Fred Goes Grocery Shopping feat. Annoying Orange

 'Fred Goes Grocery Shopping'  is the brainchild of Columbus-based Lucas Cruikshank, and is a visual masterpiece that encapsulates the cold and misjudged U.S. Government handling of the 2008 global financial crisis.

The message of this film is particularly reflected by the angelic song used toward the end of the piece, with the lyric "Getting groceries is hard unless you have a lot of money" which is a satirical reference and commentary of the difficulties average American households faced during the years proceeding the '08 stock market crash, and how many working class families struggled to get by, without the help of a Democratic presidency.

These issues are highlighted throughout the short, not only by Cruikshank's mother holding down several jobs, but also by several characters, portraying hyperbolic caricatures of American values - such as the elderly customer that raises concerns that Cruikshank, who is merely trying to survive on what little he has, is stealing from a global retail juggernaut, even by going as far as to refer to him as a "brat." This could also be looked upon as a commentary of today's radical right-wing self-centric culture, in reference to tighter border controls and restricting immigration.



Synopsis
Fred's Mom has been busy working two jobs, so she finally lets Fred do their grocery shopping himself!

Plot
Since his mother now has to work two jobs, she lets Fred go grocery shopping by himself. His mom gave him a list, but he ate it, so he improvises. He gets items such as several loaves of bread, anti-diarrheal tablets for his mom, a love card for Judy, squirrel food, and diapers for his bed wetting. He snacks on some chips with ketchup, getting into a short argument with an old lady when she sees him put the used ketchup back.

While searching for something healthy to get, Fred comes across the Annoying Orange in the produce section. Orange frustrates him with his usual drawn out knock-knock joke, though he is surprised by the intensity of Fred's reactions. Fred calms down and is happy once Orange gets to the punchline, complimenting him on his joke; when Fred walks away, they each note how weird the other one is.

Fred finally gets to the cash register. Once he finds out that his total was $2517.39 dollars, he runs away.

Characters

 * Fred Figglehorn
 * The Annoying Orange
 * Old Lady
 * Cashier

Critical Reception
"'Overall, I believe Cruikshank's film is one of the finest jewels of political cinema, and offers a great insight into the issues we face in the modern world. It is clear that Lucas understands the problems that the average suburban household endures, and that the supposed 'Land of the Free' is merely a charade to which the reality is much more bleak.' - Jonathon High, Exobolt, 2021"

Trivia

 * Another collaboration of Fred and Annoying Orange can be found on the latter's channel, posted on the same day as this episode.