Tripping the Rift: S01E04: Sidewalk Soiler

This was a great episode. It was crude, funny, and had lots of subtle background jokes and plays on wording. And as usual, the animation was top notch, with plenty of attention paid to details. But oddly enough I find it hard to come with a review for this episode.

The story starts off with Chode taking a bubble bath. Or rather taking a bath and watching TV. Chode is distressed since the Free Enterprise is in Dark Clown space without a cloaking device. He’s so stressed that he can barely enjoy the hummer that Six is giving him below the suds. So the distressed purple blob decides to call off his encounter with Six, until they acquire one for the ship.

Six on the other hand needs some relief and seduces Chode and the audience into trying one more time. It works, the duo try a little role playing. Specifically infantism, with Chode as the baby. Just as they start the action, Whip barges into the bathroom announcing that he got to a high level in his video game. LIsting all reactions as it pretins to the story line:

1) Six and Chode are nervous because the youth Whip caught them in the act

2) Six and Chode are pissed because their fun has been interrupted

3) So is the rest of the TV audience.

Whip is so freaked by seeing his Uncle (as an infant) getting freaky with Six, that his brain goes hay wire. As a matter of fact, he goes blind to block out the image. So Six has the blinding beauty of a Nymph? Or maybe its Chode? hmm…

The Free Enterprise soon arrives at the planet Snozzle. Chode, Six and Gus attempt to beam down to the planet to purchase or steal a cloaking device for the ship. Before they can beam down though, they first have to wait for transporter to stop receiving incoming transports. Several pieces of Clownzooka Chewing Gum, I smell Bobo, arrive beside Chode’s feet. Chode just assumes that they are a gift from someone and starts chewing away, as they beam down to the surface.

Down on the planet, the trio soon finds that Bob sent them to the wrong place, and that they’ll have to walk a little to get to the store. No problem! They take a scenic tour of the uber-clean planet. Chode and Gus are amazed at how clean everything is, and have no idea how they do it. We soon find out though. Four tenths of a second after Chode spits out his gum, half of the planetary police force jumps on him and arrests him for littering. What the worst they could do for littering, $100 fine, or maybe a $250,000 plus a caning (in Singapore)? Nope worse: death penalty!It must’ve been a slow news day because every network is covering his arrest and interrogation.

The crew watches the media blitz safely aboard the ship. T’Nuk is ecstatic that Chode is gonna die, and she claims his room. Gus will soon be free of Chode, and starts planning a trip to Alpha Centauri. Whip is just disappointed that now that he’s blind he can’t watch the execution. Six is distressed. For some odd reason she loves Chode and threatens the rest of the crew to help save him.

Their first plan is to hire and attorney. They hire a plump Snozzlian, Penelope Schlubb to defend Chode. Penelope finds Chode to be one of the hottest men she’s ever seen, and is completely infatuated with him. Her dialogue with Chode is filled to the brim, with double meanings. They’re talking about getting him acquitted, but it sounds more like excerpts from a phone sex conversation.The trial is televised on Pay TV, and is held in a large auditorium for thousands of screaming people waiting for justice. (My only quip about this eps animations that the crowd always seemed out of control, even at the oddest times.

It really gives the impression that it was recycled footage from Mutilation Ball, prolly because it is) T’Nuk puts up the 150 quid to watch it too! She steals the money from Chode’s debit card though! The main prosecutor is none other then Darph Bobo, who quickly reveals to Chode that it was he who sent him the gum, knowing that Chode would spit it out on the surface of the planet and be executed. Bobo presents his case, which is really open and shut considering all the evidence, eye witnesses, video tape and confession.

Penelope shows her ace in the hole. She gives a great speech defending Chode. Here it goes: (in italics are my comments)

This purple victim grew up in the lap of poverty with no real father, and a young, sexually active mother. It was no picnic being the runt of the family, but young Chode was clever, (we are treated to a slide show of Chode past, featuring him as an infant (no not role playing with Six), and him selling drugs) doing whatever he had to do in order to survive before rising up to become the captain of his own ship, performing humanitarian missions (ha!), feeding the hungry (yeah whatever.

The image shown here is of Chode holding a couple hamburgers in front of his crew at a bar-b-que. My brother stated when it first came up “ha-ha he’s shitfaced!”, I really loved these clips!… by his own admission, he was ignorant of the laws in snozzleland. He deeply regrets his transgression and has told me and several members of the clergy that the experience has made him a more responsible citizen of the world – and he feels with the lessons he’s learned, he could set an example for troubled youth and pregnant teens… so I ask you… ladies and gentlemen of the jury, citizens of the world and most honorable judge… (This speech is having quite an affect, everyone is crying, even Bobo! Whip is so moved that he regained his vision… I’m asking you for the good that lives inside each one of you, for the good of the nations, for the good of world peace… please don’t convict this sweet, handsome, beautiful, thoughtful…

Peneolope can’t control herself anymore. She is too in love with Chode and breaks down. She tells the judge that she must be removed form the case because she is too close to her client. The judge allows it, and orders that the jury ignore her speech. Without that brilliant defense speech, the jury must now find him guilty and sentences him to death by electrocution. A penalty that Bobo intends to carry out.

Finally Bobo can get his revenge on Chode. Why he needs vengeance, we STILL don’t know, but Chode must really deserve it.Meanwhile back aboard the ship, T’Nuk is starting to move into Chode’s quarters. She notices a picture of him on his table and suddenly feels remorse, and runs out of the room.

Elsewhere, Six has conscripted Whip and Gus to help her shut off the electricity to the death chair. Upstairs, Bobo thows the switch and begins to electrocute his enemy. But a few seconds later the power is cut off. Thanks to the efforts of the crew downstairs. Chode starts flaunting this in front of Bobo:

You’re gonna fuck this up too aren’t ya, you strawberry fuck pie fucker! You have got to be the dumbest fucking Clown in the entire universe. I got handed to you on a silver platter and you still managed to…

Then juice starts flowing again. Downstairs the crew ist battling more troopers, and the power is constantly turned off and on. This has a detrimental effect on their captain (duh!). Before too much damage can occur though , T’Nuk rushes into the room and begs the court for mercy. A request which is echoed by the crowd. The judge orders Chode released, and the crew walks away valiantly. I wonder what got into T’Nuk. Maybe she really has feelings for him. Eeewww that’s scary.

It was still great to see Bobo back being a badass!
It’s hard to keep working in all the praise for the animation into the review, so starting now I’m just going to type it in a nice little paragraph here at the end. I really liked all of the details put into animations of various jiggling body parts and other objects. All of the subtle background jokes were great, like the penis shaped stage, “Braille for Dumbasses”, “Prison Bitch” Magazine, and the shocking Chode display.

I’d rate this episode a shocking 29,151 out of 10. What did you think?

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Tripping the Rift reviews are © 2005 Ryan Bechtel.
Not for reproduction without the authors express permission

Tripping the Rift names, characters and everything else associated with the series are the property of Chris Moeller, Chuck Austen Film Roman, CineGroup, and the Sci Fi Channel.