Episode 1: Corporate Shills part 1
- the 2008 presidental election - the utterance of the term "Joe the Plumber" is a reference to a term John McCain used in
the third presidential debate to reference a man who was supposedly going to be affected by one of Barack Obama's tax
policies, which naturally was blown out of proportion. The term itself has since gone on to become something of a new
version of the old "Joe Sixpack" cliche for the lower to middle class
- Akira Kurosawa - Akira's name is an homage to the Japanese director
- MIT and Oxford - the utterances of MIT and Oxford when Hathaway and Akira were talking about the Ranger project
are in reference to the schools
- Iron Man - the scenes with Akira and Don designing the Rangers' gear through holographic imaging was inspired by the
scenes in Iron Man where Tony was designing the Mark II armor through the holographic imaging in his garage
- bushido - this is more of a note than anything else, but the paintings that Eric was hanging in Hathaway's office are the
kanji for the seven virtures of bushido (in order mentioned); gi-rectitude, yuu-courage, jin-benevolence, rei-respect,
makoto-honesty, yo-honor, chuu-loyalty
- The Venture Bros - Squidenger's name as well as his "Magic Mayhem Staff" are in reference to the Venture Bros
characer Dr. Henry Killenger (and his Magic Murder Bag), who's basically Henry Kissenger as a supervillain. And like
Killenger, Squidenger's voice would also be a Henry Kissenger impression
- Beast Wars - like the entry on bushido this is more of a note, namely about Electrex's personality, which was inspired in
part by the Beast Wars version of Megatron. Some of these aspects will come into play in future episodes, yesssss...
- Shrek - like the previous entry this is a note about Electrex's personality, namely the big hair, the platform shoes, and big
throne, which is inspired by Lord Farquaad's Napoleon complex
- The Joker - like the previous entries this is a note about Electrex's personality, namely his "cheerfully deranged jester"
side, which was inspired by Mark Hamill's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman: the Animated Series, also in
the future Electrex will take on a much more grim side, not unlike Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance as the Joker
in The Dark Knight
Episode 2: Corporate Shills part 2
- seppuku - the journalist's joke about having the Rangers commit seppuku should they dishonor Hathaway, is in reference
to the ritualistic suicide that samurai committed if they had dishonored their master
- Yale - the mention of New Haven and Connecticut is in reference to Yale University, which is based in New Haven, CT
- Gosei Sentai Dairanger - like Insidia in D.A.T.A. Trek, Damash's design is an alteration of a Dairanger villain's, this time
Shadam. And just like how Insidia's battle gear was Gara's Wraith Form, Damash's battle gear is Shadam's fighting form.
See Super Sentai Time Capsule's (see links page) Dairanger section for pics.
- G.I. Joe Sigma Six - Seductra's ability to create copies of herself was inspired by a similar ability that the Baroness had in
Sigma Six
- Spider-man - Don calling Electrex "Electro" is in reference to the Spider-man villain. Also Electrex mentioning wanting to
see a rainbow-colored stain on the pavement, was inspired by a line in an episode (yet to air in the US as of 05/07/09) of
the Spectacular Spider-man animated series where the Green Goblin said that he would like to see a red and blue colored
stain on the pavement while fighting Spidey in the air
Episode 3: Salting the Wound
- The Devil Wears Prada - Hathaway's fairly cold demeanor and utterance of "that is all" are in reference to Meryl Streep's
character from the movie version of The Devil Wears Prada, likewise he was also named after one of the stars of the
movie (bet you can't guess which one)
- Al Gore - Lisa referring to Ken as Al Gore is in reference to the former American Vice President who was an
evironmentalist
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex referring to the replacement Rangers as "Power fakes" is in reference to
the Joker's utterances of "bat fake" when speaking of Terry
- Akira Kurosawa - Daisuke's last name is in reference to the director
- kendo - this is more of a note about the gear Daisuke, Don, Ken, Evan, Mel, and Lisa were wearing in the dojo. A
"keikogi" is the traditional kendo practice top, "hakama" are the pants, "zori" are the sandals, and a shinai is of course the
practice sword
- The Dark Knight - Electrex's monologue about looking like a guy with a plan, and being an agent of chaos was taken
practically word for word from the same monologue that the Joker told Harvey Dent in the hospital in The Dark Knight
Episode 4: The Cutting Edge
- The Simpsons - Ken's line about scientists inventing magic is a variation on a joke said by Marge in the Simpsons episode
"Future Drama", also Lisa's rant about Mel in the coffee shop was taken almost word for word from a rant that Lisa
Simpson (appropriately enough) said in the episode "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy" about the overly sexist drivel that her talking
Malibu Stacy was saying, also Ken mentioning that Lisa looked like she was about to throw a Barbie out of the window is
a reference to what Lisa Simpson did to her Malibu Stacy after her rant
- Facebook - Lisa asking if Don and Ken Facebook pages is a reference to the social networking site
- Twitter - Lisa asking if Don and Ken Twitter accounts is a reference to the social networking site
- The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien - Ken mentioning Ashton Kutcher telling people about getting salad fixings is a
joke "borrowed" from the second episode of the new Tonight Show during the Twitter Tracker segment
- kanji - this is more of a note than an allusion, but the kanji that Evan tried to draw in the parking lot is "kuruma" or car,
the kanji that Mel tried to draw is "gyoku" or gem
- Barbie - Ken mentioning Lisa throwing a Barbie out of the window is a reference to the doll
- Paris Hilton - Mel mentioning that she is what Paris Hilton would be like if she were a Ranger is a slam against the
professional celebrity. I promise that this'll be the last time I make fun of Paris, because let's face it making fun of her is
basically old hat by now (now being June 23, 2009)
- Jenga - Zephyrazor mentioning that it is time for him to take a block from the middle and put it on top is a reference to a
Jenga commercial from the 90s
- Disney - Eric saying that he could be working for a rat, is a slam against the company. So hopefully this'll teach Disney
for cancelling a show that they weren't making much money off of
Episode 5: Twofaced
- Batman - the name "Doubleside" is a play on the Batman villain Twoface, also Doubleside throwing his staff in the air to
leave a decision up to chance is similar to Twoface's coin flipping
- Skeptic - the title of the magazine that Don was reading "Questioner" is a play on Skeptic
- Garfield - Ken mentioning that Evan is probably trying to see if "Garfield is going to score some lasagna" is a reference
to the flabby tabby
- Peanuts - continuing on from the Garfield allusion, Ken mentioning "if Lucy is finally going to let Charlie Brown kick that
football" is in reference to the Charles Schultz comic strip
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - the movie Evan mentioned seeing "The Decayed's Vendetta" is a play on "Revenge
of the Fallen", likewise Don and Ken going off on a rant about "Bernard May" is a thinly veiled attack on my part on
Michael Bay, and his movies. Also (as of July 16, 2009) this will be the last Bay joke I make, I promise.
