| Men at Work | |
 | |
| Episode | 17 |
| Season | 2 |
| Airdate (US) | May 26, 2004 |
| Previous | The Science Fair Affair |
| Next | The Mighty Wheezers |
Men at Work is the seventeenth episode of season two.
Plot
To raise money for his inventions, Jimmy decides that he, Sheen, and Carl should get jobs. Skeet, employee of the month at McSpanky's, hires Sheen and Carl, but doesn't think Jimmy's the McSpanky type, though he agrees to try Jimmy out. Jimmy, however, is not pleased with the humiliating work he has to do, so he takes it upon himself to show everyone what he's capable of - by making McSpanky's fully automated and hygienic. Everything is smooth sailing until Hugh starts talking about Taco Shack, which causes the approval rating to drop. Then the whole restaurant starts shaking. As it shakes, the restaurant starts taking away everyone's food, which causes the rating to drop to "VERY UNSATISFIED". Principal Willoughby announces that it is "Burger-geddon" and Sam tells everybody to run.
The restaurant then grows in size and then starts flying like a UFO. Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl follow it in Jimmy's hovercraft to determine what it's doing, and they observe it destroying Taco Shack along with two other local fast-food outlets so that it will be the only restaurant in Retroville. However, the restaurant then starts heading towards the supermarket, and Jimmy realizes that it's gonna destroy every single place in town that sells food products.
Jimmy rewires Goddard's tongue and tricks it into placing an order for 4 McSpanky's deluxe burgers cooked at 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit (which Sheen calls "A King Arthur with a hip replacement on a bed of coal). The restaurant then flies to the only place where the temperature can get that high: the Sun. But instead of burning, the restaurant is salvaged and commandeered by Zix, Travoltron and Tee, who find Skeet's employee of the month picture; they assume he was the captain of the ship and set off to find him.
Trivia
- The computer that Jimmy builds to run McSpanky's is a reference to HAL 9000 from the 2001 film A Space Odyssey.
- The Space Bandits vow to find Skeet, but they never did.
- When Jimmy and Skeet argue about the register, Skeet was right. Register entry is used both for inventory tracking as well as final tally for profits.
- The episode's title comes from the band Men at Work.
- The rather odd vocabulary Carl and Sheen use to call out orders is an obvious reference to the secret menu code used at fast-food chain In-N-Out Burger.
Quotes
- Skeet (to Jimmy): Okay, Mr Magic Man! I also did not hear you say, "Big McThankies from McSpanky's," to the customer.
- Jimmy: Well, frankly, it struck me as cliché. What do you think about this? "Don't let our food be denied you - put our polyunsaturated fats and triglycerides inside you!"
- Carl: I knew a fast-food restaurant that lets you have it your way was just a crazy dream.
- Jimmy: Hey, wait a minute. Carl, that's it!
- Sheen: You mean this is all a crazy dream? All right! Bring on the dancing tubas!
- (Jimmy is improving the drive-through window at McSpanky's and Goddard starts to growl at it) Jimmy: Easy, Goddard, it's just a giant, mechanical Scotman's head. But by tomorrow, it's gonna be smarter than Skeet! (knocks on it) Come to think of it, it's smarter than Skeet now!
- Sheen: I don't know. Hey Carl, give me a taxi driver with a Polish accent.
- Carl: You want a hamburger with peanut butter on it?
- Sheen: No, but if Jimmy's leaving, we'll need a ride home.
- Sheen: (while at the drive-through window) Welcome to McSpanky's, home of the Belly Buster! May I take your order?
- Mother: Yes, we'll have one chicken bits and a Purple Flurp, one plain McSpanky burger, and I'll have a cheeseburger, no pickles, fries, and a vanilla shake.
- Sheen: (to Carl) Gimme a cow in a earthquake, a dancin' albino with a heart condition, and a baby in a rickshaw!
- Carl: (while flipping burgers) Comin' at ya!
- Customer: Yeah, I'd like a deluxe McSpanky on half a bun with a side of chili fries!
- Sheen: (to Carl) Gimme a clown with a harelip sitting in a steamroom!
- Carl: Doin' the tango or walkin' the goose?!
- Sheen: (to Carl) Hold on! (To the drive-through window) You want a dollar salad?
- Customer: Yep.
- Sheen: (to Carl) He's packin' light!
- Carl: (hums while flipping burgers) Yeah!
The next scene Carl is The Bouncer at McSpankeys letting people in or Kicking People out
- Carl: The Monkey's in, You Back of The Line.
- Carl: Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Neutron.
- Judy: My goodness! You boys have turned this place into quite the hot spot.
- Carl: Yup-- hope you enjoy it. Um... hold up, Mr. Neutron.
- Hugh: What... I'm with her.
- Carl: Whoa, whoa, whoa-- back it up, chief. Hmm... yeah... nope, sorry, not feeling it.
- Hugh: What do you mean?
- Carl: Look don't make me spell it out, Mr. N., but your outfit just isn't saying McSpanky's to me.
- Hugh: Oh, really? Well, maybe because it's too busy saying, "Step aside, Mr... Sassymouth before I tell your parents!"
- Carl: Go ahead-- I turned them away two hours ago.
- Hugh: That's just terrible. How could you... Hey, look, a famous movie star!
- Carl: Where? Where?
- Hugh: (snickers) Sucker.
- Carl: What, I don't see anybody... Oh, I see him! Hi! No, that's not him.
- Libby: One for the utility closet please!
- Cindy: Make it two!
- Bolbi : A burger-Frys-and-shake cabob! Just like back home.
Principal Willoughby: A pineapple burger with lo-cal thousand island dressing! It's like you're inside my head!