Odd Todd isn't clowning around when it comes to this competition.
Undercover OliveAirdates: October 5, 2015 / October 12, 2015 note , August 2, 2015 note
Olive goes undercover as a villain known as Kooky Clown in a high-stakes Rock-Paper-Scissors game against Odd Squad's greatest villains to win back the Odd Squad secret tube map.
Tropes:
- Aesop Amnesia: Otto doesn't know what tally marks are, despite having learned about them just a couple episodes ago.
- Affectionate Nickname: Odd Todd refers to Kooky Clown (read: Olive in disguise) as "Kooks" at one point.
- All There in the Script: There are a number of villains without speaking roles who serve as background characters. While they aren't listed in the credits (the credits list for Against the Odds as a special is expansive as it is, and it doesn't even scroll), the show's Wall of Villains page
lists some of their names and their abilities. - Badass Bandolier: Otto wears one that is stocked to the brim with ice cream.
- Bad Liar: Olive, to an absolute T. She can't tell a convincing lie. Some villains grow suspicious of her, but a majority of them believe she's the real Kooky Clown up until Odd Todd exposes her.
- Beyond the Impossible: It's revealed that Kooky Clown (the real villainess, not Olive) made Fladam a frog kissing a giraffe while riding a unicorn. With one single balloon. Of course, this is impossible to do, even by this universe's standards.
- Big Damn Heroes: Otto, Oscar and Orson do this by way of the latter crashing the surveillance truck into the building in order to enter it, and all three agents hopping out of it.
- Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase: The Chase Scene that ensues between Olive and the other villains doesn't last very long — not only due to the fact that Olive has large clown shoes on her feet and moves slower than usual, but also because she is caught when she tries to open what she believes to be a door, only for it to be the Shapeshifter instead.
- The Bus Came Back: Mr. Fonts and Dustin, who were last seen in "The Great Grinaldi", return in this episode during the Cold Open.
- Tony, the bouncer from Club 21, oversees entry to the competition.
- Captain Obvious: Otto remarks how it would make sense that Fladam would throw paper, since paper is a flat object, which leads to this exchange between him and Oscar:Oscar: Huh. Did you just come up with that one now?Otto: Yes I did.Oscar: Good one!Otto: Yeah, I mean, I was just thinking, Fladam likes flat things, and paper's flat. And then, boom-idea-lotta!
- Car Meets House: Orson backs the ice cream van up into the side of the building in order for him, Otto and Oscar to pull a Big Damn Heroes moment. It manages to startle all the villains enough to buy time for all three agents to launch their attack.
- Comm Links: Olive is given a small device that she wears in her ear in order to communicate with Otto and Oscar during the competition.
- Continuity Cavalcade: A number of villains seen in past episodes return for the Rock–Paper–Scissors competition, such as Jellybean Joe, Fladam, and the Noisemaker, among many others.
- Continuity Nod: This isn't the first time Otto has effectively used Prescience by Analysis to his advantage. It also isn't the first time the show has made use of predictions as a mathematical Aesop.
- "Totally Odd Squad" also had a Rock–Paper–Scissors match, although that one was between the Main 4.
- Death Glare: Even through clown makeup, Olive manages to give a rather scathing one towards Odd Todd when he manages to steal the map from her.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The Odd Squad surveillance truck plays the theme of the show as an airy, upbeat ditty...just before it crashes through the building.
- Down to the Last Play: Odd Todd and Olive are presumed to be evenly matched, and both share the same Rock–Paper–Scissors throwing pattern, which puts a wrench into the final round when two matches end up in ties. Eventually Otto and Oscar deduce that Odd Todd will throw Scissors next after having thrown Rock and Paper to make the amounts equal, and Otto manages to tell Olive to throw Rock just in time, allowing her to win the map.
- Epic Fail: Olive suffers numerous mishaps when she attempts to fit into the role of Kooky Clown. At one point, when Fladam (who falls for the disguise) asks her to make him a balloon animal to cheer him up, Olive can only feebly blow into the balloon to the point where she passes off the flat balloon as a sleeping snake. Funny enough, it's not this or any of her other failures that expose her — it's Otto and Oscar's loud cheering being heard through her Comm Link by Odd Todd.
- Evil Laugh: Among many of Olive's Epic Fails is her evil laugh, which she does a terrible job at doing. However, Otto thinks it's passable.
- Exact Words: Fladam asks for an ice cream sandwich. What he gets is ice cream between two slices of bread. And he's perfectly happy with his order.Fladam: Finally, somebody got my order right! Ha!
- Fade to White: The episode ends like this, complete with Lens Flare as the Main 3 walk outside with the tube map and Orson in tow.
- Gasp!: Quite a few are heard throughout the episode, courtesy of the villains.
