Recap / Handy Manny S 1 E 20

Cinco de Mayo

It’s Cinco de Mayo, and Manny is all set to celebrate, until Mrs. Portillo calls him with an urgent job- her sink’s drain is clogged, and she still needs to prepare the food for her Cinco de Mayo party later that day. Cleaning it out should be simple- until Rusty decides that the drainpipe is loose, tries to tighten it, and ends up snapping it in half.

Tropes in “Cinco de Mayo” include:

• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Abuelito winks at the audience after saying “Feliz Cinco de Mayo!”
• Deus ex 'Scuse Me: At one point, Mrs. Portillo’s doorbell rings and she leaves the kitchen to answer it, giving Rusty an opportunity to attempt to fix what he thinks is a loose pipe in her sink drain and end up breaking it.
• Furry Confusion: The flashlight Manny uses to look under Mrs. Portillo’s sink retroactively becomes an example of this with the introduction of Flicker in Season 2.
• Holiday Episode: For Cinco de Mayo, as the title suggests.
• I've Heard of That — What Is It?:
  Pat: Wow, Cinco de Mayo! (beat) What’s Cinco de Mayo?
• Onion Tears: The tools are afflicted by these when Mrs. Portillo cuts onions while Manny is trying to install the new drain pipe- first they make Stretch have trouble measuring, and then they make Pat break the pipe when he tries to tap it into place.
• Sombrero Equals Mexican: Despite Handy Manny normally avoiding this, Manny dons a sombrero when preparing to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at the beginning of the episode, and later said sombrero ends up being used during Mrs. Portillo’s Cinco de Mayo party for a Mexican Hat Dance.
• Wink "Ding!": One plays when Abuelito winks at the audience after saying “Feliz Cinco de Mayo!”

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Best Repairman

Jasmine Chung, a reporter for the Sheet Rock Hills Herald, gives Manny a call- he’s been nominated as the town’s Best Repairman, and she wants to interview him about the title. Meanwhile, a local teen- Gabriella- has found a piece that’s broken off the fountain in the park, and contacts Manny about reattaching it. After some discussion, Jasmine decides to hold her interview in the park, and see Manny in action. Unfortunately, Manny’s tools all want their picture in the paper with Manny, and spend more time showing off than working on the repair…

“Best Repairman” contains examples of:

• Brick Joke: Early in the episode, Mr. Lopart hears about Manny’s newspaper interview, and decides he wants to bring Jasmine some of his candy so he can be interviewed as Sheet Rock Hills’ “best candymaker”. At the end of the episode, he shows up in the park with a wheelbarrow full of his candy for Jasmine.
• Continuity Nod: A photo of Sheet Rock Hills’ big Christmas tree can be seen in the background of Jasmine Chung’s office.
• Early Personality Signs: Apparently, Manny’s first word as a baby was “fix”, a fact he offhandedly mentions during his interview with Jasmine Chung.
• Hypocritical Humor: Turner’s complaint about The Wing And Nut Show is this, mixed with a bit of implied Who Would Want to Watch Us?
  Turner: I don’t get this show at all. Wing nuts don’t talk.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: After the tools fix the fountain in the park, Manny wants to continue the interview, and tells Jasmine Chung (who had earlier been contending with his tools all vying to get their picture taken) that he doesn’t think they’ll have any more interruptions. Cue Mr. Lopart turning up in the park with a wheelbarrow full of candy, wanting Jasmine to interview him.
• I've Heard of That — What Is It?:
  Pat: Ooh, neat! A reporter! (beat) What’s a reporter?
• Pun: Wing and Nut (two nuts and bolts) end their Show Within a Show by saying that
  Wing and Nut: …but for now, we have to BOLT!
• Series Continuity Error: Turner is shown disliking The Wing And Nut Show in this episode, despite having enjoyed it just as much as the other tools in previous episodes.
• Show Within a Show: The episode opens with the tools watching The Wing And Nut Show, and seeing Wing and Nut sign off with a pun.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Gabriella is a random citizen of Sheet Rock Hills who only has two or three lines in the episode, but her finding a piece that had broken off Sparrow Fountain and bringing it to Manny is what sets the whole episode’s plot into motion.
• Title Drop: “Best Repairman” is the name of the award Manny has won, and thus is said a fair few times.