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themurphyzone · 4 years

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PatB: Snowball Ep Talk

You know, I really do love the episode Snowball (my personal favorite AKOM episode) but I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it here much, and if I did it’s probably really only because of the flashback sequence.

Okay so all looks good so far. Chain letter scheme and superstition, a standard introduction to Brain’s latest plot of world domination. All looks good. Plus I just like this shot of Pinky. Don’t mind me, just starting off light here with a smushed Pinky.

I just like Pinky’s pose here. He’s so cute.

You will bow before Troz.

“I met a Snowball today! Right here in the lab!” -Pinky

You know, I just find the implications of this line hysterical. This means that Snowball was in the lab that day, waiting for the moment to strike, and he definitely pushed his stolen chain letter through the mail slot.

And then he lets Pinky see him, and no it’s not just a passing glance either cause Pinky specifically describes a tattoo with an A and a circle and points to his leg. Which means Snowball deliberately lifted the fur on his leg and showed his tattoo to Pinky.

Like, wow.

“It means, Pinky, that evil lurks among us. By the name of Snowball! SNOWBALLLLLLLL!” -Brain

Talk about a bad breakup. *Alexa play Bad Blood*

Personally I think one of the interesting visual cues is that Snowball purposely plants himself into the mice’s space. There’s a lot of that in this episode. He knows how to rile up Brain and hit him where it hurts, namely through Pinky.

Brain values his personal space, and he values a sense of control. When Snowball invades that space, Brain loses control, and his anger can lead him to make some very ill-informed decisions. Which is exactly what Snowball aims for.

“You think Pinky is an asset?”

“Anything I can take from you is an asset.”

Ah yes, Snowball’s mission statement. Crush everything Brain has into dust.

The flashback sequence. Dear God this flashback sequence. They were both so cute!

You know, it’s really sad that a younger Brain acted more like Pinky. Making silly faces and trying to get someone to laugh are such Pinky things to do. I know canon is loose but if you consider this flashback taking place shortly after Brain was captured from the wild, then young Brain didn’t gain a grasp on what happened to him until after the gene splicer.

Ok but Brain was literally right there when the gene splicer exploded. Imagine having your cranium size dramatically increase, you’re injured, you’ve suddenly gained sentience, and as if all that wasn’t enough, you see the gene splicer explode with your only friend inside.

Oh, and said friend’s mind was probably damaged in the explosion and now he hates your guts. And though you’re angry with him for his betrayal, some part of you will never stop caring about him.

Once again, Snowball needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.

This conversation here establishes Snowball as the perfect third character. He appears only in a handful of eps, but he’s fun to watch and love to hate. Snowball challenges the mice’s relationship. Snowball sees the weak points; the insults, the reliance on each other, and twists them to his advantage. And Pinky even admits he’s hurt by Brain’s insults occasionally, though he still loves being around him.

“Pinky, the Brain doesn’t care about you. He’s just using you.”

“No, he’s not.”

It’s really interesting to me how Pinky denies Snowball’s statement, yet his ears go down to show that he’s affected by the idea of being used. Pinky and the Brain may be night and day, but one thing they do have in common is their tendency to deny certain things. Brain with emotions and affection and Pinky with concepts he’d rather not admit the possibility of.

Coming back to this later.

Non plot related but Brain is teeny tiny and I love how he just trusts Pinky to catch him

Side note: I apologize if any of these screenshots look weird. It’s an AKOM ep.

WHY ARE YOU TWO SO BAD AT SNEAKING AROUND.

I just find it hilarious how they clearly run around where Snowball can see and hear them. Like they just shout Snowball’s name in the middle of the room. You’re terrible at being sneaky little mice. Please.

Those dang boomers and their old timey 90s computers. Technology is ruining boomers. Can’t even hold a conversation anymore cause they keep looking at their screens.

No touchy!

Well, it’s awful nice of Snowball to engage in nepotism and offer Brain a position in his administration...and then tempt Pinky with an amusement park when he refuses.

