"Lamb Chop's Play Along: When You Grow Up" Episode- TV Show Review

Hi, I'm the Amateur Critic. I review just about anything.

As a kid, have you ever been asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ever wondered how Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy would answer that question? Just refer to the Lamb Chop’s Play Along episode “When You Grow Up.”

            This episode was both good and bad. It was good because all the characters answered the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But it was also bad, because the plot made no sense, and the 3-act story goes from okay to dull.

            So… I got a few minutes to waste, so let’s dive into “When You Grow Up.”

 

Act1:

 

Charlie Horse and Lamb Chop are outside discussing their assignment from school. The two must think about what they want to be when they grow up. Lamb Chop doesn’t understand the question, and Charlie tells her that “this is a free country” and that she could be “anything she wants.”

            And what’s Lamb Chop’s answer: a fish.

-You heard right! Lamb Chop wants to be a fish. I still don’t think she gets the question. I mean, she’s not looking into becoming a doctor, teacher, or actress; but she is looking into becoming… a fish. How lame is that? But hey, she’s six, and Charlie’s eight; so, you can’t really blame her naïve character in this show.

            Charlie Horse suggests that she become president, but Lamb Chop turns that down, because she wants to be a fish. However, she gets this crazy idea that she could “the first fish president.” Charlie tries to shy her away from that idea, but she relents. In fact, she offers Charlie the vice-president bid if she becomes the first fish president.

-It’s obvious that this is all silly. But don’t you worry; by the time she grows up, she’ll probably be joining Betty White’s group in Off Their Rockers.

 

Act 2:

Charlie Horse sits down with Hush Puppy in the living room to talk about the school assignment.

-Can you guess what Hush Puppy’s answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” will be?
Hush Puppy: “Oh, no. I ain’t gonna grow up.”

            After hearing that answer, Charlie tries to explain that Hush Puppy is going to grow up no matter what. But Hush Puppy’s reason for the answer that he gave is because he doesn’t want to end up changing his name.

-Yeah, I wouldn’t want to change my name either. I remember going on Google and looking up what my name meant. I think it means “true image.” Go ahead. Look it up. I’m not lying.

            Shari comes in… apparently scaring the crap out of Hush Puppy.

-Hush Puppy: “Oh, Shari, I didn’t see you come in.”

Yeah, because she was working your mouth from behind the couch… or was she working Charlie’s mouth the whole time? IDK, but she’s a ventriloquist and a puppeteer. What would you expect?

            Shari tells Hush Puppy that he doesn’t need to change his name when he grows up, and that his name “represents the little puppy inside that [he] would always be to [her].” And Hush Puppy asks her what would happen if he decided to become a fish. This disappoints Charlie, because he thinks everyone wants to be a fish. Then Hush Puppy makes a joke about that:

Hush Puppy: “… I would even change my name.”
Shari: “To what?”
-Now, I want you all to pretend that you’re on the TV show Jeopardy, and guess the answer in less than 30 seconds. Good luck.

CATEROGY: Character-based Jokes

QUESTION: What is the most funny-as-heck joke that you could think up for this scene?
Got the answer? The answer is… Uh, everyone in 3, 2, 1…
Hush Puppy: “Hush Puppy Guppie.”
If you get the joke, then fine. If not, I would refer you to the first act, and that’s it.

 

Act 3:

 

We cut to Charlie Horse showing Shari and Lamb Chop to a bunch of junk… I mean, his “invention.” He tells them that he wants to be an inventor when he grows up, which leads to a disappointment to Lamb Chop.

            Charlie tests out his invention. It turns out the machine can make ticking sounds, breathing sounds, you can tickle it, and it answers questions wrong. But despite its disadvantages, Shari thinks that the machine makes her laugh. But then, Lamb Chop tells Charlie Horse that she wishes that the machine could turn her into a fish.

-Yeah, even when the story ends, we still get that running gag. Well, at least they use that gag one more time. So no big deal.
-The story ends there. But I got a feeling that the story is still some things. I mean, the story seems incomplete. Check these out:
1. Do Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, and Hush Puppy complete the “When You Grow Up” assignment when they go back to school?
2. Does Hush Puppy change his mind about growing up?
3. Will Lamb Chop pick a real career this time?
4. Will Charlie Horse fix his invention, that way it doesn’t sound dumb?
Well, we’ll never know.

 

            I wish I can say a lot of great stuff about this episode, but not really.

            Well, the third act was when I started to lose interest in the episode. The third act was so bland, that it makes the first two acts look bad.

            Overall, the episode was the equivalent to an ice cream melting after sitting in the sun for a while. You have the sweet goodness of the ice cream in the first two acts, but then the ice cream melts into a sticky pool when we finally get to the third act. The plot made no sense, because it was incomplete and so out of place, that I imagine the characters asking the writers over and over if there’s going to be a fourth act that would come in to explain everything.

            Well, if you want to see Lamb Chop’s Play Along at its best, then find the show’s other episodes on Youtube. If you want to see the show at its worst, then be my guest and see this episode, or any of the other episodes that feel incomplete. But for now, I’m giving this episode a B-.

 

Amateur Critic

Source: Lamb Chop's Play Along

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