| Escape From the Deep End | |
| |
| Episode | Season 1, Episode 11 |
| Airdate | October 15, 1998 |
| Previous Episode | Work Force |
| Next Episode | The Collector |
| Directed by | Robert Porter |
| Written by | Andy Rheingold |
| Produced by | Larry LeFrancis |
Escape from the Deep End is the 9th episode of CatDog.
Characters
Plot
It’s a hot day in Nearburg; we start by overlooking a traffic jam in the city center, and we pan over to a bird’s eye view of a large pool (just outside the city) in the distance. We head over to the pool and find that everyone is trying to stay cool and have fun, but Rancid Rabbit (the lifeguard in charge of the pool, dotting blue, prison warden like attire) is brutally enforcing a large and strict set of pool rules (a giant sign, higher than the high diving board, lists all the rules). Rancid Rabbit recites them over a loudspeaker: “No cannonballs. Hey! Hey! No Running! No Dripping! No Yelling. No low diving! Cut it out! No thinking! No thinking about thinking! I’m warning you…” We then briefly switch our focus to CatDog: Dog dashes excitingly toward the diving board, wanting to do a cannonball dive (and he repeatingly shouts: “Cannonball! Cannonball! Cannonball!”), and begins to climb the ladder; Cat is dragged along and tries to get Dog to calm down and behave himself (he tells dog to slow down; and he also tries holding onto one rung of the ladder), but to no avail. We switch focus to Dunlap the Weasel in the water; he takes a quick look around and then grins to himself (the kind of grin in which you are certain no one is watching you), and then attempts to backstroke. Instantaneously, Rancid Rabbit (still the lifeguard), riding a motorized floating cattle pool toy (dotting a gold star and a siren like a police car would), stops in front of Dunlap (splashing water on him as he stops); he tells Dunlap he’s backstroking without a license, lifts him out of the water, writes Dunlap a ticket (which he puts in Dunlap’s swimming trunks), and tells him: “Son, you’re drowning in a heap of trouble.” Rancid Rabbit then hears someone dive off the diving board and looks to see who; we cut to a view underwater and see that it was Eddy the Squirrel. Eddy hums to himself as he’s enjoying his underwater swim, but is then grabbed by Rancid Rabbit, who pulls him out of the water. Rancid tells Eddy that he forgot to shower before entering the pool, and arrests him (he orders him: “Up Against the Boogie Board!”). We cut back to CatDog as Dog continues hurrying excitingly to the top of the diving board to do a cannonball (continuing to shout “Cannonball! Cannonball!”), and is Cat trying to stop him (“Come on, show a little discipline Dog! No Cannonballs! It’s against the rules!”); Dog reaches the top, pounces on the board and jumps off (Dog also curls himself into a “cannonball”). Cat tries to prevent Dog’s Cannonball by grabbing into the diving board, but is only taken along for the ride, shouting: “No! N-! Not the waterrrrrrrrrrrr!” However, just before they hit the water, a long net reaches out and catches CatDog; Dog is puzzled, but Cat breathes a sigh of relief since he didn’t get wet. The net retracts and brings CatDog into Rancid Rabbit’s watch tower; and Rancid Rabbit (dotting his usual clothing and a pair of glasses) plays judge and peers over CatDog from a judge’s bench. He shines a light on CatDog and says: “Attempted Cannonball with the intent to splash… Guilty As Charged! [he also breaks his glasses as he clenches them at the same time he pounds his fist on the bench in rage]” Rancid then attaches a ball-and-chain (the kind a prisoner would wear) to CatDog, and Cat says as he does this: “I warned him. Maybe a little discipline will do him some good. He’ll finally learn to obey the rules.” We cut back to a view outside the watch tower and see Rancid Rabbit sound a horn and announce over a bullhorn: “Everybody out! Pool’s closed!” The rest of the patrons rush out in a joyful haste, and the pool begins to transform into a prison/’work camp’; the watch tower grows much taller, large metal walls rise from the ground to surround the pool on all sides, barbed wire appears along the top of the steel walls and along the diving board’s ladder, and the changing tents are lifted into the air to reveal prison cells are underneath them, with Dunlap, Eddy, and other patrons (including Sunshine and 2 other stock characters) that lifeguard Rancid arrested inside them (It’s revealed that Rancid Rabbit makes working prisoners out of anyone who disobeys the pool rules). The cells open and let the prisoners out (who are all dotting atypical prison attire and ball-and-chains). CatDog is thrown out of the tower and lands next to the other prisoners. Rancid Rabbit (once again dotting his Lifeguard/’prison warden’ attire) walks down from his tower toward the prisoners and briefs them: “In here, I am the law! Do as I say, and you’ll make it though in one piece. Cross me, AND I’LL BE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!”
