Bought and Scold

Bought and Scold
General Information
Original broadcast	February 25, 2000 (Australia) April 22, 2000 (Canada) June 18, 2000 (UK) September 15, 2000 (United States)
Details
Season	3
Episode	7
Pun	The phrase "bought and sold".
Credits
Written by	Amy Keating Rodgers
Storyboarded by	Cindy Morrow Paul Rudish
Directed by	John McIntyre Craig McCracken
Episode Guide
Previous episode	Bubblevision
Next episode	Gettin' Twiggy With It
Links
Gallery
Transcript

"Bought and Scold" is the seventh episode of Season 3 (and the 57th episode overall). It first aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 15, 2000.

Plot

Daddy Morbucks buys Townsville from the Mayor for Princess Morbucks with a room of sweets (Turkish delight to be exact), and her first act as the new Mayor is to legalize crime, putting the girls in an ethical and legal dilemma.

Synopsis

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, as they appear in this episode.

Townsville is home to many villains such as Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and HIM, but they have all been bested by The Powerpuff Girls repeatedly.

One day, the girls are at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten are in the middle of a math lesson when The Gangreen Gang burst in and start causing trouble. Soon, the girls get ready to attack them, but Ace presents to them a decree claiming that crime is now legal. Forced by this decree to let the Gang carry on, they fly to the Mayor's office to evaluate the situation, only to find that Princess Morbucks has taken over after bribing the Mayor with a room full of Turkish delight (he turned down offers as high as five trillion dollars). Morbucks remarks that, after having been turned away as a prospective Powerpuff Girl and failing to exact her revenge in destroying them, she bought the right to be mayor and made crime legal in order to spite them, as any attempt the girls make to try and stop anybody from causing crime will have them thrown in jail, putting them in a bad dilemma.

All over Townsville, the riots are present: people and businesses alike are being robbed and terrorized by its criminal element, which features newly released inmates from prison, while police and corrections protection have been deactivated by Morbucks' executive action with corruption. The Powerpuff Girls' house is robbed of nearly everything by criminals casually walking in and taking stuff per the new decree. Despite reading the decree, the professor tried to prevent this from keeping the girls from doing right, but his efforts were as futile as his attempts to keep his furniture in the house.

Later, in bed, the girls felt depressed and angered about crime being legal, as their status in the city has also been deactivated, to their dismay. When Bubbles makes a comment on the situation (saying that they'll have to be bad in order to follow the law), Blossom realizes there's a huge loophole in Morbucks' decree and a plan is put into action in the darkness of night.

Meanwhile, Morbucks goes to get a glass of water. As soon as she gets back to her bed, she realizes she gets robbed of everything and starts panicking and thinking about what her father will do when he finds out. She calls the girls to her office and begs them to bring back her belongings. However, the girls remind Morbucks that she made crime legal in such a way where even if they found out who stole her stuff, they could do nothing about it since the robbers aren't technically breaking any laws. Morbucks, dejected, signs a new emergency decree outlawing crime once again, allowing her to send the girls to look for her stuff.

Within a short time, all villains and criminals within city limits are quickly subjected to the emergency decree. As police authority is restored and crime is outlawed, they catch every villain in town and return to Morbucks', claiming that none of them stole her stuff. As Morbucks starts to panic, Bubbles giggles to the point where Morbucks realizes that it was the girls who robbed her. She says she will have them arrested, only for the girls to point out that crime was legal when they stole her stuff, and therefore all of her stuff is now theirs, so there's nothing she can do to them (at least legally).

Morbucks realizes that the girls stole her stuff (only because crime was still legal that time)

As Daddy Morbucks awakens to an empty home, the girls propose a trade: in exchange for Morbucks' stuff, she returns control of Townsville to the Mayor. The transaction is instantly closed as they give her the stuff back right when her father sees that the stuff is all gone. He sees Morbucks with the stuff outside and (perhaps) punishes her as she yells and cries at the girls, who have taken off.

Characters

Major Characters

• The Powerpuff Girls
  • Blossom
  • Bubbles
  • Buttercup
• Princess Morbucks
• King Morbucks
• Professor Utonium
• Ms. Keane
• The Mayor of Townsville
• Mrs. Bellum
• Narrator

Minor Characters

• Mojo Jojo
• Fuzzy Lumpkins
• HIM
• Gangreen Gang
  • Ace
  • Snake
  • Big Billy
  • Lil' Arturo
  • Grubber
• The Amoeba Boys
  • Bossman
  • Slim
  • Junior
• Pink Tentacles Monster
• Broccoloids
• Roach Coach
• The Kitty
• The Boogie Man
• Sedusa
• Quackor
• Abracadaver
• The Rowdyruff Boys (Brick, Boomer, and Butch)
• Harry Pitt
• Mary
• Mitch Mitchelson
• Policeman
• Robbers

