The episode opens with the men lounging around work, having not received a single phone call all day. Charlie reads that Renaissance men will soon visit the city, but provides no further context. Pim and Charlie hear a noise and head outside to see that a new business called Frowning Friends, run by Grim and Gnarly, has opened across the street; two outwardly evil versions of Pim and Charlie who make fun of them. Horrified, Pim interrupts The Boss’s DDR session and tells him about the new deal, causing visible anguish on his face. The boss then assures them both that it’s okay and it’s just a friendly competition. Pim, now emboldened to make people smile for the sake of competition, heads out and Charlie soon follows.
The first person they meet is ambiguously Hispanic rapper and Soundcloud gangster DJ Spit, who is upset that no one wants to listen to his music. When Pim tries to encourage him to keep making his music so he can improve, DJ Spit says he recognizes them both and thinks they just told him to give up on his dreams. Charlie tries to clarify that it was the Frowning Friends and not these two, but DJ Spit accuses them of trying to light him with gas before pulling a gun on them both. Charlie tries to disarm him but fails. The two then visit Mr. Man, who is upset about how the way he was drawn is causing him constant mental anguish. Pim tries to tell him that his head looks fine, but Mr. Man also mistakes Pim and Charlie for Grim and Gnarly, who tell him to feel bad about his dented head, before also accusing them of gassing him. His head transforms into that of DJ Spit and pulls a gun on the two, with Charlie again failing to disarm him. Charlie and Pim take a break, with the former yelling about how he thinks the Frowning Friends are doing this for no good reason, while Pim suggests they try to help one last person; A 3D Squelton who is angry at the world’s injustice. Charlie asks if he enjoys anything, to which Squelton says he likes balloons, with both friends suggesting he could become a balloon salesman. However, as he is convinced, Grim and Gnarly exit the helicopter and tell Squelton that combined with the effort to get the license, the world will soon run out of helium, so there is no point in selling balloons. Grim reveals that their strategy is to be as damaging as possible while telling the truth before they leave. Pim begins to think that the Cloudy Friends’ goal is personal, while Charlie is fact-checked by helium.
The boss is then shown in a meeting with his three advisors and reveals that the Frowning Friends caused their stock to drop by $2,400,000,000. The first advisor—who owns Wrigley’s Gum—suggests simply buying more stock, while the second advisor recalled how he managed to distract the public from filling his peanuts with toxins by going on The Dick Cavett Show and performing a peanut jig, which he suggested to the boss. something like that. The third advisor suggests reclaiming the marketplace with a more competitive business model, but The Boss thinks all their ideas are stupid, leaving the third advisor confused as to why they should even be invited up. Alan enters the room to check on The Boss, but he dismisses Alan and goes to his “thinking room” – a dilapidated bathroom in the eye of the building. He talks to his evil reflection, who suggests literally killing the competition while switching between personalities.
Pim and Charlie head back to the Smiling Friends Inc. headquarters, only to discover a crowd listening to Grim’s propaganda. When Pim calls him out, Grim accuses Pim of bullying a mentally ill person, causing them both to be arrested by Alan and Glep, who only joined for a better 401(k). Grim then shows the crowd the “brutal cruelty of reality”, showing footage of war and the homeless, which Charlie remarks that he’s seen far worse things on the internet. The Boss breaks into the Cloudy Friends headquarters as Grim reveals his and Gnarly’s master plan: to eradicate Smile before committing genocide on all Puerto Ricans. Just as he finishes, the boss reaches Grim and points a rifle at him, causing him to beg profusely for his life and pee his pants. DJ Spit points out how Grim only spewed nihilism but was afraid of being killed, to which the crowd angrily dispersed, with Mr. Man declaring that he was looking forward to the genocide. While Alan is confused as to whether or not he still has to detain Pim and Charlie, the boss tries to cheer Grim up by letting him know that the only reason he almost killed him was because he was jealous of Grim’s idea, causing him to smile . Grim and Gnarly begin to feel happy and begin to change their ways before a group of medieval horsemen appear and shoot arrows at Grim and Gnarly, killing them before driving off. Charlie mentions that the Renaissance Men have finally appeared, to which Pim expresses confusion because they didn’t even look like they were from the Renaissance.
Smiling Friends Season 1 Episode 7 Transcript
[play intro]
[The scene opens with the Smiling Friends sitting in an office while Charlie is on his cell phone, Alan is writing in a notebook next to an open fridge with a pencil, Glep is playing with a rubix cube.]
Pim: No calls today. This is unusual.
Charlie: You know, I just read about how the… renaissance men are coming to town.
Pim: Oh, who are they? Who are the renaissance men?
Charlie: Um…Oh, it just says here that Renaissance men are coming to town and what it looks like. It’s like super early. It’s like really early.
Pim: Who are the Renaissance Men?
Charlie: So…
Pim: I don’t know who they are. Like a renaissance fair?
Charlie: Dude, I’m saying – look, I’m just telling you what I’m reading here, man. That’s all I know. You know as much as I do. I’m reading this thing right now. They say the renaissance men are coming to town real soon.
Pim: Okay.
Charlie: Like S.A.P.
Pim: I just don’t know what it means.
[Buzzing and beeping plays]
Pim: I don’t know what it is.
[A clink is heard. Everyone heard this noise.]
Pim: What’s that noise?
[Squeaks and beeps continue to play]
[Charlie and Pim open the door from Smiling Friends Inc. and they go out.]
Charlie: [points finger] I think so.
[A moving truck known as the Pack It Up Boys from Moving Company and Rentals pulls up the street. The scene then reveals Frowning Friends Inc.]
[The scene switches to the titular Grim friends, Grim and Gnarly.]
