Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts
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| "Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts" | |||||||
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| Clone High episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 9 |
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| Written by | Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Bill Lawrence | ||||||
| Directed by | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | ||||||
| Guest stars | Jack Black as the Pusher/Larry Hardcore | ||||||
| Production no. | 109 | ||||||
| Original airdate | 12 January 2003 | ||||||
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Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts is an episode of Clone High. It is also a rock opera.
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[edit] Plot
[edit] Synopsis
An anti-drug speaker at Clone High makes everyone want to smoke raisins. Cleo and JFK peer pressure Abe into smoking raisins. Gandhi gets high and takes a magical adventure through his subconscious. Scudworth uses the opportunity to take over the PTA. Joan tries to save everyone.
[edit] Episode walkthrough
Guest speaker Larry Hardcore (voiced by Jack Black) gives a concert on drug awareness and in the process plants the idea of smoking raisins in the minds of the students of Clone High. Directly after the assembly, a "scary looking hooded fellow lurking in the shadows" who calls himself The Pusher appears to sell them raisins.
Joan makes a passionate speech persuading the crowd not to smoke raisins, but JFK appears with bags of raisins and quickly persuades everyone to smoke raisins (the process of which resembles marijuana cigarettes, but with raisins sticking out the end) with him in his van. Despite his firm anti-drug stance, Abe follows the crowd, worried that Cleo will hook up with JFK if he doesn't.
Gandhi also goes to smoke raisins, excited about the possibility of finally becoming accepted. Immediately after smoking, his pupils dilate to the point of literally shattering to pieces, causing a panicking Gandhi to jump out the window. Then he then begins hallucinating. In his hallucination, he imagines Geldhemoor, a Humkeycorn – “half humming bird, half donkey, and half unicorn.” Geldhemoor says she has come to take Gandhi “on a magical journey into [his] subconscious.” She gives him some magic trail mix, which shrinks him until he is small enough to ride on Geldhemoor’s back (along with shrinking his clothes and raising the pitch of his voice in proportion to the shrinking of his body). She tells him that he must find the Magic Amulet of Balthazoo, which will lead him to The Castle Fusilor, where he must rescue the beautiful Princess Gremulon, who is descended from The Great Rivinojaneelankavel. Gandhi, however, is barely listening. He falls off Geldhemoor’s back and is eaten by a live-action cat. Abe and Cleo also start smoking raisins, and become Captain Lavender and his common-law wife, Rainmelon, the leaders of a group of raisin hippies. Abe’s parents find raisins in his pockets and confront him about it, but he is too strung out on raisins to pay attention, and they wind up fighting.
Meanwhile, Scudworth has found out about the school’s PTA. He shows up at their next meeting, which is filled with anxious parents fearing for their children’s behaviour. When JFK, high on raisins, falls through the cafetorium’s skylight and straight into the meeting, it’s the final straw, and Scudworth is crowned "King of the PTA", so he can build a giant fence to (somehow) contain the raisin epidemic.
Joan also wants to contain the raisin epidemic, and confronts The Pusher. He reveals the source of his power: Teenagers want to rebel against their parents, so they smoke raisins, because “they’re told not to do it by the parents and school.” Joan formulates a plan, and buys all the raisins The Pusher has.
Meanwhile, in the live-action cat’s belly, Gandhi discovers a strange two-headed creature guarding a giant pile of gold and riches. The creature is Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and among its riches is the Magic Amulet of Balthazoo, which was given to the creature by Dave Coulier. The creature gives Gandhi the amulet, telling him that, with the spirit of his clone father, he will defeat the dragon guarding Princess Gremulon, rescue her, and she will thrice lay him. Gandhi is excited for this, and goes to confront the dragon, the stereotypical Australian dragon Daniel Feldspar. Gandhi tries to imagine what Original Mahatma Gandhi would have done. He says to the dragon, "I'm thinking of going on a hunger strike but I've never tried vegemite." The dragon runs off to make Gandhi a vegemite sandwich, and Gandhi uses the distraction to rescue the princess. He is surprised to find not a princess, but Geldhemoor! Gandhi uses the power of the amulet, Geldhemoor turns into a princess, who is indeed beautiful, except for the fact that she still looks an awful lot like a horse. As promised, she offer to "thrice lay" Gandhi, but Gandhi awkwardly passes.
