Straight Illin (Clarence)

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"Straight Illin"
"Would you, could you, watch this Clarence episode?" "NO!!! I would not, could not, watch this gross out episode!" And yes, it's a Green Eggs and Ham reference.
Series: Clarence Part of Season: 1 Episode Number: 35 Writer: Spencer Rothbell Previous episode: Chimney Next episode: Dust Buddies

"Straight Illin" is the 35th episode of Clarence. It aired on April 16, 2015, and hasn't been aired again since.

Plot

Clarence is playing "Truth or Dare" with his friends. Belson dares him to eat five hundred deviled eggs in one go, and he becomes extremely sick as a result.

Why It's Straightly Ill (literally)

1. The primary issue with this episode is the ineffectual use of crude and gross-out humor, which comes across as incredibly uncomfortable and disturbing, rather than humorous. This contrasts with "Too Gross for Comfort," which managed to execute gross-out humor effectively.
2. In the episode, Clarence becomes increasingly ill, eventually resembling and behaving like a real zombie, a portrayal that is unsettling, especially for a children's cartoon from the mid-2010s.
   • Not to mention that Clarence's voice sounds disturbing when he's sick.
3. Just like The Ren & Stimpy Show or Seasons 6-7 of SpongeBob SquarePants, there are several gross close-ups of Clarence's sick face, which is highly detailed.
4. Due to its grotesque elements, this episode seems quite out of character for the show's typically light-hearted and grounded tone.
5. When Clarence sneezes when he finds Sumo and Jeff in the air vent, his germs and viruses travel through the air conditioner. And as a result, everyone in the entire school becomes sick, with Belson being the only exception.
6. In this episode, Belson is particularly unlikable, reaching a low point as he challenges Clarence to consume five hundred deviled eggs, leading to Clarence becoming violently ill.
   • This also teaches children to play Truth and Dare in sadistic ways that could potentially harm or even kill especially when it comes to dangerous internet challenges such as Tide Pod Challenge or Cinnamon Challenge which is a very serious red flag, even for a kids show.
7. Almost all of the characters are stupid for the sake of the episode's plot.
   • Clarence recklessly agrees to Belson's challenge to consume five hundred eggs, disregarding Jeff's caution about the potential danger to his health.
   • Although Clarence is very ill, his parents still permit him to attend school. Nonetheless, there's a chance that he may have sneaked out of the house.
   • Despite Clarence having been violently ill, his parents allowed him to go to school anyways (though knowing Clarence, he may have escaped from his house to attend school even if he was ordered to stay on his home).
   • Almost nobody, with Sumo and Jeff being the only exceptions, was bothered to take Clarence to see the nurse despite Ms. Baker advising him to see her. Nobody was even bothered to warn the nurse, either. Instead, they give him space and ignore him.
   • Sumo and Jeff try to take him to the nurse in their own ridiculous way, where it is implied that it was by catching him with a net (for some reason, they don't just bring him to the nurse's office?). However, they eventually end up there while trying to run away from Clarence through the air ducts.
8. The blender imagination looks very disturbing for young viewers, not helping that the blender sounds awful and ear-grating.
9. The episode may be unsettling for individuals with germophobia, those with OCD, and young children.
10. Although the ending is satisfactory, Belson does not receive an appropriate retribution for daring Clarence. Nevertheless, Mr. Reese disciplines Belson for the dare, albeit offscreen.

Healing Qualities

1. Alright ending: Belson loses, and he actually deserves that.
2. Jeff and Sumo are still likable in the episode.
   • Speaking of them, this episode shows that they can actually work together as good friends despite almost disagreeing with each other.
3. Unlike Teen Titans Go!'s, Body Adventure, which got banned later on during the COVID-19 Pandemic last March 2020, this episode never rebroadcast in several countries following its initial release due to its disturbing nature.

Reception

The episode received negative feedback from many reviewers and fans because it featured disturbing content and was considered out of place, with criticism directed at Belson. It was labeled as one of the show's worst episodes, leading to its ban after the initial broadcast by Cartoon Network. However, it remains available on VOD, the internet, Hulu, and the official Cartoon Network website.

On IMDb, the episode was ranked 5.9 as one of the lowest that is ever graded; user reviews negatively criticized the episode from having much of the gross-out parts of the character getting sick.

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