Author's Preface/Rant: The movie we all cherish and know, Flushed Away, kind of left us hanging there in-between Roddy and Rita's cut scene after the wave was frozen, and the 'Proud Mary' finale. The transition in itself was seamless, but when you take a step back and look at the picture as a whole, there's something wrong there. We've got to get a few facts strait: The Jammy Dodger II couldn't have been built in those 0.3 seconds. They could have bought it on the spot from a dealer or something. If there is one thing Rita
Malone understands, it's that the spirit of the boat comes from the creator. She'd never buy something pre-made, thats just Rita for you.
Even if so, check out this commonly overlooked fact: Water does not spontaneously melt in 0.3 seconds, especially when it's below the freezing point (Liquid nitrogen is cold). Without the chemistry mumbo-jumbo: The wave that had just been frozen couldn't of melted under a day.Hey, science boy, it doesn't matter. Anything is possible, the world doesn't exist: the laws of science don't apply.
Let's assume the laws of dry-cleaning apply: Their clothes. The scene before? Dirty. The next? Not a spec of grease, mud, and actually ironed. Thats
Okay, you got us Zumester. There was a period of time between the lubby-dubby scene and singing slugs. Now what? Well, now I'm going to be 'filling in' this gap with what I believe happened, while staying close and true to the spirit of Aardman/DreamWorks. (
So, prepare yourselves for a series stuffed with plenty of action, humor, and… possible romance? Find out in chapter after chapter of…Flushed Away: Tale of the Jammy Dodger II
"Feeling a little tounge tied?" Roddy asked, milking yet another pun in his moment of triumph.
"Impothhible!" cried out a strained voice.
Rita could only smile as the feel of victory coursed through her veins. She was hanging on Roddy, who in turn was using Le Frog as a gymnastics rope; Roddy had just swung down to save her from her plummet into the oncoming wave.
"Toodaloo!" she crooned sweetly to the Toad, waving a few fingers before gravity took hold and pulled them earthbound.
A cry of seething fury was the last thing the Toad could manage before the tension of his tongue, caught in-between gears, ripped him and the pipe he was frozen to off the main nitrogen-pumping line.
Roddy, Rita and Le Frog all cried out together as they scarcely swung past the approaching wave of water, and onto a platform above the whole scene: a wave of collected loo-water was about to crush the entire city of Ratropolis.
Roddy could only pray that his plan would not fail him, Rita, and the city.
"Please work, please work, please work!"
Rita looked on, horrified for her family. She didn't know what Roddy was talking about either, as he frantically shook his hands and watched the broken pipes.
The water is already upon the city; the entirety of my family and friends are going to be washed away, and here he is looking at a bunch of pipes oozing super coolant…Wait…
Then, Roddy's plan slowly began to make sense, and began to take form. The pipes were discharging liquid nitrogen, a substance which would freeze anything on contact. Massive amounts of it were being poured and pumped into the water which was now looming over the city. The effect was instant: the water froze, and continued freezing, until every last bit of it was solid ice.
Looming high over the metropolis, the tsunami had been stopped.
There was a silence…a hush of shock. And then, roaring. The hundreds of citizens immediately broke out in cheer, for whoever saved them all from a watery grave. People all around embraced each other, laughed, cried together.
Roddy…you've done it. Dear God, you've done it!
Roddy and Rita emerged into view, the former still clinging to Le Frog, evidentily unaware of his presence.
"Look!" cried one of the children, far below in the crowd. "It's Roddy and Rita!"
Everyone's attention turned to the two rats who must have been responsible for their fates.
Rita's father was overwhelmed with pride for his daughter. "Good on ya, girl." He managed to say with awe in his voice.
The man who'd led the two together, the pirate cook, emerged with his trusty fish friend. Recognizing the male rat from the wanted poster, he yelled out at the top of his lungs:
"Hurray fer Millicent Bystander!"
The fish he held under his arm also chimed in, by beginning to chant "Millicent, Millicent!". The cook began to wave his hook around to encourage the populous to join in, and they happily obliged. Soon, the entire population was chanting along with the little fish.
Roddy could only stare, his mouth hung open wide. His eyes scanned across the mass of mice, who were waving their hands, dancing, hugging, yelling. An entire town is cheering…well, close enough to, my name! This cant be real…I'm dreaming again.
Next to him, Rita was stunned as well. That was bloody brilliant! Amazing! Roddy…
She spoke these words and turned to him.
"You're a hero, Roddy."
What?
Roddy's head slowly turned, his gaping mouth becoming into a wide grin. His eyes lit up like the fire of a thousand suns. He'd been given the best comment in the world by the woman whom he was…falling for. Hah, me, of all people, eh? Not one soul could have been happier than him this day.
"Pffft, big deal." Mused Le Frog casually.
