Time Squad has numerous examples of Ho Yay, most of which center on Buck Tuddrussel's Ambiguously Gay Robot Buddy the Larry 3000, as seen in these examples below.
Before reading, it's worth mentioning that, unlike most other "children's" shows, the Ho Yay in Time Squad didn't necessarily follow the Rule of Funny every time. It did in the first few episodes, but after that, it became Larry's defining character trait. Here is a compiled list of examples that more obsessive fans have gathered for your enjoyment.
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General
- In nine episodes out of ten, Larry's relationship with Tuddrussel is portrayed like a typical love/hate sitcom marriage, with Otto as the kid, as seen in the very first episode, "Eli Whitney's Flesh-Eating Mistake", Larry and Tuddrussel's first lines are of them bickering over coordinates, with Tuddrussel asking like a dogged down husband, "Hey, do you always have to criticize? I mean can’t you be more constructive, for once?" Later in "Larry Upgrade" Larry is downgraded into being a mindless slave to Tuddrussel and "Love at First Flight" has the two-act similar to a couple of adoring parents to Otto. This was lampshaded on season one's "Island of Dr. Freud," where, before the Time Squad leaves, Freud analyzes the trio as a Dysfunctional Family, with Otto as the helpless child in the middle, doomed to be permanently traumatized by his squabbling "parents."
- As proof that not all of the Ho Yay was contained to just the episodes, we have this clip
from when the Time Squad hosted the interstitial bumpers on Cartoon Cartoon Fridays of Tuddrussel and Johnny Bravo getting into a Pec Flex match. Larry's reaction really sells the fact that he's drawn to human men here.Larry: Ugh- this is so uncivilized! Yet, oddly compelling... - Also notice how Larry tends to cling onto either Tuddrussel's arm or shoulder when frightened.
- Carlos Ramos released the script of an unaired episode where the team has a mission involving Adam and Eve. In this episode, Larry is separated from the team because Otto and Tuddrussel love living in Eden. When the team is reunited, Tuddrussel promises Larry to eat everything he will cook for him and outright kisses his hand. Then when they notice Adam and Eve argue at the end, Tuddrussel and Larry say "I hate you" to each other in a heartwarming way, which is the closest of confessing "I love you" to each other.
- Furthermore, Tuddrussel isn't the only man whom Larry is interested in. During the series, he is shown having a crush on Lance, "explored" with Lewis, and even flirted with some other men such as Jeremiah Tuddrussel, Tuddrussel's ancestor.
- Also, a bit between XJ5 and Larry too. Every time they show up together, especially in "Ex Marks the Spot" Larry seems to have No Sense of Personal Space toward XJ 5, and this latter sounds sometimes troubled by it.
- Between J.T. Laser and Lance. They often exchange knowing and devilish smirks, even when they do not cause trouble to Tuddrussel, Larry and Otto. J.T. also rides Lance when the latter is in his vehicle-mode.
Season 1
- In the aforementioned "Larry Upgrade," Tuddrussel and Larry's "adult conversation" is instigated by Larry's refusal to "fetch [Tuddrussel's] slippers." Fetching the husband's slippers was a stereotypical responsibility of housewives in the first half of the twentieth century.
- Another stereotypical image of rebelling housewives is of them throwing kitchen utensils in rage at their incompetent/ungrateful husbands, an action almost always accompanied by the line "[Insert directive here] yourself!", a line of Larry's right after he hurls his pink frilly apron at Tuddrussel's face.
- "Lewis and Clark and Larry", which has Lewis and Clark breaking up a la a dating couple, including such commonplace lines as "I love you. I'm just not in love with you" (only the line went, "I love exploring with you. I'm just not in love with exploring with you", which makes the line sound more risque than it really is, as "explore" can be used to mean "to sexually experiment"note ) and Lewis lamenting that no one will want to explore with someone over 30. Then when Lewis and Clark get back together, Clark discovers that Lewis was "exploring" with Larry the robot.
- Lewis and Clark end this episode holding hands and Lewis acting very giddy at Clark's attention.
- In “Never Look A Trojan In The Gift Horse”, Greek war general Simon causes a historical inaccuracy by trying to please the King of Troy with many gifts for his birthday. His attempts include giving the king candy, then chocolate soldiers, and then wild horses from Spain (which end up ravaging Troy and fixing the inaccuracy). The first two gives Sinon gives to the king are basically what many people in love give to each other on Valentine’s Day.
- "The Prime Minister Has No Clothes": When Larry is showing home videos of the Time Squad's adventures, it's revealed that Larry taped two things that Buck Tuddrussel did not give him permission to film: one was Buck getting his butt kicked by Julius Caesar as seen in "To Hail With Caesar,"; the other is a clip of Buck singing in front of the sink, wearing nothing more than a towel (it would make more sense if Larry had a video of Tuddrussel singing in the shower, but it seems like either the show's writers actually had some limits or the censors didn't want them to go too far), which falls off at the end of the video. At first watch, it is funny, but when you really look into it, something just seems...off. Why exactly would Larry have that video of Tuddrussel in the first place? Unless he did it solely to humiliate him, which is highly unlikely, considering that the only person who'd have seen it, let alone gotten laughs from it, apart from Larry himself is Otto.
