invisibility

Strong Bad Email #41

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"A spectacle of graphics and sound!"

Tandy 400 is dead and gone, for behold: The Compy 386! A spectacle of graphics and sound. Meanwhile, Strong Bad discovers being invisible really isn't worth it.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Bubs, Homestar Runner, Strong Mad

Places: Computer Room, Bubs' Concession Stand, The Field, Basement of the Brothers Strong

Computer: Compy 386

Date: Monday, September 9, 2002

Running Time: 1:54

Page Title: The Last Stand(y) of the Tandy 400.

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc One, Sbemails' 50 Greatest Hits DVD

SBEMail Menu Description: The Compy 386 era begins! Strong Bad ponders the pros and cons of being invisible.

Transcript

STRONG BAD: {off-screen} I'm hooome!

{He walks to the Tandy 400 and sits in front of it.}

STRONG BAD: Okay, let's see here. Don't need this anymore.

{Strong Bad removes the post-it on the screen that says "DORKS!" on it with an angry face with sharp teeth below.}

STRONG BAD: I don't need this anymore!

{Strong Bad knocks the Tandy off the table and onto the floor.}

STRONG BAD: For behold...

{Strong Bad places the Compy on the desk, as a harp plays.}

STRONG BAD: The 386. A spectacle of graphics and sound!

{A tune is played and the "386 Version 1.5" logo appears on the screen.}

STRONG BAD: Okay, let's get to checking! {types "strongbad_email.exe" to bring up the email, which reads:}

strong bad,

what would you do if you were
invisable for one day????

sin studly17

{Strong Bad pronounces "invisable" as invis-ABLE, and drags out "day????" while changing his tone to reflect all the question marks.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Well dumb name, this is something I've often thought about myself. And I came to the conclusion that... {clears screen, continues typing} I don't really think being visible prevents me from doing whatever I want to do. So I'd probably just do the kinda stuff I normally do.

{Cut to an invisible Strong Bad stealing boxes of Swiss Cake Rolls from Bubs' Concession Stand, while Bubs scats a groovy tune.}

STRONG BAD: {voice-over} You know, like, steal stuff...

{Finishing his song, Bubs turns around to find the Swiss Cake Rolls boxes floating away.}

BUBS: {raising up his right arm} My chocolates! {raising up his left arm} Come back, chocolates! {lowering his left arm} I didn't mean what I said... {lowering his right arm, with his head dropping sadly as he faces the camera}

{Cut to Homestar Runner standing in the field.}

STRONG BAD: {voice-over} ...punch stuff...

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Marzipan is late.

{The boxes of rolls float up to Homestar.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Oh, hey, guys!

{A punching noise is heard and Homestar doubles over. The boxes float off.}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Ooh! Owww! Those things are bad for you.

{Cut to Invisible Strong Bad eating the Swiss Cake Rolls on his couch in front of the TV. Family Feud is on.}

STRONG BAD: {voice-over} ... eat stuff... and at the same time... watch stuff...

{The "Family Feud" strike buzzer is heard from the TV.}

INVISIBLE STRONG BAD: Pwa ha ha ha! Survey says, you're an idiot!

{Strong Mad enters the room and walks in front of where Invisible Strong Bad is sitting.}

INVISIBLE STRONG BAD: Oh, hey, man. Look, I'm sitting here, I'm just invisible, okay?

{Strong Mad looks confused and looks around for the source of the voice, while Invisible Strong Bad waves the swiss cake roll around him}

INVISIBLE STRONG BAD: Hey! Brain-for-brains! I'm right here! The floating Swiss Cake Roll is talking to you! Hey, no— {slurred noises of protestation}

{Strong Mad gets angry, jumps up, and sits on the couch where Invisible Strong Bad is sitting.}

INVISIBLE STRONG BAD: WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

{Cut back to the computer with Strong Bad}

STRONG BAD: Ugh! {typing} Nevermind. Being invisible is not worth a face full of Strong Mad butt. {stops typing} Ugh. {resumes typing} I feel like I need to take a shower. I dunno when the last time he washed that singlet was. {stops typing} Anyways. Remember, kids! Take your vitamins, pretend you're hilarious, and always, always, email Strong Bad.

