Airing Range: 8/30/18 - 9/30/18

After the last Death Debate, Nurse has been possessed by Yami Bakura of Yu-Gi-Oh fame, who seems to be fulfilling a mission on behalf of somebody else. He successfully traps the entirety of the Crafty Crew, but the mysterious woman of Crafty's past arrives to save them through a shadow game. Meanwhile, the imprisoned Crafty crew helps Crafty draw Yu-Gi-Oh art as they await help and plan out their next moves.

Tropes Applicable to the Month as a whole:

And I Must Scream: All four of the Crewmates' souls are trapped in the Shadow Realm, with nothing for them to do but draw to pass the time as they wait for rescue. Fortunately, Sasha's intervention eventually manages to give Crafty an opening for him to save himself and the rest of the Crew.
Indy Ploy: Unlike Bakura, who is approaching their shadow game with his own deck and with a specific strategy in mind, Sasha has to work with Crafty's deck, which purely consists of Crafty's favorite cards without a pre-planned strategy unifying them. Nevertheless, Sasha is able to keep up with Bakura for most of "The Foreshadow Game," coming up with plays on the fly that consistently throw her opponent for a loop.
Perverse Puppet: Bakura's Yu-Gi-Oh deck is themed around the Shaddoll monster archetype, which consists of puppet versions of existing monsters that give their user much more control over the game's playing field and card graveyard. El Shaddoll Construct, the giant, monstrous puppet responsible for the Shaddoll archetype's existence, is Bakura's ace. The threat that it and its creations pose together pressures Sasha throughout the entirety of "The Foreshadow Game."
Previously on…: Instead of the standard intro, Episodes 48-50 start with a segment recapping Sasha's duel with Bakura so far.

Top Ten Tub E6: "Best Yu-Gi-Oh Monsters"

Air Date: 8/30/18

Nurse seems to have disappeared after the last Death Debate, but that doesn't stop Crafty from celebrating his favorite Yu-Gi-Oh monster designs with Messibelle.

This episode's list contains the following:

10. Gem-Knight Master Diamond
9. Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon
8. Gearfried The Red-Eyes Iron Knight
7. The Weather Painter Rainbow
6. Stardust Dragon
5. Dark Paladin
4. El Shaddoll Construct
3. Nirvana High Paladin
2. Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon
1. The Magician of Black Chaos

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Absent Animal Companion: By this point in the series, both Crafty's pet skeleton dog Bonnie and Nurse's pet blob monster Goozie have been conspicuously absent. This episode reveals Goozie's fate: she was inducted into The Society of Blobs, a cult that worships Mr. Blobby, never to return.
Cult: Mid-way through discussion about the Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon, Anti-Venom suddenly bursts into the bathroom, hoping to induct Messi into Mr. Blobby's new cult: The Society of Blob. Apparently, this is where Goozie ended up after her extended absence on the show.
[Anti-Venom crashes into the room]
Anti-Venom: Knock knock! Uncle Anti-Venom's in the house!
Crafty: What in the hell?!
Anti-Venom: Well, I—shoot! That worked better when I was Venom! ANYWAY! The Society of Blob sends its greetings, Crafty!
Crafty: Oh, god, no, not the Society of Blob!
Anti-Venom: I'm here on special request from the Dark Lord and Master Blobby himself.
Crafty: What're you going to do to me?!
Anti-Venom: Well, actually, I'm not here for you; I'm here for her! Messibelle! Why haven't you accepted our group invite on Facebook?! We're planning on having scones next week!
Crafty: No way in hell am I letting her join your society!
Anti-Venom: Very well, then. The Society of Blob will always be open for you. I know that Goozie is very happy there!
Crafty: Wait, Goozie?
Anti-Venom: And Crafty. Keep your eyes open. You know nothing about us, but Blobby knows everything about you. You'll see us everywhere. Even in.... your nightmares.
[Anti-Venom exits, slamming the door on his way out.]
Crafty: Why do I mention these things?!?!
Messi: Uhhh...... a-anyway........
Scream Discretion Shot: Messi gets jumped by Bakura when the bathroom's power goes out. Just before he closes in, the camera lingers on a shot of Bakura appearing behind Messi. Then there is a flash and a cut to black as Messi's shriek pierces the air.
Take That!: Crafty and Messi take a shot at the overabundance of religious symbolism in Man of Steel.