- Also in the episode, you have Larry acting absolutely giddy over the idea of a naked British military. And, in a Callback to the beginning, most of the video Larry shot of his trip with Winston Churchill seemed to focus an awful lot on his rear end.
- A more symbolic example: in the episode with Napoleon, Buck and Larry are riding on one horse, despite that even Otto has his own pony, with Larry holding on to Buck's waist and sitting behind him much like a woman would if she were riding in the back (or "bitch seat") of a motorcycle.
- On "Big Al's Big Secret" (the one with Albert Einstein as a car dealer in Texas), Al referred to Larry as "the missus" (which Tuddrussell finds funny), then suggests that Larry and Tuddrussell are engaged to be married and smacks Larry on the butt. Okay, how many lines did that cross exactly?
Season 2
- The most blatant example of Larry and Tuddrussel as a couple can be found in "Ex Marks the Spot," in which Buck and his ex-wife appear to have renewed feelings for each other, and Larry tries to sabotage their "relationship" in every manner possible. There's the ending line of the episode:Larry: (to Buck): Don't touch me! Tonight, you're sleeping on the sofa!
- Larry's exclamation right after Buck invites Sheila to dinner:Larry: SEE?! They're falling in love again! Just when everything was going so well!
- And the beginning:Otto: Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice to Tuddrussel? Making his favorite meals, cleaning his phasers, fumigating his underwear?Larry: Well, Otto, as you know, I'm programmed to be a humble housekeeper and a delightful companion. So, recently, I decided, "Why fight it?" (giggling): Well, sure, he's a stupid, repugnant, arrogant, smelly, ignorant, selfish, insulting Manchild.Larry (sighing and fluttering his eyelids): But he's my stupid, repugnant, arrogant, smelly, ignorant, selfish, insulting Manchild!Otto shoots Larry a confused and suspicious look.
- This is pushed even further in the next scene where we have Buck devouring the chicken in a rather revolting manner, sending the gravy flying all over the place (including on Otto and Larry). Otto tries to shield himself from the gravy, but Larry just stands there with a dreamy expression. He then proceeds to giggle like a high-school virgin and say "He's just incorrigible!" after Tuddrussel slaps him on the back with his gravy-stained hand.
- And even in the scene after this, Tuddrussel bluntly calls Larry; "Rust-Butt" (a name he had used more than once to insult Larry). As Tuddrussel walks off the screen, Larry giggles yet again and treats the name as a term of endearment, dreamily sighing; "Rust-Butt!... I have got to write that down..." as he wistfully places his hand over his chest.
- Larry's overall sappy good mood has vibes of Did You Just Have Sex?, if one cares to look at it that deeply. It doesn't help that the first thing he does to the turkey is jam a funnel into it and fill the turkey full of gravy as it swells and overflows. The visual pun involving the cherry might be too subtle at first glance, but the implication is that he actually has had sex for the first time. So he popped his cherry.
- After Tuddrussel pronounces the "disgusting" dinner Larry prepared for him and Sheila to be "mag-ni-fique":Larry: WHAT? "Mag-ni-fique"? This food is terrible! I cooked it!Tuddrussel: You made this? Lawrence, I am impressed.Larry: You were supposed to hate this meal. Because, you see...nobody's taking Tuddrussel away! I don't care how in love you two are!
- Larry's exclamation right after Buck invites Sheila to dinner:
- "Pasteur Packs O'Punch": due to an electrocution scrambling his circuits, Larry starts acting...seemingly drunken. First, his eyes go pink, then he clings to Buck's chest and exclaims "I love you, guys!" Later, when Pasteur states that his drinks will give him the respect he deserves, Larry comes from behind (drunk again) and tipsily replies, "I respect you, buddy," before kissing Pasteur and resting his head on his shoulder.
- Dr. Freud returned in a later episode, "Horse of Horrors" (in which it happens to be Larry's birthday) only to be interrupted by the trio while conducting his couples' therapy on a random couple. Right after this, Freud is seen taking down notes as the dialogue goes:
- Larry: ...but everything we tried just made things worse! Typical!(Freud nods in acknowledgment)Buck: (to Larry) You're just mad 'cause robots don't have birthdays!Larry (dramatically with his hand over his forehead): You don't care about me! You don't care about anyone!Freud: Ja, ja, this relationship is a disaster. There's codependency, boundary issues, hostility, not to mention poor hygiene. But I think improvements could be made with a few decades of analysis.
- Also in the same episode, Larry starts sobbing for Buck having devoured his birthday present from Otto and the fact that Buck had been horrid to him on his birthday. Buck (seemingly) has a change of heart:Buck: Aw, look, I'm sorry. I want you to have a happy birthday. I LOVE you, buddy.(Larry lights up and manages a smile of hope and joy)Larry (voice full of hope): REALLY?(As expected, Buck ruins the Crowning Heartwarming Moment)Buck: (scoff) NO!
