Easter Eggs You Missed In Clerks III
"Clerks III" is a lot of things rolled up into one. First and foremost, it is the third installment of a franchise that began in 1994 and served as the big bang for a niche cinematic universe. Secondly, it's a filmmaker reflecting on his life and how it almost came to an end thanks to a devastating, very public heart attack. It is also a love letter to the people who made his dreams come true, the audience who has stuck by him, and the popular culture that fuels his creativity.
The film is packed with callbacks to jokes from the original film, recreations of iconic scenes with the same actors, inside jokes that only people who are familiar with Smith's personal life (thanks to hours of audio commentaries and podcasts) will understand, and nods to anything and everything that makes the writer-director happy.
Below, a breakdown of some of the more easily-spotted Easter eggs and references in a movie chockablock with them. While it may not be definitive, it should get you started on your own egg hunt through the Quick Stop.
Happy Scrappy the hero pup
The opening of "Clerks III" hits viewers with a lot. As the My Chemical Romance song "The Black Parade" plays, there is a montage of what everyone is up to at the famous block of stores in Leonardo, New Jersey. Dante arrives for work and sets up. Then it's hockey on the roof time (featuring familiar faces for fans of the series "Comic Book Men"), followed by Jay and Silent Bob showing up to run their new cannabis dispensary (formerly RST Video).
Once the intro is over, Jay and Bob do business with a customer who wants to buy two Snoogans pre-rolls (which is an actual product you can buy). On his shirt is a cute puppy and the words "Happy Scrappy Hero Pup." This is a direct reference to one of the more vulgar scenes in the original "Clerks," where a mother comes into RST with her daughter to rent a movie called "Happy Scrappy the Hero Pup," just as Randal places an order for an assortment of explicit, humorously-named adult film titles.
Whatever it takes
Kevin Smith's connection to the Canadian teen drama franchise "Degrassi" is well-documented. He began by dropping references into "Clerks" (Caitlin Bree shares a first time with "Degrassi" alum Caitlin Ryan) and "Chasing Amy" (Banky liked to watch "Degrassi") before culminating with Smith and Jason Mewes appearing on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" as themselves (in which the fictional Smith has a brief love affair with Caitlin Ryan). So, hearing the theme song to the series in "Clerks III" isn't that surprising. What's interesting is when the song is used.
Possibly even better documented than his love for "Degrassi" is Smith's 2018 heart attack. As ET Canada reported (and Smith himself discussed on his so-called "SMODCAST"), he sang the "Degrassi" theme song during his surgery because its lyrics ("Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through") are very optimistic. Of course, Randal's act one heart attack in the film closely mirrors Smith's real-life experience. This includes several Easter eggs mentioned elsewhere, but one of the deepest cuts might be the "Degrassi" song itself. Randal is in the hospital, having surgery, talking away, when the song kicks in. He doesn't go so far as to sing it himself, but the soundtrack makes sure it is played loud and proud.
This is the way
The so-called "widow-maker" is a heart attack so deadly that it has an 80% fatality rate. Kevin Smith defied the odds by surviving his, getting to the hospital early enough to have his life saved. He explores this experience throughout the entirety of "Clerks III" in various ways, but one of the more blatantly autobiographical moments is Randal's interactions with one Doctor Ladenheim, played by the inimitable Amy Sedaris.
Not only does this character share the same name as Smith's real-life physician, but she and Randal exchange dialogue pulled directly from the experience. In many of Smith's retellings of his traumatic ordeal, he detailed his concern over people at the hospital seeing his genitalia and mocking its size (a fear Randal shares), and the doctor describing the widow-maker as a comic book villain.
An added wrinkle to the proceedings is that Randal apparently explains the entire timeline of "The Mandalorian," gushing over the scene in which Luke Skywalker arrives to meet Grogu. His doctor claims to have no idea what he's talking about. However, Sedaris is actually in "The Mandalorian" as Mando's buddy Peli Motto, making the scene another Smith meta moment.
