Hey, Pig Spender

Part 3, Episode 8

**Hey, Pig Spender** is the eighth episode of season 2, Part 1 of *Disenchantment* and the twenty-eighth episode overall. It premiered on January 15, 2021.

## Synopsis

After trying to help Prince Merkimer lift the curse that turned him into a pig, Bean asks his parents for resources to thwart the threat from Steamland.

## Plot

The episode opens outside a farmhouse, that is being watched by a creature covered in mud. The Farmers let the creature in and offer him some food, but the creature attacks them instead. In Dreamland Castle, Bean is still being haunted by images of Queen Dagmar and memories of the sex orgie of the Seekers that she and Queen Oona where tricked in to attending last night. Worse, now that King Zøg has witnessed this orgie his madness is increasing; he has to be tied to his throne and constantly honks. Luci then reveals that Elfo scared away all the recuits for the army when they saw him participate in the Trøgs moonlight ritual last night, and Sir Mertz reveals the army is running out of arrows. Dreamland is in serious trouble.

Just when Oona manages to calm down Zøg, the farmer bursts into the Throne room to warn everybody about the monster he saw. Bean, Luci and Elfo go with him to investigate. Luci notices the monster for some reason did not harm any of the pigs at the farm despite causing a lot of damage. Prince Merkimer is among the pigs so Bean questions him. He claims to know nothing. The farmers form a mob to hunt the monster down (except for a man named Sam Buca, who stays behind to argue with Bean). The mob finds the monster and chases it to the ruins of a tower. Bean tries to get the mob to see reason, but a man named Rufus sets the tower on fire. Bean runs into the burning tower and tries to talk with the monster, but the fire reaches them and the monster begins to burn. Bean quickly grabs a bucket of water to put the flames out, and in doing so discovers the monster is none other than Prince Merkimer when he was still human. This "Merkimer" attacks bean and in the struggle they fall off the tower. Both survive, but "Merkimer" is knocked out cold.

The real Merkimer shows up and confirms the man is indeed his human self. It turns out the potion that turned Merkimer into a pig actually caused a body swap, and the pig whose blood was used in the potion was turned into a clone of Merkimer. They take the pig-Merkimer to Sorcerio, but he claims he cannot revert the switch. Bean however gets another idea; they can use this pig turned human to make the royal family of Bentwood think Merkimer is human again. They can trick pig-Merkimer into moving his mouth (which Elfo can accomplish by feeding him cheeseballs) while the real Merkimer does the actual talking to create the illusion the pig-Merkimer is talking. That way they can renew the aliance between Bentwood and Dreamland and ask for both money and arms. Thus, the group sets out for Bentwood to ask for money and arms.

With the pig-Merkimer dressed up, the group manages to bluff their way into Bentwood and the palace, where Bean tries to get King Lorenzo I and Queen Bunny to help Dreamland with money and weapons as a reward for Merkimer's safe return. They refuse though. Merkimer himself is in no urry to help Bean now that he is back in his own kingdom, and instead orders a large feast for his return in The Strutting Cock. During the celebration however, Merkimer hears the people in the pub make fun of him and begins to realize his subjects don't like him. Later, back in the palace, he discovers his own parent's don't like him either. This news deeply depresses Merkimer.

The following day Bean decides to try and ask the King and Queen for help again, but when she, Elfo, Merkimer and Luci get to the throne room, they find the pig-Merkimer there, sitting on the throne. He reveals that he has learend to speak like a human, and has staged a coup against the royal family. He now has the guards arrest Bean, Luci and Elfo. Bean tries to get the real Merkimer to help her, but he sides with his pig-self instead to rule the kingdom with him. Bean and co are locked up in the Dungeon, where Lorenzo I and Bunny are also imprisoned. In the Dungeon, Bean has another dream in which her mom warns her all her friends will abandon her eventually.

Pig-Merkimer decides that he wants his old body back so he can be a pig again, so the Bentwood court wizard Grindl makes a potion undo the body swap. Before Merkimer can drink it however, he hears that Bean, Elfo and Luci are being executed in the Torture Chamber, where they are drowned in money. He has a change of heart and instead of drinking the potion he runs to the torture chamber to rescue his friends. Pig-Merkimer, enraged by this betrayal, confronts them and kicks Merkimer down the stairs, which prompts Bean to attack him. She chases him to the top of a tower, where they fight. Bean wins by tossing Pig-Merkimer off the tower, and he falls to his death.

With any chances of getting help from Bentwood gone, Bean, Luci, Elfo and Merkimer flee the kingdom, chased by the guards. Not all is lost though as Elfo coughs up a huge pile of gold coins he swallowed in the torture chamber, and the carriage is riddled with arrows that Dreamland's army can now use.

## Trivia

* Jasper makes a cameo during the scene where the mob hunts down the monster, making this episode his first appearance.