"Splodyhead" is the eleventh episodenote of Lilo & Stitch: The Series. It first aired on October 24, 2003.
Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley get stranded on the "Forbidden Isle" of Niʻihau with Gantu and 625 thanks to a fiery experiment that's on the loose. Lilo and the other five aliens (especially Stitch and Gantu) must work together to capture the experiment so they can head back to Kauaʻi.
Lilo, Stitch, and Gantu are all chasing after a blue experiment pod that's been bouncing and rolling through Kauaʻi. The human-alien experiment duo almost catch it, but it bounces off a pier and gets caught by a seagull before it could fall in the water. Gantu, angered at having lost the experiment, heads back to his ship, shouting at the duo that they got lucky. Stitch is irritated by Gantu himself and calls him evil (in Tantalog), but Lilo tells him that Gantu wasn't evil all the time and that Stitch himself was evil once. Stitch is too irritated to care, however. Lilo then realizes that the seagull is headed for the "Forbidden Island" of Niʻihau with the pod, so she and Stitch decide to go to the island to get it.
The duo try to quickly pass by Nani at the Rental Hut to briefly tell her where they're headed, but Nani stops them. She does not want our duo to head to the island without supervision, and she can't join them because she's helping David at the resort luau that night. Lilo says that Stitch really wants to get this experiment before Gantu, who Stitch is convinced is pure evil. Nani only permits them to go if they follow house rules; Jumba and Pleakley must join them, and they all must be back home before dinner. Our duo agrees and start making their way there. Gantu — himself mad about Stitch, who he sees as evil — also prepares to head to the island, forcing 625 to come with him after the experiment makes one quip too many.
As both parties race toward the island in their vehicles (Lilo and her ʻohana's aliens using the X-Buggy and Gantu and 625 in the Manta Shuttle), the seagull places the pod in its nest on a cliff. The bird tries and fails to eat the pod, kicking it into the water. The pod activates, revealing a red six-legged experiment who promptly gets out of the water. He fires plasma at the seagull, causing it to flee, and the experiment occupies its nest. The experiment then notices the two parties going after him arriving on the island near his spot.
Lilo and Stitch start trying to find the experiment pod (not knowing that the experiment has now been activated) while Jumba and Pleakley set up camp. Stitch is still wanting to go after Gantu, but Lilo tells him to let it be since they're going after the experiment, not him. However, they notice an explosion go off at their camp, which Stitch immediately blames Gantu for. They rush over, finding Jumba and Pleakley to be alive but covered in ash, and the camp destroyed. Jumba says they saw fireballs rain down from the sky, then notices a puddle of orange goo on the ground, which he quickly determines to be weapons-grade plasma. Since the ʻohana know of only one alien outside of their family who uses plasma weapons, Stitch becomes utterly convinced that it's Gantu's fault, but Lilo tries to tell the blue alien that it's likely not their main enemy. Unfortunately for her, Stitch refuses to listen and drives off in the X-Buggy to fight Gantu.
Likewise, 625 has set up a picnic at his and Gantu's spot along the shore. Gantu, who says he couldn't find anything besides "ocean and rock", suddenly gets plasma blasted off of his seat by an experiment, landing on top of 625. Gantu believes that Stitch is responsible for the attack, and decides to destroy him using the Manta Shuttle.
Stitch and Gantu begin to fight each other in their vehicles when more fiery balls of plasma rain down in front of them, which forces them to swerve away and crash. They get out, still blaming the other until Lilo runs in saying that neither of them did anything that happened to them. She then finally notices "Splodyhead", the experiment they've been looking for, above them and points out that he was the one firing at all of them. Jumba also realizes that Experiment 619note was the one who fired the plasma and tries to get him to stop, but 619/Splodyhead continues to fire at them. Lilo and the aliens run for cover under a cave below, with Jumba saying, "619 always had attitude problem." Stitch and Gantu both attempt to climb up and grab Splodyhead, but the experiment's relentless plasma fire is too much for either of them and they retreat.
