The Big Diff

"The Big Diff" is the first segment of the tenth episode of the first season of the 2021 series of Rugrats. It premiered on Paramount+ on October 7th, 2021.

Characters Present

 * Tommy
 * Chuckie
 * Phil
 * Lil
 * Susie
 * Angelica
 * Stu
 * Chas
 * Didi
 * Lucy
 * Lou

Summary
Tommy and Chuckie fear their friendship is over when Angelica says they're too different to be best friends. - Description from Paramount+

Plot
It's a rainy day and while the babies are having fun playing with their toys, Angelica is staring out the window and complaining to her Cynthia doll that nobody has ever had it worse than her. She complains that she's stuck inside playing dumb baby games, while Tommy plays with a snail toy and Chuckie with a Reptar toy. Tommy offers to feed Reptar spider legs and Chuckie gets scared, till he tells them they're just pretend. Angelica walks over, saying that she doesn't know how they stay friends. She says that Tommy acts like he's not scared of anything, while Chuckie's scared of his own shadow. She continues that they're very different. Chuckie wears glasses and Tommy doesn't, Tommy wears a diaper unlike Chuckie and Chuckie has lots of hair and Tommy is a "baldy." She tells them that real best friends are exactly alike, saying that she's just like Cynthia. Chuckie points out that Angelica is human and Cynthia's a doll. Angelica covers Cynthia's ears, saying that the point is that real best friends like all the same things and do all the same things. Tommy asks if best friends are really always the same and the angle cuts to Phil and Lil, who both lick frogs before sticking them in their diapers. Lil comments that sometimes one has a bow. Chuckie comments that sometimes he and Tommy do the same thing, but he picks up Mr. Tippy Cup, leading Angelica to continue that he drinks from that, but Tommy still drinks from a bottle. She leaves, saying that she's going to do best friend stuff with Cynthia.

In the bathroom, Stu is shocked to discover a grey hair. He shouts out in anguish and Lou comes in, asking if he left incense burning again. He sprays a fire extinguisher, but Stu says that it's worse, asking how he can have a gray hair when he's only 33. Lou tells him "Welcome to aging," saying that one day he'll be glad to have any hair that isn't growing out of his ears. Stu sobs and shouts for Didi. He races downstairs, telling her about his crisis. She tells him that he'll look distinguished, like a wise, noble wizard. He shoots back that nobody wants to be a noble wizard, that he wants to be an elf with flowing hair and level six powers. He plops on the couch, sobbing, as Chas enters the house. He apologizes for being late. He sees Stu sobbing and Didi explains what happened. He tells Stu that getting older isn't so bad, that you get to wear sandals with socks. Stu tells him it's easy for him to say, that he's eight months and ten days younger than him.

Tomy tells Chuckie that they have to show Angelica they're the same. He suggests that they both say their favorite animal at the same time, but he says "doggy," while Chuckie says "bunny." They try again with favorite foods. Chuckie's is carrots, while Tommy's is bananas. Phil and Lil try it, and both say "fuzzy bologna" at the same time. Chas prepares to leave, saying that he has Chuckie ona strict schedule for potty time. He apologizes to Tommy for taking his best friend away. Lou sits down to some yoga and Angelica whines at him to make the rain stop. He tells her that he can't, that rain is Mother Earth's way of taking a shower. He suggests she join him to meditate and she agrees. However, she is less than relaxed by the whale-songs he plays her on an earbud. Stu comes in, complaining that the second day of being old and gray is bad as the first, and Lou decides to relocate to the kitchen, or perhaps make some eggs. Just then, Lucy enters, bringing both Phil and Lil as well as Susie. She asks Stu how he's doing and he shouts that it's just one gray hair. "You know that'll spread, right? " she quips.

Didi comes down and deposits Tommy, who is wearing a shirt with a monkey on it. She says he found some clothes she was saving for him. Susie comments that there's something different about him. He says he's trying to be like someone else. He puts on a wig of orange hair and takes off his diaper, saying he's just like Chuckie now. Angelica chuckles meanly, saying he can't just put on some clothes, ditch his diaper and say he's Chuckie. He asks why not and she points out he still can't drink from Mr. Tippy Cup. Tommy says he can and dons a pair of Lou's glasses to try to look more like Chuckie. However, the glasses make his vision all fuzzy. When he tries to drink from Mr. Tippy Cup, he splashes juice all over his face and mistakes Spike for Angelica. There comes a knock at the door and Stu opens it to find Chas and Chuckie. Chas says that Chuckie wouldn't put on his clothes or shoes or glasses. He wonders if Chuckie might be "afraid to move on to the next sage." Stu comments that he can relate. He deposits Chuckie and pulls out a purple markers, saying it'll help Stu with his gray hair. Chuckie is now wearing a diaper and a blue shirt, like Tommy. He also pulls out a bottle and tries to drink from it, but ends up spilling it completely. Lil asks why he's doing all this and Chuckie says it's so they can be best friends.

Chuckie asks where Tommy even is. They spot each other and race toward each other, but because of their lack of vision crash into each squarely. Angelica snickers at them, saying that they can't even be alike when they try and that she doesn't think they can even be friends at all. Tommy agrees that she may be right, that everything came out right. Chuckie sobs, saying that he guesses it's goodbye. Tommy promises that he'll never forget the fun times they had. Susie asks if they're sure and Chuckie asks what more they can do. He stumbles, ending up losing the diaper, while Chas scribbles on Stu's face. Tommy and Chuckie sob and Chuckie races out the door. Stu picks up Tommy, consoling him, then asks where his diaper is, calling it a "code yellow." Angelica comments that you can take the baby out of the diaper, but you shouldn't.

That evening, Tommy spots Chuckie through the fence playing with his Reptar toy. Chuckie comes over, saying that he hasn't seen in forever and asking how he's been. Tommy says he's okay, about the same. He says he's going back to playing by himself. Just then, Spike digs something up. Tommy says he's been thinking and they both like a lot of the same things, like digging for treasure, pudding and Reptar in Space. Chuckie names some other things, sighing that even with all those things, it's not enough to make them best friends forever. Tommy replies that they already are, so Angelica must be wrong. Chuckie asks if he really thinks so. He says he does and they pull out the treasure to reveal a capsule with a picture of Chas and Stu as kids, and some old toys. Chas calls Stu over, saying that the kids found their old time capsule. Stu says he forgot all about burying it. He finds an old digital pet ferret, which dies as he holds it in his hand. He finds an old hacky sack and plays with it, saying he's still go it. Chas tells him he's the Stu he knows and applauds. Stu, having finally gotten his energy back, suggests they go play DoorStop, saying that the oldest goes first. Tommy tells Chuckie that they'll be best friends until they're as old as their daddies. They head off, hand in muddy hand, Angelica complaining to Cynthia about "gross, dirty babies."

Trivia

 * It is revealed in this episode that Stu is older than Chas by 8 months and 10 days.