Chara-Cafe E6: "Black Magic Woman"

Air Date: 8/30/18

With Nurse's continued absence and the bathroom's power going out, Crafty seeks out Pepper to design a fan-made Yu-Gi-Oh monster design to keep his cool.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Entertainingly Wrong: Crafty assumes the Light Fury is the same as the Yu-Gi-Oh creature. He has the basic description down, but the two dragons are otherwise completely unrelated, not that Crafty would accept Pepper's explanations about the difference.
Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Crafty thinks the Light Fury from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh. Despite Pepper trying to convince him otherwise, he sticks to the belief that he's right.
Scream Discretion Shot: Like Messi's fate in this month's Top-Ten-Tub, Pepper is jumped by Bakura when the kitchen's power goes out. The result is the same: after a flash, we hear nothing but her screaming...

Main Show E47: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 1

Air Date: 9/6/18

Bakura makes his move, but the mysterious blue woman from the show's flashbacks - named Sasha, and now established as a deity of some sort - intervenes before he can complete his task. Unperturbed, Bakura decides to hold a high-stakes Shadow Game for Sasha to win—with the Crafty Crew's safety being her prize. Meanwhile, the captive Crew works on a few pieces commemorating the main characters of the first Yu-Gi-Oh anime.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Continuity Nod: Nurse mentions that Jaden of Yu-Gi-Oh GX has a PhD in dueling, which inspires Crafty to get one himself as a real degree. He's referring to the Viticulture degree that he apparently has after stealing it from someone, first referenced in "The Dubious Duo."
Comically Missing the Point: When the episode begins, the entire lab is shrouded in a distortive, purple haze. Crafty takes notice of it, but doesn't derive anything from it besides the color. He's still hopelessly ignorant of the danger that he's in even when Bakura introduces himself to him, and Crafty only starts picking up on what happens as he's dragged into the Shadow Realm. Even still, he's not fully cognizant of the context behind his situation until he regroups with his other Crewmates in their prison.
Crafty: Hello, hello, he—
[Crafty takes notice of the changes in the room.]
Crafty: Ooookayyyy, I don't think my lair is supposed to look this... purple.
[A figure suddenly appears, laughing madly as the shadow disappears to reveal the possessed Nurse Worse— elements of Yami Bakura's appearance have overtaken hers, as did his voice. Crafty takes in the sight for a few seconds.]
Crafty: ... Ohh, Nurse! There you are! ... Did you do something with your hair?
Bakura: Fool! Your Nurse is no longer here, and soon, neither will you!
Crafty: Nurse, I've told you already that I'm not into that sort of roleplaying.
Bakura: Silence, imbecile!
Crafty: Now, see here, young lady!
Bakura: I'm. A man.
Crafty: ... Oh! Well, if that's how you wish to be identified, I'll respect that.
Bakura: Enough. I was warned that you were a complete idiot, but no matter. I'm here to send you to the next world.
Crafty: ... What, level two?
[A record scratch plays.]
Bakura: ... Okay, I've had enough of this.
[Bakura cuts to the chase and starts enveloping the entire castle into darkness, with the lab, bathroom, and kitchen being the first to go.]
Crafty: Wait a sec, is that the Millennium Ri-YYYAHHHHHHH!!!!!
[Crafty, too, is overtaken by darkness, and the entire castle and the area around it follow suit.]
Flat Character: When discussing the main cast of the original Yu-Gi-Oh anime, Crafty admits that he sees nothing of value in Tristan, as he doesn't add anything substantial to the narrative. What little he does provide is redundant, as they're mostly bonding moments with Joey that are already fulfilled and then some by Joey's fleshed out relationship with Yugi. Tristan doesn't even duel that much, and he does little to prove his skills as a duelist on the sole occasion that he participates.
Crafty: He only played a part in one duel, which he lost!! And that was in a filler arc! You can literally erase him from the entire story, and you'd lose NOTHING!!
