Recap / Strong Bad Email E 79 The Process

Airdate: Monday, July 7, 2003

Sender: Em

Strong Bad: (singing) My name is not Email Sam. Ooh ahh. So please don't call me Email Sam. Ooh ahh.

A viewer known only as "Em" wants to know more about the "prosess" of how a Strong Bad E-mail is answered.

Strong Bad: "Em"? What's that stand for? Emerson? (beat) Embrodak? (beat) Emtarkanderundersgunderson? Boy, you have some stupid and terrible names. Anyways... Show you the process, eh, Em? Sure, I can do dat, but I should warn you, it may spoil the magic for some of you out there. I strongly urge both the faint of heart and the faint of butt to leave the room at this time.

Strong Bad starts his e-mails with "a little song that somehow involves the word email", before bringing up the e-mail to be read, "pointing out any and all spelling or grammatical errors along the way". After making fun of the sender's name, Strong Bad gets to answering, opening with "Well, whoever, something something something" or "Something something, eh whoever?" And while Strong Bad is typing, the viewer can "usually click on certain words to make little pictures of dumb stuff pop up".

Next, Strong Bad cuts to some other scene, such as the Field, where either The Cheat may pop up or where Strong Bad interacts with other characters... in this case, Bubs. Bubs wants them to get to the part where he does something to impress "all my lady fans", like tear off his shirt and start flexing, or waterski on a pair of "discount alligators". Strong Bad replies that neither of those things regularly happens in a Strong Bad Email, but he does get The Cheat to give Bubs a hotfoot ("Ooh, hot mama!") and trick him into stepping on a beehive ("Yeow! Hot bees!")

We then cut back to the Compy, where Strong Bad "either wraps things up or winds things down, depending on how funny the last part is".

Strong Bad: And that's it, Em. That's how we do things around here. Now you can answer emails like a true Strong Bad. Then right before the paper comes down, I usually mutter something... under my breath... about some girl named Beth.
(The Paper comes down)

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Tropes:

• Agony of the Feet: The Cheat gives Bubs a hot-foot, then sticks Bubs' other foot in a beehive.
  Bubs: Ooh, hot mama! Yeow!! Hot bees!
• Couch Gag: Lampshaded. Strong Bad says he introduces each Strong Bad Email with a different song before he checks his email.
• Easter Egg: Discussed; Strong Bad notes "As I'm typing, you can usually click on certain words and make little pictures of dumb stuff pop up."
• Faux-To Guide: This e-mail is a tongue-in-cheek how-to guide for Strong Bad Emails.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: The Easter egg for clicking "dumb stuff" lasts only a split second before it cuts away to the next scene. It's a pie-chart showing 61% Dumb Stuff, 28% Tigers, 17% Net Gain, and 8% Rhythm/Blues.
• Hurt Foot Hop: The Cheat gives Bubs a hot-foot. Then when Bubs starts hopping, The Cheat sticks a beehive underneath the other foot.
• Overly Long Name: One of Strong Bad's guesses for what "Em" stands for is "Emtarkanderundersgunderson".
• Parody Commercial: An Easter egg at the end features a commercial for a place called "Discount Alligator".
• Small Name, Big Ego: Bubs keeps insisting he get a chance to do something "much to the delight of all my lady fans". When Strong Bad refuses, Bubs quips "Sounds like a pretty lame e-mail show you got here."
• The Stinger: After a pause at the end of the email, Strong Bad adds "And sometimes, if you wait around for ten or fifteen seconds, something else happens."

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Strong Bad: And sometimes, if you wait around for 10 or 15 seconds, something else happens.

Homestar: You mean like me showing up to deliver a classic line?

Strong Bad: No, I mean like me throwing a discount brick at you! (throws the brick at Homestar, who just dodges. The brick crashes into something offscreen)

Homestar: (enlightened) Ohhh, discount briiick...

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First Announcer: Come on down to Discount Alligator. Have we got a deal for you.
Second Announcer: Open 7 days a week. Take interstate side to Exit Porter-B. One mile south of Grandma Road. Kids get in free. Don't laugh at my bald spot.