Courage the Cowardly Dog - Heads of Beef

"Heads Of Beef" is an episode of Nickelodeon cartoon show from the tardily 1990s, Backbone The Cowardly Canis familiaris .

In whatsoever horror comedy starring a dog, surely at some point the domestic dog must observe himself a hot domestic dog, right?

The trope of the surprise in the burger plays on a central fear we take when visiting cheap food joints — what is under the bread?

David Walliams has used information technology…

As take I, in our story app Hilda Bewildered .

STORY STRUCTURE

While at that place have been many surprises and reversals, this is the first Backbone episode which so completely subverts audience expectations.

SHORTCOMING

Courage is forced to get with Eustace to buy Muriel a scone. She is likewise ill to cook.

Courage's other shortcoming is that he is inclined to worry a lot and sometimes, as volition exist revealed hither, information technology's over zip.

Eustace is a Horrible Hubby (the full trope) then of form he looks after himself and is grumpy near his wife failing to cook him dinner even though she is sick.

DESIRE

Every bit ever, he must go on Muriel happy and make sure Eustace remembers to purchase her the scone from the baker.

Whenever Courage puts his ain neckband on this is a visual metaphor for him doing something he doesn't want to do. Another grab phrase is, "The things I exercise for beloved!" though he doesn't say that here.

Plans to remind Eustace about the scone change when it becomes clear Eustace has no intention of stopping at Sweet Stuff. They bulldoze correct past.

OPPONENT

This episode is one of the later ones from flavor 1, and past now the audience is well conditioned: We know that an opponent will appear and that information technology'southward up to Backbone to save the day. Fifty-fifty if we've never seen any Courage episodes before in our lives, the intro sequence tells us exactly that: "…and it's up to Courage to salve the day!" The problem to be overcome past the writers is now how to keep the stories feeling fresh?

This is the outset episode in which the opponent is non a 18-carat opponent. Both the audience and Courage are fooled into thinking the pig is evil and plans to eat them subsequently luring them out the back.

The hog chef is chosen Jean Bon — "I'thousand non French but my name sounds French don't you recall?" (Is this a dig at American singer Jon Bon Jovi?)

The diner itself is first seen from a 'security camera' angle. This in itself suggests things aren't quite correct.

A diner with a single customer is a dodgy diner. Is this man the real opponent or is information technology the hog chef? It takes us a while to figure information technology out, and when we've made our decision, the fact that nosotros made a decision in the first place gives us more than of a surprise at the end.

Program

Seeing the other customer disappear through a door (the lavatory?), and that the hog is suspiciously minding his briefcase and hat, Courage bravely decides to go through the aforementioned door and investigate. Of course he alerts Eustace first, but Eustace is busy enjoying his Very Cheap Burger.

Courage overhears office of a conversation

and imagines the worst

BIG STRUGGLE

a depression angle view emphasises the steepness of the stairs

The large struggle sequence involves Courage falling down the stairs into the basement, ominous shadows on the walls, and a chase scene in which Jon Bon chases afterwards Backbone in a way that seems he wants to eat him.

The pig looks meaner when we see parts of his torso with the rest cut off. The regal on his apron — is that blood or sauce?

Shadows and stairways and basements lend a film noir level of suspense.

The big struggle sequence makes use of a diversity of camera angles.

The all-time line is saved for the married woman, who declares that Backbone is then sweet she could just consume him up. She then chases him. Being quite large and unwieldy, Backbone manages to go away and runs (wee wee wee) all the style home.

The psychological miracle wherein you want to squeeze or swallow actually cute things is called 'beautiful aggression'. No one is certain why this is, but it might exist but that loftier levels of positive emotion may need a physical outworking, similar to crying when something really good happens to united states of america.

SELF-REVELATION

The audience learns what the pigs mean past 'heads of beef'. They are culinary artists who bask crafting customers' heads out of minced beef.

Information technology is besides revealed that the customer who disappeared earlier is a gallery owner who offers to showcase their work.

Notice he stands in front of all sorts of weapons. A few moments ago this basement looked like a torture chamber. Now information technology is an artist'due south surface area.

NEW State of affairs

This part of the story actually comes before the revelation in this tale. (We are left wondering until the concluding scene what has happened to Eustace. Eustace often cops punishment for being such a horrible person but on this occasion he's having a good old time.)

Backbone makes it home, leaving Eustace at the diner. Sitting with Muriel in front of the Television set, Muriel assures us all that Eustace will come home eventually. We know that Muriel won't always become the scone she asked for. Merely I take to acknowledge, at the kickoff of the story I was half expecting a round plot in which Eustace stops off to become the scone and encounters a sequel of whatever he got at the burger joint.

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