Oh, Crap!: During the art segment, the Crew covers the Yu-Gi-Oh anime's various spin-off seasons, with pepper being the unlucky one to introduce Yu-Gi-Oh: Zexal. Crafty reacts fearfully and urges her to ignore it, but when she utters the series' name, Crafty bursts into tears.
[The Crew just finishes talking about Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.]
Nurse: Man, this show must be in the darkest timeline!
Pepper: Actually... I wouldn't be so sure. You're forgetting... that season.
Messi: Huh?
Nurse: Which season?
Crafty: Oh. Ohhh god no. You don't mean...?
Pepper: Unfortunately... I do...
Crafty: NO, PEPPER! DON'T SAY IT!
Pepper: I'm talking about... Zexal...
[Crafty completely loses it, sobbing profusely as he walks off-screen... Then continuing to do so as he returns to his spot.]
Nurse: W-What's so bad about Zexal?
Crafty: Everything.
Messi: What do you mean... 'Everything?'
Crafty: ... EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!
[Crafty's outburst sends his fellow Crewmates flying offscreen. They quickly return as Crafty begins his rant.]
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Crafty has a deeply sour opinion of Yu-Gi-Oh: Zexal, and when it inevitably comes up in the conversation with his Crewmates' about Yu-Gi-Oh's spin-off seasons, he spends a few minutes verbally tearing the show to shreds, specifically the show's main protagonist, Yuma, for being so irredeemably stupid. Even Pepper, being the only other person in the Crew's prison who is familiar with the show, grows visibly aggravated with Yuma as Crafty eviscerates him for his idiocy. Crafty would have continued for longer had Messi not interrupted him to move things along.
Crafty: Yu-Gi-Oh: Zexal is arguably, if not objectively, the worst Yu-Gi-Oh series to date! It gets everything, utterly, almost comically wrong! First off, the most important aspect: the protagonist.
Pepper: Yeah... Yuma Tsukumo. Yuma is, um—How do I put this delicately?—not very bright.
Crafty: Understatement of the millenia!! Yuma is so stupid that he doesn't know how to properly play a trump card! He tells his opponent when he's playing one! He'll make dumb plays out of spite when his ghostly sidekick, Astral, tries to help him make smarter moves. And guess what?! Said ghost had to use reverse psychology to make Yuma do the right friggin' moves! Not to mention how, in the numerous instances that Astral is unable to help him, he breaks down because he has no earthly clue what he's doing! And then, when Astral is able to come back and assist, he whines about how he doesn't need him despite literally bawling out for Astral to help him minutes ago. Yuma is incredibly moronic and insufferably unlikable! And unlike past series, where the side characters have rich personalities and provided touching moral support, the side characters are all cardboard-cutout anime tropes who do nothing but spout the cliches the people poke fun of in the original series for! Even the villains are terrible! One of them came across intimidating at first, but then the very second he arrives on earth, he completely forgets his task when he moons over the main girl character! The first main villain's entire evil plan hinged on the fact that the cast were all complete idiots, his gambit relying on them being too stupid to notice his scheme! And it WORKED!
[A Cutaway Gag shows a scene from Spaceballs in which Dark Helmet presents a ring to a character with Yuma's head superimposed on top of theirs.]
Dark Helmet: The Ring! I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book! What a fool, what's with you man, c'mon?!
[The scene returns to the Crewmates. Everyone else has grown restless due to Crafty's sustained ranting.]
Crafty: It's mind-boggling! It's like Zexal was made by people who heard of what an anime was, and then threw in whatever tropes they could find from other kids' anime...
Nurse: Messi... Cool him off.
Messi: Right.
[Messi pulls a chain that drops from the top of the screen.]
Crafty: ... And presented it to us without a hint of irony!
[Water cascades upon Crafty, finally silencing him.]
Crafty: ... Thank you... I needed that.

