Recap / Round the Twist

The following is a list of episodes and their summaries for the late 1980s Australian fantasy kids' series, Round The Twist, which aired in America in the late 1990s on the Fox Kids line-up.

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Series One

1. "Skeleton in the Dunny": The Twist family moves to a seaside town after buying the lighthouse, and Bronson discovers during an urgent bathroom visit that a ghost is haunting the outhouse.
2. "Birdsdo": Nell is committed to a mental hospital after raving about the existence of a dragon — and all of her mortgaged land ends up being signed over to the Twists, prompting Pete and Linda to search for Nell's rubies at Seagull Shack... and contend with an evil flock of seagulls with loose bowels.
3. "A Good Tip for Ghosts": Peter and Linda are dared by Gribble, Jr. to retrieve a steer's skull from a junkyard said to be haunted by the ghost of an old man looking to reunite with his long-lost grandchildren.
4. "The Cabbage Patch Fib": After an embarrassed Tony lies to Bronson about where babies come from, Bronson discovers that the old "babies are born in a cabbage patch" wives' tale is real, as he's now the proud father of a little sprout from the family's vegetable garden.
5. "Spaghetti Pig Out": Chaos reigns after a bolt of lightning hits the Twist family's remote control, which gives it the power to control reality, and Gribble, Jr. wants to use it for the school's Spaghetti Pig-Out.
6. "The Gum Leaf War": Linda breaks her nose and gets caught up in a war against her Aunt Tuneless and her neighbor Foxy over a gum leaf tree that has the power to transfer illness and injuries to others.
7. "Santa Claws": A bizarre Christmas Episode where Pete (who has to cover half of his face because of a shrunken mouth) recounts how a homeless man who claimed to be Santa Claus granted the Twist family two wishes... and how those wishes went pearshape.
8. "Wunderpants": Pete gives himself magic powers after putting his underwear in the microwave to dry off — but the microwave's powers also cause his underwear to shrink.
9. "Lucky Lips": A gypsy gives Pete (who wants a kiss from his crush, Fiona) a tube of lipstick that makes females attracted to its male wearer — but trouble ensues when Gribble, Jr. wants the lipstick for himself so he can kiss Fiona — and Pete learns that the lipstick attracts females of all types (human and otherwise).
10. "Know All": The Twists find a trunk full of old circus costumes and dress the scarecrow in a clown's outfit, which brings the scarecrow to life and lusting for Linda.
11. "The Copy": The Twists buy a copy machine that has the power to make backwards clones of people.
12. "Without My Pants": Pete is cursed into blurting, "without my pants" after everything he says.
13. "Lighthouse Blues": The Gribbles succeed into evicting the Twists from their home, but the ghosts in the attic plan to fight back against them and the land developer who wants the lighthouse destroyed.

Series Two

1. "Next Time Around": Pete is hypnotized into acting like a chicken whenever he hears the word, "now," but Linda can't break the spell.
2. "Copy Cat": Bronson finds an ancient Mongolian copy cat hat. Linda wears it during the Birdman competition and begins imitating a seagull. But Dad and Gribble aren't quite so lucky when they wear the copy cat hat.
3. "Little Squirt": A water spirit attacks Bronson for disturbing her habitat, when really it's Mr. Gribble building a dam on the river as part of his election campaign.
4. "Pink Bow Tie": Pete, Rabbit, Tiger and Gribbs tell their skeptical principal the story of how they ran afoul of two thieves who made off with a device that causes fluctuations in a person's age.
5. "Nails": Linda helps a boy who's growing scales on his skin find his estranged mother.
6. "Sloppy Jalopy": Pete falls into a puddle of sludge and becomes a literal trash magnet.
7. "Smelly Feat": Bronson uses Fay's birthday party as a chance to use the foot odor he's cultivated to save a turtle at the beach from the local bullies.
8. "Grandad's Gifts": Tony tries to convince Fay not to leave the family after getting into one too many fights with Bronson. Meanwhile, Linda hears a strange and terrible sound behind the wall in her room and is convinced that it's connected with the sudden fruit-bearing from the old lemon tree in their yard.
9. "Ice Maiden": Bronson becomes enamoured of one of Tony's ice sculptures and Hilarity Ensues.
10. "Yuckles": While Mr. Gribble sets out to destroy a rainforest and erect a casino, Nell sets out to save a species of magical toadstools called Yuckles which live in the rainforest and can duplicate whatever stands next to them before exploding.
11. "Quivering Heap": Jealous that Pete gets to suck Fiona's neck during a school production of Dracula, Gribbs locks Pete in the school bathroom. While there, Pete meets a ghost who forces Pete to scare someone if he ever wants to get out.
12. "Little Black Balls": Nell's prized opal gets swallowed by a goat and the only way to retrieve it is to search for the goat — and look through its droppings.
13. "Seeing the Light": On election night everyone gathers at the lighthouse for a party, but a storm begins and they are all trapped inside. Meanwhile, the ghost ship of the SS Niranda is returning a hundred years after being wrecked on the coast.

