Calvin's dad reveals he's been hired as Jack Freewater's defense attorney, much to Calvin's amusement. Unfortunately, the trial is at 4:00 Sunday, which is when Mom goes to her barber... and after what happened last time, she's not taking Calvin. Neither Rosalyn nor the Derkinses will take him either, so the only choice is for Calvin to accompany his father to the hearing. He excitedly packs, believing he'll be helping his dad with the case.
Later, after they get there, Calvin uses the Time Pauser to take hold of Dad's evidence, discovering that Freewater was sued for $5,000 for not paying a house painting service since they were terrible, and that they deliberately destroyed the paint.
Disaster strikes when a skunk that Dad nearly ran over sprays him in response. Never one to turn down a challenge, Calvin disguises himself as an adult, complete with stilts and a voicebox. Once inside the courtroom, he delivers his opening statement:
- "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, this is a court about facts. No doubt you're going to hear exaggerations and such from both sides, but hey, that's America for ya. Just a tip: listen to nothing but the facts. Got that? Nothing but facts. Facts like, for example, we're indoors. I'm devilishly handsome. My client has eyes. All are facts. Yes, eyes. The innocent eyes of a puppy."
Naturally, Calvin makes several asides when presenting a paint can to the judge. The prosecution comes up and presents a picture contrary to Calvin's, and the courtroom takes a fifteen-minute recess.
Calvin uncovers some more contrary evidence (Freewater went on vacation for five days, but the paint job only took four), and uses the Time Pauser to get to his house. There, he uses the MTM to discover that Moe and his Gang of Bullies threw tomatoes and such at it! Taking a picture and grabbing Moe, they return to the courtroom, where Calvin slips his disguise back on and reveals Moe's guilt. He's sentenced to five hours in jail and a phone call to his parents, and Freewater is given a verdict of not guilty.
Unfortunately, Calvin's disguise begins to fall apart, but he easily distracts them. Dad wakes up, and Calvin says they settled out of court. Because of the stench, Calvin rides strapped on the car with Hobbes.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Calvin keeps forgetting Jack Freewater's name.
- He finally gets it right later on, and Freewater even thanks him for doing so!
- Actor Allusion: Calvin's adult pseudonym is "Ryan Segal Hanks", a mashup of Ryan Stiles (who voices Socrates), Pamela Segal (who voices Calvin), and Tom Hanks (who voices Hobbes). Apparently it "just came to him".
- What's more, the prosecution's name is "Tom Adlon Stiles"!
- Big "WHAT?!":Calvin: What! No way! I wouldn't miss the world for this! Dad doing a defense!
- Chekhov's Gunman: The skunk, shortly after being introduced.
- Comically Missing the Point:Hobbes: Oh my gosh, that's [the terribly-painted house] horrible!
Calvin: I'll say! What kind of sicko paints their house pink? - Continuity Nod: Rosalyn won't babysit Calvin until she forgets what happened last time.
- Courtroom Episode
- Edible Ammunition: Moe and his Gang of Bullies fire tomatoes and such at Freewater's house.
- Characterization Marches On: The rest of the Kleins are perfectly fine with Calvin.
- Misery Builds Character: Referenced:Calvin/Hobbes: What are you going to do? Tell the judge it will build character to rule not guilty?
- Nonverbal Miscommunication: Calvin's hand signal to Hobbes for the latter to grab Dad's evidence gets mistaken for a friendly wave."Sometimes, Calvin thinks that... never mind."
- Noodle Incident: Whatever happened last time Calvin went to the barber's.Calvin's dad: All I heard was the explosion and the sirens.
- Outside Ride: A variation - Calvin rides strapped down on the roof of the car with Hobbes.
- Pass the Popcorn: Hobbes does this with chips while watching Calvin present evidence.
- Pet the Dog: Somewhat - Calvin saves a kid from being punched by Moe thanks to the Time Pauser.
- Pink Is for Sissies: Calvin believes this.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Referenced.
- Shout-Out: "Do I look unsure to you?", accompanied by what the narrator outright calls "the most disgusting face ever".
- Smelly Skunk: One ends up causing Dad to pass out, forcing Calvin to defend Freewater himself.
- Stern Old Judge: He's one of the Kleins! And he's really crabby to boot.
- Totem Pole Trench: The stilts variation is used.