{The Paper comes down. The screen eventually fades out and cuts to the Tandy 400 sitting in a trash can.}

Easter Eggs

• At the end, the screen will fade to the Tandy in the trash. Clicking on the contrast buttons will show the Tandy's last words.
  • Why Strong Bad? Why?
  • Remember the Duck Pond?
  • I thought we were a team.
  • Whatever, man. I can make it on my own.
  • 386? More like three eighty SUCKS!
  • Tell the printer I'll miss her.
  • Yeah? Well someone on eBay loves me.
  • There's flies in me. It tickles.
  • My mind is going. I can feel it.
  • My mind is going. I can feel it.
  • My mind is going. I can feel it.
  • My mind is going. I can feel it.
  • My mind is going. I can feel it.
  • Fine, I'm gonna start giving away secrets.
  • Have you clicked on the 'O' in Message Bored?
  • Justin Bailey ****** ******
  • Oh jeez. I think this is really it.
  • gasp.
  • wheez.
  • cough.
  • (blank screen)
  • (blank screen)
  • end of line.

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This is the first appearance of the Compy 386.
• The Compy makes The Geddup Noise when it is dragged onto the table.
• This email marks the debut of the Basement of the Brothers Strong.
• The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad describes a day of invisibility."

Remarks

• When Strong Bad returns, there is nothing on the screen; when he left, BrothaCheese's email was still on the screen. Unless someone had been tampering with the computer, the email should still be there.
• Invisible Strong Bad is seen carrying eleven boxes of Swiss cake rolls when he leaves Bubs' Concession Stand. However, when he approaches Homestar, he only has ten.
• This is the first email in which Strong Bad writes "a> strongbad_email.exe" instead of "a> run "strongbad's_email".
• The loading screen text is larger than normal.

Goofs

And we don't need any contrast buttons and reflection in the right place anymore...

• When the Tandy's screen is in the garbage, the crack in the glass is missing.
• When Strong Bad knocks the Tandy off the desk, a piece of Strong Bad's reflection from the computer screen can be seen on the wall.
• In one frame, as the Tandy is flying off the desk, the contrast dials are completely gone.
• While Invisible Strong Bad is stealing the Swiss Cake Rolls, at one point while he's walking offscreen, the cake rolls suddenly disappear, although he hasn't finished walking out of the camera's view.
• When the Tandy is flying off the desk, the keyboard is not there.
• If the contrast on the Tandy is changed before Strong Bad knocks it off, Strong Bad's reflection does not change with it.
• Strong Bad's reflection is shown over the green lines on the Tandy, instead of under them, as is usual.
• When Strong Bad says "a spectacle of graphics and sound", the gray points on his mask in the reflection poke out above his head.

Glitches

• In the Tandy, the red portion of Strong Bad's mask base does not reflect at the bottom of the screen. This is more visible with the green contrast turned up. Also, his reflection blocks the green lines on the screen.
• When Strong Bad is answering the email his head moves left and right in the reflection, but his head outside the reflection doesn't move.

Inside References

• One of the 'last words' is a hint to click on the 'O' in Message Bored. The "Message Bored" it is referring to is the Strong Bad's Message Bored, an old, official forum that used to be on the site (now, only the banner from the top is still around). Clicking on the "O" brings you to 3 hidden games.
  • The page title of the Message Bored is "Remember What the Tandy Told You", a direct reference to this Easter egg.
• "Remember the duck pond?" is a reference to duck pond.
• Strong Bad says he needs a shower.
• The Tandy says of the Compy, "More like three eighty sucks!"

Real-World References

• The line "My mind is going. I can feel it." is a reference to the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• The line "Justin Bailey ****** ******" refers to a cheat code for the game Metroid, which caused the heroine Samus Aran to be dressed in a skimpier outfit than her normal armored suit when you input it as your continue password. In the correct password, the lower-case letters and asterisks should be replaced by upper-case letters and hyphens, respectively.
• The buzzer sound and the line "Survey Says" are references to Family Feud.
• "End of line" is a quote from the Walt Disney movie Tron. The sinister Master Control Program always ended conversations with his minions by saying "End of line."
• eBay is a popular online auction website, where you can find just about anything for sale.
• The striped white on blue 386 logo seen when the computer is turned on is similar to the striped white on blue IBM logo shown when old IBM computers are turned on.
• Strong Bad's final line is a reference to one of Hulk Hogan's catchphrases, "To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong."

