Running Duck
Original air date: September 13, 2001
One night, a duck is all alone outside, running away from someone or something, whose shadow is only seen. He runs into an alleyway and attempts to climb out, but he can't reach higher. The figure gets closer, and he turns around in horror… and then "To Be Continued…" appears on screen, and it is revealed the whole thing was merely a TV show called "Running Duck" being watched in Bev's cafe by her, a duck named Bill, and the three brothers Ed, Oly, and Waddle. Bev points out that it will be getting dark soon, so Ed, Oly, and Waddle leave. She asks if Bill will be going home soon, teasing him about a "green, scary bugaboo" and telling him about a rumour of a sighting on the east side of Ducktown. Bill brushes it off, oblivious to a green alligator watching him through the window.
Bill finishes his slice of pie and begins to make his way home. As he walks, he hears a strange high-pitched sound getting louder and louder. Eventually, it turns out to be coming from a small, bird cage-containing wagon being pulled by another duck, much to Bill's relief. But then… he turns around and is face-to-face with the alligator who was watching him earlier. Bill screams and runs away to the Decoy Cafe, banging the doors and yelling to be let in, but Bev is wearing headphones and can't hear. His screams continue to go unheard by all except Waddle, who sees Bill running but doesn't know it's him and thinks it's just filming for "Running Duck".
Bill runs into an alleyway, but now has nowhere to run. The alligator draws closer to him and lunges at him, but Bill leaps out of the way, causing the alligator to hit his snout on the wall and cry out in pain. Bill is making his exit, but hears the alligator pitifully express his pain, and hesitates before deciding to stay and help. The alligator snaps at him, but Bill points out that he shouldn't eat ducks, and alligators aren't supposed to be in Ducktown anyway. The alligator admits it's difficult to control his urges to eat ducks and living so close to Ducktown is difficult. Bill says he won't go so easy on the alligator next time, which causes the alligator to start laughing, and Bill ends up doing the same, but this results in more pain to the alligator's teeth. He complains of a toothache, but Bill knows someone who could help.
Bill takes the alligator to the office of Dr. Cecil's dentistry. Cecil is visibly shaken by the presence of an alligator, who introduces himself as Aldo, but agrees to help all the same. His wife faints at the sight of Aldo, urging Cecil to remove all of his teeth. While Cecil operates inside his mouth, Aldo finds it increasingly difficult to resist the urge to chomp Cecil down, something Bill picks up on. Cecil's wife enters the room and sees Cecil in Aldo's mouth, and the surprise causes Aldo's jaw to close with Cecil still inside. With help from Bill, Aldo spits Cecil out.
The next morning, Bill and Aldo are sitting at a jetty, skipping stones. Aldo promises not to eat ducks, and Bill extends an offer of friendship, which Aldo accepts. Bill does, however, stipulate that Aldo should eat first anytime he comes to Ducktown.
"Running Duck" contains examples of:
- The Dentist Episode: Aldo has a toothache, so Bill takes him to see Cecil the dentist.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: Aldo gives an affectionate smack to the comparatively-smaller Bill, which seems to hurt Bill.
- Dramatic Chase Opening: The episode has one of these, which turns out to have only been a TV show.
- Fake Action Prologue: The episode opens with a duck being chased by an unseen pursuer. Turns out it was just a Show Within a Show when "To Be Continued…" appears.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Bev is listening to music through headphones while hoovering the floor of her cafe, and doesn't hear Bill's pleas for help.
- Heel–Face Turn: After meeting Bill, Aldo resolves to give up eating ducks, and befriends him.
- Imagine Spot: Aldo has a short one where he imagines seasoning Dr. Cecil to eat.
- One-Joke Fake Show: Well, it's not a joke, but every episode of Running Duck apparently consists of the titular duck running away while the camera follows him, only to end with, "To Be Continued…".
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Dr. Cecil, who has his own dentistry, has never worked on real teeth before, since ducks don't have teeth.
- To Be Continued: Appears in-universe at the end of an episode of "Running Duck".
- Welcome Episode: Bill already knows Bev, Ed, Oly, and Waddle, but this is the first time he meets Aldo.
- Window Watcher: Aldo first sees Bill by looking at him through the window predatorily.
Duck Naked
Original air date: September 13, 2001
Bill wakes up one morning and spits out a feather, noting that it's the third one he's lost this week. He goes to take a shower, causing him to lose a large quantity of feathers around his face, which he discovers when the mirror becomes clear. He runs around screaming, losing even more feathers on his lower area.
Ed, Oly, and Waddle enter to mooch some kelp cake and see Bill with decidedly fewer feathers than he should have, and Ed tells him that he's molting, something that happens to every duck, and Oly says new feathers will grow back. Aldo joins the gathering, meeting the three brothers for the first time, and thinks one of them plucked Bill's feathers, a misunderstanding Bill is quick to clear up. Bill doesn't want to wait for new feathers to grow back, so Ed draws him a map to a place that will allegedly fix him up. Although it sounds shady, Bill decides to go, and Aldo agrees to accompany him.
The scooter journey leads them to the Decoy Cafe, and they follow the instructions to go around the back. Bill knocks on the back door, and after some difficulty with getting the person inside to accept the password, the door is opened. Bill and Aldo enter the dark, ominous room, visibly unnerved, and take a seat at the behest of whoever is speaking. As Bill recognises, it turns out to be Bev, although she insists that she is Madame Bevousky while also putting on an accent. First, she has Bill remove the tablecloth from the table, and then she pours a drop of potion onto him. Unexpectedly, this causes the few feathers he had left to pop right out of him, rendering him completely bare, which she suggests was the result of an allergic reaction.
Bev reveals the Ancient Gypsy Mystical Makeover Machine and has a reluctant Bill sit down in it. She pulls the lever, and this causes his feathers to return… except for his tail feathers. Bev warns that it's dangerous to make use of the machine twice, but Bill insists he needs his feathers, so she agrees to let him use it just one more time. Bill now has a full coat of feathers… but is appalled to discover they are now green instead of white. Bev assures him the green colour will wash out in a week, and leaves to go and fill the salt shakers.
That night, Bill and Aldo sit outside, with Bill deciding the green colour isn't so bad. Aldo shares the sentiment, and the pair play the bongos together.
"Duck Naked" contains examples of:
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: When Bill yells "I'm coming undone!" out the window in his panic that he's losing his feathers, a mother duck tells her child not to look at him.
- Death Glare: When Aldo doesn't think that Bill's newly-green feathers are so bad, Bill swiftly turns to shoot a look at him.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: Just like in the sister episode, Aldo gives an affectionate smack to the Bev, noticeably knocking her back a bit.
- Joke of the Butt: The first time Bill uses Bev's machine, all of his feathers grow back... except for those on his backside, which is still bare and pink.
- My Hair Came Out Green: This happens with Bill's feathers after using Bev's machine to regrow them. According to her, Oly turned purple when he tried it.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: In-universe; Bev becomes fed up with Bill doubting her and drops her "Madame Bevousky" accent to say:Am I not the height of fashion in Ducktown? Do I not know my plumage inside and out?
- Pun:Aldo: Don't mind him. Since his little problem came up, he's been in a fowl mood. (laughs) Get it? Fowl mood?
- Worst. Whatever. Ever!: Finding that most of his feathers are gone, Bill declares that this is the worst day of his life.