Finally, in the musical climax, the raisin smokers attempt to destroy Scudworth's fence. Abe climbs to the top of the fence, and confronts Scudworth. Abe falls off the fence, and hits his head on a rock. He too has a hallucination: Original Abraham Lincoln confronts him, telling him that he must take a stand against raisins, because, if he does, “Cleo would do you and I hear she’s amazing.”
Abe wakes up, and promises to help Joan stop the raisin epidemic. Joan climbs on top of the pile of raisins she bought, and tricks the parents into setting them on fire. The fumes get all the parents high, and for the clones, “now that authority figures are doing it, it doesn’t seem so rebellious.” They stop smoking raisins, and The Pusher is unmasked as none other than Larry Hardcore, the rocker from the beginning of the episode. Larry reveals that he was hired by the Raisin Council, who wanted to sell more raisins, and that raisins don’t really get you high. "It was all in your minds." At that point, Gandhi inexplicibly flies by, riding Daniel Feldspar.
[edit] Featured cast
- Jack Black - The Pusher
- Donald Faison – Wally
- Neil Flynn – Julius Caesar
- Murray Miller – George Washington, Crack-smoking hippy
[edit] Featured clones
- Gautama Buddha
- Catherine the Great
- Nostradamus
- Julius Caesar
- Vincent van Gogh
- the Brontë sisters
- Marie Antoinette
- George Washington
- Moses
- Genghis Khan
- Marie Curie
- George Washington Carver
- Jesús Christo
- Thomas Edison
- Jimi Hendrix
- Janis Joplin
- Jim Morrison
- Jerry Garcia
[edit] Subliminal messages
During the 1970s, the power of subliminal messages was a hot topic in the news. Much of this was fuelled by Wilson Bryan Key's 1973 book, Subliminal Seduction. During that same period, many rock bands, including Led Zeppelin and Queen were accused of using subliminal messages embedded within their songs to convince youths to do drugs and worship Satan. As a tribute to these controversies, Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts contains many instances of subliminal messages – some along the lines of the subliminal messages embedded in ads as described in Key’s book, and some along the lines of rock music subliminal messages designed to steer youths towards evil.
| Visual | Description |
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| Before the opening credits, Clone High’s mascot, DNA Dan, welcomes everyone to join him in going over to the dark side. | |
In JFK's van, Cleo blows a puff of smoke that spells the word ‘sex’ for only a few frames.
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After the first commercial break, the image of a raisin smoking a person is seen for a split second. (It seems the idea of this is that if you don’t smoke drugs, drugs will smoke you.)
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| When Scudworth stands up to speak at the PTA meeting, an image that says "Scudworth is your favorite character" is seen for a split second. | |
| After The Pusher disappears into a cloud of smoke for the second time, the smoke forms the words ‘smoke raisins’. | |
On the school roof, Abe and Cleo's clothes disappear for a split second. Their genitals are not visible, but Cleo's breasts are exposed.
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JFK falls through the sunroof overlooking the cafetorium. As he foams from the mouth he starts to speak backwards; when reversed the message is: I am talking backwards, and telling you to watch Clone High... and for us to get an Emmy... I'm saying that backwards... 'cause it's sneaky!
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When JFK is being rolled off-screen in his wheelchair, the words "I Buried Ponce" are seen for a split second.
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In Abe's dream, Joan’s face is merged with a holy image for a split second – either the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene.
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As Gandhi rides Daniel Feldspar across the sky, the message "For more information about raisins, consult your local library" is seen for a split second.
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[edit] Deleted scenes
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
- Originally, the rocker played by Jack Black was himself, but Black didn’t feel comfortable with this.[1]
- There were several versions of Gandhi’s speech that he says while shrinking. In the end, Michael McDonald simply improvised his lines on the spot.[1]
- Originally, there was character known as The Sarcastic Italian Talking Pencil (played by Don Novello), which was a pencil Gandhi used to fight the live-action cat. The character can be seen in the background during the "Manic Sexualized Dancing" montage.
- Novello did appear on Clone High, in Episode 10, Litter Kills: Litterally.