- Toyota - Evan mentioning the type of team vehicle he wouldn't want to drive around in is in reference to Toyota's line of
Hybrids
- Cosmopolitan - Ken saying "please tell me you didn't read that in Cosmo" is in reference to the women's magazine
- Oprah - Mel mentioning that she got the information she did on Oprah is in reference to both the show and its host
Oprah Winfrey. Likewise Don and Ken mentioning what they did about Oprah is in reference to some of the scrutiny that
Oprah has been coming under as of late
- Dairy Queen - Evan mentioning "going to DQ for a Blizzard" is in reference to the ice cream chain and one of their frozen
treats
Episode 6: The Break Out part 1
- Batman - Electrex showing up at the Hathaway mansion's front door, was loosely inspired by a scene in the Batman
graphic novel The Killing Joke where the Joker showed up at the Gordon family apartment and viciously shot Barbara
Gordon, Electrex referring to himself as "your old uncle Electrex" was inspired by the Joker's utterances of "your old uncle
Joker" from Batman: the Animated Series, finally Ken mentioning that the Rangers should "pull a Batman" to figure out
where Evan is being kept, is a just a general reference to the Dark Knight's detective skills
- Hair - Electrex's line "Good morning star shine. Electrex says 'hello'" is a play on a line from the song "Good Morning
Star Shine" from the musical Hair
- A Clockwork Orange - Electrex mentioning that Evan could potentially be tied down with his eyelids tied back is a
reference to a scene in the book/movie A Clockwork Orange where a character actually got that treatment
- Fantasia - Lisa comparing the horde of Blazikks to the broomsticks in Fantasia, is a reference to The Sorcerer's
Apprentice segment
- Star Wars - Electrex initially starting his story with "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is a reference to the text
that starts off every Star Wars movie
Episode 7: The Break Out part 2
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex saying "papa spank" when Evan tried to grab his Morpher is a reference
to a scene in Return of the Joker when Terry went after the Clown Prince, only to get shot at by the satellite that the Joker
had hijacked
- The Simpsons - Hathaway's line about how no one steals from him is a variation on a line Mr. Burns said in the episode
"Burns Baby Burns" after Larry Burns was "kidnapped"
- Spider-man - Electrex's speech about how the public will eventually turn on the Rangers is a variation on a similar speech
the Green Goblin said to the web slinger in the 2002 movie
Episode 8: Celebrity Status
- The Dark Knight - Electrex's lines "why so serious" and "let's put a smile on that face" are of course quotes from the
2008 movie
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex saying that Bruudas' current look and him laughing anyway is a reference
to the flashback scene on RotJ where the Joker reveals to Batman that he knows everything, and his opinion of it
- Giorgio Armani - Ken calling Hathaway the "Armani-clad devil" is a reference to the fashion designer and his suits
- Stretch Armstrong - the Armstrong monster, and Ken's line about corn syrup in his arms are a reference to the toy
- The Simpsons - Ken saying that "one day you're the most important guy who ever lived. The next you're some schmo
working in a box factory" is a quote from Krusty in the episode "Bart Gets Famous"
Episode 9: Sticks and Stones
- The View - the fictional talk show featured in this episode is a very thin spoof of The View and its hostesses; Lizzie is
supposed to be Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Daisy is supposed to be Rosie O'Donnell, Cherry is supposed to be Sherri Shepherd,
and Babs is of course Barbara Walters, hence the Elmer Fudd-like dialog. Also the things that Don and Ken mentioned
about what the hostesses of The Sight have said are actual things that have been brought up on The View. The moon
landing hoax was brought up by current hostess Whoopi Goldberg during the summer of 2009, and the whole thing about
the Earth being round was brought up when Sherri Shepherd got in an argument with Bill Maher.
- Heidi Montag - the mentioning of Heidi Montag is a reference to the star of the MTV "reality" show The Hills, who
appears as if she is addicted to plastic surgery
- Jersey Shore - the mentioning of Snooki is a reference to the MTV reality show Jersey Shore, and one of its stars who
doesn't appear to be too bright, from what I've read about her
- Don Rickles - the Heckler's utterances of "ya hockey puck" is a reference to the legendary insult comic
- The Simpsons - Electrex saying that his father was "dumb as a chimp" and that he is "smart as a monkey" is a reference
to the episode "Lisa the Simpson", where Grampa described Homer as once being "smart like a monkey, but now he's
dumb as a chimp". Also the concept of unsults originated in the season 20 episode "Father Knows Worst"
- Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - the Heckler using the line "...for me to poop on" is a reference to the cigar chomping
dog puppet that originated on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Bozo the Clown - the Heckler calling the woman with too much make up "Bozo" is a reference to the famous clown
- The Gong Show - Ken saying that there's never a gong around when you need to get rid of a bad comedian is a reference
to the talent show
- 30 Rock - Lisa's line about aging is a variation on a line that Liz told Jenna in the 30 Rock episode "Black Light Attack!"
note: I did drop Paris Hilton's name in this episode, but by now everyone should now who I'm talking about when I drop
that name
Episode 10: Offending the Olfactory Sense
- Arrested Development - Hathaway not taking Evan to the family cabin, and instead "helping" random other women was
inspired the Arrested Development episode "The Cabin Show", where we saw George Bluth, Sr. doing the same to his son
Michael
- The Critic - Ken and Olfacto's exchange about "noxious amnesia gas" is a variation on a similar exchange that Jay and his
stomach had in the episode "Frankie and Ellie Get Lost"
- Paris Hilton - I know I said I was going to lay off on the Paris jokes in the episode 4 entry, but parts of Roma's back
story are based on Ms. Hilton's life, e.g. Roma's "reckless driving" charge being a euphemism for Hilton's drunk driving
charge, the name Roma, like Paris, is also the name of a European capital, and Roma's persona also happens to be what
Hilton would probably be like if she were to stop acting like the village bicycle
- Blazing Saddles - Electrex's "where's my ducky" bit is a variation of the "where's froggy" bit from the Mel Brooks movie
- Sesame Street - Electrex saying that his ducky makes relaxation time lots of fun is a reference to Ernie's song about his
rubber ducky
Episode 11: Oh Here She Comes
- Hall and Oates - the title of this episode is a line from Hall and Oates' hit 1982 song "Maneater", also Malicia's description
of Seductra to Mel and Lisa in the club is another line from the song, and Akira even mentions the band in one scene
- Just Shoot Me - the opening scene with the fashion show was inspired by the "The Emperor" episode of the sitcom
- Batman & Robin - the pink powder that Seductra blows at the male Rangers was inspired by the pheromone dust that
Poison Ivy blew at Batman and Robin (among others) in the movie, also the slow R&B song that played in the club when
the male Rangers first saw Seductra there, was also inspired by the song "Poison Ivy" by Meshell Ndegeocello which was
featured on the Batman & Robin soundtrack
- Futurama - Akira's line "Maybe if you showed a little interest..." was "borrowed" from the episode "Where No Fan has
Gone Before", which was originally said by George Takei after finding Shatner's suggestion of Takei giving the Planet
Express crew a karate chop
- Green Lantern - the last four digits of Ken's cell phone number, 2814, is the same number of the sector of space that Hal
Jordan calls home
- Seinfeld - while it wasn't actually said, the reason that don gave to Mel and Lisa as to why men dig catfights would be
the same reason that Jerry gave Elaine in the episode "The Summer of George"
- Ben & Jerry's - Lisa mentioning wanting to dig into the Ben and Jerry's is a reference to the ice cream company
- ER - Mel mentioning that she and Lisa will watch an episode of ER is a reference to the medical drama
- Scrubs - like the ER reference, Mel mentioning watching an episode of Scrubs is a reference to the medical comedy
Episode 12: A New Leaf?
