Otis Weaselgraft and Dr. Pablum are counting their money, but they only have one coin. When they lose it down a drain, Pablum decides to steal Martha to make money, so they go to the park to spy on Helen, Martha, and T.D., who are playing fetch. They set up a crate to trap Martha in, then Pablum starts making a peanut butter sandwich. While Martha hears the knife in the jar and runs up to check it out, Otis throws away the jar and berates him for eating on the job. A police officer shows up and offers the two a ticket... that is, a raffle ticket. He was playing a prank.
Martha climbs into the van after the peanut butter and the bad guys drive off, leaving Martha trapped in the crate. When they get home, the villains leave without noticing Martha. The garage door closes, leaving her trapped, so she goes into another room while Weaselgraft and Pablum scheme to kidnap Martha.
Martha phones Helen's cell phone and tells her and T.D. that she's in Weaselgraft and Pablum's hideout, she doesn't know the address, and she didn't see or smell anything since she was in a box with a jar of peanut butter on her nose, but she did hear things. She tells the kids that she heard "blaring and clanging", while Weaselgraft hears a noise and goes to investigate.
Martha hides, then goes to another room, while Helen and T.D. go to find Martha. T.D. wonders if Martha heard a baby, but Helen explains that babies don't blare or clang. They hear a siren and a clanging bell at the fire station, so they head in that direction, but the fire chief hasn't seen Martha, so Helen phones her again. She asks her what she heard next, and Martha says she heard someone splashing in a "giant bathtub". Helen sees a pool nearby and presumes this is it. Martha then explains that she heard some electronic devices, popcorn popping, and a rumbling sound.
Otis finds out that someone is using the phone, so he picks it up (while the kids confirm all the noises except the rumbling). When Weaselgraft asks who is on the other end of the phone, T.D. pretends to be Santa and offers five years' worth of presents if they tell him their address. At first, they buy it, but then Weaselgraft hangs up when he realises they'd be on the "naughty" list. Then, he becomes suspicious that someone is in the building.
T.D. tests the automatic door at Grimble's to see if it rumbles, then the prankster cop appears. He mentions that he heard something about a missing dog and offers to help. Meanwhile, Weaselgraft and Pablum search, and Weaselgraft thinks he heard a creak. Meanwhile, the police officer suggests to the kids that Martha is at the train station, but they think that's too far. Then, they hear a construction vehicle that rumbles, so they follow it. After a while, the cop still hasn't found Martha, so he wonders if she went home. Helen says that Martha would have called, which causes the policeman to think the kids are playing a joke.
Martha, who it turns out is in a building nearby, can see and hear them from the window, so she calls Weaselgraft and Pablum, pretending to be police. She has them go out and put their hands up, then exits the building and runs to Helen and T.D. Otis and Pablum think they've succeeded in kidnapping Martha, so they dance for joy, but the police officer arrests them and Martha, T.D., and Helen go home.
This episode provides examples of
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Otis catches the coin before it goes down the drain... only to lose it anyway when Pablum crashes into him.
- The police officer offers Weaselgraft and Pablum a ticket... which turns out to be a raffle ticket (he was pranking them).
- Card-Carrying Villain: Weaselgraft readily admits that he and Dr. Pablum are on the "naughty" list.
- Continuity Nod: When the garage door closes, Martha notes that she "never make[s]" it. This references the previous episode "Martha Smells", in which she tries to escape out that door but it closes before she can.
- Dramatic Irony: The villains make a plan to capture Martha, without realising she's in their hideout.
- Fun with Homophones: When Otis mentions hearing a creak, Pablum thinks he meant a creek, as in a small river.
- Happy Dance: When Weaselgraft and Pablum think that they've succeeded in kidnapping Martha, they dance in a circle.
- Hope Spot: The garage door sticks, making it seem like Martha can escape, but it unsticks and finishes closing before she can.
- Hurt Foot Hop: Pablum is seen hopping after banging his foot, then later Weaselgraft is.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Martha hears the door of the police van closing when Weaselgraft and Pablum get arrested, she refers to it as "the sound of a happy ending".
- Mirthless Laughter: T.D. chuckles awkwardly when he sees the policeman.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Helen knows that Martha didn't just go home, since she doesn't leave without saying anything.
- Police Are Useless: Subverted. The cop initially doesn't seem to care when Weaselgraft yells about catching a dog, but then later he helps the kids find the missing dog.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Otis Weaselgraft realises that T.D. isn't Santa... but thinks that it's because he and Pablum are on the "naughty" list.
- Santa Claus: Discussed when T.D. pretends to be Santa on the phone.
- Speak in Unison: At the end, Martha says, "Did you hear that?", and Helen and T.D. say both at once, "Hear what?".
- Still Believes in Santa: Despite being grown men (and Dr. Pablum being a scientist), the two bad guys still believe in Santa.
- You Can Talk?: When the police officer first hears Martha talk, he looks surprised and says, "Did that dog just talk?!".
