Special Delivery
Stretch has ordered a pack of rust-proof nails for Manny, and after it fails to arrive on the day it was supposed to he makes an inquiry to Elena, a postwoman- turns out, the post office’s mail-sorting machine has chosen that very day to break down. An inspection by Manny reveals that a belt that turns some gears in the mail sorter’s “guts” has snapped and needs to be replaced, and he promptly departs to Kelly’s for a replacement. However, while Manny is gone, Stretch insists on continuing his search for the package, and soon finds himself menaced by some of the mail sorter’s still-operating mechanisms.
Tropes in “Special Delivery” include:
- Audible Gleam: The rust-proof nails Stretch ordered produce one when Manny opens their package.
- Covered in Gunge: Mr. Lopart ends up covered in ink from his busted fountain pen.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: At the end of the episode, Pat, wanting to see if there’s any mail for him, tries to peer in the post office’s mailbag and ends up falling in.Pat (after Manny fishes him out): Or maybe I should just wait for Elena to deliver the mail.
//Manny and the tools laugh// - Failed a Spot Check: One of the workers in the post office somehow fails to notice Stretch in a bag of mail, and obviously dumps a pile of letters on top of him.
- The Ghost: Manny's Uncle Pedro, who never actually appears but whom apparently lives in Mexico City and sent Manny a postcard.
Elliot’s New Job
After a busy week, there’s no better way to relax on a Friday night than to watch a movie- at least, not according to Manny. So, he and the tools head to a video store with the intent to rent one, and also enjoy the store’s Free Popcorn Friday event. However, when they arrive, they find the store in disarray, the popcorn machine broken, and a frantic Elliot desperately trying to keep control of the situation.
“Elliot’s New Job” contains examples of:
- Busman's Holiday: Manny only goes to the video store to rent a movie, but ends up having to repair a broken popcorn machine and reorganize the store.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Supremoguy movie has yet another sequel.
- On the poster of one of the store’s movies can be seen a medal shaped like a pair of wings, which is identical to the medal Captain Ciello gave Squeeze in “Learning To Fly”.
- A robot seen on the cover of one of the video store’s films looks oddly like the I-Love-You-33.
- The Wing And Nut Movie and Sawdust Memories, both seen in “Movie Night”, are also among the store’s selection.
- The Homeward Journey: The Show Within a Show Mr. Ayala wants to watch is about a dog and a cat joining forces to return home after having been separated from their owner for unknown reasons.
- Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films: Apparently, the tools once watched a scary movie, and spent the following night unable to sleep and jumping at any unexpected noise.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Elliot has yet another one, as a clerk at the video rental store.
- Revenge of the Sequel: The latest Supremoguy movie is apparently called Return Of Supremoguy.
- Shout-Out: The movie Mr. Ayala is looking for is awfully similar to Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
- Show Within a Show: The video store is filled with these, including most of the movies from “Movie Night”, yet another Supremoguy sequel, a Homeward Bound-like movie Mr. Ayala wanted to watch, and a comedy with some cute forest animals on the cover that Manny rents after his work cleaning up the store is finished.
- Two Decades Behind: The episode was made in 2008, and yet the characters are renting movies like it’s the late ‘80s.
