Recap / Odd Squad S 2 E 33 Saving Agent Orson The Scientist

The X's have yet to see how Goo-Goo-Godlike this agent can get...

Saving Agent Orson

Airdates: October 22, 2018 ^note PBS Kids premiere, April 2, 2018 ^note TVO Kids premiere

The X's want to kick baby Agent Orson off the Squad.

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Tropes:

• Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: Oona has this to say to the members of Ms. O's team fighting against the two Hydraclops.
  Oona: I know what you're all thinking. [agents exchange surprised reactions] So I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. The sister is the one without the eyebrows. Kinda hard to see from this distance, but trust me!
• Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: One of Orson's superpowers is the ability to grow to ginormous proportions, to the extent where he towers over both Oona and Ms. O and all they can do is stare at him in utter fear and disbelief.
• Bare-Handed Puppetry: Multimedia Mike puts on a Puppet Show using his hands to represent Lady Bread and Father Time. Otis in particular is left dumbfounded and simply stares in disbelief.
• Berserk Button: Orson will not let Precinct 13579's Headquarters be abandoned, even in the face of danger. And may God have mercy on any enemy, human or creature, who threatens to attack it.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: The X's have every chance to wheel Orson out of Headquarters and go through with their firing of him from Odd Squad. Instead, they linger around to listen to agents' stories of how Orson helped them.
• Breather Episode: Along with "The Scientist", it's a rather low-stakes episode before the season finale.
• Cassandra Truth: The X's refuse to believe any of the agents' stories surrounding Orson, nor do they believe Orson made art pieces to commemorate agents' victories, like his drawing for Olympia and Otis and his clay sculpture for Orson. When they question Ms. O's story, she actually has an addendum to it that can prove its honesty: the bullpen's ceiling, which was painted to commemorate Orson's heroic efforts in driving away the Hydraclops siblings.
• Child Hater: It's implied with both Xavier and Xena. They fire Orson simply for acting like a baby and refuse to let their verdict up even when Olympia informs them that Orson is a baby, and napping, crying and eating mushy food are normal things. In response, they tell Olympia that Orson can come back to Odd Squad once his teeth grow in. This is despite the fact that not only is Odd Squad a kid-only organization, but the X's themselves are children.
• Clothing Damage: Orson's suit ends up being ripped at the seams when he grows, and the clothing that isn't (somehow) ripped shrinks along with his growth. In addition, he grows big enough to have his toes burst out of the top of his shoes.
• Comically Missing the Point: Olympia and Otis are able to look at an abstract painting and confirm that Mike is saying villains meet at the grocery store. Show them a sketch of the inside of a library, however, and they're at a loss.
  Olympia: Hmm...
  Otis: Yeah, this is a hard one.
  Olympia: Yeah.
  Mike: Really? Are you serious?
  [Otis and Olympia continue looking at the picture; Otis covers his eye with his hand]
  Olympia: Maybe a place with rectangles live?
  Mike: It's a library.
  Olympia: [unsure] Ooooohhhh!
  Otis: [unsure] Yeah- yeah, I- I- I see that.
  Mike: You still don't see it.
  [Otis and Olympia give various "no's"]
  • There's also this exchange before Ms. O tells the X's about her experience with Orson.
  Ms. O: This case was all work, no play.
  Owen: Wordplay! Nice! [goes to high-five Ms. O]
  Olympia: [stops him] Not now.
• Continuity Nod: Olympia brings up how Orson has won Agent of the Month many, many times before.
  • The Hydraclops (as a species) makes a return after having not been seen since "Rise of the Hydraclops". However, this Hydraclops is stated to be a relative of that episode's Hydraclops, and has brought his sister.
  • Ms. O mentions how upset she was to lose another Headquarters. Her losing numerous Headquarters over the course of her leadership was previously brought up in "O vs. the Ballcano".
• Contrived Coincidence: Of all the places Orson decides to play with his blocks, he does it in the same interrogation room that Otis and Olympia happen to be in. And of all the places he decides to eat pie, he decides to do it while in disguise in the Security agents' living room.
• Derailed Train of Thought: This exchange occurs between the X's and Olympia when the former is about to take Orson away.
  Olympia: Wait! I can tell you a story about Orson that will change your mind.
  Xavier: Can you do it quickly?
