Thoughts About Rufus

[TransWarpDrive]

This thread is for posting comments, opinions, etc., about everyone's favorite naked mole rat, Rufus. I'll start the ball rolling with an observation that occurred to me this morning at work. Has anyone else noticed how Kim's attitude toward Rufus has changed over the course of the series? Back in Season 1, Kim treats him - and talks to him - as if he's just an average pet and nothing more. Examples: In "Bueno Nacho," after showing Rufus how to press the button on the melted-cheese machine to coat orders of nachos, she praises him in baby-talk: "Good little naked mole rat!" Kim does the same after Rufus stops the conveyor belt carrying her and Ron to their doom under the Cryovator ray gun in "Animal Attraction:" "Good little hairless rodent!"
But by Seasons 3 and 4, when Rufus has shown his intelligence by helping Kim and Ron out of numerous tight spots, she talks to him as if he's another human. Examples here: In "Queen Bebe," after he deliberately programs flaws into the Bebe-robot production line, Kim congratulates him with, "Spankin' sabotage, Rufus!" In "Big Bother," after he's caused those two stone gargoyles to collide and shatter, freeing Kim from one gargoyle's grasp, Kim tells him, "Way to go, Rufus!" And in "Cap'n Drakken," Kim says, "Thanks, Rufus," after he hands her a towel and a glass of lemonade when she and Ron get back on board the yacht after scuba-diving to Drakken's underwater lair and destroying it.
Thus, Kim has clearly come to accept Rufus as a person in his own right and not just a clever pet, as the above examples indicate.
What do you folks think?

[lunchmeat]

Ahaah! Someone has finally recognized the long buried hints about the real K/R. Now all we need is screencaps.......

[TransWarpDrive]

I don't think there are any scenes of Kim kissing Rufus, if that's what you mean; although he did get a kiss from one of the college girls on spring break in "The Golden Years." So Kim may be impervious to his charms (at least romantically), but there are plenty of other ladies out there for him to flirt with...

[jeriddian]

I don't think there are any scenes of Kim kissing Rufus, if that's what you mean; although he did get a kiss from one of the college girls on spring break in "The Golden Years." So Kim may be impervious to his charms (at least romantically), but there are plenty of other ladies out there for him to flirt with...

Sorry, but.......EWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwwwww..............

[campy]

I don't think there are any scenes of Kim kissing Rufus, if that's what you mean; although he did get a kiss from one of the college girls on spring break in "The Golden Years." So Kim may be impervious to his charms (at least romantically), but there are plenty of other ladies out there for him to flirt with...

I had Rufus try to get a kiss from Jessica in chapter 4 of Mating Games. :P

[MrDrP]

My favorite comment from Kim to Rufus took place in "Mathter and Fervent" as the gang was in the midst of infiltrating the infinity Dome: "Rufus, do whatever it is you do." KP's may not be sure exactly it is that that Rufus does -- but she knows it's valuable.

[Mr Birthday]

Has anyone else noticed how Kim's attitude toward Rufus has changed over the course of the series? Back in Season 1, Kim treats him - and talks to him - as if he's just an average pet and nothing more.

I didn't notice that, because what stuck out to me was her calling him "gross" or, at least once, "hairless freak." It almost seems as though early-series Kim actively loathed Rufus, and was amazed whenever he actually proved useful. It's obvious that as Rufus proved himself, both in terms of utility and just as a friend, these feelings were worn away.

As for what I think of Rufus, well, he often acts as Ron's yes-rodent, at least until Ron really goes too far. (And sometimes not even then.) The only times I remember Rufus immediately disagreeing with Ron was in Stop Team Go, when Ron wanted to watch the new "Bricks of Fury" movie and Rufus ran off with Kim and Shego to watch "The Memopad"; and in Big Brother, concerning Hana.(Are there any others? Because I don't remember any more off the top of my head.) As for Rufus himself, he is obviously a very intelligent, capable, helpful, and playful little guy. I'm glad the show's creators of the show put him in, it would't be the same without him.

[lunchmeat]

My own theory is that the reason Kim tends to approach Ron from the side where Rufus is in Ron's pocket is that she's trying to get closer to Rufus. Ron is just cover. I discovered this one night while eluding the Black Helicopters and the Trilateral Comission.......

[Mr Birthday]

I didn't notice that.

To clarify, I was talking about Kim treating Rufus as a simple pet.

[lunchmeat]

Ah, but you have to consider the subtext.......