Scene-by-Scene #39: TLH- TMB (w/ MikeTheHuman113)

(Powerpuff-Pony was sitting in the living room, playing "My Little Karaoke")

PPP: Yes! Ultrastar ranking! I'm on fire!

(A pebble is thrown at his window, which he doesn’t hear. A second pebble is thrown and again, no response. Finally, a much larger rock is thrown at the window, making a noticeable “BANG!” noise)

(Slowly, PPP looks up, sighs, and looks out the window)

PPP: ...Mike?

(Sure enough, Mike is standing outside his window on the floor below, with disheveled clothes and a noticeable loss in weight. He also appears to be quite dirty)

Mike: Oh, thank goodness! Hi, Alex! (waves)

PPP: Uh...hi. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing?

Mike: Uh....oh yeah, that! Well, um...I was just wondering if you could let me in. See, I haven’t exactly.....left since the Beauty and the Beast review and I can only handle living off dead squirrels for so long. You got anything good to eat?

PPP: ...Why would you- That doesn't matter. Just come on in. I'm sure I've got some Doritos or something.

Mike: Oh, thank you so much! (rushes inside and raids the pantry, opening the bag of Doritos and scarfing them down at incomprehensible speeds) Sho good.....

PPP: Hey, don't hog all of it! I'm hungry too! I haven't had breakfast yet.

Mike: Yeah, and I’ve been living on dead squirrels and leftovers from your neighbor’s trash since July! I think I’ve earned this!

PPP: I-But...Ugh, not even gonna ask. I'm gonna go put on some Mighty B.

Mike: Aw, what? Why?! That show sucks.

(Powerpuff-Pony looked at Mike in confusion.)

PPP: Really? I saw it as a kid, and I didn't think it was THAT bad. In fact, I really liked it back then!

Mike: I remember even as a kid not liking this show. But I still watched it because it was 2009 and it’s not like the rest of Nickelodeon fared much better. I mean, it’s not the WORST Nicktoon ever, but it’s still pretty bad.

PPP: Well, why don't we both watch it together? Maybe I can help you like it more.

Mike: I suppose it’s worth a shot. And if nothing else, maybe you’ll see where I’m coming from. Which episode we gonna watch?

PPP: Um...I don't know. Why don't I pick one at random?

(Powerpuff-Pony brings out his laptop and goes to the Wikipedia list of Mighty B episodes. He covers his eyes, randomly scrolling through the list, and finally points at one, uncovering his eyes.)

PPP: "Ten Little Honeybees"!

Mike: (strokes his chin) Hmmmm....now which one was that again? (looks at the plot synopsis) Ooooooh, I remember that one. Ffffffffffffffffuck my life.

PPP: Anyway, for those unaware, The Mighty B! was a Nickelodeon cartoon that ran from 2009-2011. It ended up being cancelled due to low ratings, and it never got more than two seasons. But if that wasn't impressive enough, just take a look at the reception it got. People all over the world took a deep breath, held hands together, looked on high, and said proudly unto each other..."meh". So that means this could go one of two ways. It's either gonna be amazing, or it's gonna be a pile of shit.

Mike: The show was created by Cynthia True and Erik Wiese, names you might recognize from their work writing on The Fairly OddParents and SpongeBob, respectively. The idea itself was inspired by Amy Poehler of SNL fame, who shares a co-creator spot and voices the titular character, Bessie Higgenbottom. Basically, she's this 9 year old girl who lives in San Francisco and is more or less this world's version of a Girl Scout. She dreams that one day, if she collects all the badges offered in her troop, she'll become the titular Mighty B, a superhero that.....I dunno, they're kinda vague about it. Thus, wacky shenanigans ensue.

PPP: Anyway, let's take a look at "Ten Little Honeybees" and get ready to BEE nostalgic...for better or worse.

Mike: Disclaimer, anyone that comments with any of the millions of memes involving bees will BEE forcibly removed from the premises. Only WE are allowed to make the bee puns here. But yes, let's let the episode commence. Gulp.

PPP: So the episode begins with Portia Gibbons, the local snobby rich girl, throwing a party for her 10th-and-a-half birthday party, with all her fellow Honeybee scouts invited. And right away, I have to say that I really like Portia. She may just BEE a typical "snobby rich girl" stereotype(Diamond Tiara this ain't), but Grey DeLisle's performance really makes her stand out to me. It's so nasal and odd that I can't help but laugh at it. It makes what would otherwise BEE annoying scenes pretty funny.

