|
I was born with webbed fish toes. Like some kind of horrible fish-boy. Wanna see? — Dirge |
|
| Invader Zim Episode | |
| Bestest Friend | |
| |
| Chronology | |
| Previous: | The Nightmare Begins |
|---|---|
| Next: | NanoZIM |
| Information | |
| Episode No: | Episode 02a |
| Production No: | 02a |
| Airdate: | April 13, 2001 |
| Credits | |
| Writer(s): | Rob Hummel Roman Dirge Jhonen Vasquez |
Plot Summary
The Final Test
SPOILER WARNING OF DOOM: This section or article may contain spoilers!
During lunch, Zim overhears Jessica talking at another lunch table. Wondering why Zim has no friends, she comments that having no friends is so "inhuman." Hearing this, Zim fears that his lack of friends will expose his identity as an alien, leading him to be captured by human scientists.
Seeking to rectify this, he goes over to the "Rejects" table, and asks which of them wishes to be his best friend. After talking to a couple, he poses 3 challenges to the remaining children. He tests their absorbency, electro-conductivity, and issues a "final test" that includes a beaver and a toy taxi. What happened during this test is hidden from the audience, but evidently causes great pain, as the children Zim's testing are heard screaming during the test. Zim determines Keef to be the winner & his best friend.
After a full day of friend-filled weirdness, Zim dismisses Keef & states that he requires Keef's services no longer. Keef doesn't get the message, and proceeds to stalk Zim. In a final attempt to rid himself of Keef after hearing of a surprise party Keef is throwing for him, Zim builds a machine which rips Keef's eyes out of his sockets in a gruesome fashion (seen only as shadows on the wall) & replaces them with new, artifical eyes. These new eyes have hypnotic properties,
Keef with his new robot eyes.
and Zim uses them to convince Keef that an irritable squirrel is Zim.
The episode closes with Keef falling of a building and getting caught in some sort of explosion with GIRsuperimposed on the screen stirring his cake batter.
End of Spoilers: There are no further spoilers for this section or article. You can breathe now.
Facts of Doom
Cultural References
- Keef continually riding his bike in front of Zim's house is most likely an homage to the horror movies The Omen & The Shining.
- The picture that Keef draws of him & Zim is possibly a homage to a piece entitled Madonna & Child, with Keef as Madonna & Zim as the child.
- In the DVD commentary it was stated that Jhonen wanted a blood splatter on the wall in the "Taxi & Beaver" scene after Gretchen & Melvin are covered in black. This is a possible homage to one of his earlier works, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac & how blood is the main setting for the story. Of course, parents' complaints & Nickelodeon itself forbade him from using it.
- When Zim's robot ripped out Keef's eyeballs it can be seen as a shadow on the wall, just like how Jimmy's death was depicted in the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comic. This could be a possible homage to Jhonen's past work. The Invader ZIM crew had to censor it with shadows, because parents, the squeamish & sensitive viewers would find it "too gruesome".
- GIR's transformation into his dog costume may be an homage to Sailor Moon's first transformation, Moon Prism Power, as both go in loops. A quicker version occurs in Tak: The Hideous New Girl, without the loops & dogbone background.
Trivia
- The title was in the squiggly Invader ZIM font instead of the "Invader" 1. It is the 1st episode to have this.
- This is the 1st time that all of GIR's teal components turned red as he went into duty mode.
- Jhonen Vasquez repeatedly referred to this episode during Comic-Con 2005. He said "Zim ripped a kid's eyes out of his screaming head and gave him new cooler, more high-tech eyes... That I would kill for!"
- Dib & Gaz (playing her Game Slave) make a cameo appearance in the cafeteria, but lack lines.
- In the scene where Zim's imagining the whole population of Earth at his doorstep, you can see Jessica, even though she wanted no part in his 'Party."
- There was originally going to be a sequel to the episode called "Return of Keef", but it was never animated. The script exists, however, and voices were recorded.
- Keef has normal eyes in every other episode with him, despite the fact that his eyes looked different in this episode. So this could mean the eyes were only used temporarily or his eyeballs could have grown back
- The comically happy music that plays in the background during Zim and Keef's "friendship" montage mocks other children's shows' "friendship" scenes.
- Melvin originally throws away his party invitation but still goes to the party anyway, though he disappears during one of the later scenes at the party.
Cuts & Changes
- When Keef's attacked by the squirrel & falls off a building, he was originally supposed to fall onto an electricity pole's wires or a car drives by & Keef gets stuck to 1 of its tires & gets rolled onto the road while becoming squished up. In both ways, Jhonen wanted him to be killed. Nickelodeon & Christian parents objected, like always, to Jhonen's idea & demanded a change.
- There was originally supposed to be a blood splatter on the wall after the beaver & taxi "Final Test" scene. It was called too explicit by Nickelodeon.
- This episode was originally set to air with Dark Harvest, but they were deemed "too twisted" to be aired together. So instead, this episode aired with "NanoZIM". However, both can be considered really dark episodes. These 2 air together in other countries such as Australia.
Inconsistencies & Animation errors
- While Zim's jumping on the table from the peas, Zim's pants turn pink for about a second. They turn black before he stops flopping around, however.
Keef talking to 'Zim'.
- When GIR goes into Duty Mode, only his eyes turn red, like in "The Nightmare Begins". However, in the very next scene, all the cyan parts of his body turn red.
Music
- Main article: The Kevin Manthei Invader Zim-phony Special
- Dark Daydream
- Is played as Jessica's voice echoes "Inhuman, inhuman, inhuman...." and ends when Zim approaches the reject table.
- Bestest Friends
- Plays during the friendship montage.
- Bike Stalker
- Plays while Keef is riding his bike past Zim's House.
- Party Favors
- Is played when GIR walks past Zim with the bag filled with party stuff.
- Carnival Nightmares
- Starts playing when Zim says "Humans and their fffilthy friendship. It brings nothing but trouble. I can see them now..." and ends after Zim's daydream.
- They're Coming
- Plays while Zim, Keef, and GIR are screaming in slow motion, and while Zim is holding Keef's "present" and laughing maniacally.
- New Eyes
- Starts when Keef opens up his "present".