"Magical Pet" (also known as "China, IL: The Musical") is the tenth episode of the third season of ''
China, IL
''China, IL'' (meaning ''China, Illinois'') is an American adult animated sitcom created by Brad Neely for the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network.
The series was originally conceived as a web series on Adult Swim's defunct comedy w ...
''. The 44-minute-long episode features ten songs written and arranged by creator
Brad Neely
Brad Neely (born October 26, 1976) is an American comic book artist and television writer/producer known for his work on television series such as ''South Park'', '' China, IL'' and '' Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio,'' the web series '' ...
. Several producers wrote the episode, including executive producer Daniel Weidenfeld. In it, Leonard Cakes acquires Kei-ko, a talking gorilla, to appease his son's demands for a magical pet. Baby Cakes is more amused by Frank, whose body becomes entirely covered in hair after failing to read the directions of a hair growth stimulant. Frank's brother Steve competes with Pony over who is less shallow romantically.
"Magical Pet" originally aired on June 14, 2015, on
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
. Atlanta-based musician
Cat Power provided the voice of Kei-ko, while actors
Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series '' Mare of Easttown'', w ...
and
Rosa Salazar lent the voices of Pony and Steve's dates. The episode was seen by approximately 1.1 million viewers on its first air date. Writers of music- and entertainment-related publications gave its music and themes praise. The episode also serves as the program's final episode.
Plot
Leonard Cakes gives in to his son Baby Cakes' demands for a "magical pet" and runs to a pet adoption center. Baby Cakes complains there that the pets are unremarkable. Leonard asks him to grow up, putting Baby Cakes in a lethargic state. Frank Smith wants to date his neighbor Cindy, but she refuses to date bald men. He sets out to
Chinatown in search of a hair growth stimulant. Frank buys some pills, which cause hair to grow rapidly all over his body. Pony and Steve attempt to prove to one another that appearance is not their primary motivation in starting relationship. Pony sets up a date with Clint, a food
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
ger, and Steve asks out Barb, a bartender. Steve and Pony separately discover that their dates are a
satyr
In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...
and a
cyclops, respectively. Leonard enters the "Fucking with Animals" department on the campus of University of China, Illinois, where he witness the Dean's plans to decompose caged animals to petroleum. Kei-ko, a gorilla with a
speech-generating device
Speech-generating devices (SGDs), also known as voice output communication aids, are electronic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems used to supplement or replace speech or writing for individuals with severe speech impairmen ...
, sings a swan song. Leonard bargains with the Dean to give the gorilla to his son, but Baby Cakes refuses to take Kei-ko, complaining that she is not really magical.
Frank tries shaving his body, but the hair grows back, sending him to the woods in a panic. Leonard encounters Frank there and asks him to act as Baby Cakes' new pet, bringing Baby Cakes back to high spirits. Pony and Steve reluctantly reveal each other's dates, and the two agree to
double date
Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...
to avoid being accused of being shallow. In Baby Cakes' room, Kei-ko regrets never finding another gorilla to mate with. Frank assures her that there are plenty of gorillas in the wild and promises to release her by some means. Baby Cakes barges in and sends Kei-ko back to the Dean, but when he returns, Frank's stimulant has worn off, making Baby Cakes depressed again. Frank performs a song stressing the "magic" of friendship over material things, cheering Baby Cakes up slightly. Frank warns that they need to rescue Kei-ko. At the Dean's department, Frank wins the gorilla back through bribery, and Frank, Baby Cakes, and Leonard release Kei-ko to the wild. Pony and Steve meet at a restaurant, where their dates reveal themselves as
exes. Clint and Barb get physical and partially destroy the restaurant. Steve and Pony laugh over the situation as they discuss future dates. The episode ends with a still-hairy Frank returning home, where his neighbor Cindy sees him while he's trying to enter his apartment. As the hair falls off his body, Frank confronts Cindy over her refusal to date and have sex with him due to superficial reasons. Frank then triumphantly states that he is magical and enters his apartment free of all of his unwanted hair.