  Olympia: Can I do it quickly? Of course I can do it quickly. If there's one thing my friends have told me-
  Xena: Quicker!!
• Determinator: Averted for Oona, who immediately gives up when Ms. O says that they don't have time to launch multiple shots at the two Hydraclops siblings with two catapults; they only have one shot with one catapult. She manages to keep up the "I give up" attitude even when Ms. O explains that they can use a Venn diagram to choose their weapon to launch.
  Ms. O: It needs to be something that's gooey and yellow.
  [Beat]
  Ms. O: [in unison with Oona] Egg yolk.
  Oona: [in unison with Ms. O] It's hopeless.
  [Ms. O shoots her a Death Glare]
  Oona: Or egg yolks. Let's go egg yolks.
  • Ms. O and her team also avert the trope after their one shot is dodged by the siblings, who are set to attack Headquarters.
  • It's played straight for Orson, however. And how.
• Dodge the Bullet: The Hydraclops siblings end up dodging Ms. O's team's egg yolk attack by ducking, which ruins their chances at defeating them. (At least, until Orson comes in...)
• Double Aesop: In this episode, the audience learns not one, not two, but three mathematical lessons, each presented by different characters: one on bar graphs (Otis and Olympia), one on pie charts (Owen and the other Security agents), and one on Venn diagrams (Ms. O, Oona, and their team of agents).
• Everyone Has Standards: Even though the X's are jerkasses, they provide Orson with a generous care package upon his firing, which includes some pureed peas, a ball, and a rattle.
  • Xavier also has to hold back from fawning over Orson.
• Fighting Back Is Wrong: Once again, it's implied — Ms. O can't actively stop the X's from firing one of her agents with what authority she has. She can, however, tell them a story to try and get them to change their minds, and she has no problem with telling them that her story is actually legitimate compared to Olympia's and Owen's stories.
• Firing Day: Subverted. The episode's premise is that the X's are planning to fire Orson simply for acting like a baby. When Olympia and Owen protest against the verdict and give stories as to how Orson helped them, they refuse to believe them...that is, until Ms. O tells her story of how Orson beat back two Hydraclops, shows them the mural of the feat painted on the bullpen's ceiling, and shows them Orson's superpowers, at which point they decide he can stay employed with Precinct 13579.
• Flat "What": Otis gives one when Multimedia Mike says he's going to start "multimedia-ing".
• Foreshadowing: Orson being fired from Odd Squad, as well as Status Quo Is God taking full effect and allowing him to stay, is potential foreshadowing for the Season 2 finale, where he is promoted to Director of Precinct 13579 following Oprah's promotion to the Big O.
• Freeze-Frame Ending: The episode ends on a freeze-frame of the dog that serves as a Running Gag in the episode.
• Goo-Goo-Godlike: It's revealed that Orson has superpowers. Among his powers are the abilities to fly, clone himself, and grow up to 100 times his size, enough to tower over most, if not all, every single agent in Precinct 13579.
• In-Series Nickname: Played for Laughs with Owen, who says that people call him "Icky-Owen-Quickie". When Olympia says that she's never heard anyone call him that, he says that he's got a few Maintenance workers calling him that. Of course, considering who Owen is, it's up for debate whether anyone actually calls him that.
• Kids Driving Cars: Deconstructed. Though Orson is the primary driver of the ice cream surveillance van, he managed to get a bunch of speeding tickets in the span of a single day, which he apparently hasn't paid off or settled in court (if he can do those things, that is).
• Legion of Doom: It's revealed that the villains of Odd Squad are all part of a "Villain League", where said villains come up with ideas on what odd things to do and puts them in action. However, they don't have a set headquarters, and instead meet at places like the grocery store and the park. Olympia and Otis eventually manage to put an end to the League with Orson's help.
• Lower-Deck Episode: While the Main 4, Owen, and the X's all have prominent roles, the episode mostly focuses on Orson.
• Master of Disguise: While in the room of Shapeshifter's house, some of the Security agents are shown being disguised as things like the inside of a grandfather clock and a plant. Others, like Owen and Ozlyn, hide in things like couches and side tables.
• Missing Steps Plan: Owen and the other Security agents are trying to catch the Shapeshifter, so Owen decides that everyone should disguise themselves as various items in her living room. Unfortunately, he doesn't factor in when the Shapeshifter is going to come into the room. Subverted, as the Security agents do manage to catch the Shapeshifter even while undisguised and having lunch.
