As we got closer to the end of season 2 of Monsters at Work, things are coming to a head with Tylor, Val, and the rest of the Monsters Inc. crew.
Monsters In The Dark
Hey, remember the events of the last episode, wherein Tylor got in a bit of a squabble with Val over her Jokester job offer and then caught her hit at the softball game when he subbed in for Fear Co.’s pitcher, and won them the game?
Oh good. Either way, you get to hear about it again thanks to a few moments of recap.
On the Laugh floor, there is tension between Val and Tylor, as she just keeps mumbling while he is offering apology cookies – that his grandmother made – but the tension is soon broken when they are summoned to a special event that Mike and Sulley have planned in the basement below the basement of Monsters, Inc.
After a very awkward elevator ride, they arrive to discover that Mike and Sulley have a day of team building exercises planned to help build morale after the devastating loss (thanks to Tylor) at the softball game. The only problem is, this sub-basement is home to quite the Monsters Inc. urban legend – Karloff The Shrieker.
The story is told in similar style to the opening of each episode, and gives us the exposition that this Monster actually does not like laughing and prefers screams. So if you get caught by the Shrieker laughing, it will soon be lights out. The gang then enters a very special area – the first Door Station at the facility.
To begin the day, Sulley and Mike start reading (not so) anonymous complaints, which then leads to Duncan laughing at Tylor – which causes the lights to flicker and strikes fear amongst the staff, especially since they discover that when the lights went out, Sulley has now gone missing. Mike tries to calm everyone down, and his fake, uncomfortable laughing also causes more lights to go out and he goes missing as well. To make matters worse, they are also locked in this historical room.
Panic ensues, but Val is able to keep her composure and get the teams assembled and form search parties to look for Mike and Sulley. Some groups will also look for doors they can put into the station to get out of the room. This process left Val, Tylor and Roger Rogers in the same group. Roger will lead them since for some reason – he knows all the inner-workings and tunnels of the basements.
This tunnel search seems to be the greatest therapy session that Tylor and Val needed though, led by Roger and his special “talking flashlight” method. This leads to a point where Val got so angry telling Tylor how she felt after he didn’t have her back, that she threw the flashlight – illuminating a trail of scratch marks leading to a mysterious door – which turns out just to be a supply closet.
A ruckus is taking place near the Door Station since a door has been found, but the only door that they can find is the infamous banishment door, that in this instance will lead them into the middle of a desert. So, the group concocts a plan to tempt the Shrieker through laughter and lure him into the door. The plan seems to be working, and we get a look at the Shrieker as he moves slowly (much slower than implied when Sulley and Mike went missing). However, the plan hits a bit of a snag and leaves Val in the sights of the Shrieker with a door that won’t load into the station precariously perched above them.
Tylor jumps in and physically breaks the door free, sending it crashing down between The Shrieker and Val, but in doing so finds himself and the Shrieker getting sent through the active door. Everyone panics since Tylor going through the door was not part of the plan, but they open the door to discover the Shrieker sounds suspiciously like Mike, who is followed by Sulley – both in the Shrieker costume.
Turns out, the whole thing was a ruse set up by the two – this was the team-building exercise that they promised. And better yet, Tylor and Val have seemingly made up. Mike also commends Sulley for the incredible scratch marks he left but…he didn’t. There may be more to that eerie supply closet after all.
Lights Camera Chaos
We open with another episode of I Scream U Scream, which is going to take place live from Monsters Inc. this morning since Laugh Power is polling evenly alongside Scream Power now in Monstropolis.
Down in M.I.F.T., Cutter is giving up with the canister issues, which keep giving faulty readings showing that they are full when they are most definitely not full.
Suspiciously, Roger is not around (he’s always around!) to sing a song with Val that was promised since she has now taken the Jokester position, which is why she and Tylor are down there celebrating anyway. The celebration is cut short though when there are calls saying something is happening on the main Laugh Floor, Laugh Floor F.
They get there to discover that the whole area has been vandalized, with spray paint everywhere and the phrase “Laugh Power is A Joke” blatantly across a major wall. Not a good day for television cameras to be around.
Now they have to clear up this mess, and Tylor and Val see Roger stumbling around with paint all over his tentacles trying to get it off.
While Tylor and Val race after Roger, Duncan sees the can of spraypaint, marked with a tag from Tuskmon Hardware, Tylor’s family’s shop.
The live broadcast has now arrived on scene in the Lobby of Monsters Inc, where the canister issue is broadcast across the city, but it is played off real quick. Elsewhere, Tylor and Val overhear Roger on the phone saying that “they already suspect me,” after noticing the Canister Holding Pen key is still missing. This prompts the pair to pull up Roger’s personnel file – a gasp. (Should have ended the episode here, but I don’t write it)
Up on the floor, the paint is more permanent than they hoped and Fritz concocts a plan to cover it with stacks of doors and canisters.
Still stalling, there are more talks of the leaking canisters which are asked about on the television program. This actually allows for some stalling as Mike and Sulley concoct a cover story that “Leaking Canisters” is a new staff musical that they are working on for the staff to enjoy.
They finally enter the Laugh Floor to discover that everything is seemingly well hidden, but Mike bumps into a canister, knocking it into some doors that create a domino effect and hitting and breaking more canisters that fall and take off when their nozzle breaks, smashing into the walls and the stacked doors, revealing all the vandalism.
But who did it? Our TV hosts insist it was someone who works there, and Tylor and Val rush in saying they know who is responsible – It’s Roger Rogers, AKA Henry Waternoose IV.
You may recall the last name as that of the original CEO of Monsters Inc. from the film, who almost ruined the company with the kidnapping and the scream extractor, etc. etc.
The show is over, and a furious Sulley (which we never see) calls everyone to their office. But he isn’t mad about Roger, he’s mad at Tylor. Tylor tries defending himself, and keeps pointing out questionable behavior by Roger, including that aforementioned phone call. Which Mike says was to him, and that he was the one who wants all the pictures from Roger too, part of a big photo mural he is working on.
Just after, Duncan and Cutter come in with a box of goods that they found in Tylor’s locker – including the missing key, and a photo of Boo that Sulley had just discovered went missing as well. It comes to a head when Duncan reveals the coffee cup with Tylor’s name on it from Fear Co.
The whole team has now turned on Tylor, including his BFF Val who doesn’t know what to believe anymore. Tylor storms out, and we see him cleaning up his desk and leaving his badge there, while we see Val taking the Jokester job and signing all the paperwork.
Cut to Johnny’s office – no, it’s not some big reveal – but he is getting a phone call from Tylor, who clearly needs something now more than ever.
You can catch these episodes of Monsters At Work now on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. They’ll also debut on Disney+ on May 5th.
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