Bully bromance breakup is actually a mess of an episode ngl
Like the point is that buford and baljeet LIKE each other, they like hanging out and miss each other if they seperate
But that idea uh. Kinda gets muddled when baljeet fucking THRIVES after being without buford for like half a day. It kinda just comes across as someone in an unhealthy relationship missing their abuser which isnt helped by the episode highlighting the BAD parts of their dynamic as the stuff they miss
Buford and baljeet are FRIENDS. They hang out, they tell each other stuff before anyone else, they always team up when the group pairs off, they have more in common than you might realise and mist importantly they dont actually hate each other or stick to the bully/victim dynamic that much. But baljeet and buford dont reminisce on any of that when they realise they want each other back, they reminisce on the bullying part of it that by this point in the show is more forced than anything
The whole 'enemies portrayed with similar language to lovers' joke in pnf is funny and since its very obvious its a joke i cant fault it on most occasions but uh. maybe DONT keep it up during an actually emotional moment thats meant to show why these characters care about and miss each other??
This isnt like Dramatic-Thwarting-Affair peter the panda shite where its a b plot played for a joke, you are to some degree meant to take these two wanting each other back seriously so baljeet achieving so much for himself without buford and yet still running back is just uncomfy
There are small things the episode does to ease this feeling, like making it VERY clear that placing a tracking device on someone unknowingly is a terrible thing to do and buford was completely in the wrong by having him apologise and baljeet get revenge, and i like that the dialogue and song lyrics indicate that baljeet is going to keep the confidence he gained from this experience and get buford back on HIS terms and stands up to him more around this point in the show but overall its still kinda sloppy
I know buford and baljeet are often treated as mini doof and perry with the whole 'enemies played as lovers' joke but the writers need to remember that platypuses fighting evil scientists arent real but bullies absolutely are. You dont get as much leeway there and you have to show more actual affection and less bullying as time goes on for us to accept these two as having grown to become friends otherwise you set a VERY bad example for kids
Theres not much to say on bufords part of the episode and since he's the aggressor in his and baljeets relationship he doesnt deserve the same amount of waxing lyrical about codependency. All i'll say is that the lyrics in his song are rather interesting in comparison to baljeets in that instead of 'i have got to get him back somehow' he sings 'i just dont know what to do', reinforcing that subtle shift in the dynamic becoming more equal with baljeet taking a more active tole around this episode. Also notable is that baljeets examples of the bullying are more direct about it while buford mentions things like noogies and says he 'teases' baljeet for being so smart, actions and wording implying a level of affection in the actions that isnt evident to others, kinda like a big sibling teasing their younger sibling. Again its a small thing that makes the episode a little less bad to an adult eye, but its still too subtle for kids to really understand the details of this dynamic and how it shifts around this point. All kids see is the text of the episode: buford and baljeet leave each other and bufords life barely changes while baljeet thrives. Yet they still both want each other and their old roles back and this is a good thing
There are smaller, pettier problems here like the hilariously terrible looking effects at the end of the song and the fact that we had a BUFORD TEAMING UP WITH DOOF plot RIGHT THERE and see a criminally small amount of content for it but overall thats my main issue
You cant just say 'baljeet loses all his inhibitions, becomes strong and confident and literally free-climbs a mountain without buford but wants to go back to being walked all over' and not expect anyone to see an issue with that
