"Destructo's Flipside" is an episode from the second season of Bump in the Night.
(Aired on September 9, 1995)
Plot[]
The episode begins in The Boy’s Bedroom, with Mr. Bumpy and Squishington having a picnic on top of the dresser, Mr. Bumpy lets out a huge burp and says “nothing like a picnic to improve the old appetite”. Squishington tells Bumpy that he can’t taste a thing because something has set off his allergies. Mr. Bumpy slurps up some food inside a plastic container, he then suggest that maybe it was the spaghetti and dust balls.
Squishington then quietly tells Mr. Bumpy that he has to blow his nose and ask if he can borrow a tissue, Mr. Bumpy is shocked that Squish wants to use his tissue and says that every one of his tissues is a collector’s item, he then pulls out a tissue and claims it belonged to Babe Ruth. Squish tells Bumpy he has to blow his nose in something, Bumpy looks around and rips off a tag from a pillow and tells Squish to use this.
Suddenly, a red flashing light appears and an alarm goes off, Bumpy and Squish freeze in place and Destructo appears right in front of them. The huge purple robot storms up to Mr. Bumpy while Squishington hides in fear. Destructo tells Bumpy that he will pay for his heinous crime while Bumpy ask what crime, Destructo snatches the tag from Bumpy and reads out the label “do not remove this tag under penalty of law".
Destructo pulls out a pair of handcuffs and tries to arrest Bumpy, the little green monster reaches into the picnic basket and grabs a tube of cheese. Bumpy warns the Robot if he comes closer he will squirt him with cheese, Destructo ignores the warning and Bumpy squirts him in the face with the cheese tube. Destructo is blinded by the cheese and begins to lose his balance and falls off the dresser.
Squish returns and the two monsters cover their eyes as Destructo falls to the ground. Squish and Bumpy look over the edge of the dresser, Squish asks Bumpy what has he done and they see Destructo’s body splattered in cheese and his battery pack is open. Squish then cries in sorrow and say he knew this would end in tragety since Bumpy is an infamous tag-ripper.
On the floor, Squishington and Mr. Bumpy walk up to Destructo’s lifeless body, Bumpy taps Destructo and listens, while Squish picks up his arm and drops it. Squish says that maybe he is just resting his eyes while Bumpy looks inside Destructo’s battery pack and sees that it is empty. Bumpy says that the problem is that he has no batteries, Squish looks around and runs off to find the missing battery.
Squish returns with the battery but he tells Mr. Bumpy that maybe they wait for The Boy to put it back in since it looks very technical. Bumpy then says that there are only two ways that it could fit and ask how hard can it be.
Mr. Bumpy then puts on a surgical mask over his face and ask Squish to glove him, Squish appears wearing a nurses hat and fits a pair of rubber gloves over Bumpy’s hands. Bumpy then mutters that he hopes Destructo has insurance and they begin the operation. Squish gives Bumpy the battery and tells him to be steady, Bumpy inserts the battery and says he is done and tells Destructo to get up.
Destructo wakes up but begins glitching and speaking in different languages, the fixed robot stands up and has a big goofy smile on his face. Destructo begins to speak and says he fall down and go boom”, he sees Bumpy and Squish and gives them a big hug much to their dismay. Destructo appears to be positive and friendly, in contrast to his normal cruel destructive personality.
Squish is confused and asks Destructo if he is alright, Destructo then smiles and says he feels radient, pretty, carefree and giddy” much to the shock of the two monsters. Destructo then say that he has been a fool by spending his time battling and brawling, he then continues and says that underneath his indestructible shell is a tender compassionate heart.
Bumpy and Squish remain speechless and Bumpy scratches his head in confusion. Destructo then says he is going to show the world his new kinder gentler self and dashes away. Squish then says that it didn’t sound like the real Destructo at all and ask Bumpy if he is sure he put the batteries back in the right way. Bumpy says he was positive, but then wonders if it was negative instead.
Later in the bathroom, Squishington is shining the toilet with a sponge; soon Molly Coddle enters and says something strange has happened. Squish worryingly ask if it has something to do with Destructo, Molly says yes and tells them when Little Sister scraped he knee, Molly waited for her to pick her up but she picked up Destructo instead.
