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Dustin: welcome to another Woodfox Talks & Rants last year Blake & i talked about the worst episodes in Dexter's Laboratory and last week we talked about the best episodes of the in show spinoffs Dial M for Monkey & The Justice Friends however while there are bad episodes and some very good episodes from the other shows there's still no denying Dexter had some very good episodes during the show's run

Blake: Definitely. A lot of the show's episodes are filled with action, comedy, and sometimes scares and songs

Dustin: yup so i think we should end off our Dexter saga and go through the top 10 best Dexter's Laboratory episodes we'll be going through episodes that have stuck with since childhood of course that means we also had to cut out Rude Removal since it wasn't shown until many years later but it is still an interesting find you ready partner?

Blake: I sure am; what a fine day for a top 10 list :D

Number 10: Road Rash - Season 2, Episode 24B

Dustin: a funny competition and Road Runner inspired episode X3 here Dexter gets a new bike from his parents at first he's got no interest until Dee-Dee eggs him on while rollerblading in front of him

Blake: So with Dee Dee as the proverbial road runner and Dexter as the proverbial coyote, Dexter makes various adjustments to his bike (training wheels, jets, all sorts of thing), and tries to catch Dee Dee... but fails every time

Dustin: after one fail too many Dexter speeds in with another modification however because of the speed making him go way too fast the modifications break off, Dexter's clothes fly off and speeds around the world and back to the neighborhood naked and nearly burned

Dexter: [weakly] now i got you...

Dee Dee: You're not wearing any underpants!

Dustin: this episode was pretty funny the Road Runner bits are a funny tribute i think my favorite modification fail was the one where Dexter's bike was covered in wheels and he's in an unstoppable runaway XD

Number 9: Dexter's Rival and Dee Dee's Rival - Season 1, Episode 3A and Season 2, Episode 48A

Blake: I know it's kind of cheating to put two episodes in one spot, but their premises are pretty similar. In Dexter's Rival, we're introduced to Dexter's rival and villain of the series; Mr. Susan Astronominov, also known as Mandark (lightning strike)

Dustin: Mandark is shown to be smarter than Dexter in every concievable way even having a laboratory bigger than his Eddie Deezen pulled off a great performance here anyways Mandark tells Dexter to shut his lab down and Dexter sadly obliges leaving himself in misery while Mandark does his trademark laughter

Blake: The next day, teachers seem to ignore Dexter and turn their attention towards Mandark. However, Mandark didn't account for one thing in particular... Dexter's sister, Dee Dee, whom he becomes smitten with. Mandark wants to date Dee Dee and asks Dexter to set him up on a date with her. After Dexter thinks it over, especially with the fact that Dee Dee could destroy Mandark's laboratory, Dexter agrees, leading Dee Dee with a trail of candy to Mandark's house

Dustin: Dee Dee then arrived at the house and Mandark gives her more candy but then he uttered the magic word...

Mandark: dance!

Blake: this causes Dee Dee to start dancing, and destroying Mandark's lab equipment in her wake. Dexter watches the mayhem from a video monitor, as Dexter has reactivated his lab and shares a toast with his beloved T-1000

Dustin: there was a sequel episode made later that same season called Mandarker but instead we're gender swapping with the other episode on this entry Dee Dee's Rival in this one Dee Dee gets her own rival at her ballet classes a girl with a similar Mandark hairdo called Lalavava

Blake: Lalavava, also voiced by Eddie Deezen, proves to be a formidable dancer; so much so that their dance instructor decides to turn the big dance recital's solo into a duet. In an effort to prove which is better, both Dee Dee and Lalavava turn to their scientist brothers

Dustin: so the two begin to dance in their mechs while destroying the stage in the process and who was the best dancer?... the nerdy girl in the purple tutu who did a dance before Dee Dee & Lalavava so the two agree about their scientist brothers and go off to the mall both episodes are good and despite Lalavava appearing only in this episode and didn't even appear in the later two seasons along with their parents introduced in the third season Windbear & Oceanbird she was a pretty good character the only criticism i have with her is the creators missed an amazing opportunity by not having Lalavava interact with Dexter we could have gotten a reverse type of relationship similar to Mandark getting a crush on Dee Dee

Blake: Even if Lalavava only appeared in one episode, there was still a lot of opportunities for her; offers that Doujinshi artist bleedman took. Anyway, these two are episodes of the series that introduced a mainstay and a not so mainstay

Dustin: speaking of Mandark...

