For Your Consideration

For Your Consideration^[1] is the ninth episode of Season Two of Clone High, and the twenty-second episode overall.

Synopsis[]

After a fight with Scudworth, Mr. Butlertron prepares to leave Clone High for good - but not before telling Joan his epic and award-worthy backstory.^[1]

Plot[]

In an epic and award-worthy paradigm-shifting opus, Clone High presents a groundbreaking and revolutionary epic, which the team believes is worthy of winning an Emmy.

The Secret Board of Shadowy Figures hold their annual "Crab Fest", where they celebrate their success on a year's work with Operation Spread Eagle. During the meeting, they eat crabs with Principal Scudworth and Candide and ask them for any input they may have. Scudworth brings up his long-delayed plan for Cloney Island, and asks the Board if he can use the remaining clones for his theme park after they find their preferred candidate for a world leader. Unfortunately, the Board does not take him seriously, as he has some crab stuck in his teeth. The board logs off, and with them go Principal Scudworth's chances of making Cloney Island a reality.

Principal Scudworth lashes out at Mr. Butlertron for not warning him about checking for crab in his teeth before the meeting. Mr. Butlertron insists that he told him, but Scudworth does not believe him, and tells Mr. B that he does nothing but break promises. Angered, Mr. B retorts that Scudworth broke his dramatic, epic, award-winning promise that he made to him many years ago. Scudworth remembers the promise he made and admits that he forgot all about it, not feeling the need to keep a promise with a robot who cannot feel emotions. Mr. Butlertron gets mad and throws a tray of crab against the wall as he rides off in rage.

Mr. Butlertron goes to his closet to recharge, and he dwells on how his entire time working with Principal Scudworth has been in vain. He gets ready to leave Clone High High School and packs a cardboard box with his belongings; a shirt, a cross necklace, a joint of ham, a yo-yo, a kazoo, an embroidered pillow, a can of oil, and a can of rust-proofing spray. He also drops a baseball, which rolls over to Joan of Arc, as she enters the closet. Joan asks Mr. B for a minute of his time. She laments about her recent breakup with JFK and how she misses having someone who will love her unconditionally. Mr. Butlertron sympathizes with her: he has been seeking companionship his whole life, but has only come up short. Incidentally, Joan asks Mr. Butlertron why he always calls everyone "Wesley", which is the impetus for Mr. B to share his long, epic, award-worthy story with her.

When he was a child in the 1920s, Mr. Butlertron went by "Besley" and had a human twin brother named Wesley Nestle. During the day, Wesley and Besley would play with hula hoops together as they made their way down to the local farm, run by angry old Mr. Rambler, to steal some ham. On one occasion, Mr. Rambler opened fire on them with his shotgun, but Wesley threw a ham into the barrel of his shotgun, causing it to malfunction and discharge into his knee. A pained Mr. Rambler threatens to call their parents as the two brothers laugh and run away.

Besley and Wesley sit on the hill together, eating their hams and looking up at the sky. While they do, they talk religion. Wesley is excited to go to Heaven so that he can finally escape his life of poverty, an opinion that is only livened by Besley. He promises never to leave his brother's side, whether on Heaven or Earth. After that, they are reminded they have chores to do, so they ride home on their hula hoops.

Wesley and Besley return home to tell their parents, Leslie and Presley, about their day - they shaved the cows, shot all the rabid dogs, collected dust for coffee, and said their anti-witch prayers. Leslie erroneously calls her human child by the name "Besley" and the robot corrects her, saying that he's actually Besley. Leslie laughs and admits that she can never tell her twins apart. She is excited to tell the boys that tomorrow will be their baptism, a preliminary stepping stone to getting the two into Heaven.

However, on the day of the baptism, Leslie and Presley refuse to let Besley go into the lake. Besley is shocked and confused about what's happening right now, saying that he wants to go to Heaven. However his parents explain to him that since he's a robot, he is incapable of ascending to Heaven; getting baptized will only cause him to rust due to exposure to water. Besley is shocked to hear he is a robot. Wesley comes to his brother's defense, but Leslie reveals that the two are not brothers. Besley begins to cry and Wesley wipes away his tears with a rag, only to find that he's producing no tears. Besley is hysterical upon finding out that robots cannot cry, and he rolls away, screaming in misery.

