She's got the smack. Now she just needs the slide.
The VoiceAirdates: July 18, 2017 note , December 11, 2016 note
A villain steals Ms. O's voice, and Olympia and Otis have to figure out who did it.
Tropes:
- Audience Participation Song: Olympia uses the "when I say A, you say B" phrase as her go-to Catchphrase for answering the phone. Ms. O (on the other end of the line) is not amused.Olympia: [to Otis] Ooh, my badge phone is ringing. Check out my new way of answering. [on the phone] When I say "hello", you say "yello", hello!Ms. O: No.Olympia: You're supposed to say "yello".
- She later uses the same phrase when ending the call.
Olympia: We're on it, Ms. O. When I say "hang up", you say "what what"![Ms. O hangs up the phone]Olympia: And she's gone. - Borrowed Catchphrase: Oona translates Ms. O's "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" Catchphrase for her, although due to her bad translating skills, "go" is replaced with "grow".
- Buffy Speak: Frieda Fiver refers to the gold lines on her face as "gold decorative thingies".
- The Bus Came Back: Frieda Fiver, who hasn't been seen since "Dawn of the Read", makes a return in this episode.
- Comically Missing the Point: Oona tells Owen that it wasn't Ms. O who called him and told him to release villains, and he simply brushes it off and casually states that he's going on break. Way to do your job, Owen.
- Continuity Nod: Olympia now has a new Catchphrase for answering her phone after struggling with it last in "A Job Well Undone". However, it doesn't stick.
- Ms. O drinking up to 100 juice boxes a day is brought up again after it was established in "The One That Got Away".
- The evil copy machine from "Happy Halfiversary" makes a return.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: An in-universe example — Ms. O is used to having the glass doors in the lab open automatically every time she says "doors", and goes with Oona to retrieve the Voice-Replace-inator so she can change her voice. However, since she doesn't have her actual voice, she ends up walking right into the door.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Why does Halvsie Harriet steal Ms. O's voice? Because her voice is so high-pitched that no one takes her seriously when she orders things like pizza and juice boxes.
- Epileptic Flashing Lights: Seen as an indicator of just how bad of a state Headquarters is in when Otis, Olympia and Harriet arrive.
- Face Palm: Ms. O does one when Oona is unable to translate her long-winded explanation of how stealing a voice is possible.
- She also later does one when Oona says to sound an alarm, only for Olympia to ask if it's a silent alarm.
- I Am Very British: The second voice Ms. O is given is that of a man with a British accent, and it seems to affect her actual speaking patterns as well. note
- "I Know What We Can Do" Cut: After examining the evidence, Otis tells Olympia that he knows the culprit behind Ms. O's voice theft. Cut to the partner pair knocking on the door of Halvsie Harriet.
- Implausible Deniability: When Otis and Olympia ask a worker at the Shmumbers Juice Warehouse about Ms. O's missing juice order, he plays them a message from "Ms. O", who told him to put a box over his head, deliver 50 juice boxes to the park...and not to look around for anyone suspicious. Otis asks him if he found those instructions suspicious, and he realizes that it did seem unusual for Ms. O to order 50 juice boxes instead of 100 (her usual order).
- Instantly Proven Wrong: A consistent Running Gag throughout the episode involves Olympia and Otis confronting a villain, with Olympia confidently remarking that there's nothing they could say to change their minds about the villain being guilty, only for said villain to prove them wrong, every time. They eventually land right on the money with this gag when confronting Halvsie Harriet.Otis: Listen up, Frieda. We know you took Ms. O's voice so you could set 5 out of 10 villains free.Olympia: You're guilty as charged. And there's nothing you can say to change our minds!Frieda: What about the fact that I don't sound a thing like Ms. O?Olympia: That would do it.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Played with. As a replacement for her original voice, Oona offers Halvsie Harriet a new voice. Said voice turns out to be that of a female squirrel, and as a result, Harriet can only speak in chitters, which she is confused by. Since the voice is given to Harriet by way of (what is presumed to be) the Voice-Replace-inator, used by Oona, it's not made clear whether the Scientist is delivering karma to the villainess, or if it's simply a gag played for Rule of Funny (although it can be interpreted as karma striking down on Harriet).
