Original airdate: November 18th, 2013
Production code: 1020-008
Steven is searching for his pants when Pearl comes in, searching for a Gem Shard. She warns Steven that the shard is dangerous and can possess clothing garments, turning them into violent living entities. Steven is distracted by his missing pants and hears little of her explanation. She tells him to be on the lookout for the Gem Shard and heads out to search the town.After Pearl leaves, Steven finds his pants walking on their own, exclaiming "That's unusual!" and chases after his pants throughout the house. Eventually, Steven catches his pants after tackling them, puts them on, and finds one of the gem shards Pearl is looking for inside a pocket. Steven then leaves the temple in search of Pearl to give her the gem shard.
While looking for Pearl, Steven is startled by Peedee Fryman wearing a "Frybo" character mascot costume being attacked by seagulls mistaking him as fries. After chasing away the seagulls, Peedee's dad, Mr. Fryman, comes out of his shop and tells Peedee that he is doing a mediocre job at being part of the Fryman business. After his dad goes back inside the shop, Peedee tells Steven that he just wants to help his dad without wearing the costume, and Steven gets an idea: to wear the costume himself. However, this idea backfires when the seagulls come back and attack Steven while he is wearing the costume, also mistaking him for fries.
Steven eventually takes off the damaged costume. He comes up with the idea to use a gem shard to make Frybo come to life. This plan succeeds; Frybo is repaired and listens to Steven's every command. When Steven tells Frybo to do a little dance, Frybo grows legs made out of fries and dances. Mr. Fryman then comes out and tells Frybo (not knowing Peedee is not inside the costume) that he is doing a good job.
Once Mr. Fryman returns to the store, Peedee claims that he is free, and tells Frybo that it got the job and to shake on it. Frybo takes this literally and physically shakes Peedee when it is supposed to shake his hand. After it let goes of him, Peedee tells Frybo to make people eat fries and plans to go be kids with Steven as they run off to Funland. As Steven and Peedee ride Jelly Jiggler and Tsunami respectively, Peedee becomes depressed and realizes riding the seahorse is not as satisfying as it used to be.Later the two hear screaming from the Fry Shop and run to see what's going on. They discover that Frybo took Peedee's earlier command literally and is now using his fry tentacles to force feed people fries. Mr. Fryman, believing that it is still Peedee inside the costume, tries to reason with him and apologizes for being tough on him. Frybo responds by trying to force feed Mr. Fryman his own fries then throwing him out the window on top of the boys. Eventually, Pearl arrives and asks Steven if he put the shard into the costume. Pearl summons her spear and throws it into Frybo's eye resulting in an eruption of ketchup and mustard. The stream of condiments catches Pearl in the face, blinding her and causing her to drop the other gem shards.
While Peedee rushes to his father, Frybo emerges from the fry shop with Pearl's weapon protruding from its eye. Peedee stands between Frybo and his father and tries to defend him by swinging a broken wooden plank at Frybo. In the process, he reveals his true feelings about always hating Frybo just as his dad regains consciousness. Frybo then disarms Peedee, who falls back into his father's arms as Mr. Fryman tries to shield him from the approaching Frybo. Steven's pants are seen leaping onto Frybo and kicking him. Steven has taken all of his clothes off and used each of the shards to bring them to life. Steven commands his clothes to attack Frybo as he tries to remove Frybo's shard but fails.
Steven exclaims that he "didn't want to do this, but you (Frybo) leave me no choice." His underwear then flies off and attacks Frybo along with the rest of his clothing. Together, they are finally able to subdue Frybo long enough for Steven to reach into its cheese-filled mouth and rip out the gem shard, reverting Frybo to an inanimate costume.
The scene transfers to the beach, where the Fryman mascot is given a Viking funeral (the costume is sent out into the ocean on a flaming fishing boat). Peedee asks if his dad wants to get another costume. His dad replies he does not need another Frybo because he has Peedee. Steven, still naked, heroically states that their mission is complete. Pearl chides him to put his clothes back on.
We Iris Out over the star on Steven's shirt.
Tropes:
- Animating Artifact: Steven acquires a gem shard that can animate clothes. He uses it to bring Frybo, a mascot costume, to life so the guy wearing it can goof off with him. However, Frybo turns evil, so Steven uses more gem shards to bring his own clothes to life so they can defeat it.
- Badass Boast: When Steven goes after Frybo.Peedee: What are you gonna do?