Besley goes home to find the box his so-called "parents" purchased him in. He learns that he's a brand-made product called the "Child Robot Butlertron", which Leslie and Presley bought to get extra chores done around the house. Leslie admits to her entire time parenting him just being a sham. Out of sadness, Besley leaves and Leslie leaves him with nothing but an embroidered pillow that says "When the Going Gets Tough, Get On a Bus". Besley takes this advice to heart, as he boards a bus to leave Smalltown, U.S.A. and head to "anywhere but here". Wesley chases him down and tries to stop him so they can find a way to fulfill their brotherhood pact, but Besley tells him that it is impossible. Besley works up the nerve to tell Wesley that he hates him and never wants to see him again as he gets on the bus, leaving Wesley crying on the streets.

Back in the present, Mr. Butlertron tells Joan that this was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Joan equates this heartbreaking childhood trauma to her dumping her boyfriend of a few months, as though these are both equally problematic. She says that although dumping JFK was the hardest thing she had to do, she knows she made the right decision, as it's to help her get closer to her true love, Abe Lincoln. Mr. Butlertron tells Joan that the best thing to do in this scenario would be to confess her feelings to Abe, but Joan is worried that if she does this right after dumping JFK, Abe will believe she is a whore. The usage of this term triggers another flashback to later on in Mr. Butlertron's life.

Years later, Mr. B has become a gigolo in order to pay rent. One of his frequent customers, a human female, has become pregnant. Despite his enthusiasm, he is distraught upon catching her cheating on him with a Betamax player, who boldly claims that, unlike Mr. B, he will stay relevant forever. This series of events causes him to reconsider his life, and he returns to Smalltown, U.S.A. to meet with Wesley, who has now become a priest. As the two connect, Mr. B once again attempts to be baptized, and Wesley quickly agrees. The two get on a boat and sail outwards, but tragedy strikes when Wesley slips off the boat due to inclement weather and drowns. At his wit's end, Mr. B heads to Hollywood, where he stars in a famous sitcom. One evening, a young Scudworth breaks into his manor and requests his help in creating a series of clones based on historical figures, as Mr. B's internals possessed technology that could assist Scudworth in this project. Despite his initials worries about Scudworth, Mr. B ultimately agrees when he promises to clone Wesley (using a strand of his hair as a base) as payment for his assistance.

In the present day, Joan notes the epic nature of Mr. B's life, and laments that she has no one. Mr. B, upon hearing this, teaches her the value of self-reliance, and Joan hugs him. The two bid each other farewell, but Joan points out that Mr. B's battery is dangerously low. He is fully aware of this, and takes a bus to Jumper's Cliff, intending to end his life by waiting until his battery dies. As Mr. B stares into the sunset, he slowly powers down, eventually appearing to permanently die...until he is resuscitated by an apologetic Scudworth, who has finally upheld his end of the deal by cloning Wesley. Mr. B, upon realizing that his brother has been resurrected, proclaims the day to be the best day of his life, knocking Scudworth over in the process. As he and the Wesley clone hang onto the edge of a cliff, Mr. B finds himself at a crossroad - he can either save Scudworth and continue assisting in his Cloney Island scheme, or he can save the Wesley clone and start his life over. Despite his vow to Wesley that he will always be by his side, he ultimately decides to save Scudworth and kill the Wesley clone. Mr. B's reasoning for saving Scudworth is that he believes that Scudworth cannot raise the clones and finish Operation Spread Eagle alone, and begins to cry. The two make their way back to Scudworth's car, while arguing over whether Mr. B crying was the result of a malfunction or not.