Molly is upset and ask why would she turn to him for comfort, Squish is about to tell Molly what Mr Bumpy did to Destructo, but Bumpy shuts him up by stuffing the sponge in his mouth. Bumpy hastily changes the subject and ask about "the Knicks".
Suddenly, Destructo appears and tells Molly that he heard her concern about Little Sister, he then says that she is going to be just fine and pats Molly’s hand. Destructo then says that he played Little Sister a lullaby, he then twist his head around and he plays the song “go to sleep” like a music box. Bumpy and Squish both drop their jaws while Molly is also staring in disbelief.
Destructo then puts his hands over his chest and says it was a tender moment, until she accidentally activated his laser cannon and a laser beam appears on the top of his head. Molly begins to freak out that Little Sister turned on a laser beam, Destructo then tells Molly not to worry and tells her kids at that age heal quickly. Molly becomes very worried and rushes off to Little Sister.
The gloomy robot then says that it is so hard to express his good side when he is program for destruction. He tries to be positive and announces that he is going to help spread joy and comfort. Bumpy and Squish watch Destructo leave, while Squish says that this isn’t right and they have to fix him.
Bumpy however says they shouldn’t fix him since he is happier now, Bumpy then says that now Destructo is no longer on his case he can do whatever he wants such as scratching and spitting. Bumpy then tells Squish that he has to promise to not tell anyone about Destructo’s problem. Suddenly, Bumpy becomes serious and tells Squish to take the “oath”, Squish gulps and ask if Bumpy really said the oath.
Squish then says okay and they begin the oath, they chant a rhyme and says that they won’t tell anyone of they will smell their own arm pits. They finish the oath and swear not to tell anyone, a flash of lighting appears and Squish says that he swears that they both are going to regret this someday.
Meanwhile at the Cute Dolls Beach House, the Cute Dolls are giving Destructo a make over, one of the dolls tells the others to hand over the makeup, lipstick and finally the bow tie. The Cute Dolls finish the make over and they go off to get the mirror, the Dolls show Destructo his new look and it is revealed to be clown makeup including a big red wig, a small flower hat, a red nose and a bow tie. Destructo admires his new look and says that all he ever wanted to do was spread joy to others. One of the Dolls tell Destructo the nose honks and she presses his red nose, Destructo smiles and says he is so happy and a tear comes to his eye.
Later under the vents in the floor, Destructo has started a support group with all of the silverfish characters helping. One of the Silverfish is a psychiatrist and has a grey wig, glasses and a coffee mug, the Psychiatrist Silverfish tells Destructo that he is suffering pent up hostilities and he should let the anger out. Destructo holds a small doll of himself in his hands and is unsure about becoming angry. The Psychiatrist tells Destructo to let out all his anger and tell him what is wrong with his inner robot. Destructo says that he can't and cuddles the Destructo doll.
The Psychiatrist Silverfish tells Destructo that the support group thing was his idea in the first place, he then demands to see some inner termoil and shouts out that he wants some yelling and screaming. Destructo is still nervous as he is too timid and says that he better not. The Psychiatrist tells Destructo he is wasting time and demands him to express his anger, soon all of the silverfish group begins chanting "anger, anger" over and over again. Destructo begins twitching and shaking as the silverfish chant faster, Destructo then starts malfunctioning and his gadgets go haywire.
Destructo then loses control and his alarm goes off, he begins saying "danger, danger over load" in a mindless robotic voice. Suddenly a laser gun comes out of his shoulder and the Silverfish begin to panic. The terrified insects scatter around, the laser gun goes off and the silverfish begin to duck and coveras the laser beam bounces around the room.
Destructo continues to malfunction, his gadgets become out of control and his hand turns into an eggbeater and fires, the Psychiatrist ducks out of the way, narrowly missing the eggbeater projectile. Destructo loses control and the Psychiatrist shouts "he's gonna blow", the other silverfish run out of the vent and Destructo over heats and creates an explosion. The Psychiatrist comes out of the vent completely burnt and blackened, he mutters "thank you for sharing" and passes out.
Later, Mr. Bumpy is shown lazying around in a sun chair while Molly looks annoyed, the disgruntled comfort doll goes up to the little green monster and tells him that he has to do something about the Destructo problem. Bumpy is not concerned about this at all and ask "what problem", he then rings a bell and Destructo appears acting like Bumpy's personal servant and wearing a pink apron.
