The Secret Planet
Wander's white lie sets off a ridiculous chain of events that threatens to expose a hidden planet to Lord Dominator.
Tropes appearing in The Secret Planet
- Animate Inanimate Object: Among the visitors to the planet are two living cameras and their smart-phone son.
- Bigger on the Inside: The shelter Sylvia ends up building.
- Brick Joke: While posing as wildlife to distract the camera family, Wander steals the smart-phone kid's drink and he complains "That monkey stole my juice box!" Later, "The monkey stole my juice box" becomes the password to Wander and Sylvia's hide-out.
- Call-Back:
- Dominator destroying planets has led to many refugees fleeing for sanctuary, including the ones that show up on the planet.
- All of the refugees know who Wander is, and how he helps everyone as best as he can in a galaxy of callous supervillains.
- Sylvia has found a compromise for Wander's Chronic Hero Syndrome without attracting Dominator's attention.
- Character Witness: All of the refugees for Wander when he tells them the truth about who he is; in fact he's a minor celebrity because of all the good he's done.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: It takes a toll on Wander in this episode, in part because he knows that if Dominator finds the planet, she'll destroy it as well.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Schmancies mention they're in the resort business; they're presumably the owners of the Schmancy Hotel from "The Tourist".
- While with the Schmancies, Wander wears his waiter costume from "The Date".
- Crazy-Prepared: Sylvia anticipated that Wander would end up attracting people in need, and built their shelter extra-roomy.
- Exact Words: No, Wander didn't tell anyone about the planet. He just signaled a ship in distress.
- Fanservice: Wander fangirls finally get to see him fully naked...but it might be a disservice, considering he's pretending to be an ape (facial expression and all).
- Innocuously Important Episode: While this seems to be nothing more than a silly Breather Episode among the Lord Dominator arc, the events of this episode become very important for the Grand Finale.
- Instant Costume Change: Wander does this frequently. Once instance when he's talking to Sylvia in his king costume, and the minute the camera shifts from Sylvia (who's questioning him about the costume) back to Wander, he is back in his usual attire.
- Invading Refugees: Dominator's campaign of destruction has led to a lot of refugees fleeing their homes; even Wander is aware of this and spends the episode helping Sylvia hide the planet from her, at least until refugees show up.
- Maintain the Lie: Wander struggles to keep Sylvia and the three different groups of visitors from discovering each other.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Wander's irresistible urge to help people is what starts the whole problem in the first place. Eventually subverted, however, since the refugees help Wander and Sylvia set up a sanctuary in her secret home base.
- Recycled Soundtrack:
- The music Wander plays in the planet's hideout at the end is the same tune as Banjo Wander's song from "The Wanders".
- The disco music played in Hater's bedroom from "The Prisoner" is heard when the Schmancies appear.
- Shout-Out: The new arrivals at the end come in hoods and plead for "Sanctuary"
- Tempting Fate: When wander sees the ship full of refugees, he resists the urge to flag them down (and risk drawing Lord Dominator's attention) by telling himself they can take care of themselves... and then their ship bursts into flame.
- Visual Pun: The Schmancies, a pair of snooty resort managers, literally walk around with their (over-sized) noses in the air, and the placement of their eyes inside the nostrils means they're literally always looking down their noses at people.
- The Voiceless: The tourist camera mother doesn't speak.
The Bad Hatter
Lord Hater gets more than he bargained for when he finds Wander's hat and uses it to impress Lord Dominator.
Tropes appearing in The Bad Hatter
- All Girls Like Ponies: Hater seems to think so; one of the gifts he gets the Hat to conjure for Lord Dominator is a unicorn.
- And I Must Scream: The Hat can't talk, only communicate through the items that it gives. It looks brutalized when Hater starts to torture it with his electricity.
- Animation Bump: The animation of Wander tilting his head up when pulling scarves out of the magic hat is more complex than past animations.
- Animate Inanimate Object: Wander's hat, when its mouth appears to smile and frown. This episode further confirms it's a living sentient.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Hater and Peepers try to get the Hat to give them girly gifts for Lord Dominator and weapons for their invasion schemes, respectively. The Hat ends up spewing out an endless stream of gifts and weapons that floods the Skullship.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Hater asks for something that'll get Lord Dominator to like him, the Hat initially gives Hater a series of self-help books on being less of a jerk. Thinking they're supposed to be gifts for Dominator, Hater snaps "Come on, Hat! Girls don't like to read!"
- Companion Cube: The Hat is one for Wander. It also seems to be sentient and can feel pain.
- Continuity Nod:
- Wander's hat giving you what you need instead of what you want becomes a plot point like the episode "The Hat". Here we find out what happens when you try to force it to give you what you want.