Number 8: Sun, Surf, and Science - Season 2, Episode 46C

Dustin: this is one of few episodes not counting Dial M for Monkey or Justice Friends not to have Dexter play a role in this episode the role instead is given to Mandark in a not so villainous light here in this episode Mandark spends a day at the beach he then sees Dee Dee hanging out with a surfer boy so he decides to try and make himself cool on the beach the best way he can but to no avail

Blake: Later, Mandark hears of a surf contest, and thinks that Surfer Boy is going to enter. So, Mandark goes out to grab his own surfboard and goes at it blindly... and almost drowns. Under the water, he sees a tiki head (voiced by Greg Eagles of Grim and Evil fame). Mandark learns from the Tiki head that he's trying too hard and must take on surfing as himself

Dustin: so Mandark does some preparations for the contest which includes wiping his board, marking it with the same tiki head from before and surfing in a practice wave... and for a bit of added challenge for the other surfers he throws some booby traps into the ocean which includes a lot of water mines however a surprise caught him off guard the next day Surfer Boy isn't in the competition... Dee Dee is!

Blake: Now, that's a nice change of pace, because it shows that the woman is more willing to be sporty rather than the male :) Anyway, other competitors get wiped out one by one, and Dee Dee expertly maneuvers the waves. However, after a bad wipeout on a booby trap, Mandark struggles to stay afloat, leaving Surfer Boy to save Mandark

Dustin: and in the end Dee Dee is cheered as the winner of the surfing contest and Mandark & Surfer Boy become friends as Mandark invites him to try his surfing machine at the lab despite this episode having nothing to do with Dexter this one is very nice and Eddie Deezen still does an amazing job as Mandark even though he didn't do anything evil here aside from the booby traps

Blake: Indeed; this episode should have been called Beach Blanket Bromance. <=3

Number 7: Dee Dee Locks and the Ness Monster - Season 2, Episode 18A

Blake: Have you ever felt sick so a family member has to read you a story to cheer you up? Well, that's what Dexter does to Dee Dee... albeit against his will. Dexter starts to read a scientific book to Dee Dee, but she grows bored and takes over, by telling the story of herself as a fairy tale heroine named Dee Dee Locks

Dustin: the story of Dee Dee Locks is a bit random but we'll try to muster it up as we go in this story Dee Dee Locks goes to an underwater house where she goes to rest first a bed of hot coals, a chair of solid ice and a bowl of porridge soon the owners of the home come home the titular Ness Monster which is a 3 headed talking bagpipe

Blake: The Ness Monster (all of the heads are voiced by Tom Kenny, by the way) act as the three bears of the Goldilocks story; the Silly Ness monster eats Dee Dee Locks, and she ends up meeting three pigs made of materials used to build their houses in the three pigs story. After using Rapunzel style braiding, they escape from the monster

Dustin: suddenly the door knocks and if you know the Three Little Pigs story it goes as follows, the straw pig answers and gets blown away. the stick pig answers and gets blown away and finally the brick pig answers and doesn't get blown away where we're introduced to a Napoleon inspired wolf

Blake: After a brief pause from Dexter, the heroes are in a tub floating out to sea, and a goldfish comes to trade three beans for something. Dee Dee Locks gives the goldfish the Little- uh, I mean, the Big Bad wolf. Grumpy Ness eats the beans, but spits up a magic lamp. After Dee Dee Locks rubs the lamp, a beanstalk sprouts from the spout and there's a house boot inside, inhabited by three giant blind mice

Dustin: Dee Dee Locks then takes off her hat and starts lying which makes her ears grow and our story heroes fly away whew! this episode was crazy but it's a lot of fun! XD

Blake: Indeed; I love episodes that take elements of random fairy tales and weaves them together. It reminds me a lot of the Rocko's Modern Life episode "Yarn Benders," another favorite of mine :) And they all lived happily ever after at a cozy number 7 on this list :)

Number 6: The Big Sister - Season 1, Episode 6C

Dustin: one of the What A Cartoon! pilots here in this list and unlike Dimwit Dexter & Jurassic Pooch this one is pretty funny in this episode Dexter makes a plate of chocolate chip cookies for his lab rats for an experiment however Dee Dee disguised as a rat eats one and then suddenly grows into a giant and plays in the city making everyone think she's a giant monster

