couch patch
From Homestar Runner Wiki
| Strong Bad Email #88 |
|
"Your pal" asks Strong Bad about the history behiend the patch on his couch.
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, The Poopsmith (as Has Matt?), Strong Sad, Lil' Strong Bad, Homestar Runner, Coach Z, The Cheat (Easter egg)
Places: Computer Room, Basement of the Brothers Strong
Computer: Compy 386
Date: Monday, November 10, 2003
Running Time: 3:01
Page Title: Compy 386!!
DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Three
Contents |
[edit] Transcript
STRONG BAD: I'm going to try something a little different. {typing} print out million dollar bill.exe
{The computer responds with "Bad command or file name"}
STRONG BAD: {not typing} What? Oh. {typing} no for real, print me out a million dollar bill, man.exe
{The computer responds with "Syntax error."}
STRONG BAD: {typing} um, this time really print me out a million dollars bill.nofoolin'
{The computer responds with "Cut it out, you."}
STRONG BAD: {not typing} What the—! Don't give me none of that crosstalk! Oh well, it was worth a shot. Now on to... {sighs} on to the email.
{Strong Bad hits enter, types "strongbad_email.exe", and hits enter again}
{reading}
is there a story behiend the patch
on the couch? if so, do tell!
form,
your pal
{Strong Bad pronounces "behiend" as "buh-HEEND" and "form" as written.}
STRONG BAD: Ooh, my pal! {typing} Well, Palbert, it's a good story. And now you all have to hear it.
{Cut to a flashback of Strong Bad in the basement with a sack, acting mysterious.}
STRONG BAD: {voiceover} Seems I was looking for a place to hide all my Aztec gold. But when I made the first incision, not only did I realize that I don't have any Aztec gold,—
{The bag falls open to reveal it was full of oil filters}
STRONG BAD: —but I unleashed a stench of biblical proportions.
{Cut back to Strong Bad in front of the computer}
STRONG BAD: {typing} They had to call in a hazmat team just to hose me {quickly backspaces "hose me"} hose me {quickly backspaces "hose me"} hose me down!
{Cut to The Poopsmith, wearing a HAZMAT suit labeled "Has Matt?", hosing down a screaming Strong Bad.}
STRONG BAD: {typing} I had to spend a fortune on Glade plugins.
{Cut to Strong Sad standing next to Strong Bad at the computer.}
STRONG SAD: Now wait a second! That's not how I remember it.
STRONG BAD: Oh, and I'm sure every loser out there wants to hear your loser opinions, loser.
STRONG SAD: They do!
{Cut to a flashback of a young Strong Bad in the basement}
STRONG SAD: {voiceover} I seem to remember a young Strong Bad thinking that Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis was a woman. And that he was hot!
{Lil' Strong Bad writes "Strong Bad LUVS Carla Lewis!! and thinks shes hott!!" with a Sharpie on the couch.}
STRONG BAD: That is entirely untrue.
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Lies! All lies!
{Cut to Homestar standing behind Strong Bad.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Clearly I'm the only one who remembers how it all went down.
{Cut to a flashback of Homestar laying on the couch in the basement. The couch clearly has the patch already on it. Homestar spits Teddy Grahams.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {voiceover} It was not so long ago that I was in Strong Bad's basement spitting Teddy Grahams all over the place. One of them got stuck to the ceiling.
{A Teddy Graham sticks to the ceiling. Homestar spits another up at it repeatedly, trying to dislodge it.}
STRONG BAD: {voiceover} Homestar, shut up! This is about that patch on the couch. It's clearly already on there in your flashback.
{Cut back to the two Brothers Strong and Homestar at the computer}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Oh, oh, ohhhhh. I thought this week's email was entitled "Teddy Graham Memories".
{Cut to shadowed "This guy's voice has been digitally altered" interview session}
MYSTERIOUS PERSON: {Clearly Coach Z, with his voice digitally lowered} No, no. I got the real scoop. Strong Bad had me over for gumbo one night, and I don't know what kind of doodoo meat he was using in there, but I had to puke! So I went downstairs...
{Cut to flashback of Coach Z's shadow in the basement}
COACH Z: {voiceover} ...and I noticed this little rip in the couch, so I puked in it!
{Coach Z's shadow pukes in the couch. Cut back to interview session}
COACH Z: {voiceover} I... I'm sorry for what I done!
{Cut back to Strong Bad in front of the computer}
STRONG BAD: {typing} I liked that gumbo! I didn't use no doodoo meat. {shaking fist} If I ever find out who that guy is... Well, palbert, there's your answer. Me? I'm gonna go over there.
{Strong Bad starts to get up from his seat, but sits down again.}
STRONG BAD: {not typing} Oh wait! {types "make homestar's head explode.exe"}
{The computer responds with "No can do." The scene pulls back to reveal Strong Sad and Homestar again}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: No can do.
STRONG BAD: Oh crap! This computer is worthless.