- This isn't the first time Wander wears a Watchdog helmet, and the hat presents a teddy bear once again.
- Hater mentions his alter-ego "King Schmater" from the episode "The Rager".
- Costume-Test Montage: Wander and Sylvia trying on replacement hats.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Peepers wants to use the Hat to get all-powerful weapons.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Dominator tries to kill Hater for giving her flowers.
- Electric Torture: Hater subjects Wander's hat to this in order to make it give him what he wants.
- Epic Fail: While playing I Have This Friend, Hater keeps forgetting to speak of the "friend" in third person.
- Go to Your Room!: Peepers says this to Hater after his attempts at giving flowers to Dominator nearly gets them killed. Hater repeats this to Peepers, acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
- Heroic BSoD: Wander is The Ophelia without his hat, though towards the end he tries to tough out the possibility of losing it forever.
- Hope Spot: At first, it seems the Hatter has a magician's hat that can do magic. He promptly explains that it's just a trick when Wander asks if he can pull out more than scarves.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Wander doesn't apologize for stealing the hat when he explains to Sylvia; he stole it because he knew it was being fought over, causing a war, and being abused for its power. The Hat is much happier with him.
- I Have This Friend: Hater uses this when telling the hat about his trouble impressing Lord Dominator.
- Improvised Clothes: Wander assures Sylvia that he can get along fine without his hat... and then he quickly tries to make a replacement out of mud.
- Innocently Insensitive: The Hatter after giving Wander a "magic" hat says that it's just stage magic, that magic hats are rare, and that if the Hatter had one he'd never let it out of his sight.
- Jackass Genie: The Hat towards Lord Hater, though its actions are more along the lines of Poke the Poodle and Brutal Honesty.
- Kick the Dog: Hater tortures the Hat to make him give him what he wants.
- Never Say "Die": This episode makes it clear that Dominator wants to kill Hater, thanks to the Hat producing Silent Snarker moments. When Hater asks the hat to give him something Dominator likes, it produces a gun - pointing at Hater's face.
- Not Good with Rejection: Hater can't take a hint that Dominator chasing the Skullship to crash on a planet is a sign that she's not interested in his romantic overtures.
- Oh, Crap!: Wander when he realizes he's no longer wearing his hat.
- Overly Long Gag:
- Wander freaking out about one of his replacement hats being the wrong color. The action briefly cuts to Hater, and when it cuts back to Wander, he's still screaming.
- Wander and Hater repeatedly saying "Okay" when Wander finally finds his hat.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Wander's reaction to a hat that's like his, but in red:Wander: But my hat... is... GREEEEEEEEEEEN!!!
- The Reveal: We learn how Wander acquired his hat in this episode: he stole it from a pair of conquerors who were fighting over its item-conjuring abilities.
- Rummage Fail: Played with when Wander tries to pull his banjo out of his hat. He isn't aware that the hat itself is missing until Sylvia points it out.
- Shadow of Impending Doom: One appears as the Skullship plummets towards a sleeping Wander and Sylvia. Later, Wander and Sylvia flee from a looming shadow that turns out to be a massive battle tank falling out of the Skullship.
- Shout-Out: To Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter. The owner of the hat shop even resembles the Mad Hatter and his voice is an Ed Wynn impression.
- Among the flood of presents and weapons that can be seen pouring out of the Skullship, Cinderella's carriage can be seen.
- Silent Snarker: The hat at the beginning makes it clear that Hater has little to no chance with Dominator when the latter asks questions about his crush; she wants him to be blasted with a ray gun, she hates Hater the most, and Hater needs breath mints. Hater lampshades how the Hat is a smart-aleck.
- Skyward Scream: Wander does this twice when freaking out over his lost hat.
- Stating the Simple Solution: Sylvia tries to buy a new hat for Wander, in part because they can't retrace their steps to search for it. It doesn't work because magic hats are "rare".
- Stepping Stones in the Sky: Sylvia helps Wander get up to the Skullship to get his hat back by leaping up the deluge of presents and weapons pouring out of the hat.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: A hatless Wander states "An inspirational ditty should life my spirits..." but can't produce his banjo to sing.
- True Companions: Wander and the Hat need each other, Wander because the Hat gives him exactly what he needs as well as security, and the Hat because Wander cares about it.
- Wham Line:Sylvia: What makes you think the hat is up there?
Wander: 'Cause this is exactly what happened when I stole it! - What the Hell, Hero?: Rather, "What the Hell, Sir?" Peepers calls out Hater for trying to give flowers to Dominator, because as a result she's chasing down the Skullship and causes it to crash.
- You Need a Breath Mint: When Hater yells at the Hat to give him something he needs, the Hat conjures a pack of breath mints.
