iTwins is the 20th episode of the 2nd season of iCarly.
When Sam's girly twin sister Melanie visits Seattle, Freddie is convinced the girls are testing his gullibility and believes Melanie is just Sam in disguise.
Meanwhile, Spencer is not happy when Carly tutors his nemesis, Chuck, but Carly isn't convinced he's evil.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Melanie recalls with amusement that Sam once convinced her (Melanie) that she was adopted. She laughs when recalling it, as Melanie acknowledges that Freddie not believing she's actually a twin is a legit concern.
- All Just a Prank: Subverted. Melanie's visit was NOT a prank, but Freddie believes she was.
- Alternative Number System: An In-Universe example. See Revenge below.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!:Freddie: I know Sam doesn't have a twin sister!
Carly: She does, too!
Freddie: No, she — is that a new necklace?
Carly: Yeah, you like it?
Freddie: Can you return it?
Carly: No.
Freddie: It's... nice. - Big Sister Bully: Twin sister bully. Apparently, Sam doesn't treat Melanie better than she treats anyone else, out of a case of Green-Eyed Monster. She once convinced Melanie that the latter was adopted.
- Call-Back: When Melanie kisses Freddie, Freddie recalls the time he and Sam actually did kiss.
- Cassandra Truth:
- Freddie toward Melanie's existence throughout the episode. Melanie admits that he has a point since it is exactly the sort of prank that Sam would pull.
- Carly toward Spencer's claims of Chuck being evil, at first.
- Caught on Tape: Spencer was able to catch footage of Chuck messing with him, which causes Carly to realize he was right about him all along.
- Crying Wolf: On Freddie's end, toward Carly and Sam's insistent pleas about Melanie. Melanie for her part is amused that Freddie doesn't believe that she's real, because as she admits, that is the exact sort of thing Sam would pull. While Carly and Sam are visibly disturbed towards Freddie's disbelief, Melanie was only mildly confused.
- Continuity Nod: The Cheesecake Warehouse is brought up again.
- Door-Closes Ending: The episode ends as the elevator door closes on Carly and the Puckett sisters.
- Dramatic Irony: Crossed with Real After All. The audience knows Melanie is real, but Freddie doesn't.
- Identical Twin Mistake: Freddie spends the whole episode thinking Sam's sister Melanie doesn't exist and is just another prank the girls are pulling on him, despite the two trying to convince him that Melanie is real. As the two are never seen together until the very end, the episode is set up so that the viewers are just as uncertain as Freddie.
- Idiot Ball: Carly and Sam have no excuse to not provide at least one bit of proof that Melanie is real, specifically a picture of the twins together or one sister sending the opposite sister present a text message, just like when Spencer used Socko's laptop to capture proof that Chuck is evil.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Sam saying she has to leave the Groovy Smoothie for detention just before Melanie arrives; Freddie uses this as a lame excuse so she can disguise herself.
- Instant Costume Change: Lampshaded by Freddie when thinking Sam changed her hair and clothes so fast to become her sister.
- Irony: Just after Freddie forces Sam to admit that Melanie doesn't exist, Melanie actually shows up in the elevator just after he leaves.
- Jerkass Ball: Freddie is at his worst throughout the episode, as he assumes the girls are pranking him again and Melanie is just a disguised Sam, despite the girls pleading they're telling the truth and Melanie is undeniably real. To be fair, he had been pranked several times by them earlier in the episode so they didn't give him much reason to trust them.
- Missed Him by That Much: Each Puckett sister constantly leaves the scene just before the opposite shows up, which confuses Freddie even more. In Sam's case, she tries to avoid her sister no matter what it takes because Melanie's so girly. It isn't until the very final scene where we actually see the two sisters together, but Freddie has left the room before that and remained none the wiser to Melanie's existence.
- Oh, Crap!: Freddie when he believes he asked Sam (he really asked Melanie) on a date.
- One-Steve Limit: Melanie shares the same name as an unseen student from "iDon't Want to Fight": Melanie Katz. She also shares the name of Carly's alter-ego Melanie Higgles from "iGo to Japan".
- Only Sane Man: Spencer is the only one in the episode with his head straight. Since both plots deal with a Cassandra Truth, he's the only one who actually presents proof to Carly that Chuck is evil, by having him Caught on Tape by Socko's laptop.
- No Ending: The episode ends with Freddie still unaware Melanie exists and refusing to believe it.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Subverted; Melanie looks exactly like Sam but with a more feminine wardrobe and hair, though Freddie thinks Sam is playing this straight.
- Playing Their Own Twin: An In-Universe example as Freddie believes Melanie is Sam in disguise.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Lampshaded by Carly, who says that Sam and Melanie couldn't be more different. Sam is a Tomboy and a bit of a bully with anger management issues, while Melanie is a more feminine Nice Girl that wouldn't hurt a fly and is upfront that she finds Freddie cute.
- Revenge: Upon finally discovering Chuck is an Enfant Terrible, Carly gets payback by making up a number between five and six called "Derf", which Chuck uses on his test and fails, thus ending the tutoring. They then convince Mr. Chambers to send Chuck to "Camp Addemup" for the summer.
- Rule of Three:
- Freddie is pranked into thinking it was Clown Day at school, and again when Carly claims to give him a gift card when it's actually lettuce. But when he thinks the girls are pranking him a third time when Sam announces Melanie's arrival, they are actually telling him the truth.
- In the end, Sam is forced to admit to a still-disbelieving Freddie that there's no Melanie, he's not gullible, and he's way too smart for them.
- "Shut Up" Kiss: Melanie gives one to Freddie, who is taken aback. Carly and Sam are rather surprised by this.
- Super Gullible: Sam teases Freddie for being this; however, they are not tricking him when telling him about Melanie.
- Trust Password: To prove she's not Sam in disguise, Melanie actually kisses Freddie on the lips.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Pretty much anyone toward Freddie throughout the episode, especially Carly and the Puckett sisters.
