Continuing from the last episode, the island is malfunctioning, despite Chris saying nothing strange is happening. After a brief interrogation from the contestants, he reveals that the island is artificial and is going to self-destruct in one hour, saying that the contestants have to stop that from happening.
Tropes in this episode include:
- A Day in the Limelight: Scarlett is the central focus of this episode...
- A Death in the Limelight: ...unfortunately, her role of Big Bad is short-lived as she gets eliminated, alongside Max.
- All Amazons Want Hercules: How Jasmine feels to Shawn. Made especially clear when she nearly swoons at the sight of him destroying an army of robots.
- Anime Hair: When Scarlett reveals she is evil.
- Anti-Climax: It's pretty obvious just from watching the last three minutes or so that the writers clearly ran out of time trying to tell a story that was simply too ambitious for only 22 minutes. Scarlett is tricked by Max of all people into opening up the door after falling for the Chris bot (which was clearly spewing sparks) resulting in her getting defeated by a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown courtesy of Sugar which is then followed up by her elimination. Also doubles as one for Scarlett's entire arc throughout Pahkitew Island as the aforementioned proves that her plot was simply too complex and high concept for such a short season.
- Anything but That!: Scarlett over getting shot out of the cannon with Max. She would prefer literally anything to still being around Max.
- Battle Couple: Shawn and Jasmine expertly maneuver their way through the malfunctioning island and avoid getting killed by robot animals, while getting in some flirtation and a quick make-out session. It culminates with Shawn singlehandedly destroying an army of Chris robots.
- Berserk Button: Shawn gets his pushed when Jasmine says the word "zombies", leading him to slaughter the room full of robots.
- Big Bad: Scarlett for this episode.
- Bland-Name Product: While not mentioned by name, the tablet Chris gives to Scarlett has a banana on the back.
- Blatant Lies: Chris denies anything strange was happening.
- By the Hair: Sugar beats up Scarlett and hog-ties her with her own hair in order to stop her control over the island.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Shawn and Jasmine talk quite a bit throughout the dangerous parts of the island. See Battle Couple above.
- Catharsis Factor: In-Universe example. Sky admits that watching Shawn demolish robots in Chris' image is oddly therapeutic.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Shawn gives off the most awesome display of robot/zombie smashing ever, finally proving he isn't the Dirty Coward he first came off as.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Despite not doing anything wrong and also helping to prevent the island's destruction, Max gets eliminated because Chris got tired of the former's Evil Gloating.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Jasmine and Shawn are distracted by each other's athletic appeal when they are dodging the lasers. This leads to their first kiss, but their disregard for the lasers means they also set off the security system. Chris is not amused by Jasmine's and Shawn's hormone-driven idiocy and says so to Sky and Sugar.
- Girly Scream: Shawn gives one.
- Evil All Along: Scarlett.
- Evil Gloating: Both by Scarlett when she is given the tablet and Max when Scarlett is eliminated and declares himself the only Evil Genius left.
- Evil Is Hammy: Scarlett's evil persona.
- Eviler than Thou: Max comes to realize this with Scarlett.
- Eye Beams: One of the robotic animals is a kitten that shoots deadly laser beams through its eyes.
- First Kiss: Shawn and Jasmine.
- Hailfire Peaks: Pahkitew Island becomes this after Scarlett messes with the island's controls, and after her elimination half the island is left on fire while the other half is covered in ice.
- I Can Change My Beloved: Jasmine feels Shawn would otherwise be perfect if not for his zombie obsession, even calling him a work in progress at one point. Later (specifically after seeing Shawn dismantle the Chris robots), though, she acknowledges that she should just accept him for who he is and accept that she has odd taste in men.
- I Can't Believe I'm Saying This: Shawn says, in a confessional, that it is hard for him to admit it, but he really wants to meet Sugar's family after she claims her uncle "built a robot army by taping photos of his face to donkeys wrapped in tinfoil".
- Jerkass Has a Point: Sugar is a jerk but she's right when she tells Chris he should have been down there helping them disarm the self-destruct instead of retreating to his helicopter and letting the campers do all the dangerous work themselves. She also refers to herself and Sky as the only two normal campers left, which Sky at least thinks is true, much to her own shock.
