I See London, I See France is the first segment of the seventh episode in the third season of Rocko's Modern Life.
Summary[]
While on a trip to Paris, Rocko tries to find and impress Claudette, his female wallaby pen pal whom he loves, but Rocko finds out she is more interested in Heffer.
Plot[]
In Paris, Rocko is seen talking to a female wallaby in French until she speaks in Heffer's voice. Rocko had only imagined himself talking to the girl he loves and is on the airplane with Heffer, who is reading an English-French language phrase book. Rocko looks through the window to find that the plane is now in Paris, which Rocko describes as the city of love and romance. He is also eager to see all the other things to see in the city as well, such as the architecture, art, culture, food, and livestock.
Rocko and Heffer are then seen about to ride the "Sani-Tours Paris express" bus, in which the Driver is giving the tour to all other passengers. When asking for questions, Rocko asks him when he and the rest of the passengers would get a chance to see the Eiffel Tower. The Driver ignores his question and begins the tour, where he shows the passengers the most extraneous material of the tour around the city. When Rocko takes a view of the Eiffel Tower, he shows Heffer and explains its history, which prompts the other passengers to give it a quick view as well. But they all return to their seats in deference to The Driver, who reminds them who is giving them the tour, much to Rocko's annoyance. Rocko then views the female wallaby he loves driving a green car next to the bus. She turns onto a road that leads to the Eiffel Tower and Rocko tells the Driver that he missed the Eiffel Tower, which prompts the now-angered bus driver to stop the bus and walk over to Rocko to demand him to follow his tour.
The passengers later take a lunch break to Chokey Chicken and Rocko is peeved because nothing on the tour has nothing to do with France, but Heffer is incredulous, saying that Rocko loves the restaurant. When he sees the female wallaby walking by through the window, he leaves, abandoning his hat as Heffer only just notices his absence. The Driver calls everyone back over after they have eaten, with Heffer sneaking a few more bites. Back on the tour bus, the Driver takes roll like a schoolteacher and notices that Rocko is missing. The Driver demands Heffer to tell him Rocko's whereabouts and begins to get hysterical. As he slowly begins to lose his composure, Heffer escapes through the emergency exit window and runs away, prompting The Driver to chase after him on his bus.
Meanwhile, Rocko is seen dressed in a red and white striped shirt and a beret (a stereotypical French look) carrying flowers for the girl he loves, who is sitting at the table outside the cafe frappe shop. When a car passes by, the girl has left, and Rocko runs after her. Soon, a chase precipitates: Rocko chases after the girl he loves, Heffer chases after a Chokey Chicken advertising car, and the furious Bus Driver chases after Heffer.
After the chase, Rocko is seen standing on the bridge gazing down at the river Seine in sorrow due to not finding the girl of his dreams. A French poodle comes around and tells him that she is at the Eiffel tower. Rocko thanks the poodle and runs to the Eiffel Tower, with the others taking notices of Rocko's love for the girl. By the time he takes the elevator to the top, he finds that it leads to a Chokey Chicken restaurant there (where the observation deck is in real life), where he finds Heffer sitting with the girl, whose name is revealed to be Claudette. Rocko stares in disappointment when he finds that Claudette wasn't who he expected to be.
Rocko and Heffer are later seen on the plane looking at the pictures of the Chokey Chicken sign that has been mounted on all sorts of structures in Paris. When Heffer teases Rocko about Claudette, an annoyed Rocko resents his feelings for the girl, saying that she is only a friend of his and that she isn't his type, for he would rather be with Melba. The Driver is seen driving on the bus through the window, hysterically demanding Rocko and Heffer to get back on the bus. But the plane gets airborne and the Driver hops out of the bus and drops to his knees, screaming "Noooooooooooooooo!" at the top of his lungs as he watches the plane fly away, ending the episode.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
- The Wogue magazine that Rocko was reading at the end of the episode is a parody of Vogue Magazine.
- It is revealed in this episode that Rocko knows about the Eiffel Tower and its history, as the others in the tour group are just as fascinated as he is.
- Dr. Hutchison is absent for the first time in season three.
- There isn't a "number 12" on the tour. The numbers on the tourists' hats skip from 11 (Rocko) to 13 (Heffer).
- This is the first Nickelodeon show to take place in Paris before the film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie released in 2000.
- This episode's title is a reference to a taunting rhyme sung by children: "I see London, I see France, I see (someone)'s underpants."
- For unknown reasons, this episode, along with its sister episode "The Fatlands", are currently unavailable for Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, and Paramount+.
- The plot of the episode is similar to the 1979 film A Little Romance.
- Live-action stock photos are seen in the brochure Rocko reads, as well as the photographs that Heffer took at the end (the latter with the Chokey Chicken mascot superimposed onto all of them).
Quotes[]
- Bus Driver: GET BACK ON THE BUS!!!