- Also in the same episode, Larry starts sobbing for Buck having devoured his birthday present from Otto and the fact that Buck had been horrid to him on his birthday. Buck (seemingly) has a change of heart:
- Here's a fun mental exercise for all: Imagine a scene in one of those family movies in which it's the kid's birthday. The parents stand side by side, staring adoringly at their son excitedly opening his presents, father with arms folded and mother with her hands clasped by the side of her head. They then turn heads to glimpse affectionately at each other. Now imagine Otto as the kid and Larry and Tuddrussel in the parents' places (Tuddrussel being the father and Larry the mother, of course). That's exactly what happened in the season two episode "Love at First Flight". Twice.
- And at the end, Larry exclaims; "Let's NEVER discuss this DISGUSTING mission again!" This line seems to make sense in context, after a rather unhygienic mission. But it isn't like the trio hasn't been through much worse. So what made Larry have such an aversion to this particular mission? The fact that Amelia Earhart had wanted to marry Tuddrussel towards the end? Tuddrussel pushes this line into effect, even more, when he shudders; "You got that right. Marriage!" Understandable for Tuddrussel (since he was married before and it didn't work out), but Larry?
- Right before this incident, after Tuddrussel forces Amelia Earhart into a plane (after she had wanted them to get married), Otto, clad in a Time Squad uniform, cries; "Hey! What'd you do that for? We coulda been one big happy family!" which angers Larry considerably. As the three watch Amelia Earhart fly off out of sight, Larry's frown seems to have turned into a very smug smile, hands on his hips in triumph.
- Actually, Larry was angry because Otto (who was wearing a mini-version of Tuddrussel's Time Squad uniform) was acting too much like Tuddrussel. There wasn't enough subtext to make it seem that Larry didn't want Tuddrussel to be with Amelia Earhart (though Larry groaning "This cannot be happening" after Amelia tells Tuddrussell to teach her "how to be...dirty" does seem a bit questionable).
- In the episode "Child's Play", Shakespeare is dissatisfied with the type of theatrical plays that his manager demands him to make. When they meet Time Squad, they decide the characters are perfect for a new play. However, Shakespeare includes a number of scenes that Larry finds inappropriate for a play for kids. We are then shown a montage in which Larry corrects the play's scenario, including a scene where the actor versions of Buck and himself argue fiercely, whom he instructs to hug each other instead of fighting.
- How can you mention Ho Yay on Time Squad without "Day of the Larrys," specifically, the Big-Lipped Alligator Moment where Otto and Tuddrussell are inside "Studio 3K," which can only be described as a gay nightclub for robots; there was a short part where a Larry clone dressed in cowboy chaps, a cowboy hat, pink boots dances up to Tuddrussel and flirts with him after Tuddrussel takes his guns away.
- "Forget the Alamo": Buck and Otto get imprisoned and are forced to sew ponchos. Otto's creation later serves as a trap for the warder watching them (Davy Crockett), but Buck gives his to Larry. Larry is absolutely delighted and attempts to hug Buck, only to be thrown off which leaves him rather broken-hearted.
- Ah, but you forget why Tuddrussel gives him the poncho in the first place— earlier in the episode, Buck yelled at Larry for teaching Otto how to sew (something Buck finds to be "women's work") and rejected Larry's present to Buck: a denim jacket with the words "Tuddy Bear" embroidered on the back in sequins. Also, earlier in the episode, one of the designs Larry shows Otto is a rainbow, which is a gay pride symbol.
- Also in that episode, there is a scene where before the Time Squad enter the Alamo to meet Jeremiah Tuddrussel, Larry starts exercising and stretching his legs and back, saying that he is doing this because he does not want to pull anything. Tuddrussel tells Larry to stop because he deems it "sissy stuff" and does not want to be embarrassed in front of his ancestor, asking Larry to act high-tech. This scene looks like a phase in dating where the boyfriend is preparing to introduce his girlfriend to his parents.
- Ah, but you forget why Tuddrussel gives him the poncho in the first place— earlier in the episode, Buck yelled at Larry for teaching Otto how to sew (something Buck finds to be "women's work") and rejected Larry's present to Buck: a denim jacket with the words "Tuddy Bear" embroidered on the back in sequins. Also, earlier in the episode, one of the designs Larry shows Otto is a rainbow, which is a gay pride symbol.
- "A Thrilla at Atilla's": the three protagonists each voice their own version of what happened during their mission so they can complete the report. Tuddrussell's features Larry dressed in a pink tutu, acting very much as a Damsel in Distress would, and having hearts float above his head as Buck shows off his strength and muscles,
making you wonder if that's how Tuddrussell regularly sees Larry. Larry's reply to this portrayal of events is the icing on the cake: "Well I certainly don't remember wearing a tutu! At least I don't think I did...". - "Cabin Fever" had a short scene where Otto, Larry, and Tuddrussel were playing Twister — or, to be more precise, Otto was operating the Twister spinner while Tuddrussel and Larry are on the mat in some Head-Tiltingly Kinky positions.
- Even "Napoleon the Conquered" featured the two in a similar position after Josephine takes out Napoleon's entire army in a fit of rage, as head tilting as ever.
- In "Out with the In Crowd", when the Time Squad are approached by another unit, Buck and Larry cling to each other and squeal with delight.
