Episode name reference to/pun on: The Mach 5, the vehicle seen in the anime Speed Racer
Air date
September 10, 1997
Production number
212c
Written by
Craig McCracken
Directed by
Rob Renzetti Genndy Tartakovsky
Mock 5 is the third part of the 9th episode in season 2 of Dexter's Laboratory. In this episode, Dexter competes in the big race down Volcano Mountain while trying to beat Mandark.
Dexter enters a soapbox derby (initially against his father's will because Dee Dee supposedly "died" from crashing into a turtle, but then he changes his mind on the condition he does it in memory of Dee Dee) but Mandark is going up against him. Dexter will face Mandark in the Big Race to honor his sister and beat him.
Dee Dee: "I'm Dee Dee, Dexter's older sister, who two years ago crashed up in the Volcano Mountain Race and was never heard from again! Except I was heard from again, it's just that my Dad likes to exaggerate and he got mad at me because I broke his car and he wouldn't let me race again! Except I had to race again, it was in my blood, so sometimes I stow away in my brother's trunk so I can be close to the action and sometimes I secretly race under the disguise of Racer D, but I shouldn't have told you that!...(long pause) I've got a monkey!"
Narrator: "Secretly, unknown to Dexter, a mysterious stranger is mysteriously watching..."
Trivia[]
This episode is a parody of, and homage to, Speed Racer, the English dub of the iconic 1967 anime Mach Go Go Go, which was airing on Cartoon Network at the time. The animation is also a tribute to the anime due to the infamous movements on the characters in some areas and the mouths not syncing up with the voices seen in the dub.
Dexter's role and racing outfit in this episode are a reference to Speed Racer, the eponymous protagonist of his series.
Mandark's role and racing outfit in this episode are a reference to Snake Oiler from Speed Racer who was also one of Speed's rivals.
Dad's role and his outfit in this episode is based on Speed's father, Pops Racer, and is a reference to the character himself in the series.
The way Dad speaks in this episode is much like Pops who is a fast talker when he had a conversation with his son Speed as is to Dad's son, Dexter.
Dee Dee's role as Racer D in this episode is based on Racer X and she serves as a female counterpart of the eponymous character. The other role she plays as is Spritle Racer, Speed's younger brother with Monkey included as the role of Chim-Chim.
Dexter's car, the Mark 5 is a reference to the Mach 5, while Mandark's car, the Villan is a reference to the Hydrophiidae.
The brief pause right after the volcano erupts is a reference to the unexplained five second pauses seen in each Speed Racer episode, where the episode titles would go in the original Japanese version of Mach Go Go Go.
The music played while Dexter and Mandark are racing each other is very similar to the music played during the beginning of the Speed Racer episode "The Most Dangerous Race, Part 1", while Snake Oiler (whom Mandark's outfit and role are based on) and the Car Acrobatic Team wreak havoc on the race track.
The narrator saying that Racer D is actually Dexter's older sister Dee Dee is a reference to how on every episode he appears in, the narrator of Speed Racer mentions that Racer X is Speed's older brother.
In this episode, Dee Dee and Mandark do not seem to recognize each other despite having previously met and Mandark himself shows no attraction toward Dee Dee, instead being in love with her alter ego Racer D. It can be implied that here, they are just "following the script".
This also likely implies that this episode takes place in a different continuity or that Dee Dee simply did not recognize Mandark due to her usual idiocy and he did not recognize her due to her childish appearance and her explanation being too fast to understand as he was unable to tell she was Racer D despite her unintentionally telling him directly.
Another possibility is that the reintroduction was merely used as an exposition parodying the long and convoluted introductions and explanations often seen in Japanese animated media.
The turtle that causes both Dee Dee and Mandark to crash in their respective races may be a reference to the Green/Red Shell power-up used in Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise.
Tom Kenny would later use his narrator voice for The Powerpuff Girls series.
Cartoon Network had made a special promo for this episode in which Dexter races with the real Speed Racer and tells him that he is a friend of Spritle.
During the Dexter's Laboratory Top 10 event that aired during Cartoon Network's weekly block Cartoon Cartoon Fridays on August 16, 2002, this episode was number 8.
