Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts

Raisin the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts is the ninth episode of Clone High.

It premiered in Canada on Teletoon on January 12, 2003.

Synopsis
The kids of Clone High start smoking raisins which turns JFK, Abe, Cleo and the others into hippies. Gandhi goes on a journey through his subconscious and Joan attempts to bring everyone back to sobriety. Meanwhile Scudworth takes advantage of the worried parents and gets them to build a giant fence.

Plot
TBA

Major Roles

 * Abe Lincoln
 * Joan of Arc
 * Gandhi
 * Cleopatra
 * JFK
 * Principal Scudworth
 * Larry Hardcore/The Pusher
 * Galdemore

Minor Roles

 * Julius Caesar
 * Piano Red
 * George Washington
 * Mr. Butlertron
 * Jimi Hendrix
 * Abe's Foster Mom
 * Abe's Foster Dad
 * Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
 * Gandhi's Foster Mom
 * Daniel Feldspar
 * Wally
 * Buddha (Cameo)
 * Catherine the Great (Cameo)
 * Nostradamus (Cameo)
 * Van Gough (Cameo)
 * Brontë sisters (Cameo)
 * Marie Antoinette (Cameo)
 * Moses (Cameo)
 * Genghis Khan (Cameo)
 * Marie Curie (Cameo)
 * George Washington Carver (Cameo)
 * Jesús Cristo (Cameo)
 * Thomas Edison (Cameo)
 * Martin Luther King, Jr. (Cameo)
 * Carl (Cameo)
 * Cleo's Foster Mom (Cameo)
 * Gandhi's Foster Dad (Cameo)
 * Toots (Cameo)
 * DNA Dan (Pictured)

Songs

 * Normal
 * Mud Dance Gravy Trance
 * I'm the Pusher
 * Building a Fence
 * Grounded
 * Higher and Higher
 * My Son

Trivia

 * Although this episode premiered in 2003, it was produced in 2002 according to the credits.
 * The title of this episode is a pun on the phrase "Raising the Stakes".
 * Only episode not to open with the Narrator giving an introduction. Rather, a parody of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo appears, with Abe in the place of the lion.
 * Julius Caesar's voice is deeper than usual, during his solo in "Normal".
 * Ironically, The Anti-Drug Presentation was funded by a beer company.
 * Larry Hardcore is a parody on his voice actor, Jack Black, as well as the first guest starred character, not to be directly portrayed as his voice actor.
 * Instances of messianic symbolism, connect Abe Lincoln to Jesus Christ.
 * At the end of "Normal", Abe holds his arms out and hangs his head, alluding to the crucifixion of Jesus. While he does this, the beams from the sun shine from behind his head, looking like an aureola, which is often portrayed in pictures of Jesus.
 * When Abe got high on raisins, he grew his hair out, and wore a long, white robe.
 * During the first line of "Higher and Higher", Abe walks on water.
 * Also during "Higher and Higher", Abe includes the lyric. "Raisins are from Heaven. Now we're raising Hell." This can be attached to the Heaven and Hell of Christianity.
 * When Abe reaches the top of the fence, he makes the same position and symbolism as he did at the end of "Normal", with the red sun, shining behind his head again.
 * While Abe was in said crucifixion position, Principal Scudworth whips him, like how the Romans did to Jesus, when he was crucified.
 * Abe's encounter with the Original Abraham Lincoln is an obvious stand in for Jesus Christ in heaven, talking with God. Abraham and Abe's indirect father and son relationship, counterparts that of God and Jesus'. Abraham is also sitting on a heavenly throne, with angels surrounding him.
 * Abe's goal is to lead his followers to "redemption", by word of his father.
 * Joan of Arc appears at the end of the song, "My Son", and a subliminal message portrays her as Mary Magdeline. Abe and Joan's relationship mirrors Jesus and Mary's, with their friendship and untouched upon romantic tension, coming from Mary.
 * Abe hit his head on a rock, which knocked him out, and sent him to heaven. This can easily be considered either a death or a knock out, strongly alluding to his death. Abe came back to life afterwards, referencing to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 * When Abe wakes up from his death/coma, he says he looks like a jackass in his new outfit, basically saying that Jesus is a jackass.
 * Ironically, Jesús Cristo, the actual clone of Jesus Christ has no association with this.
 * First appearance of Abe's Foster Mom and Foster Dad.
 * Mr. Butlertron only has one line of dialogue in this episode and that's "Are you referring to the PTA?" He is also seen singing in unison with the others during the breakdown of "Normal".

