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This article is about the episode. For the actual object, see The Button (Object).

"The Button" is the twenty eighth episode of Season 7 of Regular Show (and two hundred and ninth overall). It first aired on May 12, 2016.

Synopsis[]

The guys need to protect a large red button from being pushed.

Plot[]

The show starts with Benson getting some coffee. Soon after, however, everything starts to shake. Everything falls on the floor, including the coffee maker, the weight on Skips' barbell and Pops' ship-in-a-bottle. Awoken by this, Mordecai and Rigby come to a conclusion that it must be an earthquake. They burst into Benson's office, looking for the Emergency Earthquake Kit. Upon opening it, they take out some whistles and blow. Mordecai drinks all the water in the cooler, and Rigby begins wrapping his head with a bandage, as well as putting some smaller ones on him. After, Rigby eats the gorp and Mordecai throws a flare. Benson then comes, demanding wanting to know what they're up to, but a large raft inflating cuts him off. Mordecai and Rigby believe they have survived, to Benson's anger, who yells at them to go outside.

It seems the dome has returned, but Benson doesn't notice this, starting to talk about an aftermath meeting instead. Everyone else does notice, and is struck dumbfounded, starting at it. Benson tells Pops to go look for branches and Skips to go get a new kit; the latter responds that it's not going to happen. Benson thinks he won't because it's a long drive; however, Skips turns his head towards the dome, telling him to look up, to which Benson replies with a simple "No..." before saying it twice again, but more panicked. Mordecai wonders why it's back if they got rid of it before, and suddenly a scientist (Dr. Langer) comes in from the sky on a jetpack, saying they are back indeed, doing more experiments that won't be (too) deadly. Benson is about to introduce everyone, but Dr. Langer dismisses it, saying he has their names from the last time. Fives asks him to tell them what's going on, and Muscle Man asks why they are trapped in the dome again. Dr. Langer tells then that they are not trapped this time, and gestures to an in and out door by the park. Mordecai asks what they must do this time, to which Dr. Langer says "be yourselves, my scientists will observe you." There is one more thing; he whistles, and a button comes in somewhere from the top. He tells them that no matter what happens that they are not to press it. Everyone is confused, kinda chattering amongst themselves why, and Dr. Langer says that Mr. Maellard and him are counting on them, especially Benson, who seems flattered by the gesture. Dr. Langer reminds them once again not to push it, no matter how much they want to, then leaves while saying "Langer out!". Pops says it's unsettling, and then Benson says they much take shifts to ensure no one pushes it, to which Rigby asks why they should guard a button no one wants to push anyway. Benson says they must blindly follow orders, and everyone reluctantly goes to guard it, in shifts. 3 days go by, and no one comes to push it.

On day 3, Benson, who has a stubble (and looks the most tired), is about to give to the button watching schedule, when Rigby suddenly says that he's sick of guarding it, since it's been 3 days. Skips says that it seems they're wasting time just watching it, and Muscle Man agrees, and Mordecai points out that they don't know why they're doing this in the first place. Benson says that he's annoyed by their complaining, and doesn't know any more than them. Mordecai wonders why he doesn't, if it should be his job to know, and Benson says it's not how it works; Rigby starts mocking Benson, saying hi first, then, when Mordecai asks what he does, he says "whatever the creepy guy in the eye-patch tells me". Benson snaps "Come on! Give me some credit!" Muscle Man freaks out a bit, saying he can't take this, and runs to try and push the button. Benson yells for Muscle Man to stop, to no avail; the latter tackles the former to the ground, much at the surprise of everyone else. Mordecai yells at Muscle Man to chill, and grabs him by his neck (while Skips and Rigby hold his arms) until he calms down. He insists that he's cool, and drops to the ground from a kneeling position; he apologizes for panicking. Benson says he will talk to Mr. Maellard, and Mordecai yells "Finally!" after him; Benson says not to do anything until he gets back. Mordecai then asks "Now what?" and there is a sneeze in reply; it's the scientists, watching them in the bushes. Pops asks if they want a tissue and Fives asks what they are noting; they write it down. Rigby says they take notes on everything, then gets on his stomach, trying to paddle with his feet - still they write it down, proving the point. Muscle Man lifts his shirt up a bit; they STILL take notes. Muscle Man yells he has rights, and runs towards them, scaring them off. Two of them (Pam being one) escape into a machine, writing as they fly away while Muscle Man tackles the third. He yells that he caught them, and everyone else comes to help get him tied up.

Meanwhile, Benson finally arrives at Maellard's office, and Dr. Langer is just leaving it, having discussed something with him. Dr. Langer greets Benson, who asks what he was just talking about to Maellard. Langer replies it's on a need-to-know basis, and then says that he should probably go back and watch the button, to have a good one, watch his back, and that he's just kidding before he leaves out the door in the hall.

Maellard says the same "watch the button" schpiel when Benson enters the office. The latter starts stuttering, wondering how he knows being among it, before clearly asking if Maellard will explain why anything of what's going on is happening at all pointing out that he wishes to be a good manager, but can't do so while left in the dark. Maellard merely states that he can only be a good manager by following orders, in which Benson rebukes to be sick of following them whilst Maellard sits around in his office all the time. Maellard sighs, then abruptly says that Benson is right - that he is the manager, not Langer, and, if he really wants, to push the button. Benson is struck dumbfounded, asking worriedly what will happen. Maellard shrugs, simply saying it may be good, bad, or (after hitting his fists on the table) a test. Benson is shocked for a quick second, before saying he'll go push the button because he is control as he walks out.