- Power Rangers in Space - the news anchor mentioning that the shuttle launch was NASADA's first major breakthrough
in inter-space travel since 1998 was a reference to the fifth season of the show, which debuted in 1998
- Albert Einstein - the physicist who was aboard the shuttle was named after famed physicist Albert Einstein
- Julius Caesar - Electrex saying "Et tu, Damash" is a variation on the line "Et tu, Brute?" from the Shakespearean play
Julius Caesar, which is often poetically used to represent the real Julius Caesar's final words
- Batman - Evan comparing Ralaez to the Riddler is a reference to the Batman villain, also the concept of "crazy intent" or
"loco motive" was taken from an episode of Batman: the Animated Series entitled "What is Reality?" in which Batman has
to save Commissioner Gordon from a virtual reality world of the Riddler's design
Episode 13: Three Elements Take Flight
-Coke Zero - Ken mentioning that he wants to go to the vending machine for a Coke Zero is a reference to the beverage
- Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger - the monster in this episode is named after the primary antagonist in the 2004 Sentai series
- The Simpsons - Phil mentioning Seth's "characters", "Rickey Rouse" and "Monald Muck" is a reference to the episode
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala-d'oh-cious, which featured the "original" character Sherrie Bobbins, also Seth's rant about
plagiarism in the final scene was pretty much the same rant that Roger Myers Jr. said in court in the episode The Day the
Violence Died
- How I Met Your Mother - Phil suggesting that Ken should "lawyer" Seth is a reference to the sitcom (see top definition in
the link for an example from HIMYM)
- Van Wilder - this is more of a note than an actual allusion, but the final scene with Seth's disciplinary hearing would be
set in a similar room where Van Wilder had his disciplinary hearing, I only mention, because I wasn't too sure what to call
it in the script
- William Shakespeare - the first line in Seth's rant at the end of the episode mentions the playwright, who has been
accused of not writing all of his plays
- Family Guy - the last line in Seth's rant at the end is a reference to the TV show, which has often been accused (at least
when it first premiered) of being little more than a Simpsons rip-off
Episode 14: The Milwaukee Seven
- George Carlin - George Carlton was named after the legendary comic, likewise the title and Evan and Ken's dialogue at
the end of the episode are references to Carlin's famous bit "Seven Words That You Can Never Say on Television" (Carlin
was arrested for disturbing the peace in Milwaukee when he performed the routine at a music festival)
- Spongebob Squarepants - the inspiration for this episode came from me seeing a clip of the Spongebob episode "Sailor
Talk" in the documentary F--k (I think we all know what the actual title of the documentary is)
- Glen Beck - anchor Ben Geck is a spoof of the Fox News mouthpiece
- Ann Coulter - Fran Doulter is a spoof of the author and (I think) Fox News pundit
- The Simpsons - the distressed woman's plea "won't someone please think of the other children" is a variation on Helen
Lovejoy's cry whenever there's a moral panic in Springfield
- Power Rangers D.A.T.A. Trek - this is more of a note, but the archaeologist who was heading up the dig is the same
character from D.A.T.A. Trek ep 26 "Combination Crush"
- Larry King Live - Akira mentioning a debate he saw on Larry King is a reference to the CNN show
- Ron Paul - Akira and Lisa talking about Ron Paul is a reference to the Texas senator, and former presidential candidate
- The Baldwins - Akira mentioning Stephen Baldwin is a reference to the actor, and Don hinting at who got most of the
talent in the family is a reference to Stephen's older brother Alec
- Jon Stewart - Ken mentioning Jon Stewart is a reference to the host of The Daily Show
- Bill Maher - Ken mentioning Bill Maher is a reference to the host of Real Time
- Stephen Colbert - Ken mentioning Colbert is a reference to the host of The Colbert Report
- Transformers - Sonic Dooms speech patterns are modeled after Decepticon communications officer Soundwave
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail - the word that George said as well as the alternative that the behaviorist suggested
were taken from the Knights who Say "Ni"
- Recess - the concept of the academic disciplinary hearing, as well as most of the final scene were loosely baed on the
Recess episode "The Story of Whomps"
Episode 15: The Other Side
- New York Fire Department - the initials of the San Fortuna fire department are set up in the exact same way as the New
York fire department's
- Rescue Heroes - the two additional firefighters were named after two firefighter characters from the toy line/cartoon
series
- South Park - the disgruntled ex-Hathaway employee in the diner was named after the drunken redneck who didn't take
too kindly to panda bears in the episode "Sexual Harassment Panda"
- The Simpsons - Don and Ken's line at the end of the episode is similar to similar lines that Bart and Milhouse spoke at the
end of the episode "22 Short Films about Springfield"
Episode 16: Don't Touch That Dial
- Engine Sentai Go-onger - the concept for this episode actually stemmed from an idea I had for my original plans for an
adaptation of Go-onger. Specifically this episode would have been based on Go-on GP-11 featuring Antenna Banki
- Oprah - Evan mentioning one of Mel's potential viewing choices is a reference to the talk show host
- Rachael Ray - Mel mentioning that she actually wanted to watch Rachael Ray is a reference to the celebrity chef and her
self-titled daytime TV show
- Nickelodeon - Mel mentioning that she's not going to watch anything on Nickelodeon is a reference to the channel (and
future home of Power Rangers), as well as the channel's most popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants
- House - Mel mentioning that Lisa watched five episodes of House is a reference to the TV show starring Hugh Laurie
- Ron Popeil - some of Die-al's dialogue including "it slices, it dices" and "but wait there's more" is a reference to the
inventor and infomercial pitchman
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Die-al introducing the Rangers by saying "heeeeeeeeeeeere's the Rangers" is
a reference to the way Ed McMahon used to introduce Johnny
- The Simpsons - the first of the TV shows Die-al created was a take on The Simpsons, with Ken as Bart, Don as Homer,
Mel as Marge, a baby version of Evan as Maggie, and Lisa as Lisa. Specifically the segment is based on the opening credits
of The Simpsons, including such staples as the chalkboard saying, and couch gag. Also references to various episodes of
the Simpsons are included in the segment; the can that reads "TOMACC" is a reference to the crossbread of tomato and
tobacco (tomacco) Homer created in the episode "E-I-E-I-D'oh!", and the saying on the register (NRA4EVER) is a
reference to the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacualr", which was revealed as one of the radical right wing
messages that series creator Matt Groening puts into every episode
- The Fairly OddParents - the chalkboard saying during The Simpsons segment is a take on a chalkboard segment from
the Fairly OddParents TV movie Channel Chases (which also did a Simpsons spoof). The only difference is that the
chalkboard saying in Fairly OddParents read "this is the sincerest form of flattery"
- Jeopardy! - the game show segment is a spoof of the Alex Trebek-hosted show, and includes one of the shows standard
categories "Potent Potables", as well as a category that was apart of an episode that aired on September 13, 2010 in the US
(Elemental Clues)
- Saturday Night Live - Evan speaking in a Scottish accent, and him screwing up the pronunciation of a category is a
reference to the Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches that used to come up every now and again on SNL in the late 90s. The
sketches more often than not featured cast member Darrell Hammond doing a Sean Connery impression (hence the
Scottish accent on Evan), which also featured Connery screwing the pronunciation of a category (e.g. "An Album Cover"
became "Anal Bum Cover")
- American Idol - the singing competition Die-al put the Rangers through is a spoof of American Idol, with Ken and Lisa
acting as former judges Simon Cowell (hence the British accent) and Paul Abdul, respectively with Don as judge Randy
Jackson. Also the words that Mel "sang" are from the song "A Moment Like This", which was sung by Kelly Clarkson, the
first winner of American Idol
- Scooby-Doo - the fourth TV show Die-al put the Rangers through was a take on Scooby-Doo with Don acting as Fred,
Mel as Daphne, Lisa as Velma, Ken as Shaggy, and a dog suit-clad Evan as the Great Dane. The segment also features
some of the Scooby franchise's staples such as the hallway gag, the protagonists blending in with their surroundings,
Fred's traps (to an extent), and Die-al paraphrasing the "meddling kids" speech that every Scooby-Doo villain utters in any
given episode. Also the song during this segment is a spoof of the theme from the original series Scooby-Doo, Where are
You?
