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"Bad Portrait" is the twenty-fourth episode of the fifth season of Regular Show. It is the one hundred fortieth episode overall and premiered on April 28, 2014.

Synopsis[]

Pops asks Mordecai and Rigby to pick up a portrait of Benson for his ceremony. But when Rigby ruins it, Mordecai is forced to re-paint it.

Plot[]

The episode opens to Mordecai and Rigby playing video games (as usual). Pops walks into the room and asks them to pick up a painting. He explains to them that the painting is of Benson and it was commissioned to be displayed in the Hall of Park Managers. Mordecai realizes that this favor is very important and makes sure that Pops wants them to pick up the painting. Pops reassures them that he trusts them and hands them a pamphlet with information on the portrait studio.

They go to the studio, almost too late, and receive the painting. As they walk down the street, Rigby talks Mordecai into sneaking a peak to which Mordecai reluctantly agrees. Rigby rips the packaging open and accidentally drops his mustard pretzel onto the painting. He frantically tries to wipe off the mustard but ends up smearing it all over. They both start to panic but then Mordecai suggests that he paints a new portrait.

The next scene opens to Mordecai getting ready to make the new painting. Rigby gets impatient at him for not starting right away. Mordecai tells him that "It's a process, man!" and explains that he needs to "take time to really explore the subject and understand the deeper meaning." Rigby is unimpressed with his excuses and starts to paint the portrait himself. Mordecai tells him that his painting is "way worse" and he needs Rigby to leave so he can concentrate.

Some time has passed and Rigby comes back with another pretzel to check on the progress of the painting. He sees that Mordecai hasn't made any progress at all and asks him why. Mordecai explains that whenever he would paint a portrait for someone, they hated it. Rigby reassures him that he can get over his fear and finish the painting.

Mordecai decides to put in a tape to help him with the portrait. He paints for a little bit, following the tips in the video. He then has a flashback to when he was in art school and he made someone cry because they hated how he painted them. He forces himself to think of Benson and what makes him unique. He enthusiastically paints but ends up hating it.

Mordecai overhears Skips and Benson having a conversation about Benson's entry into the Hall. Rigby walks in at that moment to check the progress again and sees the less-than-great painting. The tape then suggests that photos would help with the "creative flow." Rigby rushes outside and takes several photos of Benson, much to his agitation.

They take the developed photos and Mordecai attempts the portrait again. Pops then calls to check on the portrait and Rigby answers by telling him not to worry and to "get their hopes way, way up!" Mordecai is annoyed that Rigby said those things because he was afraid they wouldn't like it. Rigby doesn't understand his frustration and tells him that he should be done by now. They start to fight over the painting and Mordecai shoves Rigby away so he doesn't mess up the painting with his pretzel again. Rigby falls back, dropping the cheese on the projector.

He gets up and slips, dropping his dipping sauce onto the projector on top of the cheese. The projector starts to malfunction and smoke. Out of the smoke comes the malformed Benson slides. They take offense to Mordecai's comment, calling them "horrible slides." One of the slides disses the portrait, saying it looks nothing like him and that Mordecai has ruined everything. The slides then try to destroy the painting.

Mordecai and Rigby try to protect the portrait and fight off the slides. Mordecai knocks one of them into the T.V., causing Benny Harris to show up in hologram form. Mordecai asks his advice, to which he tells them to "use what he sees in his mind's eye." Mordecai retorts that that idea didn't work before. Benny responds by saying that Mordecai created something and he should be proud but Mordecai tells him that the portrait "is all wrong." Benny responds with one of his famous phrases, "Sometimes we have to take our accidents and make them a little more chipper." Mordecai seems confused as to how that would help in this situation but Benny tells him to just paint over the slides.

Mordecai and Rigby take the paint and start to splatter paint over the slides along with the canvas and the entire basement. When the slides are defeated, Mordecai thanks Benny Harris' hologram and then go to check on the painting. They decide its good enough and head to the Hall of Park Managers.

At the Hall, Benson is about to be inducted, but then the announcer asks for the portrait from Pops. He is reluctant to tell the announcer that he doesn't have it but then Mordecai and Rigby burst in and apologize for it being late and ruining the original. Rigby uncovers the painting to show everyone but the audience starts to boo. Rigby then turns it over and the audience seems to like it.

Mordecai tells Benson he would understand if he wants to fire him for what happened but Benson responds by telling Mordecai how much he likes it. The announcer agrees that it is a good picture, but because it is abstract, he cannot use it in the Hall and commission a new portrait. Benson knows just the right place. He decides to put Mordecai's portrait in his office, but the portrait fell off the office wall and Benson asked himself why he made Mordecai and Rigby hang it up.

Characters[]

S5E24Bad Portrait Credits

Trivia[]

  • Mordecai's artistic talent is revealed in this episode.
  • This episode is actually based on JG Quintel when he went to art school, gave a bad drawing of a girl, and made her cry.

Episode Connections[]

  • Mordecai's time in art collage is seen during a flashback which was mentioned before in "Camping Can Be Cool" and "Fool Me Twice."
  • When the show pans to Pops and Benson standing on the stage, with Benson about to be awarded, we can see Leon, who made his debut in "Benson Be Gone", in one of the portraits in the background. Leon was the park manager before Benson.

Pop Culture References[]

  • Benny Harris is an obvious parody of the late Bob Ross, even being modeled after him and having a distinctive soft voice, who is famous for starring in PBS's The Joy of Painting. Ross died on July 4, 1995, due to lymphoma.
  • When Mordecai shoots a fireball and uppercuts the slides, it is a reference to Ryu and Ken's Hadouken' and 'Shoryuken from Street Fighter. As Well as this, when Rigby shakes the paint off himself it is a reference to Blanka's electric shock attack. Lastly, when Mordecai throws Rigby, he spins then hits the last evil slide, the spinning is a reference to M. Bison's Psycho Crusher.
  • Mordecai's typical art style resembles Cubism, and one of the reanimated slides mentions this.
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