Amanda isn’t on the guest list, so she has to fight her way in.
• Another entertaining cold open. It’s hard to tell in the copy I’m watching, but it looks like she actually did her own stunts here.
TV Clips: A monkey, and stock footage of a burger being prepared
Intro
Amanda answers questions from the audience via their cell phones.
• Not much to say here, except the fact that I got unintended laughs from the huge 90s cell phones.
• The person who calls Amanda from her house appears to be on the same set as Amanda’s prank caller character from the Mr. Oldman sketches, which we’ll be seeing later in this episode.
Fake Commercial: Meatloaf Crunch
A meatloaf-flavored cereal.
• One of the most memorable fake ads from the show. It’s easy to see why, because the concept of a cereal that tastes like meatloaf is unique and hilarious, and the jingle is extremely catchy.
• I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Kassir’s performance as “Loaf”, the cereal’s mascot. He seems to be having the time of his life.
• Overall, a classic, and it appears the writers thought so too, because it re-airs in two more episodes later this season.
Sketch: Jack and Jake
The two least-threatening bullies in school (Amanda and Raquel) try numerous pranks, none of which work.
• Another sketch that seems like it was going to be recurring, but never did.
• That said, I’m glad it never ended up being recurring, because it was kind of bland and repetitive.
• Rather disgusting scene where a baby pisses on the two of them.
Stop-Motion Amanda
Amanda is on a date with a boy (Drake) who has an extremely large pimple on his head. She ends up falling in love with it.
• Like the last one, there’s a live-action bookend here where we see Amanda on her date. I can see why they stopped doing them after this, because they get weirder later on.
• I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure this is one of only three Stop-Motion bits to feature a voice actor other than Amanda and Dan Schneider. The second one is in episode 4, and the third is in episode 8, where a certain someone makes a cameo. Not gonna spoil it, though.
• Funny ending where Amanda falls in love with the pimple instead of the boy.
• Also, is it me, or does Schneider love pimples and warts? There was Principal Pimpell from All That, Lewbert from iCarly, and there’s a fake ad coming up in Season 2 which features a girl with a huge wart on her face.
Sketch: Nurse Zelda
Nurse Zelda (Amanda) treats various injuries in class.
• Whaddya know, here’s another sketch that never becomes recurring, even though it looks like it was meant to be.
• Some impressive physical work from Amanda in this sketch.
• I honestly got more laughs from Kassir as Zelda’s assistant. The way he looked was enough to get a chuckle out of me.
Side Note: The commercial bumpers in this episode are replaced by shots of Penelope applauding in the audience, as part of a storyline where she gets tickets to see the show.
Sketch: The Simians
A family where the father is an ape, the mother is human, and their children are half-human/half-ape hybrids.
• Another freaky family sketch, which this show got a lot of mileage out of.
• Who is the young actor playing “Robert”, the boy visiting the Simian’s house? The credits tend to list the featured actors all together without listing who they played, and, sometimes, they don’t credit them at all!
• Excellent makeup job on Amanda in this sketch, making her almost unrecognizable.
• This was okay, but I’m kinda getting vibes of Mr. Peepers from SNL. Maybe it’s a good thing they didn’t do any more of these.
Sketch: Mr. Oldman
Mr. Oldman (Dan Schneider) gets a prank call about a cheese delivery.
• The first appearance of Mr. Oldman. No matter how much of a sexual deviant Dan Schneider is, he is a riot as this character.
• Amanda’s wig in this sketch is slightly different from the one she would usually wear in these.
Penelope Taynt
Penelope shows someone in the audience her website.
• Not one of the better Penelope bits, IMO. The “Things That Rhyme With Amanda” feature was kinda lame.
Closing
Amanda does tricks with a ladder, with help from her stunt double.
• Amanda’s clearly male stunt double is funny.
• Excellent conclusion to the Penelope storyline where a fat guy sits on her and blocks her view of Amanda.
• First onscreen appearance of writer Andrew Hill Newman, who will go on to play several minor characters over the course of the series. He’s the audience member in the red tie who talks to Amanda.
Final thoughts: Another mixed bag of an episode. They’re still finding their footing, and it’s telling that the only new sketch in this episode that becomes recurring is Mr. Oldman.
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