Ed is Dead: A Thriller! (Rocko's Modern Life)

"Ed is Dead: A Thriller!" is the second half of the third episode in the third season of Rocko's Modern Life.

Plot
In this episode inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers (specifically Rear Window and Mh:greatestmovies:Psycho (1960)), a marital spat next door followed by a mysterious disappearance leads Rocko to believe that Mrs Bighead murdered her husband, Ed.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Although dark, the plot is very scary and something you would expect from a horror film, as it has Rocko believing that Mrs Bighead murdered her husband, Ed after a spat between them ends. The music is also scary here and is perfect for a horror film.
 * 2) The title card's imagery looks very detailed and well animated.
 * 3) "I have eyes ya know, I have ears..." - Rocko.
 * 4) Rocko is still tolerable as the clues that made him believe Bev killed her husband are pretty understandable, and later calls Bev out.
 * 5) Plot Twist: It turns out that the things Bev done that Rocko believed were for "killing Ed" weren't actually for that purpose, with the Ed-shaped shovel just being an anniversary gift, her "attacking" was herself making a meat sculpture of Ed for art class & Ed himself was at the doctor getting the wart removed from his butt.
 * 6) Bev hugging Ed was fun and satisfying to watch.
 * 7) Good Ending: Ed thanks Rocko when he said that having his wart taken out is nothing to be ashamed of, and so Spunky and him sit in the house, and it ends with the Bigheads kissing each other.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Depending on your view, the plot may seem pretty dark for a kids show.
 * 2) Bev's dog is still mean-spirited for biting Rocko for no reason, along with the squirrels at the start for laughing at Ed's butt wart.

Reception

 * It holds a rating of 8.3/10 on IMDB.

Trivia

 * Expressionism is also shown in this episode. One notable example is when Rocko is creeping up the Bighead's stairs, we see a picture of Ed in a picture similar to Munch's The Scream.
 * In the beginning, Heffer does a parody of the opening of Alfred Hitchcock Presents....
 * The scene in which Rocko goes into the Bigheads' basement and mistakes Earl in a wheelchair facing the corner for Ed's corpse is a parody of a similar scene in Mh:greatestmovies:Psycho (1960). It also pays homage to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.