Series Three

1. "The Big Burp": In what is considered the strangest, most controversial episode of the series^note so much so that it nearly got banned in its native Australia, Pete, who desperately needs to use the bathroom, is saved from Gribbs and his cronies by a dryad — and becomes a father when he learns that a man who urinates on an enchanted tree becomes pregnant with a dryad's baby.
2. "Viking Book of Love": Port Niranda is overrun by Vikings who have a magic book that has all the secrets on love.
3. "The Whirling Derfish": Thanks to Gribbs and his cronies dunking him in a water tank, Bronson accidentally eats a rare fish that causes him to spin uncontrollably whenever his penis gets wet. Meanwhile, Fay finds The Viking Book of Love in Linda's room.
4. "UMI": Pete and Mr. Gribble switch minds thanks to a virtual reality accident. Meanwhile, Fiona falls for Pete when she reads, The Viking Book of Love.
5. "Truth Hits Everyone": After losing out to Gribbs as the host of the Port Niranda High School Broadcast, Linda decides to do her own show with some old video and sound equipment from a pawnshop, one of which is a microphone that makes anyone who speaks into it tell the truth. Meanwhile, Bronson and James turn vain after reading The Viking Book of Love.
6. "The Nirandathal Beast": Bronson is mistaken for a hairy mythical beast after a broken family tradition curses him with a mile-long beard. Meanwhile, The Viking Book of Love finds its way to Harold and Matron, which inspires them to open a motel.
7. "Mali Boo": Pete buys a surfboard to ride during the Port Niranda beach carnival and gets help on how to ride the waves from the ghost of a surfer who died trying to conquer a 200-ft tidal wave that hits the port town every 30 years. Meanwhile, Rabbit and Old Nell get their hands on The Viking Book of Love.
8. "Brainless": As part of a school science fair, a tech geek named Anthony and Bronson test out a machine that separates a human's brain from its body on Pete and Linda. While Pete and Linda's brains try to find their way home, Gribbs and his bully friends use Pete and Linda as their mindless servants. Meanwhile, Linda falls for Anthony after reading another passage from The Viking Book of Love.
9. "Toy Love": Linda throws out an old doll named Veronique — and soon regrets it when Veronique comes to life to get revenge on her master. Meanwhile, Gribbs becomes the newest owner of The Viking Book of Love and falls for Linda.
10. "Tears of Innocence": During a game of cricket, Pete meets a man who has the power to control rain, but fears he may have lost his powers... and things get worse when he falls in with Gribbs and causes a drought in Port Niranda. Meanwhile, Fay falls for Snapper, all thanks to The Viking Book of Love.
11. "The Ice Cream Man Cometh": Linda gets a job at a gelato trailer and frees a pale, socially awkward freak she thinks is being held against his will to make gelatos... only to find out that the so-called "freak" is the trailer driver's gelato machine turned human.
12. "If These Walls Could Talk": Bronson begins to hear voices from the furniture, and uses his power to rescue Fay from Snapper with The Viking Book of Love.
13. "The Big Rock": Snorrison returns to retrieve The Viking Book of Love, only to find that Gribbs turned Fay into a frog by reading the last poem and all the adults are hurtled backwards in time while the kids are left to fend for themselves.

Series Four

1. "Welcome Back": Mr. Snapper is chosen to direct a play for Port Niranda's 200th birthday, but must contend with the ghost of a musical family who died before they could get their fifteen minutes of fame. Meanwhile, Fay tries to hide her pregnancy.
2. "Monster Under the Bed": A thunderstorm and an earthquake bring about a hulking monster made of lint and dirt that has taken residence under Bronson's bed. Meanwhile, Fay worries about breaking the news about her pregnancy to the rest of the family.
3. "Linda Godiva": Linda finds an old perfume bottle that turns her invisible when she sprays it on herself — and Pete uses the perfume bottle Linda is trapped in to help him win a horse race.
4. "Dog By Night": Pete gets bitten by a rare Transylvanian flea called a "Dracumite" that turns its victim into a real werewolf... and he ends up falling in love with Fiona's pet dog.
5. "TV or Not TV": While their parents are away, the Twist kids fight over what to watch on TV, and when they use three remotes at the same time, they become their favorite TV stars (Bronson becomes a TV detective named Jack Geddes, Pete becomes Rick the Rock, an Australian football player, and Linda becomes Mary Moore, a news reporter)... and end up trapped in the TV when they accidentally bring the real Jack, Rick, and Mary out.
6. "Face the Fear": Bronson teams up with an escaped convict, a ghost and a host of others in the cemetery when The Rat, a jumpy, accident prone criminal escapes from jail and tries to retrieve his hidden loot from Old Man Crenshaw's grave.
7. "Hair Brain": An apprentice hairdresser turns Linda's hair into a curly mess, but the ruined 'do proves to be useful when Linda gains the ability to read minds and speak to people telepathically and Pete wants her to use her new powers to win the school election.
8. "The Princess and the Pete": Pete falls for a new girl named Jade, who protests against the Gribbles' exploiting the mineral water supply because she's a frog that can turn human.
9. "Boy Bird": Bronson befriends a bird-faced boy with an incredible singing voice.
10. "The Shadow Player": During a total eclipse, Linda's shadow (her "dark side") breaks from her body after putting up with her being boring and makes her more impulsive by possessing her.
11. "Radio DA DA": Pete and Linda travel back to World War II and try to change the past for a better present, only to face dire consequences.
12. "Skunkman": Bronson becomes a smelly superhero who fights crime in Port Niranda.
13. "Isle of Dreams": In this, the Series Finale, the strange, armored man who keeps following the Twist kids turns out to be a girl named Ariel, who has chosen the Twist kids to come with her to a magical island city considered the surviving remnant of Atlantis. Meanwhile, Fay handcuffs herself to Mr. Gribble and ends up going into labor.