As if the emotional pain they inflicted wasn't bad enough.
Production Code: 203
After the Gorgon Fury is freed from her stone prison, and she goes looking for her two remaining imprisoned sisters with the help of Millard Fillmore Middle School's three cheerleading co-captains, Trixie must go undercover as a cheerleader to help save the day.
This episode provides examples of:
- Accidental Hand-Hold: This happens twice between Spud and Stacey. The first time was what led to him developing feelings for her. Both times, however, those feelings were NOT mutual on her part.Stacey: Ew, it touched me!
- Art Shift: This episode marks the series' dramatic art style shift from more rounded, western-style animation and designs to a sharp-edged, animesque motif.
- Becoming the Mask: Trixie was supposed to only pretend she was interested in joining the cheerleader squad. But she gets so caught up in finding common ground with them that she forgets why she's undercover in the first place.
- Continuity Nod: The end credits gag has Rotwood make one to "Professor Rotwood's Thesis".Rotwood: Hello, mother. It's your favorite son. You know, Hans. Anyway, listen. I'm in jail... again. But not for mistaking a student for a dragon and locking him in the back of a truck like last time.
- Easily Forgiven: Despite getting caught up in the cheerleaders, Jake and Spud unconditionally forgive Trixie.
- "Eureka!" Moment: While trying to figure out how to defeat the Gorgon sisters, Trixie notes how they argue amongst themselves much like the cheerleaders do. This gives her the idea to play on all three of their egos and turn them against each other.Trixie: Man, those Gorgons bicker worse than the cheer—Hold up! I got an idea.
- Fatal Flaw: The Gorgon Sisters are so caught up in bickering with one another that Trixie uses this against them and works them up into a fight that turns themselves into stone.
- Heel Realization: At the end, Trixie realizes how shallow it was to try and join the cheerleaders instead of appreciating that she has true friends in Jake and Spud.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Towards the climax, Spud is able to snap Trixie out of the Gorgons' mind-control by reminding her that he's her friend.
- Idiot Ball: When she notices her newfound squad has left the house, Trixie blindly follows them. It's not until she starts noticing their trek has lead them to the creepy, abandoned docks that she notices the girls are under the Gorgons' trance. And it's not until it's too late that she's captured by the Gorgon sisters, who are interested in adding a new mind slave to their army.
- Kick the Dog: As part of the cheerleaders' initiation, Trixie tells off Spud about how childish he is.
- Meaningful Echo: Twice Trixie hears the phrase, "What are you waiting for? Finish him already!", and both times, it was about Spud. First from Stacey when being forced to verbally "rip him to shreds", and then from Fury while she was mind-controlled and attacking him. Thankfully the second time, she doesn’t listen.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Trixie was supposed to spy on the cheerleaders so she could figure out the Gorgon Sisters' plans. Instead, she got so caught up in joining them that by sheer accident, she ends up initiated as the Gorgons' latest mind-controlled slave.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After giving Trixie a makeover, Stacey tells her that she has one final test in her initiation; she has to "rip to shreds" the next person that comes into the hallway they’re in. Unfortunately, that someone just so happens to be Spud. To keep up appearances with the cheerleaders, Trixie does not hold back.
- Remember the New Guy?: Despite them never being mentioned for the entire first season, the episode's prologue introduces Spud and Trixie's respective crushes, Stacey Wintergrin and Kyle Wilkins, as if they'd always been part of the cast (though at least in Stacey's case they point out that Spud only ever started crushing on her since a week prior).
- Shout-Out: Shares its name with Bring It On, which is also about cheerleaders.
- The Stinger: Starting with this episode, all episodes contain one final gag during the end credits. This one consists of Rotwood calling his mother from jail to ask for bail money.
- Taken for Granite: As to be expected when dealing with Gorgons, the three sisters turn their enemies (and eventually themselves via their infighting) to stone with their combined powers.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Rotwood accidentally knocking over the bust in the Cold Open results in Fury being released from her stone casing.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Jake gives one to Trixie after she goes too far in joining the cheerleaders.Jake: Those things you said to Spud… as he put it, they were "extra harsh with a side of mean beans".
Trixie: What? I’m pretending to be one of them! Isn’t that the plan?
Jake: Yeah, but… do you have to pretend so hard?! - Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Doubles as a Shout-Out, as Jake quotes this verbatim when first fighting Fury.
