"Forced Kin" is the tenth and final episode of Season 4 and the 84th episode overall.
It was completed on April 2, 2001 [1] but didn't premiere on Cartoon Network in the United States until June 28, 2002.
After this episode's completion in April 2001, production of the series stopped for a year so the team could work on The Powerpuff Girls Movie, after which production resumed with Season 5 in 2002.
Townsville is being invaded by an alien, and the Powerpuff Girls go to inspect. When they see the alien mothership, they confront it using their Starburst Ray attack, only for the alien ship to copy the move, and defeat them once. Next, Blossom suggests Wing Attack Plan R, a move where the girls launch Blossom's bow (which is actually a missile), only for the ship to once again copy the move and defeat them again. Finally, Blossom decides to use Plan X-Q, much to the girls' shock seeing it hasn't been tested. However, with no other choice, they perform the maneuver, only to once again be predicted and defeated by their own technique. Having spiraled down to Earth. Blossom realizes that they may need help (much to the girls chagrin), and decides that in order to beat this evil, they have to think the way IT thinks--evil, even if it means recruiting the most evil of evil minds in Townsville: Mojo Jojo.
Mojo, however, is preoccupied at a grocery store, complaining about the quality of the bruised fruit, a single egg, and a loaf of french bread that is too firm. When he refuses to pay, the store owner gets angry, only to get bonked on the head twice by the french bread and laughed at by Mojo with each strike. When Mojo accepts the "compliment" of him being an "evil man-like creature", the girls show up to try and recruit him. However, Mojo is unconvinced at first until Buttercup and Bubbles explain that there's an evil alien force coming to Earth planning to destroy the world. Though Mojo questions where the bad is in that, Blossom reminds him, matter-of-factly, that if the world is destroyed then HE'S destroyed as well. Mojo is still somewhat indifferent to this, replying with a simple "Oh" and rejecting the offer from the girls, until the girls point out that the alien force could replace him as the most evil villain. Mojo then decides to help the girls, then and there just so he can be the baddest villain out there.
Firstly, in order to think evil, according to Mojo, they first had to LOOK evil (i.e. wear copies of Mojo's braincap) and be mean (stomp on a bunny squeaky toy). Upon inspection of the alien force's actions in blowing a dam, causing a nearby power plant to melt down, Mojo finds pleasure in it, but is focused back on STOPPING the alien thanks to the girls. Upon further inspection, the girls are told to gather smelly cheese. As it turns out, the alien created a magnetic pole shift using two magnets, melted the polar icecaps, and release a "wooly big problem" in the shape of a reanimated mammoth.
The girls soon return with the cheese, and are told to plant the cheese on the mammoth, much to the confusion of the girls. As the girls carry out the orders, Mojo reveals that mice would be drawn in by the cheese, and since elephants are descended from mammoths, the mammoth would run away from the mice, smashing the magnet in Townsville, thereby restoring the Earth to its original position. The girls' celebrations are short-lived as Mojo tells them to be silent and listen for "the sound of evil." To be precise, Mojo notices that a wave transmission confuses a postal worker into switching labels on two packages, one containing a video game and another containing a missile control chip. Eventually, the two are delivered as instructed; a pair of kids get the chip, mistaking it for their video game, and inadvertently cause a missile launch. Having noticed this, Mojo tells Blossom to freeze the cap of an active volcano while Bubbles and Buttercup heat the surface of the alien ship. Just as the missile--which happens to be a heat seeking one--is released, it avoids the volcano the alien intended to be its target and heads for the surface of the ship, blowing it out of the sky and thwarting yet another Townsville disaster.
However, when the girls and Mojo leap out to celebrate, the ship's passenger, a massive robotic colossus channeling the spirit of Galactus disembarks, and razes an entire city block in one swift move, much to Mojo's displeasure since he always wanted to do that. Next, the Colossus generates a cyclone and targets an oil tanker. Despite Mojo's plans to counter this with the girls, the alien succeeds by removing the main shut off valve to the Townsville Refinery, allowing the tornado to ignite and become a whirlwind of fire, and fueling it with a payload of gasoline Buttercup thought was water for a water cannon. Mojo is distraught at this and the girls try once more to face the alien head on, only to be knocked unconscious by the alien's laser, instantly rendering the girls useless as they fall to the ground like a feather.
