The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy has been a show that at its core is both creepy and funny. Later episodes in the show, particularly this one, has abandoned most of the scary/creepy elements and replaced it with grotesque humor instead. The action and drama show on its own ended up being very conventional, but that only ended up being a plot device for the real star: the humor. In similar style to Ren and Stimpy, this show really shines through when the humor kicks in at the right moment. This episode is chock full of real funny moments, possibly the best this series has ever seen, making use of a new character whose whole episode revolves around: Fred Fredburger.
Fred Fredburger is a green elephant demon from the underworld who is summoned to jury duty in Underworld Court. While all of the jurors are quiet and attentive, Fred keeps speaking whatever is on his mind, whether it's asking to use the bathroom, asking when they get "hammer thingies" (gavels), or who the characters are in Billy's flashback story as he's telling it. He is absolutely the embodiment of a child: he can't sit still, can't keep quiet, loves to question everything he doesn't know (or sometimes already does know), and the only thing he thinks about is whether he can get snacks, "make poo-poo", or repeating his own name, sometimes along with his signature catchphrase: "Yes!". Meanwhile the judge tries his hardest to keep Fred quiet and sit still. While Fred is the embodiment of a child, the judge is not the parent, but rather the older brother who wants him to behave and do whatever he needs to do, saying "shut up" over and over, before using his last resort, saying "I ORDER you to shut up!", then lamenting his loss, screaming "Why won't you shut up?!" before giving him what he wants. The chemistry of these two characters is so perfect and makes the episode so hilarious that I nearly fell over the couch laughing the first time I had seen this.
While the episode no doubt stars the judge and the show's new character Fred Fredburger, that doesn't mean that any of the other characters are no longer funny. The angry expressions on Mandy, the banter of stupidity off of Billy (which Richard Steven Horvitz, voice of Invader Zim, almost steals the show every episode with his amazingly hammy voice), and the desperation and fright of Grim and Erwin (respectively or otherwise) bring their A-game in this episode, and provide great setups and punchlines. Perhaps a negative thing in this episode is the musical number, but unlike one you would find in a Disney movie, and any song that you would find in this show, it's played for laughs. Fred interrupts the song a few times and the song is so annoyingly catchy, especially the rhyming segment in the middle of the song, using phrases like "Grim is the conditioner in my hair", "Grim is the pik-a-nik in my bear", "Grim is the chocolate in my eclair", and ending the segment with "Grim is the stain in my underwear", and "somehow I knew you were gonna go there". You will no doubt have the song on repeat in your head all day after watching this episode, and you will either hate it because of the earworm and of its campy nature, or love it because of its humor and recite it to your friends.
This episode no doubt went down as one of the best in the series by Cartoon Network, as Fred went on to star and cameo in future episodes and other shows. He even shows up in Cartoon Network's bumps and changing Cartoon Network's tag line to "Yes!" for a while. If you haven't seen this episode or even the show, this episode is the best place to start besides the pilot, as it shows you what later episodes in the show would play out in the best way. Kids then and now will love Fred's childish demeanor and some of the gross-out humor, while parents will find enjoyment out of the courtroom jokes, some adult humor slipped in (a joke about Billy being the father of a giant spider, while Grim had to clarify that "Billy only hatched the egg" to a terrified audience), and even Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear making cameo appearances. Though keep in mind that the show is geared towards young boys from 7 to 12, so some of the gross-out humor and childish banter may not be for everyone, meaning if you don't like Ren and Stimpy, you probably won't like this show. However, for those that do, this is one of the greatest episodes in the whole series, and an absolute joy to watch from start to finish.
It should be worth noting that, according to the Billy and Mandy wikia, that Richard Horvitz, voice of Billy, and his wife, Kristen Lazarian, had written this episode. A huge props to both of them, as well as Maxwell Atoms, creator of Billy and Mandy, for making one of the most well-written and funny episodes to air on Cartoon Network. An amazingly hilarious episode, and an important stepping stone to the future of Billy and Mandy, as well as Cartoon Network. Props.
Fred Fredburger is a green elephant demon from the underworld who is summoned to jury duty in Underworld Court. While all of the jurors are quiet and attentive, Fred keeps speaking whatever is on his mind, whether it's asking to use the bathroom, asking when they get "hammer thingies" (gavels), or who the characters are in Billy's flashback story as he's telling it. He is absolutely the embodiment of a child: he can't sit still, can't keep quiet, loves to question everything he doesn't know (or sometimes already does know), and the only thing he thinks about is whether he can get snacks, "make poo-poo", or repeating his own name, sometimes along with his signature catchphrase: "Yes!". Meanwhile the judge tries his hardest to keep Fred quiet and sit still. While Fred is the embodiment of a child, the judge is not the parent, but rather the older brother who wants him to behave and do whatever he needs to do, saying "shut up" over and over, before using his last resort, saying "I ORDER you to shut up!", then lamenting his loss, screaming "Why won't you shut up?!" before giving him what he wants. The chemistry of these two characters is so perfect and makes the episode so hilarious that I nearly fell over the couch laughing the first time I had seen this.
While the episode no doubt stars the judge and the show's new character Fred Fredburger, that doesn't mean that any of the other characters are no longer funny. The angry expressions on Mandy, the banter of stupidity off of Billy (which Richard Steven Horvitz, voice of Invader Zim, almost steals the show every episode with his amazingly hammy voice), and the desperation and fright of Grim and Erwin (respectively or otherwise) bring their A-game in this episode, and provide great setups and punchlines. Perhaps a negative thing in this episode is the musical number, but unlike one you would find in a Disney movie, and any song that you would find in this show, it's played for laughs. Fred interrupts the song a few times and the song is so annoyingly catchy, especially the rhyming segment in the middle of the song, using phrases like "Grim is the conditioner in my hair", "Grim is the pik-a-nik in my bear", "Grim is the chocolate in my eclair", and ending the segment with "Grim is the stain in my underwear", and "somehow I knew you were gonna go there". You will no doubt have the song on repeat in your head all day after watching this episode, and you will either hate it because of the earworm and of its campy nature, or love it because of its humor and recite it to your friends.
This episode no doubt went down as one of the best in the series by Cartoon Network, as Fred went on to star and cameo in future episodes and other shows. He even shows up in Cartoon Network's bumps and changing Cartoon Network's tag line to "Yes!" for a while. If you haven't seen this episode or even the show, this episode is the best place to start besides the pilot, as it shows you what later episodes in the show would play out in the best way. Kids then and now will love Fred's childish demeanor and some of the gross-out humor, while parents will find enjoyment out of the courtroom jokes, some adult humor slipped in (a joke about Billy being the father of a giant spider, while Grim had to clarify that "Billy only hatched the egg" to a terrified audience), and even Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear making cameo appearances. Though keep in mind that the show is geared towards young boys from 7 to 12, so some of the gross-out humor and childish banter may not be for everyone, meaning if you don't like Ren and Stimpy, you probably won't like this show. However, for those that do, this is one of the greatest episodes in the whole series, and an absolute joy to watch from start to finish.
It should be worth noting that, according to the Billy and Mandy wikia, that Richard Horvitz, voice of Billy, and his wife, Kristen Lazarian, had written this episode. A huge props to both of them, as well as Maxwell Atoms, creator of Billy and Mandy, for making one of the most well-written and funny episodes to air on Cartoon Network. An amazingly hilarious episode, and an important stepping stone to the future of Billy and Mandy, as well as Cartoon Network. Props.