Blake: At first, Dee Dee's having the time of her life; playing with the citizens as if they were dolls in a dollhouse, and even fighting off jets and missiles as if they were bugs. Dexter wants no part of it, but thinking of the glory he'll get for saving the day puts him into action

Dustin: so Dexter tries his best to stop Dee Dee but ultimately her playfulness proved to be too much and after ejecting from his robot Dee Dee catches him and attempts to play dress up with him but just in time Dexter gives her a cookie possibly filled with the antidote of the cookie that started it and Dee Dee goes back to normal size... but then a huge monster Mom arrives telling them to clean up the mess and Dexter faints on cue this episode is pretty funny i remember it was also seen on the VHS of Cats Don't Dance to promote the Cartoon Network originals at the time alongside Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo

Blake: It's quite a way to introduce a series if you ask me. And it leaves a BIG impression. (rimshot)

Number 5: D & DD - Season 2, Episode 16A

Blake: You find yourselves on the shot of a very good episode of Dexter's Laboratory, one that you can easily immerse yourself in. In it, Dexter as the game master controls three of his friends while playing a Dungeons and Dragons inspired game called Monsters and Mazes

Dustin: the three friends however are tired of Dexter's complicated traps and cheating gameplay and when Dee Dee enters the kitchen she wants to play and even suggests to be game master much to Dexter's objections the three friends happily oblige and to add insult to injury instead of becoming a badass warrior Dee Dee gives Dexter a figure of a furry footed burrower

Blake: So, Dee Dee begins the story of the game, with them walking through a dungeon forest (via compromise) and the four heroes are tasked with taking on a dragon. There's magic, arrows, sword fighting, and even the use of mandolin and burrowing from HoDo (Dexter). The dragon is decapitated... but instead of blood and guts, out spills candy. The dragon was a pi�ata, because of course it is, with Dee Dee the sugar-head game master

Dustin: speaking of sugar while the heroes have their candy and eat it too HoDo takes out a pixie stix and drops it in his tongue and it lets out an actual pixie which had been trapped in the pi�ata dragon and takes them to the queen which is pretty much Dee Dee i mean who else has blond hair and blue eyes? X3

Blake: Besides practially every cartoon female ever? Anyway, the Fairy Queen grants the heroic trio their greatest rewards, and gives HoDo the holy grail... The end. Dexter is upset with how the game turned out, but Dexter's three friends had a lot of fun, so Dee Dee decides to take out a dating game for them all to play together

Dustin: this features the Queen now looking a lot more like Dee Dee only hotter and features the same three heroes looking a lot more like the adult versions of the kids who played the game with the exception of Dexter still as HoDo

HoDo: i dig holes... >:P

Dustin: this is a pretty good episode the fantasy action is awesome and the comedy is flawless X3 later on two of Dexter's friends made a return as Spock and Dr. McCoy parodies in the episode Star Check Unconventional where they and Dexter as a parody of Captain Kirk accidentally end up at a Darbie convention but D & DD is still awesome :)

Blake: Definitely; an episode that you can really immerse yourself in

Number 4: Better Off Wet - Season 2, Episode 37C

Dustin: again this episode is on this list for a reason but before we get to that we'll talk about the episode first in this episode Dexter's family have a day at their backyard pool [that they somehow have] Dee Dee jumps in immediatly but Dexter wants to take his time and go in on his own however his nemesis wants him to get in the pool now and no i don't mean Mandark

Dexter's Dad: [comes out from behind Dexter's Mom] Hiya Dexter!

Dexter: O_O

Blake: That's right; Dexter's Dad has a habit of pushing Dexter into the pool when he wasn't ready to immerse himself. So Dexter does everything he can to avoid Dad. There's even a bit where Lee Lee and Mee Mee arrive and the three girls perform a synchronized swim (which is my favorite part of this episode, by the way)

Dustin: yeah it's beautifully animated and is pretty epic after that Dexter's Dad tries to push Dexter in again but he ends up bouncing on the girls' heads to the other side so Dad decides to move on and shoves his wife into the pool and trips Dee Dee in but then karma kicked in as Dexter pushes Dad in he looks rather mad but laughs it off along with Mom and Dee Dee soon Dexter finally decides to jump in with the family cheering for him

Blake: Dexter swims out, wondering why he was so shy of the water, but as it turns out there is a good reason... baggy swimshorts :P Awkward.