The alien then reaches City Hall, scaring off the Mayor and Miss Bellum before destroying it along with the Townsville Museum, which Mojo again wanted to do. Mojo becomes even angrier having seen the alien outsmart him and use its version of Mojo's own future weapons such as the Star Ray and Transmogrifying Omnilateral Seismic Destructotron. At last, in one final assault on the City of Townsville, it destroys Mojo's Observatory. In satisfaction, the alien declares himself ruler of Earth, saying "Earth Creatures, the destruction of your dwelling area is now complete. I am now your new leader. And you will all bow down to me."
This only proves to be the final straw for Mojo. After a brief feral episode, he begins pounding the alien senseless, accusing it of breaking his dreams. And with a finishing blow from an all too familiar loaf of French bread, the Alien falls to the ground, in time for Mojo to pull back its leg, causing it to pound the ground in pain. Mojo demands that the alien submit; after several seconds of painful persuasion, the alien finally shouts, "YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL!" to which Mojo replies, "AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"
With that, the Alien retreats, as the townspeople praise Mojo, especially the girls (it's unknown how they recovered so fast), telling him he did good and saved them, therefore making him their hero. Unfortunately, as one can guess, Mojo is not happy about this, complaining and shouting that he is not good but rather evil. The ending screen also has the narrator complimenting him, "You're the goodest good guy!" and Mojo, once again, complains.
[Mojo has beaten the alien senseless and is grabbing his leg]
Mojo: Say it!
[no response]
Mojo: SAY IT
[still no response]
Mojo: SAY IT!
Alien: YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL!
Mojo: And don't you forget it!
Trivia[]
This episode premiered in some countries before the United States.[2]
This episode premiered in Australia on November 30, 2001.
This episode premiered in Canada on December 14, 2001.
This episode premiered in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2002.
This episode premiered in Mexico on March 29, 2002.
This is the last episode produced by Hanna-Barbera, before its closure in 2001.
In this episode, the stripes on the girls' dresses are actually belts.
This is one of the very few episodes in which Blossom is seen without her signature bow. Not only that, but it's apparently a devastating weapon.
This is the second time Mojo is considered a hero for doing something nice for the girls, the first time was in "Just Another Manic Mojo".
Mojo going berserk in front of the Alien Leader, behaving like a wild chimp, is a possible reference to the Rowdyruff Boys episode, where Mojo gets thrown in jail for the third time and goes insane, throwing a tantrum.
Cultural References[]
Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory makes his last cameo appearance in this episode.
The Alien Leader is a parody of Galactus from the Marvel franchise.
This episode is a spoof of the alien invasion films of Independence Day (1996) and War of the Worlds.
The satellite that the girls land on while fighting the mothership has 'Mos Def' printed on it, a reference to the rapper of the same name.
The name for the move "Wing Attack Plan R", as well as the accompanying massive explosion that follows, is a reference to the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove.
Goofs[]
While the girls are fighting the alien ship, Buttercup's dress stripes are gone. When they crash into Earth, they are back.
Production Notes[]
Although this episode premiered in the United States on June 28, 2002, it was actually produced in 2001 according to the credits. It was also the final episode produced in 2001.
This was the final episode produced before The Powerpuff Girls Movie entered production. When this episode was completed in April 2001, production of the series halted for a full year to accommodate production of the movie.
This is also the last episode to have the old designs of the other characters.
This episode is the last to use the 3D star explosion in any form. Starting in the movie, the star explosion would be replaced with a more stylized explosion.
This is also the last episode to use the 1998-2001 outro.
The final time the 1986 Hanna-Barbera CGI Swirling Star logo is seen on a Powerpuff Girls episode.
This is the last episode and in fact the last animated series to use the Hanna-Barbera CG Swirling Star logo.
This was the last episode that Genndy Tartakovsky served as supervising producer on.
