"Def Comedy Mom" is the first segment of the thirtieth episode of Pepper Ann. It aired on November 6, 1999.
Synopsis[]
Lydia's witty remarks at a PTA meeting prompts her to try her hand at being a stand-up comic, but Pepper Ann is afraid Lydia will use her most embarrassing moments as comedic fodder.
Plot[]
Lydia begins to exhibit boredom with her mundane life, made all the worse by the fact that Pepper Ann and Moose always have something else to do. During a PTA meeting, Lydia has finally had enough and takes the stage by decrying the usual cake walk and suggests doing a car wash instead. She begins to make jokes that entertain the rest of the meeting and performs an impromptu stand-up comedy act. Everyone enjoys Lydia's newfound hobby, except for Pepper Ann who believes that her stand-up will embarrass "her" as opposed to her mother.
Lydia sets up a show at JavaNutt with Milo, Nicky and eventually two other passersby waiting in line. Pepper Ann cannot understand why anyone would find Lydia's humor funny and begs her to not do the show; believing that she'll make a fool of herself, and embarrass her on top of that. Lydia is disappointed with Pepper Ann's lack of support, scolding her daughter and sending her to her room. Pepper Ann begins to rethink her position, but when Alter Ego informs her that she might end up using personal material relating to her, Pepper Ann doubles down.
Pepper Ann attempts to fake getting sick to get her to cancel, but Steve foils her plan. Lydia calls her out for her lack of support, and Pepper Ann blurts out that she'll make a fool of herself and make her the laughingstock of the town. Lydia concedes defeat, masking her disappointment and decides to cancel the show, angering Moose; she would be forced to have mushrooms for dinner. Pepper Ann feels guilty over ruining her mom's show for her own selfish vices, made even worse upon seeing the line wait excitedly for her performance. Upon seeing the poster for the show, the fake Lydia reiterates how she put her needs aside for Pepper Ann's, right before being silenced by the "cancelled" banner.
Pepper Ann rushes back home and tells Lydia goes to prepare for the show; deciding it would be better to put her mom's needs first and make her happy. Lydia's stand-up routine is once again a hit with the audience who give her an applause. However, she decides to end her comedy career early, as she simply wanted something new in her life with Milo and Nicky welcoming the decision as her "Lydia-Heads". They hear her make dad-jokes at work and admit that it is not the same.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- Pamela Segall as Moose Pearson
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Additional voices
Additional voices[]
- Don Adams as Principal Hickey
- Charlie Adler as Announcer (Artsy Guy)
Other appearances[]
- Gladys (no lines)
- Croquet Man (does not speak)
- Melba (does not speak)
- Carlotta Sneed (cameo)
- Cashier Lady (cameo)
- Debbie (cameo)
- Distressed Mother (cameo)
- Jan (cameo)
- Librarian (cameo)
- Margot LeSandre (cameo)
- Mrs. Little (cameo)
- Myrna (cameo)
- PianoBrite 2000 Salesman (cameo)
- Projectionist (cameo)
- Roy (cameo)
- Sherman Finky (cameo)
- Tommy (cameo)
- Trinket St. Blair (cameo; fantasy)
- Cissy Rooney (cameo; fantasy)
- Tessa and Vanessa James (cameo; fantasy)
- Craig Bean (cameo; fantasy)
- Alice Kane (cameo)
- Sketch (cameo; fantasy)
- Hush (cameo; fantasy)
- Poison (cameo; fantasy)
- Cossie Van Tuttie (cameo; fantasy)
- Timid Boy (cameo; fantasy)
- Timmy (cameo; fantasy)
- Tommy (cameo)
- Trinket St. Blair (cameo; fantasy)
- Crash (mentioned)
Goofs[]
- Melba can be seen sitting next to Principal Hickey and Lydia during the school meeting, but in one of the crowd shots, she can be seen near the edge of the crowd.
Trivia[]
General[]
- For ABC, UPN, and Family Channel broadcasts, this episode was paired with "The Wash-Out" in favor of its sister segment.
- This episode, along with "The Beans of Wrath" and "Effie Shrugged", were the only post-season 1 episodes to use traditional cel animation. They were also the only episodes of the series to be animated by Hana Animation, instead of the show's primary animation studio, Sunwoo.
Continuity[]
- In Pepper Ann's fantasy, Lydia directly references the events of "Ziterella" by using her school photo as a punchline. She also recalls the events of "In Support of" as if they happened recently.
- Ironically, the actual conversation Lydia recalls does not occur in that episode.
- During Lydia's performance, Gladys can be seen sitting next to her husband (as established in Impractical Jokes).
Allusions[]
- The title is a reference to HBO's Def Comedy Jam.
- The comedians Lydia impersonates are Sam Kinison, Steven Wright, Gallagher, and Jeff Foxworthy.
- Milo and Nicky refer to themselves as "Lydia-Heads", a possible reference to "Dead-Heads", fans of the band The Grateful Dead.
External links[]
