Rocko's Modern Life: Wacky Delly (1996)
Season 3, Episode 10
10/10
Kind of like 'The Producers'.
12 August 2019
Ralph Bighead- or rather Rachel Bighead, Ed and Bev's closet trans daughter, has finished the final episode of 'Meet the Fatheads', and is ordered to make a new show. So she tries to get out of the contract by getting Rocko, Heffer and Filburt, who are not only the neighbors of her parents but also her biggest fans, to make it for her, knowing that they're complete idiots. But of course the TV executives love it, they put it on the air and Rachel's harebrained plan backfires. She tries to sabotage the show. But everything she tries makes it even more of a success. The show puts Rachel into a situation that every artist can relate to. I certainly relate to Rachel. She believes strongly in cultural integrity and has too much faith in the intelligence of the masses. In reality, effort in any kind of art form doesn't matter. The masses just want something dumb and time-wasting, probably because they don't like being talked down to. Although these days a 'Fantasia' reference would probably be appreciated. Without intending to, she has become emblematic of today's media, garbage that is denounced and criticized but is watched anyway. Furthermore, it's hinted throughout the show that 'Meet the Fatheads' was something particularly personal to her. In 'Static Cling' she even created a thinly-veiled caricature of herself as a baby for a special. Because 'Wacky Delly' is focused on her, she gets to develop her own comedic presence. Even though Rachel only appeared in three episodes, she's still a really funny character. Joe Murray gives a wonderful voice performance here as she becomes increasingly frustrated with 'Wacky Delly's success and engages in some brilliant scenery-chewing.

The storyboarding scene goes on a bit long, but it's fine otherwise. It's nice to know that Rachel doesn't want to hurt Rocko (at Ed's suggestion), apart from that time in a 2017 comic when she let him fall off the top of her penthouse. Well, she is much nicer in the show itself anyway.

The scene where Rachel wheels an effigy of herself into a mob of fans show how dangerous and lethal fans can be.

The show was based on Joe Murray's personal experience of wanting to leave his own show out of personal experiences, which is very bold on his part.
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