Work Force is the second half of the fourth episode of CatDog from the first season.
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Work Force
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Episode
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Season 1, Episode 21 (10b)
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Airdate
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October 7, 1998
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Previous Episode
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Directed by
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Written by
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Christ Kelly, Robert Porter
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Music by
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Characters Present
Summary
CatDog get jobs at Rancid Rabbit's "Kavity Krunch" cereal factory.
Recap
The music we hear during the title card and opening credits continues to play into the start of the episode, where we see a billboard advertising a cereal called “Kavity Krunch” and a woman’s voice sings the cereal’s jingle to the music we’re hearing:
Ka-vit-y Krunch, Ka-vit-y Krunch.
Eat it for breakfast, munch it for lunch
Din-ner time too, ‘cause I’ve got a hunch
You’ll love ca-vit-y crunch.
Plot
The music then changes (the melody and tempo remain the same, but the instruments change and the harmony changes to reflect a dark/industrial mood) and we pan over to a view of the factory where the cereal is produced. We cut to a view of an open area inside the plant, where machines and structures tower to the ceiling; we pan down to a vat below, filled with green slime. Two pipes suspended above the vat spit out various forms of trash into the slime; a mixing blade then drops down into the vat and mixes its contents together (this is the cereal’s batter, which then travels down pipes leading below). We transition to another open area where the pipes carrying the batter go into an odd octopus/utter like device that changes the batter into the finished cereal and spits it into boxes traveling on a conveyor belt below. The filled boxes then travel along the conveyor belt into a corridor that leads to the next area. We transition into this area where to find several employees (this is ironically the first staffed area we see) licking the boxes’ tops so that the boxes can be sealed later along the assembly line (much like you’d lick an envelope so it can be sealed); Rancid Rabbit (the factory’s manager) overlooks all of his employees from up above on a mobile, bucket like platform that is moved around by an arm. We pan down for a closer look and see that CatDog, Mervis the Pig, and Dunlap the Weasel are among the many employees licking the boxes (the name of their position is “box licker”); and we find them struggling to keep on licking the boxes (one’s mouth begins to run dry after so much licking). Dog on the other hand (naturally laden with saliva and born to lick) is not struggling, and is seen licking multiple boxes at once and accidentally getting his saliva on Cat. Cat closes his eyes and puts up his pointer to signal Dog to be careful, but is only hit on the eye with more saliva. Cat then tells Dog to take it easy as it’s only their first day on the job. Dog apologizes and explains that he’s “inspired to greatness”, and he turns Cat’s attention to a large portrait of the factory’s “#1 Prize Stuffer” posing proudly in uniform (and wearing a Finger hat with “#1” written on it). Cat replies: “Oh come on, that stupid ‘prize stuffer’?” Dog hushes Cat and adds: “The ‘#1’ prize stuffer.” After the boxes of cereal are licked by the ‘box lickers’, they go to the ‘prize stuffers’, who put one prize in each box and then seals each one and lets to move on to be shipped out; we cut back to a brief view of #1’s portrait and then pan down to find ‘prize stuffers’ #1, #2 and #3 (the later 2 being stock characters who also dot finger hats the correspond to their positions as #2 and #3) at work (#1 is at his own Conveyor Belt, and #2 and #3 share one below #1’s). #1 ironically doesn’t look much like he does in his portrait, and is somewhat deformed (likely due to age, stress, something else, or any combination thereof); as #1 handles each box, he repeats “Number One, Number One, Number One…” Suddenly (and quite randomly), #1 begins to act up: He roughly stuffs one of the boxes and knocks it and another down (and begins to repeat “Number One” more aggressively), grabs a handful of prizes and drops them over #2 and #3’s area (#2 is startled; and #3 looks onward in disbelief, turns to #2 and swirls his pointer finger next to his head as if to say #1 is going crazy), starts to shout “Number One. Number One…” even more loudly, and finally goes inane, yelling “NUMBER ONE!” out loud and ripping 2 boxes of cereal to shreds as they go by on his conveyor belt (#2 and #3 also dash off to get to safety). #1 then rips off his uniform and yells “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!” He then dives into an open cereal box moving on #2 and #3’s conveyor belt, and gets trapped inside; he squirms around inside and insanely shouts and laughs to himself as his box moves along the conveyor belt, and down the chute where the finished boxes go to get loaded on the trucks (all as multiple ‘box lickers’, including Cat look onward, barely able to believe the whole thing). When it’s all finally over, Cat remarks: “Well that’s something you don’t see every day.” Rancid Rabbit then brings himself down on his mobile platform toward the gathering