Bumpy tells Destucto to make him a strawberry Milkshake, Destructo then transforms his hands into an Ice Cream scoop and a milkshake holder, he scoops the ice cream into the cup and a tube comes out of his shoulder to pour in the milk. His hand transforms into a blender and the milkshake is fluffy and foamy. Destucto then puts a cherry on top and gives it to the lazy green monster.
Mr. Bumpy quickly drinks up the milkshake and belches then pardons himself. Bumpy then faces the viewers and says that Destructo can make a mean shake. Bumpy snaps his fingers and a tanning lamp comes out of Destructo's shoulder. Bumpy then tells Molly that he doesn't see a problem at all and puts on a pair of sunglasses while Molly does not approve of Bumpy's selfish actions.
Later, Mr. Bumpy is walking around until a smelly sock on a string shows up and he can smell it and he says he knows that aroma anywhere then he goes to the sock by the closet door which turns out to be a trap by the Closet Monster. Mr Bumpy picks up the smelly sock and is about to eat it, but the Closet Monster pulls the string and pulls the sock out of Bumpy's clut. The sock lies in front of the closet door, Bumpy rushes up to the sock, while the Closet Monster's large creepy claw reaches out for him.
The sock disappears into the closet and Bumpy screams at the sight of the Closet Monster, the little green monster tries to get away but the evil pile of clothes grabs him by the feet and drags him into his lair. Bumpy screeches his nails across the floor and holds onto the closet door, he then faces the viewers and mutters "can someone water the plants and pick up the mail while I'm gone" and screams as the closet monster pulls him inside.
A short while later, Molly Coddle and Squishington appear at the closet door, Molly discovers a note and picks it up, she then exclaims in disgust realizing that it was written in drool and snot. Squishington also looks grossed out, Molly reads the letter out loud and is confused by the message "hope to poison the corset maker", Squish looks at the note and believes that the letters are wrong.
Suddenly, Mr. Bumpy screams out from the closet "It says Help I am prisoner of the Closet Monster. Bumpy then tells his friends to go get Destructo to blast him out of here, he then tries to tell them to fix his batteries but before he can finish the final word the Closet Monster lets out a big roar and Molly and Squish run away in terror.
In the hallway, Molly and Squishington meet up with Destructo, the Cute Dolls and the old Silverfish, Molly tells Destructo that he has to go rescue Bumpy from the Closet Monster. The passive robot then suggest sewing a quilt for peace instead, one of the Dolls then ask Destructo what has happened to him and why doesn't he stomp the slobber out of the Monster, Destructo then begs the Doll not to say that because there are young ones watching.
The Silverfish then exclaims that there is no way to change Destructo's mind, Squishington steps foward and says he knows how to change his mind, but then mutters that he is bound to secrecy not to tell. Squishington then smiles slyly and says that there is a way, so he can tell them what to do without breaking his oath.
Later, Squishington tries to act out the scene while the toys and bug sit around him, Destructo is excited and says that he loves playing "charades". Squishington tries to act out the first word, he squashes his face to look like Destructo and bends his arms around like a robot. The group keeps making wrong guesses so Squishington picks up Destructo and points to him. The group continues making wrong guesses, Squishington becomes fed up and slaps is hand on his face in frustration.
Squishington then turns Destructo around and starts pointing at his battery pack, the group still doesn't understand him. Squishington becomes so frustrated that his eye lids have turned black in rage, Squish then snaps and takes out Destructo's batterie and shouts out that "Destructo's batteries are in upside down." The Silverfish the makes another stupid guess much to Squishington's annoyance, he then puts the battery in Destructo's back the right way and closes his battery pack.
Destructo has his power restored and surges of electricity course throughout his body, Destructo's personality has returned to normal and he mutters it feels good to have is priories straight again. Molly rushes up to Destructo and pleas for him to rescue Mr. Bumpy, Destructo crosses his arms and ask why should he help that ne'er-do-well. Squishington then appears and mutters that he is the lead suspect in a tag ripping caper, Destructo hears this and agrees, he then announces that justice must be served and goes off into action.
Destructo glides around the room on his rocket powered feet, he then goes back, charges towards the closet and smashes a big hole in the door. Just then, Mr. Bumpy comes flying out of the closet, he rolls across the floor in a ball and lands on the floor where Molly and Squishington rush to his aid. Molly and Squish caress their injured friend and Squish ask Bumpy if the Closet Monster hurt him bad, Bumpy then lets out a burp and says he feels like going to get something to eat.