In-Universe Products
"Clerks III" is littered with products that only exist with the View Askewniverse. The Quick Stop specializes in selling a particular brand of cigarettes called Nails, which has popped up in the background of a few View Askew productions. There are also signs for Chewlie's gum, the brand first made famous in the original "Clerks."
Then there's "Ranger Danger" (a character that has never been explicitly acknowledged by any of the characters), as well as many posters and ads in nearly every corner of the film. Jay wears a Hater Totz shirt; the frozen food from "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" is also in one of the Quick Stop freezers. Another "Strike Back" reference can be glimpsed behind Dante's head: an ad for the ride-sharing service called Ride Me. Also, Randal wears a Big Choice video shirt at one point (the former rival of RST).
Staying on Brand
Kevin Smith is nothing if nor an excellent-self promoter. He knows who his audience is, and has no qualms about making them aware of his upcoming projects, where to see him live, where to buy merchandise, and how much he appreciates them. He wears clothing that promotes himself and his work, and is always certain to plug something whenever he's in front of a camera.
In "Clerks III," the characters of Jay and Silent Bob seem to share his enthusiasm for reminding people of their accomplishments. One of the more obvious instances is the huge "Bluntman and Chronic" poster hanging up in RST. There's also a smaller "Bluntman v Chronic" poster stuck to the door of the Quick Stop. The window of RST Video/THC have pages taken directly from the Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards "Bluntman and Chronic" comic books hanging up. There's also a window decal in the style of the actual "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" podcast logo from the real world.
Old school View Askew
The logo casual viewers typically associate with View Askew Productions is a red circle with Vulgar the Clown's smiling face in the center of it. It has evolved somewhat over the years. Eventually, animated versions of Jay and Silent Bob replaced Vulgar (who got his own movie, directed by Bryan Johnson and starring Brian O'Halloran) and even that has shifted somewhat. However, the original logo was slightly different.
You may or may not remember that the original "Clerks" begins with an animated logo featuring a kid sitting on the floor, playing with a ball. Behind them, a clown walks across the scene to a changing station. After disappearing behind the room dividers, the clown emerges in kinky lingerie and uses a clapboard. The dividers fall and a strip of film with the words "View Askew Pro. duc. tions." is revealed.
It's difficult to see, but there are a few scenes in "Clerks III" where Randal is wearing a black baseball cap with the film strip logo on it. This is fitting, since Randal is essentially making the original "Clerks," which he calls "Inconvenience" (aka Smith's original title for "Clerks"). It's just one of many ways Smith has devised to honor the movie that started it all.
One specific cameo
Celebrity cameos in Kevin Smith movies are nothing new. Beginning with Stan Lee in "Mallrats," the writer-director has always found ways of getting big names to pop up in his work; "Clerks III" is no exception. Aside from seeing so many familiar faces from the first "Clerks" film, Smith has also brought in frequent collaborators to show up as young, aspiring actors hoping to get cast in Randal's movie.
These aren't really cameos, per se. They're mostly cute references to Smith's other work and a chance to let his famous friends join in on the fun. The only cameo that could be considered an Easter egg is the inclusion of Bobby Moynihan auditioning to play Silent Bob. At first, it just seems like a funny notion on Smith's part to cast a recognizable face who sort of resembles him (when he has a beard, anyway), but there's more to it than that.
This isn't the first time Moynihan has been asked to dress up like Kevin Smith. On an episode of "Saturday Night Live" hosted by performer Ariana Grande, Moynihan played the director in a "Family Feud" sketch that pitted famous actors against famous directors. While Moynihan nailed the look and mannerisms, he couldn't quite land the voice. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to have him play Silent Bob.
Randal's eyes
"Clerks III" recreates several scenes from the original film with so much authenticity it's a little spooky. One scene, in particular, goes the extra mile to remind viewers of the first time they saw "Clerks," to the degree where it becomes an Easter egg of sorts. If you remember the third act of the original film, a conversation with Jay and Silent Bob helps Dante see that the woman he really wants to be with is Veronica.
The film then cuts to Randal in RST informing Veronica that Dante doesn't love her and he wants to be with Caitlin. He thinks he's helping his buddy out, but he's really just making things more difficult.
