Early episodes include Rocko's attempt to handle credit card debts, while later ones hit on Rocko's friend getting married and the big local company, Conglom-O, polluting the environment so much that Rocko has to rally the townspeople to put the corporation in its place. There is even an episode where Rocko has to go to court because a sue-happy fly is claiming Rocko assaulted him. Just because the show is about 20 years old, it doesn't mean that the topics it deals with aren't still relevant.
Actually, one of the great aspects about Rocko's Modern Life is how well it addresses adult problems, while making the overall feel of the show silly enough for younger viewers not to really think about the situations. Shows that can find the kind of balance that this series had makes it something that both kids and adults can enjoy together.
While much of Rocko's Modern Life is a series of one-off episodes with no real long-term effect, there are a few story arcs that change the show. One includes Rocko's friend, Filbert, a turtle, falling in love with Rocko's hook-handed dentist and eventually marrying her, while another deals with Rocko's neighbors, the Bigheads, and their estranged son. The son left to become a cartoonist and Rocko and Heffer, a cow raised by wolves, realize that their favorite show, The Fatheads, is actually about Ed and Bev. While Rocko is responsible for getting the estranged son back in his neighbor's lives, this isn't Ralph Bighead's only appearance, and when the younger frog show up, there is usually some snarky commentary about the TV or film industry.
Some of the other secondary characters include the Chameleon Brothers, a pair of lizards who seem to open a new business every time they appear, and the pair of parasites that lie on Rocko's dog, Spunky. This Odd Couple duo are called Bloaty and Squirmy and make quite a few appearances over the show's 52 episodes.
For the most part, Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series is just a collection of the already-released DVD's. The only exception is that Season Four hasn't actually come out yet. Like the single-season releases of Season Two and Season Three, Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series contains the original pilot version of "Trash-O-Madness" and a "Behind the Characters" section that talks about each character while the show's creator shows how to draw them. It also contains the occasional commentary. What is new this time around can be found on the last disc of Season Four, a feature called "Wacky Delly." This is a portion of a 2012 live reading performed by many of the original cast members.
The long and short of it is Rocko's Modern Life was a great show in its day and nothing has really happened to change that. Unfortunately, those that have been picking up the seasons as they've come out have been left in a bit of a lurch, but hopefully Season Four will be out soon so that those who have most of this show don't have to pick up the entire series just to finish off their collection.
Editor's Note: We have been assured by Shout! Factory that Rocko's Modern Life: Season 4 will be released, but the actual street date has not yet been announced.
