Airdate: Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Sender: Jon, NH
In the long-anticipated 100th email, Strong Bad gets an email from Abdi Larue... er, Jon from "No Hamsters", who asks him how long he has known Homestar Runner, and also if there's some kind of flashback to show how they first met.
Strong Bad expands the sides of the screen to reveal more of the computer room... and an unexpected guest.
Homestar Runner: Oh, I'm pretty much here every week. It's just that usually I'm Behind the Black.
Strong Bad: Guess I should start... lookin' to the right more often.
After getting Homestar out of the way with a "FRAME SHIFT LEFT ("See you after the flashback!")" Strong Bad starts the flash-back in earnest, regaling the audience with the tale of "Strong Bad Meets the Homestar Runner". It seems that one day, after besting Coach Z in a game of moon tennis and riding "a sweet, sweet rainbow bridge" home, Strong Bad stumbled upon a big ol' egg.
"Hello! How do you like my egg, Mr. Strong Bad?" said a voice from behind.
The voice from behind the egg turns out to be the Homestar Runner ("Some folks say I'm a terrific athelete!"), who apparently used to wear a yellow shirt with a duck on it instead of his trademark red shirt with a star. A brief argument over who owns the egg is interrupted by "the svelte, young Prince of Town", who convinces "Duck-Shirt" and "No-Shirt" to settle things with a ten-step footrace ("Whoever goes the most distance in ten steps, will be the winner!").
Homestar easily outpaces Strong Bad, but as it turns out the rules also state "loser gets the egg". With Strong Mad's help, Strong Bad cracks open the egg to reveal "a lifetime supply of fish sticks... and a The Cheat!"
Homestar is eager for another story, but just as Strong Bad is about to read "The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck in His Craw", a message pops up on the Compy congratulating Strong Bad on 100 episodes of Strong Bad Email!
(The Paper comes down.)
Strong Bad: ...email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email eMAIL-a email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email-mail-nahduhluh email email email email e-meh-meh-meh-meh-mail email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email email-mail email email email email email email email EMAIL! (takes a deep breath) Ooh, I'm pa... I'm parched (hoarsely) I need a glass of water.
Strong Bad is rewarded with a pixelated glass of water from the Compy, and a series of Easter Eggs in which other characters from the website congratulate Strong Bad on his big milestone.
Tropes:
- Aspect Ratio Switch: Invoked by Strong Bad, who widens the cartoon screen because this particular flashback is much too important to be shown in 11:8.
- Behind the Black: The Trope Namer; Homestar claims to be "pretty much here every week" using this method.
- Big "WHAT?!": Strong Bad gets the giant egg, although Homestar won the race. Duck-Shirt Homestar lets out a baffled cry of "WHAAAAT??!!?&,:;%${}" [sic].
- Continuity Nod: The first e-mail Strong Bad ever received comes up before the real one. Strong Bad even starts reading it in his old accent.
- Dance Party Ending: The flashback ends with "And so, The Cheat mashed play on an extremely expensive jam-box with high-speed dubbing and everybody put their weight on it!"
- Delayed Reaction: Strong Bad nearly finishes Abdi LaRue's email before realizing he'd already answered it a long time ago.
- Everything's Better with Rainbows: In the flashback, Strong Bad and Coach Z take a "sweet, sweet rainbow bridge" back to Free Country USA.
- Formerly Fit: Before he was the fat old King of Town, the KOT was "the slim and trim young Prince of Town".
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": "Everybody loves Strong Bad. He is an okay guy." Strong Bad also beats Coach Z "a million to 3" in a game of moon tennis, and gets the egg even though he lost the ten-step foot race because, according to the Prince of Town, "loser gets the egg."
- Narrating the Obvious: After beating Coach Z in tennis, Strong Bad points out that "3 is clearly a smaller number than a million".
- Overly Long Gag: Strong Bad saying "e-mail" one hundred times. He's rather hoarse and dehydrated afterwards, but he manages it.
- Percussive Maintenance: At the beginning, Strong Bad starts reading the e-mail that started it all, complete with the Tandy display and his old voice, before realizing what's going on and smacking the Compy.
- Second Place Is for Winners: The Homestar Runner wins the ten-step footrace, but then the Prince of Town announces "Loser gets the egg!"
- Sequel Hook: After reading Strong Bad Meets The Homestar Runner, Strong Bad offers to read The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck In His Craw.
- Shout-Out: Strong Bad's use of the phrase "put their weight on it" is a nod to the line "Put your weight on it!" from the Dolemite movie Disco Godfather.
- Stylistic Suck: Strong Bad's flashback is a parody of the art style of The Homestar Runner Enters the Strongest Man in the World Contest.
- Symbol Swearing: Subverted when The Homestar Runner yells "WHAAAAT??!!?&,:;%${}". Despite the excessive punctuation, he doesn't swear.
- Throwing The Match: Exploited. Strong Bad purposely loses the ten-step footrace because as it turns out the loser keeps the egg.