You really gotta appreciate the complexity of Snowball’s plans. Stealing the chain letter fails->plant seeds of doubt in Pinky’s mind, even if this doesn’t work right off the bat, the idea will still be there-> take over a corporation->impersonate Bill Gates->When the mice show up, offer to co-rule the world on expectations that Brain will refuse->make co-ruler offer to Pinky->wait for Brain to open his big mouth and drive Pinky away.

All to take everything Brain has. His dignity, Pinky, his meager resources. Like holy Snowball, Batman.

And then Snowball reveals the amusement park he had specifically built for Pinky.

And here we have the most heartbreaking line of the ep. If I had the ability video edit I would’ve put the entire line on audio because Brain’s tone is very important here. It’s about 12:38 to 12:57 in the ep if you want to see for yourself.

“Oh, go ahead, Pinky. I don’t need you. What did you think, I just have you around so I can steal your brilliant ideas and claim them as my own? That I’m just using you, Pinky? Oh yes, I’m using you for your brilliance!”

First of all, very poor word choice, especially to someone who has trouble understanding sarcasm. I just want to dissect this statement here.

The Literal Meaning: You’re an idiot to think you were ever more than an assistant.

This is what Pinky hears.

But if you listen to Brain’s tone rather than just reading the line, he sounds genuinely hurt that Pinky would ever be tempted by something as frivolous as an amusement park. It’s Pinky, so he just sees ‘ooh fun rides, cotton candy, and carnival games’!

But Brain is perfectly aware that this is Snowball’s well-crafted method of taking away the only thing he truly has, and he knows it’s working. And he’s hurt.

The Actual Meaning: Snowball’s trying to separate us and you’re falling for it, Pinky. You may be an idiot, but many of my plans never would’ve come to fruition without you. You’re much more than an assistant. You’re my friend and my world.

Unfortunately, all Pinky hears is that Brain was only using him. That Brain values him for manual labor and an extra hand only, rather than a treasured companion. The fact that Brain often falls short of making Pinky feel appreciated just adds to this.

And now that he no longer has Pinky, Brain’s spirit is crushed. Brain is persistent, but without Pinky, he has no reason to be.

As far as he knows, his only two friends have turned their backs on him and couldn’t care less if he has nowhere else to go.

Poor thing. He needs hugs.

“I didn’t think it was possible. Humanity has actually gotten dumber.” -Brain

OK I think this one shot establishes what the world would be like under Snowball. His name is everywhere, and he tells the population to do stupid things just to bask in his own superiority.

However, I can’t see Brain putting his name on every building so frivolously like this if he ruled the world. Sure, he’d name a bunch of things after himself and Pinky, but it would be more meaningful to them.

Brain wants humanity to advance, not regress.

Poor Pinky. Despite all this new extravagance and luxury, he’s also lonely. The room and bed are large, but it lacks personality. He’s sleeping with an ACME Labs snow globe, and other than a reference to Citizen Kane, it also shows that he’s not happy with this.

The worst thing in the world for these mice is separation from each other.

Suicide by cat.

Poor little guy can’t make it on his own. Luckily, he snaps out of it.

“My world. I must save MY world!”

Said while looking at a picture of Pinky. Real subtle there Brain.

“Look, you fool. You have no brilliant ideas. I’m only using you to get at him! So just stay quiet!” -Snowball

“You’re...using me?” -Pinky

He was just a bargaining chip. Never a friend.

“What do you want?”

“My friend. And MY world!”

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

He makes martial arts noises like a dork. I love him.

I love how their characters are reflected in the mecha designs (also I had no idea Snowball was Iron Man!)

Snowball’s is overall the more efficient design. It’s also much more combat ready and violent. In comparison, Brain’s suit is simply operated with a bunch of levers. It’s alright for peaceful situations like getting around faster or simply blending with a human population, but in a straight up fight the levers take too much time to operate.

Snowball is more efficient than Brain, and while he’s got the ego, he lacks the insecurities that hold Brain back. His confidence makes him such an effective foe. And more importantly, Snowball doesn’t value Pinky’s companionship. He’s a tool and nothing more. Compare that to Brain. While Brain struggles at showing it, he ultimately wants Pinky’s input and values his jumbo-sized heart.