and demands: “What’s with all the standing around? What? What? What?” The other ‘box lickers’ then dash back to work as Rancid Rabbit stops near Cat (saying out loud: “Why I ought to fire the whole lot of you!”); Rancid looks down at Cat and Cat gives a nervous look. Rancid then notices Dog and goes over for a closer look; he examines a sample of Dog’s saliva from one of the boxes Dog licked and is pleased. Rancid praises Dog for the wonderful job he’s doing and then rubs the saliva off his fingers on Cat; he then promotes Dog to ‘prize stuffer’ (Dog is hesitant to accept his promotion at first, but accepts with a simple “Okay” after a brief moment). We then fade to later on and we see CatDog walking up a long light stairs (which climb upward among an open area of more machines towering to the ceiling) to a furnished area of the factory for lunch; just as they reach the top, Cat happily remarks to Dog: “Well, now that you’re in good with the boss, I can slack off all I want.” Dog replies: “Congratulations Cat.” The double doors at the top of the stairs open and a waiter walks out and bumps into CatDog standing right in front of it (leading him to trip and fall down the long flight of stairs); CatDog looks briefly onward in shame as the waiter falls, and they then go through the doors to lunch. Inside the lunch area (which is dolled up to resemble a 5 star restraint) is a fancy banquet set along a long table; Cat joyfully examines the Roast Chicken and then proceeds to take from the fruit salad bowl (saying “A feast fit for a…”). Rancid Rabbit emerges from behind the bowl, slaps cat’s hand away and then tells Cat that the fancy banquet is only for the factory’s ‘prize stuffers’, and then points to another part of the room where Cat gets his food along with all the other ‘Box Lickers’; this area is not furnished like a 5 star restraint at all and is more like a dark, rundown cafeteria, and all Cat and the other ‘Box Lickers’ get to eat is Salt (which ironically just makes their job even harder). As Cat is being served his salt, he looks behind him and sees Dog about to eat a large piece of meat (not certain if he can even eat it all); he puts his hand out to signal Dog so that he could share it with Cat, but Dog eats it all too late (and belches loudly). Cat turns back and starts mumbling to himself in jealousy as he is being served his salt. Back on the job, Dog handles his new position as a ‘prize stuffer’ quite effectively as well. Rancid Rabbit then moves himself up to Dog and stops production (via a Stop Button that drops down from above) to have a talk with Dog: “I enjoy your work; I think you could be ‘#1’.” Dog is surprised: “’#1’?” Rancid then tells dog: “Número Uno! But there’s only one thing standing in your way.” As Rancid Rabbit moves himself back up above (and bangs his head on a pipe along the way) he repeats to Dog: “One thing standing in your way. One thing standing in your way.” Dog then looks back and notices Cat was asleep on the job as he was covered in un-licked cereal boxes that have piled on him; Cat wakes up at that moment and Cereal Boxes go flying as Cat gets up to stretch, and Cat then scratches his sides. Just as Cat relaxes and continues to slack, Dog comes over in front of Cat (nudging him to get his attention) and suggests: “I was thinking, maybe you could lick more boxes if, uhh.., you know if you were, uhh.., awake.” Cat brushes Dog off and tells him to do his own job while Cat does his, and then rests his head. An angry Rancid Rabbit comes down right in front of Cat and scolds him for his slacking: “You’re unlucky you’re attached to Dog! No breaks for a month!” Cat shakes in fright and Dog comes over and says “Sorry Cat; it’s best for Kavity Krunch.” Later on, while Cat and Dog are doing their respective jobs at conveyor belts opposite each other, Cat decides to play a trick on Dog (feeling that the later is having it much too easy). Cat grabs a “Kavity Krunch” box and carves it into a mask. He puts it on, sneaks up next to Dog (who has his eyes closed), and proceeds to drop a loaded mousetrap into a box of “Kavity Krunch” as it’s coming toward Dog so that it will snap on Dog’s hand as he stuffs the box with a prize. Dog puts his hand in the booby-trapped box, but doesn’t get snapped. A surprised Cat tries again by putting two more loaded mousetraps into another box; Dog once again doesn’t get snapped. A now frustrated Cat resorts to putting the whole box of loaded mousetraps on Dog’s conveyor belt and Dog puts a prize in there without getting snapped as well; Cat looks in disbelief and surprise as he sees the box of mousetraps continue along the conveyor belt and down the chute at the end, accompanied by a buzzer going off (a grieved Cat puts his hand on his face and wipes it). Just then, Rancid Rabbit announces over a bull horn: “Attention all Kavity Krunch employees, may I present the new ‘#1’.” A red sheet covering something then drops down to reveal a portrait of Dog as ‘#1’ (dotting the ‘#1’ finger hat, and posing in the same way the previous ‘#1’ did), and Cat is shocked; Rancid then lowers himself down next to Dog (holding a ‘#1’ finger hat) and says: “Son, I present you with the finger. Congratulations!” Everyone except Cat (feeling very much left behind and left out) cheers for Dog, and Dog sheds tears of joy as Rancid puts the finger hat on Dog’s head; Rancid then orders everyone “BACK TO WORK!” and hands Cat another box to lick before moving away. Later at lunch, we see prize stuffers #2 and #3 enjoying their special ‘prize stuffer’ meals at one table and looking at