The Third Conchord
Encyclopedia
"The Third Conchord" is the twelfth and final episode of the first season of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords
. This episode first aired in the United States
on Sunday, September 2, 2007.
player for the band without consulting Bret and Jemaine. They are not happy about it and decide to fire him, but it's Bret who ends up out of the band. He responds by forming his own competing band.
) without consulting them.
Astonished, they demand Murray fire him, but Murray convinces them to give Todd a chance.
At band rehearsal they discover that Todd the bongo player has a tendency to launch into long bongo solos, which they try to persuade him out of. Todd wants them to try one of the songs he has written about dogs, but they are not impressed.
After their first gig together — at which Todd has again launched into a long bongo solo — they try to convince Murray that Todd has to go because he is not "cool". But Murray refuses because Todd is popular and is bringing the band more fans. Despite this, the next day Jemaine attempts to fire him, but Todd's powers of persuasion are too much for him and he ends up firing Bret instead. Bret then does his angry dance.
After unsuccessfully attempting to weasel his way back into the band, Bret gives up and forms a new band of his own "The Original Flight of the Conchords" with a keytar
player he has met named Demitri (Demetri Martin
). Despite Murray's reluctance to manage both bands, they are surprised to discover that the two new incarnations of The Conchords are more successful than Bret and Jemaine ever were. Bret and Jemaine are still not pleased, however, since neither of them are getting along that well with their respective band-mates.
After a very successful gig in which "Flight of the Conchords" is the opening act
for "The Original Flight of the Conchords", a pleased Murray suggests that the two bands merge to form a supergroup
. Instead Todd and Demetri announce that they want to split from Bret and Jemaine and team up together to form the "Crazy Dogggz".
One month later, the song Todd had tried to get the Conchords to play, "Doggy Bounce", is number one in 24 countries. The Crazy Dogggz are touring the world and a busy and now-rich Murray is neglecting the Conchords. Even worse, their once-devoted fan Mel has also switched allegiance to the other band. The episode ends with Bret and Jemaine doing the angry dance.
Demetri Martin becomes the third correspondent from The Daily Show
to make an appearance in this series, following in the footsteps of John Hodgman
in episode 106
and Dan Bakkedahl
in episode 111. In March 2008, Kristen Schaal
also joined The Daily Show, becoming the fourth person to appear on both shows.
's angry dance in Footloose. The song is reprised over the closing credits, with Bret and Jemaine dancing.
" music video by Los del Rio
from 1996. Murray's English bulldog, Toby, also makes an appearance.
In the next episode, the first episode of season two, we learn that Todd plagiarized this song from a Polish band.
In one scene, Jemaine and Todd arrive at Murray's office wearing leather jackets. Murray remarks that "the Fonzies have arrived" referring to the character Fonzie
from the 1970s TV series Happy Days
.
The title is a reference to the fictional Fifth Beatle
.
After a gig, Murray makes a reference to the Pied Piper, relating his "coolness" to that of Todd's.
The band name Crazy Dogggz refers to the 1990s supergroup Wylde Ratttz. In the show Todd specifically says he wants it to be spelled with three g's and a z.
Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
. This episode first aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on Sunday, September 2, 2007.
Plot synopsis
Murray hires a bongoBongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
player for the band without consulting Bret and Jemaine. They are not happy about it and decide to fire him, but it's Bret who ends up out of the band. He responds by forming his own competing band.
Plot
Bret and Jemaine arrive at Murray's office for a band meeting to discover that Murray has hired a bongo player (Todd BarryTodd Barry
-Biography:Barry was born in The Bronx, New York, and grew up in Florida. In 1999, his Comedy Central Presents aired. He wrote, directed and starred in the short film Borrowing Saffron , which co-starred H. Jon Benjamin. He has made a variety of guest appearances on shows like Dr...
) without consulting them.
Astonished, they demand Murray fire him, but Murray convinces them to give Todd a chance.
At band rehearsal they discover that Todd the bongo player has a tendency to launch into long bongo solos, which they try to persuade him out of. Todd wants them to try one of the songs he has written about dogs, but they are not impressed.
After their first gig together — at which Todd has again launched into a long bongo solo — they try to convince Murray that Todd has to go because he is not "cool". But Murray refuses because Todd is popular and is bringing the band more fans. Despite this, the next day Jemaine attempts to fire him, but Todd's powers of persuasion are too much for him and he ends up firing Bret instead. Bret then does his angry dance.
