Crash Violence and Aggression

Ah, the old ritual where the alpha male buries the beta male's button. We saw that in a nature documentary one time. Why do you suppose it's Penn's laughter that pushes Crash over the edge?

This, apparently, is how Crash got his nickname, and it confirms something for us: Crash was pretty much born aggressive. He was not born wearing a football helmet, however. That would be weird.

Sometimes bullies act kind of silly, you know? Crash yanking off that button and handing it right back is one of those times, in our humble opinion. This also shows that Crash doesn't act with a lot of foresight. (If he did, he would have dug another hole first, then plucked off the second button.)

Two things. First, Penn is a Quaker, so he doesn't believe in violence. Fine.

Second, there's Crash's response, which is not fine. Don't think about violence, just perpetrate it? That's essentially what he's saying, and it gives us some insight into Crash's character. Granted, he's only, like, 5 when he says it, but it sort of sets the tone for some of his future behavior.

Young Crash isn't exactly the poster child for "thinking things through" or "working things out." Though he would be a good candidate for a campaign to encourage hissy fits.

Crash sees aggression as a positive way to improve his performance—a good thing. And he says that he and Mike go at each other because of football. Still, we can't help but notice that they were pushing each other around the first time they met, long before they played football together…and we're not sure it was all in the name of upping each other's game.

When Jane refuses to dance with Crash, he drags her to the dance floor, caveman-style. (Not cool, bro.) He's totally oblivious to the bad impression he makes on Jane and others. Why is it that he can't see how poorly his behavior reflects on him?

Crash almost sounds like he has superhero strength, right? He clearly thought this was a smooth move, but all we see is unnecessary violence. Poor Penn. Then again, maybe it's poor Crash. He's the one who comes off looking like a jerk, all the while thinking he has the upper hand.

It's a nice, friendly game of family football. Until Crash tackles his frail grandfather. What was he thinking? Did Crash mean to hurt his grandfather, or was he just caught up in the moment?

Crash and Mike just love to thump each other's chests. It's like locker-room theater they perform to show each other they're manly men. This time, though, Crash thumps a little harder than Mike is expecting. Was that necessary? Could Mike have gotten the same message from Crash if Crash had just rolled his eyes and walked away?