Episode 6, Part 1; Doug, Mayor for a Day

"Dear Journal, Hi, it's me again; Doug! I know I've always told you field trips are boring, but..."
That's right. Doug is the only kid that dislikes field trips. Doug, you crazy.

The field trip was student government day. Each student was randomly assigned a government job, then they were supposed to shadow and interview the person that actually has that job to write a paper about it. Kinda neat actually. What were people hoping for? Roger wanted to be sheriff (and actually got to do that) while one of his goons aimed a little higher and declared that he hoped to be dog catcher. What about Skeeter? Skeeter's clearly taking the field trip seriously...

Skeeter wanted to be head astronaut. See.

He's prepared. As for Doug, he hoped to get chief forest ranger. Not too weird for an 11 year old thinking about government jobs, and it's at least a job, unlike Skeeter's fucking stupid ass dreams.

What does Doug actually get? Mayor, of course. He is extremely disappointed by this for some reason. He even gets to sit next to Patti on the bus, and she's extremely excited/impressed that Doug gets to be mayor, but he just can't help but think about how much it's going to suck. He doesn't even care that he's sitting next to Patti, or that she's really impressed that he gets to be mayor.

So once they get to city hall, Mr. Bone takes over Roger's usual job of making Doug shit his pants and informs him that as the mayor, his report will be the most important, and however he does will show up on his permanent record. Hello fantasy, #1.

This is where Doug thinks about how he's going to interview the real mayor.

It's a short one where he just imagines his interview with Mayor Bob White as a weird tv show that takes place in an elementary school file cabinet. The real mayor interrupts his weird fantasy by asking Doug if he'd been staring at him because he was the mayor. He takes Doug for just some random kid who is impressed with the mayor, and gives him a sucker. The sucker is shaped like the mayor's head, and has a special message on the back.




Trust me, this is important.

Doug follows Mayor White into his office and this is when Doug starts hallucinating.


What do doctors say when you tell them you think paintings hate you?

So before Doug can get an answer for his first question, the mayor's phone rings. It's for Doug.

Another hallucination, perhaps? Mr. Bone just called to remind Doug about the importance of his report. Don't screw it up. If you'd get off his back, Mr. Bone, maybe you'd be surprised what Doug is capable of. Probably not, but maybe. Time for fantasy #2.


Look at Porkchop. A 30+ year old dog would look more like a skeleton, but hey, it's Doug's fantasy. Let it be. The Beets showed up for this? Anyway, Mr. Bone comes along when Mayor White is handing over the key to the city and announces that Doug did a very bad report about the duties of a mayor when he was 11, and so he doesn't get to be mayor. Mayor White takes back the key, and starts celebrating because that means he wins. In addition to the absurdity of how Doug thinks our electoral system works, lets take a minute to reflect on the fact that Doug didn't want to be mayor.

Got it?
So after the unnecessary phone call, Doug finally starts to get an answer. Bob White is a terrible mayor. He doesn't do anything. A few times in the episode, he tells people to ask his wife when they ask him to approve a budget, or do something a mayor is supposed to do. While giving an answer, he gets another phone call. It's Mr. Swirly from the ice cream factory. All their equipment is fucked up and he's not going to be able to make that day's delivery, which the mayor needs for the student government ice cream extravaganza! OH NO! He panics and runs out into the hall shouting, "ask my wife!"
Left alone in the mayors office, Doug hallucinates again.

The mayor's chair. It glows. Doug sits in it and fantasizes more.


Look how great being mayor is. You're the center of attention. Patti wants to interview you. People are always taking pictures of you as you're making tough decisions about shit.

As the pictures get to be too much for him to take, the mayor's phone rings and wakes Doug up from the fantasy.

He either fell asleep in the mayor's chair, or he has his eyes closed from all the imaginary camera flashes.

