Tripping the Rift: S02E07: Extreme Chode

I was pretty worried about this episode. Sci Fi Channel didn’t put up any advertisements for this episode in the week preceding its airing. Instead they aired the very crappy season two ads full of season one stock footage. I was expecting another Cool Whip, a terribly animated episode. I was pleasantly surprised. The animation wasn’t too bad. So either it wasn’t bad to begin with, or the good animators in Montreal did a classic college student last second rush job to make it look presentable. If the latter, thank-you!

Too bad though that the story still sucked. This review shouldn’t take long, there wasn’t a lot to the story, nor was there anything memorable about this one!

Chode takes Gus out to a sports bar for “guy’s night out” and the mutilation ball game. As like most sports bars the testosterone levels are high and at the bar we see Adam and his minions talking up their sons athletic abilities. Chode, not wanting to feel left out, comments that Whip can catch flies with the greatest of ease. Horse flies, with his tongue that is. The confederate guys mock him. Adam mentions that Adam 12 will be competing in the intergalactic X-games, so Chode embellishes that Whip is pretty good at space-boarding too.

To prove it, Chode buys Whip a new space board as a present. This unusual act of kindness prompts the crew to thinks he sick and they very nearly commit him. Chode insists that his motives are pure and take the crew down to a playground so that Whip can practice his boarding skills.

Down on the planet Whip is having fun with his new board and doesn’t look half bad. Adam comes over to talk with Chode about Whip’s performance. Adam talks up Whip to be much better than Adam 12, which entices Chode to engage in a sucker bet. If Whip wins the X-Games, Chode gets Adam’s space ship (the best in the fleet). But if Adam 12 wins, his dad gets Six. Soon after they shake hands, Chode realizes just how good Adam 12 is. Whip is so out of his league! Fearing that he will lose Six, Chode gets pretty nasty toward Whip.

Up on the Jupiter, Six notices Chode’s foul behaviour and asks him what’s wrong. He won’t say, but Gus does. Six is outraged that Chode would sacrifice her on some bet. Six really thought that Chode cared more about than that. Stupid sex slave! She pretty much forces Chode to renege on the bet. But when that doesn’t work he has to start training Whip to win that competition. All Whip has to do is 1080 McTwist, a nearly impossible maneuver.

The training is mildly intensive and starting to feel like work. Just like writing theses reviews. Whip doesn’t like to do work when he could be having fun instead and rebels after a few hours. Chode is forced to tell him what’s at stake. Whip doesn’t respond well to the added pressure and outright quits until Six whispers something in his ear. He’s now willing to train harder.

I’d like to point out here how much I despise the gay Gus jokes. They’re repetitive, stupid and childish. The jokes aren’t even done well enough to be offensive! But during the above scene, there was one joke that I really enjoyed; Gus dressed up as a Dallas Cowboysgirls cheerleader. As a lifetime Eagles fan, there is no other team I despise more than Dallas. So any joke that takes a jab at the scum of the league is cool with me. Kudo’s to whoever thought up that joke, but please enough with the sissy Gus jokes. Really.

And Chode is willing to train him harder too. Chode adopts the coaching style of Bobby Knight, and nearly kills whip several times while training him. It’s rough but Whip is finally able pull off the stunt. But when Chode has him do it a second time, Whip breaks off one his feet! It’ll grow back though in a few weeks. The crew has no other option than to operate. Better healing through duct tape! After taking a few steps on his reattached foot though, Whip kicks his foot off again. Things look bad for Six.

At the competition, Chode is forced to take Whip’s place. Using some fancy talking, Six convinces Adam to take Adam 12’s place in the competition too. Adam goes first and really proved himself on the space boarding course, earning a 9.8/10. Chode has problems. He says his goodbyes to Six on the edge of the course and accidentally flies down it backwards. Chode tackles the whole course backwards, barely, and scores a 10/10 and first prize. Not too mention Adama’s ship and keeping Six! When it comes time to collect though, Adam reneges. His wife is the real owner of the ship, so Adam can’t give it up.

Whip however still wants his reward. Apparently if Six got to stay, she would show him her breasts. Whip faints after seeing those two huge globes naked. Apparently Six also had a similar arrangement worked out with the judges of the competition.

And after the 90 second lesson of the day act, the episode ends, and with it this review. I personally don’t expect to ever watch this snorer again.

I’d rate this episode a slow before 13,428 out of 10.

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Tripping the Rift reviews are © 2005 Ryan Bechtel.
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