each other as if to say they agree they are dissatisfied with something, and they then turn to look at Dog (who is enjoying his own special ‘prize stuffer’ meal and getting attention from 2 female cat employees) with jealousy. Just across from Dog’s table is a table in the box lickers’ area that Cat and other ‘box lickers’ are eating their servings of Salt at; we get a brief view of Cat eating his Salt, and we then see Dog slam a frying pan next to him 17 times to get the box lickers’ attention and orders them to “eat ‘em up and move ‘em out” (we then pan out to see Mervis and Dunlap looking at Cat, and Cat looking back in agreement with dissatisfied look on all their faces). It’s thus now clear that all the respect Dog is getting is going to his head. We then transition to later on back on the job, where both Cat and Dog are doing their work opposite each other, with Dog repeating “Number One, Number One, Number One …” as he stuffs each box with a prize. Just then, Dog gets a box that doesn’t seal close after stuffing it; he gets set off and shouts to all the ‘box lickers’: “HOLD ON A MINUTE, WHO’S NOT LICKING THEIR WEIGHT BACK THERE!?” Dog then drags Cat along to go and inspect the box lickers (“INSPECTION!”); Cat, Mervis and Dunlap stand side by side in a line, and Dog proceeds to check their tongues. Dog checks his brother’s tongue first; he wrings it out and finds Cat still have saliva in him and passes Cat (“Saliva, pass!”). Dog next checks Mervis; Dog pushes Mervis’s nose and his tongue comes out (accompanied by a cash register ding), he rubs a sample of Mervis’ saliva from his tongue in his fingers, and he then tells Mervis: “You can do better!” Dog rubs the saliva on his fingers off on Mervis’ neck and moves on to Dunlap. Dunlap hesitates for a moment and then puts out his Tongue and we find that it’s so dry, part of it snaps off in Dog’s fingers when he grabs it; Dog then tells Dunlap: “Your licking days are over Dunlap, you’re fired!” Cat tries to defend Dunlap by reminding Dog that Dunlap is their best friend, but Dog then fires Cat as well. Unable to take anymore, Cat announces to everyone: “THAT’S IT! US ‘BOX LICKERS’ HAVE HAD IT! If they think we’re so revolting, THEN LETS REVOLT! ARE YOU WITH ME?” All the ‘box lickers’ (and also prize stuffers #2 and #3) then rise up against Dog. Dog replies: “OH WHO NEEDS YOU, I’M NUMBER ONE!” Just then, Rancid announces over his bullhorn: “Attention ‘#1’, huge order! We need 1,000 boxes stuffed and licked, pronto!” Dog then tells everyone: “Come on, Come on; you heard the Rabbit! Get licking!” But no one listens, and Cat reminds Dog that he just fired him. Not wanting to give up and unable to reason with everyone else, Dog decides to complete the order all by himself (“WHO NEEDS YOU! I CAN DO IT ALL BY MYSELF!”). Cat chuckles to himself as he sees what Dog is about to do; Dog licks a box, sets it down, stuffs it with a prize and closes it (saying “Number One” each time he does this), repeats this for another box, then another, and another, and eventually tries to go faster (still able to keep himself in order). He then goes even faster and eventually collapses and gets buried in a pile of Kavity Kurnch cereal boxes; everyone including Cat laugh at Dog as he has just made a fool of himself. Dog emerges from the pile of cereal boxes, points his finger in the air and repeats out loud: “Number One! Number One! Number One…” Cat continues laughing for a brief moment, but then turns to look at everyone else laughing hysterically and begins to feel sorry for his brother. Cat goes over to offer his help to Dog (digging him out of the pile of cereal boxes), but Dog angrily denies his help (“I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP!”). Just then however, Dog and Cat are pushed along the conveyor belt by the boxes piling up behind them and are sent falling down the chute along with all the boxes. We the cut to a view outside where we see the finished boxes are being loaded onto trucks; 3 utter like devices (much like the ones from early on in the episode which spit out finished cereal) which are mounted on the side on the factory above where 3 trucks are parked spit the finished cereal boxes out and onto the trucks. CatDog is pushed out the leftmost utter and lands in a truck of “Kavity Krunch” cereal boxes, and the truck then drives away. Later on, back at home, we find Cat and Dog at the kitchen table, where dog states: “I never want to look at another box of Kavity Krunch as long as I live.” Cat then offers Dog a bowl of “Kavity Krunch” and Dog replies “Yes please.” As Cat pours Dog his bowl of cereal, Dog apologizes to Cat for the way he acted; Cat then pours his own bowl of “Kavity Krunch” cereal and replies: “Oh well, no sweat buddy. I know how tough it can be at the top.” As Cat is pouring his bowl, we see mousetraps from earlier fall from the box and into Cat’s bowl along with the cereal. Dog digs in and states: “Honey baked goodness in every bowl!” We then hear Cat get snapped as he digs in, and we see Cat (in pain) with his tongue covered on mousetraps. Dog then states: “This has even more crunchy goodness than usual.” As we cut to an outside view and pan out from CatDog’s window, Dog continues: “How can they keep making it crunchier and gooder? They keep doing it.” Before the episode ends, Cat screams in pain.
Trivia
- This episode was featured on the Nickelodeon: Out of the Vault Collection DVD, as well as on the Together Forever VHS.
Transcript
For a full transcript of Work Force, click here.
Gallery
The gallery for Work Force may be view here.