Subliminal Messages
In reference to the common instances of backmasking in several rock albums of the 60's and 70's, this episode contains a bunch of subliminal messages.
 * At the very start of the episode, a picture flashes on screen, depicting DNA Dan next to a phonograph, with a speech bubble, reading "Let's go to the dark side!"
 * Cleo's first puff of smoke forms the shape of the word "Sex" just before deteriorating.
 * At the beginning of the second act, when the "Clone High" title shows up, an anthropomorphic raisin smoking an odd, censored out substance (possibly a human) flashes on screen.
 * During The Pusher's song, the second time The Pusher's face disappears, the words "Smoke Raisins" appear in the smoke, just before deteriorating.
 * When Principal Scudworth first speaks at the P.T.A. meeting, a message shows up, reading "Scudworth is your favorite character."
 * Cleo and Abe sit on the roof and for a flash second, they appear completely naked.
 * JFK talks backwards, after crashing through the skylight. What he says in reverse is "I am talking backwards and telling you to watch Clone High and for us to get an Emmy. I'm saying that backwards ... cuz it's sneaky."
 * When JFK is in his wheelchair during "Higher" the message "I Buried Ponce" flashes for a single frame.
 * When Joan sings at the end of the song, My Son, a single frame shows Joan wearing the head dress of Mary Magdalene in a backdrop of the sun, while she puts her hands together and prays.
 * At the end of the episode in the last scene (right before the Clone High Screen) with the Dragon there is another message for one frame "For More Information About Raisins Consult Your Local Library"

Continuity

 * Gandhi and JFK behave like friends, during the first musical number, continuing their newfound friendship in the previous episode.
 * A subliminal message, reading "I Buried Ponce" shows up on screen, during JFK's refrain. In the very next episode, the character Ponce de León dies.

Cultural References

 * The famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo is parodied at the beginning of the episode, with the same frame being shown, only with Abe Lincoln taking the place of Leo the Lion.
 * Much of the episode had references to the 1969 album and 1975 film, Tommy.
 * When Abe smashes the mirror with a chicken it parodies the mirror smashing scene
 * JFK says "Watch me, hold me, sign my cast for me, wheel me". In "Tommy" it's "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me."
 * "Higher" sounds like the song "Pinball Wizard".
 * "The Pusher" was inspired by "The Acid Queen".
 * "My Son" is a parody of the song "It's A Boy".
 * Some of the code names for raisins are references. "La Uva Loca" is Spanish for "Crazy Grape" and "California's Finest". is a reference to the claymation TV show and their eponymous fictional rhythm and blues band, The California Raisins.
 * "Mud Dance Gravy Trance" is essentially a rewrite of "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock
 * During "I'm the Pusher", Abe's Parents appear, with the father holding a pitchfork. The two are holding bland and stoic expressions. This is modeled after the famous painting, American Gothic.
 * Abe telling his father "You, alright!? ... I learned it by watching you!" in regards to raisins is a reference to a quote from an iconic 1987 anti-drug PSA, called "Parents Who Use Drugs".
 * The fence subplot is a parody of Pink Floyd's "the Wall".
 * There are multiple graphical references to the animated movie Yellow Submarine based on the eponymous album by The Beatles
 * JFK's van has the same color scheme as the submarine in the movie
 * When Gandhi rides the humkeycorn into his subconscious the whole environment and creatures look like those who appear in the movie when the Beatles end up in the deep sea.
 * The animation at the beginning of the refrain from "Higher" looks like the animation during "It's All Too Much" in Yellow Submarine.
 * The part where the hippies shoot the word "LOVE" at the wall is inspired by "All You Need is Love".
 * The "I Buried Ponce" message is a reference to the famously misheard Beatles lyric, "Cranberry Sauce" (misheard as "I Buried Paul".)
 * "Sgt. JFK's magical mystery tour" is a reference to the Beatles' albums "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
 * The part when JFK removes The Pusher's disguise is a reference to the original Scooby-Doo series.

Historical References

 * Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen tell Gandhi that like his clonefather, The Original Gandhi, his quiet strengths will lead them to redemption.
 * Abe Lincoln, who at the time went by the name, "Captain Lavender", claimed that "Abe" was his slave name. This was a connection to Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves.
 * During The Pusher's song, Abe's parents are depicted as farmers, referencing American Gothic. Naturally, Abe's Foster Dad was portrayed as a farmer. Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas Lincoln, was a farmer.
 * Near the end of the episode, Abe gets a spiritual visit from the angel of the Original Abraham Lincoln.