"Land of the Flea"(With Some Spoilers)

[pitbulllady]

This was not, I repeat, not, my favorite episode. I didn't hate it-I just didn't get a whole lot of emotion from it, either humor, sadness, or whatever.

As seen in the trailers, Eduardo is infested with fleas, which hopped off of "Chewy", two of 'em, actually-at least to BEGIN with, there are two. Being Eduardo, he names them(Spanish names, and of course they have Hispanic accents), and vows to protect them at all costs. THEN the two fleas become a few dozen, and a few hundred...and a few thousand...and they begin to set up their own little flea civilization on Eduardo's skin. They begin to make him itch...and itch, and itch...and he cannot scratch because to do so would hurt the fleas, nor can he bathe or allow himself to be brushed, which is something that bothers him almost as bad as the itching, since we find out that Eduardo takes great pride in his thick, soft purple fur and really enjoys baths and grooming(something NOT shared by Chewy, who like all real dogs, HATES baths). Pretty soon, Ed begins to get a bit, shall we say, "funky", and I don't mean that in a musical sense!

While everyone else is made miserable by Ed's, uhm, aroma, and becomes itchy just watching HIM twitch spastically while desparately trying not to scratch himself, Bloo becomes envious, because Ed has fleas and Bloo doesn't. Ed always gets all the neat stuff, and Bloo never gets anything, according to him.

Frankie and Mr. Herriman desparately try to rid Ed of his guests, unsuccessfully attempting to give him a bath in flea shampoo(Eduardo proves he can exemplify the term "Bull-headed" in more ways than one), then trying to trick him into wearing a flea collar and being groomed by an IF who is a flea COMB, all without getting anywhere except to make Ed mad and suspicious of everyone. Bloo, meantime, learns from Mac that the reason HE does not have fleas is because he does not have FUR("DUH"!), so he devises a nefarous plot to steal Ed's precious purple pellage in the dead of night, with some help from a set of electric clippers.

MAJOR ENDING SPOILERS AHEAD!












Ed is shaved down to his skin by Bloo(in a scene which reminds me an awful lot of the "23-19" scene in "Monsters, Inc.", in which the big orange monster, George, is shaved down by the CDA), and loses his flea cohorts. Bloo now has a coat made from Ed's fur, but treats it carelessly, putting the thousands of fleas in danger, so they come up with a plot of their own. They leap onto Mr. Herriman, and take over his hand, making him slap himself repeatedly. We learn that-surprise, surprise-the fleas aren't run-of-the-mill insects at all, but IMAGINARY FRIENDS themselves; I mean, what ELSE would you expect to find living on an Imaginary DOG? I won't give away how the situation is resolved, but let's just say that once more, thanks to Bloo's selfishness, a lot of other Friends, the furry ones to be precise(including the New Guy, who is seen briefly and now has a good reason to want to pound Bloo into the dirt), pay a price.

Two key questions that have been on MY mind are answered, though. One is whether or not Wilt has fur. We learn, from the horse's mouth, so to speak, that he does not, though I'd figured he would have at least a sort of soft "fuzz" on him. I guess a lot of fangirls and fanfic writers will be disappointed to learn that-sorry. The other was a much more "serious" question, and that is whether or not Imaginary Friends can reproduce in the same way that most higher organisms do. Since the fleas ARE Imaginary Friends, and they most certainly DO "git biz-zay" and make lots and lots of baby Imaginary fleas, which grow up quickly to marry and make THEIR own babies, I guess we now have the answer to THAT question as well.
Yes, Imaginary Friends can indeed "make babies" just like most higher organisms do. I guess that explains the presence of all those monstrous-looking baby IF's at Foster's, since it's hard to understand why a human child would imagine a baby MONSTER; if they wanted a baby IF, it would seem more plausible to imagine one that at least looked human! I guess it also explains why we occasionally see an IF with a "belly button", which would only be there if it had been gestated in the normal, biological way.

pitbulllady

[mskinnikufan]

Well, I certainly can relate to Eduardo in this episode: I have very dry skin and tend to get things like eczema and prosais and all that fun stuff.
It itches like crazy and scratching only makes it itchier.
It was great to see the references to other episodes: I counted who let the dogs in?, The Trouble With Scribbles, and Beat with Schtick.
Also, I think this is the second or third time Frankie and Mr. Herriman put aside their differences and unite for a second cause.

