| When Wishes Come True | Gallery | Transcript |
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"When Wishes Come True" is a Season 3 episode of Rugrats.
Characters Present[]
Character Mentioned[]
Synopsis[]
After Angelica is particularly nasty to the Rugrats, Tommy wishes something bad would happen to her. So when Drew brings over a life-sized statue of Angelica, the babies assume that their wish has come true and that she has turned to stone. Can Tommy and the gang find a way to turn Angelica back to normal? Do they want to?
- Description from Klasky Csupo, Inc
Plot[]
At the beginning of the episode, Tommy and his friends, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, are in Tommy's backyard and making an abstract sculpture out of building blocks. Tommy gets one last block on top of a vertical column of blocks by standing on his friends, who have piled themselves up, and Tommy loses his balance and falls off as he just manages to put the block in place. As they all pick themselves up, Lil (getting down off of Phil) comments that Tommy's work is neat. As Phil gets off of Chuckie, he adds in his thought that it's pretty. Chuckie, however, wonders what it is, and Tommy says that he calls it "Three Babies and a Guitar" (as he states the name of his work, we get a view of it and see that it's one tall column of blocks next to a shorter and more abstract arrangement of blocks next to it). Angelica then comes into the scene with a sinister look on her face, walks over to Tommy's work and asks the four babies, "Oh, yeah? (the babies gulp) Well, you want to know what I call it?" She pauses for a brief moment and then answers, "'A Mess'!" and kicks Tommy's creation, sending all the blocks to the ground. Phil and Lil gasp in shock and Angelica laughs wickedly and then walks away; as she does so, Chuckie, Phil and Lil stare at her in shock and Tommy looks down at his destroyed work with a slightly sad look on his face.
After a brief moment, the look of Tommy's face changes from one slightly sad to one slightly mad; he walks over to his destroyed work and openly shares his pain, stating he wishes something very bad would happen to Angelica. Chuckie and the twins object, but then they open up to the idea of something bad happening to Angelica; they turn to each other, smile, and say "Yeah!" Lil suggests that perhaps Angelica's hair could turn into worms. Phil suggests Angelica's nose could get bigger and bigger until she couldn't stop bumping into walls (and he bumps into his sister as he demonstrates); Phil and Lil laugh. But an enraged and revenge-thirsty Tommy cut them off and adds in, "NO!!! I wish something really bad would happen to Angelica! Something so bad, that… well, I can't even think of it yet!" Chuckie tries to tell his friend to rethink what he's saying. However, Tommy cuts him off and states, "I mean it, Chuckie!" Tommy, ever thirstier for revenge on his cousin for the destroyed work, then grabs one of his blocks, holds it high above his head and shouts out loud in rage, "I wish that the baddest thing in the whole world happens to Angelica! I wish! I wish! [we begin to hear a flying bug's wings buzzing] I WISH!" And suddenly, at the very pinnacle of Tommy's rage and lust for revenge, a white flash and a loud zap frighten the babies away; we look up to see that it was only a bug zapper (dangling from the tree the babies were standing next to) shaped like a clown's head, zapping a bug. Lou, donning gardening attire, walks over to the zapper, and he remarks (impressed with the zapper): "That mosquito must have been the size of a B-52; this here bug zapper sure does the trick" (A B-52 bomber is about 160 feet long with a 185-foot wingspan).
We then cut into the foyer and hear the Pickles' trademark front door buzzer is sounding, as someone is at the door. Stu walks over and answers it, and he sees that it's his big brother Drew, here to pick up Angelica. They say hello to each other (and do a distinctive handshake), and Drew asks how Angelica has been. Stu (not knowing what Angelica did to Tommy earlier) remarks that she's "Just as sweet and perfect and lovable as ever". Angelica innocently dances over and adds in, "That's right, Daddy." Drew remarks, "Well, what else could she be?" and he and his daughter lovingly kiss their pointer fingers and touch each other's noses with them. Drew then asks his brother for a favor: He explains that today is the anniversary of his wife's first leveraged buyout and he got her a present for the occasion; he states that he wants it to be a surprise and asks his brother to look after it for a couple of hours. Stu states that it's no problem and he ask what it is. Drew responds that it's the most beautiful masterpiece he will ever see, and he goes outside to get his present, shouting from afar, "What till you see it, Stu; you've never seen anything like it." Drew carries his surprise gift in, with a sheet on top of it. After bragging about it for one brief moment more, he removes the sheet to reveal that his present is a life-sized statue of Angelica, posing with her arms held outward and standing on one tippy toe on top of a base. Angelica then stands next to it and attempts to pose like her spitting image, only to fall over. Although Drew and Angelica are very proud of it, Stu doesn't find it as appealing; apparently uneasy with it in his house for some reason, he suggests they store it outside in the backyard. Drew asks why, and Stu responds, "Well, you know, we've got those… uh… Rug-mites; we wouldn't want them to wreck the base." Stu then picks up the statue and starts carrying it to the backyard; a slightly uncertain and concerned Drew says, "Well, okay, if you think it's safe out there." Stu, not thinking of something that could happen to it, states that he's certain it will be safe. Stu and Drew leave the statue by the back door and walk away, and Drew and Angelica then leave, thanking Stu and stating that they'll be back later to pick up the statue.
