When life gives you a giant tree monster...it's time to make some lumber.
In the case of losing during their invasion of Earth, the Highbreed conceived a plan of using several of their captives to create a giant Highbreed monster made from trees to destroy the Earth, one of which happens to be Max. Due to an earthquake, the Highbreed, who was tasked with activating the monster, gets awaken and, unaware that the war ended peacefully, activates the monster.- Apocalypse How: If the monster ever reaches a power plant and absorbs its energy, then it would explode and destroy the entire planet.
- Bait-and-Switch: When the awakened Highbreed reappears in the monster, his words make it seem that he wants to fight the team in a battle to the death. In reality, he wants them to esccape the monster so they don't die alongside it.
- Botanical Abomination: The Highbreed failsafe is a towering monster composed of a mix of plants, trees, soil, and organic matter. It was created from several Brainwashed and Crazy humans merging in a special cocoon and turned into its components, including 'antibody'-like beings that serve as an immune system, or in Grandpa Max's case the thing's brain.
- Forced Transformation: Due to the Highbreed's plan, their captives are turned into creatures that resemble Highbreeds but without their heads. They also have an umbilical cord coming out of their backs that maintain their current forms.
- Foreign Queasine: Max's habit for this returns, as he serves squid burgers for the kids.Kevin: Squid? I thought those were hamburgers.
Ben: That would explain the tentacles. - Forgot About His Powers: Lampshaded by Ben once they finally get to Max, complaining that he really should've turned into Swampfire earlier during the episode.
- Heel–Face Turn: The awakened Highbreed, once he discovers the war ended peacefully, decides to sacrifice himself and save lives.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When the monster begins to collapse due to not being connected to its brain, the awakened Highbreed sacrifices himself so the monster collapses without hurting anyone around it. Ben is initially upset about this, but Reiny assures him that a sacrifice such as his is the highest honor that a Highbreed can attain to.
- No Off Button: When Reinrassig commands the rogue Highbreed to cease his attempts to win the already-resolved war, the latter shamefully admits that there's no way to stop the failsafe even if he wanted to. Kevin himself even lampshades the trope name to describe it.
- Orifice Invasion: The monster seems impenetrable, but Gwen points out that, as a plant, it must have some opening where it exchanges gases. Cut to the trio climbing up the orifice. Given that we can see the ground directly below them and they complain about the smell, it's clear which orifice this is meant to be.
- Plot Tailored to the Party: Or as Ben puts it before turning into Swampfire.
- Un-Paused: Max gets taken over by the failsafe system while telling a story about Kevin's dad. When he gets freed from it, he groggily finishes the tale.
- When Trees Attack: The Highbreed failsafe is partially made out of trees, and is attempting to destroy the Earth.
