Episode 32 (PATB): This Old Mouse

This Old Mouse is the 32nd overall episode of the Pinky and the Brain spin-off series and the 7th episode of season 3. It originally aired on September 18, 1997. Both the cartoon and its cold open were animated by Wang.

Cold Open- A New Direction[]

Plot[]

Pinky and the Brain arrive at a red carpet to announce that their show is moving in a newer, more serious direction and that there will be no more slapstick. Just as Brain says this, Pinky steps on Brain’s shirt and the mice topple out of the limo and onto the ground.

Crew[]

• Written by Wendell Morris and Tom Sheppard
• Directed by Liz Holzman and Russell Calabrese

Trivia[]

• This is the only cold-open to be done on Pinky and the Brain.
• According to director Russell Calabrese, this scene was originally intended for the episode "Cinebrainia."^[1]

This Old Mouse[]

Plot[]

Brain creates a virtual reality headset, and by reducing all of history to a single equation ("e"), he uses the headset to see into the future. However, it is revealed that the two mice are still trying to take over the world even when they grow old. This sends Brain into a mid-life crisis where he sells-off his belongings and goes on a desperate journey to find purpose in life.

Crew[]

• Written by Bill Canterbury
• Directed by Charles Visser

Songs[]

• "Just Say Narf! (Short)"

Trivia[]

• The title of this cartoon is a parody of the nursery-rhyme This Old Man.
• The ACME Bog is a reference to the Honda Center under its former name- Arrowhead Pond.
• When Pinky mentions Albert Einstein's Theory of relativity formula, "The Acme Song" from the Animaniacs cartoon "Cookies for Einstein" can be heard playing in the background. In the former cartoon, the song helped Einstein discover the theory.
• Brain's "equation", the variable "e", is not an equation by definition. He says it is simpler than "e=mc²."
• A depressed Brain tries to get rid of various tools he has used to take over the world, including:
  • The mouse-friendly typing kit used in episodes such as "The Pink Candidate."
  • The giant horseshoe magnet used in the Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain spin-off openings.
  • The series regular human suit used since "Win Big."
  • The Noodle Noggin doll used in "A Pinky and the Brain Christmas."
• To cheer Brain up, Pinky sings "Just Say Narf!" This was before the full, revised song was featured in episode 57, aired in 1998 near the end of the season.
• During Brain's journey, he encounters Mr. Sultana, their neighbor who first appeared in "My Feldmans, My Friends." Mr. Sultana still refers to the mice as Mr. and Mrs. Feldman. Later, when Brain leaves, Mr. Sultana gifts Pinky a yam which is coincidentally shaped like Brain's head.

Cast[]

References[]