"What's a nice guy like you doing outside in his undies?"
Production Code: 101
Due to Jake Long having a string of poor battles (the latest against the Huntsman's new apprentice, the Huntsgirl), his grandfather and Dragon Master Lao Shi decides to increase Jake's training...by having him do chores around the shop.
Tropes
- Badass in Distress: Lao Shi becomes captured by the Huntsclan while awaiting for Jake, with the moment he is freed the entire fight effectively ends in their enemies' retreat.
- Baddie Flattery: During their second fight, Jake compliments Huntsgirl's skills, which Huntsgirl returns in kind. After Huntsgirl gets away, Lao Shi warns Jake not to flirt with his arch nemesis.
- Bittersweet Ending: The audience learn that Rose and the Huntsgirl are one and the same, meaning Jake's interest in Rose may be complicated in the future. For now, however, Jake and Lao Shi savor the victory that not only has he beaten back the Huntsman, but he's finally learned how to go full dragon.
- Comedic Underwear Exposure: During his fights against the Huntsclan, Jake frequently de-materializes his bottom half and is mocked by Huntsgirl for his threads.
- Epic Fail: Among the montage of Jake losing fights, it ends with him losing to pixies (although it wouldn't be the first or last time another magical creature gets the jump on a dragon).
- Establishing Character Moment: A lot of characters' introductory moments tell us more or less all we need to know about them.
- The Huntsman's very first scene has him hunting unicorns, with his first spoken line of dialogue being a sinister musing to himself about how the unicorns' severed horns will fetch him a hefty sum on the black market.
- Rotwood's class lecture shows him teaching bogus things (such as Dragons Are Dinosaurs) about dragons, with his obssession with proving the existence of magical creatures being made very clear.
- Jake's father walks into the kitchen singing a silly song about the mascot for a milk brand whose producer is his newest client.
- Haley comes in to use her dragon claws to help make dinner despite being years younger than Jake who's still struggling with his dragon form and walks off showing her father the violin concierto she composed at school, showcasing how she's quite the Child Prodigy.
- First-Episode Twist: After Jake pulls off her glove, it's revealed to the audience (but not the characters) that Huntsgirl is Rose, the new girl Jake's smitten with.
- Foreshadowing: The first hint that Spud’s a lot smarter than he lets on, as revealed in Season 2, is shown in this brief moment.Trixie: We’re cruisin’ over to Washington Park right about now. We’re gonna shred some serious asphalt! Last time we hit that place, Spud got a concussion!
Spud: No way! That was totally a case of sub-cutaneous occipital trauma. No worries, bros. - I Just Want to Be Normal: Downplayed. Jake legitimately loves his powers, but finds the menial labor from doing chores to be so frustrating he sometimes wishes to be like his father.Susan: Listen, Jake? I know this whole thing has been hard on you. First you find out you're a dragon…
Jake: That's cool. It was the whole, "By the way, you're responsible for protecting an entire magical underworld" that's freaking me out! - Love at First Sight: The moment Jake meets Rose he falls head over heels for her.
- Meet Cute: Jake and Rose meet when Jake bumps into her by not paying attention when he's skate boarding backwards.
- Mundane Utility / Wax On, Wax Off: Lao Shi's "training" consists of using dragon powers to do chores, except for doing the laundry.
- Mooching Master: After Jake uses most of his Wax On, Wax Off training to beat the Huntsclan, he asks Lao-Shi what doing the laundry was for as he didn't get a chance to use it in the battle. Lao-Shi admits it wasn't really part of his dragon training; he just needed his laundry done.
- Poor Communication Kills: Lao Shi spends one of Jake's first "training" montages having him do seemingly mundane chores around his homestead easily comes off as pointless chores that aren't getting him anywhere near being the American Dragon. This later turns out to be a case of Wax On, Wax Off methods to help Jake practice his dragon capabilities (well, most of them anyway). Had Lao Shi at least communicated the purpose of these "chores", Jake might not have been too quick to skip training on the one day he'd be captured by the Huntsclan.
- Prepare to Die: The Huntsman spouts off one that's...interesting...during the climax.The Huntsman: American Dragon, prepare to become a pair of boots!
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Jake decides to skip a single day of training after finding himself disappointed with the current regimen, which allows the Huntsclan to capture his grandfather in his absence.
- Wax On, Wax Off: Lao Shi teaches Jake martial arts moves by having him clean the shop (though he really did need the shop cleaned).
- Wham Shot: Seeing the Huntsgirl possess a dragon birthmark tells us that Rose is Jake's arch nemesis.
- Wingding Eyes: Jake’s eyes turn into hearts after he and Rose first meet.