- Lost Voice Plot: Ms. O has her original voice stolen by a villain, which renders her unable to speak. When Olympia and Otis arrive to ask her what's going on, Oona (speaking for her boss) explains the situation, and the pair must go to catch the villain and restore the Director's voice, while she and Oona keep the voice-activated Headquarters under control with various voices the Scientist grants her using the Voice-Replace-inator.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Previous appearances depicted Halvsie Harriet as being capable of nothing more than committing acts of robbery, making off with half of things like chairs and clocks. However, this episode has her going one step further as she outright steals Ms. O's voice — something you wouldn't expect a villainess like her to accomplish. She manages to wreak havoc for the poor Director and commit various acts of oddness using her voice, to the point where it nearly causes the downfall of Headquarters.
- The Password Is Always "Swordfish": The word that needs to be said in order to stop the destruction of Headquarters? It's "stop".
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode's title is a reference to the TV series of the same name.
- Precious Puppy: Frieda Fiver lives with a dog named Fido Fifty, an adorable Boston terrier who loves to bark. 50 times. In one go.
- The Reveal: Downplayed and invoked by Olympia, who refuses to tell Otis whom she thinks sent Ms. O's juice order to the park until they're on their way to the culprit's house. The audience doesn't get to see who it is until the next scene, which shows the pair coming to Frieda Fiver's house once more to speak with her dog.
- Reveal Shot: When Olympia and Otis get to Frieda Fiver's house, Olympia rings the doorbell. After a brief pause, Otis suggests that she rings all 5 doorbells, and the camera shifts to show that, true to her name, Frieda has 5 doorbells.
- Oona tells Olympia and Otis that Headquarters will be destroyed if Ms. O doesn't get her voice back and says that the voice activation control system controls everything in Headquarters. The camera zooms out as various things in the lab run amok and a warning alarm blares.
- Shout-Out: The Couch Gag in the title sequence is a reference to the Paul McCartney song "Blackbird".
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Oona once again shows that she is capable of this, as she pops up behind one of the lab counters when Ms. O calls Olympia and Otis.
- Stock Animal Name: The dog Frieda Fiver lives with is named Fido Fifty.
- Tempting Fate: Olympia asks how horrible can things get while Ms. O's voice is gone, and a second later, Owen runs into the office and says that he released 5 villains out of the 10 he was holding because she apparently told him to — in reality, she didn't tell him that; it was the villain who stole her voice.
- As Olympia and Otis realize that, with Fido Fifty not the culprit, they're out of leads, Otis remarks that it isn't like Headquarters is going to be destroyed without Ms. O's voice. Sure enough, Oona calls him and tells him that Headquarters will be destroyed if Ms. O doesn't get her voice back.
- Translator Buddy: Oona serves as one for Ms. O while her voice is gone. However, despite her presumed skill at lip-reading, she stumbles over quite a few translations, and when Ms. O begins to mouth to Oona an answer to Otis's question of how a villain stealing her voice is possible at all, the Scientist can't understand her because "she's a bit of a mumbler."
- Words Can Break My Bones: Oona has built a voice-activation system all over Headquarters — nothing will work without Ms. O's actual voice. Since Halvsie Harriet (who has the voice) is still on the loose and not in Headquarters, things quickly end up falling to ruins.
Airdates: July 18, 2017 note , December 11, 2016 note
While Olympia goes on vacation, Otis is called in to help when Ohlm and Orchid have problems working together.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: This episode is subject to a meta example on the PBS Kids website, where it's called "Problem Partners".
