Episode 103: The Art of the Sucker Punch

Original Airdate: May 10th, 1999

Cast:
Brendon Small/Dwayne/Walter/Perry– Brendon Small
Jason Penopolis/Coach Jon McGuirk/Walter– H. Jon Benjamin
Melissa Robbins – Melissa Bardin Galsky
Coach Jon McGuirk – H. Jon Benjamin
Paula Small – Janine Ditullo
Josie Small – Loren Bouchard

Synopsis: Brendon vows to get revenge on local bully Shannon after he beats up Jason. Only problem is he doesn't know how to fight.

The audio commentary on the DVD for this episode references this site. =)

History:
· This episode is one of “The UPN 5”. Therefore, it has Paula Poundstone as Paula and is 100% retroscripted.
· This episode marks the first guest voice, with the weird Emo Philips as Shannon. Also, this episode introduces the Shannon character, who will appear twice more throughout the series.
· This episode marks the first appearance of Walter & Perry.
· The story of this episode is based on a run in with a bully that really happened to Loren Bouchard

Lawn Gnomes: (Click for picture)
At the first shot of Shannon’s house, there is a gnome on his front lawn.

After Brendon sucker punches Shannon, he takes the garden gnome from Shannon’s lawn, runs away holding it, tosses up in the air, catches it, cartwheels holding it in his mouth and finally spins it on the ground while doing a dance.

Brendon’s Filmography:
· “’Big Bad’ Brendon Small vs. Shannon ‘The Cannon’” – Documentary about the fight of Brendon Small and Shannon.

The Movie-Episode Connection:
· It’s a documentary without any thematic connection, but Brendon's theatricality makes you wonder if he got into a fight just to make a movie about it.

The Plotline Connection: (TheJazzFighter)
· There is only one main storyline: Brendon beating up Shannon. Therefore, there can't really be a connection.

Song Lyrics:
· Punch his Butt
I’m gonna punch his butt!
(With guitar going with the words) Punch his butt!
What’d I say?
Punch his butt!
I’m gonna punch his butt!
Then what you gonna do?
I’m gonna punch his butt again!
Then what after you punch his butt a second time?
I’m gonna probably kick him!
(Guitar) Kick him!
Where you gonna kick him?
I’m gonna go for the butt again!

Random Observations & Facts:
· In their first appearance, Walter and Perry have reversed identities.
· While practicing, Brendon's shirt has the word "Shannon" with an x through it.
· Brendon predicts the fight will be over after three punches. Shannon grabs Brendon, knees him the face, and puts him in the Tasmanian foot-lock. He was right.
· People at Shannon’s party include Walter & Perry, Jeremy, Shannon’s friend, Dwayne, Loni (Episode 105 – We’ll Always Have Tuesday), The Babysitter (Episode 102 – I Don’t Do Well In Parent Teacher Conferences)
· There was a time when I had "the only uncensored ass on Home Movies was in this episode". Sadly, this is no longer true.

Past Episode References:
· At the party, Jason asks if the mini-keishas have cheese, because he can’t eat cheese. We first learned this during the “Dark Side of the Law II” trailer in 101 – Get Away From My Mom. Jason eats them anyway.

End Credits: “Season One Theme”

Reviews: WARNING: Spoilers

Superloud: This is my first time seeing most of season 1, and so far I like what I see. This episode was hilarious. The ending, with Brendon jumping and spinning around, was pure genius. Is it just me, or did the Squigglevision seem to be more noticeable in the first episode than it is in the rest of season 1?

Rating: A+

Condiment King: The introduction of Shannon, and to a lesser extent William & Perry. Shannon is such a great character, and it really shows in this episode. Shannon is never more than really a guest star in this series, and yet he's able to practically character episodes, though the best part of this episode is the Brendon/Jason scene about who should fight Shannon.

What's really odd about this episode is that there is a time when there's about three Brendon/Paula couch scenes in a row. It seems really awkward, and like they are just trying to finish the episode. Like they run out of material. I don't know. Regardless, this is a really good episode. ****

StrangerAtaru: I can't believe I have actually forgotten about this episode when looking at the first season! While I do look at certain eps. this season to be the cream of the crop (such as "Director's Cut"), I always seem to forget this one. It is interesting how we do see Brendon set himself up to take this huge fall fighting against Shannon, and just seeing everything leading up to the fight was hilarious. It does fall apart a bit once the fight is over with, but I guess to me it is a neglected gem.

The Landstander: I think this is where the show starts to come together. Paula is put in a smaller role as Brendon's mother, which is much more effective than her usual time dominating the screen. The episode has a very simple plot structure, and it manages to have better flow than previous episodes. Emo Philips does a great job with Shannon; the character is created in seconds between his voice and his mannerisms.

Best of all, it seems everyone is getting into character. Brendon is determined and obsessive, and a bit of a wimp. Jason stops being an attempt at gross out humor and becomes a lot more neurotic and weird, which is so much better. Melissa plays a nice voice of reason while managing to get some nice lines herself ("It's easy to hurt him!"). Even Walter & Perry show up for the first time, and despite incorrect names, have the same sense of humor they always will. And the ending is fantastic. The past episode was good, but this is the first time Home Movies shows how good it can be. Highly Recommended.