See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey (known as Harder, Better, Faster, Gnomer in Canada) is the twelfth episode of Season 5. It first aired on YTV in Canada on March 18, 2004.
The girls are manipulated by a gnome who offers them peace in the city at the cost of their powers, but when they learn about his true nature, they outsmart him.
Synopsis[]
The Powerpuff Girls are once again fighting the villains of Townsville ("Townsville's Going Down!", "Wanna get some?"). There are too many villains to fight (Mojo Jojo, Princess Morbucks, Fuzzy Lumpkins, the Gangreen Gang, Sedusa, HIM, and the Amoeba Boys), and the Powerpuff Girls are tired and defeated. They become very miserable with the way things are in the world and wish for a day of peace, love and understanding ("Rain"). Just then, a drop of rain falls into a crack in the ground, and a rose blooms. A gnome emerges from within the rose's petals and tells the girls that he can get rid of all the evils of the world in exchange for their superpowers ("Give Me Your Answer"). At first, Buttercup disapproves the idea, but Bubbles persuades the girls that they can finally become normal ("Normal Little Girls"). The girls agree and the gnome casts a spell that gives him an otherworldly power ("Hear Me Fathers") before unleashing it upon the villains of Townsville, who are all severely electrocuted and defeated, thereby ridding Townsville of all evil.
With Townsville now seemingly a happy and peaceful utopia ("Sunshine Down On Me"), the townspeople worship the gnome and form a cult devoted to him ("Best Day Of My Life"). Meanwhile, the Professor warns the girls that, although the gnome has provided safety, he has robbed the town of its freewill ("Freedom Beef"). Since the gnome has become evil, the deal he made with the girls is broken and the girls regain their powers. The girls travel to the gnome's headquarters atop a giant rose and confront him. They seem to have defeated the Gnome at first, but the Gnome summons all of his powers and casts a spell causing electric laser beams to zap the girls. They soon regain consciousness and proceed to give the Gnome one final beating. The Gnome cannot retaliate as he had used up the last of his powers zapping the girls, and falls from the top of the rose. As he falls into oblivion, he realizes that he ultimately became the evil he sought to destroy and therefore cannot exist in his "utopian mind" ("You Wanna Make Us Feel Real Good"). The world goes back to the way it formerly was. The Townspeople now worship the girls, but they tell the townspeople that evil and good make the world go round, and we must not wish for peace, love and understanding, but instead make it go right ("Why Can't We All Get Along").
The episode was pulled and banned in the United States from its timeslot on February 27, 2004 because Cartoon Network claimed that the metal beams in the destroyed buildings looked too much like crosses and that one of the hippies looked like Jesus; it was also speculated that it was banned due to the stroboscopic effects seen in the "Hear Me Fathers" sequence. As a result, the episode only aired on YTV in Canada on March 18, 2004, followed by Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia on April 19, 2005, and later in Latin America and Brazil on May 20, 2006. It did not see the light of day in the United States until 2009, when it was released on the complete series DVD. Since then, it has been made available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. Interestingly enough, however, the episode wasn't included when the series was put on HBO Max.
The narrator never says "The City of Townsville" at the beginning of this episode, but Mojo Jojo sings these words.
The episode is sung in a rock opera form, similar to Hair, Cats, Les Misérables, Dreamgirls, Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Tommy and The Wall.
Storyboard artist/writer David Smith wrote the lyrics for all the songs in this episode, and he also composed the music for this episode.
Snake shows elastic ability similar to the episode "Power Lunch".
Jack Black was approached for the voice role of the Gnome but turned it down, though he did appear in the Clone High episode "Raisin the Stakes", which was also a rock opera.
Despite the episode never airing in America, it was included when Netflix US added the series to its lineup.
The episode's title is a reference to the Who song "See Me, Feel Me", the finale to their 1969 rock opera Tommy.
The episode does not start with the theme song, but with the title and different music along with it.
Recycled footage from the episode "Buttercrush" was used in the scene where Ace gets beat up.
The explosion near the end of the episode is likely a reference to the 1988 anime film Akira.
This is the third Cartoon Network Opera to been shown. The first was "LABretto" from Dexter's Laboratory, and the second was "The Pie Who Loved Me" from Evil Con Carne. However, this one did not air on linear television in America due to it being controversial.
There is some disagreement over whether or not Professor's claims are supported by what is shown in the episode, leading to an alternate interpretation in which the girls would actually be the villains of the episode, fighting for the return of evil to the world. But, what the Professor's words really mean is that the gnome did not do his part of the deal he had with the girls, and although he tried to erase evil (which he didn't after all), he himself became evil by robbing the world of its free will, which means he failed in his mission. As a result, the girls now know that life consists of opposites, and that evil without the bad there is no good and therefore, had to fight to make peace between evil and good.
