Courage the Cowardly Dog
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Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage in the Big Stinkin' City is part two of the second episode of Season Two of Courage the Cowardly Dog, which aired December 8, 2000, following "The Curse of Shirley".

Plot[]

The Bagges arrives in New York City, as Muriel has won a sitar contest and her prize is to perform at Radio City Music Hall. They are welcomed by a human-sized cockroach who calls himself Schwick. His real name is Buschwick - which also happens to be where he's from - but under no circumstances whatsoever may anyone call him that. Posing as a stage hand he promises Muriel her own rehearsal room and Eustace hot dogs.

Schwick shows them to the "rehearsal room," a scary, musty room littered with shackles and piles of bones in various places. There is an unseen threat living in a mouse hole in the room that is responsible for the demise of a number of prior stars. The argumentative insect sends Courage, who does not trust him, out to get a package, ordering him to return before the curtain rises, and to keep the police out of the picture, otherwise "it's curtains for the sitar lady."

Courage tries to find the house where the package is waiting, and eventually finds his way to the block of a condemned apartment. The building's inhabited by several monsters and unseen residents behind sealed doors screaming to be released. One of them is the mysterious Violin Girl, who scares away Courage with a demonic face so she can practice her music uninterrupted. After retrieving the package, Courage flees the scary abandoned apartment building and jumps on a subway train. A policeman, who is searching for the "evil" package, has followed Courage.

The train driver is so terrified by the sight of the evil package, that he flees the vehicle. The cop asks Courage for his license when the dog drives the train. Courage tries to take control, but unfortunately steers the train into the theatre's rehearsal room, where Muriel is still practicing. Schwick takes the evil package (which contains nothing more than a window squeegee that he needs to wipe away the cry for help written on the grimy window). The train collision however has broken the device. The bug is incensed, yells "Nobody double-crosses Schwick!" and now opts to unleash the rehearsal room monster.

Courage panics and carries Muriel as Schwick chases them; they eventually make it up to the Radio City stage, where Muriel performs. The police officer from the train has arrived with the Radio City Rockettes who are dancing, and Schwick is furious at Courage, shouting to the dog 'I SAID NO COPS!!!' The officer kicks the cockroach which screams and flies into a tuba bell. It then transpires that Schwick is not a real stage hand but in fact a wanted criminal, and he gets apprehended.

Muriel finishes her masterpiece to thunderous applause, and Eustace, having been eaten and reduced to nothing but a skeleton by the unseen monster, is seen watching his wife on TV in the rehearsal room, while complaining that there is nothing to watch. The monster departs back into the mousehole.

Characters[]

Main Characters:[]

Minor Characters:[]

Cameos:[]

Trivia[]

  • This episode won the "Best Sound Editing — Television Animated Series — Sound" at the 2001 Golden Reel Awards.
  • When Courage enters the building, one can clearly hear a man shouting "Open the door!"
  • When the Bagges rides the elevator down with Schwick, there is a poster with the heading 'CONDEMNED' behind the cockroach.
  • One can also see a message "Failed" behind Eustace and Muriel in the lift.
  • Before Courage enters the second door in the building, there is a doormat that reads "Not welcome".
  • Also at the door that contains the package, the message on the door reads "PACKAGE HERE STOOPID'.
  • King Ghidorah, one of the most famous kaiju in the Godzilla films, was one of the monsters living in the apartment building. The second monster that resides there is a shark similar to the one from Jaws.
  • The Weasel from "The Demon in the Mattress" make a cameo in this episode.
  • On Cartoon Network Asia, Cartoon Network Philippines, and Cartoon Network Australia, the part with the apartment rooms is cut for fear the Violin Girl may be too disturbing for the show's target audience. This scene is left intact when it reran on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the United States and its respective feeds in parts of Europe.
  • This is probably the most famous episode of the show, along with "King Ramses' Curse" and "Perfect".
  • Although Eustace supports briefs over boxers in this episode, he is mostly seen wearing boxers in other episodes.
  • The "Briefs! Boxers!" scene has become a popular Internet meme, as has the Violin Girl scene.
  • The Violin Girl is seen to have a demonic face when she first appears to scare Courage, but is later seen with a human face towards the ending.
  • This episode shares its music with "Le Quack, Amnesia Specialist", where Muriel also plays the sitar.
  • This is one of the few episodes since the first season in which Courage had more dialogue than before.
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