Sunday, June 18, 2017

Earthworm Jim 1.13 - The Anti-Fish

Plot: We open with Psycrow using a De-Evolution Ray on Jim, turning him into a giant amoeba. So Jim launches himself at Psycrow and prepares to digest him. Yikes.

In the main plot, Bob seeks to awaken the dreaded Anti-Fish to help him conquer the universe. Jim is busy being menaced by Evil Jim on the Planet of Eerily Spooky Landscapes, when he gets a call from the Fur-bearin' Trout, warning of the Anti-Fish's imminent awakening. Of course, he won't put in another quarter to extend the call, so Jim doesn't get to hear how to defeat the menace, but no matter. Off he flies, leaving the Princess to deal with Evil Jim.

As with most of these attempts to avert fate, the effort only causes the prediction to come true. Bob had failed to awaken the Anti-Fish, but Jim's presence, the scent of a worm, works. The bad news for Bob is the Anti-Fish won't listen to him. The bad news for everyone is it seeks to eat the Great Worm Spirit, which resides at the Dawn of Time, which will end everything. So hero and villain must team up. Which goes as well as you expect. The attempt to ambush the Anti-Fish in the Time Sewer results in them being knocked into prehistoric Earth and nearly eaten by dinosaurs. A long stint at the Restaurant of Time is able to send them to their destination, but working separately, they can barely annoy the Anti-Fish. But they do succeed through teamwork, and existence is saved. And Jim eventually remembers to go back for the Princess, who is busy being wooed by Evil Jim's notebook full of love poetry.

In the interlude, Professor Monkey-for-a-Head tries telling the monkey a bedtime story. It doesn't go well.

Quote of the Episode: Jim - 'By the Great Worm Spirit, whose heartbeat forms the very lifeblood of the universe, this sounds. . .fairly. . . bad!'

Times Peter turns into a monster: 0 (11 overall).

Cow? Yes, appearing in response to Jim's plea for things to be easy for once. I need cows to appear to help make things easy for me sometimes.

Other: Peter didn't use the "better than pro wrestling" line this week, so maybe it isn't going to become his new catch phrase. He did encounter his old enemy, haggis, at the Restaurant of Time, as that was the Dawn of Time Special. That is such an incredibly random idea, you eat a meal and it opens a portal to take you to a specific time.

Jim at one point refers to the Anti-Fish as the "sea horseman of the apocalypse", which is a pretty good line.

I wonder if it bothers bagpipe players that cartoons use bagpipes as shorthand for "awful noise". That has to get a little irritating after a while.

The Great Worm Spirit speaks in a parody of Christopher Walken's voice. Interesting choice.

The classic story of hero and villain, forced to cooperate. Not much new here, other than Jim being the uncouth one who leaves the toilet seat up. And, while Bob does try an immediate attack after the truce ends, and is undone by their cooperation, Jim just leaves him stranded in space. But Jim never does take his villains to Space Jail or whatever. Of course, most of them are monarchs of one world or another. Form a group, R.E.F.E.M. Revolutionary Earthworm Focused on Ending Monarchies. OK, it needs some work. I'm not Vril Dox, people.

This is, according to IMDB, the last episode of Season 1, for what that's worth. I don't think seasons mean particularly much with this show, but maybe my memory is wrong. We'll see starting next week!

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