The twentieth episode of the third season of Rugrats (1991).
The Alien
When Angelica finds that she's too big to fit in the new playhouse Chas built, she convinces the other babies that Chuckie is an alien and the playhouse is his spaceship.
Mr. Clean
Chuckie becomes paranoid of germs.
"The Alien" provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Don’t mock people because they are different. It might come back to bite you.
- Becoming the Mask: Much like many of Angelica's other lies, she seems to get a little too into her role by the end. By the end she becomes adamant on "melting" Chuckie with the hose, remembering too late that he isn't an alien and she accidentally vindicated him.
- Comically Missing the Point: This exchange when Angelica finds Chuckie's puzzle of the United States of America;Angelica: Look at this!
Tommy: But Angelica, that's just a puzzle!
Angelica: Just a puzzle? Tommy, how can you BE so dumb?!
Tommy: [smiling casually, not offended] It's easy. I'm a baby. - Complexity Addiction: Angelica's elaborate attempt to frame the playhouse as an alien spacecraft just to make sure no one else can enjoy it could be considered this. It never once strikes her to just tell Chaz she can't fit into the playhouse.
- Embarrassing Damp Sheets: When Tommy tells Chuckie that he, Phil, and Lil know his secret, Chuckie believes them to think that his secret is that he wets the bed every once in a while. Phil and Lil aren't ashamed of this secret, and reveal to Chuckie that they wet their beds every chance they get.
- Evil Is Petty: Angelica convinces Tommy, Phil, and Lil that Chuckie is an alien and his new playhouse is a spacecraft, simply to keep them all from playing in it, as she is too big to fit into it herself.
- Full-Body Disguise / Latex Perfection: In the story that Angelica made up about Chas and Chuckie being aliens named Grog and Lindor, the two aliens wear realistic full-body costumes of Chas and Chuckie.
- Gainax Ending: At the end of the episode, the playhouse does turn out to be a spaceship when Phil grabs a wheel and launch it into space.
- Garden-Hose Squirt Surprise: After finding out that Chuckie isn't an alien since he didn't melt when he got wet, Angelica clutches the garden hose as Phil and Lil decide to join Chuckie in the playhouse. She shouts, "YOU DUMB BABIES!", then lets go of the hose, causing it to squirt her.
- Jerkass Ball: Tommy, Phil, and Lil are quick to believe that their friend and companion, Chuckie, is an alien simply because Angelica, someone whom they don't like and are often in fear of, says so. Even when he tries to convince them otherwise, they remain skeptical until the end of the episode.
- Kill It with Water: As one of her tests to prove whether or not Chuckie is an alien, Angelica decides to spray Chuckie with the garden hose, as aliens would melt if they got wet, but human beings would not.
- Sore Loser: Chaz makes a new playhouse for the babies, but unknowingly makes it too small for Angelica. She makes up the alien story about Chuckie simply so the babies can't enjoy it either.
- Take Over the World: Angelica convinces Tommy, Phil, and Lil that Chas and Chuckie are really disguised aliens and that the playhouse that Chas built is a rocket ship that sends them to their home planet, so that the aliens can take over the world.
"Mr. Clean" provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Sometimes you've just got to take your chances and live your life unafraid.
- Big "NO!": Chas, when the babies get into the trash, complete with Eat the Camera to close it.
- Both Sides Have a Point: On Tommy and the twins' side, they were right that Chuckie was taking things to the extreme with trying to make sure everything stayed clean; while on Chuckie's side of things, activities like playing in the garbage are too dirty.
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Broken Aesop: Subverted. After Tommy and the twins get Chuckie out of his Terrified of Germs phase and convince him there's nothing wrong with playing in the garbage, Chas ends up giving all of them a bath. - Call-Back: While bathing Chuckie, Chas once again plays with his bathtime puppet friends.
- Comedic Underwear Exposure: Chuckie takes off his germ suit leaving him in his underwear throughout the rest of this episode.
- Filthy Fun: At the beginning of this episode, Chuckie plays in various dirty places, such as in the garbage can, under his bed (which is incredibly dusty), and in a mud puddle. When Chas gives him baths and tells him about germs, he becomes paranoid of them and tries to convince his friends not to play in dirty places. When Tommy, Phil, and Lil manage to get him out of his anti-germ phase, they have fun playing in the garbage together... at least until Chas gives them a bath afterwards.
- Gilligan Cut: This exchange at the end of the episode, when Chuckie decides to play in the garbage with Tommy, Phil, and Lil;Chuckie: I gotta admit, this is fun!
Tommy: See, Chuckie? I told you nothing bad would happen!
[The camera moves up to Chas.]
Chas: NooooooooOooooooooOooo!
[It zooms into Chas' mouth; cut to Tommy and Chuckie in the bathtub.]
Chuckie: And you said nothing bad was gonna happen! - Help, I'm Stuck!: While playing Follow the Leader with Tommy, Phil, and Lil, Chuckie gets stuck in a bush. Tommy tells him that the only way he can get out is if he takes off his germ suit, but Chuckie refuses. He eventually changes his mind when Phil and Lil tell him that the Germs got Tommy, which was Tommy's plan the entire time.
- A Lesson Learned Too Well: Chas meant well when trying to teach Chuckie about germs, but between the excessive baths and Chuckie's worried nature, he ends up making his son Terrified of Germs.
- Neat Freak:
- Chuckie takes it to a major extreme in this episode, where he dons a germ-proof "suit" and attempts to force the babies not to play anything to keep clean. Tommy and the twins quickly get him out of that phase.
- Chas isn't exactly subtle himself, as he gives Chuckie a bath each time he does something even remotely dirty. In the end, he ends up giving all the babies a bath even though three of them aren't his kids.
- Nightmare Sequence: Chuckie has one where when he plays in the trash, the germs come to life and attack him.
- Rule of Three: At the beginning of this episode, Chuckie plays in three dirty places; in the garbage can, under his bed, and in a mud puddle. Chas gives him a bath each time.
