“	I don't care that everyone thinks I'm a party pooper. I don't care everyone thinks I'm a loser. I know who I am, and I'm proud of myself. I just... wish you were, too.	”
—Gwen

"Party Pooper" is the 15th episode of the fourth season of Camp Camp, and is the 55th episode overall. It premiered September 7th, 2019 on the RT FIRST site, and September 14th, 2019 on the Rooster Teeth website.

Official Synopsis[]

“	Gwen's dad unexpectedly drops by camp for a visit, but his presence -- along with everyone idolizing him -- puts strain on Gwen and causes friction between the two. Also, dog.	”
—Episode description

Plot[]

The episode kicks off with a view of the clouds, as Nikki and Neil then lean in over the camera, chattering heatedly. They are racing a red ant and a black ant, feverishly cheering their respective insect to victory while Max watches the finish line with extreme diligence. The ground begins rumbling, knocking the ants over on their backs, and a purple and white hippie-style van with blue flowery trim comes rolling up. The curious campers gather round and David checks his clipboard of camptivities to see that they don't have a guest speaker scheduled until - well, never. The van door opens and a brown-and-white cocker spaniel comes leaping out, barking excitedly. Everyone gushes at how cute she is, and Max in particular is swept away because it's "the greatest thing I've ever seen!" A man then gets out and gives her pats, then turns to the group asking if this is Camp Campbell. A perplexed Neil asks why he wanted to come here as no one ever does, and Gwen arrives, complaining about the racket interrupting her work. The man exclaims "Gwendolyn!" and rushes up to give her a big bear hug, and she reluctantly greets her father before he give her a second one, which he says is from her mom. Nikki is still excited about the dog, but then finally catches up to the fact that Gwen's dad has arrived just before the theme song rolls.

Still hesitant, Gwen asks her father why he's here, and he explains he's on tour in the area and felt it would be rude not to come see his little "Gwenster". Gwen wishes he'd called first as she's busy with work, but David interrupts and says any family of Gwen's is part of the Camp Campbell family and that he's welcome to stay as long as he pleases. Campbell cuts in saying he recognizes the van and identifies its owner (and the man) as a "rock legend" named Lucky Louis as the pair shake hands. None of the campers know who he is, despite Campbell listing off some of the names of his songs ("My Walrus Girl", "Can't Get Enough of Your Soup", "Arizona Dreamin'") then bemoans the fact that he's so old. Louis strums his guitar and a sings a jingle about a super duper pooper scooper, which everyone quickly recognizes from a great commercial. Campbell asks Louis whatever happened to his cute little kid and if she grew up into a great artist like him, and when Louis explains she's actually working here Campbell very solemnly offers his condolences. Irked, Gwen explains that some people have to work un-glamorous jobs while he drives around playing music, as his generation ruined the economy and expects hers to take care of it, but she is cut short by Nikki eagerly suggesting he put on a concert tonight, and the rest of the campers join in cheering for the idea. Preston allows him to use the modest but adequate ampitheatre stage, Harrison offers to be the opening act, while Gwen loudly talks over them to be realistic about what it takes to set up for this kind of thing - she'll need to fill out forms, get permits, get approval for amplified noise levels, oh and they don't have enough cups - and the ever-optimistic David thanks her with a hug for "volunteering" to take care of all of that for them. Louis and the campers begin chanting "concert, concert, concert", and Campbell joins in when he's told it would be free. Max snidely asks Gwen if she's really related to this guy, and Nurf cheers that Louis is the best thing that's ever happened to the camp.

Some time later, Gwen is seen poring over paperwork in the counselors' cabin, and is frustated about the outdated request of faxing it in for approval. Enter Louis, asking if she wants to join in shooting hoops with the campers (despite them having neither any basketballs nor a court), and she bluntly tells him she's too busy with work. He thinks she's working too hard, and she counters by saying that if she doesn't, the camp will fall apart. He says he understands and leaves, but then immediately slides up into the window, strumming his guitar and singing for her to put down the pen and come play. Bothered, she asks him to stop distracting her and he chuckles, saying she's being a party pooper and "introverted", and that back in his day, being social was the only way to get anywhere. Growing more irritated, she says she's trying to be the opposite of a party pooper by getting the concert to happen (through proper channels). Nurf calls out to Louis, asking if he wants to be the (football) quarterback for their (basketball) game, and he bids "Gwentanamo" goodbye. Gwen turns back to her paperwork with a small growl.