{Cut back to just Strong Bad and the computer. Strong Bad now gets up and leaves. The Paper comes down.}
[edit] Easter Eggs
- At the end, click on a hidden "print million dollar bill, please.exe" at the bottom to print an ASCII art million dollar bill from The Paper. This is more easily seen if the contrast knob is used to make the background blue. Click on the million dollar bill once it has printed out to make it go away.
- At the end, click on the "make homestars head explode.exe" link to cut to a short of Homestar, again spitting Teddy Grahams all over the basement.
- {cut back to the basement. Homestar is lying on the couch spitting Teddy Grahams all over again, with The Cheat standing nearby. After a few seconds, The Cheat's head explodes}
- HOMESTAR RUNNER: Dang, The Cheat. That computer's got something against you. Did you ever, like, pour Mountain Dew all over it?
[edit] Fun Facts
[edit] Explanations
- Hazmat means "Hazardous Material". A Hazmat team, usually associated with fire or other public safety departments, is a group of people specially trained to clean up any hazardous material spills.
- Gumbo is a thick soup from Louisiana containing meats and vegetables (primarily okra) and often served over rice.
- Crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel.
[edit] Trivia
- The label on the disk in the floppy disk container reads "old game".
- This is the first time that The Cheat's eyes are not seen after his head explodes.
- The YouTube description for this email is "The origin story of the duct-tape patch on Strong Bad's couch is finally told! Everyone wanted to know!"
[edit] Remarks
- The "print out million dollar bill please.exe" Easter egg remains black if the contrast knob is adjusted and will disappear when clicked.
- There has never actually been a $1,000,000 bill. The highest currency ever printed by the U.S. Mint was a $100,000 bill in 1934 depicting Woodrow Wilson. It was only used among Federal Reserve Banks and was never made available for use by the general public.
- Aside from being able to type with boxing gloves on, Strong Bad appears to be able to type just as quickly with one hand as he can with two.
- The first time Strong Bad says "Palbert", it is capitalized, but the second time, it isn't.
- This email contains two fourth wall breaks: Strong Bad saying "Homestar, shut up! This is about that patch on the couch. It's clearly already on there in your flashback," and Homestar remarking "I thought this week's email was entitled 'Teddy Graham Memories'."
[edit] Goofs
- During Homestar's flashback, one of the spots of ceiling texture twitches and moves with the flashing of the ceiling light.
- When Coach Z's silhouetted figure is speaking, a tiny gap appears on the bill of his cap when his head moves.
- When The Paper comes down in the Easter egg, there is a line jutting out on the left side of it.
- When Strong Bad puts his hand up to the screen at the end of the email in response to Coach Z, its reflection cannot be seen on the screen.
- In Homestar's Easter egg, The Cheat's right arm is missing.
- After The Cheat's head explodes, a small black line of his hair can be seen on the back of his head.
- When Homestar says, "No can do," he doesn't make a regular "O" mouth movement.
- In the Strong Sad flashback where Lil' Strong Bad is writing on the couch, the text on the permanent marker (reading "MARKER fine tip permanent") is mirrored.
[edit] Inside References
- Strong Bad refers to "pal" as Palbert, a name ending in -bert.
- The knife Strong Bad uses to cut open the couch is similar to the Big Knives of other Strong Bad Emails.
- In the "make homestars head explode.exe" Easter egg, Homestar Runner asks The Cheat, "Did you ever like, pour Mountain Dew all over it?", referring to the email anything, in which Homestar Runner poured Mountain Dew all over Strong Bad's computer.
[edit] Real-World References
- Glade PlugIns are scented air fresheners that plug into electrical wall sockets.
- Little Strong Bad is wearing a shirt featuring a rather well known advertisement for "Rock City", a tourist attraction in Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Carl Lewis was an Olympic sprinter active during the 1980s and early 1990s. His sister Carol was an Olympic long jumper.
- Teddy Grahams are a brand of bear-shaped cookies produced by Nabisco.
- When Coach Z is silhouetted and his voice is altered, it is a reference to shows like America's Most Wanted, where a witness wants to keep their identity safe. (i.e. Witness X)
- The various characters telling markedly different versions of the same story may be inspired by the Japanese film Rashomon.
[edit] Fast Forward
- Coach Z is silhouetted and has his voice digitally altered again in one of the myths & legends Easter eggs.
- Strong Bad again speaks in triplicate when he asks The Baloneyman what will "cool me cool me cool me down".
[edit] DVD Version
- The head explode Easter egg can be viewed by selecting the hidden Strong Bad logo at the bottom left of the Compy's screen at the end of the video.
- The million dollar bill Easter egg can be viewed by selecting the hidden Strong Bad logo at the bottom right of the Compy's screen at the end of the video.
[edit] External Links
- watch "couch patch"
- watch "couch patch" on YouTube
- watch "couch patch" on the old Flash site
- view the Flash file for "couch patch"
