"Theo vs Simon" is a particularly wonderful episode of ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks. But there's something about the sequence of events in it that I find a little strange. Just follow through these scenes from the episode, and see what you think.
Poor little Theodore has come to believe that Simon is better than him at everything, when he discovers that Simon once won a trophy for baking brownies - he makes Simon whip up another batch to see what they're like, and when they turn out to be delicious, Theo runs up to their bedroom, crying.
Just as an aside, reason number 5616581651 why I love this cartoon - the way it depicts crying. Most modern cartoons go with anime-style exaggerated floods of tears, but Chipmunks draws it very realistically, which works much better.
And when they cry is done brilliantly, too, with a consistent and well-thought-out grasp of character. Theo is in tears a lot, because he's the emotional type. Alvin cries much less frequently, and only when the world is genuinely being unfair to him (on those rare occasions when he tells the truth, and finds that people don't believe him!) And Simon only ever cries when both his brothers are already sobbing - which only happens in the subset of episodes when they believe they've lost Dave forever.
But back in "Theo vs Simon", Simon comes up to the room to try to talk to Theodore.
I just want you to know, Theodore, I am so impressed with all that you do!
Oh, shove it! You're just the best! You're the best at everything, okay!
Theodore, look - everybody loves you! You listen to people! And people trust you with their feelings! That's huge!
That doesn't count! That's easy!
I'm sure there's a lot of things that you're better at than me!
Oh yeah? Like what?
Well, you pick! Pick anything!
Okay. Okay, I will!
Theodore stomps out. And the next scene starts with Theo standing by the pool, and Alvin coming out to join him.
How you doing, Theodore?
He's just so good, at so many things!
Why do you keep challenging him, Theodore? Simon's good at a lot of things, but that doesn't mean you're not!
Yeah, but I wanna be better than him at one thing! One important thing! Not just being nice and cuddly!
Oh Theodore, I got it! The drums! It takes years to master!
Did we miss something here? We haven't seen Theodore challenging Simon to things repeatedly yet! Anyway, Alvin arranges a drum-off, and Simon... gets a bit carried away.
At first Simon just tries to concede defeat, but when Theo insists he show what he can do, Simon plays a wonderful drum solo, Theodore screams, kicks his drum kit to pieces and runs back to the bedroom. "Nice going, champ," Brittany tells Simon, who protests "Theodore, that was a fluke! That never happened! Honestly!" and follows him back to the bedroom...
And the dialogue in this scene is another of my all-time favourites.
Theodore, look, let's just do it again. You know, that was a once-in-a lifetime...
Stop! Stop! I... I hate this. And I don't want you to make yourself worse, just so I feel better!
Oh, there, Theodore, you see? You are so emotionally mature! You're the best at that!
Oh, be quiet! They don't give out trophies for that!
Well, yes, but I... (Theodore puts his hand over Simon's mouth) mmpphh mmf...
I, I know it's not emotionally mature, but I need to beat you at something! I'm sorry, it's just really gonna bother me until I do...
And THEN, we cut to the musical number for the episode (a great song, as always) with a montage of Theodore challenging and losing to Simon at running, basketball, Rubik's cube, sandcastle building and finally blowing bubbles by the pool.
It ends with Theo standing by the pool, just where Alvin found him at the start of the earlier scene. The next scene picks up at the start of the next day, as they're going to school, and Simon tells Alvin "It's getting really bad. Last night he challenged me to shove myself into a to-go bag!"
And I just feel like the song montage should have come after the first bedroom scene, not the second! I mean, it does still work in the sequence of events we get here, but it just seems like it makes more sense to put the music before the drum-off. Maybe it's just me. Or maybe the song needed to be placed at a particular time-point in the episode. Or maybe someone just put it after the wrong one of the two very similar Simon/Theo bedroom scenes?
It's probably just that I think too much about these things. But don't worry, there is a happy ending to this episode, and I really recommend that you check it out!
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