So apparently there's a character called "mole man" or something like that in this episode? Okaayyy then! Allan and Glep team up for a quest that will blow your socks off.
Plot[]
The episode starts with Charlie showing Pim a Worm News interview with Jesse Ventura, who claims that the current narrative behind President Shrimp’s assassination is not the true story. Pim expresses his discomfort on the topic but Charlie attempts to convey his stance by agreeing that the bullet ricocheting off President Shrimp and taking out three people before hitting Shrimp again is downright impossible. Before the two can talk further, the floor underneath them caves wide open and the two are dropped down. Allan and Mr Boss rush in, with the former asking Glep what happened, as he was with the two but managed to avoid falling down. Allan calls 911 at Mr Boss’ request as Pim and Charlie wake up tied to chairs and surrounded by candid photos of themselves. They’re greeted by Mole Man, who explains that he lived underneath the Smiling Friends HQ long before Mr Boss began construction there. Initially he despised Charlie and Pim’s goofing off and banter before eventually growing obsessed with the two, leading to him digging tunnels and following them wherever they go. He then tells them now that he has them, he can keep them all to himself. Pim asks why he couldn’t have just approached them on the surface but he dismisses the idea because he know people would’ve made fun of his “disgusting penis.” Charlie suggests he just simply cover it up but Mole Man just thinks of the suggestion as another “funny Charlie line.” He then reveals a shoddy replica of the Smiling Friends office but gets flustered over the idea of him accidentally flashing his two icons.
Topside, meanwhile, the fire department explains that the hole closed up shortly prior to their arrival, suggesting Pim and Charlie are likely nothing more than mincemeat. Mr Boss breaks down - both at the idea of Pim and Charlie dying but also Smiling Friends ending. Allan suggests he and Glep just take Charlie and Pim’s place, which Mr Boss celebrates with a dance. Allan remarks that he thought Glep and him already counted as Smiling Friends, but Mr Boss seems too entranced in his own dance to notice him.
Still tied to their chairs, Charlie and Pim are forced by Mole Man to re-enact an average bit of “classic realistic dialogue,” before inserting himself into the scene as the cool “third” Smiling Friend. He tries to pitch a rather silly hypothetical to the two, which Pim laughs off before suggesting it’s time for him and Charlie to leave. Their captor disagrees however, and invites a fake Mr Boss to give them a job, before he pushes the two further into the darkness. Back on the surface, Allan and Glep are tasked by a newly single mother to take care of her triplets as she goes off to work. Allan tries to ask the three if they’d like the lasagne their mother made now or later but the three immediately devolve into anarchy and begin to abuse their caretakers and destroy the house.
Back underground, Pim and Charlie are told by Mole Man it’s now time to help someone smile. When Pim expresses confusion on who their client is, it’s revealed to be Mole Man himself putting on a fake persona, with his problem being self-consciousness about his penis. He feeds himself a compliment about his penis looking normal, before egging on his hostages to make similar comments. Pim plays along whilst Charlie refuses to comment, enraging Mole Man and causing him to go feral. As Allan and Glep continue to be abused by the triplets, Pim asks Charlie how they’re supposed to get out of this situation. Charlie wonders what Jesse Ventura would say, which is how “just like 9/11,” the answer has been in front of the two the entire time. He then has a moment of clarity and realises the “ropes” they’ve been bound with have just been tree roots all along and he and Pim flew while being chased down by a resentful Mole Man. They find themselves running underneath the suburban housing (including one belonging to an old man getting a lethal injection) before getting cornered by Mole Man. As they accept their fate, Pim and Charlie hear Allan in the house above them and burst through the ventilation to find him and Glep hanging from the ceiling fan, with the two expressing gratitude that they’re alive. Mole Man joins them, scaring the triplets away in the process and decides he’ll kill all four of them, despite Allan and Glep not being “real” Smiling Friends, but before he can attack the two are interrupted by the mother walking in. Due to him being caught off-guard, she witnesses Mole Man’s penis, but confesses that she actually loves it. She reveals her name is Maureen before asking him to marry her and be the step-father of her triplets, which he accepts - swearing off Pim and Charlie in the process. Charlie and Pim discuss about how they managed to catch a glimpse of the Mole Man’s penis and admit it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Mole Man hyped it up to be, with Allan commenting that it looked “delicious”, much to the others’ bewilderment.
A post credits scene shows Allan revealing to Mr Boss that both Charlie and Pim have survived, although Mr Boss still seems stuck in his dancing state.
Allan and Glep are said to not be real Smiling Friends twice in this episode (much to Allan's annoyance) despite Allan having gone out to help a client before.
Mole Man is the fourth character who wasn't a client to successfully smile. The first three were Oscar, Grim and Gnarly.
Fourth-wall break: The Mole Man is likely a personification of fans of the show as well as fan OCs that are added by them in unofficial adventures of the show in media such as fanfiction.
This episode and "The Smiling Friends Go to Brazil!" are (so far) the only episodes not to feature an on screen death (if you don't count the live action old man who gets euthanized by green liquid in this exact episode).
In Mole Man's flashback, we see that the asylum building next to the Smiling Friends Headquarters used to be apartments when the office was initially being built.
Episode connections[]
When Charlie and Pim are tied up, Charlie first thought is "am I in hell again?" referencing the time he got sent to hell in the episode "Charlie Dies and Doesn't Come Back."
When Mole Man is explaining the history of Smiling Friends being built, the flashback is consistent with the history revealed in "Silly Samuel", showing Mr. Boss using cheap labor from the Enchanted Forest.
In another part of Mole Man's Mole Hole, a framed photo of him in the Enchanted Forest with Pim and Charlie in the background can be seen hanging on a wall.
The Anime Woman Poster in Mole Man's Room
Allan's Cosplay Outfit For The Anime Convention worn in "Squim's Return"
A poster that the Mole Man destroys in his rampage resembles a cosplay that Allan wears in "Squim Returns".
Cultural references[]
Jesse Ventura, portrayed in-show as a puppet-like 3D model, is a retired professional wrestler and politician known for his television series about conspiracy theories.
The President Shrimp theory he argues with William Worm on is a direct reference to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy and the conspiracy theories surrounding it.
Additionally, Jesse Ventura mentions 9/11 during his speech to Charlie.
The game Pim and Charlie are playing when Mole Man is spying on them is Shrimp and Shrew, a fictitious film made up by Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel during one of their "Very Positive Streams."[1]The film can also be seen in Shrimp's Odyssey.
Two of the triplets Allan and Glep babysit are references to different characters. The baby resembles Tommy Pickles and the son resembles Bart Simpson. The daughter appears to resemble Helga Pataki, albeit with stringier hair
The dance Mr. boss does when having a panic attack was similar to the Elaine dance from Seinfeld.
The firemen that talk to Mr. Boss outside the office resemble Terry and Korvo from the show Solar Opposites.