We then pan over to the side of the house and see the babies (who didn't see Stu and Drew carry the statue into the backyard) walking back toward the open back yard from the side of the house (presumably having been hiding their after being frightened away by the bug zapper), and Chuckie tells Tommy that he shouldn't have wished something bad would happen to Angelica; Tommy replies that simply wishing something can't hurt anyone. The babies then see the statue of Angelica; not knowing that the real Angelica left with her father nor where the statue came from, they assume that Angelica turned into it and gasp in shock at this notion. Tommy gets an ashamed look on his face, and he holds his hand near the statue. Chuckie then tells his friend with shame (assuming Tommy's vengeful wish turned his cousin into a statue), "Look what you've done, Tommy! Look what you've done!" Tommy shamefully remarks, "I-I didn't mean to." Chuckie rebuttals: "Yes, you did, Tommy, remember? You wished that the baddest thing in the whole world would happen to Angelica, [Chuckie grabs Tommy by his shirt] and it did, Tommy! It really did!" Tommy replies, " But I didn't mean for something like this to happen." Phil adds in that Tommy should have thought of that before he made that wish, and Lil points out that there's nothing worse than turning into a "rock." Lil then continues, "'kept maybe turning into mashed peas." Phil adds in "Or bat drool!" and Lil finishes "Or mashed peas and bat drool!" Phil and Lil laugh, but this doesn't bring cheer to an ashamed and sorrowful Tommy nor their shocked friend, Chuckie. Tommy tells the statue, "I'm sorry, Angelica." He then gets down on his knees and adds in, "I'm really sorry" and then bows before "Angelica". Chuckie walks over and tells his friend that he doesn't think "she" can hear Tommy; he hits the statue twice and confirms that "She's rock solid." Tommy asks his friend what he's going to do, and then turns to see his mom coming with a pile of laundry to hang on the clothesline to dry. Chuckie alerts everyone, "Uh-oh! Better do something fast!"
As the babies scramble to prevent Didi from finding out what they think Tommy did to the real Angelica, a naked Stu (only the top part of him is seen) calls down to his wife from the upstairs bedroom window "Hey, 'Deed', have you seen my underwear?" Didi answers from afar, "Have you checked your underwear drawer?" As Didi continues to walk over to the clothesline, she says to herself, "I swear, I love him, but sometimes I think that man couldn't find his nose if he had his finger…" But she then sees that the babies have covered the Angelica statue in various garments in an attempt to fool her. As she continues with the laundry, she states "Oh, hi, Angelica! I thought your Daddy already came to pick you up. He must be coming back to get you later. You know you're always welcome to stay with us as long as you…" Stu then interrupts Didi from the upstairs window and states that he still can't find his underwear; Didi sighs, exasperated with her husband, and decides to go up and help him ("Coming, dear.") After Didi leaves, Tommy tells his friends that they have to hide "Angelica" before she comes back; Chuckie asks "But how, Tommy? She's made out of rock!" Fortunately, Tommy comes up with an idea.
