Mayhem of the Mooninites

"Mayhem of the Mooninites" is an episode from the first season of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It is the fourth episode of the series, originally airing on October 14, 2001.

Cold open

Dr. Weird unveils his giant stack of amplified speakers and plays 'Robot Affliction' on the guitar as a mysterious ship made out of pixels descends from the sky over Belle Isle Asylum.

Plot

A purple ship made out of pixels lands in the street in front of Carl and the Aqua Teens' houses. Two short, square-shaped, two-dimensional, pixel aliens exit the ship, making beeping noises reminiscent of Atari 2600 video games as they move, and knock on Carl's door. They identify themselves as Ignignokt and Err, the Mooninites, from the inner core of the Moon and members of a race hundreds of years advanced from the people of the Earth. Carl slams the door in their faces and the Mooninites decide to go next door to the Aqua Teens' house, where a sign on the lawn says there is a room for rent.

In their house, Master Shake explains to Meatwad that he is renting out Meatwad's room in order to make money. Shake answers the door and the Mooninites enter. As references, they spin in place and glow. Shake gives them the room. Shakes asks for a deposit, and Ignignokt offers Meatwad's jam box despite Meatwad's protests.

Meatwad complains to the Mooninites about Shake, and they show him how to shoot the bird and smoke cigarettes. Later, after swimming in Carl's pool, they attempt to dry a wet towel over Frylock's computer. Frylock is unhappy to learn that Shake has rented them Meatwad's room. Frylock suspiciously questions the Mooninites and he is not impressed. When Meatwad rolls out of his room smoking a cigarette and asking for alcohol, Frylock becomes even more enraged. Shake breaks out a electric guitar and says that the Mooninites gave it to him.

Meatwad goes with the Mooninites to the mall, where Ignignokt and Err spit in Meatwad's face until he attempts to steal a rack of DVDs by unsuccessfully trying to hide them in his meat while the Mooninites steal televisions and stereo equipment. Frylock retrieves Meatwad from mall security while the Mooninites make it back safely and mention that they have gouged expletives into Carl's car with a key, claiming it to be a sign of trust and friendship. The next scene shows this to be opposite of the case; Carl is angry.

On the way back to their house, Meatwad shows Frylock the tough new clown tattoo he got in jail, designating him as a member of the clowns gang. In Carl's pool, Shake and the Mooninites see who can hold their breath underwater the longest. Carl comes outside and complains about the vandalism to his car, and Ignignokt takes out 'Mr. Laser', a pixel pistol-like gun. He fires a shot at Carl, but it moves extremely slowly. Carl easily moves out of the way and dodges it, but it bounces off his house and hits him in the back, causing him to disappear.

Frylock hovers to the pool, surprising Master Shake. They all go back into the Aqua Teens' house and, while everyone watches a movie on the television about 'Vegetable Man', Frylock tells the Mooninites he wants them to move out. When everyone ignores him, Frylock destroys the television with energy balls from his eyes. The Mooninites are initially impressed by how fast the balls move, but then pretend that the balls were actually primitive.

Frylock and the Mooninites takes their dispute outside, where Frylock uses his fries to plaster their flat two-dimensional bodies against the road. Meatwad rolls outside and shoves Frylock off of them, saying that the Mooninites are his friends. When Err extinguishes a cigarette in Meatwad's eye, Meatwad realizes they may not be his friends after all.

Ignignokt then utters the words 'Mooninites unite', and the smaller Err joins into an Err-shaped slot at the top of Ignignokt, forming the 'Quad Laser', wherein each of their arms holds a pixellated pistol-like gun. After stating that no one can defeat it, the Mooninites fire, shooting an even larger, even slower bullet than before. In response, Frylock shoots them with his energy balls, and the Mooninites quickly flee 'this primitive rock' in their ship.

Back on their ship, the Mooninites raise their middle fingers at the shrinking Earth. At Carl's pool, Shake says he will keep all of the Mooninites' stolen merchandise, because he deserves it. Having landed in a crater on the Moon, the Mooninites find Carl and threaten a 'Moon spanking'.

References

• Brickout: In this episode, Carl sarcastically alludes to this game.
• Atari 2600: Most of the sound effects made by the Mooninites are from the Atari 2600. Culled from the games: Circus Atari, Air/Sea Battle, and Pac-Man. Also, The Mooninites spaceship is the bonus-points saucer from Space Invaders on the Atari 2600

Goofs

• Meatwad has a reflection, but the Mooninites don't.
• The asymmetrical bodies of the Mooninites occasionally differ in shape in various scenes.

Notes/Trivia

• This episode marks the first appearance of the Mooninites, Ignignokt and Err.
• This is the first time they use a different song during the end credits.
• You can see a few scenes of Vegetable Man on the Aqua Teen's television in this episode along with Time Machine. The full version can be found on the Volume Two DVD Easter Egg. The entire short film was directed by Jay Edwards, an editor for the show.
• Dr. Weird's guitar amplifier and speaker cabinets look like classic Marshall rigs, but closer inspection reveals a "Weird" logo where the word "Marshall" logo normally appears.
• This is the first ATHF episode to earn a TV-14 rating.
• The mall where Meatwad steals a rack of DVDs is originally from the pilot episode "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" from The Powerpuff Girls.        
• The is the first ATHF episode to not have anything to do with detective work.        
• The Mooninites introduce themselves to Carl, yet they already know his name.