IPO

IPO is the eighth episode of the first season of Code Monkeys. It is preceded by Larrity's Got Back and followed by Todd Loses His Mind.

Plot

After Dave fails to woo Wendy the Hot Intern, Larrity gathers the GameAVision staff for an important announcement.

The company's Initial Public Offering will start the following day and each of them will be given a Class B stock (at the cost of a 25% pay-cut). Larrity's investment advisor, a devilish Matthew Milton from Devil Burnman Lambheart, explains that they must invest it for six months before getting a chance to sell it. The staff doesn't take the news well and Jerry believes they may be stuck at the company thanks to Larrity's business decisions. Dave believes this move may make life better for everyone, but Jerry counters that no one can make that much money for no reason.

During another meeting, Larrity announces that the company's stocks have gone up spectacularly, technically making them all rich. After setting up a new rap group called Black Steve and the Black Attack Squadron with his share, Black Steve encourages everyone to borrow against the boosted stock to go live their dream, no longer bound to GameAVision. Clare opens a bondage club and tries to collar Mary in a domination high, Todd creates his fantasy world Toddonia where everyone praises him as King (and plans to execute his mother for "crimes against the king's mind and dependency"), and Clarence uses the money to have anonymous sex with different men. Seeing Jerry caught up at work to care about his share, Dave forcefully convinces him to loosen up by buying a lap-dance. Something awakens in him and he becomes addicted to the dancers and alcohol. Meanwhile, Dean and Larrity hoard most of the wealth of golden treasures and white tiger cubs in a deep underground pit so history won't remember Larrity's petty war crimes, before making plans to further boost GameAVision's stock.

Unfortunately, a brokerage representative named Neil Horowitz arrives, a little after the staff leaves the company, to review their operations and give a recommendation to investors. Larrity and Dean try to cover for everyone's absence, which doesn't go so well. Dean attempts to cover for Dave and Jerry before Larrity tries to silence the rep, but struggles due to his obvious lack of programming skills or gaming knowledge. As a result, the IPO value plummets and the stock goes bust, and everyone is forced to close down their ventures and return to Gameavision. Matthew arrives to inform them of the news and, for some reason, carries Black Steve to Hell.

Dave, however, in a cosmic twist of irony, shorted his stock instead of borrowing against it like he planned to, planning to buy porn, and becomes an instant millionaire. Larrity congratulates him and assumes he and Jerry won't return. Suddenly, Dave remembers that he left Jerry by himself, and hurries to his house to find a sticky carnage that smells of alcohol, dead whores, and banana-scented perfume.

A drunken Jerry soon comes to his senses about the bad news, but is devastated under the realization that his reckless abandon left him completely broke, forcing him to work multiple menial jobs in an attempt to climb back out. Eventually, he comes to Dave, who is literally living his dream of retiring in a mansion with a versatile helper robot, an anime chick tending to his sexual whims, and a talking gorilla butler. He wants to ask for money, but ultimately turns himself away out of guilt. Dave is encouraged by his dream camaraderie to use his new fortune to pay off Jerry's debts, sacrificing his millionaire status and forcing him to return to GameAVision as well.

Later that night, Dave brings the Black Attack Squadron to serenade outside Wendy's window, only for her to blow him off again and threaten to call the cops.

References

• Devil Burnman Lambheart is a play on Drexel Burnham Lambert, an American investment bank that was forced into bankruptcy in 1990 due to its involvement in illegal activities in the junk bond market. The devil-like advisor Matthew Milton is likely a character of Michael Robert Milken, senior executive of Drexel and center of the scandal that led to the bank's downfall.
• The Fry Cook at the fast food restaurant Jerry is forced to work at bears a strong human resemblance to Spongebob Squarepants, who is also a fry cook.
• In the transition showing Black Steve and the Black Attack Squadron's concert poster, the band member on the far left is wearing an oversized clock, which was popularized by rapper Flava Flav.
• Dean's fake game Super Mega Bro Bro is a reference to Super Mario Bros. The style of the title name copies the game's original colors as well.
• The Elephant Man's skeleton can be seen in the corner of Jerry's house.
• The DeLorean from Back to the Future is outside of Jerry's house. If it maintains its functionality from the trilogy, Jerry probably traveled through time at some point during his lap dance spree.
• Dave's most versatile robot Scoot-Scoot is similar to ROB, which was an accessory for the NES. Unlike Dave's version, the real ROB could only be supported by a CRT-type television, was extremely limited in functionality and movement and only supported two games.
• In Dave's mansion, there is an arcade console titled Stonervision in the background. The only shown controller is a bong pipe. This is a reference to the third episode of the same name, where he made his own company called Stonervision. He revealed that phase two of his plan would involve dealing drugs. It's likely the game is a continuation of his plan.
• Dave's Ape Servant is likely a reference to Donkey Kong, although his accent and appearance is likely taken from Ape from George of the Jungle; Donkey Kong is commonly shown to be entirely incapable of talking.
• The anime girl Dave bought is a blatant stereotype of the Hentai genre, where girls typically have large breasts, abnormally colored hair, are young and sexually available, and wear a schoolgirl's uniform.
• Jerry's tagline for his game Knights vs Aliens, which is resistance is feudal, is a reference to the Borg in the Star Trek universe.
• The stairs at Dave's Mansion are the same like in the Game Q-Bert.
• The Line by Fat Ass Burger "One Burger to rule them all" is a lot like from Lord of the Rings "One Ring to rule them all".
• The Punch-In Screen is a reference to "Mike Tyson's Punch Out."
• Jerry's death under the Trash Truck looks similar to the Death of "Mega Man." This is the second time this happened since The Woz.
• In the final scene where Dave serenades Wendy, one of Black Steve's friends wears a beige trench-coat and holds up a boombox like in Say Anything.

Trivia

• During both appearances of Matthew Milton from 'Devil Burnman Lambheart', the following lines appear at the bottom of the screen in green text as the border glitches:

  THE 6TH WORD IN THE 6TH SCENE OF THE 6TH EPISODE IS HOO-YAH

  HOO-YAH IS COMPRISED OF 6 LETTERS. THERE ARE 6 OTHER WORDS!

  THAT CAN BE SPELLED WITH THOSE LETTERS. I MISS YOU.

  I MISS YOUR SMELL, YOUR TOUCH. YOUR SOUL BELONGS TO ME,

  MY LOVE. MARRY ME