- Gilligan Cut: Once Olive is notified of what villain she will be going undercover as, she adamantly refuses to do it and stumbles over her words of refusal. Transition to the ice cream surveillance truck sitting right outside of the center where the Rock–Paper–Scissors competition is being held, with Olive dressed up as the villain.
- Greed: Ms. O outright states that villains are bad at sharing — a fact that most Odd Squad agents are well aware of. (And it's true!)
- Hand Puppet: A variant; finger puppets are used to show what happened when all of the villains found the map.
- Hey, That's My Line!: A variant occurs when Olive summarizes what Ms. O is asking of her and Otto.Olive: So you want one of us to dress up like that villain, beat all the bad guys at Rock–Paper–Scissors, and win the map back.Ms. O: You know, I was really looking forward to saying that, but...never mind.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": The scorekeeper for the competition is an evil referee...whose last name actually is Evil Referee. His first name is Wyatt, making his full name Wyatt Evil Referee.
- Impersonation Gambit: In order to obtain the Odd Squad tube map, Olive is forced to go in disguise as Kooky the Clown, who is a known villain that happens to be out sick and cannot make the Rock-Paper-Scissors competition. Despite Olive having quite a few hiccups along the way (such as her failing to make a balloon animal), she manages to slip by without being discovered...until Otto and Oscar's cheering exposes her.
- Imposter Forgot One Detail: Played with. Olive fits Kooky's disguise to a near-T; the only things that would give her away are her Bad Liar tendencies and her voice. During Odd Todd's interactions with her, he can sense something is up, and even hears Kooky speak to him, but he doesn't match the voice to his old partner. What gives her away is Otto and Oscar's loud cheering, at which point Odd Todd advances on her and tears off her wig, exposing her real hair — and by extension, her real identity — to the other competitors.
- "I Want" Song: "Win It All For the Win" can potentially be seen as this for Olive, as her primary motive is to win the Rock–Paper–Scissors competition; however, the song mainly applies to all of the competitors, as they want to win too. The song's lyrics are, of course, nonsensical, and the full song can be found on the show's album.
- Just in Time: Otto manages to relay the message for Olive to throw Rock mere milliseconds before she makes her move. Luckily, she hears him and does throw Rock, winning the competition.
- The Leader: If this episode is any indication, Odd Todd appears to be the leader of all the villains in town, as he organizes the Rock–Paper–Scissors competition and is skilled in the game enough to get to the final round, as well as keep the other villains in line. He is of the Mastermind type.
- Let Me at Him!: When Olive-as-Kooky beats Fladam, he threatens to flatten her and begins to lunge for her. It takes the combined might of Even Steven and Jellybean Joe to hold him back, as well as Odd Todd to qualm the situation. Olive-as-Kooky attempts to cheer him up by making him a balloon animal, and fails horrifically.
- Multilayer Façade: Olive attempts to invoke this when her true identity is revealed and Odd Todd begins slowly advancing on her, but ultimately fails.Olive: Um, I'm not Olive, I'm- I'm- I'm Kooky, and, Olive is just my- [backs into the ring ropes] Olive is just my disguise, uh...it's like, a double disguise, a disguise beneath another disguise! [attempts to perform Evil Laugh] You're not buying it, are you?Odd Todd: No.Olive: Crumpets!
- Multi-Part Episode: The seventh of the season, which aired early in the United States as part of PBS Kids' "Odd Squad: Against the Odds" event, which in turn aired as part of the "Oddtober" event the network was hosting for the month of October.
- Nested Mouths: Odd Todd is revealed to have an entire band in his mouth — the same band that's been singing "Win It All For the Win" throughout the episode, as a matter of fact. Olive-as-Kooky is rightfully creeped out by this.Olive (as Kooky Clown): What are you?
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Otto's and Oscar's cheering is loud enough to blast through Olive's Comm Link so every villain surrounding the ring hears it. This includes Odd Todd, who advances on "Kooky Clown" and tears off her wig to expose the identifiable hairstyle of Agent Olive (whose usual corkscrew ponytail is clumped up in a small bun). Otto and Oscar are quick to realize exactly what they've done.
- The Nose Knows: Odd Todd is able to sniff "Kooky Clown" and easily deduce that something isn't right. She saves face by spraying him with water in an attempt to be odd, which he buys. He later sniffs her before tearing off her wig during the climax of the episode.
- Obsessed with Food: While this is a standard trait for Otto, Oscar also gets in on this, as both agents are seen munching on various sweet treats throughout the episode while Olive plays in the competition.
- Oh, Crap!: Olive has a perfect, and hilarious, moment when she realizes exactly who she's going to be disguised as. Ms. O's smile makes the moment even funnier.
- Olive has a more serious one when the villains see through her disguise and gang up on her.
Olive: Double crumpets. - One-Shot Character: Many villains present at the competition are those who aren't seen or alluded to in future episodes. Despite this, however, they are still given official names on the show's website.