[Cassini90125]

Overall, I thought it was pretty funny. I especially liked the references to other episodes; it gives the show a sense of continuity and history, which I find comforting for some odd reason.

Yes, IF's can reproduce with each other, but what are the limits? Sure, imaginary fleas can breed with other imaginary fleas, but how about Bloo and Berry, or Eduardo and Coco? Bloo and Berry I can see having a child (we'll call him "Damien"), but Eduardo and Coco? It would be like trying to cross a bear with an ostrich; it can't be done, the species are too different. This is probably for the best, as IF's now have two ways to reproduce, while humans only have one. Without some impedements, IF's would eventually displace humanity as the majority population. (They might do so anyway if Goo doesn't calm down!)

[expirasin]

Lot of good things said here so far... I'll post accordingly.

I didn't like this episode very much at all. Except, of course, the references to past episodes. Can anyone tell me what that short, one-eyed thing's name is? We see him more than any other guest star imaginary friend.

Maybe if Eduardo and Coco had a make-out session composed of warm and slow kissing, Coco would lay an egg filled with a baby imaginary friend. Creepy.

Ever wonder what it's probably like for Imaginary friends left abandoned all over the world? What if some are forced to cheap labor and prostitution? Do they get paid minimum wage or do they get screwed on their paychecks?

Just wondering...

[pitbulllady]

expirasin said:

Lot of good things said here so far... I'll post accordingly.

I didn't like this episode very much at all. Except, of course, the references to past episodes. Can anyone tell me what that short, one-eyed thing's name is? We see him more than any other guest star imaginary friend.

Maybe if Eduardo and Coco had a make-out session composed of warm and slow kissing, Coco would lay an egg filled with a baby imaginary friend. Creepy.

Ever wonder what it's probably like for Imaginary friends left abandoned all over the world? What if some are forced to cheap labor and prostitution? Do they get paid minimum wage or do they get screwed on their paychecks?

Just wondering...

Coco and Ed? Now THAT would be creepy...besides, Eduardo is so very childlike, I doubt the thought would ever cross his mind!

About the abandoned Friends thing, I have a feeling that a LOT of them DO get abaondoned and are forced to live on their own, by any means necessary, especially if Foster's is the only place of its kind in the world(we've never heard any mention of any other such homes). In some cultures, they might be despised or feared, while revered in others. I would guess a lot of them do have to take jobs, just to survive, or get caught up in some sort of slave trade(hey, it still goes on with HUMANS). I am quite resolute, until I hear otherwise on the show or from one of its producers/writers, that Wilt had to survive on his own for some time after being abandoned, probably working odd jobs with long hours and way too little pay....just like us teachers.

pitbulllady

[Fomalhaut]

I never thought Wilt had fur. I was kinda surprised when I've read that in fanfics...

[CHEESE FAN]

:oI like the fleas. There cute!!!

[Beavergard Q. Kazoo]

All in all, Land of the Flea disappointed me. Sure, I laughed hard, but storywise, it lacked. I felt so badly for Eduardo the whole way through.

And I was quite angry at Herriman and Frankie for their single-mindedness. They only cared for themselves and thought 'We don't want fleas so we'll get rid of them even if they're Ed's friends!'

All in all, Herriman deserved all those slaps.
---

Why are we talking about IF reproduction ? It seems a rather odd topic of disscussion...They wouldn't technically NEED to, since it takes 'only a second (Bloo's words)' to imagine an friend. So why would they reproduce? Maybe only certain ones can, I dunno...

[luciferchan]

But still, wouldn't the IFs have to at least have... the 'junk' down there with which to 'get busy'? XD Oh god

I think one method of reproduction could entail two IFs concentrating at the same time and imagining themselves a baby. Since they're already imaginary it'd make sense they'd continue imagining their species, right?

