Anais: I think it's a big one. It says in this book it'll grow according to how much food is available. So imagine what she could become in an American suburb?
Elmore's residents have gone missing after being attacked by an unknown creature... and the Wattersons soon discover that the disappearances are closer to home than they think.
Tropes
- Bilingual Bonus: In Anais' natural history book, the trionyx turtle's Latin name is "occidere machinae ex infernum". Translated, it means, "Killing machine from Hell".
- Cat Scare: The neighbor is startled by his cat sneaking up behind him, right before he is assaulted by the evil turtle.
- Coincidental Broadcast: Right after Gumball describes his strange dream a news broadcast gives it context by reporting a number of mysterious disappearances.
- Comically Missing the Point: While watching the turtle attacking people on the TV, this exchange occurs.Nicole: Oh, my gosh.
Richard: I know. Our turtle is famous! - Continuity Nod: While running from the swarm of baby turtles, Nicole asked Richard why he didn't buy a puppy like he was supposed to back in "The Puppy."
- Crashing Dreams: After their neighbor is kidnapped Gumball reports the next day a strange dream where Penny screams out frantic pleas and car alarms on a date with him.
- Deadline News: Mike the Microphone Guy is attacked by the turtles during his report. He insists they keep rolling even as he's being swarmed.
- Furry Confusion: After Gumball is mauled by the neighbor's cat he says that's why he's not a cat person. Darwin nonverbally lampshades the irony but Gumball doesn't get it.
- Gone Horribly Right: Gumball takes the pest control van with the mother turtle inside to lure the baby turtles to the river, but they start to catch up to the van.Gumball: It's working. It's working! [the baby turtles rush toward the van] It's working too well! It's working too well!
- Groin Attack: Implied when the goblin unknowingly cleans himself with a baby turtle, then screams in Instant Soprano after the turtle goes below his waist and bites him.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Harold is completely unaware of the mayhem caused by the baby turtles because of his headphones...at least until one of them finds their way into his portable CD player.
- Irony: Gumball states that he's not a cat person after experiencing them, despite the fact that he himself is a cat. Darwin even points this out.
- Kent Brockman News: The news broadcasts in this episode are depicted as being sensationalist, Kip Schlezinger blaming feral teenagers, foreigners, and the Internet for the disappearances despite a lack of evidence and Mike the Microphone Guy thinking the turtles are out to take people's jobs and outright admitting on the air that the news will find worse stories to exaggerate in the future. They're more concerned over ratings and sponsors rather than public safety, asking Marvin who is being attacked by the turtle how he feels instead of helping him.
- Miracle-Gro Monster: When the evil turtle breaks loose, she starts growing based on available food (which there is a lot of, since Elmore is an American suburb) until she’s the size of a large dog.
- Morally Bankrupt Banker: While looking up reptiles on her book, Anais finds a section on bankers, which is a lizard in a three-piece suit, described as "a parasite living in high towers...feed[ing] on the blood of the common man" with "The most successful of the species migrat[ing] to a fiscal paradise."
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Gumball figures that the turtle was never evil at all, just wanting to protect her children. And then they sink a boat...and Anais figures it's a little of both.
- Pet the Dog: A bit of a reversed way, but when Gumball and the Turtle are parting ways and Gumball wishes they knew her better, she hisses at him...before letting him pet her good-bye, showing that the Turtle held some affection for the Wattersons.
- Photo Doodle Recognition: The news shows the turtles latest victim, unrecognized by the Wattersons, until it notes the photo is a few years old and draws a few more wrinkles on his forehead.
- Scare Chord: Parodied; Gumball dismisses an obvious trail of shredded clothes as a clue because the chord that plays isn't dramatic enough, cueing an even more imposing one with a torrential thunderclap that startles a cat prompting him to quickly concede and follow it.
- Shout-Out:
- While threatening the baby turtle with a tennis racket, Gumball says "Say hello to my little friend!... Darwin."
- The music playing during the turtle attack (and the title card for this episode) spoofs the theme to Gremlins.
- Nicole finding the trapped residents and the unhatched eggs under the house looks similar to a scene from Aliens.
- Harold jogging through the chaos before he gets attacked mimics a similar scene from the trailer of the video game Dead Island 2.
- The Swarm: The baby turtles once they hatch.
- Won't Take "Yes" for an Answer: Anais explains the situation to the pest control cockroach and he actually agrees to help the family—but Nicole ends up knocking him out with a trash can so they can take his van because she's so used to people dismissing their crazy claims.
- Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: The evil turtle turned out to be pregnant.Richard: Who's to say this pregnant turtle is a her?
The rest of the family: *stunned silence and incredulous looks*
