The New Cup

"The New Cup"
Flight of the Conchords episode
Bret raps about his "Sugalumps." The song and video received praise from critics.
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 2
Directed by	James Bobin
Written by	Duncan Sarkies
Production code	202
Original air date	January 25, 2009
Running time	30 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
David Costabile as Doug Eugene Mirman as Eugene Frank Wood as Greg Michael Potts as Nigel Saladu Mary Catherine Garrison as Jemaine's client Karen Gerstman as Potential client one Anjali Bhimani as Potential client two Antonio Suarez as Policeman Nancy Ticotin as Policewoman Kelly Taffe as Policewoman
Episode chronology
← Previous "A Good Opportunity" Next → "The Tough Brets"

"The New Cup" is the second episode of the second season of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords, and the series' fourteenth episode overall. This episode first aired in the United States on January 25, 2009. The episode was directed by James Bobin and written by Duncan Sarkies. In this episode, Bret and Jemaine's fortunes unravel after Bret buys a new teacup. With emergency band funds unavailable, Jemaine takes desperate measures in hopes of supplementing their income.

"The New Cup" received largely positive reviews from critics, with many noting that both the episode's plot and songs were particularly strong. According to Nielsen Media Research, on its initial broadcast, "The New Cup" was watched by over 500,000 people. Two songs from the episode, "Sugalumps" and "You Don't Have to be a Prostitute", received positive critical acclaim and were later included on the band's second album I Told You I Was Freaky.

Bret buys a new cup for $2.79 so that he and Jemaine no longer have to share one cup. A month later, they find out that their check for the phone bill bounced because their account was short $2.79. The phone company charges them a $30 overdraft fee, causing the cheque for their gas bill to bounce, and both services are scheduled to be cut off. Immediately after finding this out, their power goes off. Bret ends up selling his guitar to pay the bills, and he performs on stage with Jemaine while playing air guitar and making guitar sounds. Murray writes up his negative opinion of the show in the New Zealand consulate newsletter, giving them "two stars out of 100". When Bret asks Murray for some of the emergency band fund, Murray tells him that he invested the money with a Nigerian man named Nigel Seladu who contacted him over the internet. Nigel promised Murray his money back with "a thousand percent interest" and "a share of his family fortunes". Jemaine and Bret are certain that this is merely a scam.

Later on, Bret and Jemaine are confronted by Mel. When she learns they're having money troubles, she offers to pay them for a massage. Both Bret and Jemaine awkwardly try to give her a minimal contact massage while her husband, Doug, is nearby watching. Jemaine later suggests to Bret that they become male prostitutes, similar to the film Pretty Woman. They then launch into a parody of "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas called "Sugalumps". Trying their idea out, Jemaine approaches women on the street and asks them if they want to pay money to have sex with Bret, who is standing across the street. They then switch roles, but are unable to drum up any business. At night, their apartment is still without power and Jemaine ends up selling his bass guitar. This results in them playing a gig with both members on air guitar performing "Robots".