Recap / Codename Kids Next Door Operation INTERVIEWS

One last mission.

Now loading Recap for Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.:

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In this extra-long show finale, Numbuhs 2 to 5 are temporarily recommissioned as adults to tell the story of their final mission ever — a simple mission to steal the Delightful Children's birthday cake which turns into a mammoth worldwide scavenger hunt and sees one of their numbers leaving them forever.

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Tropes that appear in this episode:

• Amusement Park of Doom: The final battle between Numbuh 1 and the Delightful Children From Down The Lane takes place in the derelict Rainbow Monkey Let's Learn About The Lavatory Amusement Park.
• Ascended Extra: Numbuh 362's younger brother, Numbuh 363, who first appeared in Operation: Z.E.R.O., returns with a much bigger role in this finale.
• Ascended Fanboy: Throughout the series, Numbuh 3 has been shown as a big lover of Rainbow Monkeys. When she grew up, she ended up becoming president of the corporation.
• Back for the Finale: Almost all the characters in the entire series return for the scavenger hunt. In fact, the only characters that don't appear are the teenagers — most likely because they had a full-length episode entirely dedicated to them that served as the finale for Season 6.
• Bait-and-Switch: Throughout the episode, it looked like Hoagie and Kuki had gotten married when they grew up, despite all the Ship Tease between Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4. Then, at the end, it's revealed that Kuki did marry Wally; Hoagie just mistook her for Abby.
• Berserk Button: Numbuh 363's is being touched, and he tends to freak out if he is.
• Big "NO!": Father does a Skyward Scream version at the end, as he realizes that he's lost track of Numbuh 1.
• Bittersweet Ending: Numbuh 1 wins the scavenger hunt, and is selected by Numbuh 74.239 to join the Galactic KND. But then Numbuh 1 is informed that he might never return to Earth, which in turn means that he'll probably never see his friends and family again. That said, it's later shown that Numbuh 5 and the rest of Sector V were apparently never decomissioned (or have resisted the memory wipe), had Father (the interviewer) on a Snipe Hunt, and Numbuh 1 is implied to return in the future.
• Bookends: The series began with Sector V trying to steal the DCFDTL's birthday cake. Now the series ends with Sector V on the same mission, which is also their final mission.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Upon being given encouragement by his team for the scavenger hunt, Numbuh 1 orders 5 to locate the nearest item, 3 and 4 to prepare their weapons in case of attack and 2 to get back to the steering because they're about to hit a mountain.
• But Now I Must Go: Numbuh 1 being recruited into the Galactic KND and having to leave Sector V and his family behind.
• Chekhov's Gun: The tracking device Numbuh 1 was going to put on the Delightful Children, but never got the chance to. Because he kept it on his person, the rest of his team were able to follow him to the GKND transport site.
• Continuity Cavalcade: The scavenger hunt consists of items involved in practically every mission Sector V has ever been on.
• Dark Horse Victory: Sector V's victory in the scavenger hunt is this in-universe. Up until they got Father's pipe and Numbuhs 83 & 84 gave them their own findings, Sector V was in dead last.
• Digital Destruction: On the Boomerang subscription service version of this episode, there is a rather long gap between the ending of the episode and the credits (which is sequenced similar to Season 1-3 episodes rather than having the finale montage, though the slight variation in ending theme and the final picture are left intact).
• Don't Wake the Sleeper: While Father is taking a nap, Sector W tries to snatch his pipe, with Sector V arriving to stop them because it's too dangerous. Unfortunately, Numbuh 363 ends up yelling when Numbuh 1 puts a hand on him, which wakes up Father and alerts him to their presence.
• Finale Credits: A montage of stills from every episode of the series plays until it ends with a watercolor picture of Sector V watching a sunset outside of the Treehouse with the words "Stay Young" written above them.
• Foregone Conclusion: The titular interview, as shown by the last little bits of Bittersweet Ending above, shows that a relatively happy ending would happen if the Darker and Edgier sequel, Galactic Kids Next Door, was greenlit.
• Foreshadowing: Numbuh 1 is the only Operative not interviewed with Sector V. The ending reveals why.
• Grand Finale: The very last episode of the entire series.
• Hold the Line: With Father on the warpath over his stolen pipe, Numbuhs 2-5 decide to hold him back while Numbuh 1 returns to the amusement park to deliver the items they got from Sector W and win the hunt.
• Hypocrite: Father comes off as a huge one by angrily lashing out at Sector V for breaking into his house. He did the same thing a few hours ago!
• Ironic Echo Cut:
  Adult!Numbuh Two: Well, suffice to say, Father was not happy finding us in his house.
  (cuts back to the flashback as the members of Sectors V and W flee from Father)
  Father: I AM NOT HAPPY FINDING YOU IN MY HOUSE!
• Jerkass: Numbuh 363 is at his bratty worst in this episode after his sister reassigns the cake mission to his team, and as he competes in the scavenger hunt not only to win the cake but seemingly also just so he can beat and humiliate Sector V.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Numbuh 363 spends the whole finale cheating in the scavenger hunt and insulting Sector V. Even after Sector V narrowly manage to defeat Father to save Numbuh 363, he's still only concerned about winning the scavenger hunt. His furious teammates call him out on this and turn against him and give all their finds to Sector V.
  Numbuh 83: Numbuh 363, are you all right?
  Numbuh 363: I won! I got the pipe!
  Numbuh 83: IS THAT ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT?! Sector V just saved your life, and all you say is "I WON"?! Gimme that! (takes the pipe from Numbuh 363's hand) Here, Numbuh 1. You deserve this more than us.