Dustin: this episode is pretty funny and the part with the girls doing their synchronized swim is amazing but one part still sticks out to me the most in this episode when i got older... Dexter's Mom's bikini :P

Blake: Why am I not surprised?

Number 3: Just an Old Fashioned Lab Song - Season 2, Episode 45B

Blake: An episode that features a pretty big celebrity as a guest star/caricature. In this episode, Dexter's parents push Dexter into taking piano lessons with Professor Williams (voiced by Paul Williams). Dexter has no interest whatsoever, but Professor Williams insists that Dexter keeps trying and practicing, especially when it comes to mastering the arpeggio. Dexter spends months and months of practicing, but can't seem to hit the right notes. He becomes so stressed that he even has a nightmare that scares him into quitting

Dustin: when Professor Williams comes back for another lesson he goes looking for Dexter but then ends up in front of the bookcase and the Computer thinks he's Dexter due to his height and enters the laboratory

Blake: So Professor Williams comes across Dexter working on his lab equpment; he even hears a lab equipment doing the same four notes as the arpeggio from earlier. Dexter is amazed by what he unintentionally achieved, but sees Professor Williams become inspired, singing a song about blending science with music

Dustin: this song is one of my favorites it's so catchy and fun and Paul Williams and Christine Cavanaugh have a lot of fun here :D after the song Professor Williams says that Dexter doesn't need him anymore and leaves the lab Dexter feeling relieved he's gone goes back to work then breaks up the machine doing the arpeggio notes

Blake: This is one of those episodes that inspires my love of music; it shows that Dexter can pursue different hobbies besides science... even if he doesn't want to

Dustin: yeah not bad for a musical episode :)

Number 2: Trapped with a Vengeance - Season 2, Episode 49B

Dustin: one of the few episodes written by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane in this episode we're introduced to a janitor at Huber Elementary School called Yani he does a good job cleaning the school after everyone's left but there's one kid who stays well after everyone has left and to Yani he's evil incarnate

Dexter: [demonic laughter]

Dustin: because of Dexter staying late he often makes a mess and when he decides to leave he leaves his school mess for Yani to clean usually making him stay late upsetting his wife so Yani devises a plan waiting for the right time if Dexter has to leave for something important

Yani: and then i will have him... TRAPPED WITH A VENGEANCE!

Blake: As it just so happens, that time came sooner than he realized; Dee Dee grabs a hold of a laser cannon and is messing around with it, causing Dexter to panic. So Yani locks the doors and windows, and activates the security cameras so Yani could keep an eye on Dexter

Dustin: Dexter tries getting out but Yani says that Dexter will be staying at the school forever despite it being a plothole where teachers & other students go to school too it is a pretty good plan in a way so Dexter figures out how to get out then sees a fire alarm and activates it Yani goes to the firemen telling them there was a glitch in the system however the whole fire alarm thing was a distraction as Dexter had set up a picture of himself in front of one of the cameras and is seen crawling in the air vent

Blake: Stellar Alien reference. Things get hot for Dexter as Yani turns up the heater in the vents, so Dexter has to crawl to the ventilation system in the hopes of cooling things down. But Yani gets the idea and uses a fan to blow Dexter out of the vent he landed in. So Dexter, in an effort, makes his way into the hall and goes to the cafeteria, where it's a veritable field of potato chips

Dustin: i gotta say Yani is like a Batman villain here with this plan anyways Dexter tries to run out stepping on the chips then Yani throws some ketchup packets and some sporks Dexter looking annoyed and frustrated walks to the door only for Yani to remotely close it in front of him so Yani asked what he says now and Dexter said the one thing every overworked janitor should NEVER hear...

Dexter: clean up this mess!

Blake: So, a fight breaks out between Yani and Dexter, when who should arrive but Yani's wife, who, surprise surprise, was waiting for Yani to come home. Yeah, as it turns out, trapping a student in school can take a lot of time away from the wife. Anyway, she orders Dexter to unlock the door, and he happily obliges. Then she orders Yani to come home, who complies. So Dexter, satisfied that he's free, whistles Jingle Bells on his way home

Dustin: i really love this episode Yani is a very good villain here even though all he did was keep Dexter in because he was overworked and worried about upsetting his wife it's a lot of fun and the episode kinda makes a few nods to the Bruce Willis movie Die Hard even having Dexter wear a tank top and his boots burn off leaving him barefoot

Blake: Now before we get to our number 1 pick, here are a few honorable mentions which we will briefly explain.