Grim: Oh. But but but. Smiling friends. We finally meet.
[Scene changes to Pim and Charlie next to Smiling Friends Inc.]
Pim: Hello. who are you?
Grim: I’m Grim and this is Gnarly. We are Frowning Friends. And we just moved in yesterday. How strange. [Laughs]
[Frowning friends look at Pim and Charlie.]
Pim: Nice to meet you.
Charlie: So what exactly are you doing?
Gnarly: [mockingly] So what are you doing?! [Normal Voice] Shut up man.
Grim: Alright, Gnarly. I love you.
Gnarly: And I love you, Grim.
Grim: Let’s leave these smiling fools to it.
[Grim and Gnarly laugh evilly and open the door to let in Frowning Friends Inc.]
[weak evil laugh]
Charlie: That’s not even a real laugh.
Pim: [grabs Charlie’s hand] Don’t worry, Charlie. I’m sure The Boss will know what to do with it.
[Another scene shows The Boss in the office playing a game similar to Dance Dance Revolution with high tempo music playing]
Boss: Damn [bleep], damn [bleep].
Pim: Sorry, boss.
Boss: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. One second, one second, damn it. Okay, go. What’s happening?
Pim: We just wanted to let you know that a new company called Frowning Friends has moved in across the street and we just wanted to…
[The boss stops playing his dance game.]
Boss: Frowning…Friends?
Charlie: Yeah.
Pim: Should we be afraid?
Boss: No, don’t be angry, young Pim. It’s just a little friendly competition.
Pim: Okay, great. Well, then there’s no time to waste, Charlie. Let’s get out there and make people laugh! [Runs out of the office.]
Charlie: Oh, like, I didn’t think he would. That scared me. That actually scared me a little. Anyway, see you later, man. [Charlie leaves the office.]
[suspense music plays]
[Pim and Charlie walk down a crime-themed street with homeless people and graffiti on the walls of buildings.]
Charlie: Pim, why can’t we just wait for work to come into the office like normal?
Pim: Come on, Charlie. Now that we have competition, we can’t afford to sit in the break room all day. We have to get in there and get dirty.
DJ Spit: I’m gonna knock your head off, man. I will knock your head off and pounce on it if you ever insult me again.
Charlie: What about the guy?
DJ Spit: I’ll knock your head off.
Pim: Hello sir. Why Long Face?
DJ Spit: Oh, yeah, I’m kind of mad, man. I always wanted to be a SoundCloud artist, man. [Pulls cell phone out of pocket]
[A rap can be heard indistinctly on his cell phone.]
DJ Spit: But nobody wanna, you know, listen to my damn, um…my shit and stuff, man. And that makes me mad, man.
Pim: I don’t mind. You just need to keep working hard on it. And you will definitely find an audience. Practice makes perfect.
DJ Spit: Hey, I just remembered. You two little critters told me it would be easier if I stopped making music. And just freaking out and stuff, man.
Pim: No, we never spoke to you, sir.
DJ Spit: Yeah, no, I met you two, man. Damn I met you two. You’re Grim and you’re Gnarly and stuff, man.
Pim: Oh.
Charlie: Oh, no, okay.
Pim: Well, no.
Charlie: I see what’s going on. Look, it’s just two guys who look like us.
Pim: Yeah, they look like us.
DJ Spit: Man shut up man. You’re trying to trick me, man. Put smoke in my goddamn head and in my ass, man.
Charlie: Not at all, man.
DJ Spit: Man, I don’t know what to think anymore, man! [Grabs his gun.]
Charlie: Okay, okay.
Pim: Whoa, bye. Let’s de-escalate. Nobody cares.
Charlie: Nobody messes with your head.
DJ Spit: I don’t know what to think anymore, get out of my head! Get out of my head!
Charlie: Let’s just give-no. [He tries to disarm DJ Spit.]
DJ Spit: Get out of my head!
Charlie: Nobody’s messing with your head, man.
DJ Spit: Get out of my head!
Charlie: Nobody messes with that…
[Pim knocks on the door of Mr. Man’s house.]
Pim: Hello Mr. Man. We were just wondering if you needed some cheering up today.
Mr. Man: Well, the shape of my head causes me constant mental anguish. Sound like I need cheering up?
Pim: Yeah, a little.
Charlie: I think so.
Mr. Man: You two didn’t actually come in and tell me I should feel bad about my disgusting head shape? And shouldn’t you do anything about it?
Charlie: Holy shit, man. They got them all.
Pim: No, sir, it wasn’t us. By the way, your head is amazing.
Mr. Man: No, I’ve definitely seen you two before. You-you’re trying to mess with me. Get out of my head! Get out of my head!
[Mr. The man’s head turns into DJ Spit’s and grabs a gun.]
Mr. Man/DJ Spit: Get out of my head! Get out of my head!
Pim and Charlie: Nobody messes with your head.
Mr. Man/DJ Spit: Get out of my head!
[Indistinct argument]
Mr. Man/DJ Spit: Get out of my head!
[Pim and Charlie are shown on the playground. The two are sitting on swings in the playground.]
Charlie: Look, Pim, I understand what’s going on here. They are our bizarre versions. It’s alright. But what is their end? What is the point? It just annoys me.
Pim: Let’s try one more, Charlie. What about the guy?
[3D Squelton is shown crying in the sandbox.]
3D Squelton: [crying] Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo-hoo!
Pim: Hello, little boy. what upset you
3D Squelton: Oh, boo-hoo. The world is just so damn rotten. There is so much hatred and evil. 3D Squelton just doesn’t see the point in living anymore. What is the point? Oh, boo-hoo-hoo!
