Take 38.5

Take 38.5 is the first episode of VeggieTales Abridged series proper, in which Bob explains the premise to the audience. Its basis is Take 38, a promotional work for VeggieTales made by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki to (unsuccessfully) convince Christian media companies to fund the series before the pilot episode was completed.

Plot synopsis
The episode starts out in a fairly similar fashion to the promotional tape that forms its basis. An clapper covering most of the sceen is held by some unseen character who says that the footage being shown is the thirty-eighth take of the production they are attempting to record. After the clapper is no longer visible, Bob begins to explain the purpose of Abridged before the entire set inexplicably catches fire. After a cut, the clapper is once again seen, with the number 39 scrawled on it (despite the name of the episode). Bob begins to explain how Abrdiged is put together by a diverse crew of produce and appliances putting aside their prejudices, but Larry interjects to ask about a debt Bob owes him. After Larry departs, Bob says that Abrdiged satirizes the popular Christian video series, VeggieTales, and declares the name of the show before the title card drops. Offscreen, Larry once again asks about the debt and begins to shoot what sounds like an automatic. Archibald and Junior's mom (ostensibly his wife), and the former begins to discuss how he was opposed to the idea from the start, suggesting that they instead murder orphans and turn their chopped remains into a Caesar salad, reasoning that vegetables are to be eaten or used as decor rather than produce a web series. His wife gives a dissenting viewpoint and is shot at by him offscreen.

Transcript
See here

Appearances

 * Larry
 * Bob
 * Archibald
 * Mom Asparagus

Notes & trivia

 * The song hummed in the background of the original tape was Battle Hymn of the Republic, but the theme used here seems to be the same three notes hummed over and over.