Bubblevicious is the first half of the ninth episode of Season 1. It first aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on January 20, 1999.
Plot[]
Sick and tired of her family treating her like a baby, Bubbles tries to become tougher and discovers a more "hardcore" side of herself in the process. However, she goes too far and turns against her sisters.
Synopsis[]
The city of Townsville is under siege by a large slug when Buttercup flies in solo to neutralize it. As she tears through it, the Professor is coaching her to stop, and it is then realized that what she handled was all part of a training exercise in a simulation chamber made by the Professor. After she exits the chamber, Bubbles compliments Buttercup on how hardcore she was in handling the scenario, all the way down to when she emerged from being stuck. Professor Utonium interrupts Bubbles and tells her to go next, which she eagerly does. However, after being reminded by Blossom, the Professor lowers the danger level from 9 to 2 because he thinks it's "way too much" for her. In this test, Bubbles finds herself in a house when a small, seemingly harmless robot comes in to fight her. Disappointed in her opponent, Bubbles tells the Professor that she is as tough as Buttercup and Blossom and can handler handle harder opponents. While she is saying this, the robot zaps her and she fails the test. The Professor then tells her that she's "not ready" for the higher levels yet. This upsets her and she leaves. Later, at bedtime, Blossom tells the Professor to leave the hall light on for Bubbles. Bubbles tells him she is not afraid of the dark anymore, but the Professor just dismisses this as her "acting brave." After Buttercup teases her for "being the scarediest," the Professor says goodnight and leaves, leaving the door open once again. With the unfair treatment and excessive babying she has received that day, Bubbles decides that she will prove her true toughness; she sneaks into the lab and takes another test this time at Level 11, the maximum danger level.
In her test, Bubbles has to fight a huge army of monsters amidst an apocalyptic scenario. At first, it seems she was going to fail once again. However, tired of being dismissed as "cute," and even taking a few bumps with some blood drawn, Bubbles soon defeats all of the monsters in a fueled rage, becoming more aggressive than she ever was before and even declaring herself "hardcore."
The next day during recess, the girls play duck-duck-goose and Blossom tags Bubbles. Blossom runs away from Bubbles and teases her for being slow. Bubbles catches her and slams her into the ground with rage in her eyes. Through her monologue, as she declares victory, Blossom tries to calm Bubbles down by telling her that it was only a game. The hotline rings, and Bubbles flies over to pick it up and demands to hear the situation from The Mayor. Nervous at Bubbles' tone, The Mayor tells her he is stuck in a traffic jam. Bubbles tells him he is on her way and angrily smashes the hotline phone, to the shock of her sisters. It is revealed the traffic jam is caused by the Talking Dog not driving, and Bubbles addresses the situation alone by brutally beating the Dog. Her sisters later appear, both surprised and appalled by her new behavior as they try to calm her down. Bubbles, on the other hand, does not listen, renouncing the so-called "Powerpuff Way" and claiming that she can handle Townsville herself. With her declarations made clear, she leaves them, flying solo.
Soon, Bubbles goes into an angry, destructive rage in Townsville, senselessly beating up people for crimes as minor as littering, stepping on protected grass, and being parked in a no-parking zone. Later, despite her hardcore, rage-fueled vigilante behavior, Mojo Jojo kidnaps her. Blossom and Buttercup go looking for her and worry for her safety.
Meanwhile, Bubbles wakes up strapped down in front of a laser cannon. Mojo explains his plan: he will make Bubbles cry for her sisters, causing them to fall into a trap to destroy them all. Bubbles calls the plan dumb and says she won't cry. Mojo turns on the laser and fires at her, but her will is so strong that it initially has no effect. After Bubbles insults Mojo, he turns it up to Level 11. Bubbles riles in pain and it seems the laser will finally work to break her spirit. However, Bubbles breaks free and wails on Mojo until he is knocked out. With Mojo down, Blossom and Buttercup come to her rescue upon picking up her screams. To their amazement they see Bubbles defeated Mojo all by herself and resisted a laser at a the highest level. They realize that they have underestimated her and finally calls her "hardcore." After having received her long-overdue share of respect, Bubbles apologizes and returns to her cheery self again. However, Mojo regains consciousness, zapping all three of the girls, and Bubbles fights back by beating up Mojo for his cheap shot as the episode ends.
Cast[]
- Cathy Cavadini as Blossom
- Tara Strong as Bubbles
- Elizabeth Daily as Buttercup
- Tom Kane as Professor Utonium and Talking Dog
- Tom Kenny as The Mayor of Townsville and Narrator
- Roger L. Jackson as Mojo Jojo
Minor roles[]
- Sara Bellum (non-speaking cameo)
- Robot
- Monsters
- Students at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten
- Citizens of Townsville
Home Video releases[]
Transcript[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This episode, along with "The Bare Facts", was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation" in Primetime Emmys.
- Some of the music is from "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins", the pilot episode of The Powerpuff Girls.
- This is the first episode to star Bubbles as the main character.
- This is also the first episode where Bubbles has more screen time than Blossom and Buttercup.
- This is also the first time where Bubbles stands up to Blossom and Buttercup.
- This is also one of Bubbles' most villainous roles because she beats up everyone in the episode, including Mojo Jojo, "her way".
- Blossom is the only Powerpuff Girl in this episode to not fight any monster or even be shown fighting in the training room.
- This is probably because she had already finished training prior to the events of this episode.
- It is because of the beatings by Bubbles in this episode that Mojo Jojo is the most afraid of Bubbles out of the Powerpuff Girls in the Cartoon Network Fusionfall game.
- It is unknown why Mojo would zap the girls after getting beaten up brutally by Bubbles, as that would be pointless, since the girls are immune to lasers, thus making Mojo even more stupid as he gets beaten up more at the end.
- This episode has the concept of "Taking it up to 11". This is a reference to Spinal Tap.
- The episode title is similar to "Bubblevision".
- This is the only time that Bubbles goes "hardcore". A similar instance happened in the reboot episode "Strong Armed", where Bubbles got too used to her new arm cast and even went as far as to cause destruction with it.
- This is Tara Strong's favorite episode on record. She says that it's because she likes it when Bubbles goes "hardcore".
- This is the episode where Bubbles overcomes her fear of the dark.
- One of the monsters from the training room is seen in the opening, along with many other villains.
- Along with "The Bare Facts", this episode shows blood.
- This is the only episode in which the Professor's fight simulation chamber appears.
- The moral of this episode is to be yourself, even if someone makes fun of you.
- The 80's Movie The Karate Kid is referenced in this episode when Bubbles says: "Mercy is for the weak!".
- In the UK, the strikes of lightning as Mojo kidnaps Bubbles and the white light flashing in Mojo's face as Bubbles is zapped by the laser were slowed down to avoid causing seizures.
- The line "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!!!" that was chanted by Bubbles after having bested the simulated monsters, has been utilized in an episode of Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, respectively. In all three instances the line is meant to evoke a sense of enraged triumph over an aggressor. At the climax of the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Dodgeball", Dexter menacingly utters this line after having savagely beaten three bullies at a game of dodge ball, as payback for them having picked on him throughout the episode. In the Samurai Jack episode "Jack vs Mad Jack", Jack uses the same line after having defeated several bounty hunters as a warning against any other potential adversaries. In both "Bubblevicious" and "Jack vs. Mad Jack" the eponymous characters learn to set their aggression aside by the end of their respective episodes.
Production Notes[]
External links[]
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