Doug decides to answer the phone. It's Mr. Swirly again. The situation has gotten much worse. Mr. Swirly is about to drown. Also, all the chocolate chips are about to crash into the fans of the cooling system. If they turn off the cooling system, all the ice cream will melt. "What should we do? Please, mayor! Help me." As if it's the job of the mayor to know how to run a goddamn ice cream factory. If I was Doug, I'd tell Mr. Swirly to fire the moron that dumped all of the chocolate chips into the air conditioning vents. What the fuck are the chocolate chips doing in there? Doug says, "why don't you let the chips hit the fan?" Oooooooooh! Mr. Swirly agrees that this is a good thing to do, as it will chop up the chips and throw them into the ice cream making chocolate swirly. Chocolate swirly that no one can fucking eat because it's fucking dirty. It's a health and safety hazard. This whole plot doesn't make sense. The ice cream is already melted, because the refrigeration system is messed up. Suddenly, it's melting and drowning Mr. Swirly, but if they turn off the cooling system, the ice cream will melt. One of their options is to turn off the refrigeration system that isn't working and suffer through melting ice cream that's already melted?

Anyway, Doug saves the day; Mr. Swirly serves all the kids the chocolate swirly ice cream, probably making a few of them sick with his dirty air vent chocolate.

Mayor Bob White sends Doug a letter.

I don't think any of this really happened. The field trip is likely real, and maybe Doug really did have to interview the mayor, but he clearly really hated the job he was given. Doug made this whole thing up because his real experience was boring. We already know he usually thinks field trips are boring, so maybe he just wanted this one to be fun so much he imagined this alternate reality. He clearly didn't learn anything about being a mayor. "Being mayor is great fun. You get a big chair, a cool telephone, and all the suckers you can eat." Doug wrote this in his journal, and I'm sure it's in his important report along with something about making important decisions in the running of local ice cream factories. Oh to be a mayor.

Here's my favorite extra. This is from a quick shot in Doug's "30 Years in the Future" fantasy. I love how dressed up he got for a mayoral inauguration 30 years into the future. If Doug had been assassinated in his fantasy, this is the guy I'd go after. Definitely.

Episode 5, Part 2; Doug Didn't Do It

This episode starts a little different than other episodes of Doug.

Doug is writing in his journal, on his bed. Giving the old desk a break. Porkchop is sad because Doug took away the chocolate chip cookies. Doug starts talking about how much he hates practical jokes. Practical jokes are the worst.

Someone with a green hand stole Assistant Principal Lamar Bone's yodeling trophy. Doug finds it in his locker and immediately assumes the worst. He fears getting detention for the rest of his life. He fears for his permanent record. He panics and lets Roger get the best of him again. As with every situation where Doug is bordering on a panic attack, Roger is there to take advantage and make sure Doug's brain takes a shit. Here, Roger triggers a bizarre courtroom trial fantasy.


Just to be clear: the mayor of Bluffington is the judge, Mr. Bone is the prosecuting attorney, Mr. Dink is the defense attorney, and Roger is the entire jury. Poor Doug just doesn't know how our justice system works, though he at least has all the pieces. Oh, and Patti is in this fantasy, of course.

She goes from happy to this vaguely mad face while saying, "oh Doug, how could you?" Like 99% of Doug's fantasies are centered around an imagined response from Patti. I'd guess more than 50% of her screen time in the series is fantasy, as she doesn't appear in some episodes at all, except through fantasy.

Anyway, Doug lucks out on the locker inspection because the bell rings and apparently whatever that bell was meant a whole lot more than finishing the locker inspection to get back the assistant principal's fucking yodeling trophy. So he asks Judy what he should do.

Porkchop plays the hell out of that violin. Judy's first suggestion is to go crying to Mr. Bone, begging for forgiveness. Then she suggests that he just tell the truth. This sets off another fantasy, of course...

Of course. Of course they'll give you an award for this, Doug. And who is going to be most impressed by your fancy new award?

Of course.
So he takes the trophy back to school, puts it in his locker, and tells Skeeter he's going to give it back and tell the truth after class. Little does he know that Roger was hiding in the locker next to his. Roger sends an anonymous note to Mr. Bone telling him to check Doug's locker. Meanwhile, Doug has this fantasy where telling the truth still gets him in trouble. In the fantasy, Mr. Bone has him tied up and he pulls out Doug's permanent record. The permanent record is torn up and thrown in his face. At no point here does Doug explain when he went back to his locker to get the trophy. He just has it again. At Mr. Bone's office he panics and has this brilliant idea.

It's a trophy, Doug. Not a goldfish.

When that doesn't work, he rushes back to Mr. Bone's office (Mr. Bone is still out checking out Doug's locker and being pissed when he doesn't find shit) and just puts it in his office. See...

Wait, what's that...?

