"Raising Toasty" is the first episode of the first season of Oddballs and the first episode overall, which also serves as the series premiere.
It released on Netflix (and later on YouTube[1]) on October 7, 2022.
Synopsis[]
After burnt toast ruins their sleepover, James and Max create "Toasty," a sentient toaster — but they have wildly different ideas on how to raise him.[2]
Plot[]
After a perfect sleepover, James and Max decide to make the "perfect breakfast", in which they decide to make toast to go along with their eggs and tater tots. After a small song, the bread ends up burning, much to Max's sadness and James' anger, as now their perfect breakfast is ruined. This leads to the question of why there is no such thing as a smart toaster. James believes it's their destiny to create the perfect smart toaster. This idea excites the two boys. After getting an AI chip (ripped out from James' fridge), they put it in the toaster as it suddenly starts smoking much to the two's panic.
James and Max soon discover they've created a sentient toaster, which they then name Toasty. They then put bread in Toasty, only for it to be burnt, much to Max's utter disappointment. This prompts James to scold Max, as he questions if Max could make perfect toast when he was a baby. This prompts a saddening flashback from a baby Max in which he was created and about to be electrocuted. In the present, James says he probably couldn't. However, Max suddenly arises and starts behaving like a scientist (which is actually what happened with him as a child) with a subject.
In the Clubhouse, James and Max start teaching Toasty about the ways of cooking perfect toast. However, after the first time, the bread comes up burnt. Max dubs the "experiment" a "failure". James is annoyed, as believing Toasty hearing Max would ruin his self confidence, saying the strategy is to make the kid believe they can succeed. Max, however, says the strategy is to stare at them when their asleep and awake, then put them through painful experiments, and "most importantly", only calling them by their experiment numbers. Max is about to electrocute Toasty with a headstrap, only to be saved by James. James then tries to give Toasty a bath, only to be electrocuted.
A montage then starts in which James and Max's conflicting ways of parenting slowly and then constant fighting starts to aggravate Toasty. It all reaches a breaking point at the pool where Max is about to make Toasty fall into the water at a lake. When he's rescued by James, the two get into a tug-of-war, which causes Toasty to fall into the water and electrocute all the fish (and one now-dead scuba diver). Max reels him back in as James and Max once again start arguing. Toasty, at his breaking point, plugs himself into the water, which electrocutes both James and Max as Toasty smiles wickedly.
Back at the Clubhouse (which Sagu is having a hard time balancing), Toasty is having a tantrum as James and Max recover from their electrocution. Max deducts that not only have their arguments negatively affected Toasty, but it's all James' fault. James argues that he's being the positive parent while Max is setting him up to fail. Max then says he's failing because he takes after James. James then says he's never failed in his life, other than choosing Max as a friend. This breaks Max's heart and, with tears in his eyes, says maybe they shouldn't be friends. As James is about to agree, a loud explosion is heard, revealing Toasty escaped and is now on the loose causing havoc.
James and Max go after Toasty. However, both have conflicting goals in the situation as they race each other to catch Toasty first. James at first distracts Max with an ice cream truck tone, but James runs after him, Max (with the ice cream in hand) catches up as both find Toasty in the alleyway. Toasty ends up cornered, but ends up sending burnt toast at them. The last one rockets straight toward James, only for Max to take the hit, puncturing his stomach.
James pulls him to the side, horrified, where Max reveals he's bleeding green slime. James gives him a hug. However, Max doesn't know what it is, and James tells him it's something his father clearly never gave him: a hug. This sends Max spiraling into tears. Max apologizes and James says its their fault for letting parenting get in the way of what was really important... perfect breakfast without each other. James and Max then reconcile.
The two get up and face Toasty head on. However, Toasty finds an exit as it one-ups James and Toasty as he runs toward the Fün der Bread Factory, where James realizes that could gain Toasty enough ammo to destroy the town. However, as Max is too tired and visibly wounded to go along, James goes by himself... but not after Max starts getting "hungy" and deciding to eat the toast in his stomach.
As Toasty reaches the factory, James stops him and apologizes, but Toasty gets ready to fire at him. James then walks over to Toasty slowly as he sings a reprise of "Toast It!", this time called "My Toasty". However, as Toasty crawls into James' arms, it's revealed it's still evil. But however, before it can electrocute James, it's revealed James had actually gotten him in his arms to emotionally pull out the AI chip from earlier, killing Toasty. A piece of toast comes from his socket, and James tries it and emotionally discovers it's perfect.
Later, James and Max are seen with burnt toast and some tea, as James says, as he throws away the AI chip, he knows why no one's created a smart toaster as the two dig in to the burnt toast. However, as the two eat, the AI chip sinks into the trash and goes back into Toasty. As James and Max eat, they fail to notice the plug of Toasty slip into the trash can on its own. Toasty wakes back up and laughs in a sinister manner, ending the episode implying a possible return.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- James Rallison as James
- Julian Gant as Max
- Carl Faruolo as Greg (flashback)
- Erika Ishii as Liv (flashback)
- Kari Wahlgren as Toasty
Additional Voices[]
- Julian Gant as Citizen 1
- Mel Benson as Citizen 2
- Ryan Stewart as Additional voices
- Trevor Revall as Additional voices
- Rachael Lillis as Additional voices
- Troy Baker as Additional voices
- Dave Fennoy as Additional voices
- Phil LaMarr as Mailman
- Carl Faruolo as Citizen 3
- James Rallison as Sagu
Transcript[]
| See the transcript of "Raising Toasty" |
Gallery[]
| See the gallery of Raising Toasty |
Trivia[]
- The episode was also released on YouTube to celebrate the series' premiere.[1]
- It's highly likely the "Red Blood
- " coming from Max's stomach was used as a censor to actual blood to avoid the TV rating being affected.