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Recap / The Powerpuff Girls (S2E1): "Stuck Up, Up and Away"/"Schoolhouse Rocked"

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Original air date: 6/25/1999

Production code: PPG-201

Stuck Up, Up and Away: The new girl in school, Princess Morbucks, wants to be a Powerpuff Girl, but becomes an enemy of them instead when they deny her.

Schoolhouse Rocked: The Gangreen Gang run into a truant officer named Jack Wednesday who sends them back to school.

Stuck Up, Up and Away provides examples of:

  • Badass Normal: In her first attempt to become a Powerpuff Girl, Princess tries to be this, relying solely on gadgets to help her. It initially fails, since she lacks any training or experience. When she becomes evil, she manages to defeat two out of the three titular heroines them without any powers whatsoever.
  • Big Entrance: Princess arranges one for herself on her second school day to show off her new costume.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Though, they're all the same age, Blossom has this for both her sisters after Princess defeats them without breaking a sweat.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Equipped with new cyber-tomic Powered Armor, Princess easily defeats Buttercup and Bubbles, and expects to deal with Blossom the same way. Cue Blossom hitting Princess back so hard so many times, Blossom literally breaks the armor apart, even before using ice breath.
  • Crimefighting with Cash: What Princess attempts to do to join the girls. It doesn’t work.
  • Day in the Limelight: Blossom especially shines in this episode, as she is the first of the Girls to try to make nice with Princess, the most patient with her behavior, the first girl to singlehandedly defeat Princess, thus making this Blossom's first successful solo victory against a villain.
  • Didn't Think This Through: Princess attempts to help the girls foil a bank robbery. This being her first (and only) attempt at being a hero, it doesn't end well.
  • Establishing Character Moment: This is Princess' debut episode, and right from the first moment we see her, it's made clear what a spoiled brat she is.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. As much as she wants to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, Princess does honor Mrs. Keane’s rule not to fight in the classroom... by taking their fight outside.
  • "Eureka!" Moment: Princess has one as she watches the girls rescue Twiggy, giving her the inspiration to join them.
  • Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: It's clear from the way they interact that Princess is the way she is because her father gives her obscene amounts of money whenever she asks just so she'll leave him alone. Blossom gives her a scathing lecture at the end of the episode, making it clear that her sense of entitlement is so destructive that it won't be tolerated.
  • Hate at First Sight: Played straight and justified with Buttercup, who takes an instant dislike to Princess' haughtiness and entitlement; whilst Blossom attempts to reason with her, Buttercup doesn't hold back when calling her out for botching the robbery mission. When they're attacked by Princess at the kindergarten, she responds by saying "You've been asking for this for a long time", then charging at her in a rage.
  • Kid Hero: Deconstructed. Princess’ sole attempt at being a hero not only results in the bank robbers getting away, but the Powerpuff Girls have to save her life. Buttercup and Blossom, being experienced crime-fighters, warn her not to help them again.
  • Kill It with Ice: After delivering hard blows to the armor, Blossom finishes Princess’ battle suit with her ice breath, encasing the suit in a layer of ice until it breaks apart from pressure.
  • Jet Pack: Princess’ costume comes with one of these.
  • Never My Fault: Princess is certainly not one to acknowledge that her own conceitedness and snobbery is the reason she hasn't become as popular as the Powerpuff Girls. Nor will she admit that the robbers getting away during her first (and last) mission is due simply to her own inexperience. She also accuses the Powerpuff Girls of "humiliating her and turning everybody against her," when Princess was the one who was rude to her classmates when they tried to be nice to her.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Played with. Princess is no hero, but she sure ruins her own chance at being one. On her first and only mission with the girls (to which she wasn’t even invited), Princess manages to incapacitate her own team and unintentionally let the bank robbers get away, cementing her rejection from the team.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had Princess not taunted Blossom about taking down her sisters, Blossom wouldn't have forgone her peacemaker approach and fought Princess long enough for her sisters to gain a second wind.
  • Nonchalant Dodge: Blossom evades one of Princess' energy blasts by tilting her head.
