"Reckoning Ball" is the first segment of the thirty-fifth episode of Big City Greens.
Synopsis[]
Convinced that Cricket and the Greens have ruined his life, Chip Whistler returns to exact his revenge, but when his dad threatens to fire him, he is forced to apologize for his mistakes, but he must first reluctantly try to get them to earn his trust... or so they think.
Plot[]
The episode begins at Wholesome Foods, where a woman is protesting and shouting, "BOYCOTT WHOLESOME FOODS!" Chip pushes her away with a shopping cart, stomps on her sign, and tosses it into a bin filled with other discarded signs. He comments that she is the sixth protester they have encountered that day and notes that Wholesome Foods hasn't had a customer in weeks. Everything seems to be going wrong, and he has no idea why. Chip's employees inform him that the issue is due to a viral video, which he initially denies. However, Greg shows Chip the video of him pelting Cricket with tomatoes during the events of Season 1's "Feud Fight", titled "Wholesome Manager Annihilates Little Boy!!!" The video has gone viral, leading to the current boycott, and now no one wants to shop at Wholesome Foods. Furious, Chip snatches Greg's phone out of his hand and throws it on the ground, breaking it. Greg is sad that Chip broke his phone, but he remarks that it reminds him of Chip's teeth every time he sees Cricket. The other employees laugh, noting that their boss' name has become a joke. Angered, Chip yells that they are all fired, but they continue to laugh. In his office, Chip reflects that if he had never met the Greens, none of this would have happened to him. He claims it is all the Greens' fault and vows to make them pay. Meanwhile, at the Greens' house, Cricket and Gramma Alice are watching Tilly do a salmon impression. Bill then comes out with a tray of peanut butter balls, prompting them all to shout for one. Suddenly, a wrecking ball slams down from nowhere, shocking them. Chip is operating a wrecking crane, planning to destroy their house and drive the Greens out of town once and for all. However, Officer Keys just so happens to be walking along when he prevents Chip from harming them, causing Chip to lose control; the wrecking ball misses the Greens and only hits a portion of the rooftop, then comes right for him, knocking him out out of the driver's seat; and of course, chipping his tooth once again.
At Wholesome Foods Corp, Chip meets with his father, Mr. Whistler, who reprimands him for his violent behavior. Chip argues that his father doesn't understand, claiming that the Greens have hurt their business and disrespected his very expensive and perfect teeth. Mr. Whistler insists that Wholesome Foods needs to be friendly with farmers. He expresses concern about the changes he has seen in Chip, noting that he has become much more aggressive. Mr. Whistler reminds Chip of his own experiences in farming during his co-op days, saying, "You reap what you sow." With Mr. Whistler's retirement approaching, he had planned to put Chip in charge. However, due to his son's violent actions, Mr. Whistler feels cornered and threatens to expel Chip from the company, much to Chip's horror. Desperate, Chip begs his father not to kick him out. In response, Mr. Whistler states that if Chip can prove he is truly sorry for what he did to the Greens, he will give him a Forgiveness Contract. This contract must be signed by the Greens to confirm that they have accepted Chip's sincere apology. Only after that will Mr. Whistler reconsider Chip's future in the company.
At the Green House, the Greens are busy rebuilding their roof when Chip arrives. Cricket thinks Chip has come back to finish what he started and tells Tilly to call the police. In a fit of anger, Cricket rushes over and bites Chip's leg, while Alice grabs Swordy, ready to cut off Chip's hand. However, Chip manages to calm them down by explaining that he wants to apologize. Bill and Tilly are willing to accept his apology, but Cricket and Alice remain skeptical, especially after Chip offers a half-hearted apology. Cricket even tells Chip that he doesn't have a sincere bone in his body. Bill suggests that if Chip is truly sorry, he should repair the damage he caused, which would make things right. Chip is standing on the roof while Cricket munches on a bag of chips. Bill informs Chip that he will walk him through the roof repair, which Cricket finds satisfying since it forces Chip to do some physical labor. It quickly becomes clear that Chip is incompetent at something as simple as hammering a nail. He tries to hammer it in using the handle of the hammer, which Cricket finds amusing. However, Bill tells Cricket to "bless Chip's heart." As Chip prepares to place the next panel, Bill advises him that when building something, he should use more than one nail. Chip insists that it's fine and suggests they move on, but Bill points out that it won't hold with just a single nail. In a fit of frustration, Chip decides to test it by stomping on it, which unexpectedly loosens the panel. He loses control and ends up falling off the roof, accidentally destroying the garden and ruining all the baby carrots. Frustrated, Bill adds this to his "to-do list" of chores, stating that Chip agreed to fix all the damage he caused, and now he's caused even more. Chip argues that he only agreed to fix the roof, after which he plans to drive himself to the nearest doctor for a lobotomy so he won't have to think about this or them ever again. Bill responds that this is a little extreme and reminds Chip that the agreement was that the Greens wouldn't sign the contract until he fixed what he broke. Cricket adds that if Chip were truly sorry, he should be happy to help. Angered, Chip asks them what he needs to do.
