Airdates: July 22, 2015 / September 2, 2015 note , May 30, 2015 note , July 26, 2015 note
When one of Oscar's Oscarbots goes haywire and gets loose, Olive and Oscar need to find out why Oscarbot 10 is boxing everything up.
Tropes:
- Adminisphere: Much like the tube operators from last episode, Odenbacker is very disconnected from the other departments within Odd Squad, as he is unaware that most every other department — including his own (Maintenance) — wears badges.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Oscarbot 10 becomes unruly when Oscar accidentally drops his tools while working on it thanks to Orchid scaring him, causing its brain to become fried. The robot walks awkwardly while shooting lasers with the aim of a Stormtrooper, and said lasers turn people and objects into juiceboxes.
- And I Must Scream: The Cold Open client is in such a state where moving is nigh impossible due to his feet being rock, and is unable to call for help due to his voice being nothing more than a mere whisper. He is able to move his feet, although it's hard and he only gets a mere few steps closer to Olive and Otto. As a result, the partner pair never find him even after 4 hours of waiting, and when he attempts to call them again, he realizes that he dropped his phone in the grass behind him — meaning he'll have to turn around and walk back towards it. At the rate this goes, it's a one-way path to death.
- Answer Cut: Oscar realizes what number Oscarbot 10 is going after next. As Olive says "70", the scene cuts to Odenbacker holding out Otto's brand-new badge — which happens to have a 70 on it.
- Big "WHAT?!": Otto's reaction when Olive tells him he has to destroy his badge so the Oscarbot won't target him anymore.
- Brick Joke: Owen is seen after the Cold Open building a brick wall, and expresses his dislike for doing so to Olive before he finds a positive in playing with bricks all day. Sure enough, Olive and Oscar rush to warn him since they believe the brick wall is where Oscarbot 10 will strike.
- Call-Back: Oscar recalls the events of "Oscar and the Oscar-bots" as he's describing his problem to Olive, complete with Flashback Cut to the events of all 25 of them making Ms. O's juice box. Apparently, they still make juice boxes, although they keep falling apart, which is what spurred Oscar to make Oscarbot 10 in particular stronger. From the same episode, Oscar also repeats his "what am I, crazy?" line.
- Calling Me a Logarithm: Played with — Olive refers to Oksana's cake as a "20th anniversary cake" (italics intended, as she places emphasis on that word) when asking who would want to do anything to it. However, Oksana raises an eyebrow at her, viewing Olive's question as an insult. Olive saves face by complimenting the cake on being delicious.
- Chekhov's Gag: Odenbacker's "fladge", which was presented to Otto as the first misheard request, is what is used to turn off the rampaging Oscarbot. It's invoked by Odenbacker when he hands Otto the tool, noting that it might come in handy later.
- Chekhov's Gun: The various pieces of artwork that agents show Olive and Oscar turn out to be useful, as they all have numbers on them that link to a pattern in Oscarbot 10's attacks.
- Comically Missing the Point: When looking at the evidence of Oscarbot 10's attacks (including Dr. O and the two agents in juiceboxes), Oscar remarks how he and Olive have enough art to put on an art show, having received numerous pieces of artwork from agents throughout the episode.
- Continuity Nod: Otto's drawing skills come in handy once again when he is trying to convey to Odenbacker what he wants. From "The Jackies", another actress's sibling plays a minor character as well (in this case, Drew Davis, Millie Davis's brother, stars as Odenbacker in this episode).
- Derailed Train of Thought: Oscar begins describing when his 25 Oscar-bots helped Ms. O to make the perfect juice box. Olive responds "who could forget?" which causes Oscar to thank her and ask her to fill out a form before she sets him back on track.
- Don't Ask, Just Run: Otto spots an Oscarbot who only has one objective: turn him into a juicebox. The agent believes it's initially Oscar, before a laser blast from the "scientist" proves him wrong. Both he and Odenbacker quickly make a run for it, with the former taking shelter in his workshop while the latter hides behind a table.
