Radda radda radda!  Sleeper hits need no translation: Chowder is just that funny. On the heels of the announcement of its renewal for a second season, the Cartoon Network hit brewed up two more winners with "The Heavy Sleeper" and "The Moldy Touch". Other shows have fallen short with the same ingredients, but when Chowder gets it right, the random gags, experimental art, and cookie-cutter plots make intricate comedy look effortless.  Every time you think that's not going to make you laugh, they'll time it just right and surprise the giggles out of you.

In "The Heavy Sleeper", Chowder and his master Mung Daal treat a bout of insomnia by mixing up a sleeping aid.  Always enthusiastic to help, Chowder adds too much of the active ingredient, and before he can muster up a warning, Mung's face-down in the sauce.  Chowder switches from guilt to denial (yes, he leaves Mung zonked out in the kitchen, and haven't we had nights like that), but at breakfast Mung is still asleep.  With catering orders to fill, Chowder hides the evidence from Mung's irascible wife Truffles, and begs for help from their long-suffering assistant Shnitzel.

A word about Shnitzel: radda.  There's a long tradition of characters who only say one word, and Shnitzel's up there in the popularity polls.  (He does say "oooh!" on occasion, as in "oooh, burn!")  It helps that Shnitzel's voice actor is none other than John DiMaggio, the voice of Futurama's smart-alec robot Bender.  This episode is a great showcase for the rock-monster, who has to retrieve the unconscious Mung while flailing around on roller-grapes.

The puns and gags make it easy to play with English idioms as they literally pop, splash, and gush on the screen.  Chowder is really at its best when it's random, so I'll highlight a recurring bit to avoid spoiling the fun.  When Shnitzel, the sleeping Mung, and Chowder chase through the streets of Marzipan, they're weaving around harried drivers in vehicles shaped like snails.  They're S cars!  It's the old joke about escargot.  Not bad for a show about cooking.  Unfortunately another fixture is the sloppy combination of funny names and funny voices; some of the puns are lost in translation.  That's too bad, since fantasy names make it easier to tell younger viewers that recipes with "stinnamon" and "clawfee" are for imaginary kitchens.

That's a minor quibble for a brilliant madcap episode, especially since it features Tone Loc, who plays a pint-sized junk collector named Chestnut.  I'm not sure what to make of Chestnut with his finders-keepers philosophy and his referring to himself in third person.  I did guffaw when he bumped into Mung's unconscious foot: now there was a punchline!  Hopefully the rapper will reprise his role, just in case they think of a play on "Funky Cold Medina".

Last but not least, the teaching moments in this episode are spot-on.  Besides "don't abuse sleeping pills," the sequence where Chowder gets himself into trouble by not admitting his mistake is worth a hundred G.I. Joe PSA's.  It's another great excuse to watch the show again!

The next episode, "The Moldy Touch", is also about when to tell the truth...