Suddenly, both were aware Roddy was still clutching Le Frog. His attempts to spoil the mood were foiled, however. Now that Le Frog had no use as an amphibian safety line, Roddy and Rita both gave Le Frog one last look of pity. Roddy then let go, and suddenly the laws of physics were once again in effect. Le Frog was sent slingshotting upwards, his tongue still frozen to the same pipe as the Toad.
The Toad tried to scrape the last bits of bad guy out of himself. "You wretched vermin! I'll make you pay for thith!" His tongue was coiled around the gear in which it was stuck, making him sound like a complete fool. Le Frog had wrapped around him in the process.
"Auuugh!" Le Frog finally cried out in frustration, "Give it a rest couzin! And get your kids a puppy!" he added meaningfully.
Roddy and Rita laughed together, now that all was said and done. He peered over at Rita, who was looking over at him too.
But everything isn't all said and done, is it? It's supposed to be all over now…I'm supposed to go home, a hero to be forgotten, and Rita lives on with her life. And that means I'll never see her again… Roddy's face changed.
He drew out a long sigh and drooped his head. Rita noticed something was wrong and eyed him sympathetically.
Roddy noticed she was looking at him. He looked up at her...her…
"Rita…" Roddy started.
There she was. Rita… Looking at him, meaning the world to him, those beautiful green eyes piercing his heart with every passing millisecond. Every bone in his body ached with regret that he didn't realize how he had felt about his life, and her, sooner.
And Rita, looking at him, those light brown eyes, charming face...She found it hard to show, but she too was sad. The future looked very ominous, now that the day was saved and all was back to normal. I've a boat to fix…and he's a family to…her thoughts came to a halt.
She remembered what happened back at the apartment. He had lied to her about it all...But he did it to help me…to protect me. I don't have any business in his life, personal or otherwise. I'm the one who should be apologizing...
Yet she again felt the returning void in her stomach…the infinite cold of loss creeping into her. Once, she had almost lost someone dear to her: her father. Now she was feeling that same tinge of horror…but for Roddy. What it meant, Rita was not sure. But one thing was clear…the pain.
Roderick took a moment to think.
All those years, I was all alone in that apartment. I thought I had it all... but I never really did. Why do I realize this now? I was such a fool, and I let her down too.
I don't want to go back. I'd be damned if I left. If it's all the same to you Sid…I want to stay here…with her, he thought firmly. Roddy looked at her affectionately before he began.
"I was wondering…' he shyly put his hands together. Roddy had never really talked absolutely seriously, from the bottom of his heart. His nerves were getting the best of him. 'If you do build a Jammy Dodger Mark II, um…" Roddy began, shakily at first. He looked away from Rita, obviously nervous out of his mind. He pulled another cliché giveaway by scratching his head to stall for time.
Rita knew what was coming next. The void she felt slowly diminished into nothing, and emotions of joy filled her heart. Rita folded her arms, trying her hardest to suppress her smile, which was screaming to be shown. She tilted her head forward as if she was hanging on his next words. Might as well mess with the guy while we're here.
Oh, the HELL with it. Roddy couldn't stall any longer. The primal choice came clear to him in an instant: it was either life with Rita or life alone. He chose his next words carefully.
"You wouldn't happen to need a first mate…would you?"
The words hung there for a moment, soft feathers in the torrent of fate. Their meaning, implications, effects, all became clear when Rita looked into those deep brown eyes, which yearned so truthfully for her response.
Rita's personality shone through when she brought a hand up to her face and tapped her lips, looking upward as if this choice was a difficult one.
'Hmm,' she pensively sighed, as she looked at Roddy. Her eyes, like his, gave away what she was truly thinking--Of course I would... nothing in the world could replace you, Roderick.
It took Roddy, bless his soul, a few moments to realize she wasn't laughing at him. It also took him a few moments to realize that the noise she made, was an affectionate sigh of agreement.
Roddy could only smile as he wondered what the future could possibly hold in store for him…and Rita Malone. Most importantly, the 'and'. He was alone, no more.
The scene was interrupted however, with a clang of a brass ladder against the side of the roof. Roddy and Rita's spell was broken for the moment. They walked over and leaned over the edge, only to see Officer Colin's head pop out. He clambered up over the side, completely out of breath from the climb up.
"Allo Rita!" He pulled himself up with a tremendous amount of effort, brushed himself off, and shook her hand. He saw Roddy, remembering his face from their first encounter.
"And Millicent!"
Again with the name, dear heavens. Does the lunacy ever end?
"Looks like I didn't keep a close enough eye on you after all, did I? Saved the whole town you did… I assure you, we had no idea the Toad had all this in store. We'd been keeping tabs, but this was completely out of his…capacity… or so we thought."
A few more officers climbed up, huffing. Colin turned to them and barked some orders. Rita tried to suppress her laughter as she observed the scene: a load of obese rats frantically trying to figure out what in the blazes a giant wave was doing in the middle of Ratropolis. Roddy leaned over to her and mumbled.