Rancid Rabbit orders everyone to break up large, solid blocks of Chlorine for the pool by pounding them with metal mallets; Rancid Rabbit relaxes and enjoys himself as he keeps an eye on everyone. Sunshine stops and asks Warden Rancid if he can get a drink of water; Rancid lets him. Dunlap then stops and asks if he can scratch his behind; Rancid lets him do that as well. Dog tires from this labor; and although Cat is also a prisoner and has to do it as well, he is more happy than overworked since Dog is being disciplined and being taught a lesson. Rancid then orders: “Listen up pool scum! I expect all the Chlorine Blocks to be broken up by the time a return from the latrine!” All the prisoners rush over to a large pile of these Chlorine Blocks; and in a puff of smoke that forms around them, it looks like they break them up in haste. But they only form the blocks into a large sofa, and then all jump into it (except for Cat, who is disappointed in everyone) and start to relax and talk. Cat says to dog: “Dog, didn’t you hear what the boss-man said?” Dog replies: “Yeah, but he’s not here anymore.” Cat tells Dog that’s the “wrong answer” and puts him back to work; Cat assures Rancid from afar: “Breaking the Chlorine Boss-Man.” Rancid Rabbit checks on everyone by looking out the bathroom window. As Dog continues working, Eddy comes up and suggests to Dog that he should stop hanging out with a “Goody Two-Shoes” the likes of Cat; but Cat cuts in and states to Eddy and everyone else: “If you and those other delinquents spend more time doing what the boss-man says, and less time loathing, then maybe he’d let you out of here.” This enrages the other prisoners, who angrily approach cat, get him, and stuff the chlorine blocks in his mouth (Dog agrees that they didn’t like Cat’s little speech). Cat spits them out, and they land in front of Boss-Man Rancid, who has just returned from the bathroom; Rancid puts his eyes on Cat. Cat angrily tries to explain to Rancid Rabbit that the other prisoners are to blame for what happen; the prisoners play innocent by dotting angel costumes and vowing as cat points to them. Dog covers Cat’s mouth and quietly tells him not to snitch. Rancid asks Dog what he said, and Cat says: “He said… Don’t snitch to the smelly Rabbit.” Dog is shocked and grabs Cat for mercy, but Cat only pushes Dog aside. Rancid rabbit is enraged (“Smelly eigh?”); he grabs Dog by his chest and shouts in his face: “IT’S THE ‘HOT BOX’ FOR YOU!!” Rancid Rabbit then throws CatDog to the other side of the pool, and into the said ‘Hot Box’; he locks CatDog inside and turns the dial on the door to the picture of a Devil (the other settings being a picture of a palm tree, a picture of a hot pepper, and a picture of a flame). As steam begins to emerge from the Hot Box, Cat tells Dog sincerely: “Dog, don’t look at me like that. This is for your own good; do you think I want to be cooped up in here?” We cut to a view of the hotbox from afar, and we see Rancid Rabbit relaxing on his floating pool toy from earlier. We cut back to inside the ‘Hot Box’ and Cat goes on “Rules are the backbone for a civilized community pool.” Dog angrily replies: “Rules are for fools!” Rancid (eating an Ice Cream cone) then opens the door to let CatDog out; but Cat (feeling Dog needs more time) requests that they be locked in for a couple more days. Cat thanks Rancid, and Rancid replies “Suit Yourself.” Sometime later, Dog is broken from the intense heat’s torture, and repeats to himself in a subdued tone: “I will obey the rules. I will obey the rules. I will obey the rules.”, and Cat looks onward in triumph. Being in the heat for so long has also made CatDog slightly thinner. Rancid opens the door and checks on CatDog; Cat tells Rancid: “Good news boss-man, Dog’s finally learned his lesson. We’re ready to come out now.” But Rancid Rabbit only laughs wickedly and tells CatDog that he feels they could use a couple more months! Cat is confused and shocked and further iterates that he and Dog followed the rules; but Rancid tells Cat that he just changed the rules, and then locks the door and leaves CatDog again. An even more shocked Cat tries to tell Rancid: “But you can’t change the rules… I never read a rule about changing the rules! It’s against the rules!! Well, JUST CHANGE THEM BACK!!!”