• New Powers as the Plot Demands: This episode reveals that Orson has the ability to grow to 100 times his size, fly, and clone himself. However, he has never been shown to have any superpowers before this episode.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Played with. Ms. O doesn't get into too much detail about how Orson beat back the Hydraclops siblings, but she did have artists paint the event on her precinct's bullpen's ceiling to commemorate the feat.
• Offscreen Teleportation: The dog that serves as a Running Gag in the episode appears right between Owen and Ms. O after the X's decide that Orson can stay employed with Odd Squad.
• Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to the film Saving Private Ryan.
• Power Floats: Orson's Flight ability manifests in this manner, as he can only float in mid-air.
• Renaissance Man: The aptly-named Multimedia Mike does multimedia work for villains, from audio/visual work to arts and crafts. He can also put on a Puppet Show, play guitar and sing, and paint abstract paintings (the painting he does make of which Olympia and Otis deduce that he's saying villains meet at the grocery store), among other things.
• Running Gag: The dog that can say the names of various agents like Owen and Ms. O.
• Self-Duplication: One of Orson's superpowers is the ability to make copies of himself. Said copies can also hover in mid-air like the original Orson can.
• Series Continuity Error: Olympia tells the X's that Orson is the only agent who can drive the ice cream surveillance van. However, "The O Team" revealed that Owen has a driver's license, and Olive drove the ice cream truck when transformed into a spaceship in The Movie.
• Spiritual Successor: The episode can be considered one to "The Cherry-on-Top-inator", as it shares many common elements.
  • Agents telling stories about something beloved that has helped them in the past.
  • Another agent seeking to get rid of said beloved something and dismissing the stories told to them.
  • A verbal Running Gag ("The Cherry-on-Top-inator" with Oona's psychotic screams, and this episode with Xena's "We're firing the baby!")
  • Similar dialogue. ^note  For example, when Owen says that he can tell the X's a story involving Orson and how he saved the Security agent's life, Xena asks if it involves Orson playing with baby toys, which Olympia's story, previously told, had. "The Cherry-on-Top-inator" had Oona asking the storytellers if their stories involve the eponymous gadget in some way.
  • However, there are also some differences between this episode and that one — namely, the "beloved something" being a person and not a gadget, the stories being in generally the same style (instead of having different styles), and characters appearing who weren't in "The Cherry-on-Top-inator", like Ms. O and Owen.
• Status Quo Is God: Naturally, Orson gets to stay in Precinct 13579.
• Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard: Numerous agents comment on how the X's firing Orson is "the craziest thing I've ever heard".
• Talking Animal: A Running Gag in the episode involves a dog who can say the names of people. However, that seems to be as far as his speech capability can go.
• Terrible Artist: Orson isn't that skilled of a drawer, but for some reason, Olympia can tell who is who in his pictures. Justified, as he is just a baby.
• Worldbuilding: Downplayed. This episode reveals that there are 100 Security agents currently employed at Precinct 13579 in total. They also have their own living room, for some reason.
• Would Hurt a Child: True to their nature as being hate sinks, the X's have no problem with firing Orson from Odd Squad simply for doing things that babies are known for doing (crying, sleeping, and eating). They begin throwing his stuff in a box as all he can do is watch and cry (as he is unable to speak). Luckily, Olympia happens to be passing by and confronts the X's.
• Wrong Assumption: Played with. Orson is shown doing regular baby things like playing with toys, and even doing things that are impossible for him to do on his own at his age (like pick up a spoonful of pie and eat it), which numerous agents take as him telling them what to do. Whether Orson is actually trying to help them or is just being his usual self, though, is up for debate. The X's even refuse to believe the stories the other agents are telling them about how Orson helped them because they believe that he is being his usual baby self and doing things one would expect a baby to do, versus deliberately helping agents out.

