Regular Show's DARKEST Storyline | The Saga of Drunk Benson

you're fired you idiots back to work now okay get back to work cut it out everything has to be perfect you make me so angry is that what you want [Music] [Music] benson dunwoody you know him as the grumpy boss of the park the gumball curmudgeon himself i bet you didn't even know what his last name was because i didn't until i googled it but that's very fitting because ladies and gentlemen there's a lot you don't know about this anthropomorphic gumball machine sure he's one of the main characters of the show yeah he's always got you know like a clipboard these are basic facts but in this video i want to dive into the darker side of benson something that you may not have picked up on from watching the show but is there the entire time lurking in the shadows a dark secret a horrible vice one that almost cost him his relationships his friends and even his life it's common knowledge that benson is angry and miserable just like the rest of us living in 2022. but have you ever stopped a question why because there might be an answer you never saw coming look i would argue that regular show does the bare minimum at hiding its more adult themes which is why the show is so successful i mean it doesn't talk down to its audience i don't even think it's really made for kids half the time but the show got so many seasons i mean this show got way more seasons than i think anyone ever anticipated and for good reason they did a lot with it they went to space it was really cool and i think that if you watch regular show start to finish with the intention of seeing every character's progress you'll notice a secret arc with benson's character one that's a little too blue to say directly but it's all there ladies and gentlemen today we are going to be talking about benson and his fight with alcoholism this isn't even a bit i know that sounded goofy but by the time you're done with this video you will see as we have that benson is 100 an alcoholic and this is a problem that followed him throughout the course of the entire series so without further ado guys let me explain why benson is an alcoholic hey hey i want to say something it's clear that regular show was one of the more mature cartoons that cartoon network's ever made whether it was clever innuendos or just literal things that kind of got me in trouble for watching it as a kid the episode where they see pops naked for instance but it was always funny and it was great and they never crossed a line there's a reason why every single blue can in the show is labeled soda even when it doesn't always seem like they're drinking soda and i think this is something that started off more in the earlier seasons and then as the show went on it kind of became more about the characters but we all watched that unicorn episode bro and you tell me what's going on remember that clown and the unicorn that comes out of the motel come on anyways before i get into all this i want to say i'm not an idiot they're wings in the show they call them wings but literally anybody who's watching this who thinks that they're just chicken wings and nothing more no way is this a metaphor for something else come on bro rewatch those episodes i know you're a little older now bro you probably have a bank account credit score watch those episodes and you tell me what you think regardless of this is something i thought was super interesting and i just want to break it down and i know you may be sitting there right now thinking this guy is an idiot and i am so needless to say there's a lot that we have to explain before we get down to our main thesis here and surprisingly there is a bit of lore we should get out of the way before diving into this now like i said previously it's no secret that regular show has a lot of adult themes specifically with i'm just gonna be blunt here alcohol and drug use mississippi queen anybody come on what was that supposed to be besides like some crazy drug trip and that's actually the first episode that i want to open up with because any regular show ogs remember the episode weekend at benson's mordecai and rigby mistakenly ko benson find out his neighbor probably wants to smash and give it their all to help benson impress her they're real ones for that this accumulates in a spicing contest that benson cruises through on account of the fact that he might literally be dead oh dude i thought you had him he probably needs medical attention it nearly backfires when mordecai rigby and a now conscious benson have to drink the dreaded mississippi queen a concoction of various spicy foods and sauces that trigger quite a reaction in the boys instead of cowering in pain like little [ __ ] they have a full-on lsd trip it's a pretty wicked hallucination it's like the desert scene and beavis and butthead do america have you all seen that should we talk about that sound off in the comments that was incredible for as insane as this was this would not be a one-off instance of foods or drinks taking the place of drugs and alcohol and regular show in fact it was just the beginning they're like we can get away with this okay let's pedal to the metal in fact this kind of lay the groundwork for a recurring element in seasons five through seven wing kingdom any regular show fan knows wing kingdom and i'm almost positive just from the logo that this is just supposed to be a riff on buffalo wild wings the logo the booth the wings what kind of name is that anyways buffalo wild wings sounds like something you order off the menu and then what were expected to call it b-dubs who called it that i did it was pretty much a better name but wait no i'm curious now how do we get b-dubs how did that come out from wings in 1998 the company changes names a new abbreviation is needed b-dubs as a result of abbreviating buffalo wild wings oh my god it's insanely obvious bw i feel like an idiot now point is it still means they knew that buffalo wild wings sounded made when kingdom sounds cooler and they probably haven't taken away everything i've loved off the menu so yeah i'm camp wing kingdom anyways win kingdom started popping up around season three but it really took off in season five making a lot more appearances starting with the episode dodge this don't let the simp escalates fool you this may be packaged as another mordecai and