Recap / Odd Squad S 3 E 16 Teach A Man To Ice Fish

Yeah, we'd be dreading working with incompetent agents too if our boss called us to a "frozen wasteland".

Teach a Man to Ice Fish

Airdate: July 6, 2020 ^note ABC ME premiere, January 18, 2021 ^note PBS Kids premiere

When villain, Confetti Betty, strikes the Odd Squad headquarters in the Arctic, the Mobile Unit returns to help. As they attempt to crack the villain's pattern, they must teach the agents how to solve cases for themselves.

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Tropes:

• Absurdly Long Wait: From the audience's perspective — it takes 3/4 of the episode just for the Arctic agents to be able to see the video that Confetti Betty sent them, which contains a clue on how to find and capture her. The only reason why it takes so long is because the only power outlet is in Mr. O's office.
• Accidental Misnaming: Arctic Mr. O completely blanks on Orla's and Oswald's names, and ends up making a long, drawn-out "Awww" sound (which is part of the pronunciation of Oswald's name, but not Orla's) as he tries to recall them. Opal interrupts and starts to introduce her teammates, but Mr. O insists that he'll remember eventually and continues to make the sound. Eventually Opal just gives him their names, and he responds that those names are exactly what he said.
• The Alleged Computer: Played with. The computer that Mr. O has is boxy and rectangular, and has a terribly short power cord. However, when plugged in, it works fine.
• Artistic License: While there are people who live in the Arctic and have done so for years, this episode portrays the location and the people living in it as though it's an average suburban city or town, with little regard as to how they feed and care for themselves and with more modern amenities than most people living in the Arctic. The houses seen in the episode are even referred to as being on a single street, Main Street.
• Audience Surrogate: Both Arctic Mr. O and the Arctic agents are quite obviously meant to represent the younger side of the target demographic ^note Odd Squad is marketed to older kids up to age 12, but other sites mark the show as being for kids ages 2-6, or 4-6, as they all have trouble solving math and science problems while the Main 4 encourage them to solve it on their own.
• invoked Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Doug's commercial at the end of the episode definitely qualifies, as it's quite a swerve from the scene of Mr. O delivering some unintentional karma to the Main 4.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: True to his Big Eater tendencies, Omar finds Doug's sandwiches and business ideas to be cool. This is in contrast to Opal, who doesn't like it.
• Blood Knight: While Opal is often a downplayed version of this trope, this episode has her ready to throw down against Confetti Betty the second the villainess walks through the door of her former Headquarters.
• Blunt "Yes": The Big O gives Opal this as a response when she asks her boss if she means the Arctic where Omar and her used to work at.
• The Bus Came Back: Delivery Doug returns after having last been seen in "The Deposit Slip-Up".
  • Arctic Mr. O also comes back, as does the Arctic Headquarters, after having last been seen in "Odd Beginnings: Part 2".
• Busman's Vocabulary: When trying to figure out Betty's pattern, Doug says that the bread represents the odd numbers, and the filling represents the even numbers. He then explains the villainess's pattern by using bread and sandwiches as allegories.
• Butt-Monkey: Orla and Oswald get put through the wringer trying to spark some semblance of intelligence into the Arctic agents, far moreso than Opal and Omar with Arctic Mr. O.
• Call-Back: Opal and Omar return to their former Headquarters in the Arctic. This time around, however, Oswald and Orla come with.
  • This episode also marks the formal debut of Confetti Betty, after she had a brief cameo in "Villain Networking".
  • Friction is one of the Aesops of the episode, just like it was in "Slow Your Roll".
• Character Focus: This episode veers away from having the focus be on the Main 4 for a little bit, instead focusing on Arctic Mr. O and his precinct. However, it also puts a little focus on Opal and Omar, considering they were former agents of the precinct (and were the most competent agents there).
• Chekhov's Gun: The video Confetti Betty sent the Arctic precinct allows Arctic Mr. O to figure out her pattern.
• Chekhov's Hobby: At one point, Arctic Mr. O tells Opal and Omar about his yo-yo skills. You get one guess as to what ends up being the downfall of Confetti Betty at the climax.
• Comically Missing the Point: It's a Running Gag of Ohab's to give nonsensical answers to Orla's and Oswald's questions — for example, when Orla asks him what is something smooth they can use to move the computer, he answers with "Agent Ornette", an agent who plays a saxophone. Seconds after that, Oswald asks him what the Arctic agents have a lot of, and he answers with "Time."
  • Omar tells Doug, at his second Arctic location, that Confetti Betty is coming to it to wreak havoc. Doug sees her as just another customer.
  Opal: This is not a good thing, Doug.
  Doug: You know what? That's what everyone said when I opened two Arctic locations. But clearly, they were wrong, because look at all the customers I'm getting!
  [he gestures to one woman sitting at a nearby table]
• Continuity Nod: When sitting in the Meeting Room, Opal asks Mr. O if the Big O ever got him heaters for Headquarters, as she said she was going to do in "Odd Beginnings: Part 2". He tells her that she did, but it's revealed that he uses it as a doorstopper rather than for its intended use.