Mike: Portia's a character that I can somewhat see the appeal behind. She has a good voice actress behind her and at times she's so over the top, it's ridiculous. But for the most part, and ESPECIALLY in this episode, she's nothing more than an obnoxious brat you want to slap upside the head. Like, look at this scene, the first time we see her in the episode when her friends are lined up to give her presents.

Portia: Gimme that! (takes a present from a Scout and quickly opens it. It's a bar of taffy she throws away) Ech, next. (quickly opens a present, a unicorn statue, from Gwen) Cutes! Next. (quickly tears open a present from Millie, a handkerchief) Ech, have it in baby blue. (opens another present, an electric toothbrush. Gags and throws it away) Pass. You owe me a better present, due tomorrow.

Mike: This is the character we're supposed to feel bad gets stolen from later in the episode, for the record.

PPP: Eh, I can see why people would be annoyed by her, I guess. Anyway, one of the guests is, of course, the main character of the show, Bessie Higgenbottom, and I gotta say that if it weren't for her, this show wouldn't be half as good as it is. She's an absolute joy to watch every time she pops up on screen.

Mike: Honestly, I'm kind of in the opposite boat. Which is so strange for me, given that Amy Poehler created the character AND voices her! And I get it, she's supposed to be a passionate child-like character in the vein of SpongeBob. The problem is that they took their inspiration from post-movie SpongeBob rather than pre-movie SpongeBob in terms of overzealousness. In this episode, she's nowhere near as annoying as she is in others (thankfully), but we'll get to her when we get to her. For now, we have a plot to describe!

PPP: Ah, yes. After a good deal of foreshadowing, including the butler having a doll expressiong interest in her locket, and two huge hulking waiters that need to get half a balloon(which is a hilarious joke, by the way), Portia gets a huge cake and has to blow out the candles, all the while Bessie is dancing in excitement for the cake.

Bessie: (singing) Birthday, birthday caaaake! Birthday, birthday caaaake! Birthday, birthday caaaake! (starts beatboxing) Birthday, birthday caaaake! Birthday, birthday caaaake!

Mikeh cool, I've seen "Pizza Delivery" too. But this does lead into one of the biggest problems with Bessie. SHE NEVER SHUTS UP! Like, the only reason this is here is to half-assedly foreshadow the episode's final twist, which we'll get to, believe you me. So Portia blows out the candles and the lights go out. After a scream and a series of camera flashes, the locket her mother gifted her appears to have been stolen.

Butler: A thief! My doll museum! (runs off to inspect it)

PPP: Hey, I don't blame him. If a thief invaded my house, I'd check to make sure my MLP collection was intact.

Mike: I bet he and Mr. Krabs with his Doll-o-Rama would get along quite swimmingly.

PPP: So with Portia having lost her locket, Bessie takes it upon herself to go all Sherlock Holmes and takes the role of a detective to find out who stole it, mainly because she can't wait to have that cake. Not gonna lie, it does look delicious.

Mike: After about 40 or so seconds of investigating, she still hasn't made much progress.

Bessie: Interesting. This narrows it down to......everyone in this room! Bum-bum-buuuuuuuuum! (dashes off)

Mike: Hey, did I mention this episode has the same writer as "Pickle Rick"?

PPP: I honestly love that joke. All that buildup of her searching around, looking for clues(as well as a funny bit where she tries to secretly eat a chip, which Penny takes a picture of), only for her to have it be largely pointless. It was kind of a waste of time, but the episode is at least self-aware about it in a comedic way.

Mike:
It's actually kinda similar to the dream sequence joke from "Get the Message", so I guess how you feel about that joke will likely dictate how you'll feel about this one. Next!

Bessie then begins to discreetly interrogate the party guests in a nearby closet, starting with Portia's best friend Gwen.

Gwen: Yoooo, watch the punch, Stinkenbottom!

Mike: Oh, Jessica DiCicco...you've just gotta hold out for four more years. Then you'll get to voice the far superior Flame Princess, followed by Lynn and Lucy Loud four more years after that! You can do it!

PPP: Yeah...this is one point I will concede with the haters on. Gwen's voice is...yeah. It's not the worst out there, but her dialect and mannerisms can annoy even me sometimes. It's like if she was trying way too hard to be ghetto.

Mike: Well, at least we agree in THAT regard. Anyways, Gwen suggests that Millie could have committed the crime, as she could have been distracting the guests by throwing confetti, so naturally Bessie then interrogates......her best friend Penny? Okay.