  • Post-Support Regret: Blossom most notably. In the episode, Princess Morbucks wanted to be a Powerpuff Girl, so she annoyed the girls with her attempts to join them, not listening that she doesn't have any powers and it's not safe for her to join them. While Bubbles is a bit doubtful, and Buttercup has no trust for Princess at all, Blossom insists that they give her a chance to be friends at least. When Princess Morbucks accidentally incapacitates the Powerpuff Girls and unintentionally lets the bank robbers get away, Bubbles was mildly angry, and Buttercup angrily yelled at her, Blossom stops Buttercup from yelling any further at Princess and calmly told her that her joining them was too dangerous and it was for her safety that she did not join them. When Princess does not show up for school the next day, Buttercup makes a crack at Princess probably crying herself to sleep; Blossom believes that she has learned her lesson and probably feels silly. Cue Princess Morbucks coming in and a power suit and thrashing Blossom's two sisters. After Princess taunting Blossom about taking down her sisters, Blossom loses the patience she had for Princess, and accepts her challenge. After Blossom singlehandedly defeats Princess in battle, Blossom tells Princess she's just a spoiled brat, and that's another reason why she can't join the Powerpuff Girls.
  • Powered Armor: Princess's second costume can fire energy blasts and has a Jet Pack.
  • Punny Name: In addition to being a play on "Daddy" Warbucks from Little Orphan Annie, Princess Morebucks' name also sounds like "more bucks" (as in more money).
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After getting beaten in the climax, Princess tearfully and innocently asks "Why won't you let me be a Powerpuff Girl?" To that, Blossom sums it all up:
    Blossom: Because you're just a spoiled brat. And being a Powerpuff Girl isn't about getting your way, or having the best stuff, or being popular or powerful. It's about using your own unique abilities to help people and the world we all live in. And you, little girl, have done nothing worthy of the name "Powerpuff".
  • Shooting Superman: A group of bank robbers attempts to shoot the Powerpuff Girls. It does nothing except annoy them.
  • Shout-Out
    • As mentioned above, Princess's surname is a play on "Daddy" Warbucks.
    • When Buttercup tells Princess that she can't just buy superpowers, Princess retorts "Oh yeah? Tell that to Batman!" The first super suit she buys is a direct reference Batman's gadgets as well, complete with classic mainstays like boomerangs and grappling hooks.
    • The title is a variation of Superman's classic catchphrase "Up, up and away".
    • The fight between the Powerpuff Girls and Princess in the finale is clearly inspired by the fight scenes in Dragon Ball Z, including the use of speed lines and rapid intercutting.
    • Princess' second super suit, which actually gives her superpowers is as style-and-substance reference to Iron Man.
  • Spoiled Brat: Princess embraces this trope, strong arming her father into buying anything that can help her match the Powerpuff Girls' power. Even then, she snubs the school students because of her rich status.
  • Start of Darkness: Princess was never a good or even nice person to begin with. After she's denied a chance to be a Powerpuff Girl too many times, she quickly becomes a full-on villain.
  • Strapped to a Bomb: The bank robbers do this to Princess to distract the Powerpuff Girls.
  • Strong as They Need to Be: With the help of her new golden supersuit, which is stated to be faster and stronger than the average Powerpuff Girl, Princess easily defeats Buttercup and Bubbles within just three collective attacks. Conversely, Blossom proves to be more than a match for Princess's supersuit, dealing more damage to the suit individually than both of her sisters did combined.
  • Took a Level in Badass: After her first supersuit fails to be effective and only results in her getting captured, Princess's next supersuit proves more formidable, as she not only has better control over it, she effortlessly defeats two out of the three titular heroines.
  • Tranquil Fury: After Princess beats two out the three Powerpuffs, Blossom has had it up to here with playing the peacemaker and just stands there giving the spoiled brat a Death Glare.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: Princess never thanks the Powerpuff Girls for saving her life at the bank. Granted, they were upset at her for letting the robbers get away, but she still decides to get rid of them after the fact.
  • Unskilled, but Strong: The super suit that Princess buys is powerful enough to allow her to effortlessly defeat Bubbles and Buttercup. However, against Blossom, her inexperience is painfully evident, and Blossom is able to take her out easily just by staying calm and patient.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Subverted and played straight. After Blossom dodges Princess's tiara laser and trips her, sending her flying into the slide, the latter gets extremely pissed. She tries to attack Blossom, who manages to dodge and block all her attacks. Then Blossom unleashes her own rage, and successfully beats up Princess, making sure Princess feels every blow.
  • Would Hurt a Child: The bank robbers tie up Princess, gag her and hook her to a time bomb before leaving.

