Calvin and Susie go out to get their mail at the same time, and after sorting through it, they find that they both have received chain letters. Susie promptly tears hers up, telling Calvin to do the same with his. However, she promptly gets splashed by a truck driving through a puddle, and then she trips over a rock. Susie dismisses it as coincidence and leaves.
Despite witnessing this as well, Hobbes tells him to throw it away as well. Calvin isn't sure, so he decides to consult Sherman for his opinion, but the genius hamster is also surprisingly uncertain. He suggests going ahead and sending it out, just to see what will happen. Andy also isn't certain of how to handle the situation. They even consult Socrates, but it turns out he actually sends chain letters himself simply to drive people mad.
They see Susie again, and she's in worse condition than before. She's had several more accidents, but she's still determined that it's nothing to do with the chain letter. She promptly gets splashed by a truck again.
Calvin ends up becoming more and more paranoid about the letter. His dad tries to assure him its nothing, but his mom points out that a similar incident happened to her cousin, who ended up having a near-death experience with a juicer. Calvin freaks out and panics before deciding to forward the letter. He struggles briefly to come up with ten people, but he manages it in the end. His attempts to get their addresses from the MTM, but it seems his bad luck is already starting as he can't get it to work. Deciding that "The Evil Fate Groups" are trying to stop him from mailing the letters on time, so he dons his Stupendous Man outfit, hoping it will give him the power to succeed.
Hobbes later witnesses Susie talking to Candace. She's had an even larger string of accidents, and now she's half-crazed from stress. She gets splashed by another truck as well (despite there not being a puddle this time). Hobbes begins to grow concerned, and when he suddenly starts talking to the chain letter, he freaks out and runs to Socrates for support.
Meanwhile, Calvin completes getting the addresses and finishes the chain letters. Late that night, he and Hobbes mail the chain letters. They're looking up at the sky when they see a meteor rushing towards them. Fortunately, it doesn't land on them. Unfortunately, it lands on Susie's.
The next day, Andy confronts Calvin about a certain chain letter he's received. Calvin assures him all will work out as long as he sends out the letter, pointing out some good luck he's had recently. Meanwhile, Susie comes out to get the mail again, heavily bandaged, still going insane. She tries to write off her bad luck as being due to an inner-ear infection, but when she gets the mail, she finds another chain letter - Calvin's. He's giving her a chance to improve her luck. And she's still in denial that a meteor struck her house, dismissing it as kids throwing rocks at it instead.
Tropes:
- Bill... Bill... Junk... Bill...: Susie does this when checking the mail. Calvin instead remarks "Not for me, not for me, not for me..."
- Born Unlucky: Susie ends up as this when she rips up the letter.
- Chain Letter: The episode revolves around Calvin and Susie receiving these.
- The Gadfly: Socrates sends off chain letters to several people - not because he believes in it, but just to drive them mad.
- Gilligan Cut: Done when Calvin tries to figure out whether the letter actually curses people:Calvin: Oh man, my problems are solved! Precious hamster will definitely know what to do!Sherman: I don't know.
- Insult Backfire:Calvin: Socrates, you're crazy.
Socrates: [proudly] Yes, I know! - Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The story never explains whether the chain letter's curse was real or not.
- Noodle Incident: Calvin once trampled Roselyn's mother's garden.
- Also, a friend of Calvin's mom apparently had a near-death experience with a juicer after ripping a chain letter up.
- One-Word Title
- Roadside Wave: This happens to Susie exactly three times - the last time occurring where there's no mud at all.
- 13 Is Unlucky: Referenced when Calvin fears being attacked by thirteen black cats.
- Trial Balloon Question:Calvin: Andy, quick! If you got a chain letter mailed to you saying you were going die a horrible death if you didn't forward it, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?(beat)Andy: Uuuuuh..Calvin: Hypothetically, of course!
- Twitchy Eye: Calvin does this in response to Andy not answering his question.
- Women Are Wiser: Oddly averted, as Calvin's mom believes in the letter's supernatural affliction.