After unsuccessfully attempting to weasel his way back into the band, Bret gives up and forms a new band of his own "The Original Flight of the Conchords" with a keytar
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
player he has met named Demitri (Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
). Despite Murray's reluctance to manage both bands, they are surprised to discover that the two new incarnations of The Conchords are more successful than Bret and Jemaine ever were. Bret and Jemaine are still not pleased, however, since neither of them are getting along that well with their respective band-mates.
After a very successful gig in which "Flight of the Conchords" is the opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for "The Original Flight of the Conchords", a pleased Murray suggests that the two bands merge to form a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
. Instead Todd and Demetri announce that they want to split from Bret and Jemaine and team up together to form the "Crazy Dogggz".
One month later, the song Todd had tried to get the Conchords to play, "Doggy Bounce", is number one in 24 countries. The Crazy Dogggz are touring the world and a busy and now-rich Murray is neglecting the Conchords. Even worse, their once-devoted fan Mel has also switched allegiance to the other band. The episode ends with Bret and Jemaine doing the angry dance.
Demetri Martin becomes the third correspondent from The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
to make an appearance in this series, following in the footsteps of John Hodgman
John Hodgman
John Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in...
in episode 106
Bowie (Flight of the Conchords)
"Bowie" is the sixth episode of the HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords. The episode first aired in the United States on Sunday, July 22, 2007....
and Dan Bakkedahl
Dan Bakkedahl
Dan Bakkedahl is an American improvisational actor, comedian and teacher from Chicago's Second City. Born in Rochester, Minnesota and raised in Stuart, Florida, he attended St...
in episode 111. In March 2008, Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
also joined The Daily Show, becoming the fourth person to appear on both shows.
"Bret's Angry Dance"
This song is an instrumental, and is played when Bret starts dancing to vent his anger on being fired from the band. The dance closely follows the style of Kevin BaconKevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
's angry dance in Footloose. The song is reprised over the closing credits, with Bret and Jemaine dancing.
"Doggy Bounce"
Only one new song appears in this episode and it is not, at least in a plot sense, a Conchords song. The Crazy Dogggz song "Doggy Bounce", sung by Todd and Demetri, features somewhat childish lyrics set to a simple melody. The music video for it, which Bret and Jemaine watch on television, features Todd and Demitri in suits accompanied by four female dancers wearing doggy ears. It resembles very closely the "MacarenaMacarena (song)
"Macarena" is a Spanish dance song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name. Appearing on the 1994 album A mí me gusta, it was an international hit between 1995 and 1996, and continues to have a cult following. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1 in 2002.The song...
" music video by Los del Rio
Los del Río
Los Del Rio, also known as "The Del Rios," was a Spanish Latin dance group formed in 1992 and broke up in mid-2007. They were best known by their smash-hit and hot dance single Macarena originally released in early 1994. The song peaked at the Hot Dance Singles and Billboard 200 by mid-1994. The...
from 1996. Murray's English bulldog, Toby, also makes an appearance.
In the next episode, the first episode of season two, we learn that Todd plagiarized this song from a Polish band.
Other songs
During the scenes in which the various incarnations of the band are performing, we see snippets of "Robots".Cultural references
Early in the episode Bret mentions to Jemaine that he sometimes dances "when he is angry". Later in the episode we see Bret launch into an elaborate dance sequence mimicking the Kevin Bacon dance from the 1984 film Footloose. During the end credits both Bret and Jemaine begin the same dance.In one scene, Jemaine and Todd arrive at Murray's office wearing leather jackets. Murray remarks that "the Fonzies have arrived" referring to the character Fonzie
Fonzie
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days . He was originally a secondary character, but eventually became the lead...
from the 1970s TV series Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
.
The title is a reference to the fictional Fifth Beatle
Fifth Beatle
The Fifth Beatle is an informal title that various commentators in the press and entertainment industry have applied to persons who were at one point a member of The Beatles, or who had a strong association with the "Fab Four" during the group's existence...
.
After a gig, Murray makes a reference to the Pied Piper, relating his "coolness" to that of Todd's.
The band name Crazy Dogggz refers to the 1990s supergroup Wylde Ratttz. In the show Todd specifically says he wants it to be spelled with three g's and a z.