Steven: [starry eyes] My job! - Bait-and-Switch: Peedee asks Steven, who'd just gotten a gem shard that could animate clothing, if there was some way Frybo can be around without him being in it. Cut to Steven in the Frybo costume. He gets attacked by seagulls the same as Peedee, and then he uses the gem shard.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Frybo forcefully attacks people, forcing them down and stuffing their mouths with fries, after being ordered to "make people eat fries."
- Bond One-Liner: After Steven pulls the gem shard out of Frybo.Steven: As soon as I bared my butt, I knew he'd crack.
- Boredom Montage: As Peedee finally rides the Seahorse ride at the arcade, his face goes in and out of camera range, gradually shifting from excited to realizing that he doesn't think it's fun anymore.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Kiki and the cool kids (Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream) are among Frybo's victims. Ronaldo is also seen in the shop early on but doesn't speak.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The gem shards animating Frybo have implications that are simply unaddressed as the show's mythos develops. They have no apparent history before becoming shards and never try to construct whatever body parts they can out of light. Instead, they animate whatever material effigy they're placed in, and inexplicably can conjure whatever substance is thematically associated with it, like Frybo being able to grow legs made of fries, having ketchup blood and being filled with mashed potato innards.
- Exact Words: Steven gives Frybo the command to "make people eat fries." The mascot interprets this literally and makes people eat fries...by forcing them down patrons' throats against their will.
- Eye Scream: Pearl throws her spear into Frybo's eyes, scoring a direct hit but only managing to make it bleed a stream of ketchup and mustard onto her face.
- Fish Eyes: Steven's eyes start looking in opposite direction as he spaces out (twice) while Pearl is lecturing on the dangers of the crystal shards.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: Peedee argues that being a Crystal Gem is not a job because they don't get paid. Steven claims that they get paid in the smiles of the people they save. Peedee then confesses that the money he gets doesn't compensate for what the job takes out of him.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: While fighting the Frybo costume, Peedee surprises his father by admitting he always hated the thing.
- Literal Metaphor: After Steven forcefully puts on his animated pants, he declares "I wear the pants in this relationship!"
- Literal-Minded: Peedee sees Frybo can do his job, and tells it to "shake on it", so Frybo picks Peedee up and starts shaking him.Steven: He's got jokes!
- Living Clothes: The crystal shards can bring clothing to life, including not only the Frybo costume but Steven's pants (and eventually the rest of his clothes).
- Mourning an Object: The Frybo costume is laid to rest by being burned on a boat. Pearl pushes the burning costume out to sea, clearly finding the whole idea ridiculous.
- Naked People Are Funny: Steven uses the crystal shards to animate his clothes, including his underwear.
- Oral Fixation: While showing off that he turned his clothes into more soldiers, Steven holds a fry in his mouth to invoke the image of General MacArthur and his corncob pipe.
- Pants-Free: In the opening scene, Steven looks around in a pile that obscure his lower half. When Pearl comes in, the camera changes angle to show Steven isn't wearing his pants, which were what he was looking for.
- Please Put Some Clothes On: Said by Pearl to Steven at the end of the episode, after he uses his clothes to defeat Frybo.
- Shadow Discretion Shot: Frybo hanging Mr. Fryman by its Combat Tentacles and Force Feeding him is shown in silhouette, which really makes it far creepier looking than what it really is.
- So Proud of You: When Frybo goes crazy, Mr. Fryman think it's still Peedee in the costume and tries to calm him down by telling him how much he appreciates him.Mr. Fryman: Ah, I get it, I pushed you too hard. I thought you wanted to be as good a Fryman as you could be, you’re a tough kid for putting up with it as long as you did! The truth is: You’re a valued member of Fryman Brothers Incorporated and all its affiliates!
- Symbolic Blood: When Pearl stabbed Frybo in its eye, it attacks with a ketchup covered fry. After hitting Pearl, the pool of ketchup on the ground appears to look like Pearl was struck so hard it appears that she was actually bleeding.
- Temporary Blindness: Pearl is unable to continue battling Frybo when she gets ketchup in her eyes. After Frybo is defeated, Pearl asks if Steven's okay, apparently mistaking Mr. Fryman for him.
- Turned Against Their Masters: Pearl mentioned that gems stopped using shards to animate objects because the drones it created eventually stop taking orders, resulting in "many, many deaths".
- Verbal Backspace: When the Frybo costume comes to life and starts moving around, Mr. Fryman briefly forgets to pretending he was happy with Peedee's low enthusiasm when he was wearing it.Woah-ho, all right! It’s about ti—I mean, good job, buddy!
