Tropes
- Accidentally Real Fake Address: When Finn is having his finger impersonate a worm so he can spy on the worm class, he claims his name is "Wormy McSquirmy". Turns out there actually is someone called that, but he then gets attacked for not turning up to any other classes.
- All According to Plan: Everything after Finn puts on the Glasses of Nerdicon, including going insane, is part of his plan to get a kiss from PB.
- Astronomic Zoom: A truly epic one, when Finn puts on the Glasses of Nerdicon. It zooms in on Finn's cells, molecules, then atoms and transitions into space where it zooms back to Finn from outside the atmosphere from outside the solar system from outside the galaxy. Later in the episode when Finn's glasses are taken off, the zoom is reversed, only exiting out of his butt.
- Batman Gambit: During his time as a genius, Finn creates one that causes the expo to become a complete success (and secures himself a kiss from Bubblegum).
- Beyond the Impossible: Finn manages to kill / blow up a black hole with his sword.
- Comically Missing the Point: Rather subtle if you don't pay attention. Finn and Jake have to communicate with worms by going into a hollow apple, so Finn and Jake draw faces on their fingers so that they can talk to them. Finn points out that Jake doesn't have to do this because he can use his powers to shrink down, go into the apple and talk to the worms. Upon realizing this, he says "Oh, yeah!" and shrinks down, but he leaves his hand the same size with the face still on it.
- Cool Sword: Finn's sword gets upgraded to a fourth-dimensional one.
- Genius Serum: The Glasses of Nerdicon make whoever wears them super-intelligent.
- Hyperventilation Bag: When Finn panics at the prospect of giving a speech at the Science Barbecue, Jake shapeshifts into a paper bag and tells Finn "Buddy, just breathe into me."
- Hypothetical Fight Debate: The worm university class turns out to be "Theoretical Fightonomics", with the lecturer leading a debate about whether Friedrich Nietzsche's Ubermensch could fight a "mandroid". The lecturer is biased in favor of the Werewolf Queen.
- Idiot Hero: Finn at his core, as lampshaded in this one liner:I can't help it, man! I'm all about stupid!
- Kids Prefer Boxes: Princess Bubblegum accidentally destroys the spit-bubble sculpture Finn made for her without seeing it, but then loves the tray it was on and thinks that was the actual gift.
- Latex Spacesuit: Princess Bubblegum's science conference costume.
- Mad Scientist: Finn stage-dives straight into insanity when he puts on the Glasses of Nerdicon.
- More than Three Dimensions: While under the effect of the Glasses of Nerdicon, Finn invents a device that can blow four-dimensional bubbles.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Finn's attempt to impress Princess Bubblegum by making himself smarter leads to the creation of a black hole that nearly gets everyone at the Science Barbecue killed.
- Oh, Crap!: Princess Bubblegum after Finn creates a black hole.
- Serious Business: The worms turn against "Wormy McSquirmy" for skipping classes.Truancy hurts us all!
- Title Drop: When Princess Bubblegum begs Finn to take off the Glasses of Nerdicon and go back to his old self, she says "I need the real you!" Also played with when Brainy-Finn yells "Don't you see, princess? We were all born to die!" "Born to Die" was the episode's Working Title.
- Unkempt Beauty: Finn seems to find Princess Bubblegum just as attractive in a T-shirt and shorts as she does in her usual princess dress.
- Unrealistic Black Hole: Finn creates a "black hole" from a fourth-dimensional bubble that threatens to suck up the attendees at Princess Bubblegum's science barbecue.
- Worm in an Apple: Worm College is located in a giant rotten apple. Finn and Jake's attendance doesn't last long because the fingers of the duo are mistaken for truants and attacked by the worm-students.