Now at lunch, Gwen arrives in the mess hall and picks up a tray, while her father finishes a story about Gwen coming dead last in a spelling bee - she's so bad she can't even spell the word cat, and Space Kid misspells it in an attempt to prove it's easy. Gwen sarcastically thanks her dad for telling the story, he simply says the kids love hearing them, and Max asks to hear more stories about how big of a loser Gwen is. Louis says Gwen used to tour with him all the time, and that she was quite a whiz on the concertina - "ah, the poor man's accordion," adds Preston. He takes out an old photo showing his daughter in orthodontic headgear and wearing absolutely massive glasses, and says he keeps the instrument in his van in case she ever feels like a comeback, to which Gwen flatly replies "don't hold your breath." Harrison asks for more stories about his travels as a rock musician, and is told it's awesome 100% of the time as he gets to jam with friends and pick up free stuff. He starts spinning a tale about he and some friends gathered some roadies and two kilos of - "woah, hold it, keep it G-rated dad" Gwen puts up her hand to forbid him from continuing further, and the kids protest that they wanna hear the rest of the story. Louis chuckles that millennials are so sensitive, and that she grew up just fine despite him telling her stories exactly like this. He caves to the pressure of Gwen's death glare, so begins talking about Missy the dog instead (which Max is beyond thrilled to hear about). Turns out he's touring with her as she's become YouTube famous, showing them a clip on his phone of her sitting in a watermelon and eating it from inside. The kids are enraptured by the video, and Space Kid obliviously asks Gwen for a high-five on account of the family pet being more successful than her. Miffed, Gwen picks up her lunch tray, declaring she's leaving before she learns the family goldfish has a Netflix special; something that Louis seems to imply is also true. As she leaves, Max asks him to play the video again. Outside, Gwen finds Missy chowing down, and inspects the bag to find that it contains flecks of edible gold. Gwen tells the dog to get off her high horse, but then regrets it, asking Missy if she loves her and doesn't care if she's successful or not. She responds like a normal dog, stretching and looking around, and Gwen facepalms herself for expecting anything else.

As dusk falls over the ampitheatre, Harrison is in the midst of his magical warm-up act. Showing his arms clearly bound together, he fakes being trapped, and Nerris boo's him as they want the rock show. David tries to settle her down, but Campbell yells at him to get off the stage which then prompts the entire camp to pelt him with tomatoes. Peeved, Harrison says the joke's on them as his next trick is all about tomatoes. Backstage, Gwen is on her cell phone in the midst of a heated argument about the paperwork, explaining that she submitted a 22H form required for the use of moderate sound amplifiers, and it appears the voice on the other end is saying she should've submitted a 22H-B instead. Gwen calls this bullcrap and that they can't threaten her with shutting down the camp as it gets shut down "every other week" as she hangs up angrily. Louis comes by to remind her that people are waiting, and through grit teeth she says she's been trying. Harrison walks past to inform Louis he's warmed up the crowd. Louis says she needs to let go a bit, and through air quotes Gwen snidely explains that if she "let go" the camp will "foreclose". David leans in to ask if she's done and reminds her she's made a promise, and yelps in fear at the look of pure rage on her face. Louis tells "Pengwen" she's being too uptight, that this is the problem with her generation, and that if he was like that at her age he never would've had time to pursue his passions. Gwen's anger is visibly rising as he talks, and she turns on him, ready to rip him a new one, but his look of sincere confusion causes her to turn away, saying in an oddly calm voice that she's done and they can sort this situation out themselves. She takes a few steps and stops upon hearing her father say her name, explaining "I don't care that everyone thinks I'm a party pooper. I don't care everyone thinks I'm a loser. I know who I am, and I'm proud of myself. I just... wish you were, too." She tears up upon saying that last line, and walks away while wiping her eyes.

Out at the docks, Gwen sits alone, staring up at the endless sky. Louis walks up, quietly asking if there's room for one more, and she shuffles over a bit while sniffling. He sits and begins a heartwarming speech about how the pair were so alike when Gwen was young, and reminisces on a memory of them burying a broccoli casserole in the backyard, which causes Gwen to smile a bit. He then goes on to say that Gwen became so serious and her attitude immediately sours again, defensively remarking that she grew up. He continues, asking her to hear him out; he didn't understand why this attitude shift happened, so he kept pushing for Gwen to be more like him, as she used to. He finishes by saying she's her own person on her own "groovy path", and that he should respect that. Gwen explains that she isn't bothered by just that - the world has changed, that she's always worried because everything's more difficult nowadays, and that she has to work twice as hard because - "everything will fall apart?" he questions, and Gwen nods. Louis says Gwen was wrong about one thing; he is proud of her, and tears immediately spring to the corners of her eyes. He thinks her generation is still a wet blanket, but that it's also badass, as he would never have been able to become a musician in today's economy, and that he'd probably have to work as a camp counselor to make ends meet. They chuckle at the joke, and she thanks him. Now that they're friends again, Louis pulls out the aforementioned concertina, and she playfully shoves him and says "forget it!" He begs her a bit and she agrees - on the condition of no more cutesy nicknames - which he agrees to before trying to backpedal on it. She impishly tell him it's too late and takes the instrument, but that she only remembers one song. With a blush, she recites the super pooper scooper jingle he played earlier, and the two lean in for a one-armed hug. Gwen quickly remembers the rock show is supposed to be happening, but Louis assures her he's found a replacement.