- Many alternate two-headed monsters were considered before the writers settled on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. These included: Serena and Venus Williams; Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova; The Barbi Twins; Stephanie and DJ or Kimmy Gibbler (from Full House); Renée Zellweger and Jewel; Leelee Sobieski and Helen Hunt; a three-headed Destiny’s Child monster; Chrissy Snow, Cindy Snow, and Terri Alden (from Three's Company); Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke (both played Becky on Rosanne); Lucy Liu and Lisa Ling, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush (twin daughters of President George W. Bush – included the line, “We are the daughters of the sun… the son of the President of the United States.”); Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez; Punky Brewster and Blossom (from the shows Punky Brewster and Blossom); Tootie Ramsey and Natalie (from The Facts of Life – monster named ‘Tootalie’); Tracey Gold and Missy Gold (acted on Growing Pains – the monster was referred to as “the golden daughters of the sun”).[1]
- Many alternate dragons were considered. These included: Bowser from Super Mario Brothers; a “gay weightlifter dragon” (with muscle shirt and piano); a touchy-feely dragon (who said, “Listen, I don’t want to kill ya, but, you know how it is. Let’s just get it over with. I’ve love to help ya out, but you’re the hero, you got an amulet, and that’s very nice, but I’m a dragon. No hard feelings. Can I get you anything, first? A bagel, biali, a hot kinish? You don’t want to die on an empty stomach, believe me. Are you comfortable? As a formality, I have to challenge you to a duel, but… why don’t we talk about you for a little bit first…” etc.); a Bruce Vilanch dragon, (with “a ridiculous t-shirt”); an Alan Alda dragon; a Columbo dragon (saying, “There’s just one thing I don’t understand… oh you’re right, you’re right… but just one more thing…”); a Rodney Dangerfield dragon (“who gets no respect”); a John C. McGinley dragon (as Dr. Cox from Scrubs, and saying, “Well, gee, newbie, why don’t we go ahead and say you killed me.”); a Christopher Walken dragon; a bad impressionist dragon (who said, “Come on, you know you want me to do Jack Nicholson…”); a Jerry Seinfeld dragon (who said, “You ever notice how the dragon always defeats the hero? Why do the dragons never wear shoes? Who are these people? And what’s the deal with sugarless chocolate? Who’s that for?” Gandhi: “Uh… diabetics?” Then the dragon exploded from Gandhi “defeating his logic.”)[1]
- A scene where Abe’s foster dad asked him, “Abe, why can’t you be more like your foster brother, Lil’ Cesar Chavez?” Lil’ Cesar Chavez then replied, “Uvas no,” which means, “No grapes!”[1]
- After the parents got high on raisin fumes, Abe’s foster dad originally yelled “Who wants to order pizza?!” then repeated the word “pizza” fifty times.[1]
- Joe Flaherty recorded the dialogue for this scene four times (meaning he said the word “pizza” two hundred times) and then the line was cut for time.[1]
[edit] References
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
[edit] Historical references
- Scudworth proclaims himself King Scudworth the Lionhearted. King Richard I was also known as Richard the Lionhearted.
- Gandhi tries to think what Original Mahatma Gandhi would have done to defeat the dragon, and decides on a plot involving a hunger strike. Original Mahatma Gandhi is known for his use of hunger strikes.
- Joan almost gets burned alive, just like the original Joan of Arc.
[edit] Popular culture references
- The Clone High logo shown at the beginning is a parody of MGM’s logo, with Abe as Leo the Lion. The inclusion of Leo the Lion's roar may be a reference to Dark Side of the Rainbow, an experiment in synchronicity in which Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album is played while watching The Wizard of Oz, and supposedly the two match up. To achieve this effect, the traditional advice is to begin playing the CD during Leo the Lion's third roar.
- The Pusher has a Successories poster about Determination in his office.
- The Pusher sings 'I'm the pusher'. According to the lyrics and the melody of this song, it is most likely a reference to Curtis Mayfield's 'The Pusherman'.
- There are several references to Raisin Bran’s slogan, "Two scoops of raisins in Kellogg's Raisin Bran."
- Gandhi eats magic trail mix, which causes him to shrink. This is a reference to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where drinking and eating cause Alice to shrink or grow.
