FOP Review #3: "Spaced Out"

Hey folks. Turtle here back with another Fairly Oddparents review. We're going into space, y'all, and being introduced to Mark Cheng. Grab your Crash Nebula brand cereal, because we're going to look at “Spaced Out”.

Title card from the Fairly Oddparents wiki

Our story begins with Timmy, Chester, and AJ watching a sci-fi program. A green alien wants to suck out some brains with a bendy straw.

You'd think space aliens with spaceships would do something a bit more sophisticated than that.

One of the humans is apparently named Captain Laserpants.

Was this show conceived by a 4-year old? I mean that's how we got Monster Trucks.

Just as things look bleak, Crash Nebula blasts through the wall.

“Will Crash Nebula escape the evil clutches of the Clutchulaks?”

Yup. Written by a 4-year old.

Timmy gushes about the episode and the boys quickly begin playing, with Chester and AJ squirting juice at Timmy.

I assume it's juice. Water isn't supposed to be purple.

Timmy pulls out a walkie talkie to contact Cosmo and Wanda, who are in a literal Mothership pushing a stroller.

This is some Spaceballs shit right here.

Cosmo (under Wanda's orders) gives Timmy a spacesuit equipped with a laser, which he uses to blow a hole in the wall.

“Killer Crash suit dude!”

“Yeah! Wherever did you get it?”

“...Internet.”

And 16 years later, it's still a reasonable excuse.

Chester wants an alien, so Timmy wishes for one. Cosmo and Wanda deliver and poof up a weird green tentacled being with his brain inside a glass dome on his head.

It turns out that the alien was kidnapped from another planet.

Image from Know Your Meme

Meanwhile, a million-million miles away. The alien is apparently royalty from a military heavy planet. The king is determined to get his son Mark back and destroy the Earth in the process.

Good going Timmy, you've doomed everyone. Also the alien's name is Mark? The king and queen are named Gripullon and Jipjorrulac repsectively. I suppose Mark isn't exclusively a human name.

Chester and AJ are impressed by the alien, who apparently sounds like a stereotypical surfer dude.

Also, Hi Rob Paulsen!

Mark threatens to suck their brains out through bendy straws.

Huh. I guess the 4-year old was right.

Vicky comes in and yells at the boys. Mark is smitten with the display of malice.

Meanwhile, in space.....

“We wouldn't have to blow up all these planets if we just stopped for directions.”

“Quiet! I'm still the king around here.”

“King of getting lost.”

“Silence!”

The 1980's called, they want their stand-up routine back.

Cosmo and Wanda see this activity on their monitor and alert Timmy. Timmy wishes the alien was back with his parents, but it doesn't work. Da Rules^TM state that magic cannot interfere with true love, and Mark is in love with Vicky. Also, Cosmo found a nickle.

In retrospect, this is a bit strange. They're not forcing someone to love or not love here, they're just teleporting someone far away.

Timmy tells Chester and AJ to retrieve Mark (who they think is an animatronic collector's item). Chester and AJ go to get him, but are pinned to the wall by purple slime.

“You two will make excellent appetizers for Vicky.”

Two episodes in a row Vicky might eat them.

As it turns out, the Yugopatamian fleet is closing in on Earth.

Timmy gets the idea to go talk to Mark's parents. They poof onto the Yugopotamian mothership.

“Who goes there?”

“Cosmo, Wanda, and Timmy of Earth.”

Wait. Isn't part of the premise of this show that Cosmo and Wanda are kept secret? Do aliens somehow not count?

To speak with Mark's parents, Timmy must face three trials. The first is skipping across a field of flowers.

The king and queen are shocked that Timmy is not injured by the flowers.

Yeah for some reason, Yugopotamians are opposite to humans when it comes to pleasure and pain.

The second is hugging a teddy bear, which Timmy does with ease.

The third trial is carried in by aliens in radiation suits. Turns out it's chocolate.

Does that mean the Yugopotamian equivalent of an atomic bomb is a giant piece of chocolate?

Timmy eats it and the king and queen cower in fear. Timmy explains the situation and they are glad to help.

Meanwhile, on Earth...

“Okay dudes, things aren't going well with Vicky, so I've decided to suck out your brains and give them to her as gifts.”

What would Vicky do with a human brain anyway?

Timmy barges in to attempt a save, but his purple juice gun has no effect.

What happened to the laser cannon?

The doorbell rings. The King and Queen are very poorly disguised and are here to pick up Mark. Vicky summons him to the door.

“It will never work. She's not where we're from.”

That doesn't stop you from arranging a marriage later down the line.

Vicky laments that mark is leaving (for some reason) and finds a nickel. Turns out it was the nickel that Cosmo found earlier.

The episode ends with three alien children watching Timmy on television, with narration and all.

Maybe one of those kids will become a fat, hairy adult and review episodes out of mind-numbing boredom. Wait.

This episode was okay. I mentioned earlier how it betrayed the premise by having Cosmo and Wanda out in the open on the mothership. There didn't really seem to be a real conflict considering all Timmy had to do to solve the problem was eat a chocolate bar. There was no real tension for more than like 30 seconds. It wasn't an unpleasant experience, but things just didn't click.

I'll have to give this a Meh