- Evolving Credits: The opening credits are changed for the second time, with clips from episodes such as "Robert Plant" and "6:00 to 6:05" added in place of clips from previous episodes like "Ms. O Uh-Oh" and "Puppet Show". There are also clips added from (what were at the time) upcoming episodes such as "O vs. the Ballcano" and "Oscar of All Trades".
- Face Death with Dignity: Subverted; Owen, Olive and Oscar see Oscarbot 10 coming towards them, but instead of putting up a fight, they have various reactions (see the episode's page image). However, they don't get killed, as the robot isn't after the brick wall all three agents presumed it was after.
- Failed a Spot Check: Olive and Otto fail to spot the Cold Open client that's behind them, with a foot-and-voice problem. To their merit, though, he is quite a ways away.
- The Fool: Odenbacker is a Maintenance worker that fails to follow even the simplest of directions, but is exceptionally skilled at building things, and manages to help turn off Oscarbot 10 with his "fladge".
- Funny Answering Machine: We get to hear Dr. O's answering machine for her badge phone while Olive and Oscar are examining the evidence, before it goes to a busy tone and she remarks that no one leaves a message.Dr. O: Hello, you've reached Agent 60, also known as Dr. O. We've met before: at work, or not at work. Or maybe we haven't met. Either way, leave a message after I say "what's next". WHAT'S NEXT?!
- Here We Go Again!: The Main 3's badges become destroyed when fleeing from Oscarbot 10. As a result, Olive and Oscar are forced to endure the same frustration with Odenbacker that Otto did throughout the episode.
- Hidden Depths: It's revealed that Owen can tell people apart by their screams and hiccups, which is how he is able to distinguish that a scream heard in the distance is Orchid.
- If I Had a Nickel...: Invoked and subverted by Orchid.Orchid: If I had a nickel every time someone said that, I'd have...nooooo nickels.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Odenbacker does this at one point when he presents a rather large badge to Otto.Odenbacker: You wear these things?Otto: Yes! Haven't you been to our main headquarters?Odenbacker: [defensively] Yes![Otto gives him a doubtful look]Odenbacker: No.
- Implausible Deniability: When Olive asks what happened to Otto's broken, taped-up badge, he quickly remarks that nothing happened to it. Olive is quick to shoot him a "really?" look. He then tries to convince Olive that there's no need for his badge to be repaired as he unclips it and crushes it in his hand, causing it to crumble into pieces. Olive's reaction is nothing short of "I told you so."
- Impossible Pickle Jar: A variant occurs with a juice box (fitting for this universe) — Oscar attempts to pry open the gadget-turned-juice-box in all sorts of ways, and fails horribly.
- Insane Troll Logic: Oksana shows shades of this at one point when she accuses Oscar of turning her cake into a juice box.Oscar: O-Oksana, that wasn't me. It was a robot version of me!Oksana: Did you make the robot?Oscar: Yeah?Oksana: Then it was still you that did it.
- The Klutz: Otto broke his badge by dropping it, trying to fix it, and then dropping it while he was trying to fix it.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Orchid scares Oscar while he fixes his Oscarbot, causing him to drop his tools, which in turn causes said robot's brain to be fried, resulting in one of the scientist's gadgets turning into a juice box. Oscarbot 10 goes after Orchid some time later, turning one of her toys into a juice box.
- Mistaken Identity: A Running Gag in the episode is Oscar being mistaken for his identical-looking Oscarbot. Even Otto mistakes it for Oscar at one point.
- Never My Fault: Odenbacker is quick to shift blame to Otto for getting his order wrong, even though Otto was explicitly clear with the worker about what he wanted.
- Never Say "Die": A minor example given the context, but Oscar remarks that Orchid scared him "half to death" as he was working.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Orchid scaring Oscar while he was working caused him to drop his tools, making Oscarbot 10 go awry.
- Noodle Implements: Oscar remarks that his favorite number used to be 27 before he missed the bus yesterday. How missing the bus correlates to the number 27 at all is never explained.
- Now That's Using Your Teeth!: Implied with Orchid, who asks if she has to chew her way through her toy-turned-juicebox. (For comparison, Oscar was unable to pry open his own gadget-turned-juicebox earlier.) This earns her a confused and shocked reaction from Olive.
