A brilliant installment in what I think captures John K.'s themes and style the best out of all the second season episodes. The self-referencing and parody is rich in this episode (which is a full twenty-two or so minutes), as is the demented and overtly disturbing nineteen-fifties undertones; there is a definite Lynchian feel to this one.
R & S leave Hollywood (in Yugoslavia, of course) to meet and stay with one of their human fans. Anthony, an only child, in sort of a "Leave It To Beaver" household, is ecstatic about the two visiting. His enthusiasm however, is what causes some problems. He's a weak, asthmatic boy who's prone to hyper-ventilating. This is a cause for total babying from his mom, and complete (pyschotic) defensiveness from his dad.
After a kind of pep-talk (rich with violent innuendo) from the dad on how to treat Anthony, the two cartoon characters now know their place among the human family. Of course, this causes problems when R & S come into conflict with Victor, the local bully. A scene in which Anthony is threatened by this guy, while his dad idles his ridiculously large fifties style saloon is hilarious.
Anthony's in trouble. So, who's to blame here? Why, the "Hollywood Big Shots" of course! This episode is expertly drawn, with literally hundreds of twisted facial expressions and mood changes on the part of the dad, as well as brilliant contrast between the heavyset top-heavy man with the frail and runt-like child. Once the dad removes his shirt, the masculine dominance and idea of the alpha male protecting his territory brings the cartoon down to an almost primitive and animalistic level; again, the Lynchian echoes ring true here. Further to this, the notion of the working man being victimised by rich Hollywood types is drawn clear in a bizarre comparison of each characters palm of the hand. It's paced really well, and the musical cues are brilliant too. Highly recommended.
R & S leave Hollywood (in Yugoslavia, of course) to meet and stay with one of their human fans. Anthony, an only child, in sort of a "Leave It To Beaver" household, is ecstatic about the two visiting. His enthusiasm however, is what causes some problems. He's a weak, asthmatic boy who's prone to hyper-ventilating. This is a cause for total babying from his mom, and complete (pyschotic) defensiveness from his dad.
After a kind of pep-talk (rich with violent innuendo) from the dad on how to treat Anthony, the two cartoon characters now know their place among the human family. Of course, this causes problems when R & S come into conflict with Victor, the local bully. A scene in which Anthony is threatened by this guy, while his dad idles his ridiculously large fifties style saloon is hilarious.
Anthony's in trouble. So, who's to blame here? Why, the "Hollywood Big Shots" of course! This episode is expertly drawn, with literally hundreds of twisted facial expressions and mood changes on the part of the dad, as well as brilliant contrast between the heavyset top-heavy man with the frail and runt-like child. Once the dad removes his shirt, the masculine dominance and idea of the alpha male protecting his territory brings the cartoon down to an almost primitive and animalistic level; again, the Lynchian echoes ring true here. Further to this, the notion of the working man being victimised by rich Hollywood types is drawn clear in a bizarre comparison of each characters palm of the hand. It's paced really well, and the musical cues are brilliant too. Highly recommended.
