#but people here can't breathe if they don't fight over kid's cartoons i guess

[pian-ran]

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[fly-pow-bye]

Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “15 Minutes of Fame“

Written by: Haley Mancini

Written & Storyboarded by: Jaydeep Hasrajani, Leticia Abreu Silva

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

The return of artsy Bubbles! Unfortunately.

The episode starts with a field trip to the Natural History Museum. Just the Natural History Museum; Townsville apparently didn’t want its name on it. The big star attraction is a Sabretoothed Cat from the Ice Age, frozen in a giant ice cube. That is the proper term for the various kinds of Felidae that the sabretoothed tiger is a part of, but there’s a reason why they’re calling it a cat. Here's a hint: internet.

The tour guide is having a laugh by doing intentionally unfunny puns. We know this because they do a comedy drumroll every time she says them. It would be hard to tell otherwise. At first, it appears that the jokes are getting through to the kids, but they’re really not paying attention at all. They’re laughing at the latest viral video: two flying bug eyed freaks knocking each other over with a sneeze at the same time. Here it is in its entirety:

The concept of viral videos has existed since before YouTube, and don't appear to be disappearing anytime soon. The concept of people watching cute animals or little kids doing silly things has stood the test of time, too. I have no problem with cartoons referencing the internet, and I have no problem with this in particular. It's just a cutesy video.

Of course, the kids think it's the best video ever. Blossom tells the kids to thank Bubbles, as she's the one who caught it on her cellphone. They sure are setting high standards for the kids they're trying to inspire. "See, Bubbles was able to make a really popular mobile phone game and a successful viral video enjoyed by hundreds of thousands! If you can't do that on your first try, than you're not as good as Bubbles! Sorry!"

Indeed, her suscibers subscribers have reached the hundreds of thousands, even beating a not-so-subtle parody of Grumpy Cat. So funny the first time. They put so much effort into that parody, they couldn't even be bothered to look up how to spell "crotchety". This gives Bubbles a fantasy sequence where she’s riding in a car with "Crotchetty Cat", getting praise from leprechauns, fairies, and tanned muscle men. Just take my word for it.

Thanks to her newfound fame, Bubbles turns into a viral video auteur with her head in the clouds and her usual childish naivety in the trash. That's common in the reboot, but usually she just turns into Patrick Star. This time, she's Angelica from Rugrats, bossing around and just being a general jerk. I can't tell which one is worse.

Completely missing the point of the first one, Bubbles tries to create a sequel to her first viral video. While the original was just something she caught on video, this time she has giant scripts. Blossom reminds her that the first video was shot for fun, but Bubbles isn't having any of that.

During a class on the sabretoothed cat, because the tour apparently wasn’t good enough for the viewers, Bubbles barges in late to show off the sequel to her first big hit. Ms. Keane decides to let her viral video play, disrupting the class.

This episode has even more bashing of high art, as the new video is a parody of art films. It's incomprehensible, dull, grey, and definitely not made by the Bubbles we know. I can see where they're going here; it's a definite contrast between the first video made for fun, and the second video made for popularity.

Needless to say, the big fans of the original weren't too pleased by the new one. Oh, and the students didn't like Same Sister Sister Sneeze 2. We get the cliched cricket sounds, which they decide to expand upon.

First, the crickets start talking. It is possible that this is from Bubbles’ perspective, and they decided to do the Wild Thornberrys technique, but it’s just more likely that they didn’t want to be subtle. The other twist is that they found it so horrible, that they jump out of the window to what they hope is their death.

Ms. Keane tries to find something good to say, but she can't say anything. Instead, she jumps out of the window, too. Bubbles' classmates follow with her, complete with glass crashing sounds. This is all played for laughs, but I don't see the joke. A bunch of people seemed to die off screen, and the show doesn't seem to care.

Neither does Bubbles. Her real care is that her subscriber count dropped to a measly -100. The only people who seemed to like it are people who still think that "what are those" meme is relevant. I'll give this episode one compliment: the already out of date meme references are at least hidden in the background this time.