Even more time passes and Rancid Rabbit finally opens the Door and lets CatDog out of the ‘Hot Box’; CatDog has been even more thinned than before. A now even more subdued Dog emerges very slowly. Cat however emerges at a normal pace; and with a serious look on his face, he takes a brief look around. Cat has now come to realize that Rancid Rabbit doesn’t care about making and enforcing a set of rules that are fair to everyone and only wants to use his power and authority to have fun (at the top) ordering and torturing people. We fade to later on and find the prisoners breaking up more Chlorine Blocks; a still subdued Dog pounds his hammer very genially (not enough to break anything) and repeats to himself: “I will obey the rules. I will obey the rules. I will obey the rules.” Cat then stops pounding and then takes a good look around; he checks to see if Rancid is paying attention (which he isn’t, and is instead sleeping), and then looks in the pool and sees a cork stopper in the drain. Cat gets near the water slowly, takes another look around, and then proceeds to suck the water out of the pool. Dog scoldingly asks Cat what he’s doing; Cat replies: “I’m busting out of here, and I’ve got a plan see. Help me empty out the pool.” Dog loudly berates Cat: “But that’s against the ru-!” Cat covers Dog’s mouth before he can finish, and then tells Dog to be quiet so that Rancid won’t hear them. Dog then loudly attempts to call Rancid, and Cat covers Dog’s mouth again (a sleeping Rancid Rabbit doesn’t wake up). Cat replies: “Ooh, stop that Dog! It’s me, Cat, your cell-mate.” Dog then reminds cat that escaping is against the rules, but Cat tells Dog that he was right and that Rancid Rabbit’s rules really are for fools. A confused Dog begins shivering and says “But! But!” But Cat gets though to Dog be telling him: “Don’t you see? You’ll never again chase a garbage truck across the wild planes. Or-or-or you won’t savor the sweet taste of shredded meated Taco Depot.” Cat goes on: “Freedom is right outside these walls [pointing out the metal walls surrounding the pool]; are you with me?” Dog ponders for a moment, then sucks up some of the pool water, pauses with a mouthful, and spits it out over the wall. The ‘Hot Box’s’ effect on Dog is reversed and he is himself again. Dog winks at cat confirming he is in, and Cat uses one of the metal mallets to break the cuff and free them from their ball and chain (Cat: “No pool can hold us”). Working together, Cat and Dog suck the water out of the pool. Dog swallows the water, it travels though CatDog’s body to Cat, and Cat Spits it out over the wall. Rancid Rabbit continues to sleep, but Cat keeps an eye out for him. The pool is at last emptied, and CatDog jumps in and Cat pulls the stopper out of the pool’s drain. Just then however, Rancid Rabbit (now awoken) comes over and demands to know what’s going on. CatDog makes their way down the open drain, and Rancid Rabbit jumps into the pool attempting to follow. He corners CatDog, but Cat spots a valve and turns it; this starts a large gush of water flowing into the pool with Rancid Rabbit in it (who screams in fright); the water also comes down into the drain and washes CatDog away. Rancid Rabbit get caught in a whirlpool and is unable to swim (he screams and panics); he demands he be thrown a floaty, and Eddy adds insult to injury by saying “Hey-Hey! No splashing! I’m making a citizen’s arrest!” Rancid Rabbit gets caught in the drain, and is further humiliated as he’s laughed at by his prisoners as he attempts to free himself; the evil Rancid Rabbit is at last defeated (for now) and everyone is liberated.
As CatDog makes their way through the sewers, Cat spots a light from up above and declares: “Dog. Look! We’re free! Free at last!” They head up and come out of a Water Fountain in what appears to be a school hallway and Cat wonders where they are, but decides to just go home. No sooner do they start on their way, they bump into a school staff member who is somewhat of a female version of Rancid Rabbit and she asks if they have a hall pass. A confused cat replies “A hall pass?” Dog puts us his arms as if to say he doesn’t have one either. The staff member berates CatDog: “No talking back! It’s against the rules!” We cut to a view of a large sign being made that lists the rules (that is somewhat similar to the pool’s large sign of rules). The staff member then grabs Cat by the ear and begins to drag CatDog to Detention (“It’s detention for you two juvenile delinquents!”). As the episode ends, Dog (not trying to hold back) tells Cat not to worry and that no school can hold them.
Transcript
For a full transcript of Escape from the Deep End, click here.
Gallery
The gallery for Escape from the Deep End may be view here.