Back at the stage, Missy is seen doing a few backflips as the crowd goes wild, and Nikki wonders when Louis will be taking the stage. With stars in his eyes, Max responds "who cares?!" and yells while pulling his hair, then places his hands on his cheeks while cooing "I never thought I'd be this happy."

Transcript[]

{{Transcript}} would go here.

Features[]

Characters[]

Main Characters[]

• Gwen
• Louis (first appearance)

Supporting Characters[]

• Max
• Cameron Campbell
• David
• Missy (first appearance)
• Harrison

Minor Characters[]

• Nikki
• Neil
• Nerris
• Ered
• Space Kid
• Nurf
• Preston Goodplay
• Dolph

Music[]

• "Camp Camp Song Song" (Opening Theme)
• "Hot Dad Summer" (Ending Theme)

Gallery[]

Main article: Party Pooper/Gallery

Trivia[]

• Max is most definitely a dog person with the events of this episode. It's also the first time he's been very openly excited about an animal, as he states that "I never thought I'd be this happy."
  • He did show affection for the newborn platypus hatchling in "Eggs Benefits" before it was promptly eaten by its mother, but his actions here are a lot more obvious (and extremely adorable).
• One of the writers, Leigh Lahav, based both Louis and Missy off of her own life:
  • Her dad's name is Louis and is also a musician, and their struggles in relating to each other and Gwen's desire for him to be proud of her are based off Leigh's own experience. Also, Louis' line "You think I'd become a musician in today's economy? Hell no" is something her father actually said. ^[1]
  • Missy is based off a family dog by the same name, and Leigh says she is proud to give the dog an animated tribute. ^[2]
• This episode confirms that Gwen is short for "Gwendolyn".
  • Although Pikeman had called her Gwendolyn in "Camporee", this was not confirmed to be her full name until now.
  • This is because Pikeman proved to be a unreliable source when it comes to nicknames as he refers to Max as Maxwell and Maximus on two separate occasions.
• The episode also confirms that Gwen's mother is alive and well, as Louis gives Gwen a second bear hug in her honor. In "David Gets Hard", Gwen even mentions her hatred of the idea of moving back in with her parents, so they are also still married.
• In this episode, Gwen says she knows who she is and is proud of herself, but in a future episode "Time Crapsules" she says she has no idea who she is, so the two statements are completely contrasted. That being said, being proud of oneself in the current moment is a much different experience than being upset about childhood wishes for the future that never came to pass.

Cultural References[]

• Gwen's generation of Millennials are typically classified as being born from 1981-1996, and the Boomers of Louis' generation are from 1946-1964. The conflict between Millennials and Boomers has been increasingly portrayed in the news and other media in more recent years, and it's pretty appropriately done here.
  • Although it has not been directly said by any character in the show, on page 4 of the Official Camp Camp Press Kit, Gwen is stated as being 25 years old.^[3]
  • Based on the fact that the username she uses in "After Hours" includes the number 91, it is possible she was born in 1991. Since the series began airing in 2016, in that year she would indeed be 25 years old.
• Both Youtube and Netflix are mentioned by Louis and Gwen.

Continuity[]

• If one pauses at the right moment at the beginning of the scene with Harrison's warm-up magic act, Ered can be spotted on one of the benches reading Gwen's Lizards of Love book, and it appears to be the same one that Gwen was reading while sitting on her inner tube in "Who Peed the Lake".
• While Harrison getting boo'd happens all the time, the campers throwing tomatoes at him is reminiscent to a scene at the end of "Preston Goodplay's Good Play" when Preston is boo'd and pelted with tomatoes.
• Gwen says the camp gets shut down "every other week", which is a bit of an exaggeration - but has also been threatened/come close to happening in a handful of episodes; "Parents' Day", "The Fun-Raiser", "Dial M For Jasper" (when David was a camper), and "Camp Corp."
• The desk with the left-side mirror from "Preston Goodplay's Good Play" can be seen in the background during the moment where Gwen tells her dad she doesn't care if everyone thinks she's a party pooper.
• Gwen sings the pooper scooper jingle her dad wrote, and this is the second time she's (albeit briefly) sung in the series; the first was her slow rendition of the theme song at the end of "The Order of the Sparrow".

References[]