Somewhat off topic, but I feel like the reboot missed this aspect of Brain and made him too overly edgy and violent (reboot!Brain would probably prefer Snowball’s mecha design over his counterpart’s). The only time Brain should become violent, if not for comedy, is when he’s protecting Pinky. His plans should have a level of restraint to them, and Pinky is the moral compass.

I just like this shit-eating grin right here (I mean, he did eat shit in Welcome to the Jungle so...lol)

This is such an insanely clever move for Pinky. I feel like Brain would be like ‘oh my god Pinky!’ and then ‘wow, that’s actually brilliant what the heck is this tingling feeling’.

ACME LABS IS IN NEW YORK CITY??????

I know this is a case of Where the Hell is Springfield but gdi aren’t they supposed to be in southern California.

Ok fine I realize the ending to this ep is a reference to North by Northwest cause they somehow got to Mt. Rushmore but still

Weird tangent but North by Northwest’s ending bothers me (not gonna fault this ep as it’s just a parody)? I’m sorry the girl is barely hanging onto Mt. Rushmore, the dude pulls her up, and then they have sex in a car. The sudden transition always seemed weird to me.

I am ending this analysis post with a weird shot of Snowball cause i can and it’s his episode.

#pinky and the brain #patb analysis #patb snowball #long post

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beartes22 · 5 years

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More Zoyalai

So this is like...crackish. But I had a lot of fun writing it so...

(In all fairness, this is a scenario that could legitimately occur in canon, maybe. I hope)

Nikolai was radiating nervous energy, as if he were ready to burst into action but the timing was not right.

Zoya was part saint, part dragon, part tiger, part herself and it was driving her mad. On one hand, Juris and his dragon urges were one and the same. “Don’t submit to anyone” “You are a queen” “The world is a platter you can reach” “Aniquilate the Darkchild”. On the other, that line of thinking had led her to this path.

A path she clearly should regret a lot more she does. Ironic, how her prideful ways had cost her all dignity.

(Honestly, she was this close to do a Nina Zenik, cut herself some bangs as a disguise and go to lose herself in the fjerdians whatever, finding inappropriate lovers and liberating Grisha all the way.

Although maybe the bangs were a little overdramatic, as much as killing Fjerdians sounded therapeutic)

Zoya had been in some remote cave for hours and still hasn’t gathered the strength to look up from where she has buried her head into her hands.

Nikolai’s baffled silence was not helping matters.

“I...did you just? Kidnapped me as a dragon? In my wedding day? In front of a thousand witnesses? A dragon!?”

Zoya took it back. His silence was better than the alternative.

“This is Juris’ fault” She muttered bitterly against her palms, unable to look at him. Unable to look at anything.

“...Since when are you half-dragon?” Nikolai was still at it. Relentless as ever “I mean I knew you were different. Your glare had gotten so much better but a dragon!?”

How inconvenient.

“It’s a Grisha thing”

It was an excuse that had come in handy a lot of times. Incredibly, considering how shabby it was.

“Still. A dragon?” Nikolai shook his head. She had not looked but she knew. The air moved with him. The smell his movement made. The sounds. Her senses were overwhelming like that. Some days, if she concentrated enough, she felt as if she were drowning in him.

She was not as adverse to the situation as she should, which was a problem she should not have overlooked. Look at where ignoring problems got her.

Zoya took a breath, gathered whatever dignity she could find and didn’t look at Nikolai at all. She would act as if nothing ever happened and, if the Saints don’t want to end like Elizaveta, it would hopefully work.

“May I remind you, you are part volcra”

“Point” Nikolai tilted his head. Zoya didn’t let herself hope “Are you going to explain yourself or are we remaining in this cave until Tolya and Tamar come at you for kidnapping the king of Ravka on his wedding day?” He asked, more curious than mad. Things like these were the reason why Zoya didn’t believe in Saints.

They don’t give you a fucking break.

Taking a deep breath, for patience and strength, Zoya considered the situation. It wasn’t pretty. A Dragon kidnapped the King in front of a thousand witnesses in the royal wedding. A dragon that was Zoya herself. Because she let her feelings get the best of her.

“...We are waiting” She decided. Wisely.

