Wait. ‘Transparents”? Was this my start? O_O
Okay, all joking aside, this segment was really fun. Not only does it serve as a great introduction to an excellent recurring antagonist, but the comedy it delivers is solid along with some interesting tidbits about fairies organically thrown in for a bit of flavor.
In this segment, Timmy brings an extinct dinosaur to show and tell, and his teacher Crocker is convinced that this happened because of fairy godparents(kinda funny that he’s right, lol), so he tells Timmy that he wants to meet his parents at a parent-teacher conference. Obviously, Timmy bringing his real parents would raise too many questions for them, so Cosmo and Wanda enlist to pose as his parents, turning themselves into human forms to help sell the illusion. Hijinks ensue from there.
The plot itself isn’t perfect, I can say that. Chester and A.J. get involved by trying to capture Timmy’s dinosaur and bringing it to him for safekeeping, and while I’m glad they get to be more involved in the plot, it’s never explained why Timmy doesn’t just wish the dinosaur away. Usually, the show implements some kind of rule from the book to explain why Timmy can’t just wish himself out of it, but we don’t get that here, so it’s definitely a plot hole.
The fact that Cosmo and Wanda do pose as Timmy’s parents also raises some questions as to how Timmy would be able to explain why his parents look different when Crocker does eventually meet them. They do end up coming face-to-face in the future, and as far as I recall, that never gets brought up. Maybe I’m wrong, but for now, it’s a point of confusion.
Despite all that, the story does still work generally. With the main focus on Crocker’s attempts to expose Timmy’s fairies failing miserably, the segment focuses mainly on the comedy, and it succeeds in that regard. Crocker’s character is very entertaining with how his more crazed side pops up randomly, and Cosmo and Wanda’s attempts to pass off as human are great. The way everyone involved play off each other really makes this as fun as it is.
On top of that, the segment provides a number of character intros for the series. Crocker is the big one, as Timmy’s fairy-obsessed teacher that will do anything to expose his secret. The way he’s introduced here does provide a touch of sympathy for him with how all his colleagues openly mock him for his crackpot theories, but given his delusions of grandeur and wanting to create a “new world order”, his more negative traits makes it easier to laugh at any failure he suffers through. It‘s also a great touch that some piece of the phrase “fairy godparents” works its way into nearly everything he says, a subtle detail that showcases his obsession a little more. Crocker’s a great example of an antagonist where you can see how he got the way he did, but that doesn’t detract from enjoying his failures.
The principal of the school, Waxelplax, is basically a foil for Crocker, being the more sane and realistically minded counterpart to him. While she doesn’t get much screentime, what we do get here is effective in making her a fun character to play off of Crocker‘s insane tendencies, particularly when she inadvertently falls victim to his traps.
While Chester and A.J. are more involved in the story than past appearances from them, it’s really Chester that gets the most to work with; A.J. kinda gets the short end of the stick in that department here. As they try to find the dino, Crocker suggests that they bring it to him instead, and upon being promised a seat on the throne in his new world order, Chester leaps at the opportunity. But when the choice comes for him to give it to either Timmy or Crocker, he chooses to throw it to Timmy. While not much time is dedicated to this, it does say a lot about the kind of person Chester is. Like Crocker, he’d like a position of power at some point, taking the chance to get one when the opportunity comes to him. But when push comes to shove, he’s more loyal to his friends than any throne he might get, which does a great job of making him likable. He maintains his snarky side that ‘Power Mad’ established, and what this segment adds for him is quite fascinating.
But I’d be remiss to talk about this segment without mentioning Cosmo and Wanda turning themselves human. All the comedy that comes from this scenario is great, as they both try to get accustomed to how being human works while seeming normal to Crocker at the same time. But what’s most interesting to me is what all of this tells us about fairy anatomy.
According to this segment, fairies don’t have lungs, aren’t solid, don’t know how to walk, and don’t even have to go to the bathroom at all. The walking thing checks out given that they float all the time, and the others give me an idea that fairies are possibly made entirely of fairy dust. Fairies can likely talk forever without taking a single breath as well, and they can just phase through walls normally. All of this info is conveyed pretty efficiently, and it’s a good sign of how good the show is at worldbuilding while blending it with the episodic storytelling.
I‘m probably rambling now. Long story short, ‘Transparents!’ is a lot of fun. It doesn’t make perfect sense as a story, but the writing is entertaining enough that you can forgive the occasional plot hole, and the introduction of Crocker alone is worth it.
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