- Batman (1966) - the final TV show that Die-al put the Rangers through was a take on the classic Adam West Batman
series, complete with the usual comic book style onomatopoeic word title cards Evan doing Robin's "Holy (insert item
here)" bit, as well as Don referring to Ken as "old chum", in the same way that Batman always referred to Robin. Also the
Hathaway Enterprises logo zooming in and out over the spinning background before the segment is a nod to the scene
transitions as seen at the end of this video
Episode 17: Report to the Shogun part 1
- Billy Joel - David's last name, Williams, is a reference to the musician. I used the name after realizing a had a guy named
"Davy" who was apart of the Navy, just like a person mentioned in Joel's song "The Piano Man"
- David Bowie - much of the dialogue in the shuttle cockpit was taken from Bowie's songs "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to
Ashes", also Major Thom's last name (Jones), as revealed in "A New Leaf?" is Bowie's actual last name (Bowie is a stage
name)
- Peter Schilling - while most of the song references in the shuttle cockpit scene are in fact from two of Bowie's songs
dealing with the character of Major Tom, there are a couple of lines that are actually taken from Peter Schilling's song
"Major Tom", which also featured the character (I'll let you the reader figure out which lines are from which songs)
- The Venture Bros - on top of the song references the entire cockpit scene is a bit of a borrowed joke from the Venture
Bros episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso", but that episode only used lines from Bowie
- Stars and Stripes Forever - the marching band playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" is a reference to the John Philip Sousa
composed song
Episode 18: Report to the Shogun part 2
- Avenue Q - the example of schadenfruede that Evan gave in the command center is a line from the song "Schadenfruede"
from the musical Avenue Q
- Wikipedia - Evan telling Mel to look up schadenfreude on Wikipedia is a reference to the online encyclopedia, which is
completely accurate*
- Brangelina & Bennifer - Mel telling David that they could be the next Brangelina or Bennifer is a reference to the tabloid
nicknames that were given to the pairings of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (later
Affleck and Jennifer Garner)
*citation needed
Episode 19: A Slippery Slope
Unlike other episodes, I'm going to handle the allusions for this one a little differently. The voice actors mentioned in the
episode will be listed alphabetically, and instead of what I'd normally do "(character) mentioning (voice actor) is a
reference to the voice actor" I'm going to list a few credits that each actor has. This will in no way be a comprehensive
list, which is why each actor's name will also be a link to his or her IMDb page
- Jeff Bennett - some of Jeff Bennett's roles include Kowalski on The Penguins of Madagascar; Prowl, Ultra Magnus, and
Captain Fanzone (among others) on Transformers Animated; The Joker, and Captain Marvel (among others) on Batman:
The Brave and the Bold; Red Tornado on Young Justice; Montana/Shocker and St. John Devereaux on The Spectacular
Spider-man, Lord Bravery on Freakazoid, and Ace and Big Billy on The Powerpuff Girls
- Steve Blum - credits include Spike Spielgel in the English dub of Cowboy Bebop; Black WarGreymon, JP, Flamedramon,
Raidramon (among others) in the English dub of Digimon; Starscream on Transformers Prime; The Chameleon on The
Spectacular Spider-man, and he's also the voice of Wolverine in pretty much anything Marvel needs him for including
things like Wolverine and the X-men and The Super Hero Squad Show
- Grey DeLisle - credits include Vicky, Tootie, the Tooth Fairy (among others) on The Fairly Odd Parents; Sam on Danny
Phantom; Kitty on TUFF Puppy; Betty Brant and Sally Avril on The Spectacular Spider-man; pretty much all of the female
characters including Scarlett and the Baroness in G.I. Joe Resolute; Black Canary and Fire in Batman: The Brave and the
Bold, and she's also the current voice of Scooby-Doo's Daphne
- John DiMaggio - credits include Aquaman and Grodd on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Hammerhead and Sandman
on The Spectacular Spider-man; Rico, Burt the Elephant, and Bada the Gorilla on The Penguins of Madagascar; the Joker
in Batman: Under the Red Hood, and he also does several voices on Futurama including Elzar, Ignor, and of course Bender
- Jennifer Hale - credits include Felicia Hardy/Black Cat on Spider-man: the Animated Series; Princess, Miss Keane, and
Sedusa on The Powerpuff Girls, Sam and Mandy on Totally Spies!; Zatanna, Ice and Killer Frost on Batman: The Brave
and the Bold; Jean Grey on Wolverine and the X-men, and Zatanna and Killer Frost on Justice League
- David Kaye - credits include Megatron (yes!) on Beast Wars, Beast Machines and Transformers Armada, Energon, and
Cybertron; Optimus Prime, Lugnut, Grimlock (among others) on Transformers Animated, Professor X on X-men
Evolution, and he's also the main title narrator on G.I. Joe: Renegades
- Tom Kenny - probably best known as the voice of SpongBob, Tom Kenny's other credits include Plastic Man and
Babyface on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Penguin on The Batman, Ratbert and Asok on Dilbert; Yancy Fry and
the owner of the Robot Wrestling League/New New York Mets on Futurama; Iron Man, Captain America and MODOK on
The Super Hero Squad Show, and Starscream, Prof. Sumdac, Scrapper, and (most of) the Starcream Clones on
Transformers Animated
- Maurice LaMarche - best known for his Orson Wells impression, which he's used as the voice of The Brain on both
Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, his other credits include Kif, Calculon, Morbo, Walt, and Lrrr of the Planet Omicron
Persei 8 (among others) on Futurama; Egon on The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters; Magneto on The Super
Hero Squad Show; Apache Chief and Azul Falcone on Harvey Bridman: Attorney at Law, and Alec Baldwin in Team
America: World Police
- Phil LaMarr - credits include the voice of Samurai Jack; the John Stewart Green Lantern on Justice League, Hermes,
Ethan "Bubblegum Tate" and Preacherbot on Futurama; JARVIS on Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes; Jazz, Alpha
Trion, and Jetstorm on Transformers Animated, and Robbie and Rand Robertson on The Spectacular Spider-man
- Tress MacNeille - credits include Babs Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures; Dot, Hello Nurse, Marita and Mindy's mom
(among others) on Animaniacs; Agnes Skinner, Lindsey Neagle, Cookie Kwan and the cat lady on The Simpsons; Mom,
Linda, and Ndnd of the Planet Omicron Persei 8 (among others) on Futurama, and she's also the current voice of Daisy
Duck
- Kevin Michael Richardson - credits include Black Manta and B'Wana Beast on Batman: The Brave and the Bold,
Roadblock on G.I. Joe: Renegades; Bulkhead on Transformers Prime; Captain Gantu in Lilo and Stitch; Maurice, Bing the
Gorilla, and Pinky the Flamingo on The Penguins of Madagascar, the Joker on The Batman, and as of June 9, 2011 he will
also be the voice of Panthro on the new Thundercats series
- Tara Strong - credits include Batgirl on The New Batman Adventures; Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls; Twilight Sparkle
on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; the Huntress and Billy Batson on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Timmy and
Poof on The Fairly Odd Parents; Sari and Slipstream (the female Starscream clone) on Transformers Animated; Ember
and Penelope Spectra on Danny Phantom; Princess Clara and Toot on Drawn Together; Scarlet Witch, Sue Storm and
HERBIE on The Super Hero Squad Show; and Ben on the original Ben 10 series
- Cree Summer - credits include Elmyra on Tiny Toon Adventures; Blackarachnia on Transformers Animated; Glory Grant
on The Spectacular Spider-man; Foxxy Love on Drawn Together; Susie Carmichael on both Rugrats and All Grown Up;
Valerie on Danny Phantom; the first voice of Penny on Inspector Gadget, and she's also the voice of the Green M&M in
numerous commericals
- James Arnold Taylor - credits include Green Arrow and Guy Gardner on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Obi-Wan
Kenobi on both Clone Wars series; Wooldoor and the Producer on Drawn Together; Harry Osborn on The Spectacular
Spider-man; and Leonardo in TMNT
- Lauren Tom - credits include Connie and Minh Souphanousinphone on King of the Hill; Amy and Inez Wong on
Futurama; Dana on Batman Beyond; Angela Chen on Superman: the Animated Series; and Numbah 3 on Codename: Kids
Next Door
- Frank Welker - where do I even begin with this one? Welker's credits include Megatron, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak,
and Rumble (among many others) in the original Transformers series; he has reprised his role as Megatron in Transformers
Prime; Dr. Claw and Brain on Inspector Gadget; Ray and Slimer on The Real Ghostbusters; Mr. Plotz, Ralph, Flavio,
Chicken Boo, and Buttons (again among many others) on Animaniacs; Fred (a long-time role for him) on Scooby-Doo
(he's also the current voice of Scooby too), Nibbler on Futurama, and if you've ever heard an animal sound in pretty much
any movie ever made, it was likely Welker making the sound
- Billy West - credits include Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Zoidberg (and many others) on Futurama; Stimpy (and eventually
Ren) on The Ren and Stimpy Show; Slimer on Extreme Ghostbusters; the original voice of Doug Funnie (from the
Nickelodeon version of the show); the Red M&M in numerous commercials, and he's also the current voice of Elmer
Fudd (he's also voiced a certain wabbit as well)
- Pokemon - Don and Ken mentioning Pokemon is a reference to the anime
- Yu-Gi-Oh - Don and Ken mentioning Yu-Gi-Oh is a reference to the anime
- InuYasha - Don and Ken mentioning InuYasha is a reference to the anime
- Bleach - Don and Ken mentioning Bleach is a reference to the anime
- Dragon Ball Z - Don and Ken mentioning DBZ is a reference to the anime
- Batman - the geeky student mentioning every Batman show is a reference to the hero's animated exploits, likewise Evan
mentioning The Brave and the Bold is a reference to the current animated Bat-show
- Superman - the geeky student mentioning how Superman never changes is a reference to the hero (as is Ken's moral
compass retort)
- 4chan - Ken telling the geeky student to go back to 4chan is a reference to the anime and manga-centric message board
- That 70s Show - Ken saying good day to the geeky student is a reference to the way that Fez always tried to shrug people
off
Episode 20: Don't Ask, Don't Tell
- Futurama - Electrex's blackmail line, is a direct quote from Bender in the episode "Anthology of Interest" during Leela's
"what if" segment
- the 2008 presidental election - the utterance of the term "Joe the Plumber" is a reference to a term John McCain used in
the third presidential debate to reference a man who was supposedly going to be affected by one of Barack Obama's tax
policies, which naturally was blown out of proportion. The term itself has since gone on to become something of a new
version of the old "Joe Sixpack" cliche for the lower to middle class
- Akira Kurosawa - Akira's name is an homage to the Japanese director
- MIT and Oxford - the utterances of MIT and Oxford when Hathaway and Akira were talking about the Ranger project
are in reference to the schools
- Iron Man - the scenes with Akira and Don designing the Rangers' gear through holographic imaging was inspired by the
scenes in Iron Man where Tony was designing the Mark II armor through the holographic imaging in his garage
- bushido - this is more of a note than anything else, but the paintings that Eric was hanging in Hathaway's office are the
kanji for the seven virtures of bushido (in order mentioned); gi-rectitude, yuu-courage, jin-benevolence, rei-respect,
makoto-honesty, yo-honor, chuu-loyalty
- The Venture Bros - Squidenger's name as well as his "Magic Mayhem Staff" are in reference to the Venture Bros
characer Dr. Henry Killenger (and his Magic Murder Bag), who's basically Henry Kissenger as a supervillain. And like
Killenger, Squidenger's voice would also be a Henry Kissenger impression
- Beast Wars - like the entry on bushido this is more of a note, namely about Electrex's personality, which was inspired in
part by the Beast Wars version of Megatron. Some of these aspects will come into play in future episodes, yesssss...