cj episode but the opening scene gives us a look at a different kind of benson one who is absolutely white girl wasted this episode shows us from the jump that in regular show wings will get you certifiably [ __ ] up it's probably the sauce and benson loves to get lost in the sauce okay i mean skips and pops ask him to go easy on the wings quite a bit a sign that he clearly has an issue with moderation often reasoning with him over concerns of previous injuries or the danger of a quote food coma we can all guess what that would be literally sauced up benson feels like a complete 180 from the miserable angry clump of edible latex that contemplates therapy every nine to five if it wasn't for substance abuse i'd even go as far to say he's the leader that sober benson strives to be and i know that's kind of wild and a little bit of dangerous rhetoric but look at how he approaches the team once he's feeling a little groovy instead of existing in a constant state of irritation and just wanting to get the day over with he loosens up and becomes completely enthralled in the people around him he effortlessly leads the conversation as he goes out of his way to hype everyone up recognizing their improvements and their hard work i just want to thank everybody for training so hard you're doing a real good job he also has a habit of shutting everyone up so he can have the drunken floor something that happens more than once listen up everybody stop talking guys guys i'd like to propose a toast no let me finish hey hey i want to say something granted in this first instance they are talking about their dodgeball team ahead of a big tournament but remember this is benson acting completely on benson like something's up with the wings is all i'm saying this is the man with a short fuse who gets frustrated at any inconvenience and detests humiliation on any level we even witnessed this first hand later in the episode there's competitive nature and various outbursts he's taking this dodgeball hobby as seriously as any park job and we know he takes those a little too seriously which is why his attitude here comes as a surprise seeing benson not only perform well under pressure but psych up the rest of his team so they're all confident ahead of the game is absolutely wild usually screaming at the top of his lungs and threatening everyone's paycheck is how he keeps them in check but it's obvious that stems from him using his position of power as an outlet for his anger so i guess it helps that they're playing a game that allows him to go ape [ __ ] on people that aren't under his payroll side note i gotta say dodge this is kind of an underrated episode like the introduction of the dodgeball team establishes that these guys aren't just co-workers they're friends isn't that sweet it's great team building and they're bonding in a setting where they don't drive each other up the wall it also makes you realize how absolutely insane the regular show cast is if you had to pitch them to a network which somebody did and don't get me wrong i think a lot of these characters became characters over time but like the high five ghost what is that what is he it's the most unconventional thing ever and i love it circling back to his leadership skills and initiative under the influence the episode men in uniform sees the whole park hammered after being informed by mr mallard pops's pops that the park's low attendance will result in being shut down unless they turn it around quick this leads to a wing kingdom to go outing funded by none other than benson this last hurrah quickly escalates into benson jumping the gun and making the misguided assumption that other parks like east pine are popping off simply because their employees wear uniforms so with benson's lead they spend the whole night making the goofiest fits i've ever seen absolutely zero drip zero out of ten this is not grailled i don't know if i use that term right i only shop at old navy it inadvertently works but if benson was sober stressed out and yelling at them throughout the whole process he probably would have had little cooperations to design the uniform in the first place especially for mordecai and rigby they almost seem like they're fragile when they're quote unquote drunk off wings raise your voice by just an octave and rigby's tailing it out of there like his name is swiper if you don't remember that guy it's really screwed up to see but it almost seems like benson's best state of mind comes when he's intoxicated it's kind of alarming and definitely signs of a greater issue like the only way he ever excels at lifting others up hearing everyone out and well just being a fun jovial dude to be around is for him to be turned at a chain restaurant which is not good it's very dangerous behavior i do not condone this hell when they thought muscle man was going to die benson gives a whole speech about muscle man's greatest qualities visibly torn up over the fact that as far as he knows he's about to say goodbye to one of the only few friends in his life and then like muscle man doesn't die and benson recently gets upset let's just cut to that clip all that death stuff was a metaphor i leave this world tonight it's not a metaphor oh you owe me 12 000 but if there was one trait that carried over from sober benson to sauced up benson it's without a doubt his bluntness even when living his best life channeling summer camp counselor energy benz is not afraid to speak his mind there's no subtlety in benson conveying that he thinks mordecai is the best dodgeball player on the team to the point where everyone else may as well be dog [ __ ] at it when celebrating what could be their last night in the working class he decides to talk [ __ ] about mallard right in front of pops he may be jolly when he's drunk but he's still very much capable of hurting your feelings without second thought and i fear him but alright you're probably thinking knowing what kind of quote-unquote drinker he is doesn't mean he has an addiction these are all common things that happen when you get a little sauced up anyways showing your character getting a little lit here and there isn't proof of a problem it's not like he's using these wings as a crutch right well if you think that take a seat there's two episodes i want to focus on that feature benson largely sober only for him to immediately