“Never took you for a coward Nazyalensky”

“It’s a new development. It comes with the knowledge that I will never live this moment down” She finally turned her head, looking at him. He was as handsome as ever in his wedding attire, even after the flight. The want was overwhelming. The bitterness rising in her chest felt like flames to burn that mediocre princess, Ehri.

At least Alina was interesting. That Shu Han garbage was just self-pity incarnated.

“Well,” Nikolai averted his eyes “I’m sure there was some emergency you have not told me about, don’t be so hard on yourself”

Zoya re-buried her head in her hands, vaguely wandering through Juris memories half-hoping the knowledge on how to make the ground swallow her was lost somewhere. It was not.

You are strong enough to survive the fall

Zoya has never met someone so infuriating in her life. She should have left him to die, that bond was clearly a mistake. Her life will be much easier without it, amplifier or not.

“There was no emergency” She managed to say between her teeth.

“...Explain yourself” Nikolai’s voice was not cold, no, not really. But it was serious, lacking in joy and charm and that Saints damned edge of relief when he realized he wouldn’t be a husband that day. It was an order from her King.

Zoya didn’t want to obey. There are falls, she thought hysterically, that one hopes not to survive.

“I- My feelings got in the way of my duty” She admitted, the words were as painful as any lost battle, her pride stinging with humiliation. The dragon was too close to the surface, a snarl of disgust almost overtaking her.

“I don’t understand”

“I” She enunciated with barely contained rage. How dare he be this obtuse, now of all moments “could not stand to see you married”

A beat.

“But I thought you wanted me to?”

Ravka falling to ruin or not, Zoya will murder him. He sounds honestly baffled, incredulous as if Zoya hadn’t been pining after him since the moment she met him.

(Well maybe not pining, exactly. At least outwardly. Genya said no one noticed.)

“I overreacted.” She forced herself to remain calm “I am sorry, your highness”

“...You overreacted when you planned my marriage or when you dramatically whisked me away from the altar?”

“The second one” She managed to grit out between her teeth

“So you panicked” Nikolai shrugged, wearing casual arrogance effortlessly “it happens to the best of us”

What. The. Hell.

“There was no emergency” Zoya insisted, trying to tell him with her eyes alone the truth. Nikolai was not usually this thick. They have planned entire attacks this way- Complex, everything-that-could-go-wrong-did-go-wrong-but-we-raise-to-the-occasion plans that changed in the middle of battle with just a glance. It’s improbable he can’t read her now.

“I don’t believe that”

Impossible, more like.

“I did not act as your general” She raised her eyebrows significantly

“...Oh.”

Nikolai blinked in the classical ‘I-still-don’t-understand-but-I-already-asked-for-clarification-one-and-I-prefer-never-to-know-than-to-look-like-an-idiot’ look her students tended to wear around her on her bad days. Zoya was very familiar with that look.

She stripped it violently from the little idiots with relish. Now, the only one to find the process painful was herself.

“Or as your friend. Or as someone with Ravka’s best interest at heart”

It was humiliating.

“Then how did you act like?”

Saints help her, especially Elizavbeta. May she ended the job she began and drown her in honey.

“A foolish girl.”

At this Point, Zoya would honestly prefer it.

“...I don’t believe that”

Forget that hag. Zoya will kill him herself. Slowly. Then, she will roam as a dragon, only turning back after centuries because she can’t let herself live with this shame.

“You are infuriating”

“Coming from you, that’s quite the compliment” Nikolai grinned but the confusion remained in his eyes. What a moron.

“I could not stand to see you marry to another.”

A beat

“What”

Zoya has come too far to back out now. She was a dragon and she did not cower from anything-

“I’m in love with you, Nikolai.”

This was a terrible idea. Awful. Nikolai had actually choked on air. Forget roaming, Zoya was going back into the Fold. Right back.

Juris has been alone and forgotten for centuries. It was not nearly enough to forget this episode but it was a start.

“...What”

Well. That was an answer in itself. If hurt a little (a lot) that he never considered her that way but what was done cannot be undone

“Do you want me to take you back?” The sooner she can start forgetting this mess the better

“What?” Nikolai squeaked. He seems speechless, which she thought impossible. Then, this day was full of impossibilities “Back- I...Give me a minute”

“You are speechless.”