Trivia

• Morals:
  • Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire to solve your problems.
  • Never create laws that are easily exploitable. It can backfire on you.
• This episode premiered in some countries before the United States.
  • This episode premiered in Australia on February 25, 2000.
  • This episode premiered in Canada on April 22, 2000.
  • This episode premiered in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2000.
• In the episode's intro, the Narrator gives each villain a description:
  • Mojo Jojo: Accursed
  • Fuzzy Lumpkins: Ill-conditioned
  • HIM: Infernal
  • Gangreen Gang: Unprincipled
  • The Amoeba Boys: Spineless
  • Pink Tentacles Monster: Monstrous
  • Broccoloids: Distasteful
  • The Kitty: Felonious
  • Roach Coach: Gross
  • The Boogie Man: Dark
  • Sedusa: Naughty
  • Quackor: Fowl
  • Abracadaver: Grave
  • The Rowdyruff Boys: Miscreated
  • Princess Morbucks: Spoiled
    • Coincidentally, Princess being brought up last foreshadows her major role in this episode.
• Additionally, during that same sequence, the Narrator also gives descriptions to the Powerpuff Girls as well:
  • Bubbles: Pure
  • Buttercup: Proud
  • Blossom: Perfect
• This is Morbucks' most villainous role due of buying Townsville and legalizing crime just to drive the girls out of business and probably also illegalizing crime-busting as well which can get the girls arrested if they think of trying to stop or prevent someone from committing a crime.
• Morbucks' act of buying Townsville and legalizing crime is later referenced in 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas.
• This episode's plot is strikingly similar to The Purge, a film series originating in 2013 where the United States government invents a holiday where any and all crime, including murder, is legal for one night a year. Morbucks’ term as Mayor lasted only a day, ironically, and thankfully, in the case of this episode, there was no murdering on Townsville's criminal element whatsoever, just pillaging and ransacking.
• This is the second episode where a villain becomes mayor of Townsville. The first was Fuzzy Lumpkins in "Impeach Fuzz."
• Irony: Princess could've just kicked The Powerpuff Girls out of town and made it illegal for them to come back.
• Despite The Rowdyruff Boys being destroyed in "The Rowdyruff Boys", they make a flashback cameo in this episode.
• The Rowdyruff Boys' poses bear a striking resemblance to the Girls' poses in the intro of the pilot short Whoopass Stew.
• Two men can be seen beating up a guy, they are dressed like Popeye and Bluto.
• There are references to The Big Lebowski when the girls go home. The Professor says, "Hey, this is a private residence, man!" You see the three nihilists enter the house. One of them grabs the rug and The Professor says, "Hey that rug really tied the room together!"
• This episode and "Bubblevision" are the first episodes to have the 2000 oval designs of the Powerpuff Girls for two episodes and not having the 2000 circle designs at all for a whole episode because the circle designs were used at all times instead of the oval designs in "Criss Cross Crisis". After "Criss Cross Crisis", the oval designs (which first appeared in "Just Desserts") were then used instead of the circle designs for the next two ("Bubblevision" and this episode).
• In this episode, the girls are seen first in sequence one-by-one in three still pictures, and they feature the girls doing several poses. These pictures show Bubbles doing a pose used by Speedee, which is the former mascot used by McDonald's (with four differences, the sign reading "I'm Speedee!" is removed, her right hand is placed behind her skirt, her left foot is seen in the front and her right foot is seen in the back) against a fuchsia background with yellow, blue and white flowers. Buttercup is doing the Jolly Green Giant's famous pose against a cobalt blue background with light blue stars. Blossom is doing the Captain Morgan mascot's famous pose (with two differences, the barrel is removed and her left hand is raised high) against a yellow, light yellow, and brown sunburst background with white sparkles. This shows that McDonald's Corporation, Green Giant, and Captain Morgan are referenced by the girls' poses in this episode. This sequence was later referenced and reused (with three pictures instead of showing Liberty Belle, Harmony Bunny, and Spore in sequence) in the episode "Super Zeroes".
• When Buttercup picks up Big Billy, a glimpse of his eye is shown.
• The three thieves who ransack the Utonium household are caricatures of artists Andy Bialk, Clay Morrow, and Paul Rudish.
• This episode reveals that the Mayor also has a huge love of Turkish delights as much as pickles.
• Blossom realized a loophole to Morbucks' decree of legalized crimes after Bubbles saying "We have to be bad to be good", which gave Blossom an idea of how makes things back to normal and get Morbucks out of power. Basically, the girls robbed the entire Morbucks household to get crime illegalized again and holding Morbucks and her father's stuff for ransom to get the real Mayor back in control of Townsville. Blossom realized the decree didn't said "except doing it towards to the mayor (Princess Morbucks) and her father", which means that even Princess can be robbed herself.
• In real life, a city can't be bought; the mayor of the city isn't allowed to sell the city.
• This is the second time the Gangreen Gang came to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, but as trespassers trashing the entire classroom and torturing Ms. Keane and the students when committing crimes were legal by Princess Morbucks who was temporarily the Mayor of Townsville for only one day. The first time The Gangreen Gang went to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was in Schoolhouse Rocked when forced by the truant officer Mr. Jack Wednesday, but were expelled on their first (and also last) day after beating up the kids by playing dodgeball in recess. They also return to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten as trespassers in a "Got Milk" advertisement, when they're taking all of the chocolate milk from the students, but were stopped and defeated by Buttercup.
• At the end, The Narrator announced that he will never have any kids of his own because of Morbucks and the event of the entire episode.
• So far, nobody (expect for The Powerpuff Girls, The Mayor, Ms. Bellum and Daddy Morbucks) knows that Princess Morbucks took over Townsville. They thought the real Mayor temporary legalized crime, which it would be good for the villains, criminals and thugs in Townsville, but bad for the police and also the more honest and decent civilians who have no intention to be part of all of this whatsoever. 
• Technically, the real Mayor is still officially in charge of Townsville after he "sold" the city for a room full of Turkish Delights and before Princess Morbucks was forced to give up her "mayoral" position in order to get her and her father's stuff that were stolen from The Powerpuff Girls when crime was still temporary "legal" before her father wakes up. Besides that, a city can't be legally bought and a mayor isn't allowed to, also because Princess Morbucks is officially too young to be in political positions to begin with. It would makes her decree on legalized crime null and void anyway.
• This is the first time the Powerpuff Girls cries, the next four being in Ploys R' Us, Coupe d'etat, Little Miss Interprets, and City of Frownsville.

