As the second season of Todd comes to a thunderous close, let’s take the opportunity to reflect upon the many highlights of the show’s sophomore year. To commemorate Todd’s Season 2 iTunes debut, all week we’re counting down the top five episodes of year two at Crowley High

4. Jungle Fever

Coming in strong as third runner-up is Jungle Fever. Now, it’s possible that my affection for the season’s fifth episode is due in large part to its parallels to the 1995 smash hit Jumanji of which I am particularly fond. As Crowley High transforms into a fecund and dangerous jungle, Todd and his friends, much like Jumanji’s foursome of unlikely heroes, are thrust into a high stakes battle against man, nature and the supernatural.

There are many things to be learned from Jumanji and one is that if you hear bongo drums in the attic you should probably just get your ass out of there. Perhaps more importantly however, is the virtue of perseverance. The journey for Todd and the gang has been littered with obstacles; as they deal with an enviro-crazy book wielder, they once again resolve to persevere against any evil thrown their way.

What’s interesting about Jungle Fever is that it’s a game changing episode for Hannah. As the rest of the gang regresses into cave people (Ok, how much does Curtis look like Peter when he turns into a monkey?), Hannah remains curiously unchanged except for her new satanic scar. Just as we realize the ultimate fate of Peter, Sarah, and Judy also hang in the balance with every roll of the Jumanji dice, it appears that conquering the book is now more than just Todd’s date with destiny.
 
With an ace performance from the art department and a simmering plot, Jungle Fever is just fun to watch. A few other nice lush touches are:
•    Granola Gina becomes literally one with nature
•    Jimmy and his pot paradise
•    Those poor hairy girls in their gym strip (yep, they go there)

Beyond making you want to get a dinner reservation at the Rainforest Café or reflect on the varied film career of Robin Williams, Jungle Fever makes you want to tune in again, and soon.

Episode MVP: There’s something about Hannah…

Runner Up: Tie between Jungle Jimmy and Regular Jimmy.

Killer Line:
Todd: We get it. That snake is a total pussy.