In Hindsight…
I feel extremely bad for The Pranksters. I know they were written to be obvious villains, but something about them tells me that they really were misunderstood. Here’s some of my top moments in which I’ve pitied The Pranksters more than the titular company.
Danny Rebus:
“Unmuffins” - Is there anything to say that hasn’t been said? There’s huge ethical implications of even eating these treats. Undanny being treated like a god for being good while his original form was just a menace? Apparently being yourself was not acceptable according to the “Heroes.” Not cool.
“Oh Danny Boy” - This was another on-the-nose example, but I understand Danny’s friendship situation. The All-Or-Nothing thing is a huge problem when it comes to me too. But can you blame him? I have a feeling this may stem from major trust issues he may have, that and his need for external validation may prove this.
Manny Spamboni:
“Mighty Bright Fight” - To be honest, I feel Manny was duped in some sense. He was tricked into becoming friends with Jessica and a possible Skeleckian… but then Stan Flea showed up. Was this planned this whole time, and what I mean by that, was this staged to expose Manny’s villainous side for the episode?
“Mighty Bright Knight” - I dunno. I just feel bad for him after it was obvious Jessica would win the competition that the comic book guy gave out.
Annie Scrambler:
“Scrambled Brains” - Yep, an obvious pick. Credit to ProPranksterPropaganda for pointing out the fact that Annie was basically in extreme pain after being messed with in her worst enemy’s body. Now I’m sad at this moment. To quote Annie herself… “I WANT MY BODY BACK NOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!”
“Spooky Summer Soirée” - I was just mad at this particular moment. Even with help from Gilda, Annie still was laughed at because of her fashion sense. Look, I have no expertise in social-emotional learning, but you should NEVER make fun of someone’s appearance. (And that’s what most of the population did. Shame on them. And shame on The Electric Company too.)
Francine Carruthers:
(I will enter a bit of HC territory. You have been warned.)
“Goodnight Robot” - No kidding, I actually cried during this episode. The very end of it shattered my nonexistent heart to pieces. The way Antigone wanted to do something for her daughter, and the fact the ending and flashback implies Fran and Antigone were and now are close… geez. Now, for the headcanoned part. The sad thing is, is that I believe Francine’s father to be dead. This must have crushed Antigone and as a result, she developed those greedy and envious habits because of pure grief alone, and the fact she wanted the best for her daughter and did what she could to protect her. That, and I believe Francine looked up to this father figure and was even more crushed as a result.
“A Whole New Francine” - Look, I know the episode had minimal depth, but I decided to overanalyze it anyway. I have a feeling this episode may have delved into Francine’s past a tad bit. Remember how she mouthed along to the “We Got Skills” song in the first episode? Well, implied by what The Electric Company said in the falling action, Francine may have been ousted and that “two year period” may have been a punishment in some sense. In general though, I just feel bad because again, her past, and also the fact the teacher just treats her like garbage. (This was also the first episode I ever watched of the new series.) Do you suppose perhaps a desire for control may have played a part in Francine wanting to join The Electric Company?
Gilda Flip:
“The Incredible Return-A-Ball” - I can’t pinpoint a specific reason I feel bad for her here. Being surrounded by a mob of angry people must have been scary for her. That, and the realization that people would turn against her as well must have also been terrifying, knowing enemies would surround her at all times.
“Spooky Summer Soirée” - Same reason as Annie. I feel bad for the fact she wanted to recognized but was gawked at like an animal in a cage.
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Yeah. I feel a lot of things here. But in general, now I’m seeing the series in kind of a more sad light. False Heroes and False Villains. Stuff like that. I suppose I don’t have much else to say than maybe I should share some HCs regarding how The Pranksters get a bit of a power boost.
Thanks to Pecharunt’s poisoning, it’s possible now for all of The Pranksters to boost their stats at any time, though only for singular battles. However, there’s something a bit more potent in store. The fact memories alone can grant strength.
When remembering what troubled her, Francine’s eyes will glow a terrifying gold, and her wordballs gain the ability to cause passive damage to anyone unfortunate enough to encounter her. They say sticks and stones break bones. But in this case, words LITERALLY hurt more. (i also should probably state Fran’s Cedillas can damage multiple targets before dissipating.)
Powered by the fury of the public ignoring her, Annie’s eyes will glow purple, and her earthquake ability becomes powered up to around Richter 7.0-7.9 (Major.) Her hypnosis ability is also powered up too, and the polka dot crystals are able to manipulate a single subject for their entire lifetime.
Through sheer will, Manny’s eyes glow red and temporarily, a superpower will be present in him, that being a slightly boosted version of his handiness. Not only can he make devices within the blink of an eye, but he can also destroy anything too. (Safely though. He’d rather keep the resources of whatever he decides to take down in tact.)
Fueled by rage, Danny’s eyes glow orange, and with that, his Rebus puzzles not only become the most complex things in existence, but also… if solved, they can summon pivotal moments from various pieces of literature.
If fear were to take over, Gilda’s eyes glow blue, and with that, not only can she just inherit basically any of her friends’ powered up abilities, but she also gains a temporary extra ability too. I cite the interview with Gilda for this, but now she can completely erase the memories of people she doesn’t like.
Here’s also a remedy to this too. Only Sigmund and Sandy know this, but to stop each of the powered Pranksters, they’ll need to remember the good parts of their lives. (That and maybe a couple of Psychic type attacks will do given the poor special defenses.)
Anyways, that’s the end of this ted talk. I need a nap. Hopefully Francine, Gilda, Annie, Manny, and Danny can find some peace in their lives at some point.
(Tumblr would not let me find a good or relevant GIF here. Pretend there’s a Prankster group hug here.)
















