The Most Horrible X-mas Ever
From Scratchpad
[edit] Plot
In the future, a snowman (apparently some kind of android) tells the tale of what happened when Zim found out about Christmas. This is a likely a parallel to Sam the Snowman.
It is Christmastime, and while Zim is on the street, attempting to get the humans to give him "earth monies," (assisted by Minimoose, who makes his first and only appearance as Zim's "other" sidekick) he captures an actor playing Santa Claus and finds out about the influence of Santa Claus over humanity. Once again, Zim decides to employ Vortian technology, this time to develop what he believes to be the ultimate Santa costume.
Declaring that he has returned, "Santa" takes over the Earth. However, as Dib discovers after he infiltrates Zim's operation by disguising himself as an elf, the Santa suit has replicated Santa far too well, actually developing the ability to overpower the suit-wearer's mind and force the wearer to act like Santa. Rallied at the North Pole, the humans are told to go into a teleportation chamber to be sent to the Almighty Tallest as personal slaves, but at this point the suit takes over and permanently suppresses Zim's mind and body in favour of the Santa persona. Dib, unaware that Zim no longer poses any danger, confronts the Santa suit in a battle-mech presciently built by his father many years before for precisely this purpose. Zim escapes during the ensuing battle and faces the deceived crowd by dressing as the "Easter Platypus", while Dib flings the suit creature into space. In the end, the snowman says that santa didn't die, and that he "lives on"... that is, out in space, gathering power, and returns every Christmas to attack the Earth. The final scene is a clip of a roaring santa-like monster attempting to attack the Earth.
[edit] Cut and uncut version
When the Volume 3 DVD was released, the makers noted that it contained the uncut version of The Most Horrible Christmas Ever, although the cut version was accidentally released, which had the commentary for the uncut version. In later Volume 3 Releases (like the Zim House Box Set), the uncut version was shown.
Things featured in the uncut version compared to the edited version are as followed:
- Zam and Doob - Zim and Dib's names are pronounced as "Zam" and "Doob" in Mr. Sludgy's narration.
- Wrestler Santa - Zim speaks like a wrestler throughout the entire interview when disguised as Santa.
- Forman GIR - When GIR is directing the construction of the teleporter, just before being called in by Zim, a large explosion is heard and the flash of the explosion is seen on GIR.
- Death of 45 - 45 (cameo of storybord artist Ian Graham) was originally supposed to be killed by the piece of debris during Dib's fight with the mutated Santa suit.
- Dib's screaming - When Dib gets beat up by the crowd, his screams are more noticeable in the uncut version.
- "That sounds like fun" - At the end of the interview when Dib says "Oh no" instead of Zim saying "Oh Yeah" the newsperson says "That sounds like fun".
[edit] Trivia
- The original idea for this episode had Tak returning to get her ship. Nothing else is known about this though.
- Professor Membrane hates Santa Claus because when he was a child, he wanted some uranium but Santa merely gave him a bunch of socks.
- This is the only episode that Minimoose appears in although if the show continued he would have been in more episodes such as Nubs of Doom and Day of Da Spookies.
- When the Elves take Dib away to the Jingle Jail, Gir can be seen being taken away too.
- Nickelodeon recieved 103 complaints from viewers saying that their children were disturbed by the mutated Santa and this became the starting point for the cancellation of the programme. However, this may have been a lie on the parents part, because parents never liked the show, and many kids stated the mutated Santa was very funny. This episode also got complaints from Religous leaders, saying that it was sacreligous.
- There is a reason why Zim says that Minimoose has been with him all this time. The unaired episode, "Nubs of Doom" was supposed to air before this. In it, Zim created Minimoose. However, when Zim was cancelled, "Nubs of Doom" and "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever" were still being made. Nickelodeon let the staff finish "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever", but that was the only new episode that was allowed to air after Zim's cancellation. Worst of all, "Nubs of Doom" was finished the day after Zim was cancelled, therefore, it was never aired.
