Episode 44: Employee of the Month
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"Hiya, Tommy, Say, be a sport and hand over our supreme creator, would ya? "
- Bob
Originally aired: February 19, 2005
Written by Rob Hoegee
Directed by Alex Soto


Beast Boy has only one real dream in life -- to someday, somehow own a Moped. And when Robin won't buy him one and Cyborg won't build him one, Beast Boy has only one way to make his dream come true he has to get a job.


Tom Kane as Bob
Rob Paulsen as Source


Beast Boy's love of mopeds is first seen in WINNER TAKE ALL and later in EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.
The goth kid from SISTERS who also appeared in CAN I KEEP HIM? is seen in the Meaty Meat.
Character designer Derrick Wyatt also appears in the Meaty Meat.
The Tidwell 3000 Moped is a reference to series storyboard artist Scooter Tidwell.
Beast Boy uses Van Wyk BBQ Sauce - a reference to series storyboard artist Adam Van Wyk.
Rob Paulsen - the voice of the Source - has done a tremendous amount of voice-over work in animation. He is perhaps best known for his work on "Animaniacs" as the voices of Yakko, Pinky, and others. He also played Arthur on "The Tick" animated series.
Robin's new gear - the bird helmet and scallop cape - is a direct reference to the uniforms worn on "Battle of the Planets." Series Producer David Slack is a big fan of the show - which was also heavily referenced in EPISODE 257-494.
When Beast Boy sells vacuum cleaners, the house he approaches looks just like the house from "The Brady Bunch". That house was also seen as Killer Moth's home in DATE WITH DESTINY.
Beast Boy bears a striking similarity to the character of Haruko from the anime series "FLCL" when he rides his moped; Haruko rode a moped and wore a helmet and scarf similar to Beast Boy's.
This episode is partially inspired by the movie, "Soylent Green" where the secret ingredient of food source in the future... is people! The Source's line, "The secret is .... water!" is similar to Charlton Heston's revelation in "Soylent Green."
Beast Boy facing down the multiple Bobs is reminiscent of the "Matrix" movies - where Neo faced off against multiple Agent Smiths.


This episode has the spirit of the Silver Age era of DC Comics. During the 1960's, many DC Comics contained stories with strange alien encounters and unbelievable events. In the 60's, The Teen Titans had their share of alien encounters and adventures.

For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.


This is the sort of episode that could perhaps only be done of TEEN TITANS.

It's a somewhat straightforward alien invasion story - except the alien is space tofu that is ultimately defeated by ingestion by one of the Titans.   Rob Hoegee excels at this type of storytelling, and Beast Boy is the perfect vehicle for such a tale. Speaking of vehicles, it was nice to see Beast Boy actually get his moped at last - however short lived a tenure. The episode is bolstered by imaginative story boards and sharp direction.

A weirdly wild outing. Grade: B+

 

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