Buzz-Saw Louie: Anti-Capitalist Icon
Folks, it is June. The sun is out. And summer is here. You know what that means:
Christmas time.
That’s right, my insistence on keeping with the chronological release of VeggieTales has led me to watching "The Toy That Saved Christmas" in early June, and the timing could not have been better. To make things even weirder, this episode was originally released in October 1996. But what even is time, when you think about it? A miserable little pile of secrets. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching this one, which I had never seen before.
It is a full-on Christmas special. For the first time, in the six episodes of this series so far, this episode doesn’t start with the iconic theme song, and it doesn’t immediately go to Bob and Larry on the kitchen counter. We begin with snow falling as the camera pans down to a quaint wooden house in a wintery forest. Grandpa George - possibly one of the greatest characters ever created - is telling a bedtime story to his granddaughter. (Her name is Annie, but I don’t think it’s ever stated in the episode. It has been a full 24 hours since I watched it.)
The story-within-the-story begins during the Christmas season in the tiny village of Dinkletown (great name). Everything is going great and everyone is happy, until the children see a television commercial for a new toy called Buzz-Saw Louie - who is a little guy with a buzz saw that comes out of his hand. Very safe. After the commercial insists that the children beg their parents to buy Buzz-Saw Louie, the children happily obey and become, in a word, insufferable.
We then cut to the factory, where the owner of the company, one Mr. Nezzer, is talking to Mr. Lunt about how confident he is in his new marketing technique. At first this seems just like a fun callback to Rack, Shack, and Benny, with Mr. Nezzer and Mr. Lunt operating a factory with not-so-great business practices. However, it soon becomes one of my favorite bits this show has ever done. At one point, Mr. Lunt mentions that he used to work for Mr. Nezzer’s brother at a chocolate factory, and this Nezzer says that he - Wally P. Nezzer - is nothing like his brother. Not only is this very funny, but I hope that it becomes a recurring theme. I love the idea that there is a family of identical Nezzer brothers, all of whom are shady business owners.
Deep in the factory warehouse, one of the Buzz-Saw Louies has become sentient, and he’s mad about how commercial Christmas has become. Well, not that so much as that Christmas has lost it’s true meaning. Same thing, right? He breaks out of the factory and searches for the True Meaning of Christmas.
The next day, recurring protagonists Bob, Larry, and Junior crash their sled and find certified Real Boy Buzz-Saw Louie. After hearing about his plight, the three of them agree to help Louie. They go to Grandpa George, who tells them the Nativity story. This struck me as odd, because I think it’s the only time the New Testament is brought into the show. I thought it was strictly Old Testament, but I could be wrong about that. I guess I’ll find out.
The group then goes to the Buzz-Saw Louie factory and use their television studio to spread the good word to the masses. However, they are caught by Mr. Nezzer and tied to a sled. Nezzer, in a fit of rage, threatens to send the four of them into an abandoned canyon.
They are rescued by the parents of Dinkletown, who show Mr. Nezzer an act of kindness in the form of a teddy bear. This thaws out Mr. Nezzer’s cold, cold heart and he sees the error of his ways.
But right when things seem like they’re going to be okay, Nezzer accidentally bumps into the sled, sending the heroes on the path to the canyon. A chases scene ensues, the sled is rescued, and all is well and good. Christmas ensures, and everyone is happy.
Speaking of Christmas: green bean casserole.
What says Christmas more than the classic Campbell’s green bean casserole? Well, a lot of things, but for the purposes of this let’s say it’s peak Christmas.
However, Veggietales doesn’t have a lot of green bean-themed characters, so instead, I used… (inhale) (exhale) …asparagus.
Junior, you are going to be the death of me.
For those that don’t know, green bean casserole is a simple dish made of three main ingredients: green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions. When it’s done well, it’s great, and when it’s done poorly, it’s still okay.
Now, let’s say instead of green beans, you decide to use asparagus, like some kind of maniac. Well, if you’ve ever been curious about what that would be like, I did it so that you don’t have to.
Structurally and visually, it was pretty much the same. Aromatically, however, it is much more… intense. Taste-wise, still not great. Maybe there’s a way to make it in a way that is palatable, but it’s going to take more effort than the standard recipe requires.
You know, I said in the first post of this blog that I was looking forward to the many ways I would be using asparagus in the year to come. I gotta say, six weeks later, I’m starting to turn around on it. We’ll see!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good June.