Blind Ambition

Blind Ambition (1-16)

Written by: Russel Marcus 

Storyboard by: Carson Kugler

Directed by: Timothy Björklund

Date of release: September 18th 2004

Synopsis: Outraged by the soar cost of foods from Gaspard's fruit stand, Brandy decide to launch her own cosmetic line at a vengeance of Gaspard to took profit of his denizens' money. (as rocks)

It's arguably one of the series' best, period. One that is wrote by Russel Marcus himself, which he save us, to chill down with the loot of crass and gross gags featuring regularly in the show.

The cartoon start with Brandy complaining of the increasing costs of foods while shopping. Obviously, the coins on the Amazon Rainforest are actually rocks. And Gaspard owe many of them! But by a flashback Whiskers, lay in his bed, tried to remember her that it's the Canine doggie girl who have introducing to the Amazon Rainforst denizens the value of money by pointing rocks at coins. There is so many good things on this episode for once, that it's amazing that Marcus and company delivering it so perfectly, even by the Disney Channel's own policy limitations.

The funniest thing about Blind Ambition is the swap roles of the two leads. Whiskers is the though-pessimist/voice of reason like Boo Boo was while Brandy was much determinate to reach her own goals. She decide to launch her own lotion line, by make this take-off of Start-ups more relevant today than it was when the original cartoon was on.

Even the "very" obligatory cut-down framings helps to sells the episode's out! In first, a narrator commented about the Amazon Rainforest beauty and also, the deforestation of this sacred place. If it was a coincidence that the real-world Amazon Rainforest have lots of forests been chop and chop and chop endlessly at a point it's barely a Rainforest anymore. If the show was made in 2024, not sure they would be able to satirize the desforestations with such grace like they did on this one-shoot effort.

Now that Brandy ran her own business, this is time for interviews. Fortunately, it's save of the usual faux-interviewing trope that was seen on others shows and also, movies before. Whiskers makes a perfect candidate with the suit he dress for get the job. And of course, he do! Sooner than later, the Harrington girl realize how difficult and complex it really is to ran a business by yourself.

By a fake Infomercial announcing the Brandy's lotion that make anyone much younger than ever, the success was huge from consumers by purchase her product. When Gaspard start to comprehend the Brandy's entrepreneurship success, he soon decide to claims vengeance to her company for aggravated his lucrative schemes. But thankfully, the meat of all that is on the Behind-the-scenes of the lotion's creation. Lola Boa, Ed and sure, Mr. Whiskers are her sole employees by have to do all the job for her. That gives the pooch's dynamic at perfectly narcissistic, without betray her "hero" personality. Unless most Disney Channel girls protagonists, animated or otherwise, Brandy was a more Down-to-Earth protagonist who don't turning all her lines to dated pop-culture jokes. Kaley Kuoco understood what makes this character so likable for fans of all ages.

Even by inlay in the Treehouse, Gaspard asked to the staff how they approve Brandy's commercial success. No one does. The gecko propose them to made a strike and gotten any wages for make the lotion market much profitable. And this, we got a somewhat hilarious twist of strike union without it goes too listless (Like Whiskers' says "WE WANT PUDDING! is a very fun touch!) and are obviously free of that sadistic nature of what most union strikes usually have.

Marcus delivering to what would be otherwise in this episode his greatest animated achievement to date. When the lotion makes work, it all turned the animal creatures to babies, by even have a depiction of what Mr. Whikers looks like by it. One of the most enjoyable (and also irritable, depending of your patience with such of a goofy character) parts of the show so far, that even Gaspard goes back to Brandy for pay in rocks all of what she earned so hard to make it done. Thankfully, we have one of those rare moments of humility of Brandy by be seen at a loser without lose her fursona heroine side.

Usuaally in the series, it's up to Whiskers to learned a lesson from his mistakes. In this one, it's the opposite. Brandy realize how difficult it is to launch a business on her own when meanwhile, the real-world of entrepreneurs is far to be rosier. Lots and lots of layoffs were made in the past years. Consumers like better the convenience to pay less for online services such as Amazon, Wayfair (Even of how annoying and shitty their commercials are) and the like. We also got another "Here we go again" climax in which Brandy been impressed by a shiny rock Whiskers have grabbing and decide to take this experience twice. Otherwise, very fun episode and one that would make the earlier series so magical to watch. It leads to better things for the remaining of the series, but such neat ideas like a Temple at a shopping center in all Season 2 was too great to be believable.

Critique:

Russel Marcus didn't wrote lots of the Brandy and Mr. Whiskers 11-minutes segments, but when he does, he gives us big time. The concept of entrepreneurship wasn't focused very much on animation, by be date of the Golden Age in which a key character that ran his own business was mostly for plays "his" role than owning any business licence card. Gaspard been much menacing and vicious than he ever was in First Friend, that all of the Brandy's rantings about his own soar of devices (as rocks!) for gets food was mostly based of Gaspard's evil, but legal way to crass market for all the Amazon Rainforest denizens. When the mere idea of Start-up begun, it offered a real three-dimensional-way of all the risks to ran itself in business (Interviews, advertizing, low-pay staff workers, etc.) without make any jokes about selling such crummy product. Brandy been a little too enthusiastic and perhaps so, manipulating in which Kaley Kuoco vocal-talents help to make the "evil" side of the character more real without betray her lead personality. Even the union strike offers some funniest moments, thought one can pondered why Mr. Whiskers gets all the thuds. (Lola accidentally hurt him while speaking to Brandy on the strike, etc.) When the actual lotion formula stands out, it makes all the effectiveness to turns any animals as babies, even by showing us a rare moment of Whiskers talking and moaning (To say nothing, having a diaper that stinks!) like a real-life baby would do the same for its needs. Gaspard make a deal to owned Brandy's lotion all over. The pampered pooch having such of rarely-seen humility as a loser by be even in the good side. But one could anticipate not only the over-consumption tendencies in Trouble in Store, but also the Temple's Shopping Center in all the season 2 which compromised the exotic atmosphere that was make the show very special at its original braodcasting airings. The climax is another "Here we go again" gag that was too obvious for not only this show, but others productions of the same kind, but it's what make the earliest of the series so fun to watch.