If you grew up watching Cartoon Network in the early 2010s, you remember the specific brand of chaos J.G. Quintel brought to the screen. But amidst the cosmic battles and 80s synth-pop montages, one episode stands out as a genuine "cringe" masterpiece. I’m talking about Regular Show It’s Time.
It’s the second episode of the first season. It aired back in September 2010. While most shows are still finding their feet that early on, Regular Show decided to drop a heavy, awkward, and painfully relatable bomb about unrequited love and the "friend zone."
Honestly, watching it as an adult feels different. When we were kids, we just saw Mordecai being a simp. Now? We see a cautionary tale about emotional immaturity and how jealousy can literally turn a dinner date into a localized apocalypse. It’s a foundational piece of the show's lore that set the tone for Mordecai and Margaret’s multi-season "will-they-won't-they" disaster.
The Plot That Ruined Mordecai’s Reputation
The premise is deceptively simple. Mordecai wants to ask Margaret to a movie called Zombie Apocalypse. He’s nervous. He’s practiced his "cool guy" voice in the mirror. He’s got the ticket. But then Rigby—being the ultimate chaotic instigator—swoops in and asks her first.
Not because Rigby likes her. Just because he can.
What follows is a downward spiral of petty behavior. Mordecai tries to sabotage the "date" by messing with the clocks in the house. He wants to make Rigby late. He wants to be the hero who steps in when Rigby fails. It’s a classic trope, but Regular Show It’s Time pushes it to a dark, supernatural extreme.
Mordecai ends up accidentally "killing" Rigby. Well, sort of. He pushes him off a microwave after a heated argument about Margaret, and Rigby ends up in a coma-like state before Father Time (voiced by the legendary Alan Sklar) shows up. This isn't just a sitcom misunderstanding; it’s a cosmic intervention caused by one guy's inability to handle rejection.
Why the "Friend Zone" Theme Resonated
At its core, the episode explores the toxicity of the "nice guy" archetype before that was even a mainstream talking point. Mordecai feels entitled to Margaret’s time because he’s "put in the work" as a friend. Rigby, despite being a jerk, is honest about his selfishness.
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It’s a weird dynamic.
You’ve got Mordecai, the protagonist we’re supposed to root for, acting completely irrationally. He’s willing to manipulate time itself just to avoid seeing his crush hang out with his best friend. The show doesn't reward him for it, either. By the end of the episode, he’s left feeling like garbage, and rightfully so.
The Surrealism of Father Time
Regular Show is famous for taking a mundane problem and escalating it into a high-stakes sci-fi or fantasy battle. In Regular Show It’s Time, this escalation is personified by Father Time.
He’s a giant being made of clocks. He rides a Harley-Davidson. He has a voice that sounds like rolling thunder. This is where the episode moves from a "cringe comedy" to a "Regular Show classic."
- The Visuals: The void where Father Time lives is a purple-hued wasteland of ticking gears.
- The stakes: Mordecai has to apologize to Rigby while being chased by the physical manifestation of lost time.
- The Resolution: It’s not a clean win. Mordecai has to admit he was a "huge turd" (a recurring sentiment in the series).
The animation in this sequence is surprisingly fluid for Season 1. You can see the Flapjack influence in the character expressions—those wide, bloodshot eyes that communicate pure, unadulterated panic. When Mordecai is running through the clock dimension, the tension is real. You almost forget the whole fight started over a girl who probably didn't even care that much about the movie.
Breaking Down the Cringe Factor
There is a specific scene that lives rent-free in the heads of fans. Mordecai is standing in front of the mirror, rehearsing. "Hey Margaret, you want to go to the movies? No, that’s too formal. Yo Margaret, movies? Tonight? You and me?"
It hurts. It hurts because we’ve all been there.
The writers—including Quintel, Sean Szeles, and Shion Takeuchi—knew exactly how to capture that specific brand of adolescent insecurity. They didn't make Mordecai a suave hero. They made him a bird who can’t talk to a girl. This relatability is exactly why Regular Show It’s Time remains a talking point in 2026. It’s the ultimate "I’m in this photo and I don’t like it" moment for an entire generation.