Eventually, Splodyhead stops firing and heads into his cave. Lilo and the aliens are now officially stranded on Niʻihau, and the sun is now going down. Lilo says that they're all going to need food and warmth to survive, but they have to work together. Stitch and Gantu, however, both separately volunteer to provide both, but they still continue to fight. Both of them sabotage the other in getting food and starting a fire, causing everyone to become cold and hungry. Not only that, Splodyhead is still firing back at them, so Lilo and the other five aliens still can't leave their cave.
Back on Kauaʻi, Nani arrives at her empty home and gets a phone call from David, who asks her about the luau that night. She tells him about Lilo and the aliens going to Niʻihau, but not returning home, which means that they now have to rescue them.
Meanwhile on Niʻihau, Jumba says that while Splodyhead will not be going straight for them since he knows he's outnumbered, he will eventually start picking them off one-by-one. Pleakley becomes delirious and paints an eye on a coconut, naming it "Coco". Lilo has had enough, saying that Splodyhead will barbecue them unless they put their differences aside and come up with a plan. Both Gantu and Stitch try to be the leader, but 625 decides to make Lilo the leader of their "tribe" and everyone else but Gantu votes to have Lilo lead them. Lilo then determines that they're going to have to lure Splodyhead out of his spot to trick him into thinking he's safe.
Everyone except 625 builds a makeshift raft from their broken vehicles and other parts, then using 625 as "live bait", they push the raft out to sea. Splodyhead destroys the raft (with 625 jumping into the water beforehand) and comes down believing he's won. However, Lilo and Jumba splash the hothead with water, disabling him, and Stitch and Gantu capture the experiment together.
Lilo suggests that Gantu and Stitch should team up, but Gantu flicks Stitch away and takes Splodyhead for himself. Lilo wants to punch Gantu for doing that, but Stitch stops her saying that Gantu is good... in his toe. Nani and David then arrive at the island on jet skis to rescue everyone up, although Gantu threatens to take them both. In retaliation, Stitch aims a plasma blaster at Gantu. Lilo tells Gantu that as long as he continue to act like a bad guy, then she and Stitch will treat him as one. They'll only give him and 625 a ride home to Kauaʻi if Gantu surrenders Splodyhead to them. Soon after, everyone heads home, with David taking Pleakley (who abandons "Coco") and Jumba on his jet ski while towing Gantu, and Nani taking Lilo, Stitch, and Splody on her jet ski, with 625 barefoot skiing behind them.
Splodyhead gains a "one true place" at the luau, lighting tiki torches and David's fire staff. Nani serves the experiment a cake, which he roasts and happily eats. "What can I say?" Lilo says, "He likes everything... well done!"
Experiments who appeared or were mentioned in this episode:
- Splodyhead (X-619): This episode's Monster of the Week; a small, red-furred, reptilian dragon-like experiment with six legs who fires orange plasma from his lone nostril. He's also called "Splody" for short.
- Reuben (X-625): Is a major presence in this episode, thanks to Gantu forcing the experiment to come with him, only for them to get stranded thanks to Splody.
Tropes featured in this episode include:
- An Aesop: We accomplish more working together than working against each other. There is also an Aesop about jumping to conclusions and making false assumptions by blaming the other party for things they didn't do, which Stitch and Gantu both do.
- Ash Face: Jumba, Pleakley, Gantu, and Reuben all appear covered in ash after surviving Splody's attacks on them. Unlike most cartoon examples of this trope, they stay ash-covered for the rest of the episode as they will have to wash off the ash when they get back home. And no, taking a dip in the Pacific won't wash it off immediately; Pleakley actually runs into the ocean at one point but gets washed back to shore, still ash-covered.
- Artistic License – Physics: Splodyhead fires weapons-grade plasma, which is apparently an orange goo that cools off quickly and is at least edible to Jumba.
- Big "NO!": Reuben shouts this when he finds that Splodyhead ruined one of his cheese sandwiches.