- Shrek - like the previous entry this is a note about Electrex's personality, namely the big hair, the platform shoes, and big
throne, which is inspired by Lord Farquaad's Napoleon complex
- The Joker - like the previous entries this is a note about Electrex's personality, namely his "cheerfully deranged jester"
side, which was inspired by Mark Hamill's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman: the Animated Series, also in
the future Electrex will take on a much more grim side, not unlike Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance as the Joker
in The Dark Knight
Episode 2: Corporate Shills part 2
- seppuku - the journalist's joke about having the Rangers commit seppuku should they dishonor Hathaway, is in reference
to the ritualistic suicide that samurai committed if they had dishonored their master
- Yale - the mention of New Haven and Connecticut is in reference to Yale University, which is based in New Haven, CT
- Gosei Sentai Dairanger - like Insidia in D.A.T.A. Trek, Damash's design is an alteration of a Dairanger villain's, this time
Shadam. And just like how Insidia's battle gear was Gara's Wraith Form, Damash's battle gear is Shadam's fighting form.
See Super Sentai Time Capsule's (see links page) Dairanger section for pics.
- G.I. Joe Sigma Six - Seductra's ability to create copies of herself was inspired by a similar ability that the Baroness had in
Sigma Six
- Spider-man - Don calling Electrex "Electro" is in reference to the Spider-man villain. Also Electrex mentioning wanting to
see a rainbow-colored stain on the pavement, was inspired by a line in an episode (yet to air in the US as of 05/07/09) of
the Spectacular Spider-man animated series where the Green Goblin said that he would like to see a red and blue colored
stain on the pavement while fighting Spidey in the air
Episode 3: Salting the Wound
- The Devil Wears Prada - Hathaway's fairly cold demeanor and utterance of "that is all" are in reference to Meryl Streep's
character from the movie version of The Devil Wears Prada, likewise he was also named after one of the stars of the
movie (bet you can't guess which one)
- Al Gore - Lisa referring to Ken as Al Gore is in reference to the former American Vice President who was an
evironmentalist
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex referring to the replacement Rangers as "Power fakes" is in reference to
the Joker's utterances of "bat fake" when speaking of Terry
- Akira Kurosawa - Daisuke's last name is in reference to the director
- kendo - this is more of a note about the gear Daisuke, Don, Ken, Evan, Mel, and Lisa were wearing in the dojo. A
"keikogi" is the traditional kendo practice top, "hakama" are the pants, "zori" are the sandals, and a shinai is of course the
practice sword
- The Dark Knight - Electrex's monologue about looking like a guy with a plan, and being an agent of chaos was taken
practically word for word from the same monologue that the Joker told Harvey Dent in the hospital in The Dark Knight
Episode 4: The Cutting Edge
- The Simpsons - Ken's line about scientists inventing magic is a variation on a joke said by Marge in the Simpsons episode
"Future Drama", also Lisa's rant about Mel in the coffee shop was taken almost word for word from a rant that Lisa
Simpson (appropriately enough) said in the episode "Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy" about the overly sexist drivel that her talking
Malibu Stacy was saying, also Ken mentioning that Lisa looked like she was about to throw a Barbie out of the window is
a reference to what Lisa Simpson did to her Malibu Stacy after her rant
- Facebook - Lisa asking if Don and Ken Facebook pages is a reference to the social networking site
- Twitter - Lisa asking if Don and Ken Twitter accounts is a reference to the social networking site
- The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien - Ken mentioning Ashton Kutcher telling people about getting salad fixings is a
joke "borrowed" from the second episode of the new Tonight Show during the Twitter Tracker segment
- kanji - this is more of a note than an allusion, but the kanji that Evan tried to draw in the parking lot is "kuruma" or car,
the kanji that Mel tried to draw is "gyoku" or gem
- Barbie - Ken mentioning Lisa throwing a Barbie out of the window is a reference to the doll
- Paris Hilton - Mel mentioning that she is what Paris Hilton would be like if she were a Ranger is a slam against the
professional celebrity. I promise that this'll be the last time I make fun of Paris, because let's face it making fun of her is
basically old hat by now (now being June 23, 2009)
- Jenga - Zephyrazor mentioning that it is time for him to take a block from the middle and put it on top is a reference to a
Jenga commercial from the 90s
- Disney - Eric saying that he could be working for a rat, is a slam against the company. So hopefully this'll teach Disney
for cancelling a show that they weren't making much money off of
Episode 5: Twofaced
- Batman - the name "Doubleside" is a play on the Batman villain Twoface, also Doubleside throwing his staff in the air to
leave a decision up to chance is similar to Twoface's coin flipping
- Skeptic - the title of the magazine that Don was reading "Questioner" is a play on Skeptic
- Garfield - Ken mentioning that Evan is probably trying to see if "Garfield is going to score some lasagna" is a reference
to the flabby tabby
- Peanuts - continuing on from the Garfield allusion, Ken mentioning "if Lucy is finally going to let Charlie Brown kick that
football" is in reference to the Charles Schultz comic strip
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - the movie Evan mentioned seeing "The Decayed's Vendetta" is a play on "Revenge
of the Fallen", likewise Don and Ken going off on a rant about "Bernard May" is a thinly veiled attack on my part on
Michael Bay, and his movies. Also (as of July 16, 2009) this will be the last Bay joke I make, I promise.
