Bubblevicious

Bubblevicious
Season 1, Episode 9-A
Episode name pun on:
"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!?" Bubbles
Airdate:	January 20, 1999
Credits
Director:	Genndy Tartakovsky Craig McCracken
Story:	Mike Stern
See also
episode transcript	image gallery
Episodes
Previous "Ice Sore"	Next "The Bare Facts"
Rating

Bubblevicious is the 1st half of the 9th episode of Season 1, which aired on January 20th, 1999. In this episode, Bubbles turns hardcore.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Bubbles is tired of being treated like a baby. When she tries to become tougher, a more "hardcore" side of her is unleashed. However, she goes too far and even turns against her own sisters.

Plot Description

After a simulation test passed by Buttercup, Professor Utonium tells Bubbles to go next. However, the Professor lowers it down from Level 9 to Level 2 because he thinks it's "too much" for her. In this test, she had to fight a robot that was too small and seemingly harmless. Bubbles tells the Professor that she is as tough as Buttercup and Blossom. However, 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 leaves. Then, at bedtime, Blossom tells the Professor to leave the hall light on for Bubbles. Bubbles claims to has faced her fear of the dark, but the Professor just dismiss it as her "acting brave." After Buttercup teases her for "being the scarediest," the Professor says goodnight and leaves, leaving the door open once again. This has finally proven to be the last straw for Bubbles, as she sneaks down the lab and takes another test this time at Level 11, which is the maximum danger level.

In her test, Bubbles has to fight a huge army of monsters. At first, it seems she was going to fail once again. However, tired of being dismissed as "cute," Bubbles soon defeats all of the monsters and becomes more aggressive than she ever was before, even declaring herself "hard-core." During recess, the girls play duck-duck-goose, and Blossom tags Bubbles and teases her for being slow, but Bubbles catches her off ground, and then the hotline rings. The Mayor is stuck on a huge traffic by Talking Dog, and Bubbles brutally beats him. Then her sisters appear and are surprised and not happy about Bubbles' new behavior and tries to cool her down, but Bubbles does not listen and leaves them.

Soon, she goes into a destructive rage in Townsville, senselessly beating up people for mainly minor crimes (e.g. Littering, stepping on the grass). Later, Mojo Jojo kidnaps her and makes her part of his plan: to get Bubbles to cry for her sisters and trap and destroy them. By doing the former, Mojo straps her in front of a laser. He turns on the laser but has no effect. Then, he tries Level 11. At first, it seems it was finally going to work, but Bubbles breaks free and brutally beats up Mojo. With Mojo down, Blossom and Buttercup come to her rescue but are amazed to see that Bubbles defeated Mojo all by herself and take on the laser at Level 11. They realize that they have underestimated her and finally calls her "hard-core." After that, Bubbles apologizes and returns to her cheery self again, However, Mojo regains consciousness, and zaps Bubbles and the girls and Bubbles fights back by repeatedly beating up Mojo as the episode ends.

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, including Mojo Jojo, "her way." 
• Blossom is the only Powerpuff Girl 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 "hard-core."
• This is Tara Strong's favorite episode on record. She says that it's because she likes it when Bubbles goes "hard-core."
• 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!".

Quotes

[Bubbles has taken down Blossom in a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose"]

Bubbles: Ha! I got you! You're out! Done! Finished! You were beaned down, sister, by CUTE! LITTLE! BUBBLES!

Blossom: Sheesh, relax. It's just a game.

Dog: Bubbles, please, have mercy!

Bubbles: Mercy is for the weak!

[Mojo is zapping Bubbles with his laser in his latest plan to destroy the girls and take over the world]

Bubbles: I'm not... gonna cry, you... dumb... doo-doo brain!

Mojo: "Doo-doo brain?!?" That's it! I've had it with your sassy mouth! I didn't want to do this! Well, actually I did.

[Mojo raises the laser level to 11]

See also

• A Very Special Blossom - the equivalent negative ending episode for Blossom.
• Moral Decay - the equivalent negative ending episode for Buttercup.

Video

MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK!