Dumbbell Curve (The Fairly OddParents)
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| "Dumbbell Curve" | ||||||||||||||
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 Emphasis on "Dumb".
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"Dumbbell Curve" is the fifth episode in the ninth season of The Fairly OddParents.
Plot
Crocker grades on a bell curve so Timmy wishes everyone was dumber than him. A meteor threatens the Earth and with everyone stupid thinking it's a giant muffin, Timmy’s the only one smart enough to stop it.
Why This Curve Is Extremely Dumb
- The entire setup of the episode makes it feel like the writers are mocking the viewers' criticisms for dumbing down the characters for very weak and unfunny attempts at humor.
- The scene where Crocker failed Timmy for getting a 92 on his test because he graded on the bell curve and everyone got a 93 was mean-spirited towards him. This can indicate that Crocker only failed Timmy by setting up the bell curve just so he can put him in summer school.
- This episode really shows you how badly flanderized Timmy has gotten. Instead of trying to show more responsibility by putting in more effort in his homework, he acts very immature and selfish, wishing for everyone in town to be stupider than him so that he can slack off on his homework. He is also very rude to Wanda as well who tried to convince him that the wish could be a bad idea, but he rudely interrupts her and brushes it off before getting his wish granted. To quote: "I know! Dangerous, irresponsible, regrettable, blah-blah-blah! Just wave the wand, woman! I'm not getting any younger, or smarter!"
- The entire plot of the episode itself is very generic and unoriginal at best, not just for Timmy's aforementioned wish, but it's simply based on stupidity.
- This episode definitely feels like a rehash of "Pipe Down!" from Season 3. In both of these episodes, a meteor comes nearly destroying the town and Timmy has to find some way to stop it. The only two differences are what Timmy wishes for and how Timmy stops the meteor (in the former, the meteor disappears, while in the latter, Timmy uses the rocket to destroy it).
- The scene where Timmy gains a bigger head after wishing to be the smartest person in the world (before wishing back to normal almost immediately afterward after learning some horrible facts) contradicts "Smarty Pants" from Season 2 and almost as if the writers were trying to reuse that same plot from said episode as well. In that episode, he wished that he knew everything (which is basically the same), and never developed a bigger head. But given that this is Season 9 we're talking about here, who cares about continuity anymore, right?
- The humor is such a flop here, as it's just every character aside from Timmy doing or saying idiotic stuff (ex. Poof saying "Poop-poop!", Mr. Turner and Crocker mistaking doors as forcefields, and Mr. Turner/Crocker saying that the lawn/ceiling is crying, when it's only a sprinkler splashing water).
- A slightly small portion of gross-out humor, such as the running gag where various characters would eat hot dogs without knowing they're made of garbage as revealed when Timmy wishes to be super smart.
- The effects of the wish are inconsistent. As an example, if Crocker is stupid enough to believe the meteor was a giant muffin, then how was he still able to grade Timmy's homework a few moments ago?
- Sparky is completely irrelevant in this episode as per usual as he's mostly used for unfunny gags.
- Vicky even makes a pointless cameo in this episode and is only used for a really painful joke where she tries to tear apart Timmy with a blow-dryer thinking it's a chainsaw... only to blow-dry her hair with an actual chainsaw and scream in pain off-screen as a result.
- The predictable climax has a very unfunny fart joke surrounding the rocket that Timmy used to stop the meteor from destroying Earth.
- False Advertising : The promo for this episode made it seem as if the concept about Timmy going to summer school if he gets one more F and Sparky not being much of a help by 'literally' cooking his homework (serving as a pointless and cringeworthy reference to the "my dog ate my homework" fib) was going to be the primary focus (and supposedly the topic) of the episode's plot, even though there was more to that in this episode, especially the "dumbing down all the characters" wish, which is the true main focus of the plot.
- Hypocrisy: The episode teaches the moral to kids that in order to get good grades and succeed in life, they should put in the best effort possible in their homework and studying as Timmy learns that. However the moral is completely broken as it was shown that the conflict of the episode is caused by Timmy’s frustration with his Crocker and his unfair grading system as Timmy did put down his best effort in his homework initially and got a 92, which is an excellent score in normal grading systems yet Crocker flunks Timmy anyway by incorporating a new grading system at the last minute.
- This episodes is gross with the hot dogs. The hot dogs is not that gross.
Redeeming Qualities
- Good animation and voice acting as usual.
- The title card is well- drawn and creative.
- At least this episode had more of a pilot than "I Dream of Cosmo" and "Turner & Pooch".
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