Supersmurf (The Smurfs, 1981)

Supersmurf (The Smurfs, 1981)
Smurf Up, Brainy! - Smurfs
Series: The Smurfs (1981) Part of Season: 1 Episode Number: 17 Air Date: October 17, 1981 Previous episode: "Sideshow Smurfs" Next episode: "Paradise Smurfed"

"Supersmurf" is an episode of The Smurfs.

Summary

Brainy Smurf uses the Super Spell to become Supersmurf and retrieve the stolen food supply from Bigmouth. Unfortunately, the spell wore off and the Smurfs resorted to using their wits to retrieve their food.

Why It's Not Super

1. The running gag of Brainy Smurf getting thrown out of the village already becomes predictable. It's like the writers were trying too hard to make Brainy Smurf sympathetic at the beginning of the episode.
2. Brainy is the one who caused Bigmouth to steal food from the village and his help as Supersmurf was nothing more than trouble.
3. Not only is the running gag becoming predictable, but the other Smurfs tell Brainy to "smurf up" as if they hate him. Even when Brainy saves the day, they still tell him to shut up and throw him out of sight.
4. At one point, there was a scene where Brainy or Hefty would rescue Smurfette. But she ends up getting resuced by Papa Smurf instead. No one can ever imagine Papa rescuing Smurfette, finding it unintentionally creepy. If Hefty was the one to catch her instead of Papa (along with Clumsy being the one attempting to catch her), this would have been averted.
5. Some of the jokes are hit-or-miss, such as the other Smurfs constantly having a grudge against Brainy. This was toned down in later seasons, where the Smurfs do care about him (although they have a hard time admitting it due to his egotistical nature).
6. The concept of a Smurf with super powers is pretty good, but suffered from poor execution. Everyone, including Papa Smurf, find the Super Spell to be dangerous without any explanation to control it.
7. Terrible Ending: After Brainy Smurf uses his wits to rescue the food supply, he starts to recite a speech and gets thrown out of sight by the other Smurfs. It goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished and Brainy Smurf continues to be tossed on his head, like nothing happened.
8. Brainy Smurf is portrayed as a vainglorious coward who pretends to be a legendary hero and acts as moralizer to the Smurfs. At one point, he tries to get in shape with Hefty's equipment in a training montage with stock music unfitting for the sequence.
9. Bigmouth is threatening and gigantic, but nowhere near as cartoonishly evil as Gargamel and Azrael. He's only there to shoo the Smurfs away from the stolen food.
10. Clumsy Smurf appears in this episode, but never gets any lines and isn't portrayed as Brainy's only best friend like in any of the other episodes.
    • To be fair, Clumsy's personality is mixed between Dopey's character and his when the show started.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Most of the Smurfs are likeable.
2. Good animation and good voice acting.
3. The plot was done better in the 2021 series episode, "My Smurf the Hero".
4. Some funny moments, such as the other Smurfs and Smurfette trying to get food back from Bigmouth.

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