Magical Pet
| "Magical Pet" | |
|---|---|
| China, IL episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 10 |
| Directed by | Griffith Kimmins |
| Written by | Brad Neely |
| Production code | 308 |
| Original air date | June 14, 2015 |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Magical Pet" (also known as "China, IL: The Musical") is the tenth episode of the third season of China, IL. The 44-minute-long episode features ten songs written and arranged by creator Brad Neely. Several producers wrote the episode, including executive producer Daniel Weidenfeld. In it, Leonard Cakes acquires Kei-ko, a talking gorilla, to appease his son's demands for a magical pet. Baby Cakes is more amused by Frank, whose body is entirely covered in hair. Frank's brother Steve competes with Pony over who is less shallow romantically.
"Magical Pet" originally aired on June 14, 2015, on Adult Swim. Atlanta-based musician Cat Power provided the voice of Kei-ko, while actors Evan Peters and Rosa Salazar lent the voices of Pony and Steve's dates. The episode was seen by approximately 1.1 million viewers on its first air date. Writers of music- and entertainment-related publications gave its music and themes praise. The episode also serves as the program's final episode.
Leonard Cakes gives in to his son Baby Cakes' demands for a "magical pet" and runs to a pet adoption center. Baby Cakes complains there that the pets are unremarkable. Leonard asks him to grow up, putting Baby Cakes in a lethargic state. Frank Smith wants to date his neighbor Cindy, but she refuses to date bald men. He sets out to Chinatown in search of a hair growth stimulant. Frank buys some pills, which causes hair to grow rapidly all over his skin. Frank's brother Steve attempts to prove to Pony, and vice versa, that appearance is not their primary motivation in starting relationship. Pony sets up a date with Clint, a food blogger, and Steve asks out Barb, a bartender. Steve and Pony separately discover that their dates are a satyr and a cyclops, respectively. Leonard enters the "Fucking with Animals" department on the campus of University of China, Illinois, where he witness the Dean's plans to decompose caged animals to petroleum. Kei-ko, a gorilla with a speech-generating device, sings a swan song. Leonard bargains with the Dean to give the gorilla to his son, but Baby Cakes refuses to take Kei-ko, complaining that she is not really magical.
Frank tries shaving his body, but the hair grows back, sending him to the woods in a panic. Leonard encounters Frank there and asks him to act as Baby Cake's new pet, bringing Baby Cakes back to high spirits. Pony and Steve reluctantly reveal each other's dates, and the two agree to to avoid being accused of as shallow. In Baby Cakes' room, Kei-ko regrets never finding another gorilla to mate with. Frank assures her that there are plenty of gorillas in the wild and promises to release her by some means. Baby Cakes barges in and sends Kei-ko back to the Dean, but when he returns, Frank's stimulant has worn off, making Baby Cakes depressed again. Frank performs a song stressing the "magic" of friendship over material things, cheering Baby Cakes up slightly. Frank warns that they need to rescue Kei-ko. At the Dean's department, Frank wins the gorilla back through bribery, and Frank, Baby Cakes, and Leonard release Kei-ko to the wild. Pony and Steve meet a restaurant, where their dates reveal themselves as . Clint and Barb get physical and partially destroy the restaurant. Steve and Pony laugh over the situation as they discuss future dates.
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