tells everyone he hopes the children of the Jewish people will continue to carry on this ancient tradition for generations to come. Boris and Shlomo then say a Jewish blessing and sing in Hebrew together. Chuckie tells Tommy that Boris and the Meanie are getting along with each other, and Tommy tells him it's the Miracle of Chanukah. Boris and Shlomo continue singing as the episode ends.

This special provides examples of:

• Art Shift: This special was the first new Rugrats episode produced when the series was revived in 1996. It was animated with darker lighting and shading effects and more fast-paced movements, akin to Klasky-Csupo's other Nicktoon of the time, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
• Badass Santa: A promo for a movie called Santa vs the Alien features Santa shooting Christmas tree missiles from a chimney like bazooka.
• Bedsheet Ghost: Spoofed; as an attempt to try and defeat the "Meanie of Chanukah," Phil suggests taking Tommy's white pillowcase and wearing it over his head to disguise himself as a ghost. It doesn't work, and Phil only ends up walking into a table leg.
  Lil: That wasn't very scary.
• Bowdlerise: In Israeli airings, the circumcision sign was censored out.
• Calling Parents by Their Name: Surprisingly, twice in the episode, Didi refers to her father, Boris, by his first name.
• Comedic Underwear Exposure: During the play of the first Chanukah, Boris manages to pants Shlomo, revealing boxer shorts with hearts on them underneath.
  Chas: I had no idea Chanukah was so interesting!
  Minka: (rolls her eyes in embarrassment) Aye, aye, aye...
• The Dog Bites Back: When Angelica tosses her latke on the floor, a man in a dreidel costume slips on it and falls, breaking a shin in the process. When Angelica meets up with the man again, he grabs her and takes her to the nursery so she can't cause him any more trouble.
• Extra-Long Episode: As with "Tommy's First Birthday" and the two holiday episodes preceding it, this one is 22 minutes in length.
• Failed a Spot Check: While trying to get to the synagogue with his menorah, Stu complains about how slow the traffic is, unaware that he had accidentally ended up in a Christmas parade, the menorah on his car making it look like a float.
• From Bad to Worse: Angelica finally gets the TV from the janitor only to break it, then Shlomo makes it worse by breaking it even more.
• "I Can't Look!" Gesture: When Stu arrives on stage with his "menorah", Didi covers her eyes, asking to be told when it's over.
• Inelegant Blubbering: Angelica after the portable TV she stole from a janitor to watch A Very Cynthia Christmas on gets broken. Her crying gets worse when Shlomo accidentally breaks the TV even more.
• Large Ham: Lowell Armstein. When he mistakenly believed he'd be playing King Antiochus in the seniors' play, he actually wrote out a musical monologue.
• Literal-Minded: When the Rabbi told Lowell Armstein that he'd be replacing Fred King as the Village Kvetch, he assumed he'd been given the role of King Antiochus.
• Malaproper:
  • The babies mishear Grandpa Boris discussing "The meaning of Chanukah" as "the meanie of Chanukah" and assume that he is referring to a mean bully.
  • Phil & Lil are attempting to eat "cradles" rather than dreidels.
  • Tommy at first thinks the word "Chanukah" is "harmonica".
  • Tommy and his friends go to what he calls the "Cinema-bob".
  • When Angelica finds out latkes are made out of "tapatoes".
• Noodle Incident: Chuckie tells Tommy about the time he had to deal with a mean bully at daycare, which gives Tommy the idea to put the meanie down for a nap.
• Scary Flashlight Face: Tommy does this with his flashlight when he says, "That meanie is going down!".
• Senior Sleep-Cycle: Invoked as a plot point; when the babies hear about “the meanie of Chanukah,” they decide to give him a nap. First, they try blankets and a pillow, then they try using a portable TV (which breaks). Finally, the “meanie”, Shlomo, takes his nap as Boris tells the Chanukah story.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Angelica just wanted to watch A Very Cynthia Christmas when she was taken to the synagogue, and she spends a good bulk looking for a TV to watch it on when there. She even succeeds in tricking the babies into helping her snatch a janitor's portable TV, saying they could use it to put the "meanie" down for a nap, pointing out how Grandpa Lou always falls asleep when watching TV. But just as she seems to be finally getting her way, she bumps into Shlomo and breaks the TV in the process. It then gets From Bad to Worse when Shlomo accidentally breaks the TV even more, leaving Angelica a screaming, bawling mess.
• Shown Their Work: Let's just say this episode is a lot funnier if you know Ashkenazi Judaism. All of the cultural references and vernacular are accurate (it doesn't hurt that two of the shows creators, two of the main voice actors and Nickelodeon's president at the time are all Jews).
• Show Within a Show: Two in-universe Christmas specials shown in this special are Santa Vs. the Alien and A Very Cynthia Christmas, the latter of which Angelica wants to see but unfortunately doesn't get to.
• Sinister Silhouettes: Antiochus V Eupator's lone appearance in Minka's story is represented by one.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Boris has one in the form of Shlomo, whom he believes has outdone him in everything they did together, including starting his own successful business. They later make up when Boris learns that his longtime rival is actually jealous of him for having children and grandchildren; Shlomo bitterly admits that he and his late wife, Sadie, didn't have children in a tone that suggests that they were unable to have children.
• Visual Pun: When Angelica throws a potato latke on the floor, a man dressed in a dreidel costume slips, spins around a little, and falls "gimel"-side-up. The next man who sees this shouts "I win!" and grabs the donut box the dreidel man has been holding. Later, the dreidel man emerges from the bathroom and shouts to Angelica, "I broke a shin because of you!" showing some bandages on his "shin" side.