U.S. Acres Episode Review: Hypno Freak [SPOILERS!]

Welcome back to the weekly U.S. Acres episode review. Going along with our theme of first episodes, I will talk about the third U.S. Acres pilot this week. You might be wondering why this is  the third pilot episode.  That's because this episode was the first one to be produced (animated, have voices recorded for), however,  even though clips of the Garfield segments in the episode containing it played in the preview for Saturday Rocks on CBS the day before the premiere of Garfield and Friends, Wanted: Wade aired instead for some reason. Not that I don't mind that-Wanted: Wade in a four way tie with the Aloysius Pig episodes as my favorite episode. Here's my review of the episode that should have been aired first on CBS but wasn't, Wade: You're Afraid.

HERE IT COMES AGAIN!!!

The episode starts out with a quickie where Orson and Booker ride on a tractor. Soon after the ignition is turned on, the tractor goes after them. The characters then run into Roy, who's in his bathtub, and tell him the tractor is going crazy. Roy tells them that it will stop soon, but it chases him in his bathtub instead. Like the other quickies, it was based off a comic. This was the comic the quickie of the week was based on.

Note that Sheldon is in the comic version of this, and not in the animated version of this.

I couldn't find the German version of this or the original titlecard of this, so I made my own.

This seems to be my best edited picture so far.

Oh, Wade! The bull is loose.

It's another ordinary, dull day on the farm, according to Booker Chick. Sheldon disagrees, as he's playing pinball and has more than 17,000 points. Booker points to Wade, who's singing a little tune that sounds to me like "Plant flowers...la la, whoo....hi." and the bull. Why does he do this? He's arranged a terrific prank. Booker tells Wade that the bull is loose. They both repeat the phrase, and then Wade freaks out, resulting in him having a humongous freakout, which at one point, has him talk to the viewers.

Why are you just sitting there, reading a review of Wade, You're Afraid? The bull is loose! (Haha, just kidding!)

Orson just loves his waller!

 Meanwhile, at the waller, Orson is reading "Psych'ology Made Easy" and wonders about a passage in the book about people without self-confidence. Wade runs by yelling, and splashes him in mud. He then cites Wade as a good example of people with no self-confidence. This causes him to sing a song that will sound familiar to many Garfield and Friends viewers. The actual episode visuals aren't there because there was an error when I tried to post the video on the blog, so enjoy this sing along of the song from Wade, You're Afraid:

 

Orson's aim seems to be a little off...

Wade says he's afraid of everything and there's nothing he can do about it, so Orson says he will hypnotize Wade into being brave. Wade cries and runs away, but Roy and Bo grab him and yell "DO IT!" in funny voices at Orson. Orson then does the "Your eyes are getting heavy" kind of hypnosis to Wade, accidentally hypnotizing Roy and Bo on the first try. On the second try, Wade complains that he can't be hypnotized and in the middle of his reason why, he finally does. Orson tells Wade that when he wakes up, he will no longer be a coward. When Wade wakes up, he complains about the hypnosis, but we find out it works after Roy and Bo tell him it might rain tonight, and Wade responds that he's the bravest person in the world. Orson is congratulated by Roy and Bo, who comment that Wade will never be afraid of anything again.

Wade being sassy...

Booker and Sheldon are walking around the farm, because Booker wants to hunt worms. Then, Wade passes by on a red bicycle, telling them to make way. Booker wonders if the person on the bike was really Wade, but Sheldon is unsure. Then, Wade opens up the bullpen and asks the bull if he'd like to become a cheeseburger. (This is not the only time animals being made into food is referenced in U.S. Acres, it will happen in other episodes as well, mostly with the pig characters). Roy doesn't like what Orson did because he is being mean to the bull, and Orson wants to find a cure for Wade's problem. We then cut to Wade saying the bull's sister is a leather jacket. Orson says his psychology book will cure Wade, and Roy takes the book. Wade collapses after Roy's "applied psychology"(slamming a book on Wade's head), and it causes Wade to turn back to normal.

How to stop a bull on the run...

Bo assures Wade that there's nothing to be afraid of. Orson then notes that nobody closed the bull pen, and everyone runs away screaming, including Wade. Wade blames this on the farm animals trying to help him, and tells himself to stop being a coward. He then asks the viewers if he just said that he should stop being a coward. The bull then bangs his head on a tree, causing Orson to fall on the bull's back. Wade then does the "Toro! Toro!" thing to the bull, and it only causes the bull to end up chasing Wade. Roy notes that Wade's a goner, and this gives Orson an idea: to hypnotize the bull into being a chicken. Wade notes that he's a coward again, and the animals comment on what Orson did. Roy and Bo thank Wade for saving the gang, and Orson tells everyone that bravery is a matter of overcoming your fears for a good reason, and says that everything's back to normal, except for the bull, that is-he's now in the chicken coop!

Trivia: Did you know that this cartoon was based off an arc of the U.S. Acres comic from October 1986? You can read that arc at this link, while you're waiting for next week's review of an episode featuring Orson imagining himself as Christopher Columbus!