How This Episode Changed the Series
If this episode hadn't happened, the rest of the series might have been different. This was the birth of "The Mordecai." For the uninitiated, "pulling a Mordecai" means overthinking a romantic situation so much that you eventually ruin it through a combination of hesitation and sudden, explosive awkwardness.
This episode established the "Mordecai/Margaret/CJ" love triangle's DNA years before CJ was even introduced. It showed us that Mordecai’s biggest enemy isn't a monster or a god—it’s his own ego.
The Rigby Factor
We often talk about Mordecai in this episode, but Rigby is the MVP of provocation. He knows exactly which buttons to push. He calls Mordecai out on his hesitation. "You had your chance and you blew it!"
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Rigby represents the harsh truth. Is he a bad friend for asking Margaret out? Maybe. But in his mind, he’s just moving things along because he’s bored. The friction between Mordecai’s sensitivity and Rigby’s impulsiveness is what fuels the show for eight seasons. Without the conflict in Regular Show It’s Time, we wouldn't understand the depth of their codependency. They need each other, but they also drive each other toward insanity.
Factual Nuances Most Fans Miss
While rewatching, you notice small details that indicate how early this was in production. The character designs are slightly "off" compared to the sleek look of Season 7.
- The Voice Acting: William Salyers (Rigby) and J.G. Quintel (Mordecai) are still finding the rhythm of their banter. It’s faster, more frantic.
- The Backgrounds: The park looks a bit more desolate. The colors are muted.
- The Music: Mark Mothersbaugh’s influence (from DEVO) is all over the score. The synth stings during the Father Time scenes are pure 80s horror-synth.
Interestingly, this episode is often cited by storyboard artists as a turning point for how they handled "the supernatural." It taught the team that the weirdness works best when it's a direct metaphor for a character's internal struggle. The clocks didn't just appear; they appeared because Mordecai was obsessed with the timing of his life.
The Legacy of the "Turds"
Regular Show eventually ended in 2017 with a finale that left most of us in tears. Looking back from the end to the beginning, Regular Show It’s Time serves as a vital anchor. It reminds us where these characters started: as two slackers who couldn't handle a simple social interaction without nearly destroying the universe.
It’s not the funniest episode. It’s definitely not the most action-packed. But it is arguably the most "human." It captures the jealousy, the pettiness, and the eventual growth required to maintain a friendship.
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Actionable Takeaways for Regular Show Fans
If you're planning a rewatch or just diving into the lore, here’s how to get the most out of this specific era of the show:
- Watch for the "Mordecai Voice": Notice how his pitch changes when he’s lying versus when he’s nervous. It’s a subtle bit of acting that carries through the whole series.
- Analyze the Clocks: Look at the background art in Father Time’s dimension. There are dozens of hidden "Regular" items trapped in the gears, including a brief glimpse of the cart.
- Compare to "The Christmas Special": See how much Mordecai's attitude toward Margaret evolves (or doesn't) by comparing this episode to the Season 4 specials.
- Listen to the Score: Pay attention to how the music transitions from "slacker rock" to "cosmic horror" the moment the microwave explodes.
Regular Show It’s Time isn't just a cartoon episode; it's a 11-minute study on why we shouldn't let jealousy dictate our actions. It’s awkward, it’s loud, and it’s occasionally hard to watch—which is exactly why it’s a masterpiece of 21st-century animation.
To truly appreciate the growth of the characters, you have to go back to the park. You have to watch the microwave incident. You have to see the moment Mordecai almost erased his best friend from existence over a movie date. It’s the only way to understand why the series finale hits as hard as it does.
Next time you’re scrolling through a streaming service, stop at Season 1, Episode 2. It’s time to revisit the mess. If you want to dive deeper into the production, look up the original storyboards by Benton Connor and Calvin Wong—they show just how much of the episode's manic energy was planned from the very first sketch. Don't just watch it for the laughs; watch it for the sheer, unbridled chaos of being young and stupid.