Molly then scolds Bumpy and ask how can he think of his stomach when Destructo is risking his life for him, Bumpy feels ashamed for a short while but then the trio hears Destructo from the closet. Destructo is heard battling the Monster and tells him to "take that, and a couple of these", the violent robot then chuckles as he enjoys the thrill of fighting for justice. Bumpy then stands up and says that Destructo is happy, he then says that sometimes a hero's got to do what a hero's got to do, he then mutters like wise a Bumpy. Bumpy then tells his friends let's eat and he strolls off while Destructo continues fighting, suddenly the Silverfish character makes another pointless charade guess and the episode ends.
Trivia[]
- Mr. Bumpy claims that his tissue belonged to Babe Ruth. He was an American professional baseball player and fans believe he was the greatest baseball player of all time.
- When Destructo falls of the dresser, the musical score plays the violin music from the 1960 film Psycho”. Also the way Destructo lies on the ground covered in splattered cheese is also a homage to the film.
- Mr. Bumpy mentions "The Knicks", he is referring to the American Basketball Team "The New York Knickerbockers", commonly known as "The Knicks".
- Destructo breaks the 4th wall in this episode, when he tells the Cute Doll that there are young impressionable children watching and he faces the viewers.
- In the "Charades playing scene", the group makes various references to nonsensical topics, such as "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Snoop Doggy Dog", "That Darn Cat" and a "Tale of Two Cities". To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, Snoop Doggy Dog (currently known as Snoop Dog) is an American rapper and actor, "That Darn Cat" is a live action Disney film from 1965, which was also remade in 1997 and a "Tale of two Cities" is a 1859 novel by Charles Dickens.
- Destructo calls Mr. Bumpy a "ne'er-do-well", which means a rogue or a vagabond without means of support, or in other words a "ne're-do-well" is a person that "never do well".
- At the end of the episode, the Silverfish mentions the "1812 Overture", which was written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Quotes[]
Destructo: You'll pay dearly for this heinous crime
Mr. Bumpy: Crime? What Crime?
Destructo: (reading the tag out loud) "Do not remove this tag under penalty of law"
Mr. Bumpy: One more step and it’s the cheese for you!
Mr. Bumpy: On your feet, Tin Butt! Nobody likes a faker!
Squishington: (to Destructo) Do you feel alright?
Destructo: Feel? Why I feel radiant! I feel pretty, carefree, giddy. (Bumpy and Squish watch in shock) Oh what a fool I've been, spending my life battling, brawling and destroying. You know beneath this indestructible shell beats a tender heart, a compassionate heart, urning to express itself. (Bumpy and Squish still watch in confusion) I must go now, and show the world the new Destructo, the kinder gentler Destructo.
Squishington: That didn't sound like Destructo at all. Are you sure you put his batteries in right, Mr. Bumpy?
Mr. Bumpy: I'm positive... Or was that negative?
Molly Coddle: The strangest thing just happened
Squishington: Is it regarding, (gulp) Destructo?
Molly Coddle: Why yes. See, Little Sister scraped her knee and was about to cry, of course I waited for her to pick me up. But she picked up Destructo instead, why would she turn to him for comfort?
Squishington: Well, I can give you the 4-1-1 on that, girlfriend. That’s because Mr. Bumpy put his- (Bumpy crams a sponge into Squishy’s mouth to shut him up)
Mr. Bumpy: How ‘bout them Nix?
Destructo: I sensed your concern for Little Sister, she’s going to be just fine. I played her a lullaby. (twist his head around and plays “go to sleep” while Bumpy, Squish and Molly watch in disbelief)
Destructo: It was such a tender moment…. Until she accidentally fired off my laser cannon.
Molly Coddle: She WHAT?!
Destructo: It’s okay… Kids at that age heal quickly…
Mr. Bumpy and Squish: Wiggle your nose, jump on the bed! Hop like a bunny and land on your head! Not a word will pass my lips, or I will smell my own armpits! (they both sniff their own armpits) I swear I won’t tell anyone… (lighting flash appears)
Squishington: But I also swear we both will regret this someday.
Gallery[]