In the "Clerks" audio commentary, Smith pointed out that Randal's eyes are extra dark in the scene. It isn't all that noticeable to the naked eye, but because he's the director, he apparently picks up on that stuff.
Smith has explained that the reason for this is because it is one of the only scenes where they used a makeup artist. Apparently, she applied too much makeup and made his eyes look (to Smith, anyway) distractingly dark. She didn't stick around much longer after that, so Randal's eyes go back to normal throughout the rest of the movie. In "Clerks III," if you look closely you can see that Randal has heavy makeup under his eyes while filming the same scene.
Shooter Bob
Chances are if you're watching "Clerks III," you know that Kevin Smith wrote and directed the film and also plays the character of Silent Bob. Therefore, you might think that the choice to have Silent Bob work as the director of photography on Randal's movie would be a nice in-joke to the fact that Smith was behind the camera on the original "Clerks."
However, Kevin Smith didn't handle the camera in that film (or any of his films). His original director of photography (or DP) was David Klein, who went on to collaborate with Smith on several of his projects, but also to work on both "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett." The Easter egg comes in when Dante refers to Silent Bob's new role as DP by calling him, Shooter Bob.
On the one hand, this works as a fun new nickname for Silent Bob, but it goes even deeper into View Askew lore. During 1999's "Dogma," there was a sequence on a train where the heroes learned that Bartleby and Loki were the angels they were sent to New Jersey to stop. This leads to a fight, with Silent Bob throwing them off the train. Before being dispatched, Bartleby mysteriously refers to Smith's character as "Shueler Bob." On the audio commentary for the film, Ben Affleck (Bartleby) says the idea was that Bartleby knows Silent Bob as an ancient spirit, only recognizable by individuals touched by divinity.
Milkmaids: the next generation
The final shot of "Clerks III" is very reminiscent of one used in "Clerks II." In the previous film, Dante and Randal stand side-by-side on the first day of the rest of their lives, masters of their domain. As the camera pulls back, we see a woman kneeling in front of the milk cooler, searching through every container of milk for a later expiration date.
This woman was originally referenced in "Clerks" as one of the dreaded "milkmaids." As Dante described them in that film, the milkmaids are "women who go through every gallon of milk looking for that later date. As if somewhere beyond all the other gallons, there's a container that won't go bad for like a decade." In "Clerks III," we see a new milkmaid. This one is Jay's daughter Milly, played by Smith's real-life daughter Harley Quinn Smith.
What makes this so notable isn't the fact that it's a reference to the other two movies, it's that the woman who played the original Milkmaid was played by Smith's mother, Grace Smith, making this a heartfelt passing of the baton. Although she is looking through plant-based milk (Kevin adopted a vegan diet with help from his daughter following his heart attack), Harley is carrying on her grandmother's legacy 28 years later.
The Clerks cartoon
"Clerks III" references the failed 2000 television show "Clerks: The Animated Series" in its View Askew lovefest. One of the more obvious references is the inclusion of the character Lando (played here by Smith's podcasting buddy, writer Marc Bernardin), introduced in the cartoon to make up for a severe lack of diversity in the show. He doesn't have any dialogue (thanks to his very angry wife, played by Michelle Buteau) but his name is dropped to let fans of the cartoon know their old buddy Lando has entered the official View Askew cannon.
After Dante shows up to the film shoot, Randal takes him into the cooler to fight with him in private. When entering the space, Dante remarks "It's cold in here, Hoth cold," before Randal shoves him. That line is lifted directly from the second episode of "Clerks: The Animated Series," where Dante and Randal get locked in the freezer and flashback to all their old adventures.
Then there's Emma, played by Smith's real-life wife Jennifer Schwalbach. The antagonist/Dante's ex-fiancee from "Clerks II" shows up at the end of the film to let Randal know she now owns half of the Quick Stop because Dante sold his share as collateral when borrowing money from her to finance Randal's movie. When she learns that her half has now been purchased by Elias, she looks at them both and says, "Well played, Clerks," which is the catchphrase of Leonardo Leonardo, the cartoon's villain.