[pitbulllady]

luciferchan said:

But still, wouldn't the IFs have to at least have... the 'junk' down there with which to 'get busy'? XD Oh god

I think one method of reproduction could entail two IFs concentrating at the same time and imagining themselves a baby. Since they're already imaginary it'd make sense they'd continue imagining their species, right?

Uhm, Luciferchan-can you look at a snake, alligator, armadillo, or many, many other animals, and be able to tell, at a glance, if it is male or female? VERY few people can, and that's because most animal species do not, as you put it, have any visable "junk down there". All of their...shall I say, "equipment", is internal, kept inside the body except when in actual use. Trust me, these animals DO "get busy", otherwise there would be no baby snakes, alligators, armadillos, etc. Snakes and lizards, in fact, have TWO, uhm, pieces of equipment, with which to get busy, and switch off from one to the other. If you have a fine tool, you don't want to leave it out in the open; you gotta keep it in a proper toolbox! I would assume that this would be the case with Imaginary Friends, as well. Their kids probably, out of a sense of modesty, imagined them rather discreetly built, so to speak, but that does not mean that they are lacking in that department. Obviously, in order for them to have distinct genders, and to express physical attraction for the opposite sex, they must have SOMETHING to at least generate the proper hormones. There would be no point in referring to them as "he" or "she" if they were asexual.

pitbulllady

[luciferchan]

I'm just sayin', if I was a five-year old I wouldn't be thinking of my Imaginary Friend's junks when creating him or her. Who's to say that they've got 'em at all?




I gotta say, this is probably the weirdest conversation I've participated in recently.

[pitbulllady]

Not all IF's would be created by five-year-olds, though. True, most really young kids probably would not think about that, but then they probably wouldn't think of too many physical details, anyway, or in-depth personalities. Nonetheless, IF's do turn out to be much more complex than their creators probably imagined them, which leads to quite an interesting debate as to just how much of their aspects is due to their creators' mental specifications, and how much is due to...something else. We know that IF's,according to several episodes, do have souls, so where would THOSE come from? It's equally unlikely that a five-year-old is going to think of that, or be able to bring it about, as it is that he/she would imagine an anatomically-correct IF, with everything very obvious and "out there". Still, it would not be odd for an older kid, or a teenager, to think of such details when creating an IF, especially if that kid wanted the IF to be a specific gender.

pitbulllady

[InsaneFan]

I've thought about all this...Believe it or not...>.O
I'm glad I finally know now that they can reproduce. I always guessed that, if they could, IFs would have everything needed already when the kids would imagine them. All kids have to do is think of what they look and act like.
Just a thought...

[InsaneFan]

Okay, I saw this one...Finally. This episode produced one of the best Bloo lines ever(to me)..."Hey pal...Hook me up, PLEASE!" XDDD

[kageri]

pitbulllady said:

luciferchan said:

Obviously, in order for them to have distinct genders, and to express physical attraction for the opposite sex, they must have SOMETHING to at least generate the proper hormones. There would be no point in referring to them as "he" or "she" if they were asexual.

pitbulllady

But.... they're imaginary. To a five-year-old (or three), imagining an IF with, say, a male voice, and male personality and etc. (like Bloo) would probably, to them, just make him that gender, and he'd have a sense of masculine identity because of it. And even if they don't have.... the parts (how again did this conversation get started...?), they'd act like one gender or the other and people would just know that's what they are. For instance, if a woman sounds like a woman, and looks like a woman and acts like a woman (not meaning to stereotype here, but you get my drift), I don't think most people would wonder if she's secretly a transgendered dude. So I'm assuming that imaginary friends just.... are. They are male or female because that is what their creators want them to be, and since they are imaginary and can be created out of thin air I don't think normal biological laws apply.

......That's just my opinion. Thinking about cartoon characters' erogenous zones makes me throw up in my mouth a little so that might be affecting my views on the matter.