Everyone Knows It's Bendy (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)

"Everyone Knows It's Bendy"
Everyone knows who Bendy is alright...but for tons of wrong reasons!
Series: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Part of Season: 2 Episode Number: Season: 3b Overall: 16b Air Date: February 4, 2005 Writer: Lauren Faust Director: Robert Alvarez Eric Pringle Previous episode: Where There's a Wilt, There's a Way Next episode: Sight for Sore Eyes

Everyone Knows It's Bendy is an episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. It first aired on February 4, 2005. It's the second part of the third episode, is the fourth episode of season two, and is overall the second part of the sixteenth episode of the series.

Summary

The parents of a boy named Gregory explain to the people at Foster's that his imaginary friend, Bendy, is constantly misbehaving, but Frankie and Mr. Herriman don't believe them. During his stay, Bendy proceeds to break a vase, eat chips while leaving crumbs on the floor, get Wilt's shoes all muddy and walk on the floor with them, touch a cake and then write all over the walls with a permanent marker. Bendy also frames other imaginary friends for his actions whenever he almost gets caught. Fed up, Bloo comes up with a plan to get Bendy caught by catching him stealing a cookie with a camera. Bendy tries to get rid of the evidence but ends up causing a much bigger mess which ends up resulting in the entire house getting flooded. Unfortunately, Bloo reveals that he set the whole scenario up and gets blamed for "flooding the house". Mac then shows up at the end, where he asks what has Bloo done, and Bloo says: "Bendy did it!". That causes Bendy with his trademark evil grin to spray red paint on the screen, breaking the 4th wall, and ending the episode.

