As the entirety of this storyline contains interconnected plotpoints across multiple episodes and movies, spoilers from nearly every prior SMG4 story arc up to this point are to be expected, some of which are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
It's time for the big show... whether you like it or not!
"And let me tell ya... Once I hit five stars... NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN..."
Mr Puzzles
PUZZLEVISION is the eighth SMG4 Story Arc, as well as the second overarching storyline following the channel's three-part Cosmology Saga.
Following one hell of a revelation (and nearly getting a dreaded DMCA from Nintendo itself), the SMG4 Crew remain as strong as ever, this time with the intent to make big changes and more wacky meme-filled adventures.
However, something ominous, something very mysterious is lurking in the shadows, causing unspeakable chaos as it plays according to its own plans.
Whatever insidious plot it has for our dysfunctional group of misfits, one thing is absolutely clear: They (and the viewers) are in for quite a show... regardless of the consequences!
In a departure from the usual storyline structure of previous SMG4 story arcs, PUZZLEVISION mainly comprises multiple episodes across four mini-arcs, each centering on a member of SMG4's rambunctious crew, all of which serve to shake up the current status quo to its very core.
Main Storyline
"*" denotes a filler episode, but nonetheless a part of the mini-arc in question.
Part 1: SMG4's Perfect Video
Struggling to make his channel more popular than ever, SMG4's pursuit of making a perfect video has major consequences, not just for himself and everyone he cares about, but for everything else.- "SMG4... Are You Ok?"
- "Mario Goes To Ohio"*
- "Mario Steals The American Constitution"*
- "MAR10 DAY"
- SMG4 Movie: It's Gotta Be Perfect
Intermission 1: Finding a New Home
Following the destruction of Peach's Castle, SMG4 sets out to find a new home and the funds to build a castle of his own, with plenty of shenanigans along the way.- "My Roommate Mario"
- "A Happy Little Road Trip"*
- "The Stupid Mario Movie"*
- "Our New Home"
- "The Very Safe & Legal SMG4 Show"
- "Mario Opens A Pizza Shop"
- "Mario Harms The Environment"
- "Mario's Tunnel Of Doom"
- "Mario Is Fine"
Part 2: Meggy's Perfect Idol
Learning about the disappearance of her idol, One-Shot Wren, Meggy ropes Tari and the rest of the gang on a trip to find the one person she's earnestly looking up to, only for a harsh truth about her idol to come crashing down on her...- "Grand Theft Mario"
- "We Interrupt This Broadcast..."
- "Ready to Ride?..."
- SMG4 Movie: Western Spaghetti
Intermission 2: The New Castle
After months of gathering funds, the new Castle is finally ready. Unfortunately, with it come several dilemmas that the gang must sort out before they can finally move in.Part 3: SMG3's Sussy Notebook of Secrets
Ever since he buried the hatchet with SMG4 following the Cosmology Saga, SMG3 has been keeping his long-guarded secrets while managing his new coffee shop. However, like any hidden secret, a secret long kept under wraps is about to surface in ways he couldn't imagine...- "We Don't Talk About What Happened in the Elevator"
- "Mario Goes Coo-Coo Crazy"*
- "SMG4 KIDS"*
- "The Lads Play Shrek Online"*
- "SMG4 & SMG3 Are Forced To Hold Hands"
- "Trust No One"
- "War of the Fat Italians 2023"
Part 4: Mr. Puzzles' Big Show
With all the players in place, Mr. Puzzles enacts his grand plan: to create a family-friendly entertainment channel that everyone can enjoy... regardless of whether or not the SMG4 Crew can endure the torturous scripts he puts on them.PUZZLEVISION contains the following tropes for your viewing pleasure:
- Arc Word: The word "perfect" is often brought up multiple times, often highlighting the obsession of a character at the expense of themselves and how it foreshadows Mr. Puzzle's perfectionist obsession.
- Arc Villain: Each mini-arc has it's own antagonist with Mr Puzzles being the overarching Big Bad in the background until the end.
- SMG4 himself, and in particular his growing perfectionist tendencies, are the threat of the It's Gotta Be Perfect arc.
- One-Shot Wren is revealed to have fallen off since his Splatfest glory days and become the tyranical ruler of a digital world, Western Spaghetti, he traps the gang in.
- Mario's OC Marty is revealed to be behind the theft of SMG3's notebook, kicking off WOTFI 2023
- Ascended Extra: After spending the last few story arcs relegated as a side character, Tari finally gets to have a moment to shine, even taking a few upgrades on the badass department as seen in Western Spaghetti, where she serves as a Spanner in the Works, helping Meggy fight off One-Shot Wren in his own virtual world.
- Central Theme: The cost of seeking perfection. All antagonists seek something that's either beyond their reach or unsustainable and end up worse in the end.
- SMG4 becomes obsessed with making a perfect video and in the process gets himself posessed by the "Completely Normal Keyboard" and loses his home in Peach's castle.
- One-Shot Wren lost his fame and glory and when given a chance to live his fantasies in a virtual world, becomes a mad tyrant, killing Meggy over and over for his amusement. In the end, he is killed when he overloads the machine, Meggy lamenting that she only wanted to be friends.
- Mario's OC Marty got himself a sweet deal running the Showground Pizzarea but still wanted more so stole SMG3's notebook to obtain the secret pizza recipie within. He ends up in jail for his crime and, as the physical notebook reveals, the recipie wasn't even good anyway.
- Mr Puzzles with his manipulations and powers got himself three grand "shows" out of the crew but he desired a perfect 5 star rating to control the entire world. By the end, in seeking perfection, he's undone by simple blunders from Mario and the Gang embracing thier impercection and chaos to make their own show that outdoes his.
- Chekhov's Gag: Luigi becoming a meat mallet in Mario's Mysteries becomes a plot point in the Puzzlevision movie when Luigi performs a Taking the Bullet on Mr. Puzzles, turning him into Luigi the Meat Mallet and being used to beat up Mr. Puzzles. He is also used by SMG4 to land the final blow on Mr. Puzzles, sending the latter flying into the distance.
- Demoted to Extra: After being the MacGuffin of the Cosmology Saga and protagonist of the Lawsuit Arc, Mario plays a secondary supporting role with the main role being taken up SMG4 and Meggy and the deuteragonist role being taken by SMG3 and Tari depending on the story.
- Genre Roulette: All the major stories follow a different genre.
- It's Gotta Be Perfect is a horror story where SMG4's obsession starts manifesting in the real world as corruptive Meat Moss.
- Western Spaghetti starts out as a Spaghetti Western parody before revealing itself as a Weird West psychological horror tale.
- War Of The Fat Italians 2023 drops all horror elements and is a lighthearted heist movie pastiche.
- The lead up to the main Puzzlevision show combines analogue horror and psychological horror as the cast are forced to perform parodies of TV shows against their will. In the movie, once Mario inadvertently escapes and frees his friends from mind control, it becomes a more action focused plot with the cast racing against time to stop Mr. Puzzles from taking over the world.
- Heel–Face Turn: SMG3's slow turn from arch enemy to friend-but-won't-admit-it is cemented when he saves SMG4 from the destruction of Peach's Castle and sets up his own coffee/bomb shop on the Showgrounds.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: This saga brings massive status quo changes to the series, the first and most notable of which is Peach's Castle permanently being destroyed, leading the gang to relocate to the showgrounds and build their own castle.
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