“Oooooohhhh”- Mordecai and Rigby, Regular Show.
One of my favorite cartoons is coming to an end tonight after eight hilarious, side-splitting seasons. Cartoon Network‘s Regular Show, a cartoon about a blue jay and his raccoon friend, has a certain unmatched charm that propelled the show to win an Emmy. But the greatest endorsement I can give the show is to describe it as the Seinfeld of cartoons–which also happens to feature talking animals and supposedly inanimate objects that aren’t so inanimate.
During last week’s special series finale screening, videos of fans giving their final thanks to the show and its creators were played on the big screen at the luxurious AMC theater prior to the episodes. When one nameless fan mentioned how they got their family to watch the show by comparing it to Seinfeld, it got me thinking: they were absolutely right.
Like Jerry and his friends, Mordecai (a blue jay) and Rigby (a raccoon) are believable both as friends and real characters. Mordecai and Rigby are two 23 year old kids working at a temporary job trying to figure life out. We’ve all been those dumb kids at some point in our lives. And for a show featuring a blue jay and a raccoon, it actually does a great job of putting the characters in believable life situations because the show does include mature themes like dating
Seinfeld is famous for being a show about nothing where a mundane daily task somehow evolves into an insane adventure during which the main characters almost turn into caricatures of real people. Regular Show does the same exact thing–albeit with a much zanier twist because it’s animated.
In an effort to stave off boredom (usually the main culprit in the cartoon) our two main characters, Mordecai and Rigby, who are groundskeepers at a park, always find new and interesting ways to land themselves in some sort of pickle. Take for example the second episode of the very first season, “Just Set Up Chairs.” Our two goofy but lovable protagonists are tasked with setting up chairs for a birthday party because their boss, Benson (a gum-ball machine) doesn’t trust them to handle more important jobs. But this is obviously a boring job. So in an effort to never be stuck doing this again, the two try to be responsible enough to get it done without slacking off, that is, until they find some video games to play. Next thing you know they’ve accidentally unleashed one of the video game’s villains named Destroyer of Worlds (*shiver*).
Obviously, something magical like that wouldn’t make sense in Seinfeld, but it manages to work in Regular Show. And if you’re still thinking that Seinfeld never got that ridiculous, might I remind you of the soup nazi episode, or George Costanza’s marine biologist adventure?
The very first episode in Regular Show (one of my favorites) begins innocently enough with the two friends play wrestling. As per usual, things spiral out of control when they accidentally make a hole in the wall, and have to look for a way to fix it before they get fired from their job. Their solution? Use a magical keyboard that Rigby stole from a man in wizard’s garb. By the end of the episode they’re on the moon trying to save one of their friends.
Like Seinfeld (a show filled with innuendos), the creators of the cartoon are not afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to their joke telling. Going back to the first episode, Rigby asks Mordecai, “How in the H are we going to fix this S.” Not all that edgy right? Well, take into consideration that this is a kids’ network. There are also jokes about fapping, and drinking, to go along with all of the innuendos. For the most part, it’s cleverly written so that it makes perfect sense in the situation.
I make this comparison to say that Regular Show is special. And unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Minty Lewis (the voice of Eileen) joked at the screening, “This feels like a funeral right now,” and it indeed felt that way. I can honestly say Regular Show has been one of my favorite shows in recent years, so much so that I yelled one of the catchphrases from the show when I graduated from college. Thank you, J.G. Quintel. Make sure to watch the final episode when it airs on Cartoon Network Monday night for one last adventure with the gang. I think fans will really dig the ending.
How do you feel about the cartoon? What’s your favorite episode? Try hamboning one more time for Rigby and leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Image Credit: Cartoon Network, Turner