Characters[]

Major Characters[]

Minor Characters[]

The Secret Board of Shadowy Figures
Candide Sampson
Mr. Rambler
Bus Driver
Baby VCR
Betamax VCR
Abe Lincoln (Non-Speaking Cameo)
George Washington Carver (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
Van Gogh (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
Ponce de León (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
JFK (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
Cleopatra (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
Gandhi (Non-Speaking Cameo; Flashback)
Chesley Nestle (Pictured)
Fesley Nestle (Pictured)
Resley Nestle (Pictured)
Mr. Butlertron Nestle (Pictured)

Trivia[]

This episode is currently being submitted as a potential nominee for an Emmy in the 2024 Outstanding Animated Program Award category. [1]
This episode skipped the traditional theme song, making it currently the only episode of the series to have no intro.
This episode heavily delves into the backstory of Mr. Butlertron and tells us all about his past and his character;
- Mr. Butlertron was raised on 222, Dusty Country Road, Smalltown, USA, c. 1920's, by highly religious interracial couple, Presley and Leslie Nestle, as the so-called "twin brother" of their son, Wesley. At this time, Mr. Butlertron went by the name "Besley".
- Mr. Butlertron (Besley) was purchased by Presley and Leslie as a product called the Child Robot Butlertron, so that they could pretend Wesley had an identical twin for the his amusement, but ultimately so they could get more chores done. Wesley and Besley were unaware that the latter was a robot, believing Besley to actually be a biological family member.
- In the 1970's, Mr. Butlertron worked as a pimp and married his hooker, ironically named Purity. Together, they had a Baby VCR. Their marriage ended one day, when Mr. Butlertron walked in on Purity cheating on him with a Betamax VCR, who turned out the be the actual father of their aforementioned baby.
- Mr. Butlertron got his iconic red vest from Wesley, as was the latter's final remain after he drowned.
- In the 1980's, Mr. Butlertron starred as himself in a family sitcom and became rich and famous from it.
- Principal Scudworth first met Mr. Butlertron in the 1980's, where he asked him to work for him and help him with his plans for Cloney Island. Mr. Butletron agreed to help him under the one condition that he clones Wesley for him and bring his brother back to life.
The animation style changes during Mr. Butlertron's various flashbacks to fit the time period they take place in. During his backstory, we see animation that fits the 1930's, 1970's, and 1980's.
Principal Scudworth proposes to The Secret Board of Shadowy Figures his idea for Cloney Island, but is shot down.
Mr. Butlertron's model number is "8133B".
Principal Scudworth breaks the fourth wall, acknowledging how Mr. Butlertron had a flashback to the time he screamed at him over crabs.
Mr. Butletron cries for the first time, demonstrating to himself that he actually does have feelings.
Joan of Arc is the only main character to properly appear in this episode.
- Abe Lincoln appears briefly but has no dialogue and JFK is mentioned in passing a few times. During the 1980's flashback, the fetuses of first generation clones make brief appearances, including Cleopatra and even Gandhi.

Continuity[]

Joan of Arc gripes about her breakup with JFK and her love for Abe Lincoln, which started in "Sexy-Ed".
When Principal Scudworth introduces the fetuses of all the clones he made, among them is the clone of Ponce de León from "Litter Kills: Litterally".

Cultural References[]

In the 1950's Presley reads a newspaper denouncing Polio epidemic as a hoax and how several people refuse to get the vaccine.
- This mirrors the Anti-Vaxxers of the 2020s, exhibiting how history would repeat itself roughly a century later.
Leslie's appearance resembles Olive Oyl from the Popeye franchise.
The art style of the 1970's flashback closely resembles the work of animator Ralph Bakshi, including his 1972 adult animated film, Fritz the Cat.
The artstyle used for the 80's/90's era resembles that of late 80's/early 90's Saturday-morning cartoons. Mr. Butlertron is drawn akin to Nickelodeon's early-mid 90's cartoons, more specifically Rugrats and Rocko's Modern Life. Butlertron's room contains a portrait of him dressed up as Jem from Jem and the Holograms.
Mr. Butlertron's outfit in the 1980's resembles that of Dave Coulier, best known for his role as Joey Gladstone from the 1980's-90's sitcom, Full House.
Mr. Butlertron's sitcom was filmed, using recording equipment called "Paniversion", a clear parody on Panavision.
Mr. Butlertron once made an appearance on Battle of the Network Stars.
Principal Scudworth was certain that all the Mr. Butlertron models were destroyed during the presidency of Gerald Ford.