In the meantime, the rest of the park workers have been interrogating their captive scientist. Muscle Man asks him why they have them guarding the button and he yells that he won't tell. Muscle Man takes his shirt and moves it toward him, as soon as Mordecai says that it will probably make him talk. he starts to panic, even more so when Rigby points out that since they've been watching them, he should how long it's been since Muscle Man washed the shirt. After remarking that the shirt "smells like a rotten hamburger left on someone's desk after a break", he starts saying he'll talk, starting with the fact that it's a test. Mordecai questions him on that, and he elaborates - that Dr. Langer believes that they can't handle a test with everyone's little flaw that they seem to possess (except for Fives, apparently; he's blindsided by the news). He concludes saying that if the button is pushed, Langer is in charge instead of Benson, who will be fired, also insisting that they do not want that. When Mordecai asks why, he says, simply, that terrible things will happen. Everyone gasps, and Skips suddenly realizes something: no one is watching the button.

Speaking of which, Benson has arrived on the scene, heading for the button now. He runs in from one direction, and everyone else comes in from another. Benson reaches it first, seeing that no one's guarding it, either, when he arrives. He screams Mordecai and Rigby's names to the sky, yanks off a velvet rope, and walks up to it, insisting he'll push it. He does start hesitiating, and then gets flashbacks of Langer, Maellard, and even Dr. Dome! He's having second thoughts. He rubs the button, wondering what it's a test for, when Mordecai's voice calls out to him, telling him not to push it. Rigby tells him that they were talking to the dome guys, telling him they say it's a test. Fives and Pops' voices start echoing around Benson hearing it's a test and that they can't trust those guys. Benson's not listening, growing angry, insisting they're lying. and that they're testing him too. Mordecai tries to reassure him, but the floor cracks away and the rope falls into the chasm, leaving a hole between Benson and everyone else. Benson insists he's the boss here, and, turning to the button, he'll make a decision. Mordecai insists to Benson that they are his friends. Then he tries to tell him that Maellard said he would be fired if he pressed it, but Benson writes some of it off as gibberish when Mordecai turns into a scientist in a blue jay suit. When Rigby tries to talk to him, they all morph into scientists in the respective costumes (similar to the original Experiment when they tried to fool Benson). He wishes he could know what they're saying as it's all gibberish at the moment, but a Rigby-like echo voice tells him it doesn't matter and that they're just like the dome guys - trying to trick him. Benson hesitates yet again, stepping back to try and think. Unfortunately, he loses his footing and falls into the chasm.

In a dream sequence, he's holding onto an antenna hanging upside down, looking into a mess of storm clouds which peel away to reveal the Park, in the dome, which resembles Pops now, with the mustache, nose and hat and pink tint in the lines. An above mechanism lowers the button in front of him, expecting him to push it. He stutters, now unsure, as the antenna breaks. He slips, now dangling from the bottom of it, looking down into deep space when a huge button appears below, telling him (with grotesque like teeth) he'll catch him so he doesn't fall, yet Benson insists he shouldn't. It asks him to push it now (as Mordecai and Rigby's arms appear at the bottom) in which Benson declines, making the decision to not push it after all. As soon as he says it, everyone's hands come pull him back to reality.

When Benson stirs, Mordecai asks if he's alright, in which he tries to stand awhile coughing. When he stops, Langer shows, noticing the button remains unpushed. Pam lowers a pyramid like shape onto it, followed by a mini dome of its own to cover it. Langer says they did a good job, receiving glares from everyone in turn. He's wondering why they're not jazzed (super happy) in which Mordecai states that confusion is taking that over instead. Benson yells that they want answers, and Skips asks why they were guarding the button anyway. Dr. Langer simply dismisses it as a big test. Benson asks why the dome is back; Langer says bigger test. Fives asks what the button does and Benson wonders why Maellard wanted him to press it; again Langer says "test, test, test." Benson asks what's next, and Langer reveals a trash bag with beepers in it, handing one to each person except Benson. Langer notes if any beeper beeps they must return to the house immediately, as it's mandatory. Benson asks where his is, and Langer instead straps the mini fax machine on him, telling him he'll get important dome orders if he wears it - as if on cue, one arrives, but it's simply an order from Joe's (Langer says their number is one away from theirs). Benson demands to know the point, in which Langer dismisses it and leaves. The episode ends with Rigby asking everyone if they want Chinese food (because of the aforementioned fax).

Characters[]

S7E28 The Button Credits

Locations[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

Episode Connections[]

  • This is a continuation of "The Dome Experiment".
    • As of this episode, The Park is once again stuck in the dome, but The Park workers can leave it whenever they want to this time.
  • Benson's Worlds Best Boss mug appears in this episode, which first appeared in Season Four. (TV: World's Best Boss)
    • It gets broken, but then put back together only to be broken again.
  • Benson's hallucinations of The Park in space and looking like Pops foreshadows the events of Season 8.

Pop Culture References[]

  • Benson hanging from an antenna is a reference to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
  • The button's dialogue goading Benson to press it is very similar to The Ring in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" but whether this is a direct reference or just showing how Benson's mentality is diminishing is unclear.
  • Mr. Maellard describing the supposed outcome of the button's activation mirrors Ren Höek describing the supposed outcome of the History Eraser Button's activation from The Ren & Stimpy Show episode, Space Madness.
  • Dr. Langer is voiced by Troy Baker, who also voiced Pagan Min, the primary antagonist of FarCry 4.
    • Langer's recommendation of Crab Rangoon is a possible reference to the game.

Production Notes[]

  • This episode was released early on iTunes before it aired on television.

Goofs[]

  • In one scene, a brief shot of Benson is taken as he was arguing with Dr. Langer. In the background, the button is shown to be present behind Benson before it was initially lowered down seconds later.
  • All the Park employees (except for Benson) are not guarding the button. However, Benson blames it on Mordecai and Rigby instead of blaming it at all of them.
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