Blossom has previously made her speech in the episode, Monstra-City.
This is one of the episodes where the girls lose their powers.
According to a YouTube contributor and the Cartoon Network Wiki, this was intended to be the series finale. However, a post from Craig McCracken on his official blog states that it wasn't.
There are some differences between this episode and "LABretto"; in this episode, some parts have songs including "Townville's Going Down," "Freedom Beef," and "This is the Best Day of My Life Today", whereas "LABretto" is completely in opera. Also, this episode has the "The End" sign while LABretto does not.
When Blossom was going to say "You all have equal rights, dear town." Bubbles said that, not Blossom.
This episode has a seizure alert for the red and white blinking lights.
This is the second episode/special to have a different ending theme.
This episode premiered exclusively on the Canadian children's cable network YTV.
Moral: You can't have good without bad. There is always yin for yang.
Despite being banned from some countries, the episode aired on the exclusive Latin America channel Tooncast in 2019.
Errors[]
When the girls sing the lines "Rain, rain, go away", Buttercup and Bubbles continue to sing after their mouths stop moving.
In the song "You wanna make us feel real good" when Buttercup sang 'There's no warm without the cold. There's no weak without the bold', both Buttercup's and Bubbles' mouths were moving.
When Bubbles sang "Say hello to your grave," all of the girls' mouths were moving.
When Buttercup beats up Big Billy and Lil' Arturo, Big Billy's hair changes to his old design from other old episodes.
Production Notes[]
Although this episode premiered on YTV in 2004, it was produced in 2003 according to the credits.
Season 1:Monkey See, Doggie Do • Mommy Fearest • Insect Inside • Powerpuff Bluff • Octi Evil • Geshundfight • Buttercrush • Fuzzy Logic • Boogie Frights • Abracadaver • Telephonies • Tough Love • Major Competition • Mr. Mojo's Rising • Paste Makes Waste • Ice Sore • Bubblevicious • The Bare Facts • Cat Man Do • Impeach Fuzz • Just Another Manic Mojo • Mime for a Change • The Rowdyruff Boys • Uh Oh Dynamo Season 2:Stuck Up, Up and Away • Schoolhouse Rocked • Collect Her • Supper Villain • Birthday Bash • Too Pooped to Puff • Beat Your Greens • Down n' Dirty • Dream Scheme • You Snooze You Lose • Slave the Day • Los Dos Mojos • A Very Special Blossom • Daylight Savings • Mo Job • Pet Feud • Imaginary Fiend • Cootie Gras • The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever • Just Desserts • Twisted Sister • Cover Up • Speed Demon • Mojo Jonesin • Something's a Ms. • Slumbering with the Enemy Season 3:Fallen Arches • The Mane Event • Town and Out • Child Fearing • Criss Cross Crisis • Bubblevision • Bought and Scold • Gettin' Twiggy With It • Cop Out • Three Girls and a Monster • Monkey See, Doggy Two • Jewel of the Aisle • Super Zeroes • Candy Is Dandy • Catastrophe • Hot Air Buffoon • Ploys R' Us • The Headsucker's Moxy • Equal Fights • Powerprof. • Moral Decay • Meet the Beat Alls • Helter Shelter • Power Lunch Season 4:Film Flam • All Chalked Up • Get Back Jojo • Him Diddle Riddle • Super Friends • Members Only • Nano of the North • Stray Bullet • Forced Kin • Knock It Off Season 5:Keen on Keane • Not So Awesome Blossom • Power-Noia • Monstra-City • Shut the Pup Up • Toast of the Town • Divide and Conquer • Burglar Alarmed • Shotgun Wedding • Save Mojo • Substitute Creature • The Boys Are Back in Town • See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey • Pee Pee G's • Boy Toys • Seed No Evil • The City of Clipsville • Lying Around the House • Bubble Boy • A Documentary • Girls Gone Mild • Curses • Bang for Your Buck • Silent Treatment • Sweet 'n' Sour Season 6:Prime Mates • Coupe D'Etat • Makes Zen to Me • Say Uncle • Reeking Havoc • Live & Let Dynamo • Mo' Linguish • Oops, I Did It Again • A Made Up Story • Little Miss Interprets • Night Mayor • Custody Battle • The City of Nutsville • Aspirations • That's Not My Baby • Simian Says • Sun Scream • The City of Frownsville • West in Pieces • Crazy Mixed Up Puffs • Mizzen in Action • Roughing It Up • What's the Big Idea? • Nuthin' Special • Neighbor Hood • I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future • Octi-Gone Reboot: