Blazing Entrails/Lumber Jerks
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Blazing Entrails/Lumber Jerks is an episode of Ren & Stimpy from the 4th season.
Blazing Entrails
Air date: October 22nd, 1994.
Story by: Bob Camp, Bill Wray & Jim Gomez
Storyboard by: Stephen DeStefano & Bob Camp
BG Color Design by: Scott Wills
Directed by: Bob Camp
Stimpy wakes up in the night and, in some kind of disturbed state, heads to the bathroom. After indulging in a handful of bizarre practices such as brushing his teeth with a hammer and sawing off his nose, the noise wakes up Ren who demands that he keep quiet. The following morning Stimpy's unusual breakfast preparations cause Ren to believe that something is severely wrong with the feline's brain.
The two visit Dr. Brainchild, a unicycle-riding child prodigy who lives in his mother's garage. The spasmodic doctor ascertains that Stimpy's odd behavior is caused by a lack of brain activity, which will lead to death if untreated. Ren is aghast, however, when Brainchild informs him that the only way to do so is to enter Stimpy's body. After ballooning Stimpy to huge proportions, Ren is sent in through his butt and quickly regrets lighting a match for illumination.
With Ren inside, Brainchild directs him via radio contact in order to successfully negotiate Stimpy's body and make it to his brain. In the lower intestine he narrowly avoids trouble with a pair of surly indigestibles, and makes it to the stomach where he falls desperately in love with a glamourous antibody. The two start a family, and after a year of blissful domesticity Ren suddenly remembers his duty to Stimpy. At the sinus cavity he is nearly thwarted by a flood of backwash, but a trusty nose goblin saves him. The still-imbecilic Stimpy unknowingly transfers Ren from his nose to his brain, where the chihuahua is able to assess the problem - Stimpy's brain is being strangled by his ignorance gland.
Diverting the brute's attention, Ren suffers a merciless beating before Stimpy deflates, trapping him inside his head. Back at home, the two soon settle in to their new way of life.
Notes and Trivia:
- Dr. Brainchild and his mother are performed by guest actors Bill Mumy and June Lockhart respectively. They had also previously acted as a son and parent in the TV series 'Lost In Space'.
- The opening scene depicts an addled Stimpy waking Ren up by dementedly torturing himself in the bathroom - prior episodes have opened with very similar scenes. In Ren's Toothache (season one) Stimpy keeps Ren awake by laboriously brushing his teeth. In Insomniac Ren (season four) it is Stimpy's array of noisy bedtime bathroom rituals.
- The premise of this episode pays homage to Isaac Asimov's classic and frequently-parodied novel 'The Fantastic Voyage', in which a group of people are shrunk and injected into the body of a dying scientist to save his life (hence Ren's nervous query: 'Are you going to...shrink me?').
- Dr. Brainchild's spasmodic jerking is reminiscent of the ghost's in the season two episode 'Haunted House'. He was also apparently a John K. design that was used for this episode after the creator's departure.
- When Ren is being bid farewell, the bawling Chippendale-alikes from 'Ren's Retirement' make an appearance.
- Dr. Brainchild lives on Cobb Street, a vague reference to Wilbur Cobb.
- This episode sees the return of one of Stimpy's magic nose goblins.
- The music accompanying the opening credits is an original composition. The lyrics are 'Blazing entrails, blazing entrails/I got me a bellyful of fire/Blazing entrails, blazing entrails/Entrails are the only trails I ride'.
- This is the first episode to be animated by Mr. Big Cartoons.
Lumber Jerks
Air date: October 22nd, 1994.
Story by: Ron Hauge, Jim Gomez, Bill Wray & Bob Camp
Storyboard by: Bill Wray & Bob Camp
BG Color Design by: Bill Wray
Directed by: Bob Camp & Bill Wray
Newspaper boys Ren and Stimpy leisurely distribute papers around town, until it comes to bill collection. The largest outstanding debt is held by Pierre LaJaques, a brutish Frenchman, and Ren becomes apprehensive about making the collection. Stimpy reminds him of their paperboy oath, and the two persevere. Pierre disregards the bill, but reprimands the pair for being so physically unfit. He suggests that they quit their current job and become lumberjacks. While Ren is reluctant, Stimpy is delighted by the prospect, and Pierre takes the two of them to a lumberyard to learn the tricks of the trade.
With lumberjack training in session, Ren and Stimpy are warned about the perils of nature, and the eternal struggle of man versus wood - and in particular the ruthless Spiny Tree Lobsters that defend their dwellings to the death. With the lesson over, the two are sent off on their first tree cutting expedition.
With no immediate success Ren is quick to lose interest and suggests to Stimpy that they go back to being paperboys, but Pierre appears and chastises him for being defeatist. Trudging onward, they eventually come upon a sapling in the otherwise barren landscape, although a beaver devours it before they can cut it down. Eventually Ren loses his composure when they find a forest blocking any chance they have of finding a tree, but as they head back they get lucky and find a rather large tree. After 3 hours of sawing, Ren is accosted by a Spiny Tree Lobster who decides to teach him a lesson. He shows Ren the wonders of nature that reside in the tree (and also provide a good deal of physical pain), which only fuels the chihuahua's desire to destroy the tree.
Stimpy is horrified when Ren knocks the tree down with a steamroller, but the Spiny Tree Lobster turns out to be a proud Pierre in disguise. Their delighted mentor informs them they have passed and are now real lumberjacks. He shows the two how trees are really brought down (with explosives) and takes them to Club Log to relax in the turbulent wolverine whirlpool as a reward.
Notes and Trivia:
- The Spiny Tree Lobster who reprimands Ren (before he is revealed to be Pierre) shares numerous characteristics with Moe Howard of 'The Three Stooges'.
- A character resembling Fearless Leader from 'Rocky & Bullwinkle' appears from beneath the tree stump that Fifi pulls out of the ground.
- When Pierre blows up the forest he cries out 'Yvette Mimieux' - rather than an exclamation, this is the name of a once-popular French actress.