Why Everyone Knows This Episode Sucks For Messing Up The Mansion

1. Much like "Arnold Betrays Iggy" (from Hey Arnold!), and "The Hyakujuu Sentai, Defeated!!" (from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger), this episode is infamous for being extremely mean-spirited and unpleasant in an otherwise light-hearted comedy show such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, due to how Bendy frames the innocent Imaginary Friends.
   • Speaking of which, Bendy himself is a horrible and unlikable character, due to him framing the main characters for no reason whatsoever. He also has a whiny and horrible voice, courtesy of Jeff Bennett, which is very annoying to hear, especially when he cries.
2. This episode is not only mean-spirited, but it is also a huge waste of potential:
   • On one hand, during the introduction of the episode, the plot does focus on a very timid Bendy after being abandoned by his owners feeling distraught and being cared for by Frankie and Mr. Herriman as the two side with Bendy, and the mere moment that Bendy meets Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco, it gives it the potential of the episode being about Bendy getting along with all of the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends cast and befriending them, with lots of hilarious slapstick humor and tons of heartwarming elements that are focused on Bendy's friendship with Bloo and the gang, which the episode itself could have easily been about.
     • Not only that, but what's also worse is the fact that Bendy's motives of becoming a mean-spirited prankster and framing Bloo and the others is somewhat forced, as there was literally no build-up to Bendy wanting to frame them. All that happens is Bendy seeing Bloo and the gang playing video games, he comes in and when all Bloo said was if Bendy wanted to play Four, Bendy just knocks over a vase and runs off, and that's when the major plot of Bendy framing Bloo and the gang happens. This scene in general feels super rushed.
   • On the other hand, an episode in which the idea of a person is at first thought to be nice, when in truth, he or she was actually a naughty person was an interesting and a well thought-out idea that has also been done in previous media. The problem was that the episode didn't handle it very well at all.
3. Frankie and Mr. Herriman are completely out-of-character in this episode, believing Bendy over Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco, despite knowing the latter characters longer and only meeting Bendy for literally a few seconds. They even believe Bendy over Eduardo and especially Wilt, the latter of whom is known for being extremely kindhearted and hates lying, and the former of which is an extremely gentle giant who would not even hurt a fly and hates doing bad things.
4. It's an extremely evil Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco torture episode, as they are constantly getting framed by Bendy throughout the episode, which is very mean-spirited.
   • Bloo especially gets the most bad luck when it comes to being framed by Bendy, such as getting blamed for drawing on the wall with a marker after he grabs the marker from Bendy's hand just as Frankie and Mr. Herriman walk into the incident, getting the blame for destroying a window when Frankie looks at the pictures of Bloo holding the baseball bat that were accidentally taken by Coco, and perhaps the worst one is the intercom scene, as in this part in particular, not only does Bloo get framed once again after Bendy runs away when Bloo snatches the intercom device and attempts to call in Mr. Herriman and Frankie, he also gets unfairly grounded until further notice by Mr. Herriman. And as to run salt to the wound, its reviled that Bendy used Bloo's toothbrush to clean the toilets, as he then perceived to rub it in Bloo's face as Bendy walks up to the latter and says with a smirk "by the way, this is your toothbrush!" before running off and laughing like a maniac as Bloo looks at the camera with a VERY distorted looking expression on his face, which is not only cruel as that toothbrush in particular originally belonged to Mac, but it's nothing more than the episode delivering one final blow to Bloo, thus making this episode a very cruel Bloo torture episode mid-way.
5. Many scenes can get SUPER frustrating. One of the most noticeable and most infamous examples is how Bloo unwittingly lets himself get accused, such as:
   • Taking the marker from Bendy's hand that the latter used to scribble on the walls just as Frankie and Mr. Herriman walk into the scene.
   • Picking up the bat after Bendy used it to hit a ball to a window and then runs from the area, only to have Coco accidentally take photos of Bloo holding the bat, which cause Frankie to look at said photos of Bloo holding the bat and accusing him.
   • Leaving the victims' room to snatch the intercom device from Bendy's hand and then perceived to call Frankie and Mr. Herriman to come to the foyer by the way of the intercom while Bendy was insulting them, only for Bendy to sneak off just before Mr. Herriman and Frankie approached the intercom where Bloo is when the latter attempts to call them, resulting in Bloo being framed once again and then gets grounded.
     • To be fair, most of it is due to Bloo trying to stop Bendy's antics and trying to frame the latter, but that doesn't make those scenes less frustrating then they already are.
6. Although Bloo is likable in this episode, he acts like a total idiot in this episode as he repeatedly makes very stupid decisions, such as picking up the things that Bendy was holding and getting himself incriminated for everything Bendy did, to most infamously confessing his revenge plan on Bendy to Mr Herriman and Frankie in full just when Bendy was about to be punished for flooding the house(more on that in a bit).
7. There's a handful of very repetitive scenes, with special mention going to the montage of Bendy framing Eduardo, Wilt, Coco and Bloo in that order somewhat mid-way through the episode, it goes on for 2 minutes straight and it goes as follows:
   • A cast is going about their day.
   • Bendy appears out of nowhere and does something bad while making a grin.
   • Mr. Herriman and/or Frankie appear(s) in that situation and glares at the framed cast.
   • The framed cast tries to accuse Bendy, only for the latter to pretend to cry and points right at the cast.
   • Mr. Herriman and/or Frankie feel(s) sorry for Bendy, then make(s) an angry glare at the cast(minus Eduardo) again as Bendy grins right at said framed cast, which causes them(minus Bloo) to look at the camera with a sad expression.
8. Terrible pacing. Some moments go way too fast, while some others go way too slow.
9. Whenever Bendy is about to do something bad or more infamously, is about to frame someone and gets off scot-free after framing them, he makes an EXTREMELY nasty, mean and downright cruel grin, and during those moments when he's about to frame someone and gets away with it after doing so, Bendy makes that nasty grin right at the character. This is perhaps the most infamous part about this episode, and is the main reason why fans of the series hate this episode. It's bad enough that an innocent imaginary friend is about to be framed, but to see the troublemaker with no comeuppance make a grin at a scapegoat is even worse. This makes it so frustrating that, much like D.W.'s infamous smile in "Arthur's Big Hit", it will (and we repeat WILL) make you want to beat Bendy's smirk up to a pulp.
10. All of Bendy's attempts to gain sympathy and frame the group come off as poor and not very convincing, making Frankie and Mr. Herriman come off as complete idiots.
11. There are multiple plot-holes throughout the episode that are never explained, which is the result of the episode originally being a 22-minute long episode as opposed to being a 13-minute long episode:
    • Biggest plot-hole: Why is Bendy even framing Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco in the first place? They did nothing wrong to him, nor even interacted with him.
    • Where the heck was Madame Foster during all those times that Bendy's framing Bloo and the others?
    • Why didn't Bloo call Mac to help him out against Bendy?
    • During the intercom scene, how the heck does Mr. Herriman and/or Frankie not realize two completely different voices?
    • When Bloo reveals how he set up Bendy, why did Frankie and Mr. Herriman all of a sudden blame Bloo for "flooding the house" and ignore the part where Bendy ate Frankie's cookies and made a mess with the ink?
12. A platter of mean-spirited and downright cruel scenes, such as the intercom scene where Mr. Herriman bans Bloo from his favorite things until further notice after believing that Bloo was the one who was "insulting them" via an intercom.
13. There are some bad morals taught in this episode. It's like the plot teaches audiences that being a bully to others is okay and that standing up for yourself is wrong. This is shown early on in the episode during the scenes where Bendy frames Eduardo, Wilt, Coco and Bloo when the latter four all try to stand up to Bendy by accusing him, only to get punished for it when Bendy keeps playing the victim card.
14. A pointless scene where Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco try to get Bendy framed by attempting to take a photo of Bendy breaking a giant window with a baseball. While it is great to see them try to fight back, not much happens other than showing that Bendy is clever. Its also never talk about again after their plan got messed up and as such, it's entirely possible to remove this scene and the episode wouldn't be any different.
15. Mean-spirited jokes that comes off as incredibly cruel, such as Bendy using Bloo's toothbrush to unclog the toilets, then preceding to say that to Bloo and then laughing like a maniac after the latter got grounded, as explained in WEKTESFMUTM #4.
    • This scene also leads to another few more plot holes:
      • How does Frankie not realize that Bendy was using Bloo's toothbrush to clean the toilets?
      • How did Bendy even get Bloo's toothbrush, and how does he know that it's Bloo's toothbrush in the first place?
16. Both Craig McCraken and Lauren Fast did a terrible job writing this episode given how both rush and unfinished it is. To the point that it could be considered even worse then Imposter's Home for Um... Make 'Em Up Pals (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)(tho not by much).
17. Mac makes a very pointless cameo in this episode and doesn't make an appearance until the last few seconds of this episode.
18. Wilt, Eduardo and Coco are treated very poorly in this episode, as in addition to them getting framed by Bendy for no reason whatsoever, they are also carbon cutouts as other than the set-up scene, they didn't do anything for most of the episode other than being confrontations for Bloo. Heck, after the scene where Wilt tries to warn Bloo not to intervene Bendy at the intercom, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco just disappear and are never seen or even mentioned again for the rest of the episode.
19. Neither Bendy, Frankie, nor Mr. Herriman get any comeuppance for his actions against Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo and Coco, nor do they apologize for how they acted to the imaginary friends.
20. Horrible ending: Bloo gets framed for "flooding the house" even though it was Bendy that did it. Frankie and Mr. Herriman didn't even yell at Bendy for eating Frankie's cookies or making a mess with the ink, making it feel like they're yelling at Bloo for "flooding the house" is a poor excuse just to have Bloo get in trouble and Bendy get away scot-free once again, granted Bloo did technically set Bendy up that caused the house to get flooded, but it's still very frustrating. The episode also ends with absolutely nothing getting resolved with Bloo on the verge of being severely punished once again, given off the impression that this episode was indeed rushed.

