Deviation Actions
Description
Episode: S2 E11a
Year: 2009
Writer(s): Kevin A, Kramer, C. H. Greenblat, Ian Wasseluk
Director(s): Eddie Houchkins, Lynne Nator (Art), William Reiss (Creative)
Chowder may not be the best cartoon that ever aired on Cartoon Network, but it had a very creative idea and was one of the better SpongeBob imitators out there. I wasn't that big a fan of the show when it originally aired and I personally found it forgettable, but there are plenty of episodes I did like and I'll definitely do more of them in the future. Just so you know, my favorite character on Chowder was Shnitzel; it seems like he always got the best episodes and he's pretty much how you do post-movie Squidward right. And this might be his best episode next to “Shnitzel Quits”.
This episode actually manages to improve upon two plots with one episode. You remember the Teen Titans Go! episode “Hose Water”? This episode manages to do that episode with it's "being a kid is overrated, being a boring adult is the real fun!" message a hell of a lot better than most cartoons that try to do this, especially when Teen Titans Go! did it. Shnitzel keeps going through hell every single day he works the same monotonous thing over and over, and rather than repeat it at a snail's pace, they manage to do it in rapid succession and make it pretty funny. Another thing of note is that Chowder is actually pretty tolerable here: after “The Apprentice Games”, he seemed to drop in IQ hard, becoming the same level of annoying as post-movie SpongeBob on his worst of days.
Shnitzel figures if he felt younger, he wouldn't need to take so much responsibility, and it surprisingly works. I mean, look at the guy! He's wearing jams! Nobody who wears jams has to be responsible! He also really starts to get along with Chowder in a really sweet scene where they fuck up Mung's kitchen; FRIENDSHIP! Unfortunately for Chowder, he's got to do Shnitzel's job since he's become a hip young guy. So Chowder retaliates and starts acting and dressing like a baby, thus being even more irresponsible than Snitzel, so then he starts acting like a baby too!
Oh yeah, this episode does “Squid Baby” correctly as well. That SpongeBob episode was a huge middle finger to the AB/DL (adult baby/diaper lover) community and made fun of brain damage, not to mention it was just gross and unsightly! This Chowder episode actually does some pretty funny digs at the fetish, like putting Chowder and Shnitzel in what amounts to an adult baby daycare with a fucking huge wet nurse! Honestly, the idea of some stranger changing your diaper while looking at your "business" personally weirds me out; that's why I'm not really into the whole AB side anyways, but I find it cute and endearing nonetheless. Turns out there are a lot of guys in Marzipan City who do this to avoid work, even Gazpacho!
Funny thing is, there are a lot of people who look at AB/DLs as lazy bums who pretend to be mentally deficient to avoid working, and that's not true at all. But rather than be offended by this reveal, I find it pretty hilarious! Especially when Frau Broten refers to them all as "sickos". It helps that we don't get a close-up of a dirty diaper, and none of the adult babies are mentally deficient here. Plus, they don't outright call the fetish a bad thing; it’s just weird, and that pretty fair it can be a weird thing. It goes to show that being an adult really isn't all that bad; responsibility can be a very good thing when treated with respect, but sometimes we all like to feel young, and there's nothing wrong with that. You just got to find the right balance.
Chowder is owned by Cartoon Network and Turner Broadcasting.
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