Airdate: Monday, April 9, 2007
Sender: The Nitwon
We join Strong Bad at the office, where he tries to check his email on his work computer, the Corpy NT6.
(The "DELETED!" buzzer sounds, and a message reading "BLOCKED! Back to work, drone!" appears on the Corpy's screen.)
Strong Bad: Oh, man. They got everything blocked now. Even those awesome pop-up insurance ads with the cool mini-games in 'em. I tasered that gnome like ten times!
Fortunately, a little help from The Cheat, in the form of "Grandmaw Edgar's Corporate Firewall Get-Arounder", allows Strong Bad to bypass the security measures and reach his emails. He receives one from "The Nittle One", who wants to know what Strong Bad's dream job would be.
Seems "the suits" got Bubs to put a firewall on their employees' imaginations to keep them focused on the job. As Bubs wanders off to get back to "taserin' that gnome", Strong Bad tries showing off his dream job through "work-approved methods" with a slideshow presentation. Unfortunately he's distracted from his talk of crudules and pantsuits by clueless temp Strong Sad, who's struggling with the "Log Off/Log Out" screen. Then his old foe Homestar "The Office Dullard" Runner shows up to talk about his dream job of being "The guy who flies around on that big plastic goldfish, painting the clouds with an over-sized novelty toothbrush!" It even comes with a fantasy sequence, much to Strong Bad's frustration.
Homestar: Oh, I got admin privileges. It helps when you're best friends with the Big Cheese!
(An annoyed Pom Pom appears behind Homestar and bubbles at him)
Homestar: Ah! The Big Cheese!
Pom Pom: (bubbles)
Homestar: (downtrodden) Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Right away, sir. Hallelujah, sir. I'll have that DNA evidence on your desk by five!
Strong Bad decides that checking emails at the office isn't worth the effort ("I dunno how all those bloggers do it"), and decides to get back to work... or rather, deliberately cause his computer to suffer a "TEMP LOG OFF/OUT ERROR".
(The Paper comes down.)
Tropes:
- Bad Liar: Bubs lets slip that he's been playing that gnome-tasering online minigame. He tries to pull a Verbal Backspace, but the best he can come up with is, "Err, I mean, upgrading the... taserin' that gnome! ...server."
- Brick Joke: Strong Bad laments his managers blocking "those awesome pop-up insurance ads with the cool mini-games in 'em. I tasered that gnome like ten times!" After Bubs reveals that he put up a "firewall" around Strong Bad's imagination, he announces "Well, I'd better get back to taserin' that gnome."
- Call-Back: Strong Bad's day job is apparently at the Office, as first seen in "dullard".
- Chirping Crickets: Crickets are heard after Strong Bad's failed attempt to show an Imagine Spot of his dream job.
- Distinction Without a Difference: The Corpy NT6 offers "Log Off" and "Log Out" as separate options. Strong Sad can't tell the difference between them, but fears there will be consequences for choosing incorrectly anyway.
- Imagine Spotting: Strong Bad complains about not being able to show viewers an Imagine Spot of himself as a "2nd 2nd assistant space whale scrubber" thanks to a "firewall", and complains when Homestar is able to show one because he sucks up to their boss.
- Long List: Strong Bad tells Strong Sad that to deal with the "Log Off/Out" screen, "Just hold down escape, control, tab, alt, both shifts, num lock and the little squiggly until your screen turns blue."
- Malicious Misnaming: "Nevermind, Nitwit."
- Mouth Screen: The email opens with a close-up on Strong Bad's mouth.
- Painting the Frost on Windows: Homestar's dream job involves painting clouds in the sky with a giant novelty toothbrush.
- Right Behind Me: Right after Homestar brags about being friends with "the Big Cheese", said Big Cheese (Pom Pom) appears behind him.
- Running Gag: Homestar makes yet another "DNA evidence" reference after Pom Pom tells him to get back to work.
- Soul-Crushing Desk Job: The office where Strong Bad works is so oppressive they "firewall" people's imaginations so they don't slack off.
- Snarky Inanimate Object: The Corpy NT6 tells Strong Bad "Oh you are SOOOO not gonna work here again!" when he logs off.
- Space Whale: Strong Bad's dream job is apparently "2nd 2nd assistant space whale scrubber".
- Take a Third Option: Strong Bad's response to "Log Off" vs. "Log Out" dilemma? Just hold down a Long List of keys until the computer crashes.
