Earning Respect

## Synopsis

As promised, Dib tries to help Zim earn the respect of his Tallest.

## Summery

Dib walks up to Zim's door and knocks on the door. They had planned for Dib to come over to help Zim devise a plan to please the Tallest. Zim answers and lets Dib in. Zim says he has the perfect plan and that GIR helped. Dib hates the plan, but goes along with it anyways. They put on a horrible play of Zim winning and conquering earth while on call with the Tallest, and they hang up. Zim is confused as to why it didn't work, and claims that they need to try other things. They try the following:

A demonstration on how to make pizza! (It caught on fire)

A puppet show! (They hung up)

A magic show! (Zim went too far with the saw-someone-in-half act)

An original cheer all about how great the Tallest are! (Zim kicked Dib in the face. On purpose)

Showcasing a beast that can drill through the earth! (It went rouge)

After the drilling incident, Dib goes home and Zim is frustrated and feels like giving up. But GIR shows Zim his big book of ideas, and while looking through it, Zim sees a plan so ridiculous, so idiotic, that it just might work. Zim calls Dib in the middle of the night and tells him to come over as soon as possible.

And finally, a carefully practiced, fully choreographed (by GIR), performance of the 80's song, Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. The Tallest, being sick and tired of the constant calls and acts of foolishness, hang up. Zim is dejected and feels like giving up. Dib is sick of this and says he's going home, but Zim reminds him that he still has to uphold his end of the deal. Zim comes up with one final plan to please his leaders, and guarantees that it will work.

Zim, Dib and GIR get into the Voot Cruiser and head to a deep part of the galaxy to find a rare beast that surely will appease the Almighty Tallest. Once the beast is found caught, Zim, Dib and GIR rush to the Massive to give it to the Tallest in person.

Once on the Massive, Zim and Dib head to the main chamber where the Tallest often reside. The Tallest are extremely unhappy to see Zim. Zim and Dib flaunt the captured beast, who is said to swallow any planet with ease. It's a tiny kitten. The Tallest snap and tell Zim they couldn't care less about all the things he does to appease them. Zim is bewildered, saying that that can't be true. Not after everything he's done for them. They tell Zim the truth-His mission is a lie. They sent him to earth in hopes to never hear from him again. They tell Zim that they hate him, and wish he was dead. Zim is complete and utter shock, not knowing how to respond. The Tallest tell Zim that their final order to him is this-to go back to earth and rot away for the rest of his days there. This ticks Dib off. As much as he hates Zim, Dib can't just stand there and watch as the Tallest mortify him. Dib stands up for Zim, heatedly telling them that Zim has given his whole life to them. Everything he does is for them. He recounts just a few of the things Zim has done to try and make them happy, and how wrong it is that they don't even care. Dib even goes as far as to say that no one should want to serve them because they're just useless piles of dookey. The Tallest are abhorred by this comment, and order some Irken guards to throw Dib out the airlock. They tell Zim to leave the Massive and to never come back. Zim feels as though he has no choice but to oblige.

Right before Dib gets thrown out the airlock, the guards are taken out by Zim, who came back to save Dib. Dib is confused by this act of generosity, but decides not to question it. Zim, Dib and GIR go back to earth in silence.

A few days later after not seeing or hearing from Zim since the trip to The Massive, Dib goes to check up on him. GIR answers the door to see Dib and lets him in to see Zim moping dejectedly on the couch. Zim asks what he's doing there. Dib awkwardly asks how he's doing, but realizes that he's clearly not doing well. GIR whines about how Zim's been taking up the whole couch with his moping and begs Dib to do something. Dib tells GIR that he has no clue what to do, and GIR comes up with an idea. Dib very begrudgingly complies and starts to slowly reprise Never Gonna Give You Up. Zim realizes what Dib's doing and joins in. Together, the two enemies sing a heart wrenching rendition of the 80's hit. Once finished, Zim gets out of his moping and GIR is elated to get his couch back. Embarrassed, Dib goes back home and the two agree to never speak of what just happened again.

## Trivia

* Earning Respect is Co-Creator Space Pajamas' favorite Cartoonland: Resurrection adventure.