Production
![Cat Power Freeress 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Cat_Power_Freeress_2013.jpg)
All ten of the songs in "Magical Pet" were written by
Brad Neely
Brad Neely (born October 26, 1976) is an American comic book artist and television writer/producer known for his work on television series such as ''South Park'', '' China, IL'' and '' Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio,'' the web series '' ...
, who created ''China, IL''.
Program executive producer Daniel Weidenfeld wrote the episode with
Rebecca Addelman
Rebecca Addelman (born 1981) is a Canadian comedian, writer, director and actress living in Los Angeles, California. She was a contributing staff writer on Fox's sitcom ''New Girl''.
Background and education
Addelman is from Ottawa, Ontario.She ...
, L. E. Correia,
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig (; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She first garnered attention after working on and appearing in several mumblecore films. Between 2006 and 2009, she appeared in a number of films ...
, Chris Goodwin,
Kyle McCulloch
Kyle McCulloch (born November 11, 1962) is a Canadian writer for the TV cartoon '' South Park'', and is largely responsible for the show's Canadian culture themes. He will also occasionally provide the voice for one-time use characters, such as Ga ...
, and Mehar Sethi. It was the eighth episode produced of the program's third season.
The episode has a running time of 44 minutes, double that of a typical episode. The 22-minute limit constantly forced the crew to remove 10 minutes of material from their scripts.
They generated enough material for the episode to attempt to push the limit. Adult Swim approved this decision; if not, the crew would have scrapped its musical element. According to Weidenfeld, it was the "most fun ever" to write.
The voices of Pony and Steve's love interests were supplied by actors
Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series '' Mare of Easttown'', w ...
and
Rosa Salazar. Weidenfeld and Neely were nervous to approach Peters, but the actor was enthusiastic to finally work in voice acting.
Atlanta-based musician Chan Marshall, stage name
Cat Power, performed three of the songs as the voice of Kei-ko's speaking device. The 1995 film ''
Congo'' served as inspiration for Kei-ko's species and ability to speak.
Weidenfeld defined the themes explored in Marshall's songs as "the reason" he and the production crew produce animation. A major theme in those same compositions, Neely said, was the "chain of misery" involved in "all facets" the 21st century. According to the creator, the episode's central themes consisted of friendship and assigning importance and meaning to things relative to a person's life. Neely himself provided the voice of Baby Cakes, Frank, and Steve. The aforementioned character performs several jazz duets with Pony, whose voice was lent by
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig (; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She first garnered attention after working on and appearing in several mumblecore films. Between 2006 and 2009, she appeared in a number of films ...
. For one of Frank's songs, Neely sought inspiration from the music video for "
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The band co-produced ...
" by the
Bee Gees; Baby Cakes' songs reference
Disney animated classics.
Reception
Adult Swim originally aired "Magical Pet" on June 14, 2015. This airing received a
Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 0.5 for adults aged 18 to 49, in that 0.5 percent of all persons in that age range with a television set viewed the episode. Ranked by this measurement, the episode was the 13th most-watched program on cable television for that date. For households with two or more persons, approximately 1.1 million viewers saw the episode.
Liz Ohanesian of ''
Paste'' called Cat Power's first song the most poignant part of the episode, writing that the burden of self-awareness faced by Marshall's character clarifies the themes of the episode and ''China, IL'' altogether. The songs according to Ohanesian heightened the episode's comedy, as did
Hulk Hogan's performance as the Dean.
James Grebey of ''
Spin'' considered Marshall's employment on the episode unsurprising, given the network's association with alternative and independent music.
The episode serves as ''China, IL''s final episode. Neely announced that Adult Swim passed on a fourth season renewal. He has continued working for the network with a new program, ''
Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio''.
References
External links
* {{IMDb episode, 4776930
2015 American television episodes
Musical television episodes
American television series finales
Fiction about animal cruelty