- Toyota - Evan mentioning the type of team vehicle he wouldn't want to drive around in is in reference to Toyota's line of
Hybrids
- Cosmopolitan - Ken saying "please tell me you didn't read that in Cosmo" is in reference to the women's magazine
- Oprah - Mel mentioning that she got the information she did on Oprah is in reference to both the show and its host
Oprah Winfrey. Likewise Don and Ken mentioning what they did about Oprah is in reference to some of the scrutiny that
Oprah has been coming under as of late
- Dairy Queen - Evan mentioning "going to DQ for a Blizzard" is in reference to the ice cream chain and one of their frozen
treats
Episode 6: The Break Out part 1
- Batman - Electrex showing up at the Hathaway mansion's front door, was loosely inspired by a scene in the Batman
graphic novel The Killing Joke where the Joker showed up at the Gordon family apartment and viciously shot Barbara
Gordon, Electrex referring to himself as "your old uncle Electrex" was inspired by the Joker's utterances of "your old uncle
Joker" from Batman: the Animated Series, finally Ken mentioning that the Rangers should "pull a Batman" to figure out
where Evan is being kept, is a just a general reference to the Dark Knight's detective skills
- Hair - Electrex's line "Good morning star shine. Electrex says 'hello'" is a play on a line from the song "Good Morning
Star Shine" from the musical Hair
- A Clockwork Orange - Electrex mentioning that Evan could potentially be tied down with his eyelids tied back is a
reference to a scene in the book/movie A Clockwork Orange where a character actually got that treatment
- Fantasia - Lisa comparing the horde of Blazikks to the broomsticks in Fantasia, is a reference to The Sorcerer's
Apprentice segment
- Star Wars - Electrex initially starting his story with "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is a reference to the text
that starts off every Star Wars movie
Episode 7: The Break Out part 2
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex saying "papa spank" when Evan tried to grab his Morpher is a reference
to a scene in Return of the Joker when Terry went after the Clown Prince, only to get shot at by the satellite that the Joker
had hijacked
- The Simpsons - Hathaway's line about how no one steals from him is a variation on a line Mr. Burns said in the episode
"Burns Baby Burns" after Larry Burns was "kidnapped"
- Spider-man - Electrex's speech about how the public will eventually turn on the Rangers is a variation on a similar speech
the Green Goblin said to the web slinger in the 2002 movie
Episode 8: Celebrity Status
- The Dark Knight - Electrex's lines "why so serious" and "let's put a smile on that face" are of course quotes from the
2008 movie
- Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker - Electrex saying that Bruudas' current look and him laughing anyway is a reference
to the flashback scene on RotJ where the Joker reveals to Batman that he knows everything, and his opinion of it
- Giorgio Armani - Ken calling Hathaway the "Armani-clad devil" is a reference to the fashion designer and his suits
- Stretch Armstrong - the Armstrong monster, and Ken's line about corn syrup in his arms are a reference to the toy
- The Simpsons - Ken saying that "one day you're the most important guy who ever lived. The next you're some schmo
working in a box factory" is a quote from Krusty in the episode "Bart Gets Famous"
Episode 9: Sticks and Stones
- The View - the fictional talk show featured in this episode is a very thin spoof of The View and its hostesses; Lizzie is
supposed to be Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Daisy is supposed to be Rosie O'Donnell, Cherry is supposed to be Sherri Shepherd,
and Babs is of course Barbara Walters, hence the Elmer Fudd-like dialog. Also the things that Don and Ken mentioned
about what the hostesses of The Sight have said are actual things that have been brought up on The View. The moon
landing hoax was brought up by current hostess Whoopi Goldberg during the summer of 2009, and the whole thing about
the Earth being round was brought up when Sherri Shepherd got in an argument with Bill Maher.
- Heidi Montag - the mentioning of Heidi Montag is a reference to the star of the MTV "reality" show The Hills, who
appears as if she is addicted to plastic surgery
- Jersey Shore - the mentioning of Snooki is a reference to the MTV reality show Jersey Shore, and one of its stars who
doesn't appear to be too bright, from what I've read about her
- Don Rickles - the Heckler's utterances of "ya hockey puck" is a reference to the legendary insult comic
- The Simpsons - Electrex saying that his father was "dumb as a chimp" and that he is "smart as a monkey" is a reference
to the episode "Lisa the Simpson", where Grampa described Homer as once being "smart like a monkey, but now he's
dumb as a chimp". Also the concept of unsults originated in the season 20 episode "Father Knows Worst"
- Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - the Heckler using the line "...for me to poop on" is a reference to the cigar chomping
dog puppet that originated on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Bozo the Clown - the Heckler calling the woman with too much make up "Bozo" is a reference to the famous clown
- The Gong Show - Ken saying that there's never a gong around when you need to get rid of a bad comedian is a reference
to the talent show
- 30 Rock - Lisa's line about aging is a variation on a line that Liz told Jenna in the 30 Rock episode "Black Light Attack!"
note: I did drop Paris Hilton's name in this episode, but by now everyone should now who I'm talking about when I drop
that name
Episode 10: Offending the Olfactory Sense
- Arrested Development - Hathaway not taking Evan to the family cabin, and instead "helping" random other women was
inspired the Arrested Development episode "The Cabin Show", where we saw George Bluth, Sr. doing the same to his son
Michael
- The Critic - Ken and Olfacto's exchange about "noxious amnesia gas" is a variation on a similar exchange that Jay and his
stomach had in the episode "Frankie and Ellie Get Lost"
- Paris Hilton - I know I said I was going to lay off on the Paris jokes in the episode 4 entry, but parts of Roma's back
story are based on Ms. Hilton's life, e.g. Roma's "reckless driving" charge being a euphemism for Hilton's drunk driving
charge, the name Roma, like Paris, is also the name of a European capital, and Roma's persona also happens to be what
Hilton would probably be like if she were to stop acting like the village bicycle
- Blazing Saddles - Electrex's "where's my ducky" bit is a variation of the "where's froggy" bit from the Mel Brooks movie
- Sesame Street - Electrex saying that his ducky makes relaxation time lots of fun is a reference to Ernie's song about his
rubber ducky
Episode 11: Oh Here She Comes
- Hall and Oates - the title of this episode is a line from Hall and Oates' hit 1982 song "Maneater", also Malicia's description
of Seductra to Mel and Lisa in the club is another line from the song, and Akira even mentions the band in one scene
- Just Shoot Me - the opening scene with the fashion show was inspired by the "The Emperor" episode of the sitcom
- Batman & Robin - the pink powder that Seductra blows at the male Rangers was inspired by the pheromone dust that
Poison Ivy blew at Batman and Robin (among others) in the movie, also the slow R&B song that played in the club when
the male Rangers first saw Seductra there, was also inspired by the song "Poison Ivy" by Meshell Ndegeocello which was
featured on the Batman & Robin soundtrack
- Futurama - Akira's line "Maybe if you showed a little interest..." was "borrowed" from the episode "Where No Fan has
Gone Before", which was originally said by George Takei after finding Shatner's suggestion of Takei giving the Planet
Express crew a karate chop
- Green Lantern - the last four digits of Ken's cell phone number, 2814, is the same number of the sector of space that Hal
Jordan calls home
- Seinfeld - while it wasn't actually said, the reason that don gave to Mel and Lisa as to why men dig catfights would be
the same reason that Jerry gave Elaine in the episode "The Summer of George"
- Ben & Jerry's - Lisa mentioning wanting to dig into the Ben and Jerry's is a reference to the ice cream company
- ER - Mel mentioning that she and Lisa will watch an episode of ER is a reference to the medical drama
- Scrubs - like the ER reference, Mel mentioning watching an episode of Scrubs is a reference to the medical comedy
Episode 12: A New Leaf?