Doug, you fucking moron. You left it in a bag with your name on it. Busted. He finally did what he should've done all along (if just throwing it away in any garbage can wasn't an option) and he fucked up the simple task of leaving it where Mr. Bone will get it. What's his punishment? Polishing all of Mr. Bone's yodeling trophies, which he keeps at school because he doesn't have anyone at home to see them. No wife. No friends. He's a champion yodeler. What would you expect?

Roger comes in to Mr. Bone's office while Mr. Bone is out getting more polish and accidentally turns on the intercom while telling Doug all about his brilliant plan to get him in trouble. The entire school hears the confession and Doug is no longer in trouble. Roger is.

Good job, Roger. Of course, Doug could've easily gotten out of trouble at any point in the episode. Just put the trophy anywhere in the school without putting it in something that said "Doug Funnie" on it. Roger accomplished that much before he told on himself. Oh well, it's a happy ending for Doug, and absolutely nothing was learned. Oh, except Porkchop can play the violin.

And now it's time for my favorite extra from this episode:
Look at this kid. He's dressed like he's on some team. Some team named "Yo." He's wearing his cleats to class. He's really into whatever sport requires cleats and shorts and has teams with names like "Yo."

Episode 5, Part 1; Doug Can't Dig It

"Dear Journal. Me again; Doug. Sorry I didn't write yesterday. I was too busy having a nervous breakdown."
Doug begins this episode like every other. He addresses his journal and apologizes to it as though it were sentient, and had a concept of time and hurt feelings. Oh, and he mentions having a nervous breakdown. Hopefully the nervous breakdown will be the warning sign the people around him need to see he needs help.

Doug and Porkchop are having breakfast. Doug has wasted cereal and milk by pouring Porkchop a bowl, giving him a spoon, and sitting him at the table as if he isn't a dog. Judy taunts Doug about something she won't tell him about.

At school, Ms. Wingo tells the class about a guest speaker the school is having tomorrow, and that Doug will introduce the speaker. Doug has a short fantasy of this being the most amazing thing to ever happen to him.

Doug is so great as the introducer of the mystery guest, he makes himself laugh...

He comes out of his fantasy with Ms. Wingo repeatedly saying, "Doug?" Everyone is laughing at his debilitating delusions. No one understands Doug's psychological problems.

Guess what? The special guest he's introducing is Judy! Oh noooooooo!

This is an immediate turn into the worst thing ever. Why, Doug? Oh, because Judy is just going to do some bad, narcissistic beat nick poetry...

...which is just the most embarrassing thing for you personally...

...and then because she hates you so much, she's going to tell everyone at school that you love Patti.

As if it's some big secret.

At the Honker Burger, Doug decides to use psychology on Judy to try to talk her out of it. He walks over to her, says, "uh, Judy" and is immediately shot down by her knowing what he's going to say and saying she's doing it anyway. He slinks back over to Skeeter and announces that psychology didn't work. Well, he has a pretty shitty definition of psychology doesn't he? Skeeter has a better plan. but first...

This is a scene where Judy is yelling, as loud as she can, "I HATE YOU!" Repeatedly. There is no context for the scene. There's no reason. It isn't just brushed off as one of her acting exercises, and if it were, what is she getting out of that as an actor? She is just in her room, yelling at herself in the mirror. This is far more troubling than most of the shit Doug does. The Funnies are just the worst parents. Their oldest daughter acts out like an attention whore and yells at herself in the mirror until she's hoarse, and their youngest is Doug.

Anyway, Judy's phone rings, so she puts on her "everything's alright" face and answers it. It's Doug using a silly voice and pretending to be a talent scout.

He says his name is J.B. Hunkamunka, a very famous producer. His terrible lies, and bad voice acting (including a few breaks into his normal voice) get him busted.

Why did they do this at Doug's house? Haven't they watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off? This isn't a matter of Doug's crazy; it's Doug and Skeeter's stupid. Call her from Skeeter's house. Or a pay phone (remember those? they still existed back then). The way they did it (and the fake name they used) feels like a step above putting on a fake mustache and walking into her room and pretending to be Hunkamunka. Very stupid.
Anyway, not much else of interest happens. Doug shares this stupid memory of Judy ruining some stupid dental hygiene play they were both in (she was plaque, he was a toothbrush, she wouldn't die) and he assumes she'll ruin whatever this is going to be too. Before the assembly, Doug sort of decides to ditch it, but then hides backstage like a dumbass. He overhears Mr. Bone telling Judy to get out there, and starts to recognize panic in her voice as she really wanted him to introduce her. He steps up, does it, and the world didn't end. Then he doesn't even watch her performance. All the students rushing out tell him how great it was. Blah blah blah. Pretty mild for a nervous breakdown.