- Animal Motifs: Olympia's favorite animal is pandas, which is something that reflects on her roller-skating outfit, as her jacket has the face of a panda on it and her helmet has panda ears attached to it. Oddly enough, however, Olympia is the exact opposite of a panda.
- The Bus Came Back: Circle Sue, who hasn't been seen since way back in Season 1's "Soundcheck", makes a return in this episode under a new name: Triangle Sue.
- Even Steven also makes a comeback in this episode after having last been seen in "Undercover Olive". However, like Tommy Twosie, he is immediately Put on a Bus after this episode and isn't seen again.
- Coach Roberts also returns via a mention after having previously been in "O is Not For Over". Similar to Even Steven above, he is also Put on a Bus and isn't seen again.
- Bratty Half-Pint: While Orchid has slipped into this trope numerous times before, this episode has her explaining to Otis that she has a horrific attitude problem when it comes to people of authority. It gets to such a point where it's implied that she was kicked out of the Academy for backtalking and physically assaulting Professor O.Professor O: And that's a guide to your Mustard-inator. Any questions?Orchid: Yeah. Who put you in charge? I'm takin' over. Who's with me?[no one answers]Orchid: Just me, then. [roars while flying at the camera, ready to punch Professor O]
- Call-Back: Orchid and Ohlm being partners, something that was previously confirmed in "O is Not For Over" following Otto's promotion, is explored in this episode.
- Chekhov's Classroom: Ms. O explains rounding to Otis while reiterating Odd Squad's vacation policy. The knowledge later comes in handy as Otis teaches rounding to Orchid and Ohlm, which in turn helps them solve the case.
- The Coats Are Off: Played with at one point; Otis doesn't have his coat off in preparation for a battle, but rather, in order to focus on the case.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Otis suggests that Orchid and Ohlm start off with what they know, Ohlm lists off that he knows how to work a vacuum cleaner and a mop.
- Continuity Nod: There are quite a few nods to "O is Not For Over" in this episode.
- At the beginning of the episode, Ms. O is driving a small toy car. That episode depicted her as having a toy car of her own that she keeps hidden under one of the couches in her office.
- Ohlm tells Otis that he flunked his tube test. As a result, he, as well as Orchid (who tore up her tube license), both ride with Otis, whom they're tethered to.
- Upon arriving at each of the villains' houses, Ohlm, Orchid and Otis have trouble unlatching the tether attached to them, similar to Ohlm and Otto having trouble detaching from each other.
- Outside of that episode, Olympia tells Otis that she's worked more than one night shift.
- Circle Sue has some of her chairs stolen once again.
- Randy Rounding isn't the first villain to leave a symbol at the scenes of the crimes he commits.
- Cool Shades: Ms. O wears a pair while driving around in her toy car.
- Cowboy: Randy Rounding definitely fits the bill, having the clothing and Southern accent to match.
- The Cutie: Olympia marveling at the wonders of her roller-skating outfit is downright adorable.
- Day Hurts Dark-Adjusted Eyes: When Ms. O is explaining the vacation rule to Olympia, she takes off her sunglasses and blinks rapidly as she notices how bright the lights are in the bullpen.
- Deliver Us from Evil: Averted. While Triangle Sue has changed her name back to Circle Sue (as well as her shape motif back to circles) for the sake of her baby, she doesn't show any signs of reformation, and is instead a victim of the real villain's crimes.
- Determinator: Played straight with Otis, but averted for Ohlm and Orchid, who demote themselves at the climax of the episode, giving up their badges and their uniforms (but surprisingly, not their watches) after Even Steven and Circle Sue are found to not be the culprits.
- Face Palm: Otis does one when Ms. O leaves him with Orchid and Ohlm.
- He later does another one at the end of the episode when Ohlm asks him if the trio have solved the case yet.
- Finger Muzzle: Orchid does this to Otis when he tries to convince her and Ohlm not to give up.
- Idiot Ball: While Ohlm is a ditz in and of himself, Orchid — who is much more competent — manages to grip the ball throughout the entirety of the episode while Otis helps them solve the case.
