Welcome to another edition of Millennial Misremembers, the column in which I take part in the millennial nostalgia trend. I consumed a lot of media as a kid (TV, movies, books — you name it, I consumed it), so I’m pretty much an endless nostalgia mine. You’re welcome? This month, the misrememory train is stopping at the Dexter’s Laboratory station.
Though Dexter’s Laboratory (/ləˈbɒr.ə.tər.i/) only ran for four seasons, there was quite a break between them. Seasons 1 and 2 ran from April 27, 1996, to June 15, 1998; seasons 3 and 4 ran from November 18, 2001, to November 20, 2003. That’s pretty epic.
The episode I watched, which was listed as S01E01 on HBO Max, is actually its seventh (S01E07) and called — it’s a mouthful — “Star Spangled Sidekicks/TV Super Pals/Game Over.”
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What I (mis)remember
My memory is fuzzy here because I cannot recall when I watched this show. Was it in the original run? Reruns? The revival? I do remember this being my brother’s show of choice more than mine. We did, however, watch it together. It likely left an impression due to the sibling relationship being a key element of the show.
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Also — Dexter’s vaguely Eastern European accent has stuck with me. Having researched, I see that the show’s creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, was born in Russia. However, both actors who voiced Dexter, Christine Cavanaugh and later, Candi Milo, were born in the United States. I can’t wait to see how I feel about the accent now! I’m going in with an open mind.
Let’s rewatch!
The episode begins with the theme song, no cold open:
The first segment, “Star Spangled Sidekicks,” opens with Dee Dee (Allison Moore) and Dexter (Cavanaugh) watching a superhero show called Major Glory. And Major Glory (Rob Paulsen) himself is hiring a sidekick. So, the siblings will be headed to the Independence Mall for the competition. Dee Dee finds Dexter’s chances literally laughable.
Dexter huffs off to his lab to science himself up a suit while Dee Dee uses some good ole fashion sewing.
Cut to: Independence Mall, where one million kids have shown up to audition for the role of patriotic sidekick. We’re introduced to Fat Boy (Paulsen), who takes bites out of crime (and burgers). Major Glory fat shames him by insisting America’s heroes are on diets. To save us from that, “Dext-star” cuts in line and introduces himself to all.
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Major Glory is impressed — Dext-star is “a bit better” than the other 999,999 kids. That is until Dee Dee as “Diva Dynamite POW!” upstages him. Major Glory chooses her.
Next, Doctor Diablos (Jorge Galvan), Major Glory’s nemesis, shows up with his minions. Dee Dee isn’t great at sidekicking, but Dexter’s not gonna let her falter. After all, he’s the only one allowed to dunk on his sister.
Instead of telling Major Glory that Dexter is responsible for her awesomeness, she quits, leaving Fat Boy to take her place. So all’s well that ends well?
On to segment dos: “TV Super Pals.”
The segment once again opens with a Major Glory show, but this one’s called TV Super Pals and features a bunch of, well, Super Pals. The baddie looks suspiciously like the Joker. And here we have the best joke of the episode. The baddie throws something in Major Glory’s face to thwart him. Major Glory then goes, “Ah! Bills!” Love a good gag thrown in for the adults watching.
Major Glory prevails but then has to skedaddle because he wants to watch his news segment at 5:30.
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Across the city, the Minotaur (Frank Welker), a record exec, holds some Sirens captive, forcing them to record their songs so he can make big bucks. Valhallen (Tom Kenny) comes to rescue them but lets the situation go when he realizes it’s 5:30. The monster truck pull is on. And apparently, that’s more important than saving lives.
Elsewhere, Krunk (Welker) “saves” a cat from a tree. But, at 5:30, scrams to watch TV Puppet Pals.
Uh-oh. There’s one TV, but three shows to watch. But these guys don’t know how to share. What they end up with is no TV. And a very angry Krunk. He is only satisfied when Valhallen and Major Glory roleplay TV Puppet Pals.
Interstitial!
We’re back to Dexter and Dee Dee. Bahahaha! She shows him her new dance, the Fanciful Unicorn. His retort? “Girl, I have seen better steps on a ladder”!
Now it’s time for the third and final segment: “Game over!”
Dee Dee and Dexter are playing video games, and Dexter is as much a sore loser as Dee Dee is a sore winner. They begin physically fighting, but then their dad (Jeff Bennet) enters to give them a gift — surprise! It’s another video game. An old video game he “got for a nickel from a [slur for a Romani person].” (!?)
Dexter doesn’t want to play the game with Dee Dee because it’s outdated (he lists a bunch of specs I barely understand). Dee Dee thinks he doesn’t want to play because he’s afraid to lose. Of course, she does win. He kicks her out of his /ləˈbɒr.ə.tər.i/.
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When he’s alone with the game, it anthropomorphizes and begins to take over his /ləˈbɒr.ə.tər.i/. Dexter ends up in some sort of Tetris meets Pac-Man environment. He soon realizes he needs Dee Dee’s help to save his life and lab. Dee Dee quickly wins against the game but takes the opportunity to get back at Dexter’s sore loserness by keeping him trapped in the game for a bit and beating him up with the characters.
Does it live up to the nostalgia?
I absolutely adored segments one and three. Dexter and Dee Dee’s relationship is realistic, humorous and even warm. I wasn’t even that bothered by the accent! I also just like that there are segments. My millennial, zero-attention span brain found it very manageable. That said, the second segment, which didn’t include the main duo, was absolutely grating. I do not care about that show-within-the-show. I will undoubtedly skip these segments in any further episodes I might rewatch. Regardless, Dexter’s Laboratory is certainly worth a look back at! 🧫🔬🧪
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