Innocent Qualities

1. The beginning of the episode is nice and well-handled, much like any other episode of the show.
2. Bloo, Eduardo, Wilt and Coco are the only likable characters in the episode.
3. Bendy's design is pretty decent but not that great as previously mentioned.
4. There are some funny moments in this episode, such as the scene where Bloo and Bendy are having a laughing contest as well as the scene where Bendy attempts to draw on the picture on his hand with a pen, only for it to squirt ink all over his face.
5. Bloo at least gets his revenge on Bendy by putting him through the idea he has, despite making a bad move in front of him, breaking it.
6. Bendy only appears in this episode and is to never be seen or heard of again.

Reception

This episode was ultimately panned by critics and fans alike and is regarded as one of the worst episodes, so much so that even writers Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust had regretted making it and airing it. It is often even cited by many fans and many critics as the absolute worst episode of the show and one of the worst mean spirited episodes in a cartoon series.

Many critics and fans had cited immense hate and disgust not only to Bendy, but also towards Frankie and Mr. Herriman, often citing that they were too out-of-character and way too cruel to Bloo, Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco. Grey DeLisle and the retired Tom Kane, the voices to Frankie and Mr. Herriman retrospectively, have admitted themselves to have had disgust voicing their parts in this negative manner. DeLisle even felt ashamed of the way her role as Frankie was written into this episode and felt sorry for the children and viewers who had watched that were upset.

The mean-spiritedness of the episode has also been widely hated by fans and critics, with Bendy framing innocent Imaginary Friends for no reason what-so-ever, Eduardo, Wilt, Coco, and Bloo getting harshly punished by Frankie and Mr. Herriman when framed by Bendy, and later on, Bloo getting grounded near the end of the episode, it was not pleasant in an otherwise light-hearted comedy show, and Fans did not like it one bit.

Critics and fans were also bothered by the episode's abrupt and rushed ending, with Bloo taking the fall trying to get revenge on Bendy by flooding the house, only to have Bendy walking away scot-free with no punishment or guilt for his actions. Critics had stated that the ending ruins the episode even further since Frankie and Mr. Herriman don't learn from their mistakes and don't apologize to Bloo, Walt, Coco, and Eduardo; and also do not hold Bendy accountable for all of his wrongdoings.

Bendy would be regarded as one of the most despised characters in not only Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends history, but also cartoon character history. Due to Bendy's harsh backlash, the backlash towards Mr. Herriman and Frankie, and even the episode's extremely poor and hate from critics and fans alike; the decision for Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust, and other writers of the show would be unanimous... Bendy would be ultimately removed from the show and never be seen or mentioned again. Faust and McCracken even apologized in regards to the episode, the bad writing, and for making the concept Bendy's character though some have still not forgiven them due to to them not apologizing for the other bad episodes. To make up for it, Bendy would ultimately be declared as a non-canon character, and the episode itself was also declared as not canon to the rest of the Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends series. The character would no longer exist on the show, and the negative actions and punishments enforced by Mr. Herriman and Frankie would be stated to have never happened.