Fast Forward

• This email is later mentioned in personal favorites.
• The phrase "I can make it on my own" is used as the motto of Li'l Brudder.
• The Tandy comes back from the dead in ghosts.
• The Tandy appears again in retirement, along with the Compy, which had stuck around until virus.
• The Tandy's replacement is seen again, albeit with an added explosion, in hremail 3184.
• "Brain for Brains" later showed up in dictionary.
• In Hremail 7, Homestar predicts that the Tandy will only last for forty emails, referring to its replacement here in email 41.

DVD Version

• Click on a hidden Strong Bad head icon to access the Tandy 400's last words, as opposed to just waiting.
  • As well, there are minor differences in the egg. The egg is now a video, with sound effects of the flies buzzing, blips when the Tandy changes text, and inability to cycle through the text manually. When the Tandy says "My mind is going, I can feel it," it flashes on the screen a few times before switching over to the next block of text. As well, when "End of Line" appears, the text slowly fades away into nothingness.
• The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch your DVD player's audio language selection while watching.

Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Matt Chapman, Mike Chapman)

MATT: Strong Bad's returning from vacation, Mike! This is the first break we really took after we'd started doing the Strong Bad Emails every week, huh?

MIKE: Mmm-hm. Couple weeks.

MATT: Where'd you go on your vacation?

MIKE: I went to Bald Head Island in North Carolina.

MATT: Did you?

MIKE: Mmm-hm. The beach.

MATT: I guess I went to Marco Island, Florida, I would assume. {pause} So, here comes the 386! Just—

MIKE: Yeah, new computer! Uh, he hasn't updated since then.

MATT: Yeah. Should we do that?

MIKE: Maybe someday. I've thought about giving him a laptop named Lappy.

MATT: {laughs} That sounds pretty good.

MIKE: Maybe we'll do that someday.

MATT: {simultaneously} The Lappy- uh, the Lappy 486?

MIKE: Uh-huh.

MATT: I like that song Bubs is singing to himself. I love how personified the Swiss Cake Rolls are.

MIKE: {simultaneously} Yeah, no one, no one seems to have a problem with the floating Swiss Cake Rolls.

MATT: Yeah.

MIKE: It's like, so common.

MATT: Bubs had been in some kind of domestic dispute with them earlier. Homestar was... y'know, maybe going to meet them up at the club later. I like the, like, butt, the sweaty butt imprint that Strong Bad's leaving on the couch there. Here comes Graw Mad! Look out! He doesn't know what's going on! Uh-oh, Strong Bad! Ohhh, man.

MIKE: So did that really happen?

MATT: What?

MIKE: All of that stuff?

MATT: No.

MIKE: Oh.

MATT: That was all, I think—

MIKE: {simultaneously} Like a dream sequence?

MATT: {unintelligible} We draw—there's a fine line. Sometimes, it's really happening, and sometimes it's just hypothetical.

MIKE: I think that one was hypothetical.

MATT: {simultaneously} I think we leave the best—the more gray we leave it, the better. {long pause} Thanks, everyone.

Fun Facts

• This commentary serves as very effective foreshadowing to the emails virus and animal (which had not been made at the time the commentary was recorded), since the Lappy 486 had indeed replaced the Compy later on.
• Matt calling Strong Mad "Graw Mad" is potentially a reference to the facts (though the email may not have been made at the time of the commentary recording); the name was Little Girl's pronunciation of "Strong Mad" at the time.
• The Brothers Chaps say they visited Bald Head Island and Marco Island, two small towns on the East Coast of the United States.
• The commentary says that the sequences where Strong Bad was invisible didn't actually happen, but in personal favorites, Strong Bad references that he really was invisible and punched Homestar in the gut. This may be trying to "grey" the line between hypothetical and happening, or a mistake. However, in a @StrongBadActual Tweet, the Brothers Chaps said, albeit jokingly, that such sequences, though specifically citing the sequences in question, are canon.

External Links

• watch "invisibility"
• watch "invisibility" on YouTube
• watch "invisibility" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "invisibility"