- Instant Costume Change: Ms. O uses a gadget to instantly change Olympia into a cute roller-skating outfit.
- She also uses a different gadget to change Orchid and Ohlm's agent-in-training outfits into Investigation agent uniforms.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Olympia tells Ms. O that she doesn't want to go on vacation, as she loves to work. As soon as Ms. O transforms the agent's uniform into a panda-themed roller-skating outfit, she falls in love with it and decides to go on vacation.
- Lower-Deck Episode: The episode primarily centers around Orchid and Ohlm, as well as their partnership.
- Married to the Job: Olympia is dedicated to her job enough to work 24/7 at it, and refuses to go on vacation up until Ms. O forces her to.
- Mundane Object Amazement: Olympia — a Genki Girl Workaholic — goes nuts over her roller skates.Olympia: Look! There are wheels on my feet! [as she skates away] The wheels are moving. The wheels are moving on my vacation! Bye everyone!
- No Sense of Direction: Ohlm says that he can't go back to the Academy...because he can't find it. (Bear in mind, it's a six-building campus.)
- No, You: While she isn't directly insulted by Otis, Orchid ends up insulting him anyway.Otis: It's time to go.Ohlm: For lunch?Otis: Back to the interrogation room!Orchid: You're an interrogation room!Otis: What...
- The Power of Friendship: Averted with Ohlm and Orchid. In stark contrast to partner pairs like Otis and Olympia, who are best friends as well as partners and have good partner chemistry, Ohlm and Orchid have very poor partner chemistry to the point where they don't even realize they're partners, and have been stuck on a single case for months because they don't mesh well with each other (Orchid is The Dreaded agent and a brat, while Ohlm is The Ditz who is secretly Obfuscating Stupidity). For this reason, Ms. O assigns Otis to work with them in order to mend their partnership and help them solve the case so they don't get demoted by her and get sent back to the Academy.
- Rule of Three: Invoked by Otis and Ohlm as Circle Sue lists off why she's innocent and not the villain behind the crime, with triangles being the sole lead: circle crackers, circle coasters, and circle picture frames.
- Running Gag: Orchid coming up with false villains. It ends up subverted the third time when she puts out the name "Randy Rounding", only for her to say that he is, indeed, a real person.
- Ship Tease: There's a little bit of it with Orchid and Otis, as the former tells the latter that "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't gonna miss this old face."
- Shout-Out: Circle Sue is pregnant, and is having a boy named Sue.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Both Orchid and Ohlm do this when Ms. O tells Otis that he'll be working with them.
- Tempting Fate: When Otis asks where Ohlm is upon returning from Circle Sue's house, Orchid tells him that Ohlm is getting snacks and says that he'd better not come back empty-handed. Sure enough, not even a second passes before Ohlm casually walks into the room and says that he came back empty-handed.
- Terrible Artist: Ohlm's pictures of anything outside of shapes aren't the best. Justified, since he is a child.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Otis has this reaction when Ms. O leaves him with Orchid and Ohlm, complete with him beginning to do a Face Palm.Ms. O: Good luck! You'll need it.
- Title Drop: "Orchid and Ohlm are having partner problems. I need you to help them out."
- Too Dumb to Live: Ohlm gets to such a level of stupidity that he forgets how to breathe, and needs Ms. O to remind him.
- Ultimate Job Security: Orchid and Ohlm have been stuck on one single case for months on end, but for some reason, Ms. O picks that day as a deadline for them to solve it, lest they be demoted and sent back to the Academy.
- Written-In Absence: Olympia is absent for a majority of the episode due to Ms. O sending her on vacation.
- You Say Tomato: Orchid is completely unaware that Ohlm and her are partners.Otis: Wait, they're partners?Orchid: I was surprised too. I thought he just liked following me around, like one of those lost furry things.Otis: You mean a puppy?Orchid: If I meant "puppy", I would have said "puppy".