For a while, this was widely considered as the absolute worst episode in the show, that is... until season 3 when "Imposters Home for Um... Make Em' Up Pals" aired, and now it is debatable which is the official WORST episode in the entire Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends series.

Trivia

• This episode is known for its odd running-time of thirteen to fourteen minutes, which is three to four minutes longer than an average eleven-minute long episode. This is because this episode was originally going to be twenty-two minutes long, but when Cartoon Network decided to switch from a half-hour episode to a quarter-hour episode for unknown reasons, several key moments had to be dropped, such as Bendy getting his comeuppance.
• Originality, when "Everyone Knows It's Bendy" first came out, there was gonna be another episode were Bendy appears, however after seeing the overwhelming negative criticisms that both Bendy and the episode got, the writers have decided to not have Bendy appear in later episodes.
• This is the first episode in the Fosters Home for Imaginary Friend series to be considered as non-canonical to the whole series. Due to Bendy's and the episode's poor reviews by critics and audiences alike, he was ultimately removed from the show and is never seen or mentioned again. The episode is also declared by Faust and McCracken in the story sense to also have never chronologically happened.
  • Although, one of the only times this episode was somewhat referenced to was in the Season 3 episode "Setting a President", when Mac, during the presidential debate, mentioned that Bloo has caused large amounts of trouble since he came to Foster's, which included flooding the house. Whether or not Mac was talking about the incident from the episode "Everyone Knows It's Bendy", or an entirely different incident that was never seen before, is entirely uncertain. Besides this slight reference, Bendy was still ultimately declared as a non-canon character to the show, and the episode itself was still declared by the writers as non-canon to the series.
• Even though Bendy is one of the most hated characters in this episode, some fans think that Frankie and Mr. Herriman should also get just as much hate (though not nearly as much hate as Bendy) due to their questionable actions throughout the whole episode:
  • The first of which is how out-of-character both Frankie and Mr. Herriman are by believing Bendy over the other Imaginary Friends who has lived in Fosters longer than he has. While it's understandable for Frankie and Mr. Herriman to not believe Bloo and (to some lesser extent) Coco, them not believing Eduardo and Wilt is a whole different story, because Eduardo is a gentle character who hates doing bad things, and Wilt is a super kind-hearted Imaginary Friend who hates lying.
  • The second of which is how cruel they are when it comes to punishing Eduardo, Wilt, Coco, and Bloo after Bendy frames them for his deeds. While it's understandable for them to be like that with the case when thinking that Wilt and Bloo were the ones that got the walls all muddy and wrote on the walls with a permanent marker respectively, punishing Eduardo and Coco when they are believed to have both left crumbs on the floor and touching a cake respectively, both of which are very minor and (in the case with crumbs) can even be fixed is often considered SUPER harsh and very out-of-character for Frankie and Mr. Herriman to punish them like that.
  • The third of which is how before the climax where Bendy and Bloo have a laugh off, Mr. Herriman yells at Bloo to stop laughing and only assume that it's him that was laughing, even though there were clearly two different voices.
  • The fourth of which is how during the climax of the episode when Bendy is trying to clean off the ink. They believe that it's Bloo who's in the bathroom and also only assume that it's him. This shows that they overthink too far.
  • The fifth/final of which is that they only blame Bloo for flooding the house... and yet they don't yell at Bendy for eating Frankie's cookies as well as make a mess with the ink, even though he is the one who did it.
    • This is especially questionable since before this, Frankie and Mr. Herriman were all wondering about Frankie's cookies and the ink, only to then be mad at Bloo for "flooding the house" after the latter tells them that. This hints that in some ways, Frankie and Mr. Herriman are infamously making EXCUSES to have Bendy look so innocent.
  • Because of the five reasons, coupled with the fact that Frankie and Mr. Herriman just ignore Bendy with the cookie and ink incident, this genially implies that Frankie and Mr. Herriman might secretly know that Bendy is the troublemaker, and are just saying that to make Bendy look innocent. This shows that Frankie and Mr. Herriman are being very stubborn, which makes them very unlikable.
• Due to the negative reception of the episode, Bendy never reappeared in an episode of the show after this episode. Despite this, his signature was seen in Mac's "Goodbye" card in the series finale episode "Goodbye to Bloo" which angered fans, as it means that this episode is canon, though it might be referring to another Imaginary Friend who's name is also Bendy.
• There are a couple of theories of why Bendy is the way he is; mainly, Gregory might have framed Bendy for his actions. The other is Bendy truly being a psychopath.

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