The nineteenth episode of the second season of Rugrats (1991).
Down The Drain: After Tommy loses a toy down the bathtub drain and Angelica tells he and Chuckie a horror story about drains, Tommy and Chuckie become afraid of getting sucked down the bathtub drain.
Let Them Eat Cake: It's the wedding of Didi's brother Ben and his fiancée Elaine. Tommy and Chuckie are excited because it means they can eat cake, and leave the wedding in search of it. At the same time, Elaine disappears right before she is due to walk down the aisle, and Ben goes off in search of her.
"Down The Drain" provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Face your fears and learn nothing false.
- Baths Are Fun: Once Tommy and Chuckie realize they are in no danger of being sucked down the bathtub drain, they have a great time in the tub.
- Believing Their Own Lies: Angelica believes her own tall tale that she spun for the babies after she accidentally flushes Cynthia down the toilet.Angelica: It's true! It's true! You can get sucked down the drain!
- Bland-Name Product: "Clay Doh", a stand in for Play Doh.
- Fridge Logic: How did Chuckie and Tommy get all that sand through the house and into the bathroom without Chaz noticing?
- Fun with Flushing: Angelica pretends that Chuckie's toilet is a jacuzzi and that she can turn on the bubbles by flushing it. She accidentally flushes Cynthia down it when she falls in.
- Hand Puppet: Chaz has two that he uses to try to encourage Tommy and Chuckie to bathe: Mr. Dirt and Mr. Water. (What they are based on should be obvious.)
- Laser-Guided Karma: Angelica ridiculing the babies for the fear of getting sucked down the drain that she helped give them comes back to bite her when she accidentally flushes Cynthia down the toilet.
- One-Episode Fear: Tommy develops a fear of being sucked down the drain in this episode, and Chuckie used to be afraid of being sucked down the drain but isn't. However, Chuckie's fear comes back when Angelica tells both boys you can get sucked down the drain. It goes away at the end of the episode. Angelica is implied to develop one after almost losing Cynthia, thinking she turned out to be right.
- Rule of Three: The plumber has to be called three times, first when Tommy and Chuckie plug the drain full of clay dough and flood the bathroom in an attempt to get out of taking a bath, second when the two stuff sand down the drain, and lastly when Cynthia has to be rescued after Angelica inadvertently flushes her down the toilet.
- Say My Name: "CYNTHIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!", so screams Angelica into the toilet after absentmindedly flushing Cynthia down it.
- Scare 'Em Straight: Inverted. Just as Tommy is getting over his fear of being sucked down the drain with help from Chuckie, Angelica barges in and tells the two boys a tale about a nice little boy who always ate his veggies and was nice to be around...and then one night while taking a bath, the bathtub unplugged itself and swallowed the boy up, never to be seen again. Not only does this make Tommy even more frightened of being sucked down the drain, but it causes Chuckie to become afraid of the drain again, too.
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: We don't see the figures on the Plumber's bills, but based on Chaz's expression, they aren't cheap in the slightest.
"Let Them Eat Cake" provides examples of:
- Accidental Pervert: At one point during his search for Elaine, Ben opens the door on a Screaming Woman and promptly shuts it while covering his eyes and apologizing.
- An Aesop: Miracles can happen if you believe them.
- "Be Quiet!" Nudge: Didi elbows Stu in the stomach after he brings up her disappearance for three days before their wedding.
- Bouquet Toss: Stu and Didi are looking for the kids, and find their way into another wedding in the building, just as the bride is throwing the bouquet:Stu: Look, Didi! I caught the bouquet!
Didi (takes it out of his hands and heaves it off-screen) He's already married!
[drags Stu out of the room] - Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: When Elaine didn't show up on cue, one of the ushers whispered to the preacher, leading him to shout "What do you mean they can't find the bride?!"...right in front of Ben and the guests.
- Eat the Camera: This episode ends this way when Tommy belches.
- First-Name Basis: Stu tells Ben to stop calling him Mr. Pickles, since they're family now. But he still calls him Mr. Pickles, much to Stu's annoyance.
- Frothy Mugs of Water: Averted; when Tommy and Chuckie wander into a Jewish wedding, there is clearly a wine bottle on the table.
- Irony: Ben can describe Elaine in beautiful poetry, yet he can't remember her hair color (she's revealed to be redhead).
- Lohengrin and Mendelssohn: Mendelssohn is used for what should have been the bride's walk down the aisle.
- Noodle Incident:
- This exchange between Chas and Stu:
Chas: I can't believe Didi's little brother is getting married. It seems like only yesterday, he was running around in short pants, screaming.
Stu: That was yesterday, Chas. Remember the bachelor party?- And at the wedding itself, two of the guests comment that Angelica, who is the flower girl, tore up their petunias last summer.
- Runaway Bride: Extremely nervous about the wedding, Elaine disappears in the middle of it, resulting in her panic-stricken husband-to-be searching the large venue in search of her—Tommy and Chuckie eventually find her in the courtyard, and that's where Ben finds all three of them.
- Stu claims that around the time he and Didi got married, Didi had disappeared for a few days before their wedding—Chas even nods in confirmation to this.
- Shout-Out: The newlyweds are named Ben and Elaine.
- Tears of Joy: Didi, Charlotte, and Chas all cry at Ben and Elaine's wedding.note
- Wedding Episode: In this episode, Tommy and Chuckie go to the wedding for Didi's younger brother, Ben. During the wedding, Ben's fiance, Elaine disappears right before she is due to walk down the aisle, resulting in her panic-stricken husband-to-be searching the large venue for her. Throughout the episode, Tommy and Chuckie pursue the cake that's being served at the wedding, and in their pursuit, they eventually find Elaine in the courtyard, where Ben finds all three of them.
- Wrong Song Gag: The organist begins playing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" before stopping at the sight of everyone's dumbfounded expressions. Realizing her mistake, she begins to play "Here Comes The Bride".