Honorable Mention #1: Dexter and Computress get Mandark! - Season 2, Episode 50A

Blake: The only episode of the series not written by an official member of the staff; instead, it's written by a fan of the series who entered a contest. This episode was written and narrated by 6 1/2 year old Tyler Samuel Lee, and it stars Dexter teaming up with a computer "brother" of Mandark's named Computress.

Dustin: despite this episode being paired with that bad Christmas episode i gotta say this fan written episode is not bad i was a kid back then myself and it's pretty funny anyways Dexter and Computress plan out how to stop Mandark with a shrink ray but it ends up failing miserably when Computress accidentally sets the ray to grow making Mandark's head grow into the size of Earth

Dexter: [voiced by Tyler] you are stupid! you are stupid! and don't forget you are stupid!

Blake: Now, I don't know if Tyler Samuel Lee does still write, but I have seen a video of him where he performs music in a band :)

Dustin: wow that's very cool :)

Honorable Mention #2: Koosalagoopagoop Episodes - Season 2, Episodes 17B & 34B, Season 3, Episode 64A

Dustin: god bless you Dom DeLuise :D now as you can guess the character of the Koosalagoopagoop is kind of a parody of Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street & H.R. Pufnstuf but is mostly a parody of Barney the Dinosaur probably due to the themes of imagination anyways Koosy is Dee Dee's imaginary friend who most don't see [aside from Dexter in his debut] in The Koos is Loose Dee Dee summons Koosy in the lab and Dexter takes care of him while Dee Dee is at dance class it's pretty funny in some spots X3

Blake: Also in Koosalagoopagoop, with Dee Dee having trouble sleeping, Koosy tells Dee Dee about Koosland, where he "supposedly" reigns over as the king. Dee Dee is excited to check it out, so she teleports into Koosy's heart patch on his belly and they arrive in Koosland, where Dee Dee goes off to explore

Dustin: from there Dee Dee with major determination tries to see Koosy as the king even forcefully having him punch the real king, wear his crown and kiss the queen it's pretty funny XD lastly there's Jeepers, Creepers, Where Is Peepers Koosy's only major role in the new seasons outside of Dexter's Wacky Races in this one a friend of Koosy's being a dog called Peepers is taken, basically Peepers keeps Koosland from falling apart for some reason

Blake: Right, because Dee Dee created Peepers and Peepers created Koosland. Anyway, Koosy and Dexter team up (rather against the latter's will) and rescue Peepers from anime-looking villain Hokochoo. But as it turns out, Peepers saves the day after he's mutated into a bespectacled dragon with a color scheme straight out of the movie Akira. Man, talk about creepy

Dustin: yeah and now... [hesitates] and now... [moans] god damn it! [goes down]

Blake: What's wrong?

Dustin: it's just... the number 1 pick... i know what it is and i don't think we can just talk about it in a meer list 3X

Blake: Hmm, you got a good point... so why don't we talk about it as a separate review?

Dustin: you serious? :o

Blake: Yeah; it's a pretty big episode, so why not?

Dustin: okay then but what can we put in it's place?

Blake: Hmm... I think I got something. (whispers in your ear)

Dustin: wow! good idea :D

Number 1: LABretto - Season 2, Episode 51B

Blake: Now this is the one that really inspired by love for music and musicals. With partial narration sung by Agostino Castagnola, this episode tells of how Dexter was born into the family, how he met and tries to avoid Dee Dee, and how he built his titular laboratory

Dustin: those stories go into three acts much like any other musical and this one is so much fun :D it's also pretty creative that most of the episode is set like a musical stage like the hospital, Dexter's home and of course the lab very awesome :)

Blake: When we see Dexter build his creation, we see the origin of Dee Dee breaking into his lab for the first time, and destroying his very first robot with her catchphrase "Ooh, what does this button do?" This causes Dexter to break down emotionally, and ends in a tragic song under a spotlight. It still brings tears to my eyes even to this day

Dustin: now this would technically be set as a final episode HOWEVER it's not cause while this episode does pretty much have some finality to it the next episode they would air over a month later would become an official final episode... until Season 3 happened but regardless we're not REALLY done with Dexter as of yet we have plans for the Season 4 finale so be ready for episode 120 as we review Dexter's biggest episode which caused the show to have an amazing finale! :D

Blake: Today was a fine day for a top 10 list :)

~skullz & Fuwa out