resort to chicken wings once things don't go his way very subtle the first benson's suit sees our gumball-headed king in a depression feeling as if no one respects him but a fancy suit turns his entire attitude around tragically he bleaches the suit by mistake and copes by drowning his sorrows in wings and a bottle of hot sauce which i don't know if you've ever had hot sauce but drinking a stir from the bottle isn't really a fun time giving the fit a proper burial while stumbling through his parting words but then the suit pulls like a spider-man 3 and is on him in perfect condition the next morning go watch that episode it's hilarious the second episode is the parky awards focusing on a show dedicated to celebrating parks from all over the city i would totally tune into that it totally sounds like something i'd want to watch sponsored by none other than wing kingdom hmm never seen alcohol sponsor things before that's for sure i'm starting to think that this place makes most of its profits from being an enabler fence is pretty eager to receive a parky award knowing he has to have something in the bag but alas it's a bust benson's rival gene sweeps it like it's nothing and unfortunately benson doesn't have the guts to pull like a kanye moment i would have loved to see it though gene i'm really happy for you imma let you finish but my park is one of the best parks of all time benson plays it cool with the wound is fresh but once the other parks leave he's no longer humble downing some wings and wallowing in his misery poor boy i'm getting some best sanchez vibes from this one but the silver bullet is really the episode gold watch which i kid you not is just 11 minutes of benson denying that he has a problem we start off with our typical sauced benson who's hyping up his team and including them in his achievements but after two pilots tango and stash offered to celebrate their milestone together i.e devouring more quote unquote wings benson suddenly finds himself in an ejector seat stranded in the middle of the desert i got it under control this was probably the funniest scene and there's like a clip of it on youtube i just watch endlessly because there's something about it cutting to black and him waking up in this specific situation that is infinitely hilarious we quickly learned that benson had zero self-control tonight prior unable to resist the allure of bottomless wings which i'm the same way honestly wings are amazing but not like this bro more wings fence than likey and i'm benson next thing he knew he was partying hard with tango stash mordecai and rigby decided to take one of tango and stash's plane for a spin and more or less landing everyone in a pretty sicky situation from here we watch benson own up to his responsibility and stack up against impossible odds in an effort to clock in on time only for the episode to end with him going on another implied bender this time stranded in the middle of the ocean what i really want to focus on here though is how often the dialogue of this episode leans into the idea that benson has a problem with substances specifically implying alcohol pops and skips once again try to reason with him early in the episode skips even saying well sometimes people do things they regret on a belly full of wings which sounds like it came out straight of a 90s psa and is mark hamill which makes it even funnier benson actively tries to pin his misfortunes on mordecai and rigby throughout the episode once he actually does it to their face he's brought back down to reality by tango and stash and what they say to benson actually made my jaw drop nobody put those wings inside you but you just because we party like handsome maniacs doesn't mean you didn't have a choice the real messed up part is gold watch isn't the end of benson's alcoholic endeavors in fact it was only the second episode to explore this concept it goes to show that regardless of the risks benson continued to rely on alcohol to let loose and escape the cruelties of the world around him and i'm not gonna act like this isn't a narrative we haven't seen before although not in a cartoon network show i mean characters drinking as a coping mechanism that's practically ingrained in american culture though he can go overboard his reactions and punishments towards mordecai and rigby anyone would be under a ton of stress just having to manage this park with all the crazy [ __ ] that goes on daily seriously regardless of their intentions mordecai rigby and even muscle man attract horrors beyond any human comprehension to their job on a literal daily basis dealing with your employees slacking off is already annoying enough but when a demigorgon raids your fridge and burns your crops and that just becomes another tuesday on the job probably gonna acquire thirst for something only a coal miner would drink that's not even factoring his repressed childhood trauma failed love life and all around bad luck and sad life i mean look at this man's apartment why don't they windows on the inside why it's like a liminal space freaks me out obviously benson needs a therapist not the grocery list of a hot ones episode but luckily before peacing out and this is what i really want to make the video about the show managed to sneak in a little sobriety arc for benson in the final two seasons and the catalyst to his recovery is a little something i'd like to call love so remember how season seven introduced the whole giant dome over the park thing that turned out to be a part of a greater plan to send parks around the world to space and then season eight was regular show in space and there was evil pops and explosions and pops died and i definitely wasn't crying no you're crying stop it i'm not crying stop dude don't even look at me right now i'm not crying remember all that yeah well towards the end of season seven we received the episode pam i am golden title in the episode benson properly becomes acquainted with his love interest pam one of the domed scientists who's at the park to conduct research within seconds it becomes abundantly clear that these two are a match made in heaven pam completes benson it was written in the stars pun intended and they even have matching clipboards which if anybody carries around a clipboard find your other half bro like that's a telltale sign someone who could dare i say make benson