  • From the same episode, the Main 4 all borrow Olive and Otto's unisonant "Whaaaaat?" catchphrase, with Orla joining in late, just like in that episode.
  • This isn't the first time that agents have tried to build up a Director's confidence in solving cases — Olympia and Otis attempted to build up the night shift Mr. O's confidence and raise his self-esteem in "Night Shift".
  • At one point, Ornette has 11 fingers, just like Olive did in "Bad Luck Bears" — only while Olive's finger was magically generated by the Mathroom and wasn't any physical defect of hers, Ornette's finger looks to be far more realistic, like something she was born with. The latter's finger also veers more into invoked Nightmare Fuel for this reason.
  • Doug's song at the end of the episode is the same song that he and Delivery Debbie sang regarding their restaurant in "Mystic Egg Pizza", only with swapped-out lyrics.
• Couldn't Find a Pen: Since Doug doesn't have a pen and paper, Arctic Mr. O uses mayonnaise and his finger, as well as bread, instead. While Opal finds it disgusting, Omar finds it cool.
• Determinator: Boy howdy, does Arctic Mr. O avert this hard. He doesn't believe he can catch Confetti Betty despite his efforts, leading Opal and Omar, two of his former agents, to give him a kick and spark some confidence in him. It gets to such a point where he completely gives up at the climax when Confetti Betty strikes House #11.
• Didn't Think This Through: As they're making their way to the Arctic Mr. O's headquarters, Oswald laments why they parked so far away from the building.
• Dressed in Layers: The woman who lives at House #1 in the Arctic appears to be dressed in numerous layers — not just in clothing, but also in blankets.
• Evil Is Hammy: Make no mistake — Confetti Betty is definitely one of the more hammier villains seen on the show.
• Fascinating Eyebrow: Omar gives one when the woman at House #9, whose hair is covered in construction paper, shows them her snowflake craft.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Confetti Betty wears a cape made out of colorful feathers.
• Get Out!: Orla tells the Arctic agents that if they're going to sit and watch her and Oswald move the computer and not help, then she suggests that they leave. They immediately take the hint and go to leave, before Oswald stops them.
• Harmless Freezing: The van ends up being encased in ice due to the cold conditions. Since they have no vehicle to travel with, Mr. O, Opal and Omar are forced to travel to houses on foot, much to the latter two agents' dismay.
  • The gadgets the Main 4 produce from their Hammerspace spines in order to fight Confetti Betty also become frozen from the cold conditions of the Arctic, which leaves them — and by extension, the rest of the agents, since they don't have gadgets — defenseless.
• Hidden Depths: Despite his incompetence, Arctic Mr. O is very skilled at yo-yo tricks.
• High-Five Left Hanging: When Mr. O figures out that the pattern Betty is following is a doubling pattern, he holds up his hand, with his index finger covered in mayonnaise, and invites Opal and Omar to high-five him. None of them take him up on it.
• Hopeless with Tech: Both Ohab and Ornette believe that the way to get the computer to Mr. O's office is to dismantle it entirely, when there is a video that needs to be watched. The latter's reasoning is that if there's "no computer", there's "no problem".
• Hope Spot: When Trevor comes to Doug's restaurant and tells the agents that Confetti Betty struck his house, Mr. O says that he thinks he's solved the pattern. Opal and Omar give a hopeful "Really?" before he tells them that the pattern is that every time he solves a case, he fails.
• How Much Did You Hear?: As Oswald and Orla try to move the computer using their own strength, the Arctic agents watch them as they fail to move it even an inch.
  [Orla and Oswald try to push the computer]
  Ohab: Guys, it's not moving.
  [they stop; Whip Pan to the other agents]
  Oswald: How long have you guys have been sitting there watching us?
  Ohab: Not sure, the clocks don't work here.
• Idiot Ball: While Doug grips the ball fairly often, this episode has him opening up a new location in, of all the places in the world, the Arctic. Opal hangs a lampshade on this by asking him why he's opening up a location in the Arctic, only for him to respond that he's somehow saved enough money to open the place up. And he hasn't just opened one — he's opened two Arctic locations.
• Improbable Weapon User: True to her name, Confetti Betty attacks with confetti that she creates with her wand.
• Kitschy Local Commercial: Doug's commercial advertising his two Arctic restaurant locations definitely qualifies. Not only is it a invoked Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, but it's nonsensical and looks cheaply made.
• Incompetence, Inc.: The Arctic agents, and how. This episode reveals that Arctic Mr. O's incompetence also spreads to his agents, as they have no clue how to do much of anything until the Main 4 teach them.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: Orla and Oswald break off from the Main 4 briefly to figure out a way to get the computer closer to the plug. In the meantime, Opal and Omar work on cracking Confetti Betty's pattern.
• Literal-Minded: When the Arctic agents manage to get the computer to Mr. O's office, Orla offers Ohab a chance to plug in the computer, and this exchange happens:
  Orla: Perhaps...you would like to do the honors, young Ohab.
  Ohab: I'm the same age as you.
  Orla: You are also 500 years old?
  Ohab: Oh, uhh, no, never mind!
