Clone High : Raisin' The Stakes
I was quite a fan of Clone High, which of course meant that the show was cancelled. Then, of course, the MTV's Clone High site was taken offline.
There are often repeats shown on the Cartoon Networks, and I advise that you watch. And watch I do. And when they did an episode as a drug-addled rock opera, complete with subliminal messages and backwards audio ... well ... I went a little obsessive. Using a digital version of the episode from KaZaA and a frame grabber to uncover delicious tidbits. Clearly I'm unwell.
Subliminal Images
The episode begins with Abe roaring in a MGM-lion like gold circle. Right after his roar, we get this flash of Ghandi in his DNA Dan (mascot of Clone High) suit, imploring us to evil purposes! How can you resist the retro stylings!?
Returning from the first commercial, Abe is about to buckle under the peer pressure and take his first puff of raisin. If only he'd seen this prophetic warning: you don't do drugs, drugs do you. Although the face is obscured in my version, I've been informed that it's Dr. Scudworth who's "all up in that joint".
When Scudworth takes the floor at the PTA meeting, the viewer may have felt an instant flash of affinity for the character. Heavens knows why. Oh, maybe the single frame flash of this image had something to do with it.
I missed this the first time through. As Abe and Cleo sit on the school's roof debating whether or not they should go to "first-and-a-half-base", for a single frame, we see them both au naturel. Risque!
During the Tommy-esque song, JFK sings "Watch me / Hold me / Sign me cast for me / Wheel me!". After "sign my cast for me", this message pops up. Apparently Ponce is JFK's friend who dies in a later episode.
Abe's hallucinations cast him as the son of God (played by his clone father) and Joan provides the Mary Magdalen. She re-sings "Ay-yay-yay-yabe" forlornly as she did in the opening number.
And, of course, the final chilling message.
JFK's Cryptic Message
JFK, barking mad on raisins, becomes upset at his nemesis the moon and attempts to jump on it and kick its ass. He succeeds at smashing through the school's skylight and breaking his leg ... in overwhelming pain, he manages to get out
this backwards message.
Ghandi's Smooth Let-Down
Princess:As a reward for your bravery and your leadership, (sexily) I shall thrice lay you!
Ghandi:Uhhhr. That's ... that's cool ... but (clears throat) I'm good.
Princess:But .. the ... but I ... I shall thrice lay you!
Ghandi:Uhm, I just ate. And they say that you shouldn't lay thrice, uhhh ... after eating. Uh (clears throat). Thank you.
Princess:Uh, uh (awkward) We could just do coffee first, uh, it doesn't have to be a big deal.
Ghandi:It's just, um, I've got to be up early ...
Princess:Oh, oh-okay. Alright. That's fine. I'm kinda seeing someone, anyway.
Ghandi:Well ... ummm ... thanks for the trippy adventure through my, uh, subconcious. Heh. I'll call 'ya.
Princess:OK, great.
Ghandi:You know maybe we could hang out ... you know ... maybe ...
not ... lay.
Princess:Yeah sometime. Whatever. You know. I'm listed. In Santa Monica.
Scudworth's Evaluation
Dr. Scudworth:Any group that controls this many fonts ... and is bold enough ... to use all these exclamation marks, must be incredibly powerful.
And finally, The Dolphin
We thought it was missing. Turns out that it was in Abe's first drug-addled dream. Ah, tradition.