Man's Best Friend (Ren & Stimpy television episode)
| "Man's Best Friend" | |
|---|---|
| The Ren & Stimpy Show episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 2 Episode 2b |
| Directed by | John K. |
| Written by | John K. and Vincent Waller |
| Original air date |
Unaired (Nickelodeon) June 23, 2003 (Spike TV) |
"Man's Best Friend" is an episode of Nickelodeon's The Ren & Stimpy Show that was produced for the 2nd season of the show, but it never aired in the original run of the series. It was aired later on Spike TV as the first episode of Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". In this episode, Ren and Stimpy are adopted by George Liquor, who wants to make them champions.
The episode was indeed the most controversial episode of the series. It was infamous for the violent scene where Ren beats George with an oar. Nickelodeon—who didn't like the episode or the scene—fired series creator John Kricfalusi and his production company Spümcø.
Plot
Ren and Stimpy are adopted as pets by George Liquor. George introduces them to their new home and begins to train them. After a series of high-strung back-and-forth interactions, George dons a padded suit, and urges Ren and Stimpy to attack him. Stimpy refuses because George is his "kind and beloved master", but Ren, who is fed up with their treatment by George Liquor, picks up a oar and savagely beats him. George praises Ren and produces cigar-shaped treats for all three of them. The episode ends with the three of them dancing with the cigar-shaped treats clamped between their teeth.
Production and controversy
Produced during the show's second season in 1992, the episode never aired on Nickelodeon due to violent content. The episode originally aired on the Spike network as part of the 2003 Ren & Stimpy revival series, Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". "Man's Best Friend" is included in the first & second season DVD set.
John Kricfalusi cites the violent imagery—Ren beating up George Liquor with an oar—as the primary reason for getting his production company and himself fired from The Ren & Stimpy Show.[1]
References
- ↑ Martin Goodman (September 1, 2004). "Dr. Toon interviews John Kricfalusi". Animation World Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
