The return of the Greens to the country in the series, Big City Greens, continues as we see some major growth in Tilly and some major growth in one of Cricket’s childhood friends this week.
Countryside
Now that the Greens and Remy are back in the country, Cricket is still teaching his best friend how to have fun country style. Especially considering that Remy said the blasphemous phrase that the city is more fun. All the while, Tilly has been kept up all night by the boys’ incessant chattering and reminiscing upon earlier episodes – I mean memories – from the city.
While Nancy is helping Bill move his box, they discover Tilly hiding in Bill’s closet, calling it her new room. The parents suggest that she take her own room in the house, especially considering the house is larger than their grandmother’s. She seems hesitant to the idea of her own room and sets off to explore other options. Familiar neighbor, Good Ole’ Joe stops by and welcomes Bill back to the neighborhood with a jar of fresh worms.
Cricket runs out the door with Remy and kicks off a musical number about how anything can be fun, especially in the country. However, Remy gets a bit too carried away in the song, and throws a handful of worms from the jar given by Good Ole’ Joe directly at Bill. Realizing he made a mistake, he knows that this is not going to be fun, but Cricket amps up the “fun” and throws another handful of worms at his father. This begins a chase sequence as they run out into the cornfield. Back on the farm however, Nancy is going to feed the Chickens and discovers Tilly making herself comfortable in the Chicken Coop, claiming it as her new room with the chickens as roommates.
Out in the cornfield, Bill has Cricket and Remy cornered and his son uses one of the stalks to swing back at his dad to knock him down so they can get away to hide in the loft of the barn. Remy realizes how much trouble they’re in, questioning whether or not Cricket actually knows what “fun” is. Bill catches up to the pair, blasting through the floor and scaring Cricket into submission.
Out in Nancy’s RV, Tilly has discovered another option for her own room, hiding under the kitchen sink in a “spacious” cabinet with the pleasant aroma of cleaning supplies. Nancy proves a point and fires up the garbage disposal, and suggests that Tilly come with her, where she shows her her own room in the house she can have all to herself. Perfect for dancing or yodeling or whatever she likes. It comes out that the lack of roommate was the original fear in question, as she has shared a room with someone most of her life, and now she’d be all alone. Fortunately, she adapts fairly quickly and makes the room her own.
Out in the barn, Remy finds the fun in their predicament and saves Cricket from his dad as he’s chasing him. Too bad Bill catches up to the two quickly and catches them again – and they are so grounded. Using the lessons that Cricket has taught him, Remy shows Cricket that even being grounded can be fun. The camera pulls back and we see the family wrapping up their day in different rooms in the house, with Bill hearing that Cricket and Remy are playing around still when they’re not supposed to and just says “Oh forget it!” Without that, how else would we follow their adventures in the country!
Junk Mountain
Bill has taken the kids to the local junkyard to get some parts to get the farm up and running again. The junkyard is also home to Cricket’s old friend Hector, whose parents own the junkyard, who he used to play “Junk Mountain” with. Tilly cannot join in their antics, as she is prepping for the future when she will drive one day, and must find a car of her own.
Cricket takes Remy and sets off to find his old friend so they can play their game. On the way, they encounter Lupita, Hector’s baby sister who is now older and ready to finally play Junk Mountain with the group. Cricket sends Lupita away, asking where Hector is when he shows up – a taller, much more grown version than Cricket remembers. Lots of time has passed while Cricket was away. Hector is now a teen. Remy begins to panic, he doesn’t know how to hang out with a teenager. Cricket tells him not to worry and they set out to play Junk Mountain even though its long been only a memory for Hector.
Their old hangout, an abandoned train car at the Junkyard, looks exactly as Cricket remembers…on the outside. Inside, Hector has done some redecorating to give it a much more “chill” vibe, and all the toys have been replaced with a collection of men’s deodorant body spray. Hector shows them more things that frighten the Remy and Cricket, including a drawing of his GF and a sample of a song he wrote. Truthfully, I might have been as terrified of the teen angst displayed as the two boys were.
Cricket finally finds the old junk mountain gear – in a box that Hector was getting ready to trash. Cricket and Remy start playing, and Hector is just starting to get into again when his girlfriend, Sunday, shows up to the train car with a group of friends. They steal him away to go chill at the chill spot across the junkyard. Cricket realizes that Hector was ready to play with him, but the teens were the ones that changed him. But why? Remy is quick to point out that its because Hector is also a teen, but Cricket is in denial and sets out to “rescue” his friend from the teens.
Elsewhere in the Junkyard, Tilly is car shopping, and discovers an old sportscar, a hearse, and a hot dog mobile that is legally distinct from anything in the Oscar Mayer variety. Unfortunately, her imagination shows her both the fun sides and the dark sides of each vehicle; Speeding tickets in the sportscar, zombie hoardes in the hearse, and a very hungry canine in the hot dog car. She ends up returning to her father having selected only a large tire that she could climb into and roll around on her own in.
Further into the Junkyard, Cricket and Remy are staked out and find Hector hanging out with his girlfriend among a party of teens. Ready to enact the plan, Remy lowers the giant junkyard magnet to engage with Cricket’s metal helmet as he runs up and grabs Hector. The two take off and Remy rotates them into Junk Mountain so they can play. Hector points out that Cricket is just as crazy as he remembers and says that sure, he’ll play with them, but Cricket can tell something is off. Hector wants to go back to his girlfriend and the teens and Cricket knows it. Finally he gives in, and says that he can hear Hector’s friends calling for him. Hector asks if he’s sure, and Cricket lets him go back to his friends.
Remy and Cricket are playing Junk Mountain themselves and having fun, but Cricket points out that it is kind of a bummer that they don’t have a third. The game is more fun that way. Fortunately, Lupita is old enough to play and arrives just in time to join them. Cricket ends up giving Lupita her brother’s old shield for the game, and she is ready for battle. The episode ends showing the three playing together on top of the hill.
This episode of Big City Greens is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can catch up with earlier seasons and episodes of the hit series on Disney+.