“That you, the most unromantic practical person I have ever met is so in love with me that she has risked everything including the fate of her country transforming into a mystical dragon just to whisk me away from my bride in the most dramatically absolutely romantic escape ever while I had no clue whatsoever of your feelings? Yes, I find I have no words”

“You are right. This was a mistake. I’m taking you back”

“Let me think!! I was not prepared for this, dammit! I…” Nikolai mumbled something to himself “Do you really love me?”

“No. I just kidnap kings for fun”

“You do!?”

“You are usually not this stupid”

“I thought you only tolerated me so excuse me if I am a little shocked!”

“Nikolai, I let myself be drowned in honey by a deranged overpowered unknown for you. I have lost innumerable nights to watch over your volcra escapades. I allowed you to bring the Darkling back to Os Alta.” A pause “Alive.”

“YEs! Because I am the King of Ravka!”

Honestly, Zoya should have let Juris kill him when she had the chance.

“It’s because you are Nikolai.”

“Stop doing that, it’s uncharacteristic and it’s giving me palpitations” Nikolai hissed, his cheeks a furious red

Zoya ignored all warm feelings of satisfaction on her chest to roll her eyes

“I am done with this. We are going back”

“Fine. But I will not marry Ehri” Nikolai’s eyes were shining with the same mad light of his better schemes. Zoya had a hate-love relationship with that light.

“...I assure you I can control myself”

“I have my doubts of that, all things considered, but that is not the reason.”

Forget love-hate. It was hate-hate.

“Please don’t say anything stupid”

“I, dear Zoya, are a romantic at heart. And I was content to settle for an arranged marriage, certain that my feelings could never be reciprocated”

And just like that, her heart plummeted to the ground.

“...You are still in love with Alina?” She managed to say with a straight face, hoping the heartbreak did not show on her expression. Nikolai stared at her.

“You are an idiot.” He said like insulting her did not cost live or limb “An absolute moron. A walking disaster. How did I not notice? I have been utterly blind”

Zoya tried a few breathing exercises, which did not work considering that her breath was wasted on not laying waste to the disrespectful imbecile in front of her. It said a lot that she did not murder him in that instant.

“You thought I barely tolerate you” She felt obligated to say. If he were literally anyone else she would have tear him apart for insulting her.

Love was making her soft. And stupid.

“Within reason!”

“What reason?”

“You don’t laugh at my jokes”

“They are not as funny as you think they are”

Nikolai clutched at his heart dramatically

“Lies! Slander! How could you”

“Easily” Zoya rolled her eyes “If you don’t mind could we get to the point?”

“I have recently discovered that my feelings are, in fact, reciprocated” Nikolai deadpanned slowly. Zoya felt insulted. “Which changes things” He continued, uncaring of the sting of Zoya's hurt pride “Because I am not in love with a married woman I have not seen in five years and who I only saw as a dear friend”

So not Alina then. Nikolai was just in love with Another Woman. Cool. Zoya was alright with that, never mind that she just opened her heart at him and then the insensitive ass decided to follow his heart for some undeserving scum who just apparently revealed her feeling-

“...Oh.”

They stared at each other in silence for a long time, processing the new information like complete morons.

(They are responsible for a country. Seeing as they collectively have one whole neuron, it's a wonder Ravka is still standing)

“If I kiss you right now, will you maim me?”

It's not fair he has dimples when he smiles that widely. Zoya's brain is useless like this.

“Only if you want to”

“That’s unfairly hot”

“Everything I do is like that”

Nikolai laughed. Then he kissed her. Zoya threw herself to the kiss as she does anything that interests her in her life. With untamed passion and the determination to demolish whatever stood her way- Nikolai may be half-pirate, despite whatever privateer bullshit but a dragon-

“I can hear you thinking” Nikolai mumbled against her lips, her dimples as deep as she’s ever seen them.

“Then you aren’t doing your job right” Zoya snarled before biting him, as tender and fierce as she was able.

A dragon hoards. And Nikolai was hers.

(Tolya had to bleach his eyes when he found them much later. ‘We were going back to the palace in a minute’ his ass.)

#Zoyalai #zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lanstov #kos spoilers #I hope you liked it! I have fun writing morons.

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