happy someone to serve as a soothing thought when he's at his limit someone understands him and knows what it's like managing a team it's the bright light that benson had always been waiting for someone who could stop him from picking up a wing just by popping into his head that's love baby and look don't place your happiness onto one person ultimately self-improvement has to come from within but it never hurts for someone to give you the push you need to improve and that's what it seemed like pam wants to benson if you're like me and you're analyzing a children's show for its alcoholic undertones but regardless benson holds a lunch date with pam to spend time with her bringing his favorite dish you guessed it the wings uh oh yeah they're having a great time and getting all tipsy frieza bird pun intended again until the giant fan in the ceiling decides it's time to fly high almost killing both of them until the plot armor kicks in thank god it's funny because close enough would go on to use the rotating blades of death five years later and they can actually show alcohol in that show so it's already better this near-death experience drew out a heart-to-heart between these two lovers and a committed relationship bloomed from there though they would become long distance once the park was sent into space for obvious reasons i actually look at this mission in space as the characters forcing themselves to confront and overcome their deepest flaws and insecurities coming back to earth stronger than ever before it was a great way to wrap up the series and benson embodied all of that at the start of season eight he was struggling in his adjustment to space like literally anybody and he tries to go back to earth only to end up in a simulator which alongside a video message from his friends gives him the change of heart he needs to tough it out for the long haul also in space you don't have to pay for gas and gas is expensive and that's makes me mad and is stupid but he gets dumped yeah i laughed i'm sorry yeah in the episode fry's night long distance kind of gets to pam real bad and this is pretty much as long of a distance as physically possible and she decides to do his best for both of them and break things off and as you would expect benson immediately turns and tries to cope with wings but the wings don't work anymore because now they just remind him of his lunch date with her this is dark bro benson ends up getting paired with a talking rock that's absolutely down bad for him because it's regular show like she very much wants whatever equivalent of a gumball and the whole experience leads him to be vulnerable with himself as he realizes he can't just jump into another relationship and he can't live his life bathing himself in wings this leaves benson in a different spot than he's ever been before in the series letting go of the shield of anger he hides behind we're left with a benson who's sober and ready to embrace whatever the future throws at him the decision pays off as the end of the series sees benson return to earth obtaining his happily ever after after all he reunites with pam they get back together and eventually they get hitched starting a whole family which i don't even want to ask genetically how that would work i won't i mean a gumball machine and human being having kids kind of nasty defies god but it goes to show at the end of the day love can conquer anything look when i first thought of the idea for this video it was basically wow benson gets drunk in the show it's pretty obvious and the more i followed the thread the crazier it led and while at the end of the day obviously none of this is meant to be alcohol and it is clearly stated as wings i dare you to watch all of these clips and tell me what you think because i've literally never drank wings before but benson has in the show and there's a clip of it but what i was left with when i followed this whole arc is they did something really responsible and actually really interesting with this what started off as like a one-off joke is we can make benson seem drunk and the adults will get it turned into an arc where a character is forced to deal with his substance abuse issues base them down the barrel and become a better person regardless and in spite of it and this all goes back to the fact that this is why regular show worked every time there was like a little innuendo or something that's like you can't show that to kids but kids won't get it so it's fine you gotta remember that that's the huge reason why i personally loved regular show as a kid and why so many people love it and still watch it to this day it doesn't talk down to you it's not stupid it's smart even when it's stupid and it takes its mature themes and approaches them honestly maturely when it has to like the whole case of this arc benson's such a weird character i don't know why i like him every time i look at him a little closer i'm like what am i even watching but he's one of the most iconic characters in cartoons i would argue especially with regular show only becoming bigger and more prominent after the show ended so i think it's safe to say if any of this is interesting to you you can go back and watch all these episodes and take your own takeaway from it but honestly looking back it's one of the coolest parts of the show to me and proves that regular show has so much re-watchability that being said guys i would love to know what you guys think about all of this i know it's kind of crazy but it's kind of not so let us know in those comments down below or tweet to us on social media thank you so much for watching this video i'm nemo this is a regular show video and i'll see you next time peace [Music] [Music] you

Channel: The Roundtable

Views: 1,513,460

Keywords: regular show, regular show benson, benson chicken wings, drunk benson, regular show out of context, regular show funny moments, regular show analysis, regular show ending, pops, mordecai, rigby, benson, regular show benson moments, regular show benson angry, regular show gold watch, regular show dodge this, regular show the parkie awards, regular show benson girlfriend, regular show songs, muscle man, skips, high five ghost, regular show movie, regular show meme, cartoon network

Id: TteXAhHTXF0

Length: 21min 37sec (1297 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 19 2022