- Oh, Crap!: Olive has a few moments of these throughout the episode.
- Otto has a moment when he realizes that "Oscar", who just walked into the warehouse, isn't Oscar at all.
- Pokémon Speak: Like the last time, Oscarbot 10 can only say its number — and it does so enough times to make a Drinking Game out of it!
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: "By the power of fladge!"
- Repeat What You Just Said: Otto and Odenbacker meet for the first time and have a conversation that takes the form of this.Otto: Hello! I'm here to get my badge repaired.Odenbacker: Say again?Otto: I'm here to get my badge repaired.Odenbacker: I got that part. What was the first thing you said?[Beat]Otto: Hello.Odenbacker: I thought you said you wanted a socket wrench.Otto: No?Odenbacker: [irritated] So what can I help you with?Otto: [sighs] This is gonna take forever...
- Sarcasm-Blind: Oscar becomes prone to this briefly when describing the shutoff switches.Oscar: There are three switches: two on his ears and one on his neck. But you need to hit them at the exact same time, or it won't work.Otto: You could've made it a little bit more complicated.Oscar: Sure I could have! I mean I could have- [catches himself] Right, you weren't actually asking that.Otto: No.
- Shout-Out: Odenbacker's name sounds suspiciously similar to Redenbacher, as in Orville Redenbacher — it's possible that the writers turned "Redenbacher" into an O name, since Orville was already taken.
- Spinning Clock Hands: One is used as a transition in the Cold Open as Olive and Otto wait for 4 hours for their client to arrive.
- Tempting Fate: After visiting Orchid and finding out her toy has been hit by his Oscarbot, Oscar states that the day can't get any worse. Cue Dr. O and two agents waddling into the Trophy Room, all 3 boxed up in juiceboxes with nothing but their heads, legs and feet sticking out.
- Unsatisfiable Customer: Very much justified in the case of Otto, who visits Odenbacker, a Maintenance worker, to have his badge repaired. Otto's request is pretty easy enough: he just wants a new badge phone. However, Odenbacker consistently mistrues the agent's requests, to the point where he has to draw what he wants just so the worker can understand. Otto also has no issue giving Odenbacker an earful after every failed request.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: This is practically Otto's default reaction when dealing with Odenbacker.
Airdates: July 22, 2015 / September 2, 2015 note , May 30, 2015 note , July 26, 2015 note
When Agent Ori's first day on the job turns into a worst case scenario, other Odd Squad agents share their own 'worst first day ever' stories.
Tropes:
- Animate Inanimate Object: Invoked by Owen, who remarks that the Centigurp boxes didn't get out of the way in time before his machine crushed them. Ori responds in kind with, "Yeah, 'cause they're boxes."
- It's implied that Orchid views the 8-spaced boxes as this as well; when they don't listen to her responses of "excuse me", she tears right into them.
- Anti-Climax: All of Ori's efforts to keep the Centigurps' escape hidden from Ms. O turns out to be all for naught when she does manage to find out, but isn't mad about it, stating that if Ori hadn't opened the container and released them, he would have been fired.
- Berate and Switch: An upset Owen confronts Odenbacker about laughing at him. However, when Odenbacker remarks that the Security agent is, indeed, funny, Owen thanks him.
- Buffy Speak: Ori refers to the Centigurp container as a "Centigurp thingy" at one point.
- The Bus Came Back: Ori, who hasn't been seen since "Hold the Door", returns in this episode with a major role.
- Call-Back: Aside from being a P.O.V. Sequel to "The Trouble With Centigurps", the episode has quite a few callbacks to it.
- When meeting Ori as an agent, Olive asks Otto if they should have warned him not to open the Centigurp container. Otto responds that Ori is way more responsible than the now-more-experienced agent.
- Ms. O reveals that, like Otto and Ori, she too opened the containment unit when it was offered to her as a test, and says that most every agent opens the container when it's given to them.
- Continuity Nod: A timetastrophe occurs when Ori presses the blue button at the end of the episode.