The babies roll a red wagon next to the statue, and they work to tip the statue into the wagon; Chuckie gets into the wagon and pulls the statue down, and the rest of the babies maneuver it from the other side so that it tips into the wagon. This works, and they fortunately don't break the statue, but it lands on Chuckie and traps him in the wagon with it; Chuckie gruntingly shouts for help, but Tommy tells him that they must move and hide "Angelica" before they can get 'her' off Chuckie. Tommy then pulls the wagon by its handle, and Phil and Lil push it from behind; as Chuckie squirms around whilst crushed by the statue, he states to himself, "Even when she's a rock, she makes me miserable!" As the babies wheel the statue toward the side of the house, Didi comes back outside to get back to the laundry, relieved that she got her husband's issue under control. Before she can notice what, the babies are doing, Stu then asks her like before, "Hey, Deed, have you seen my socks?" A lightly frustrated Didi then walks back inside to help her husband again. We cut back to the babies, who, working together, manage to lift the heavy statue out of the wagon and move it into a bush on the side of the house. Lil then states that she kind of likes "Angelica" the way she currently is, and Phil adds in that she can't pick on any of them anymore; Phil and Lil then suggest they keep "Angelica" the way she is. But Tommy states that they can't leave Angelica the way she is forever. Lil asks why not, and Tommy points out to everyone that Angelica is still their friend even if she's sometimes hard on them, and he also adds that he and his friends will get in big trouble if the adults find out Angelica turned into a statue. Chuckie then asks how they'll fix the situation. Tommy figures that since it was his wish that turned "Angelica" into a statue in the first place, he just needs to make another wish that "Angelica" becomes real again; his three friends agree, and Tommy gives it a try by wishing out loud, "I wish that Angelica turns back to real." But of course, nothing happens. Tommy then tries again, "I really wish that Angelica turns back to real." Again, nothing happens. Tommy tries once more (getting a bit teary), "I really, really wish that Angelica turns back to real." Once more, nothing happens, and Chuckie openly concludes, "It's no use Tommy; Angelica is rock, and rock she shall remain." Suddenly, the babies hear Tommy's grandfather Lou coming, and they hide in the bushes. Lou pulls out a pair of clippers, intending to trim the bushes, and Lil feels they're all really in trouble now. Lou starts trimming, and he starts to get close to where the Angelica statue is, but he doesn't see it; just as he’s about to sink his clippers into the statue and get a big surprise, Didi calls him from afar and tells him he has a phone call from a woman named Morgana. Lou then excitingly rushes back inside, giving the babies a chance to move the statue without the adults seeing. Chuckie, however, is reluctant to get squashed by the statue again and refuses to help; we see that he's eventually forced into it again anyway as we see the babies moving the statue with the wagon in the same way they did before (with Chuckie getting squished by the statue). They then move the statue off the wagon and into a pile of leaves, and they all begin to brainstorm on what to try next.
Lil suggests that they could squirt milk all over "Angelica" so she gets all messy; Tommy asks how this will help make 'her' real, and Lil replies that she doesn't know and that she'd just like to do it. Chuckie then suggests giving "Angelica" a bubble bath; Tommy asks how this will help, and Chuckie replies that he doesn't know, although it would wash off the milk. Phil then comes up with something: He hypothesizes that they haven't been able to turn "Angelica" back into a real girl because they weren't treating "her" like a real girl; Tommy asks Phil to elaborate. Phil relates the situation to the story of Pinocchio and points out that Pinocchio had to learn how to be a real boy before he could actually be a real boy. Lil then adds "So we gotta act like Angelica's a real girl…" and Phil finishes "…and then she'll be a real girl". Tommy, feeling this could work, says "Let's do it." Suddenly, the babies turn to see Tommy's father is standing outside next to the backdoor in his underwear and an undershirt, holding a rake, and calling to Didi, asking her where his old work clothes are, and pointing out to her that he wants to rake up some leaves. Tommy, Phil and Lil all say "Oh, no!" as they realize that they need to move "Angelica" once more to avoid the adults finding "her". Chuckie pessimistically gets back in the red wagon, lies down and tells his friends: "Okay, push her on me."
We then fade to much later on, presumably after the adults finished all the yard work, as the babies have put the Angelica statue in the sandbox and have set up a toy tea set to have a tea party with it. Tommy asks "Angelica" if 'she'd' like more juice, as he holds up a cup of juice next to 'her' mouth and throws it all over 'her' face. Lil, holding a large jar of apple sauce, uses a sandbox shovel to scoop some out; she then offers the statue the applesauce and splatters it all over its face. But of course, this isn't turning the statue into the real Angelica, and Phil points out that his plan isn't working. Tommy then states that he doesn't think "this applesauce" is going to work and that they need to feed "Angelica" a better type of food. Lil asks, "Like what, Tommy?" Tommy answers, "Just think: What's Angelica's favorite food? What's she always trying to trick us into getting for her? What's the one thing she'd always eat, even if she was made of rock?" Chuckie, Phil and Lil answer, "Cookies!" The babies then go into the kitchen to get some cookies for "Angelica"; Tommy instructs Chuckie to keep a look out while he, Phil and Lil climb on each other to reach the cookie jar on the kitchen counter. But no sooner does Chuckie reach his post then he spots Stu opening the front door for none other than Drew; he hears Drew state that he couldn't wait to pick up his "little angel." The real Angelica has also tagged along, but she's not with her father at the front door, and Chuckie thus doesn't see her and doesn't know what Drew really meant by "little angel." Just as Tommy grabs a couple of cookies from the jar, Chuckie rushes over and warns them (stuttering in panic at first) "Your Uncle Drew is here to get Angelica!" They all scramble out of the kitchen in a great haste (with Tommy dropping the cookies he was holding on the floor), too late to see the real Angelica walk up beside her father and pose like the statue. The babies, still thinking the statue is the real Angelica, rush to get it hidden out of sight again; Tommy has Chuckie get in the wagon to catch the statue, and he and his friends push it to tip it in. Unfortunately, this time, the babies lose control of the heavy statue, and it tips in the opposite direction; the heavy statue nearly falls on Tommy, Phil and Lil, but they run out of the way, just in time, as the statue hits the cold, hard ground and shatters into numerous pieces.