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When you're the Sole Survivor of Precinct 13579, even rare privileges become unbearable after a while.

The Scientist

Airdates: October 22, 2018 ^note  PBS Kids premiere, April 2, 2018 ^note  TVO Kids premiere

Oona gets zapped to an alternate dimension and must figure out a way to get back home.

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Tropes:

• Another Dimension: Oona finds herself lost in a dimension that looks near-identical to Precinct 13579, but there are two differences.
  • There are no agents aside from Oona herself, as they've been replaced with pink-colored exercise equipment.
  • Things are inverted, such as the lights turning on when Oona turns the light switch in her lab downwards. This has an impact on Oona's gadgets as well, as gadget numbers are flipped, causing their functions to change (like gadget #4, the Hairbrush-inator, creating garlic bread, as it serves the function of gadget #40, the Garlic-Bread-inator).
• Breather Episode: Along with "Saving Agent Orson", it's a generally lighthearted episode before the season finale.
• Brief Accent Imitation: Averted. Oona imitates Ms. O at one point during the Montage, right down to drinking juice, having a Prim and Proper Bun, and wearing a two-rowed necklace made out of paper. However, she doesn't imitate the Director's accent in any way.
• Chekhov's Skill: Oona decides to spend her time in the alternate dimension working out. This ends up giving her a huge strength and agility boost against the rapidly-growing plant at the climax.
• Continuity Nod: Oona accidentally traps herself in an ice block by firing what is supposed to be the Clean-Your-Clothes-inator, but turns out to be the Freeze-inator. Unsurprisingly, her predecessor also froze himself in an ice block before, but he managed to drop his gadget rather than use the wrong one. He also didn't spend 4 days in the ice block like Oona did.
  • Oona fires what she believes is the Napkin-inator, but is really the Grow-inator. This causes a nearby plant to grow rapidly and spread throughout the entire bullpen, similar to what Olive and Otto had to fight off in "Robert Plant". However, while the eponymous plant didn't seek to actively hurt Olive nor Otto, the plant in this episode directly attacks Oona.
• Determinator: Oona manages to invoke an aversion of the trope on herself, as she tries to discourage herself from figuring out how gadgets work in the alternate dimension. However, she plays the trope straight when she says that Scientists never quit.
  • She also plays the trope straight on herself when she needs to get gadget #89 from the lab, but needs to defeat the crazy growing plant invading HQ.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Oona's status as the Sole Survivor as well as the absence of other agents and her mental health becoming frayed throughout the episode, in addition to her recording found footage of herself for any other potential survivors, is very reminiscent of someone who has survived some widescale disaster, like a tornado or an apocalypse.
• Enemy Without: The "clone" of Oona, seen talking to the "real" Oona throughout the episode, could potentially be seen as this, as it appears to mostly be a manifestation of the Scientist's thoughts, both positive and negative. For the cherry on top, Oona has this to say at the end of the episode:
  Oona: But...the real thing I battled was...myself, and I won.
• Failed a Spot Check: Oona has been hiding in a closet for over 6 months, and suddenly realizes that there's a light that's right next to her when she says that she can't see her whiteboard.
  Oona: I wish I found that 6 months ago!!
• Fake Interactivity: Oona invokes this trope at times throughout the episode, though she doesn't rely heavily on it.
• Fake Video Camera View: Averted. Though Oona is recording herself via a video camera (doing a "video journal"), there's no frame or "REC" button. Instead, Oona simply says that the red light is on at the beginning of the episode.
• Friendship Moment: Oona hugging Olympia and Otis after being trapped in Another Dimension for nearly a year is very invoked heartwarming to see.
• The Glomp: Oona glomps Olympia and Otis after returning from the alternate dimension. While Olympia is caught off-guard by it, Otis, being an Affection-Hating Kid, is shown looking visibly disgusted.
• I Should Write a Book About This: While stuck in the alternate dimension, Oona found the time to write an autobiography on her life.
