Stu Gets a Job

Season 3 Episode 9b
Stu Gets a Job
Original Airdate	November 21, 1993
DVD release	Season 3
Previous Episode	Reptar 2010
Next Episode	Give and Take

Stu Gets a Job is a Season 3 episode of Rugrats.

Characters Present

• Stu
• Didi
• Tommy
• Chuckie
• Phil
• Lil
• Drew
• Lou

Plot

When Stu takes on a new job to supplement the family budget in between inventions, Tommy sets various traps around the house to keep his father at home. However, Stu mistakenly attributes these traps to sibling rivalry with Drew.

Summary

Stu is watching Dummi Bears with Tommy. Didi turns off the TV, and when Stu asks what she's doing home, Didi explains that summer break began weeks ago. Didi says that Stu hasn't created a new toy in months. Stu shows off his latest invention, the Bubblerama 3000, which can produce large bubbles every few pumps. However, instead of floating away properly the bubbles burst every time.

Didi tells Stu that she went through the family bills, and because things can be much better suggests that Stu get a job. Stu objects to the idea, since his mind needs to be free to create and that can't happen if he's preoccupied. Didi reminds him that he hasn't finished his latest invention after weeks of work (or lack of), and Stu cites Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wanting to know if his wife asked him how long it would take to finish his Requiem. Didi points out that Mozart didn't finish the Requiem at the time of his death. She mentions that since Stu can successfully sell his inventions (when they work), he can answer an ad for Consolidated Lard, which is looking for salesmen to hire.

The next day, Stu comes home from a job interview, saying that he has a job now at Consolidated Lard. Chuckie is worried, and tells Tommy that if his dad has a job, he'll be too busy to stay at home and play. Tommy doesn't believe Chuckie, until Stu's first day working outside the home.

Tommy says they have to think of a way for his dad to not leave the house tomorrow. Phil and Lil come up with the idea that if Stu has toys to play with, he'll stay home and play. Tommy agrees it's a great idea and decides to do it.

Later in the evening, Stu comes home disgruntled and with a lard sample, showing it off to his dad, Lou, and his brother, Drew, who is visiting. Drew asks Stu to pay back the $120 for Drew's barbecue grill. Stu denies, saying that he paid Drew back last summer, and goes to bed feeling miserable.

The next morning, Stu wakes up to Tommy's toys everywhere. Stu comes to the conclusion that Drew is behind a scheme to have payback on Stu. So, Stu calls a pizzeria, ordering fifty pizzas over to Drew's house. Then he leaves for work.

Tommy is disappointed that the toy plan failed. Chuckie says that his dad, Chaz, stays home because of bad stuff happening to him. Tommy comes up with a new plan for the next morning. When Stu showers, gets dressed, and has his coffee, something bad will happen every time. Thus, he'll stay home.

Stu comes home later that evening with another lard sample and feeling more miserable than yesterday. Drew is there with a cookbook that he borrowed from Stu. Stu reminds Drew about the coloring book he borrowed when they were kids, saying that Drew ate the cover.

The next morning, when Stu showers he accidentally puts honey in his hair, and realizes that someone replaced the shampoo with honey. Then when he goes to get dressed, he finds the only thing still in the closest is his old disco suit. When he goes downstairs, Lou compliments his suit and hair (as well as the smell of the honey). Stu tries to drink coffee, but finds it's actually mud, complete with worms! Stu figures Drew behind all of this as well as yesterday's incident, so he calls to report Drew's car as illegally parked so it'll be towed. Tommy waits eagerly, but Stu leaves to go to work regardless of his appearance. Didi is surprised to find the clothes in the playpen, but Stu doesn't notice.

Tommy feels discouraged, and Chuckie agrees. He explains that Stu will always be going to work from now on, and the only way to stop him would be with a net. Tommy has a new idea, because they do have a net in the house: Grandpa Lou's fishing net! Tommy plans once more, this time with the net.

The next morning, Stu wakes up with everything apparently normal. Believing that Drew learned his lesson, Stu gets an unexpected visit from a now-angry Drew. Drew knows Stu is behind the pizzas and his now-towed car, and demands Stu to apologize for them. Stu refuses to do so, because he blames the previous two morning incidents on Drew. Just then, Didi comes in with a check Stu wrote for $120 last summer, saying that Stu used it as a bookmark. When Stu finally realizes this, and that he didn't pay Drew back after all, he gets an angry glare from Drew, feels guilty and quickly says that he has to go to work. As Stu tries to leave the house, he springs the trap and the fishing net falls on him.

Stu suddenly feels inspired and thanks Drew for doing this to him. Drew tries to explain he didn't do it, but Stu isn't listening. He attaches the net to the top of the Bubblerama 3000, explaining he's been doing it wrong. Now instead of trying to create one giant bubble, his invention will rapidly create millions of smaller ones instead.

The machine works, and the room fills with bubbles that delight everybody. Stu announces that he's quitting his awful job so he can stay home and play with his son.

Transcript

The transcript can be found here

Trivia

• Stu's disco suit was sold in the episode Garage Sale, but it reappears in this episode.

Gallery