"Few too many donuts at the station, perhaps?" Rita snickered and lightly hit him on the shoulder.
The Officer turned to the two, confused at what the two were laughing about. "Erm, yes then. I think some congratulations are in order Mr. Bystander!"
"Well, I had some help." He glanced over and grinned at Rita. Hey, it's partially true: she proved to be a well-placed damsel in distress.
She smiled back rolled her eyes. "I only played a small part in Roddy's grand plan." She slapped Roddy on the back. Always trying to keep
"But speaking of plans…" Rita jerked a thumb back at two figures hanging limply in defeat.
"Ah, our two culprits." Colin gleefully rubbed his hands together. If there was anything Colin liked more than upholding the law, it was carrying out justice firsthand.
He leaned over to one side and mentioned to Roddy. "I've always wanted to say this!"
"Book em', boys!" Grinning from ear to ear, he crossed his arms and looked at the other officers expectantly.
"Umm, we cant reach them." They pointed out. The two frogs were entangled in a gearbox which hung high above open air.
Officer Colin slowly surfaced to his wits. "Well, do something! We cant just let em' hang, which is more than they deserve. C'mon now, get to it!"
Roddy and Rita laughed as the rats scrambled around, pulling up another ladder and extending it as a bridge to reach the two.
Roddy slowly turned to Rita, who was already looking at him. "Well, I suppose we had better get down to your family…" The word seemed to sting him slightly. "I'm sure they're worried sick about you."
He tilted his head, motioning towards the ladder, but Rita grabbed his arm and stopped him from going. Rita had only recently begun to understand what was wrong with Roddy; how all this time he was alone. He really doesn't get it, does he? She put her hands on her hips and gave him a serious look.
"Hey, if you want to be my first mate, there's a few things you need to know." She began, in a captian-esque tone. Roddy prepared himself for a lecture on ethics or something of the sort.
"On my ship, we work together…much like a family." Roddy's expression tweaked at those words. Rita continued, yet with more emotion; "That makes you a part of my family…just as much as I am."
The sincerity in her voice was uncanny.
She stopped for a moment to ogle Roddy's look; he seemed as if he was about to burst into tears of joy.
She leaned on one foot and crossed her arms. "Secondly, you'll need to learn to control those facial expressions, doesn't leave a very menacing impression to you, does it?" She smiled at him. He really was something different, Roddy St. James. A good kind of different.
Roddy shook his head and quickly broke his spell-bound daze. He stood up strait. "Aye Aye, Captian!" He saluted as he returned her heart-warming smile.
Rita, suppressing her laughter, looked back at the scene one last time. The policeman had managed to construct a scaffold; Roddy and Rita had time to see the Toad's enraged expression as the cold steel handcuffs, squeezing extra tight on his slimy skin, clamped down on his flippers. "I think that's the last we'll be seeing of that old cod." Roddy mentioned. The Toad, at least, would be a free frog no more.
With looks of solid satisfaction, they turned and continued towards the ladder.
"I really hope mum had some kind of dinner planned after the game, I'm absolutely starved!" At the mention of food, Roddy's stomach churned and grumbled.
"Amen to that," he agreed. "And Rita?"
"Yeah?" She looked at him quizzically.
"…Thanks."
Rita beamed, her eyes accentuated by the curvature. She continued down the ladder; Roddy followed closely.
The two scaled down slowly, into the roars and booms of the crowd. As they each reached the bottom, and stepped onto solid concrete once again, the mob of people approached at high speed. The Malone family was at the head; engulfing both of them in warm hugs and praise. Roddy and Rita were both lifted and held up by the crowd, carried away as victorious gladiators in the struggle of life. They could both only look at each other and laugh as they were bathed in glory.
Yep, things have gone from good to better, Roddy thought. Now, he concretely belonged somewhere: In the midst of the Malone clan.
Yet, deep down, something irked Roderick St. James. Something was amiss. A feeling, a new feeling…something that he had never felt before had arisen in him. Strange…a fiery zest, a burning desire. He was not sure what it was, or what it meant.
One thing he knew for certain however: life together, for Roddy St. James and Rita Malone, was just getting off the runway.
A/N: Yes, the climax of the movie is really something to read, rather than watch, isn't it? I spent many an hour devising this, rewinding at least a minimum of 10 times to watch every single expression the characters had to offer. That is the goal here: to capture and illustrate the essence that Aardman instilled in Flushed Away and it's characters: the way it was meant to be told.
This, I think, is my best work to date. It's also kind of hard though, to start a story with such a climactic sequence, where the 'emotional journeys' (sorry if I sound too English-teacher there) come to a end…(or do they? That's the question that drives this story!) But keep in mind, this is just chapter one of a tale much greater. I'm already writing chapter two. -One thing I should mention, this is a more romantically motivated story, more so than the others.- (my attempt to expand my writing abilites). Please tell me what you guys think!