• Leave the Camera Running: Most of the entire episode (save the end) is shot with a single camera that is revealed to be Oona's own video camera. There are cuts and static transitions, though, and the camera ends up being nearly broken during the battle at the climax of the episode.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: As Oona becomes bored in the alternate dimension, the music slowly winds down to a halt.
• Minimalist Cast: Only the Main 4, minus Ms. O, have speaking roles. The episode focuses primarily on Oona, as she is the only character to be featured up until the end.
• Montage: One occurs as Oona has fun in the alternate dimension's headquarters.
• Motor Mouth: Oona delves into this while telling Olympia and Otis about her experience in the alternate dimension. It's enough to give Olympia herself a run for her money!
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Oona was transported to Another Dimension when accidentally knocking over the Dimension-inator while on her way to get another gadget for Olympia and Otis.
  • She also nearly causes the downfall of Precinct 13579's Headquarters in said dimension when firing various gadgets to figure out how they work. By doing this, she manages to cause a plant to grow rapidly enough to spread throughout Headquarters.
  Oona: Ohh boy!
• Pintsized Powerhouse: While in the alternate dimension and thinking about how gadgets function in it versus in the real world, Oona takes the time to exercise with the pink exercise equipment littering Precinct 13579. As a result, she not only manages to make it a near-Curb-Stomp Battle with the out-of-control plant, she crushes a gadget in her hand with ease (albeit accidentally). She's strong enough that she could potentially rival Ms. O in sheer strength.
• Prim and Proper Bun: Oona sports one of these during her imitation of Ms. O, in addition to the Director's trademark two-rowed purple necklace.
• Puppet Show: Oona uses this as a way to convey to those who watch the footage of her, and by extension the audience, how she became stuck in Another Dimension.
• Sanity Slippage: Being trapped in Another Dimension with no other people and things becoming inverted doesn't do wonders for a person's mental health, as Oona soon discovers.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Oona is forced to retreat when a nearby plant begins to grow rapidly due to her firing the Napkin-inator at it (which serves the same function as the Grow-inator gadget).
• Shadow Discretion Shot: Part of Oona's battle with the plant is only shown in silhouette.
• Sole Survivor: Oona is the only agent left in the alternate dimension. While she has food to keep her sustained, the lack of people as well as a lack of things to do puts a strain on her mental health fairly quickly.
• Talking to Themself: Oona does this very often while in the alternate dimension.
  Oona: Okay, here's the deal. The fact that things don't work the same here is a big problem, because the only way for me to get back home is by zapping myself with the Dimension-inator gadget. But guess what?
  Oona: Ooh, I know!
  Oona: Yes, Oona?
  Oona: Gadgets don't work the same here either.
  Oona: Bingo!
• Tempting Fate: Oona is more than happy with being stuck in Another Dimension due to having the run of the precinct's Headquarters and finding all sorts of things to do, as well as having lots of garlic bread to eat. However, she becomes bored eventually, and soon realizes that she needs to get out.
• Time Skip: Oona ends up spending nearly a year in the alternate dimension, as evidenced by her video journal, which chronicles the time she spends in the dimension. For Olympia and Otis, however, Oona was only gone for a few seconds.
• Year Inside, Hour Outside: Oona ends up spending 218 days in the alternate dimension, or more than half a year. When she gets back to the real world, however, she finds that she was only gone for a mere few seconds.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Oona decides to give this speech to herself before she goes to retrieve gadget #89.
  Oona: You can do this.
  Oona: You really think so?
  Oona: Look, I know I've said some stuff these past 6 months, but...deep down, I want you to know: I always believed in you.
  Oona: Aw. Thanks.
  [the two "Oona's" look at each other]
  Oona: All right. Let's-
  Oona: -do this.

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