- Power Rangers in Space - the news anchor mentioning that the shuttle launch was NASADA's first major breakthrough
in inter-space travel since 1998 was a reference to the fifth season of the show, which debuted in 1998
- Albert Einstein - the physicist who was aboard the shuttle was named after famed physicist Albert Einstein
- Julius Caesar - Electrex saying "Et tu, Damash" is a variation on the line "Et tu, Brute?" from the Shakespearean play
Julius Caesar, which is often poetically used to represent the real Julius Caesar's final words
- Batman - Evan comparing Ralaez to the Riddler is a reference to the Batman villain, also the concept of "crazy intent" or
"loco motive" was taken from an episode of Batman: the Animated Series entitled "What is Reality?" in which Batman has
to save Commissioner Gordon from a virtual reality world of the Riddler's design
Episode 13: Three Elements Take Flight
-Coke Zero - Ken mentioning that he wants to go to the vending machine for a Coke Zero is a reference to the beverage
- Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger - the monster in this episode is named after the primary antagonist in the 2004 Sentai series
- The Simpsons - Phil mentioning Seth's "characters", "Rickey Rouse" and "Monald Muck" is a reference to the episode
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala-d'oh-cious, which featured the "original" character Sherrie Bobbins, also Seth's rant about
plagiarism in the final scene was pretty much the same rant that Roger Myers Jr. said in court in the episode The Day the
Violence Died
- How I Met Your Mother - Phil suggesting that Ken should "lawyer" Seth is a reference to the sitcom (see top definition in
the link for an example from HIMYM)
- Van Wilder - this is more of a note than an actual allusion, but the final scene with Seth's disciplinary hearing would be
set in a similar room where Van Wilder had his disciplinary hearing, I only mention, because I wasn't too sure what to call
it in the script
- William Shakespeare - the first line in Seth's rant at the end of the episode mentions the playwright, who has been
accused of not writing all of his plays
- Family Guy - the last line in Seth's rant at the end is a reference to the TV show, which has often been accused (at least
when it first premiered) of being little more than a Simpsons rip-off
Episode 14: The Milwaukee Seven
- George Carlin - George Carlton was named after the legendary comic, likewise the title and Evan and Ken's dialogue at
the end of the episode are references to Carlin's famous bit "Seven Words That You Can Never Say on Television" (Carlin
was arrested for disturbing the peace in Milwaukee when he performed the routine at a music festival)
- Spongebob Squarepants - the inspiration for this episode came from me seeing a clip of the Spongebob episode "Sailor
Talk" in the documentary F--k (I think we all know what the actual title of the documentary is)
- Glen Beck - anchor Ben Geck is a spoof of the Fox News mouthpiece
- Ann Coulter - Fran Doulter is a spoof of the author and (I think) Fox News pundit
- The Simpsons - the distressed woman's plea "won't someone please think of the other children" is a variation on Helen
Lovejoy's cry whenever there's a moral panic in Springfield
- Power Rangers D.A.T.A. Trek - this is more of a note, but the archaeologist who was heading up the dig is the same
character from D.A.T.A. Trek ep 26 "Combination Crush"
- Larry King Live - Akira mentioning a debate he saw on Larry King is a reference to the CNN show
- Ron Paul - Akira and Lisa talking about Ron Paul is a reference to the Texas senator, and former presidential candidate
- The Baldwins - Akira mentioning Stephen Baldwin is a reference to the actor, and Don hinting at who got most of the
talent in the family is a reference to Stephen's older brother Alec
- Jon Stewart - Ken mentioning Jon Stewart is a reference to the host of The Daily Show
- Bill Maher - Ken mentioning Bill Maher is a reference to the host of Real Time
- Stephen Colbert - Ken mentioning Colbert is a reference to the host of The Colbert Report
- Transformers - Sonic Dooms speech patterns are modeled after Decepticon communications officer Soundwave
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail - the word that George said as well as the alternative that the behaviorist suggested
were taken from the Knights who Say "Ni"
- Recess - the concept of the academic disciplinary hearing, as well as most of the final scene were loosely baed on the
Recess episode "The Story of Whomps"
Episode 15: The Other Side
- New York Fire Department - the initials of the San Fortuna fire department are set up in the exact same way as the New
York fire department's
- Rescue Heroes - the two additional firefighters were named after two firefighter characters from the toy line/cartoon
series
- South Park - the disgruntled ex-Hathaway employee in the diner was named after the drunken redneck who didn't take
too kindly to panda bears in the episode "Sexual Harassment Panda"
- The Simpsons - Don and Ken's line at the end of the episode is similar to similar lines that Bart and Milhouse spoke at the
end of the episode "22 Short Films about Springfield"
Episode 16: Don't Touch That Dial
- Engine Sentai Go-onger - the concept for this episode actually stemmed from an idea I had for my original plans for an
adaptation of Go-onger. Specifically this episode would have been based on Go-on GP-11 featuring Antenna Banki
- Oprah - Evan mentioning one of Mel's potential viewing choices is a reference to the talk show host
- Rachael Ray - Mel mentioning that she actually wanted to watch Rachael Ray is a reference to the celebrity chef and her
self-titled daytime TV show
- Nickelodeon - Mel mentioning that she's not going to watch anything on Nickelodeon is a reference to the channel (and
future home of Power Rangers), as well as the channel's most popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants
- House - Mel mentioning that Lisa watched five episodes of House is a reference to the TV show starring Hugh Laurie
- Ron Popeil - some of Die-al's dialogue including "it slices, it dices" and "but wait there's more" is a reference to the
inventor and infomercial pitchman
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Die-al introducing the Rangers by saying "heeeeeeeeeeeere's the Rangers" is
a reference to the way Ed McMahon used to introduce Johnny
- The Simpsons - the first of the TV shows Die-al created was a take on The Simpsons, with Ken as Bart, Don as Homer,
Mel as Marge, a baby version of Evan as Maggie, and Lisa as Lisa. Specifically the segment is based on the opening credits
of The Simpsons, including such staples as the chalkboard saying, and couch gag. Also references to various episodes of
the Simpsons are included in the segment; the can that reads "TOMACC" is a reference to the crossbread of tomato and
tobacco (tomacco) Homer created in the episode "E-I-E-I-D'oh!", and the saying on the register (NRA4EVER) is a
reference to the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacualr", which was revealed as one of the radical right wing
messages that series creator Matt Groening puts into every episode
- The Fairly OddParents - the chalkboard saying during The Simpsons segment is a take on a chalkboard segment from
the Fairly OddParents TV movie Channel Chases (which also did a Simpsons spoof). The only difference is that the
chalkboard saying in Fairly OddParents read "this is the sincerest form of flattery"
- Jeopardy! - the game show segment is a spoof of the Alex Trebek-hosted show, and includes one of the shows standard
categories "Potent Potables", as well as a category that was apart of an episode that aired on September 13, 2010 in the US
(Elemental Clues)
- Saturday Night Live - Evan speaking in a Scottish accent, and him screwing up the pronunciation of a category is a
reference to the Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches that used to come up every now and again on SNL in the late 90s. The
sketches more often than not featured cast member Darrell Hammond doing a Sean Connery impression (hence the
Scottish accent on Evan), which also featured Connery screwing the pronunciation of a category (e.g. "An Album Cover"
became "Anal Bum Cover")
- American Idol - the singing competition Die-al put the Rangers through is a spoof of American Idol, with Ken and Lisa
acting as former judges Simon Cowell (hence the British accent) and Paul Abdul, respectively with Don as judge Randy
Jackson. Also the words that Mel "sang" are from the song "A Moment Like This", which was sung by Kelly Clarkson, the
first winner of American Idol
- Scooby-Doo - the fourth TV show Die-al put the Rangers through was a take on Scooby-Doo with Don acting as Fred,
Mel as Daphne, Lisa as Velma, Ken as Shaggy, and a dog suit-clad Evan as the Great Dane. The segment also features
some of the Scooby franchise's staples such as the hallway gag, the protagonists blending in with their surroundings,
Fred's traps (to an extent), and Die-al paraphrasing the "meddling kids" speech that every Scooby-Doo villain utters in any
given episode. Also the song during this segment is a spoof of the theme from the original series Scooby-Doo, Where are
You?