Main Show E48: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 2

Air Date: 9/15/18

Things immediately turn for Sasha's worst when Bakura summons El Shaddoll Construct, the strongest monster in his deck. Elsewhere, the Crafty Crew continues their Yu-Gi-Oh art from the last episode.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Filching Food for Fun: Pepper's favorite Yu-Gi-Oh deck archetype are the Madolche cards, which are themed around desserts and sweets. She admits that they've been on her mind ever since "Best Skullgirl," in which her candy stash got stolen. At this, Messi outs Pepper for sneaking some snacks from Crafty's untouched stash, even admitting that she is also guilty of it. Crafty, understandably, is the most bothered by this revelation, even as the girls try continuing the conversation.
Pepper: Well, ever since my candy was stolen by those tournament fighters a few episodes back, my sweet tooth has gone a bit off the rails...
Messi: Tell me about it! I saw you searching through Crafty's personal stash a few days ago. I didn't stop you though, because, well... I do it all the time. But still... Not cool.
Crafty: Wait, what?
Messi: Anyway! My favorite deck type is the Duston archetype, which are creatures based on the different-colored dust monsters.
Crafty: No, wait wait wait. Was it you who stole all my Reece's Pieces?!
Messi: All of them have effects that are used to disrupt your opponent's strategies. There are a lot of them to function as support, and I love the way that their versatility in a duel really brings a new edge to the game.
Crafty: I... Dah, fine! See if I care! Next Halloween, I'll get you back...
Nurse: [regretfully] Actually, Doctor, it was me that stole the Reece's Pieces!
Crafty: IS THERE ANYONE NOT EATING MY CANDY?!
Messi: Look on the bright side! None of us can steal your candy as long as we are trapped down here.
Crafty: That's... ugh. I suppose you have a point.
Occidental Otaku: The talk of Yu-Gi-Oh's Toon archetype eventually leads to Messi comparing anime to cartoons. In response, Pepper erupts into a rant, one that Crafty cuts off before it fully takes off.
Messi: I love the fact that they are already cartoon characters, but they somehow found a way to make it even toonier.
Pepper: Wait. I thought Yu-Gi-Oh was an anime?
Messi: Yeah! Cartoons? Anime? What's the difference?
Pepper: ... I can't look at you right now.
Crafty: She has committed the ultimate taboo...
Messi: What? Anime is just... a Japanese cartoon. Why is everyone getting so upset?
[You can pinpoint the second that Pepper's heart rips in half, a feeling that continues with Nurse's next words.]
Nurse: You know, when you put it that way, it does sound silly that people would be upset over such a simple phrasing decision—
Pepper: You don't understand! Anime is deep! And the stories are far superior to any old-fashioned cartoon you would find here in America! To INFER that—
Crafty: Pepper! Pepper! WOAH! Where is THIS coming from?!
Pepper: ... Sorry. We've been in this, um, Shadow Realm too long... Ahem...
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Just before the art segment is complete, Crafty overhears Sasha's voice off in the distance as she fights to save the Crew's lives. Realizing that his lost love is nearby, he's stunned with disbelief, and like his reactions to his flashbacks of Sasha in previous episodes, he grows uncharacteristically quiet. His reaction is so severe that he's also completely unresponsive to his fellow Crewmates, who don't know how to conclude the art commentary because of this alarming behavior.
Crafty: Wait... Something's happening.
Sasha's distant voice: This is just what I need to start going on the offensive!
Nurse: Doctor? Are you okay?
Crafty: I... I...
Messi: Doc...?
Crafty: No... It... It-It can't be...!
[The Crewmates leave to let the art segment end without anymore commentary, after which the completed pieces appear on-screen. When everyone reappears, Nurse, Pepper, and Messi all turn their attention to a distressingly silent Crafty.]
Nurse: ... Well, um... Not sure what is going on with the Doctor, but uh... Ta-da!
[Messi and Pepper briefly move aside to give the audience a better view of the art. Crafty still says and does nothing.]
Messi: Yeah, we did a pretty good job! But I could really go for a beer right about now.
Pepper: [playfully] I could go for more of those Reese's Pieces, right, Doctor?
[There's still no response.]
Nurse: CRAFTY! What is going on?!
Crafty: [to himself] She's... here...
[Everyone stands in uncomfortable silence for several seconds before the scene transitions to Sasha and Bakura's shadow game.]

Main Show E49: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 3

Air Date: 9/20/18

Sasha manages to hold off Bakura's attacks for a little longer, but her faith in her skills is starting to wane. Meanwhile, the captive Crafty Crewmates start being assaulted by the monstrous denizens of the Shadow Realm. They also slowly become aware of Sasha's efforts to try and save them as they continue their Yu-Gi-Oh Artwork.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Main Show E50: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 4

Air Date: 9/30/18

Sasha is on the verge of losing the Shadow Game. With her form slowly fading into their dimensional prison, the Crafty Crew desperately search for a solution to save her and themselves. They ultimately decide on creating a brand new monster card to turn the tide of the battle and hopefully win the game.

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Art Imitates Life: Since Yu-Gi-Oh monsters become real in the Shadow Realm, Crafty gets the idea to draw up a brand new monster to help Sasha win the duel. The result is a fusion between the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and El Shaddoll Construct called "El Shaddoll Sephiragicia".
Chekhov's Gun: Crafty's ability to create sentient entities through his art becomes instrumental in defeating Bakura. It allows him to create a functioning card that, in true Yu-Gi-Oh anime fashion, serves as an Instant-Win Condition that saves Sasha and the rest of the Crew.
Curb-Stomp Battle: When Crafty regains control of his body, he uses the cards his friends gave him, as well as the new fusion monster he created himself, to counterattack all of Ring Nurse's cards and swiftly best him in the duel.
The Power of Friendship: It takes Crafty's trust in Nurse, Pepper, Messi, and Sasha to get the cards necessary to defeat Bakura.
Wham Episode: The Stinger of this episode introduces the show's then-unnamed primary antagonist and her assistant, who looks suspiciously like Nurse Worse. They are the ones who sent Bakura to endanger the Crafty Crew, and it seems their plans are far from over.

Recap / Dr. Crafty Season 2 Month 6: Yu-Gi-Oh Month

Edit Locked

Tropes Applicable to the Month as a whole:

Top Ten Tub E6: "Best Yu-Gi-Oh Monsters"

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Chara-Cafe E6: "Black Magic Woman"

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Main Show E47: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 1

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Main Show E48: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 2

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Main Show E49: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 3

Tropes Found in This Episode:

Main Show E50: "The Foreshadow Game" Part 4

Tropes Found in This Episode:

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