Eugene's father, King Edmund, arrives in Corona hoping to bond with his long lost son. Meanwhile the Stabbington brothers are sick and tired of everyone mocking them for their losses to Flynn Ryder and a princess and decide to finish him off once and for all.
Tropes in this episode:
- The Bus Came Back: Pete and Stan are two of the many characters that return after a whole season of absence.
- Call-Back: Eugene recalls his "The kingdom and I aren't exactly simpatico at the moment" from the film, as it turns out he was quoting from the Flynnigan Ryder books.
- Call-Forward: The replacement sash is the same sash Eugene wears at the wedding.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Eugene is not at all happy with Edmund trying to become part of his life after not being there for him for twenty-four years.King Edmund: I wanted to be part of your life, Horace, and I thought a father and son trip might...Eugene: Might what, ha?! Make up for twenty-four years?! And for the love of everything that is holy, my name is EUGENE!
- Continuity Nod:
- Eugene dryly comments on Shorty growing wings and laying an egg.
- After discovering a yo-yo left by Eugene and Edmund, Rapunzel thinks out loud the toy should be called a hey-hey. She also comes up with a yo-yo move that, like the stuff she "invented" for a science fair, she didn't know already existed.
- Enraged by Idiocy: Eugene was slowly getting angry at Edmund’s antics, first having no food because he brought the wrong bag, and then accidentally dropping their weapons over a cliff, leaving them unarmed. And keeps calling him Horace.
- Given Name Reveal: It's revealed that Eugene's original name was Horace.Eugene: How is it possible my real name is ever worse than EUGENE?!
- Guards Are Useless: Pete the Guard was never all that bright, but he's especially dim-witted in this episode. His partner, Stan, doesn't come off as much better.
- I Have Your Wife: The Stabbington brothers kidnap Edmund to lure Eugene into a trap.
- Irony: Eugene, former robber, gets robbed of the sash. Now he knows what it feels like to be robbed.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Eugene kisses Rapunzel's hands as he says he learnt about second chances from the best.
- It's All Junk: Edmund keeps a bag with what appears to be random objects of junk, it isn't until Eugene actually looks at the items does he realize that they are all of his toys when he was a kid, including his first Flynn Rider book. Eugene then realizes that despite not seeing him his father was keeping an eye on him.
- Loose Lips: When the Stabbingtons capture Pete and Stan, they demand for the location of where Eugene is. Stan defiantly states they don’t know, then Pete stupidly says they do and that he’s with Edmund on the way to the mountain.
- Mood Whiplash: Following the dramatic stinger with Cassandra, it cuts right to the happy closing theme.
- Red Herring: The episode begins with the Stabbingtons deciding to take revenge on Eugene; when his sash is stolen, it's easy to decide they are the culprits... until we see them just sneaking into Corona while Eugene and Edmund already set out to get the sash back.
- Not Hyperbole: Rapunzel states that Edmund's crow could get lost in a boot. Not to long after we see said crow lost in a boot.
- Power Incontinence: Cassandra finds herself unable to control the black rocks as she had before. The mysterious child she met in the door then starts calling her name.
- Rule of Symbolism: The old sash being destroyed represents King Edmund losing his chance to bond with his son as "Horace", on his terms. The new sash represents his acceptance to bond with his son as "Eugene", possibly ready to bond on his son's terms.
- Save the Villain: After knocking them out on a log flume heading for a deadly jam, Edmund and Eugene grab the Stabbington brothers and save their lives.
- Shout-Out: The title is one to The Lord of the Rings.
- Strong as They Need to Be: King Edmund had been established as a badass fighter, able to take on and defeat the likes of Adira with ease. Yet, he gets easily kidnapped by the Stabbingtons who, while armed and dangerous, aren't trained warriors like him. Note, that previously Lance running into Edmund at full speed hasn't put a dent in him.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Eugene calls out Edmund for sending him on an errand to retrieve the missing sash, only for him to discover that Edmund stole it and set the whole thing up so they could bond.
- Wimp Fight: Stan and Pete do this once they start blaming each other for giving away Eugene's trip to Mount Saison to the Stabbingtons.