PPP: And Bessie notices that Penny has gone barefoot.

Penny: Portia's brother and brother stepped on me and made my shoes dirty, so Mrs. Gibbons made me throw my shoes away.

Mike: Yeah....Penny's.....a bit of a special one, if you're picking up what I'm putting down. Also, did you know Leni Loud's original design would have taken inspiration from Penny? All I can say is, whoever decided to scrap that idea, I owe you a thank-you letter and a batch of cookies.

PPP: Now that would have certainly been an interesting design...

As for me, however, I find Penny to be one of the better dumb characters out there. There are plenty of times where she at least has some logic behind all the weird things she does, which helps with her comedic moments. And in episodes like "Bee My Baby", there are times when she tries to be legitimately helpful.

Mike: Penny for me is...a bit inconsistent. Nowhere near as bad as post-movie Patrick, but still not that great either. She doesn't much of a personality outside of being dumb, and hell, there's episodes (including "Woodward and Beesting" and "We Got the Bee") where she's sided with Portia and Gwen! The hell?

Anyways, after questioning her, Bessie then moves onto her dog, Happy, the most likable character on the show.

Bessie: I'm just saying, you've got a past!
Happy: (barks)
Bessie: I don't always bring that up! This job's gettin' to ya!
Happy: (barks incredulously)

Mike: That was kinda funny.

PPP: Yeah, Happy's great. I wish I had a dog like him, honestly.

After some questioning, it seems like Bessie's at a loss, but then she notices something in a picture thanks to her magnifying glass, and heads back outside to announce who the culprit is.

Bessie: The culprit is none other than....our gracious host! Mr. Anton St. German! Bum bum buuuuuuum!

Mike: *rubs temples* They really think this running gag is funny, don't they.....?

PPP: Well, buckle up, because they use it about...four more times in the episode.

Mike: Ah, I see.

....I get the strange feeling I'd rather get stung by an actual bee than watch this episode.

PPP: Moving on, Bessie explains that Anton expressed interest in Portia's locket by one of his dolls saying "Yes, it's a dream" earlier. But Anton shoots this down.

Anton: Preposterous! Geneva hates gold. She was being polite. (shows off the doll, which isn't wearing the locket)
Bessie: (pause) Oh. Well, it was just a theory.

Mike: This episode actually predates Game Theory by over a year, so really MatPat most likely got his popular catchphrase from this show. IT'S CONFIRMED!

PPP: But hey! That's just a theory! A BEE Theory! Thanks for watching!

...I couldn't resist.

Mike: Can you BEElieve us sometimes?

Anyways, after looking at more clues for all of three seconds, Bessie comes to a conclusion that the real REAL culprit is Background Character #342- I mean Millie!

Bessie: Bum bum bum bum bum bum buuuuuuuuuuum!

PPP: At least the writers know to add to a running joke the more it happens.

Mike: I'll give them points for that, but take those points away for not knowing what qualifies as a "funny" running joke.

Bessie suspects it was Millie due to her fascination with shiny objects....that we're only now seeing, but Millie reasons that it couldn't have been her since she was standing behind her before the lights went out. It's at this point where I'm torn between calling this "Red Herring: The Episode" or "The Mystery of the Trashy, Privileged White Girl".

PPP: Considering the funnier title of the latter, I'm guessing that one.

Next, Bessie suggests that maybe the real culprit isn't one people, but TWO: Portia's brothers, Richard and Nick. She explains that it could be due to her bossing them around and wanting a half-balloon. BTW, I'm actually surprised that they actually managed to have one. It's funny because it's so unBEElievable!

Mike: And, shock of all shocks, it wasn't them either, because they weren't even in the room when the locket was stolen. So, who stole the locket? *deep breath*

Wait 'till you guys get a load of this shit. Tell 'em, Alex....

PPP: As Penny explains, Bessie apparently got the locket due to her dancing, and it got picked up by her sash in the back.

Mike: Okay. Okay. Several issues with this.

First off, why the fuck didn't you show her those pictures earlier? I know she had one of those old-timey cameras, but the photos on them take, what, a minute to develop, tops? And if the reasoning is "then we wouldn't have a mystery" then it wasn't a good mystery to begin with. On top of that, this was hardly even foreshadowed in the episode itself! There's never a scene where you can kinda see the locket dangling from her pocket, hell, even when she's dancing around obnoxiously, the episode never shows her getting that close to Portia. Mysteries are built around the clues you're given, but here, there's just...nothing!
It's like if your best friend fucked your dog, and their best excuse was "Well, I didn't say I WASN'T a dog fucker...."