Bubbles blames her sisters' poor acting for her falling subscriber count. Blossom tries to convince her to make videos for fun again, but Bubbles isn't having any of that. She then bursts through the wall and starts screaming about how everyone is terrible except for her. At least she didn't need a super-cast that time.

Just in case this didn't convey that Bubbles is being out of line, she makes this face. What's worse is that it’s another two-frame animation in the same style as that infamous scene from Sister Sitter. Remember kids, if it didn't work the last five times, try, try again.

Bubbles decides the best course of action to get her fame back is to free the Sabretoothed Cat with her eye lasers. Why? Because it would be an epic cat video! There should have been a continuation of that drum fill gag, but they felt this joke was actually funny.

Needless to say, it doesn’t turn out well. Like the building-full-of-people lifting superhero that she is, Bubbles flies away from the giant monster, fearing for her life. He’s technically an endangered species, and he’s a big star attraction for the museum. They have so many excuses for this scene to not end with a gap-toothed Sabretooth, but they don't go with any of them. The rest of the reboot seems to indicate that they just can’t knock down a giant monster if it’s not plot convenient, so I'll assume it's that.

Blossom and Buttercup find Bubbles, and immediately call her out. Bubbles keeps insisting that she's making art until Buttercup snatches her phone and throws it across the city. They then get knocked out by the Sabretoothed Cat, because of course they do. They were caught off guard, but they don't even attempt to fight the cat. I guess they just assume it'll end with Monster Punch, Girls Down just like I would.

Bubbles eventually snaps out of it, mostly because the tiger ruined the carpet factory and said to have done something terrible to the sandbox. Not the only poop joke in the episode, sadly. Blossom has a different plan: knock out the Sabretooth Cat with their super strength, Blossom uses her ice breath to freeze him back into an ice cube, Bubbles gets punished for endangering the town, and Blossom and Buttercup have ice cream. Well, one of those things happen.

Bubbles makes a mouse aura, complete with a top hat and a diaper. I'm guessing that was Buttercup's idea. She tries to lure the Sabretooth Cat just by existing, but he's not budging. While eating ice cream with Blossom, filming this on her phone, Buttercup makes a suggestion.

Buttercup: Shake it a little!

No. No, no. Please no. For the love of McCracken, no!

Phew, she’s just doing a tail whip like a cutesy little Pokemon. I was getting worried about the show doing its third crime against humanity, and that is not a worry I should have. Just like how I shouldn’t worry about Bubbles outright shouting that she had an “accident”.

(The sabretoothed cat bites off Bubbles' aura diaper.)

Bubbles: I’m glad I wore this diaper...for two reasons!

I told ya! The sabretooth cat chases the giant blue mouse aura up a tree...

...where it gets stuck! Because he’s a cat! Badum tsh! After that, the problem gets solved by the Powerpuff Girls calling the regular townspeople to put him in a giant pet carrier. The Powerpuff Girls can't possibly do it themselves with their buildings-full-of-people lifting strength. The big twist is the Buttercup has been recording his on her cell phone the entire time and made a viral video of her own!

One would think she would be embarassed as a punishment for her actions, but not really. The episode ends with Bubbles learning that a star like her should be in front of the camera. I guess they were trying to subvert our expectations, but it doesn't give a lot of closure to the episode. If this was a "oh, there she goes again" ending, I could understand, but they just suddenly end with that. Just like I will.

Does the title work?

“15 minutes of fame” is a general idiom, and it does fit Bubbles’ position as a once popular video maker.

How does it stack up?

Despite what I feared, this episode doesn't put meme references front and center. Instead, we get intentionally unfunny jokes, really unfunny jokes, weird jokes, poop jokes, and a Bubbles that is just unlikable. The latter is intentional, sure, but this episode doesn't have much else going for it. I will say this barely makes this rating, but that's not much of an honor.

Next week, it’s not a Lidsville reference. Hopefully.

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