Schoolhouse Rocked provides examples of:

  • Adults Are Useless: Ms. Keane was no help against the Gangreen Gang's bullying... at least, at first.
  • An Aesop:
    • Trust your instincts.
    • Sometimes, the only way to realize the truth is for you to see it for yourself.
  • Be the Ball: Big Billy uses Arturo as ball for a basketball game at the arcade. Zigzagged in the dodgeball scene, in which Snake uses Arturo, carrying a dodgeball, to throw at another victim of the dodgeball game.
  • Body Horror: Grubber contorting his body to temporarily assume a more natural stance leaves the entire class visibly disturbed. And that's to say nothing of Billy revealing he has only one eye.
  • Curse Cut Short: Ace loses in an arcade fighting game. Snake rubs it in by saying "Man, Ace! Bubbles sure kicked your—" but Ace punches him before he can finish.
  • Dodgeball Is Hell: Especially if you’re a kindergarten kid going up against the Gangreen Gang. Or if you are the Gangreen Gang going up against the Powerpuff Girls.
  • Easily Forgiven: The girls harbor no grudge against Ms. Keane for falsely punishing them, which indirectly led to the entire class getting hurt.
  • "Everybody Laughs" Ending: How the episode ends.
  • Fedora of Asskicking: The truant officer wears a Fedora, and is badass enough that the Gangreen Gang is afraid of him.
  • Fighting Back Is Wrong: Truant Officer Jack Wednesday sends the Gangreen Gang to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten to give them an education. The Gangreen Gang bully the other students, and whenever Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup try to stop them, Ms. Keane reprimands the girls for fighting in class, allowing the Gangreen Gang to get away with their bad behavior, even to the point of making the girls stay inside the school for time-out during recess. When Ms. Keane discovers the Gangreen Gang beating up the other students during a game of dodgeball, she encourages the girls to play dodgeball to stop them.
  • Food Fight: The Gangreen Gang pelt their classmates with cookies.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: Throughout the episode, Ms Keane is taken by the Gangreen Gang's charm and ignores the Girls' attempts to warn her about them being evil criminals well beyond the kindergarten age. The Girls even get blamed for all of the Gangreen Gang's antics in class. Ms Keane finally realizes their true colors after seeing them beat up the students in a deadly game of dodgeball.
  • Given Name Reveal: With the exception of Ace and Grubber, who apparently only have the one name, the actual names of the Gang are revealed for the first time in this episode. Lil' Arturo is Arturo de la Guerra, Big Billy is William W. Williams, and Snake is Sanford D. Ingleberry.
  • I Call It "Vera": Arturo gave his favorite pocket comb (which he refers to as “she”) the name Maria.
  • Idiot Ball: Ms. Keane is oblivious to the obviously shady teenagers causing trouble in her kindergarten classroom, while blaming the Powerpuff Girls despite usually knowing how trustworthy and law-abiding they are.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: Mr. Wednesday isn't completely wrong when he tells Ms. Keane how to handle her job, as evident of the tropes mentioned above.
  • Jump Scare: Billy reveals he is actually a cyclops. Unsurprisingly, the children are freaked out by this.
  • Loophole Abuse: The girls can’t fight the Gangreen Gang since this is against school rules, but beating them in a very violent game of dodgeball is perfectly legal. Mrs. Keane even encourages them to do this.
  • Motor Mouth: The truant officer talks really fast, with some shades of Strange-Syntax Speaker in the form of asking questions he answers himself.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If one of the dodgeballs—no doubt thrown by the Gangreen Gang—hadn't broken the window, Ms. Keane wouldn't have seen ther true colors and realized the Powerpuff Girls were telling the truth.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mr. Wednesday gives one to Ms. Keane for being a Horrible Judge of Character (while not incorrect).
    Mr. Wednesday: I'll bet. You ask why I take care of these boys? That's right because someone has to and it's not an easy job taking care of children making sure they're not getting into trouble watching out for their well-being, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
    (Ms. Keane and the girls gives him a Collective Death Glare)
    Mr. Wednesday: Didn't think so. (To the Ganggreen Gang) Let's go boys, time to go home. (Walking away.) Oh, and teacher, before you tell me how to do my job, maybe you should figure out how to do your own.
    (Mr. Wednesday is then nailed in the back of the head by a speeding dodgeball.)
  • The Reveal: We learn in this episode that Big Billy is a cyclops.
  • Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet!: A non-shooting example. The Girls tackle Arturo when he presents the class his favorite pocket comb (Maria) which they mistake for a knife due to it having a handle that resembles a Sinister Switchblade.
  • Spoof Aesop: After Mr. Wednesday gives Ms. Keane "The Reason You Suck" Speech for her awful taste in character, Ms. Keane nails the truant officer in the back of his head with a well-aimed dodgeball, and she then points out that he taught them all a very valuable lesson.
    Ms. Keane: Don't turn your back in the middle of a dodgeball game!
    (Ms. Keane and the Girls laugh out loud.)
    Narrator (laughing): Oh, Ms. Keane! Under YOUR RULE, school is cool!
  • Strange-Syntax Speaker: Mr. Wednesday talks in the form of questions he asks and answers himself.
  • Suddenly Voiced: Grubber, who normally speaks by blowing raspberries, demonstrates that he is capable of normal speech in this episode and speaks with a posh English accent. It just requires contorting his body into place in a visually disturbing fashion.
  • Tragic Keepsake: During show-and-tell Arturo reveals that his prized comb was given to him by his father just before going to jail.
  • Violence Really Is the Answer: What Ms. Keane ultimately realizes, albeit with some Loophole Abuse.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: The truant officer, who was just doing his job in forcing the Gangreen Gang to attend school. That said, having a bunch of trouble-making teenagers attend a school for kindergartners goes about as well as one would expect.

 
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Princess Morebucks vs. The Powerpuff Girls

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