• Locked Out of the Loop: While Omar is well-familiar with Delivery Doug from seeing his commercials, Opal has no idea who he is.
• Magic Wand: Confetti Betty wields one that allows her to shoot confetti.
• Montage: One is shown as the Arctic agents, along with Orla and Oswald, make soles for their shoes out of sandpaper.
• Mickey Mousing: Both Oswald and Ohab stamp their feet on the ground in time with the last two beats of the BGM featured in the Montage.
• Multi-Part Episode: The sixth one of Season 3.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In a shot of unintentional (and possibly undeserving) karma, Mr. O refuses to have any of the Arctic agents help the Mobile Unit get their van unfrozen (since it's stuck in ice) for the same reason that they helped him and his agents solve the case: because the Mobile Unit agents will come to be over-reliant on the Arctic precinct's agents for every little thing, just like how the inversion was the case throughout the episode. Instead, Mr. O hands the Main 4 a space heater that they can use as a shovel, much to their chagrin.
• No Name Given: None of the adults that live in the Arctic, aside from Doug, are given names. On the more extreme side of the coin, the other two agents aside from Ohab and Ornette seen in the Arctic Headquarters aren't just given names — they aren't even listed in the credits.
• Noodle Incident: At the beginning of the episode, Orla mentions fighting off a sea monster.
• Priceless Paperweight: The heaters the Big O gave Mr. O — something that was part of a trade with Opal and Omar leaving for the Mobile Unit, since he is consistently cold — are being used for little more than doorstoppers.
• Pungeon Master: Doug, who else?
  Doug: Now, if you'll egg-scuse me, I've got an errand to run.
• Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Ornette wears a pair of sunglasses that don't really help much in the Arctic.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: Played with. The Big O orders the Main 4 to go to the Arctic, but not as punishment — the Arctic Mr. O requires their assistance. Nonetheless, none of the Main 4 are excited to go there.
• Self-Serving Memory: When Oswald asks Arctic Mr. O if he's ever used the rectangular computer he has, there's a Flashback Cut to the Director playing a game of baseball with it (with the bat taped to the computer). Once the flashback ends, he says that he's never used it.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Orla and Oswald go through hell and back trying to give the Arctic agents kicks to their rumps to try and have them figure out how to get the computer to the top floor so they can see the video that Confetti Betty sent them, since it contains a clue. The video in and of itself turns out to be Betty doing some Evil Gloating and taunting Odd Squad by saying that she'll strike houses one by one, and that the oddness she causes will grow and grow...and that's it. Those are the only clues that the agents get. The entire scene is best summed up by Oswald:
  Oswald: Well, that was a waste of time.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: A woman does this when the Main 4 first arrive, as Mr. O points her out and asks her to describe the villain striking in the Arctic. Once she recounts her story, a man suddenly appears next to her, covered in confetti, as he also describes how he was attacked by the villain.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Omar and Opal have this reaction to Mr. O telling them that they'll need to travel on foot.
  • They also have this reaction when Mr. O pits himself against Confetti Betty — a villainess that's taller than him and has a Magic Wand — with the one tool he has on him: his yo-yo. As it turns out, Mr. O's proficiency at the yo-yo is exactly how Betty is defeated.
• Translator Buddy: Opal serves as one for Orla briefly when the ancient warrior agents tells Mr. O that if he has any more information on Confetti Betty, to "make haste and speak forth".
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Confetti Betty leaves the Arctic Headquarters following her capture in order to fix the messes she's made.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Confetti Betty states that her motive was to bring a little pizzazz to the Arctic. However, her means of achieving this was to attack people and shower them in confetti, and make the Arctic in and of itself covered in confetti as well.
• Worldbuilding: More of the Arctic, as well as the Arctic headquarters, is featured — in particular, the latter has a Meeting Room which is freezing-cold, and is located at 16 Main Street.
• Wrong Assumption: Subverted. For some reason, Opal believes that if the Main 4 solve this case, then Arctic Mr. O will become over-reliant on them and call them every time he or his precinct has a problem, with Oswald eventually thinking the same of the Arctic agents. To the audience, this can be seen as something pulled completely out-of-the-blue, but wouldn't be too uncommon for Mr. O or his precinct considering their foolish and ditzy natures. As it turns out, their concerns are valid — Arctic Mr. O doesn't have enough confidence in himself to solve any sort of case, and by having him solve it, it builds his self-esteem, and the same eventually goes for the rest of the agents.
• Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Orla, Oswald, and the Arctic agents manage to slide the computer across the floor by laying ice down on it. However, the outlet they're trying to reach isn't on the bottom floor — it's on Mr. O's desk, which is on an elevated floor that has no ramp.

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