  Numbuh 363: NOOO...!
  Numbuh 84: (shoves his yo-yo into Numbuh 363's mouth) Cork it, Harvey!
  • Then followed with Laser-Guided Amnesia: Numbuh 5 claims that once she herself became the head of the KND (about three months after Numbuh 1 left to join the GKND), the first thing she did was have Numbuh 363 decomissioned—not because he was too old, but because of his horrible behavior and tendency to scream whenever somebody touched him.
• Low Clearance: How Numbuh 1 defeats the Delightful Children. They are fighting on a log-flume ride in motion, and the DCFDTL are standing over 1. Behind them, a sign is fast approaching and strikes them in the head. Numbuh 1 jumps up and grabs the sign (and pipe) while the Delightful Children plummet into a giant toilet.
• Medium Blending: The adult Numbuhs 2 to 5 are live-action clips of them all being interviewed by a mysterious interviewer who turns out to be Father appearing in some rather conspicuous CGI at the end. The flashbacks are the typical cartoon style the show usually ran on.
• Mugging the Monster: Some of the items on the scavenger hunt belong to dangerous people, so this pops up.
  • Numbuh 13 takes some Skunky Scout candy from none other than Laura Limpin. Right after he slams the door on her face, the Big Badolescent tears through the house.
  • Robin Food steals one of Gramma Stuffum's pies. It immediately becomes a tentacled horror that attacks him and his Hungry Men.
  • The worst case, however, is Sector W's decision to take Father's pipe. If Sector V hadn't been there, they probably would have gotten burned alive.
• Out-of-Character Moment: Numbuh 3 for angrily pushing Numbuh 1 into finishing the scavenger hunt already.
• Scaled Up: After being grabbed by the B.E.A.R.H.U.G.G.A, Father angrily transforms into a huge, shadowy dragon. Doubles as 11th-Hour Superpower as he's never shown doing it before.
• Secret Test of Character: Numbuh 74.239 reveals that the scavenger hunt was actually one last test for Numbuh 1, to see if he was good enough to join the Galactic Kids Next Door.
• Skewed Priorities: A non-comedic example. When Numbuh 1 subdues Father with the B.E.A.R.H.U.G.G.A.H., he orders everyone to get out of Father's mansion while they still can. Instead, Numbuh 363 sticks around not only to take Father's pipe, but to rub his victory in Numbuh 1's face, completely forgetting that Father is still in the room with them, could break free at any moment, and will undoubtedly kill him for trying to steal his pipe. Numbuh 1 goes out of his way to save his life and he's still only fixated on his victory. This ends up being the last straw for his teammates, who call him out on this and his ingratitude towards Sector V before they take the pipe from him and give it to Numbuh 1.
• Technicolor Fire: When Sector V returns to the treehouse they are ambushed by Father's green "fists of flame". Word of God says that this was done because Cartoon Network didn't like the implications behind using a natural color of fire.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Toiletnator, who has been a Butt-Monkey of a villain throughout the show's run, is one of the few characters who doesn't go through any kind of pain or humiliation, as instead of partaking of the scavenger hunt, he enjoys his time at the Rainbow Monkey Let's Learn About The Lavatory Amusement Park.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In Operation: Z.E.R.O., Numbuh 363 was just a stuck-up know it all, but otherwise harmless. This time, he is ungrateful, condescending, aggressive Small Name, Big Ego.
• Town Contest Episode: The episode revolves around a mammoth worldwide scavenger hunt with almost every operative and villain of the show and the winner receiving the Delightfuls' birthday cake. Near the end Nigel (Numbuh 1) wins and is selected by Numbuh 74.239 to join the Galactic KND, just to be informed that he might never return to Earth, which in turn means that he'll probably never see his friends and family again.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Rather than thank Numbuh 1 for saving his life, Numbuh 363 celebrates his victory about Father's pipe. This is the last straw for Numbuh 83 since he nearly got his team killed over trying to get it and had to be bailed out by Sector V (who, despite having been replaced for the cake mission, have experience in dealing with Father). She promptly calls him out over it, takes the pipe and hands it over to Sector V to complete the hunt.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Kuki, who was endearing and bubbly as a child, is shown to have become snooty and business-like as an adult. As her memories of the last mission with Numbuh 1 come back to her, however, she starts to act like her old self again.
• Wham Line:
  • We get one from Wally at the end, which puts the Numbuh 3/Numbuh 4 shippers who were probably upset throughout the whole special at ease:
    Wally: (To Hoagie who is consoling Kuki) And would you mind hugging your own wife instead of mine?!
    Hoagie: (Takes a look at Kuki) Hey! You're not Abby!
  • Two more, around the same time, concerning who's the interviewer and Numbuh 1's fate:
    Father: Now I know where Numbuh 1 is!! [transmission interrupted]
    Numbuh 5: Hello? Yeah, we told him everything he wanted hear. We'll meet you up on the moon base, okay? Oh, and Numbuh 1? Welcome back.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The interview segments explain in piecemeal what happened to Sector V after Numbuh 1 left to join the GKND.
  • Numbuh 5 would become the next Soopreme Leaduh about 3 months later. One of her first acts is to decommision Numbuh 363 (see Laser-Guided Amnesia above). She would also go on to marry Numbuh 2.
  • Numbuh 4 is a top doctor, having graduated with top honors from Harvard.
  • Numbuh 3 became a high-ranking executive at the Rainbow Monkey corporation. One of her first acts was to have the derelict Rainbow Monkey Let's Learn About The Lavatory Amusement Park be torn down. Also, she and Numbuh 4 got married.
• Whole Episode Flashback: Except for the interview segments, this entire episode takes place many, many years prior.

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stay young