Now on his own, Ben sets out to be a solo superhero, with new alien heroes at his disposal, but Grandpa Max has other plans.
Tropes
- Armor-Piercing Response: Ben is on the receiving end of one when he first meets Rook.Ben: Who are you?
Rook: Rook Blonko. Magister Tennyson sent me. - The Bus Came Back: Zombozo returns for the first time since Season 1 of Ultimate Alien.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In the opening flashback, Ben, in the form of Four Arms, battles a red Galvanic Mechamorph called Malware. Four Arms gets a few good hits in, then Malware feeds on the Omnitrix's energy, causing it to time out early.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Gwen and Kevin have noticeably different designs. The former is more noteworthy because different clothes, a different hairstyle, and notably lacks glasses.
- Early Instalment Weirdness: Due to being written before the change in regime necessitated by Dwayne McDuffie’s death, a few elements from Ultimate Alien are carried over here, such as the general tone and Ben’s car.
- Hand Blast: Feedback uses this to defeat Malware in the opening flashback.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Ben is so depressed at Gwen and Kevin leaving that he decides he doesn’t want to go to Mr. Smoothies.
- Put on a Bus: Gwen and Kevin leave for college at the start of the episode.
- Shout-Out:
- The title of this episode is based on the saying "The more things change, the more they stay the same".
- Mr. Baumann alludes to the bartender in the cantina from A New Hope when he says "No lasers, no lasers!" This corresponds to the bartender saying "No blasters."
- Transformation Sequence: Ben transforms into a new species alien called Bloxx.