Under the blazing sun, Chip struggles to plant carrots one after another, unable to do so properly. Meanwhile, Bill, Cricket, and Tilly work in the garden behind him, singing a song to lift his spirits. As Chip continues planting, he begins to hallucinate, seeing the carrots with Cricket's face. When he forcefully buries one of the carrots, it seems to come alive and tells him to "shut up." Suddenly, Chip wakes up face-down in the dirt, realizing it was just a dream. Bill sprays him with water from a hose and asks if he's okay. He thinks that Chip must have passed out from exhaustion, but Cricket points out that they've only been outside for ten minutes. Chip wakes up screaming that he needs to get out of there, but Bill reminds him that he hasn't accomplished much yet. He also notes that Chip has apparently buried the kids' bikes during his hallucination, adding that to the list of things Chip ruined. Unable to handle the harsh conditions any longer, Chip spins around in a frenzy, causing damage. He first destroys a barrel, then Phoenix's doghouse, and rips the water spout off the garage. The basketball hoop and roof panels come crashing down, and Chip hops on Bill's tractor, trying to mow down the Greens' garden. However, Alice stops him by throwing a rake. The tractor hits the rake, sending Chip flying, and he crashes, knocking himself out cold. Cricket comments that if Chip hadn't already chipped his tooth, that would have been the moment it happened.
Chip is nursed back to health by the Greens. The injured and battered Chip slowly wakes up on the couch, expressing uncertainty about how to feel toward them, given their kindness despite his previous behavior. The Greens acknowledge their troubled relationship, largely attributing the issues to Cricket, but emphasize their desire to treat him well because it reflects their values. Bill reassures Chip that he needs to "put in the work" before he can "reap the rewards," echoing advice similar to what Chip's father tells him. He explains that once Chip achieves his goals, he will be able to have whatever he wants in life. Recognizing the family's kindness toward him, Chip offers a sincere apology. Convinced of his sincerity, Cricket agrees to sign the contract, and the rest of the Greens follow suit, although Alice remains reluctant, suspecting that Chip may have ulterior motives. Chip insists on helping with the yard work, which he silently agrees to.
Meanwhile, Mr. Whistler retires and hands the company over to his son, hoping to make him proud. However, as Chip steps in as CEO, he quickly has his hired hands refurbish his office, removing everything related to his old self and his father, except for a picture of his dad as a farmer. He also calls in his private dentist to enhance his teeth with platinum. Chip then reveals that his earlier amends with the Greens were merely an act. He manipulated their kindness to take over Wholesome Foods, and they completely fell for it. With full control of the corporation and no interference from his retired father, Chip vows to exact revenge on the Green family and finally achieve his ultimate goal: to drive them out of Big City.
Cast[]
- Paul Scheer as Chip Whistler
- Chris Houghton as Cricket Green
- Marieve Herington as Tilly Green, Whitney
- Bob Joles as Bill Green, Nelson
- Artemis Pebdani as Gramma Alice, Protesting woman
- Ed Begley Jr. as Mr. Whistler
- Andy Daly as Officer Keys
- Shane Houghton as Greg
- C.H. Greenblatt as Dentist
Continuity[]
- This episode marks the fourth appearance of Chip Whistler, and he becomes CEO of Wholesome Foods, having big plans to revenge on the Greens, which reflects on his future appearances in the show.
- The events of this episode become important following "Chipocalypse Now", as it was all Cricket's fault for believing Chip changed and signing the contract, which made him CEO and eventually led to the shutdown of Big Coffee.
Trivia[]
- This episode largely focuses on Chip while the Greens are demoted to a side role.
- Chip's father is revealed to be the CEO of Wholesome Foods and retires.
- Cricket is noticeably more mature in this episode, as well as the second segment "Clubbed", as he acts more responsibly and is shown performing yard work which he seems to enjoy, as opposed to previous episodes where he considered yard work to be another boring chore.
- Despite his father's tough working demeanor, Chip is revealed to not having had any work experience prior. Also ironically, he fails to identify a carrot, implying that he most likely does not practice what he preaches.
- The scene when Bill and Cricket are fixing the roof is similar to The Simpsons Movie when Homer and Bart are doing the same.
- The Forgiveness Contract reads as follows:
- Hey, we know we did bad. So we wrote this to prove that we are really, really sorry. We admit it. We goofed up! Hope it's all water under the bridge. Please don't sue us.
- Normally when Chip gets his tooth chipped, he whistles through the chip when he speaks, but in this episode, he does not.
- This is the first episode to end on a cliffhanger.
- When Bill tells Chip he has to work before he gains what he desires and it can be anything he wants in life, he smiles slightly at this comment before he starts the apology. This foreshadows he's only using the Greens' kindness to his advantage to take control of the company so he can run them out of town.
- The final scene has many significant symbols towards Chip's true nature:
- The shades close on the office as it is being remodeled. This represents Chip hiding his true nature to the outside world (including the Greens), and the darkness also represents his true dark self.
- Chip slamming down his baby picture on the desk signifies he's no longer the child his father has known and he's completely defying his father, while the shade closing on it shows he's become a shadow of his old self.
- When the CEO office is being renovated, the portrait of Chip's dad as a young farmer is the only thing that was not taken down. This signifies the distrust he's giving his father and he's done the complete opposite of what he wanted him to do.
- The shot of Chip smiling wickedly in a mirror with a new titanium filling is considered one of the darkest scenes in the show, and managed to scare younger viewers.
- Chip's supposed apology near the end was vaguely foreshadowed during the scene where Cricket attacks him and says, "Chip's here to apologize...supposedly."
- The episode's opening is the same as "Steak Night", with a discarded grocery bag holding the episode title before it flies and reveals Wholesome Foods.
- As shown in "Cricket's Biscuits", Alice makes butter biscuits to cheer up someone hurt or injured; in this episode however, she does not make biscuits for Chip.
- Moral: You can't expect someone to believe your apologizes unless you really mean it.
- The moral turns out to be subverted as Chip only used the Greens' kindness to accomplish his scheme.
International premieres[]
- December 15, 2019 (Canada)
- February 11, 2020 (Latin America)
- May 10, 2020 (Japan)
- May 20, 2020 (Southeast Asia)
- September 15, 2020 (Portugal)
External links[]