- Batman (1966) - the final TV show that Die-al put the Rangers through was a take on the classic Adam West Batman
series, complete with the usual comic book style onomatopoeic word title cards Evan doing Robin's "Holy (insert item
here)" bit, as well as Don referring to Ken as "old chum", in the same way that Batman always referred to Robin. Also the
Hathaway Enterprises logo zooming in and out over the spinning background before the segment is a nod to the scene
transitions as seen at the end of this video
Episode 17: Report to the Shogun part 1
- Billy Joel - David's last name, Williams, is a reference to the musician. I used the name after realizing a had a guy named
"Davy" who was apart of the Navy, just like a person mentioned in Joel's song "The Piano Man"
- David Bowie - much of the dialogue in the shuttle cockpit was taken from Bowie's songs "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to
Ashes", also Major Thom's last name (Jones), as revealed in "A New Leaf?" is Bowie's actual last name (Bowie is a stage
name)
- Peter Schilling - while most of the song references in the shuttle cockpit scene are in fact from two of Bowie's songs
dealing with the character of Major Tom, there are a couple of lines that are actually taken from Peter Schilling's song
"Major Tom", which also featured the character (I'll let you the reader figure out which lines are from which songs)
- The Venture Bros - on top of the song references the entire cockpit scene is a bit of a borrowed joke from the Venture
Bros episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso", but that episode only used lines from Bowie
- Stars and Stripes Forever - the marching band playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" is a reference to the John Philip Sousa
composed song
Episode 18: Report to the Shogun part 2
- Avenue Q - the example of schadenfruede that Evan gave in the command center is a line from the song "Schadenfruede"
from the musical Avenue Q
- Wikipedia - Evan telling Mel to look up schadenfreude on Wikipedia is a reference to the online encyclopedia, which is
completely accurate*
- Brangelina & Bennifer - Mel telling David that they could be the next Brangelina or Bennifer is a reference to the tabloid
nicknames that were given to the pairings of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (later
Affleck and Jennifer Garner)
*citation needed
Episode 19: A Slippery Slope
Unlike other episodes, I'm going to handle the allusions for this one a little differently. The voice actors mentioned in the
episode will be listed alphabetically, and instead of what I'd normally do "(character) mentioning (voice actor) is a
reference to the voice actor" I'm going to list a few credits that each actor has. This will in no way be a comprehensive
list, which is why each actor's name will also be a link to his or her IMDb page
- Jeff Bennett - some of Jeff Bennett's roles include Kowalski on The Penguins of Madagascar; Prowl, Ultra Magnus, and
Captain Fanzone (among others) on Transformers Animated; The Joker, and Captain Marvel (among others) on Batman:
The Brave and the Bold; Red Tornado on Young Justice; Montana/Shocker and St. John Devereaux on The Spectacular
Spider-man, Lord Bravery on Freakazoid, and Ace and Big Billy on The Powerpuff Girls
- Steve Blum - credits include Spike Spielgel in the English dub of Cowboy Bebop; Black WarGreymon, JP, Flamedramon,
Raidramon (among others) in the English dub of Digimon; Starscream on Transformers Prime; The Chameleon on The
Spectacular Spider-man, and he's also the voice of Wolverine in pretty much anything Marvel needs him for including
things like Wolverine and the X-men and The Super Hero Squad Show
- Grey DeLisle - credits include Vicky, Tootie, the Tooth Fairy (among others) on The Fairly Odd Parents; Sam on Danny
Phantom; Kitty on TUFF Puppy; Betty Brant and Sally Avril on The Spectacular Spider-man; pretty much all of the female
characters including Scarlett and the Baroness in G.I. Joe Resolute; Black Canary and Fire in Batman: The Brave and the
Bold, and she's also the current voice of Scooby-Doo's Daphne
- John DiMaggio - credits include Aquaman and Grodd on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Hammerhead and Sandman
on The Spectacular Spider-man; Rico, Burt the Elephant, and Bada the Gorilla on The Penguins of Madagascar; the Joker
in Batman: Under the Red Hood, and he also does several voices on Futurama including Elzar, Ignor, and of course Bender
- Jennifer Hale - credits include Felicia Hardy/Black Cat on Spider-man: the Animated Series; Princess, Miss Keane, and
Sedusa on The Powerpuff Girls, Sam and Mandy on Totally Spies!; Zatanna, Ice and Killer Frost on Batman: The Brave
and the Bold; Jean Grey on Wolverine and the X-men, and Zatanna and Killer Frost on Justice League
- David Kaye - credits include Megatron (yes!) on Beast Wars, Beast Machines and Transformers Armada, Energon, and
Cybertron; Optimus Prime, Lugnut, Grimlock (among others) on Transformers Animated, Professor X on X-men
Evolution, and he's also the main title narrator on G.I. Joe: Renegades
- Tom Kenny - probably best known as the voice of SpongBob, Tom Kenny's other credits include Plastic Man and
Babyface on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Penguin on The Batman, Ratbert and Asok on Dilbert; Yancy Fry and
the owner of the Robot Wrestling League/New New York Mets on Futurama; Iron Man, Captain America and MODOK on
The Super Hero Squad Show, and Starscream, Prof. Sumdac, Scrapper, and (most of) the Starcream Clones on
Transformers Animated
- Maurice LaMarche - best known for his Orson Wells impression, which he's used as the voice of The Brain on both
Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, his other credits include Kif, Calculon, Morbo, Walt, and Lrrr of the Planet Omicron
Persei 8 (among others) on Futurama; Egon on The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters; Magneto on The Super
Hero Squad Show; Apache Chief and Azul Falcone on Harvey Bridman: Attorney at Law, and Alec Baldwin in Team
America: World Police
- Phil LaMarr - credits include the voice of Samurai Jack; the John Stewart Green Lantern on Justice League, Hermes,
Ethan "Bubblegum Tate" and Preacherbot on Futurama; JARVIS on Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes; Jazz, Alpha
Trion, and Jetstorm on Transformers Animated, and Robbie and Rand Robertson on The Spectacular Spider-man
- Tress MacNeille - credits include Babs Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures; Dot, Hello Nurse, Marita and Mindy's mom
(among others) on Animaniacs; Agnes Skinner, Lindsey Neagle, Cookie Kwan and the cat lady on The Simpsons; Mom,
Linda, and Ndnd of the Planet Omicron Persei 8 (among others) on Futurama, and she's also the current voice of Daisy
Duck
- Kevin Michael Richardson - credits include Black Manta and B'Wana Beast on Batman: The Brave and the Bold,
Roadblock on G.I. Joe: Renegades; Bulkhead on Transformers Prime; Captain Gantu in Lilo and Stitch; Maurice, Bing the
Gorilla, and Pinky the Flamingo on The Penguins of Madagascar, the Joker on The Batman, and as of June 9, 2011 he will
also be the voice of Panthro on the new Thundercats series
- Tara Strong - credits include Batgirl on The New Batman Adventures; Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls; Twilight Sparkle
on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; the Huntress and Billy Batson on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Timmy and
Poof on The Fairly Odd Parents; Sari and Slipstream (the female Starscream clone) on Transformers Animated; Ember
and Penelope Spectra on Danny Phantom; Princess Clara and Toot on Drawn Together; Scarlet Witch, Sue Storm and
HERBIE on The Super Hero Squad Show; and Ben on the original Ben 10 series
- Cree Summer - credits include Elmyra on Tiny Toon Adventures; Blackarachnia on Transformers Animated; Glory Grant
on The Spectacular Spider-man; Foxxy Love on Drawn Together; Susie Carmichael on both Rugrats and All Grown Up;
Valerie on Danny Phantom; the first voice of Penny on Inspector Gadget, and she's also the voice of the Green M&M in
numerous commericals
- James Arnold Taylor - credits include Green Arrow and Guy Gardner on Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Obi-Wan
Kenobi on both Clone Wars series; Wooldoor and the Producer on Drawn Together; Harry Osborn on The Spectacular
Spider-man; and Leonardo in TMNT
- Lauren Tom - credits include Connie and Minh Souphanousinphone on King of the Hill; Amy and Inez Wong on
Futurama; Dana on Batman Beyond; Angela Chen on Superman: the Animated Series; and Numbah 3 on Codename: Kids
Next Door
- Frank Welker - where do I even begin with this one? Welker's credits include Megatron, Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak,
and Rumble (among many others) in the original Transformers series; he has reprised his role as Megatron in Transformers
Prime; Dr. Claw and Brain on Inspector Gadget; Ray and Slimer on The Real Ghostbusters; Mr. Plotz, Ralph, Flavio,
Chicken Boo, and Buttons (again among many others) on Animaniacs; Fred (a long-time role for him) on Scooby-Doo
(he's also the current voice of Scooby too), Nibbler on Futurama, and if you've ever heard an animal sound in pretty much
any movie ever made, it was likely Welker making the sound
- Billy West - credits include Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Zoidberg (and many others) on Futurama; Stimpy (and eventually
Ren) on The Ren and Stimpy Show; Slimer on Extreme Ghostbusters; the original voice of Doug Funnie (from the
Nickelodeon version of the show); the Red M&M in numerous commercials, and he's also the current voice of Elmer
Fudd (he's also voiced a certain wabbit as well)
- Pokemon - Don and Ken mentioning Pokemon is a reference to the anime
- Yu-Gi-Oh - Don and Ken mentioning Yu-Gi-Oh is a reference to the anime
- InuYasha - Don and Ken mentioning InuYasha is a reference to the anime
- Bleach - Don and Ken mentioning Bleach is a reference to the anime
- Dragon Ball Z - Don and Ken mentioning DBZ is a reference to the anime
- Batman - the geeky student mentioning every Batman show is a reference to the hero's animated exploits, likewise Evan
mentioning The Brave and the Bold is a reference to the current animated Bat-show
- Superman - the geeky student mentioning how Superman never changes is a reference to the hero (as is Ken's moral
compass retort)
- 4chan - Ken telling the geeky student to go back to 4chan is a reference to the anime and manga-centric message board
- That 70s Show - Ken saying good day to the geeky student is a reference to the way that Fez always tried to shrug people
off
Episode 20: Don't Ask, Don't Tell
- Futurama - Electrex's blackmail line, is a direct quote from Bender in the episode "Anthology of Interest" during Leela's
"what if" segment