- Lampshade Hanging: The Battle Couple starts getting romantic, even though they're supposed to be evading detection. Chris points out this really isn't the time for that.
- Laser Hallway: Shawn and Jasmine have to traverse a hallway of moving laser motion sensors that will set off security when the beams are broken. As they're both athletic, they have no trouble avoiding the beams until they get distracted by each other's competence. One ill-timed kiss later and security is on their heels.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: With inspiration from Sky's ideas, Max tricked Scarlett by imitating a Chris robot, letting the contestants enter the control room and allowing Sugar to tackle Scarlett, which prevents the island from being destroyed. Despite that, Max gets eliminated afterwards because Chris has grown annoyed by his Card-Carrying Villain antics.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Shawn single-handedly destroys an army of Chris robots.
- Non-Gameplay Elimination: Scarlett is disqualified for nearly letting the island blow up. Max is quickly eliminated afterwards for declaring himself the only evil left and Chris had enough of Evil.
- Oh, Crap!: Max when Scarlett finally reveals her true evil self. He's even balled up in the fetal position in his next confessional.
- Pun-Based Title: The title is a play on the disease "scarlet fever".
- Rage Breaking Point: Scarlett's big reveal comes after Max once again calls her his sidekick.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Scarlett.
- Running Gag: Max getting electrocuted.
- Shout-Out:
- The presence of a secret underground base on the island is a reference to a recurring theme of the Resident Evil video games, as many of the games' climax takes place in a secret laboratory hidden from plain sight from an already hidden location. This includes the self destruct sequence that usually occurs near the game-ending.
- The music that plays when Shawn and Jasmine dodge through the lasers is a reference to Mission: Impossible.
- Some of the moves Jasmine and Shawn do while dodging lasers are similar to Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine's in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, while the island's main computer addresses Scarlett the same way the Red Queen addresses Albert Wesker.
- Jasmine does the iconic Indiana Jones hat grab.
- The robotic animals and promo-bots having red LED eyes and partially exposed metal endoskeletons underneath damaged exo-skins is a reference to the Terminator franchise.
- Shawn mentions that he previously planted landmines in his yard for zombie protection, referencing Plants vs. Zombies.
- The scene where Sky and Sugar travel through the gear chambers is similar to a scene from Galaxy Quest.
- Scarlett being the antagonist after initially posing as one of the nicer characters is similar to Albert Wesker, one of the main antagonists of Resident Evil, who is initially an ally to the protagonists before revealing his true motives, also Scarlett's eyes turn red when she removes her glasses, a habit shared by Wesker in order to frighten his foes after his resurrection.
- The contestants finding an entire room filled with Chris robots is a reference to a similar scene in Resident Evil: Afterlife where Alice enters a room filled with human clones including her own.
- Take That, Audience!: Chris used the robots for promotional tours.Jasmine: Kind of violent for promo-bots.
Chris: They gotta defend themselves! Do you have any idea what the average Total Drama fan is like?! Do you?! - This Cannot Be!: Max thinks it's inconceivable that Chef, a muscle-bound man twice his size, could effortlessly grab him.
- Troubled Fetal Position: Villain-wannabe Max assumes a fetal position while sucking his thumb when Scarlett reveals herself as evil incarnate.
- We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties: During Chris's episode introduction speech, the island's malfunctioning gets worse and worse. Chris can't even finish his final sentence due to the technical difficulties and so a full-color still is put up of Chef frying a camera on his stove. The still is framed by a beige roster with a knob in each corner. It lasts for three seconds and the accompanying music is an instrumental rendition of "The Girl From Ipanema".
- Wham Episode: Chris reveals that the Island is actually mechanical, and Scarlett reveals herself to be Evil All Along.
- Wham Line: I. Am. Not. Your. Sidekick! This is the real me! The Scarlett I've kept hidden until now! Biding my time; waiting to strike! I! Am! EVIL!!!
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Scarlett to Max.