- Character Development: Ori is no longer overtly disobedient; he is able to hold his own and knows when to be serious. He is still a bit mischievous, however, as he opens the Centigurp container after being lured into doing it by the Centigurp inside.
- Don't Ask, Just Run: When Ori presses the blue button located in the lab, Ms. O is quick to tell everyone else to hightail it out of HQ, just as she, Odelia and Ori do so themselves.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: The Centigurp issue manages to get resolved, but Ori's curiosity gets the better of him as he presses a blue button near the red one that turned 100 Centigurps into one.Ms. O: [as an alarm is going off] YOU PRESSED THE BLUE BUTTON?!Ori: I bet everybody does that on their first day.[Beat]Ori: Right?Ms. O: Not right!
- Failed a Spot Check: Both Olive and Otto fail to notice that the client they're helping has tentacle feet, as well as the more-obvious beach ball head.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Oscar indulges in some of this at the end of the episode while staying with a Japanese family, spouting words such as "moshimoshi" (hello) and "domo arigato" (thank you).
- Happy Dance: Ori does one when he manages to get 30 Centigurps in one go from the ballpit.
- Hidden Depths: It's revealed that Odenbacker makes Centigurp boxes and loans them out to Odd Squad employees who need them, but doesn't like when they aren't given back to him.
- Kids Are Cruel: Orchid outright tears into the Centigurp boxes when they're in her way, instead of simply moving them herself, tearing them into pieces.
- Lower-Deck Episode: The episode focuses primarily on side characters like Ori, Odelia and Orchid.
- Or Was It a Dream?: Done Inception-style during a Flashback Cut showing Owen's first day.
- P.O.V. Sequel: The episode is basically "The Trouble With Centigurps" re-told from Ori's perspective — fitting, considering it's later revealed that taking the container down to storage is a test given to new agents.
- Rank Up: Ori has gotten promoted from an agent-in-training to an Investigation agent, following up from his last appearance.
- Road Trip Across the Street: While Odenbacker doesn't have a car, he remarks that he did an exchange like what Odelia is doing with Oscar with another Maintenance worker across the way, inside of the Odd Squad Warehouse.Odenbacker: Really gives you a whole new outlook on the world.
- Sequel Episode: Of a sort — this episode is a sister episode to "The Trouble With Centigurps" and serves as a Whole-Plot Reference to it, just with Ori and Odelia in place of Otto and Oscar, respectively (as well as new characters not seen in the original episode, like Orchid). In a more straighter example, the episode also shows Ori as a full-fledged Investigation agent.
- Shout-Out: Owen having dream after dream looks quite similar to Inception, right down to him believing that he's still dreaming.
- The scene where Owen confronts Odenbacker about presumably laughing at him is a reference to a scene in Goodfellas.
- Suddenly Fluent in Gibberish: Averted; Otto is unable to understand the problem of a man who has a beach ball for a head who can only speak in "mmm" sounds. However, Olive is able to deduce that the man's problem is the fact he has a beach ball head. And that he has tentacle feet.
- Take a Third Option: Orchid gives Ori three choices: she can say sorry, help him out, or take him to a movie. Ori, naturally, chooses the second option.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Subverted; Odenbacker already knows that Ori and Owen are going to ask for the jacks, and gives them to the pair anyway.
- Title Drop: Quite a few times throughout the episode.
- Undercrank: Used when Owen and Ori are dividing up the jacks.
- What Does This Button Do?: Ori states the trope name verbatim shortly after the Centigurp issue is resolved, having noted a big blue button near the containment unit.
- Written-In Absence: Oscar is absent from the episode due to being away on a Lab Directors' Exchange (although he does make an appearance at the end). Odelia takes his place in the meantime.
- You Owe Me: Orchid uses a sort of Reverse Psychology take on this trope on Odenbacker, telling him "you're welcome" for her and Ori doing him a favor (in reality, it's vice versa), and that one day, she will expect a favor from Odenbacker in return. When the worker tells her that he did them a favor, Orchid's response is:Orchid: [shaking head] Now you owe me two favors.
