"Power Lunch" is the 19th episode of season 3 of The Powerpuff Girls, and the 69th episode overall.
It was released direct-to-video in the United States on April 3, 2001 and aired on Cartoon Network on October 19, 2001.
Plot[]
After feeling a side effect from eating and drinking sweets combined with the Girls' heat ray, the Gangreen Gang get superpowers. Ace has ice powers like Sub Zero and Ice Man, Snake has stretching powers like Mister Fantastic and Elastigirl, Lil' Arturo has super speed like the Flash, Quicksilver, and Sonic the Hedgehog, Grubber has a loud, explosive belch that can tear bricks off of walls, and Big Billy has been transformed into a rock. Now, it's superpowered good girls versus superpowered bad teens.
Synopsis[]
One day, the Gangreen Gang binds and gags the clerk of a mini-mart and proceed to raid it. Though they are not after any money, they shove all types of food down their throats, including candy, gum, coffee, frozen treats, chips, cheese sauce, and sodas. The Powerpuff Girls arrive, address the vandalism, and chase the Gangreen Gang out into an alley. When the Gangreen Gang is cornered in a dead end, the girls use their heat vision on them, which unexpectedly causes the foods they just ate to chemically react within their bodies.
Shortly after the Gangreen Gang drop to the ground, the effects of the reaction on their bodies becomes apparent. Ace, the leader of the gang, presses his arms around his body, as he feels cold, and complains that he doesn't feel well and begins to shiver as his skin changes from green to blue. All of a sudden, Ace sneezes, and a gust of icy wind blows out of his nose and mouth and completely covers a nearby garbage can in ice. Little Arturo arrives out of nowhere and says "Bless you, Ace," and tells Ace that he just "iced" the garbage can. As Ace tries to figure everything out, Little Arturo points out that Big Billy has turned into a rock. Snake stretches over and asks if anyone has seen his hat. When Little Arturo points to a flag pole on the side of a large building, Snake stretches up the side of the building and grabs his hat. A suspicious Ace then asks Grubber if he feels any different and Grubber burps so loudly that bricks fall off of buildings. Understanding the situation, Ace explains to the rest of the gang that they somehow got superpowers and the Gangreen gang attacks the Powerpuff Girls: Ace freezes Blossom, Snake sucker-punches Buttercup in the face, and Snake also drops Big Billy on Bubbles, knocking the girls out cold. After the Gangreen Gang leaves and menaces throughout the city, the girls regain consciousness, realizing what they're facing, and they zip forth.
Meanwhile, as the Gangreen Gang menace throughout Townsville with their new-found powers (stealing jewelry, robbing banks, belching police cars), the girls pursue them despite being decently outmatched. Blossom tries to freeze Ace, but he mocks her and breaks free, feeling no effect and taking no physical damage. Ace counters her attack by shooting icicles out of his hands and hitting her with a giant block of ice. Elsewhere, Buttercup tries to attack Snake, but Big Billy ends up stepping on her, knocking her unconscious. Little Arturo and Grubber use Bubbles as a punching bag; Grubber stuns her with loud burps while Little Arturo wails on her at breakneck speed. After this, the girls come up with an idea. Blossom freezes the ground to use as a bowling alley and Buttercup rolls Bubbles into a ball. She rolls Bubbles toward the gang and Bubbles ends up "striking" them (hitting them with a blow) and sending them to the ground. A few moments later, the gang gets up and Ace orders his group to destroy them. Arturo punches all three girls, knocking them out. Next, Ace freezes them and has Snake stretch high over the girls with Big Billy in preparation to drop him onto the girls. Right as they could ready their coup de grace, the Gangreen Gang's stomachs start to rumble as the supercharged food is being digested. They break from their finale to rush to use a set of portable toilets and re-emerge minus their super powers. The girls break free and beat the Gangreen Gang, whose powers had went down the drain while they still had theirs, and once again, the day is saved thanks to the Powerpuff Girls, while they beat up by the said villains (as the episode ends).
Characters[]
- The Powerpuff Girls (Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup)
- The Gangreen Gang
- Store owner
- Townsvile citizens
- Narrator
- Policeman
Trivia[]
- Grubber is seen eating Pringles in this episode, which is a popular chip brand.
- The powers of the Gangreen Gang were:
- Ace - Cryokinesis (Ice powers) (from the frozen treats)
- Snake - Elasticity (from the stretchy gum)
- Little Arturo - Hyper Vibration (super speed) (from the caffeine in the coffee he drank)
- Grubber - Sonic Belch Resonation (from sodas and gassy snacks)
- Big Billy - He was just a rock (from the rock candy)
- The Gangreen Gang's powers resemble some popular characters from media:
- Ace - resembles Ice Mario (Super Mario Galaxy), Ice Man, and Kuai Liang (called Sub-Zero) from Mortal Kombat
- Snake - resembles Mr. Fantastic from The Fantastic Four as well as Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
- Lil' Arturo - resembles the Flash, Quicksilver, and Sonic the Hedgehog
- Grubber - resembles the Black Canary's Canary Cry
- Big Billy - resembles The Thing in Marvel Comics, but with a rock transformation instead of bricks
- The powers that the Gangreen Gang gain are likely a reference to their personalities and also a term "You are what you eat", which means that a person becomes related to the food that they ingest.
- This episode premiered in some countries before the United States.[2]
- This episode premiered in Australia on July 7, 2000.
- This episode premiered in Canada on August 12, 2000.
- This episode premiered in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2000.
- There was apparently a delay in the airing of this episode and "Helter Shelter".
- This episode and "Helter Shelter" first debuted as a VHS/DVD exclusive on the "Twisted Sister" and "Boogie Frights" VHS tapes and "The Mane Event" DVD on April 3, 2001. It first aired on television on October 19, 2001.
- This episode, along with "Helter Shelter" were produced before the episode "Powerprof" and aired 5 days before the game, The Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction was released.
- The girls are seen beating up the Gangreen Gang during the outro.
- This is the only episode where Snake is seen without his hat.
- The girls' eye beams are depicted as being their signature colors (pink, blue, and green respectively) as opposed to being purely red.
- This is the fourth episode to have a character gain superpowers. First was Mojo Jojo in "Mr. Mojo's Rising", second was Princess Morbucks in "Mo Job", and the third was the children in "Mojo Jonesin'".
- Big Billy is the only member of the Gangreen Gang who doesn't speak in this episode.
- Technically, it should have taken a few more hours for the Gangreen Gang to digest the food that gave them their powers.
Goofs[]
- When Buttercup yells Strike!, her stockings are missing.
Production Notes[]
- Although this episode premiered in the United States on October 19, 2001, it was actually produced in 2000 according to the credits.
- This episode was finished in April of 2000.[3]