Top 10 Most Iconic Regular Show Moments
#11: Pops Finds the Lost Tapes
"Fix That Tape"
Nearly a decade after the original show’s conclusion, we finally return to the “Regular Show” universe with the revival, “The Lost Tapes”. During the premiere, we get a glimpse at how Pops is doing in the afterlife. We’re happy to see that Pops is doing well after his heroic sacrifice, rewatching memories of his friends through a videotape. Sadly, he’s rewatched the tape so much that it breaks, but on his quest to find it, he finds an entire collection of new tapes. Each tape contains a forgotten memory for Pops to recall, and a whole new zany misadventure for us to enjoy, to reconnect with our favorite lazy groundskeepers.
#10: The Illiterate Karen
“Take the Cake”
Not too long before the dreaded Karen meme was born, “Regular Show” gave us a small taste of what to expect. When Mordecai and Rigby go to pick up a cake, a bitter customer accuses them of being “Line-cutters” just because they took priority over her. Our boys calmly stand their ground and are rewarded for following the rules, while Bitter Betty is humiliated by the rest of the store. She later tries to run the duo down, only to end up crashing because she couldn’t read the danger signs. We probably should feel bad for her illiteracy, but it’s too satisfying to see an entitled customer face karma, and Mordecai and Rigby handled the situation perfectly.
#9: Muscle Man's Comeuppance
“White Elephant Gift Exchange”
Sometimes, the best gift of all is good old-fashioned revenge. Along with his usual pranks, every year, Muscle Man ruins the park’s White Elephant Gift Exchange by giving his co-workers horrible gifts. This year, they plan to get revenge with the granddaddy of all pranks. However, their plan gets derailed when Muscle Man seemingly gives them a genuinely thoughtful gift this time. Of course, it turns out to be a trick after all, and Muscle Man gets a heavy dose of karma. The slow-motion action and having Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas" playing over the chaos only makes it more hilariously cathartic.
#8: Rigby's Scary Story
“Terror Tales of the Park”
The “Terror Tales of the Park” episodes give our groundskeepers a chance to spook the audience, and each other, with ghoulish stories. In the very first special, Rigby brings his A-Game with his story, where he angers a bitter wizard on Halloween. The wizard curses Rigby to transform into a living house in a horrifying “American Werewolf in London” sequence. The wizard then kills the rest of the gang one by one, before throwing eggs at Rigby just to rub salt in the wound. The only one not impressed by Rigby’s gruesome tale is Muscle Man, but his tune changes when Rigby shocks us with one last frightening surprise.
#7: Thomas’ True Identity
“The Real Thomas”
Since his debut in Season Four, Thomas has been a recurring sight around the park as the new intern. He was mostly a blank slate who didn’t contribute much outside of getting phone calls from his ‘mother.’ However, in Season 6, we finally learn Thomas’ story... or rather, we learn Nikolai’s story. It turns out the man we THOUGHT was Thomas was actually a Russian spy, infiltrating the Park, abducting it, and preparing to blow it up. It’s not too far-fetched, but Thomas’ revelation was enough to make our jaws hit the floor. In the end, Nikolai saves the gang before going into hiding, as we say do svidaniya to one of the show’s biggest plot twists.
#6: The Epic Callback Battle
“Exit 9B”
Season Four premiered in a major way – the park has been taken over by a corrupt contractor who plans to build a freeway, and most of the park workers have had their memories wiped. When the freeway is complete, Mordecai and Rigby come face to face with every major villain and foe from the first four seasons, back from the grave and out for revenge. Fortunately, nearly every major ALLY arrives to give the gang a hand, and an all-out war ensues. With plenty of cameos, callbacks, and heart-stopping action to boot, this was a brawl that reminded us of everything that made “Regular Show” the thrill ride that it is.
#5: Rigby’s Rejection Letter
“Regular Show: The Movie” (2015)
When the gang confronts Mr. Ross during his time-travel scheme, the vengeful teacher humiliates Rigby in the cruelest way possible – he forces him to read his college rejection letter. For the longest time, Mordecai believed that he had been rejected from College University while Rigby was accepted; however, it turns out it was the opposite, and Rigby had forged Mordecai’s rejection letter. If the shame of that wasn’t bad enough, the rejection letter Rigby receives is vicious: taking it an extra mile by callously insulting his intelligence. It’s heartbreaking watching Rigby try to stay calm as he reads one of his biggest failures in front of everyone –even Benson winces at the letter’s scalding words.
#4: The Baby Duck Battles
Various
In Season Two, Mordecai and Rigby found a squad of baby ducks and raised them into the coolest fighters ever. When things escalate, they come together to form Hyperduck, the ultimate warrior. Once Hyperduck enters the scene, you'd better step off, or he’ll karate chop you to oblivion. His power only grows when he’s armed with an arsenal of episode callbacks, bringing an extra splash of mecha anime and Tokusatsu goodness. We couldn’t settle on just one scene with the ducks alone, as every appearance brings something wild to the table. Mordecai and Rigby may screw up a lot, but if there’s one thing they got right, it’s raising the ducks into the heroes we needed.
#3: Benson’s Ultimate Crash Out
“Think Positive”
In order to boost morale, Pops orders Benson to stop yelling at Mordecai and Rigby, or risk losing his job. Unfortunately, the duo doesn’t make it easy for Benson to keep his composure, and bottling up his fury becomes too hazardous. When Benson’s anger reaches supernova levels, Pops finally allows him to unleash his rage at Mordecai and Rigby... and he doesn’t hold back once. Benson may have a massive temper, but it’s hard to deny that his anger is justified most of the time –especially when trying to motivate slackers into doing their jobs. Pops learns a valuable lesson in the end, and we witness one of the most justified crash-outs in the show.
#2: Rigby’s Graduation Speech
“Rigby's Graduation Day Special”
After living with the embarrassment of never graduating, Rigby went back to High School in Season 7 to finally earn his diploma. And by some miracle, he succeeded. At first, it was mostly to prove he was good enough for his girlfriend, Eileen, and he admittedly tried to take easy classes, but he still put in the effort to make it to graduation and was rightfully rewarded for his hard work. During the ceremony, he gives a heartwarming speech that all of us should take to heart – once you power through the hard stuff, the rest gets less difficult from here. This is a testament to how much Rigby has grown from the immature slacker from Season 1.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Benson's Drum Solo, “150 Piece Kit”
Benson Reminds Us That He Dominates as a Drummer
Rigby and Eileen are Dating?! “Dumped at the Altar”
It Was an Awkward Confession, but the Confirmation Warmed Our Hearts
The Mississippi Queen, “Weekend at Benson's”
A Drinking Challenge Turns Into a Trippy Music Video
#1: “Jolly Good Show”
“A Regular Epic Final Battle”
It’s the final episode of the original series, Pops sacrificed himself to save the universe, and the park gang finally returns to Earth after three years of travelling the stars. The episode, and the series, cap things off with a montage of the next 25 years of the gang’s lives. We see each of them move on to bigger things beyond the park, finding love and raising families, before coming back together for a big reunion celebration. With David Bowie’s “Heroes” playing the whole time, it’s impossible not to shed a tear as we say goodbye to the zany ensemble. The finale ends with Pops saying his catchphrase, happy to see his friends’ lives moving forward.
What’s your favorite Regular Show moment? Let us know in the comments!