- Overly Long Gag: Even Steven, Fladam, Jellybean Joe and Odd Todd all watching "Kooky Clown" make her escape and commenting about how something is up with her. Odd Todd hangs a lampshade on the trope by asking, after a few seconds, "Should we walk away now?"
- P.O.V. Cam: The flower camera, which latches on to one of Olive's suspender straps, acts like this, allowing Oscar and Otto to view the competition from her point of view.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: The Main 3 deliver an epic and punny one before their (hilarious) villain beatdown.Otto: I scream...Oscar: You scream...Olive: We all scream...All 3 agents: FOR ICE CREAM!!
- Prescience by Analysis: Otto and Oscar look through the villains' previous Rock–Paper–Scissors matches with each other in order to predict what they will throw during the competition and inform Olive of what she can throw to beat them (for example, Fladam throwing Paper the most amount of times, which enables Olive to throw Scissors). However, it does manage to backfire on them twice: when Shapeshifter throws Rock instead of Scissors (the latter of which she's thrown the most in RPS competitions), and when Odd Todd has an evenly-matched repertoire of throwing Rock, Paper and Scissors.Otto: [regarding the Shapeshifter] But what if your prediction is wrong again?Oscar: [slams hand on table] Don't you get it, man?! My prediction is all we've got!!
- Pro Wrestling Episode: The competition itself takes place inside of a wrestling ring, and the episode is a parody on the sport of Professional Wrestling, substituting Rock–Paper–Scissors for it since, well, this is PBS Kids.
- Psychic Powers: Lightly discussed between Oscar and Otto as the former explains his and the latter's Prescience by Analysis strategy when it comes to the infiltration. Otto believes Oscar has Mind Reading powers to the point where he thinks the two of them have a Psychic Link between each other.
- Rhymes on a Dime: The book Dustin, featured in the Cold Open, is written in rhyme. However, Olive's written solution averts the trope, and is lampshaded by Mr. Fonts.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: The main premise of the episode; a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition is being held where the winner gets the Odd Squad tube map, with Odd Todd as the organizer and ringleader.
- Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: Olive and Otto both imitate the sound of Tube Travel with a "crump, boing, whoosh".
- Screen Shake: Used when Olive's Rock move smashes Odd Todd's Scissors move.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The evil referee is quick to make his escape from the ring when he sees Olive and Odd Todd facing off, stating that he has six kids at home.
- Skyward Scream: Odd Todd does this when "Kooky Clown" wins the match, complete with a Big "NO!".
- Series Continuity Error: Olive is noted to be the best Rock–Paper–Scissors player in the precinct by Ms. O. However, Totally Odd Squad showed that the Director was able to beat everyone else in the Main 4 handily, including Olive.
- Shout-Out: The spine of Dustin looks very similar to those of Little Golden Books.
- Otto, Oscar and Oren disguising themselves as an ice cream vendor looks similar to how the Swedish Chef from The Muppets is performed.
- Spies In a Van: This episode marks the debut of Odd Squad's surveillance truck, which takes the exterior appearance of an ice cream van and is primarily driven by Agent Orson (who is later revealed to be one of two agents with legitimate driving ability, the other being Owen). On the inside, however, is a vast amount of technology as well as ice cream materials.
- Turn in Your Badge: Inverted; Oscar gives Orson his badge after the fight at Otto's behest. Said badge is attached to the baby agent's pacifier.
- Villainous Harlequin: Kooky Clown is a villain dressed like a clown who wishes to make the world more kooky. Her odd deeds manifest in the way of various clown-related pranks, such as the classic water-spraying flower pin (although for Olive, who has said flower pin as a one-way camera, she is forced to substitute with a bottle of water) and making animal balloons.
- Villain Team-Up: While a majority of the episode features villains competing against each other, they all team up to advance on poor Olive at the climax.
- Weaksauce Weakness: The villains are all defeated with balls of frozen ice cream. Odd Todd is defeated in a similar manner with a banana split, which somehow inflicts enough pain for him to be knocked down and be unable to get back up.
- Worthless Yellow Rocks: Olive-as-Kooky, Jellybean Joe, and the Puppet Master discuss this when the former tells the (made-up) story of how she stole a diamond and threw it out. Joe and the Puppet Master hang a lampshade on the trope and ask her why she would do that instead of keeping it since it's worth a lot of money, then attempt to ask other villains if they've seen it. She then continues her lie by saying she remembers that she hid the diamond in her pocket.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Of a sort; Olive fakes a hand cramp in order to stall for time and allow Otto to explain his strategy to Oscar. Odd Todd attempts to subvert the trope by (what is implied to be) trying to get the evil referee to call her out on faking it, but the referee rules that each competitor can be given a minute to rest up.