"We broke Angelica" says a horrified Chuckie. Tommy, in sorrow, says to the statue "Oh, Angelica. My poor, poor Angelica." He picks up one of the statue's hands and says, "This was your hand, your little hand." Tommy then tosses the hand aside, picks up the head and continues "Oh, why did I ever make that wish? Why did I ever say the baddest thing? Why didn't I say the next to the baddest thing? Or the not so baddest thing? WHY? WHY? WHY?" But the real Angelica, having walked into the backyard, asks "Hey, what are you babies doing?" The relieved babies are ecstatic to see that Angelica is okay after all, and they rush over to embrace her and give her kisses. Angelica, not wanting any "baby germs", brushes them aside and then trips on one of the statue pieces. She asks "What are all those rocks down there? And wha-?" But then Angelica realizes in horror that her perfect refection is ruined: "Hey, wait a minute, those aren't rocks; they're MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Drew and Stu rush out as Angelica screams "me" at the broken statue, and Drew screams in horror when he finds his beloved statue broken into pieces. Stu arrives and asks what the problem is, and Drew rants that his expensive statue is in pieces. Stu calmly states he'll fix it in no time, but Drew's not convinced.
We fade to later on, where Stu has refashioned the pieces (also breaking the head piece up further so that different sections could be placed in different areas) into an abstract, deconstructed statue; he states that he calls it "Angelica Descending a Staircase." Drew calls it "A Mess" (ironically in the same way his daughter called Tommy's work a mess), and Angelica is horrified at the way she now looks and begins to cry (although also getting her comeuppance for destroying her cousin's work at the start of the episode).
As the babies watch the whole thing from inside the house, Tommy states to his friends, "Well, I guess I learned my lesson: Be careful what you wish for; it might come true." Chuckie adds "Yeah, somebody you know might turn into a statue." Lil adds, "Or eyeballs." Phil adds, "Or worm guts." They then both finish, "Or eyeballs and worm guts!", and everyone begins to laugh. As the camera pans out on the group's laughter, the scene morphs to look like Pablo Picasso's style of artwork, and the episode then ends.
Trivia[]
- Tommy's blocks at the beginning of the episode spell out the word "RUGRATZ".
- Angelica Descending a Staircase is an allusion to the 1912 French painting by Marcel Duchamp called Nude Descending a Staircase.
- Grandpa Lou says, "Read my clips: no new branches" while trimming bushes. This is a play on President George H. W. Bush's slogan, "Read my lips: no new taxes."
- This is the second appearance of Angelica's "tragedy cry" stock sound effect. It first appeared in Angelica the Magnificent.
- Tommy says, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Phil?" which is probably a reference to the famous phrase on Diff'rent Strokes.
- In the episode "Party Animals", Tommy remembers the lesson he learnt about wishes when Angelica makes a wish on a lamp and tells her to be careful what wish she makes as she just might get it.
- Acting like an Angelica's a real girl in hopes that she'll become a real girl is more like The Velveteen Rabbit (©1922) by Margery Williams than Pinocchio (©1881) by Carlo Collodi. It would have been more appropriate for Phil to say something like, "It's like in the story of The Velveteen Rabbit. The rabbit turned real cause the boy acted like he was real".
- Karma: Angelica horrified at the way her statue now looks and begins to cry.
- Morals:
- Don't wish for bad things to happen to other people, because you will soon regret it.
- Be careful what you wish for, because it may come true.
- Two wrongs don't make a right. Wronging someone just because they did the same to you will make you no better than they are.