- The bizarre landscape during Gandhi's journey on Geldhemoor, as well as the animation of the clones standing on the colourful smoke of a raisin doobie during Abe's song of resistance, are reminiscent of the animation in The Beatles' film, Yellow Submarine. The floating words of "Love" are also a parody of floating text in the film.
- The song “Manic Sexualized Dancing” is a parody of Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints".
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are featured, as a hideous two-headed creature. They have an amulet which was given to them by Dave Coulier, one of their co-stars on Full House.
- The scene in the song “Abe’s House” in which Abe is grounded is a parody of the song “Sally Simpson” from The Who's Tommy
- The music during “Higher,” which is also used as background music throughout the episode, is quite similar to another song from Tommy, “Pinball Wizard.” JFK's lines in this song also reference an additional song from Tommy, "See Me Feel Me Listening to You". The chanting of "higher" is also similar to the chanting of "hammer" in Pink Floyd's Waiting for the Worms.
- When Abe’s foster dad finds Abe’s stash, one of his excuses is, “From you, OK? I learned it from watching you!” This is a reference to a famous anti-drug public service announcement from the 1980s, "I learned it by watching you".
- After the mirror is smashed by the barbecued chicken, it shatters revealing Abe's face inside, a direct copy of Luke Skywalker fighting the imaginary Darth Vader on Degobah in The Empire Strikes Back.
- Scudworth's desire to build a fence is inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall.
- 'Sergeant JFK's Magical Mystery Tour' is a combination of two Beatles album titles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour.
- The ‘love’ section of the song, “Higher” is a parody of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.”
- Original Abraham Lincoln's song ('My Son') is a parody of "Give Me My Coloured Coat" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His brightly coloured outfit also resembles the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
- Wally says of the raisins, “Let’s burn ‘em. Let’s burn ‘em like the roof’s on fire.” This is a reference to the classic hip hop phrase "The roof is on fire", first recorded by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three.
- The discovery that The Pusher is none other than Larry Hardcore is reminiscent of similar revelations at the ends of many episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!.
- Music similar to the theme song to Sesame Street is used at several points during the episode.
- Abe is portrayed as somewhat of a messiah, much like the main character in the rock opera 'Tommy' based on the album by The Who.
- In the scene where Abe is about to first smoke, the soundtrack behind him is playing the chords used in the middle section of Sparks off The Who's album 'Tommy', which is repeated throughout the album.
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
- Just for this episode, the ‘Exclamation, USA’ sign says ‘Population: Fantastic.’
- Larry Hardcore briefly mentions about the Backstreet Boys in the 1980s. In reality, the Backstreet Boys were formed in the early 90's.
- Weed, grass, ganja, reefer, marijuana, Mary Jane and pot, the drugs that Larry Hardcore have done in the past, are all terms for the same drug; cannabis.
- Julius Caesar repeats this joke when smoking raisins in JFK's van. "Smoking raisins is like LSD...on acid!"
- Scudworth doesn’t know about the PTA. However, in Episode 3, A.D.D.: The Last 'D' Is for Disorder, he spoke at a PTA meeting.
- While describing Gandhi’s mission, Geldemore flies by several bizarre references to sexual intercourse, including a hot dog penetrating a donut, a naked woman mounting a dachshund, and a piece of asparagus entering a fish.
- All the lighthouse pictures in Abe’s house are hung upside-down during this episode.
- The live-action cat was a cat belonging to some friends of Clone High creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. In order to get the footage they needed, two hours of the cat were filmed.[1]
- The Great Rivinojaneelankavel is a mix of the names of Clone High writer Erica Rivinoja and her boyfriend, Prince Neelankavel.[1]
- Daniel Feldspar is indeed stereotypically Australian. He mentions the Dingo baby case, koalas, wallabies, boomerangs, the Australian cheer "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi," Shrimp on the barbie, didgeridoos, kookaburras, and Vegemite. However, the name Daniel Feldspar does not refer to anything or anyone specific.[1]
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts |
- Clone High: Raisin' The Stakes contains a further discussion of the episode, including the subliminal messages, a clearer sound file of JFK’s backwards message, a screenshot of the ‘dolphin,’ and several quotes.