I want to address one of the extras.

What is that fat kid in the back wearing? Why is he dressed like the top half of him is going skiing and the bottom half is going hiking on a nice summer day? Stupid fat kids.

Episode 4, Part 2: Doug Rocks

"DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THAT TUBA SOLO!?"

This is the episode that introduced The Beets. It starts with Doug writing about how he didn't have a favorite band, but Skeeter's favorite band was The Beets.

See how much he loves them? He has posters and a wig that doesn't look like any of the band members' hair. Doug tells Skeeter he doesn't know who The Beets are...

...and like any good friend, Skeeter begins Doug's education of The Beatles by teaching him how to play air guitar. This causes (surprisingly) the only fantasy Doug has throughout the episode. (though it is riddled with his crazy reality via Porkchop and Roger's cat, who wear wigs and fight throughout the episode.) Anyway, playing air guitar makes Doug imagine he is the lead singer of The Beets.

Seriously. He was playing air guitar, and the picture faded into this fantasy of him singing. Poor Doug. Of course, what delusional sequence would be complete without Patti showing her irresistible love for Doug.

And that's the end of the fantasy. It fades out to reveal Doug and Skeeter walking on the street...

Doug's arms are raised like that because of that aspect of his fantasies that consumes his actions in real life. Yes, it happened again. Of course. It's also worth noting that his fantasy started in Skeeter's bedroom, and ended on the street with Skeeter following him, perhaps participating in the fantasy without realizing the seriousness of the situation (as always).

Anyway, Roger comes along and informs them of a sold out surprise Beets show in Bluffington that night. He came to brag that he got the last two tickets. He hangs around at Skeeter's house until it's time to leave for the show. He's such a dick the entire time. It makes no sense at all why Doug and Skeeter let him hang out. "Well, thanks for letting us know we can't see our favorite band tonight. Would you like to come in while we wallow in self pity?" But oh wait, the radio station has two tickets for whoever can call in and answer 3 Beets trivia questions first!

Of course they won! It was a fluke too. The final answer was "Beets Me" and Skeeter and Doug didn't know the answer so Doug said "Beats me..." and they won. Dumbass radio stations with their answers being the equivalent of "I don't know."

Here's a shot from this sequence of events I just love...

Notice that the writing on Roger's shirt is backwards. I don't think this was merely an animation mistake. This is right after Doug and Skeeter won the tickets. In Doug's mind, Roger's endless taunts about being able to go when they can't have just been turned back on him. He wasted his entire afternoon taunting them because they can't go. They didn't even know about the concert until he came along. They wouldn't have been listening to the radio to hear about the contest for tickets if he hadn't turned it on and remarked about the tuba solo. If Roger had waited until the next day, he could have informed them of what they missed all the same. Doug literally sees Roger backwards here because his actions have been totally counter productive. Also, there appears to be a face on the laundry basket. I don't know what that's about...

Oh, but Skeeter pisses off his dad at dinner (which Roger was also invited to) and gets grounded so he can't go.

So, with Skeeter grounded, Doug decides to stay back with him instead of going to the show. Pretty dumb, but even worse is that Skeeter's parents allow Doug to hang out with him anyway. Skeeter is grounded. He shouldn't have guests. That's not how groundings work. They make a lot of noise, piss off Mr. Valentine again, and the three of them get kicked out of the house. Again, a failure to understand how groundings work. Doug is obviously a bad influence on your kid, Mr. Valentine, and you kick Skeeter out of the house late in the evening because you're tired of the noise he's making with Doug and Porkchop. This show is riddled with bad parenting.

They go to the Honker Burger, and find it empty because everyone must be at the concert. So they're rocking out to the radio when The Beets roll up in their bus, start rocking out with Doug, Skeeter, and Porkchop, get their milkshakes, and leave after throwing jackets to the three of them. Yes, even Porkchop got a Beets jacket.

Throughout the entire episode, Porkchop wears this mohawk wig...

There are several wigs thrown around throughout the episode. None of them look like Beets hairstyles, which leads me to believe that Doug associates rock music with stupid wigs.