PPP: In Penny's defense, maybe she didn't go through all the photos at the time, and it wasn't until now that she saw it. That's the best explanation I have for it, anyway. And in terms of the twist...yeah, the foreshadowing was pretty much not there at all, but I give it a bit of leeway in that it is kind of believable to have happened. I mean, Bessie's dancing around would suggest that she'd be the only one to get close to Portia there.

Mike: I will give the episode the excuse that the explanation is believable, but I'll still judge it for its laziness. And Penny going through the photos now makes.....somewhat sense.

Anyways, Bessie gets escorted out of the party while talking to herself.

Bessie: But it was an accident! I never meant to-you think I was born yesterday, Higgenbottom? You do the crime, you serve the time. Wait! Have mercy! I didn't get any cake! Cake?! You want cake? Cake is not for criminals. You'll never eat cake again. (gasps) NO CAKE AGAIN?!

Mike: ......This girl's gonna grow up to be a serial killer, isn't she?

PPP: Given how erratic she is, I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

Bessie: Bum bum bum bum buuum bum buuum bumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbumbum...

Mike: Done done done done done done done done done done done done doone done doooone donedonedonedonedonedonedonedonedonedonedonedonedone......

But yes, we're done. Thank the stars....

PPP: So that was "Ten Little Honeybees" and...it's pretty good and entertaining for me. While it's not my favorite Mighty B episode, I still find it to be a good indicator of the show's quality...which will either be good or bad depending on who you are. A good amount of the jokes get a chuckle out of me, the story is a lot of fun even if it's not that strong, most of the characters are a joy, and especially Bessie Higgenbottom is just a glorious ball of awesome.

From what I understand, how you feel about this show will largely depend on how you feel about Bessie, so I'm glad to be on the side that considers her outstanding, as well as one of my favorite characters ever. Amy Poehler's performance is pitch-perfect, Bessie is optimistic, hyperactive, dorky, naive, and adorable, and every second she's on screen steals the show. She basically acts exactly like how I did when I was a kid, so I also relate to her a lot. I really hope the show makes a comeback at some point for at least another season, because it deserves it. It's not fantastic or one of the best shows ever, but it's still a lot of fun. And to anybody thinking that it couldn't return at some point: If Invader Zim and Samurai Jack can do it, ANYONE can do it.

I myself rewatched several episodes of this show for the purpose of this review and I will concede that it's not ALL bad. It has its moments, it's somewhat unique, and it's far, far, FAR from the worst Nicktoon out there, but as a whole, it's just a bland, annoying mess. With "Ten Little Honeybees" more or less being a perfect indicator of what you're getting yourself into if you choose to watch the show. Make of that what you will.
But I can see where the appeal is. It IS such a random and out-there show. Obviously not to the extent of any of the major cartoons of the 2010s, but still, it took risks from time to time. How many other cartoons are set in a definite time period in a specific city? And hell, if you were anything like Bessie growing up, or knew someone like her, or even grew up as a scout, I could see you getting a kick out of this. I've seen people that love this show, and people that hate it, but we're both quite curious as to what you guys think of the show. Leave a comment below as to which side of the argument you fall on. I myself am just glad that Amy Poehler, Grey Delisle, and Jessica Dicicco were able to secure much better roles after this show ended, both in animation and live-action.
As for this show getting rebooted, who knows? There is a possibility, and maybe if Amy Poehler's got nothing else on her plate, she'll be up to it. I'd watch it to see if it improves upon this heavily flawed show. But I would personally much rather see a My Life as a Teenage Robot reboot. That would be fucking fantastic.

PPP: Well, Mike, thanks for joining me on this!

Mike: Hey, thanks for having me here, this was fun!

PPP: So...what now?

Mike: Ummmmm........"My Little Karaoke" marathon?

PPP: Hell. Fucking. Yes.

(5 minutes later)

Both: WINTER WRAP-UP, WINTER WRAP-UUUUUP! LET'S FINISH OUR HOLIDAY CHEER! WINTER WRAP-UP, WINTER WRAP-UUUUUP! 'CAUSE TOMORROW SPRING IS HEEEEEEEERE!

PPP: Ah, this is fun. ^^

Mike: Yes it is, Alex. Yes. It. Is. ^^

Outro Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEnJDa…

Mike: Get it? 'Cause it's Sting and I'll just shut up now....