Door to Door (Invader Zim)
"Door to Door" is an episode of the television series Invader Zim. Originally produced as episode 11A, "Door to Door" aired as episode 14A on March 29, 2002.
Plot
During an average day at 'skool', Ms. Bitters has the students working on a civics project intended to be a metaphor for their education system. They've built a giant house of cards on Dib's desk that stretches nearly to the ceiling. After adding the final cards to represent the dead weight of students like them, Dib's desk collapses. With no money left in the skool's budget for new desks, Ms. Bitters tells Dib to "get a replacement from the pile," which winds up being a trash can. Ms. Bitters then shows the class a video (a parody of cheaply made school videos that try to be 'hip') featuring Poop Dogg, corporate mascot for Poop Cola (an actor in a dog/clown suit). The video explains the skool's latest attempt at fundraising—having students sell cheap candy bars ("warning: candy bar made entirely of sawdust"). Poop Dogg goes on to explain the prizes awarded to the top sellers, with the prize for selling 100 being, with a different voice suddenly, and poorly, dubbed over saying, "adhesive medical strips!" and 1 million bars being a secret prize. Zim, upon hearing about the secret prize, is convinced it must be something of tremendous power and value and decides he must have it.
He starts his candy-selling venture by dressing GIR in a very fake-looking costume of a little boy with a huge mouth, through which GIR's eyes can be seen. Before making it to the first house, he encounters Dib, who teases and taunts him over who will win the secret prize. Zim and GIR then try various ruses to get people to buy their candy. ("If you don't buy my candy, my little brother will go insane!" as GIR breakdances crazily in his strange disguise.) They have little luck though, as the candy is inedible (the woman takes a bite and then starts choking, Zim telling her "yep that's the sawdust...") and the neighbors are wary of children selling anything door to door anyway.
As the day wears on and Zim's efforts prove futile, the intense heat of the Earth sun starts to get to him. He begins hallucinating, seeing Poop Dogg (now calling himself, "the gangsta' spectre of defeat"), who taunts him over the secret prize. Zim, furious at the vision, throws GIR at it but winds up hitting Dib. After more taunting from Dib about defeat making him crazy, Zim decides to give up on inferior human fundraising techniques and unleash, "the full power of Irken persuasion."
Later, he goes to another house and forces his way inside, releasing several Irken devices. The small, round devices zip around the room with tiny jets and attach themselves to the human family, unfurling and wrapping around their heads as VR goggles. The goggles present a horrific, apocalyptic future where everything is in flames and the Irken Empire rules the world. Zim then tells the family that to avoid this fate, they have to buy his candy—which they do, eagerly. Determined to win, Zim winds up unleashing hundreds, if not thousands, of devices on the unsuspecting populace, who then buy huge numbers of the candy bars.
Back in class, Dib is awarded a box of (with a male voice poorly dubbed over Ms. Bitters') "adhesive medical strips!" for having sold 100 candy bars. As Dib turns to gloat at Zim, he realizes Zim isn't there. Suddenly, there's a loud rumbling and the classroom door begins to bulge as a shadow looms behind it. Zim then bursts through the door riding a huge wave of money, which spills into the room. Zim approaches Ms. Bitters and demands the secret prize for having sold 1.2 million "candy units". Ms. Bitters then informs him that there is no mystery prize and that it was "just a way to get kids to work harder for no money". As a consolation, she gives him a can of tuna. A furious Zim then turns and curses Poop Dogg as a shock wave emanates from him (it is hinted that the "wave" is actually smell from the tuna can), knocking desks and children over (and setting several desks on fire) as an overlaid image of the gangsta' spectre laughs.
References, Themes, Trivia
- On the DVD comentary for this episode, it is said that the episode is a parody of the education system, referring either to poor quality educational videos used to cut down workload, or the total lack of school budget, or both.
- Phil LaMarr voices Poop Dogg, the fund-raising gansta-clown dog.
- The DVD comentary mentions many small changes made to the episode, including 'Poop Dogg' originally being a full clown, Named Poopise the Clown, and the weenies being eaten by GIR and the children were originally going to be eating cockroaches. The cockroach version can still be seen in the DVD animatics, however.
- After 9/11, the VR sequence was changed to remove a flaming statue of liberty, as stated on the commentry for the episode. The uncut version can be found in various places across the internet. According to Mr. Vasquez on the DVD commentary, despite the episode being pulled before ever been shown and large amounts of money being spent re-animating it, they still broadcast the original version on its premiere by mistake.
- This is the first episode where someone (in this case GIR) mocks Dib's supposedly huge head.
- A running gag in this episode is that whenever somebody says "adhesive medical strips", it's an obvious dubbed over voice. A reference to the fact that Band-Aid is a trademarked name despite its popularity in common usage.
Quotes
- GIR: YAY! I'm gonna be sick! (barfs all over Zim)
- Poop Dogg: Warning, candy made entirely of sawdust.
- Poop Dogg: Ha ha ha ha, (flashes stereotypical gang symbol) yo, ha ha ha....
- Zim: Please lady, if you dont buy this candy my little brother will go insane
(GIR jumps around crazily and stands on his head while his body spins around and eventually blows off)
Old lady:He's worse than I thought!
- Poop Dogg: Sell 100 and you win a (dubbed over voice) adhesive medical strips.
- Ms. Bitters: Congratulations. You've won a (dubbed over voice) adhesive medical strips.