- Big "WHAT?!": Gantu over Reuben nominating Lilo to take charge of the situation.
- Captain Obvious: Upon getting ambushed by Splodyhead, after thinking Reuben was just messing with him.Gantu: [charred] You weren't kidding.
Reuben: [pulling himself out from under Gantu] Figure that by yourself, did ya, fish flanks? - Companion Cube: Pleakley makes one in Coco, a coconut with a single eye drawn on it.
- Crazy Enough to Work: What Gantu says of Stitch's idea to have him thrown by the big alien to catch a weakened Splodyhead.
- Crying Wolf: Reuben messes with Gantu by claiming to see Splodyhead sneaking around. When Splodyhead does make an appearance, though, Gantu ignores all of Reuben's warnings until it's too late.
- Department of Redundancy Department: Jumba says to Lilo when she points out that they were supposed to pack light:Jumba: Did pack light! Only essential essentials for essential purposes!
- Enemy Mine: Both sides have to work together to corral Splodyhead, but Stitch and Gantu really hate having to work together for a change.
- Everyone Has Standards: Reuben supports letting Lilo take charge, saying she's the only one focused on practical solutions to this problem.
- Fancy Camping: Jumba brings out a technologically advanced self-assembling tent (which he calls a "Rest, Relaxation and Readiness Center") with him on the island, containing a computer with a complete experiment database, a tracking array, and a DVD player. It doesn't last long, however, as Splody destroys the tent shortly afterward.
- Kiss of Life: Stitch gives mouth-to-mouth to Pleakley after pulling him out of the charred wreckage of their tent, inflating the Plorgonarian's head like a balloon and covering him with saliva.
- Knew It All Along: After David tells Pleakley that Niʻihau is known as the "Forbidden Island" because of its exclusivity and not due to a curse:Pleakley: (shocked) NO CURSE?! (calmly after a Beat) I knew that.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Gantu's Redemption Rejection and attempt to make off with Nani and David's jet skis lead to him getting threatened to be plasma blasted by Stitch. The big alien is forced to pay Splodyhead to Lilo and Stitch so he and Reuben can be rescued from Niʻihau. Gantu is also forced to be towed behind David's jet ski since the alien is too big to ride one.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Reuben makes a quip at Gantu just before the latter heads out to Niʻihau, leading to Gantu deciding to force 625 to come with him. The experiment lampshades this.625/Reuben: Note to self: Only open mouth to insert sandwiches.
- Pass the Popcorn: After Stitch and Gantu swerve to avoid plasma blasts raining down on them courtesy of Splodyhead, bringing their vehicles to a stop, 625/Reuben can be seen in the background eating popcorn not far from where Lilo, Jumba, and Pleakley are standing.
- Plasma Cannon: Splodyhead is a living one, and he's good at attacking others.
- Redemption Rejection: After Splody's capture, Lilo suggests that Gantu and Stitch should work together more often (comparing it to Frankenstein['s monster] and the Wolf Man teaming up), and Stitch extends his hand in friendship. Gantu flicks Stitch away instead and takes Splody as a prize. This would come back to bite him when Nani and David arrive.
- Sanity Slippage: Pleakley's belief that they're stranded on a cursed island slowly takes a toll on his sanity, to the point that he starts talking to a coconut.
- Unholy Ground: Discussed but ultimately averted. When Jumba asks why is Niʻihau is called the "Forbidden Island", Lilo believes that it has some kind of "ancient evil mojo tiki curse", which Pleakley is dismissive of, but Lilo being Lilo and later the ʻohana's stranding by Splodyhead (not any "curse") easily convinces him. It isn't until the end of the episode that David explains to Pleakley the real reason why the island has that nickname is that it's forbidden to outsiders without an invitation.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Gantu is insistent that he'll win because he believes that good always triumphs over evil, but he wrongly believes he is the hero of this story and that Stitch is the villain instead of the other way around.