Quotes

Princess: (hyperventilating) Daddy’s still asleep— (She turns; camera pans that way to show her looking out the windows at the city.) —but not for long! The sun’s already rising! (As she continues, the sky lightens and the sun comes up.) Those Poo-Poo-Puffs better get that stuff back here fast, or— (nervously) —or Daddy’ll wake up. And I’ll be a day late and a dollar short! (The sound of the doorbell startles her out of her moping, and she dashes off to answer it. The door opens to reveal the girls.) Well? Did you get ’em?
Blossom: Oh, gee, Princess, we rounded up every crook and robber—
Bubbles: —and bad guy and wrongdoer—
Buttercup: —but it seems none of ’em took your stuff.
Princess: What?! How can—who could—where did— (She stammers for a moment.) I gotta have before— (She starts wailing; Bubbles giggles softly, and Princess rounds on her. Now everything makes sense to her, and she is truly ready to pop) You! You did it! You robbed me blind! I should have you arrested! (Pan slowly across the girls on the next three lines.)
Bubbles: Oh, you can’t arrest us.
Blossom: Crime was legal when we robbed you, so technically—
Buttercup: —all your stuff is ours now. (as they float away) Bye! (Princess runs out and yells into the sky after them)

Princess: No! Wait! I need that stuff! (begging) I’ll do anything for it. Please! Please! (The girls regard her from midair.)
Blossom: Give back Townsville to the Mayor and Ms. Bellum.
Princess: NEVER!! (An alarm clock rings o.c.; this sound shuts her up in a hurry and takes all the fight out of her as she realizes her father is waking up, meaning that when he discovers what’s happened to everything, she’s in deep trouble. Close-up of the clock as it is shut off by her father; he slides his feet into a pair of slippers by his bed and stands up. Back to the front entrance; Princess sounds frantic) Okay. Okay. (Close-up of her and Blossom. Princess holds a large gold key with a T worked into its head; giving the key to Blossom) Here’s the key to the city— (reaching o.c., coming up with hat and setting it on her head) — and the Mayor’s hat. Now gimme the stuff, I need the stuff, hurry!

Blossom: We’ll be right back. (She takes off. The father figure walks through the hallway and scratches himself as he goes. After a few steps, he stops and looks around; running into the garage and trophy room, he discovers what we already know. Outside, the front doors are thrown open and the camera pans slowly away from the house to reveal a mountain of expensive goods piled up in front of the house; the girls have returned everything they ripped off the night before, but not worried much about sorting it out. Princess stands in front of the lot)
Princess: (frantic, relieved) All the stuff, all the beautiful stuff. Thank you for stuff! (Cut to her, wiping her forehead; her father’s shadow falls over her from behind) Phew! (The sound of him clearing his throat causes her to turn around and give him a big grin) Oh... (laughing nervously) ...good morning, Daddy. (As she continues, turn up from her to show him standing there and tapping the rolled-up morning paper against one palm; the camera movement puts her out of view) I bet you’re wondering what all of your things are doing out in the yard. Uh, well, you see — (Cut to outside the mansion and follow the girls across the city as she continues; Buttercup carries the key to the city, while Bubbles wears the Mayor’s hat) (from o.c., as Princess is starting to whine) — it’s — it’s all those stinking Powerpuff Girls’ fault! They always ruin everything ’cause... I HATE ’EM!! (She cries and wails.)

Goofs

• When the Gangreen Gang run into Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, Grubber's ears are gone.
• When the Gangreen Gang is shown sleeping at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, Big Billy had three top teeth instead of his usual one tooth.
• When the Rowdyruff Boys appear, Butch's arms are bare and Brick has visible hair.
  • When Buttercup looks at Princess Morbucks' bored angry face, her eyelids are the color of her skin.
• When Princess holds up the decree to make crime illegal (again), there's a typo under her signature that reads, "THE MRYOR." Image of this can be found in the gallery for this episode.