#and Caine is like Papyrus if he was…i dont wanna say a bad person cause hes not

[o-sunny-day]

Caine Analysis, MUSIC MAN EDITION!!!

The track that plays during Zoobles therapy session….first of all, goes unneceSSARILY hard. highly recommend, give it a listen, save it on a playlist.

But also OH MY GOD, THE WAY THE MUSIC IS USED IN THE THERAPY SCENE(S), IM OBSESSED WITH IT!!! I just gotta yap about it here.

Before the scene analysis though, I wanna talk about the song as a whole/on its own…it just feels like Caines theme- its so ridiculously goofy, with a moment that has a smooth…elegant piano…that plays a few notes…that then goes straight back to wacky again HDHCHEH like yeah I feel like that sums him up as a character pretty well. Also the sound effects used just kinda scream “this guys got a screw loose”

but I digress…

ONTO THE SCENE!!!! analyzing the music is the main idea, but plot twist this is also just generally a therapy scene analysis…. this is the longest thing I have ever written for this show….so im gonna put a Keep Reading here so uh…If you’re as committed to this show as I am, uh, godspeed soldier.

Before Caine even brings therapy up, theres no music, and Caine is more or less forcing this conversation onto Zooble. He snaps his fingers, and BOOM the music comes in, setting the tone for something ridiculous and silly, something that therapy…famously is not.

I love Caine, but this definitely feels like one of his more…morally dubious scenes/parts of his character. This isn’t him looking to help Zooble, as it is more helping them ONLY so they participate in his adventures. Sure, he may be concerned over WHY someone wouldn’t want to go on his amazingly fun adventures, but the main goal here is still just getting Zooble to participate…. in general, not the best intentions/goal-

This beginning scene is also a really good example of how much control Caine has over the space, I rewatched the pilot recently and found on a writing perspective how cool the ending is. We have just witnessed the entire cast struggle and get bodied by this abstraction/finding the exit problem, before Caine comes in and fixes every issue in 10 second by snapping his fingers twice, but the WAY he “fixes” these issues is also really cool and informative. It only proves his control, not his HELPFULNESS. Caine doesn’t help by fixing Kaufmo, or even getting rid of him in a dignified way, just CHUCK EM DOWN A HOLE! And for the exit? lets just teleport you away, there ya go, oh yeah btw the exit wasnt real HAHA so funny right? anywho heres a feast.

BUT UH- ANYWHO BACK TO MUSIC THINGS.

The session begins by Caine asking whats on Zoobles mind. They make an attempt to escape like “hey man…imna have to sit this out” before Caine demonstrates what we just talked about. How he has ALL the power here, laughs and shuts that DOWN. The music abruptly stopping at this, before continuing like it neveerrr happened ✨

The music stops again, however, as Zooble begins to talk about their issue, then deciding its pointless. The music then continues when it goes back to Caine. This pattern goes on throughout the whole thing, starting when it focuses on Caine, and stopping when it focuses on Zooble, showing a very stark contrast between the 2 in…everything about them, but also in how they’re handling the situation

The music doesn’t come back when Caine shows the bee he drew, though. I think thats mainly because, even though the shot is focusing on Caine, the point of it is to convey Zoobles perspective on the situation. instead of focusing on Caine and the fact that hes not paying attention, its Zoobles reaction to him not paying attention. (The whole “forget it” theory and that being a command, I think, is really cool and could easily be true, but i’m hesitant to believe it only because I feel that that could easily take away some of Caines accountability in only caring about adventures instead of actually being concerned for Zoobles well being.)

After a break and seeing what our manor buddies are up to, we come back to Caine being more elevated- the tone taking on a less hehe-playful-silly vibe, and more of a subdued version, id think thats just to fit the situation, because of the aforementioned elevatedness. Though the music is still playing and its not silent because its still RIDICULOUS, not meant to be taken as seriously (though Caines anger here is so real cause this is my exact reaction when I cant remember things)

it does stops though when Zooble finally opens up, giving a chance to be serious one more time….before going STRAIGHT back to silly, and not the subdued kind either, theres no toy noises but its still lively-er

then.

THIS PART.

THIS PART, IS WHAT MADE ME WRITE THIS ENTIRE THING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THIS IS WHAT THROWS ME FOR A LOOP.

Zooble responds to this so-called solution, saying it just doesnt work, as the music fades out. It doesnt CUT out, Zooble is being pretty gentle here, saying that they have honest to god TRIED his attempt at a fix, but it just doesnt work.

BUT THEN THE MUSIC COMES BACK AGAIN AS CAINE DISMISSES THIS, AND GOES STRAIGHT BACK TO THE ADVENTURES. This is the most important part to me in my point that Caines flaws SHINE in this scene. Zooble confiding in Caine for the PROBABLY HUNDREDTH TIME, getting the SAME SOLUTION, telling him it DOES NOT WORK. and then he flat out IGNORES THIS. “So, back to the adventures :D” LIKE WHAT THE FUCK MAN 😭 I love him so much I am not Caine hater I promise hes my favorite character and I love his flaws I just think its so funny HCDHHHDHDH

But with the music, and how it fades out, it CUTS BACK IN REAL QUICK! As Caine desperately tries to get what he wants out of this.

but the SOUND of the music that cuts in… its just so…off?? I lack the proper music terminology to describe it- It just WAVERS in a weird way, it feels like a voice crack, and as Zooble says to forget it, its like Caine stumbled trying to get back to get to the adventures, and is stumbling even more as hes trying to make sense of Zoobles “forget it” line.

and then. the music just. completely dies, after slowly fizzling out with the whole awkward comeback thing. Its quiet as Zooble explains why nobody likes Caines adventures, similar to how it went quiet when Zooble explained their OWN issues. Caine flies over, going back to being all goofy. except the music doesnt come back.

But after all the glitching… IT JUST GOES RIGHT BACK….like it never happened✨

And for why the music doesnt return in this last bit with Caine on the therapy couch, im not too sure. I cant tell if its because this is also supposed to be taken seriously, or if its just cause it worked the best with the scene it just left on, but I personally….dont know. idk how serious its supposed to be taken that Caine definitely needs therapybHBEHBDEHHDEHHDE

CONCLUSIONS: MORE YAP ABOUT A FEW THINGS THAT DONT INVOLVE MUSIC BUT MORE JUST THIS SCENE IN GENERAL!!!

fucking phenomenal voice work on Alex Rochon here, im obsessed with the sudden change in tone with the line “all i’m….good at.” and then the shake in his voice, both things that we have NEVER HEARD come out of this character before….nor..expected??

and idk if its just because ive watched this scene like a hundred times and im over analyzing BUT the way Caines eyes shrink here…It feels like hes making this realization that its “all hes good at” as hes saying it, like he has never thought of it that way before, but now that he is……

AND LASTLY!!! Something about this scene in GENERAL that I dont quite understand about the common take away, is that the reason why Zooble doesn’t go on adventures is just because they arent good in Zoobles head, like they very much establish it has nothing to do with the adventures it has everything to do with them. The only reason why they bring up that “no one likes the adventures” is because thats all that Caine cares to hear about, at least from their perspective.

in real conclusion……i love Caine, Zooble, and Caines flaws.