The Greater Hater
Lord Hater's planet conquering is put on hold when Wander shows up to steal his flag (thinking they are playing Capture the Flag) and a new villain, Lord Dominator, arrives to conquer the planet himself. While Wander, Sylvia, Lord Hater, and Peepers are all scared out of their wits by this new arrival, Wander is confident that this enemy is just a friend he hasn't made yet... or is he? Meanwhile, Lord Hater takes Peepers to meet the new guy in order to give him a piece of his mind.
Tropes appearing in "The Greater Hater":
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The outside shots of Dominator's ship are in CG.
- Accidental Misnaming: In the credits gag, one of the Watchdogs says he thought Hater's name was Lord Vader all this time.
- Always Someone Better: Lord Dominator to Lord Hater, as such he's been described by Craig McCracken as a better Hater than him.
- And the Adventure Continues: This episode picks up where "The Rider" left off.
- An Aesop: Not everyone is a nice person. In spite of you wanting to befriend them and vice versa, they might not turn out what you expect them to be.
- Animation Bump: As of this episode, the animation in the series is handled by Boulder Media, an Irish studio that McCracken worked with before.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Lord Dominator survives and leaves the four rattled by how dangerous he is.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Upon realizing he cannot befriend Dominator, Wander drops all traces of Cloudcuckoolander and The Pollyanna and calls her out in a rage.
- Break the Cutie: Wander, when he and Sylvia are thrown in the cell.Wander: I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I'm starting to feel not. Very. Welcomed here!
- Of course, being Wander, this doesn't stick.
- Breaking the Bonds: Sylvia attempts it when she gets handcuffed, but the cuffs reform tighter than before. After repeated attempts, she ends up enclosed in a big metal ball. She's finally freed when the ship fills up with lava, melting the ball enough for her to break free.
- Cerebus Syndrome: Notably the episode in which the series transitions from Slice of Life to a more darker tone.
- Cliffhanger: Wander, Sylvia, Lord Hater, and Peepers are shaken up by Lord Dominator as they wonder who he ( or rather, she) is, while Lord Dominator vows to destroy the four of them and conquer the entire galaxy.
- Continuity Nod: Among the things Peepers mentions Lord Hater spending money on instead of better weapons is a hot tub, which was the focus of "The Big Job", and also mentions the ship's food court which was seen in "The Prisoner".
- Cross-Referenced Titles: With the very first episode "The Greatest".
- Darker and Edgier: Probably the darkest episode in the series so far.
- Darkest Hour: A new villain has arrived. More powerful than Lord Hater and completely immune to Wander's charisma. Instead of Hater's Watchdogs, the newcomer has magma-powered robots that Sylvia can't beat. The episode ends with Lord Dominator inconvenienced but unharmed, and the main cast literally shaking with terror at their experience.
- Downer Ending: Wander is left distraught over meeting someone too evil even for him to befriend, and he, Sylvia, Lord Hater and Peepers are left in pure terror over this new threat. Lord Dominator also survives and declares destroying them and conquering the galaxy will be fun.
- Evil Laugh: Lord Dominator delivers one at the end.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: There is a greater Hater than Lord Hater.
- Fade Around the Eyes: The "eyes" of Dominator's mech suit shine in the dark the last few seconds before the episode ends.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Lord Dominator takes this position for the rest of the season.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: When Hater snaps after seeing a injured Wander he grabs the robot that terrorized him and Peepers during most of the episode and slams it into Dominator.
- Hurricane of Puns: Wander delivers a bunch of fruit-related puns, using all the fruit from the basket he plans to give to Lord Dominator.Wander: I’m really sorry, Syl, but I just gotta try. I know this seems bananas and I must be plum outta my melon, but I don’t pear. The way I fig-ure, even the most rottenest apple has a sweet spot at its core... KUMQUAT!
- Hypocritical Humor: Lord Dominator calls Wander, Sylvia, Hater and Peepers a bunch of dorks just after acting like a dork herself.
- Knight of Cerebus: Lord Dominator is seemingly the first person that Wander and Lord Hater are outright terrified of. None of their usual schtick, Wander's friendliness and Hater's bouts of power, have any affect on Lord Dominator, who is treated as seriously as possible. Until The Reveal at the end.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The Watch-Dogs in The Stinger asks if Lord Dominator is Hater's brother or father, which was what basically everyone had guessed between seasons one and two.
- Little "No": Sylvia utters three of them when she sees Lord Dominator for the first time.
- Mood Whiplash: Starts as a typical Wander annoying Lord Hater by playing a game with him as he tries to conquer another planet. Then as soon as Lord Dominator arrives, things get serious from there.
- No-Sell: Lord Dominator shrugs off every hit she takes, and her Mecha-Mooks prove impervious to Sylvia's blows.
- Not So Above It All: At first, Lord Hater tries to act as if he's not impressed by, let alone envious of, Lord Dominator's arsenal. It doesn't last long.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Wander's behavior is surmised to be this by one of the Watchdogs before being interrupted by Hater, Wander, Sylvia, and Commander Peepers escaping Dominator's ship.Watchdog #1: Please, he's a dope!Watchdog #2: No, really! He's not an idiot, he totally knows what he's doing!
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Seeing that Lord Dominator had captured and beaten Wander is the thing that finally sets Lord Hater over the edge, and makes it very clear that Wander is HIS enemy.
- Oh, Crap!: Lord Dominator after Peepers sabotages her factory.
- Orbital Shot: Hater and Peepers have one when they see the wall of weapons on Dominator's ship.
- Outrun the Fireball: After Peeper's sabotages Dominator's factory and causes it to flood with magma, Wander, Sylvia, Hater and he ride the magma wave on the orb that's restraining Sylvia. She someone manages to escape and carry the three the rest of the way off the ship with the magma right on her heels.
- Plot Hole: In the final scene, Dominator laughs over the main four saying "Who was that guy?!", despite leaving the planet before they even say it.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Several times.
- "Nothing... ever... changes."
- "Twenty... ninth... greatest!"
- "I'm starting to feel not... very... welcomed here!"
- "I'm not sure I want... to be... YOUR FRIEND!!"
- One shared between Wander, Sylvia, Peepers and Hater after barely escaping Dominator's ship:
Wander: Who...!Peepers: ...was...!Sylvia:...that...!Hater:...GUY?!- Lord Dominator's Wham Line.
- Pyrrhic Victory: While Lord Dominator succeeds in traumatizing the main cast, her weapon factory was destroyed, meaning that the galaxy is safe... at least for now.
- Rage Breaking Point: When Wander discovers he cannot befriend Dominator who isn't nice at all, it causes him to totally snap and call him out.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Three of them. All from Peepers to Hater. ...Yeah, Peepers finally has the guts to lay it on his boss. Three times in one day, no less.
- First time:
Peepers: Please sir, no! Just ignore him! You know Wander's the reason you're no longer the greatest in the galaxy! (Hater stops short and glares at him) I'm sorry, sir, but it's true. You wasted so much time chasing him around the universe that you've lost any standing you had as a real villain. And now there's bad guys everywhere taking over all the territory you lost. You're like twenty-ninth greatest in the galaxy. Which is why we need to get back in the game and conquer as many planets as possible!- Second time:
Hater: (climbing out of a pile of rubble) Ugh... what happened?Peepers: Gee, sir... maybe EXACTLY WHAT I SAID WAS HAPPENING!!! While you were busy chasing Wander around, you got planet-jacked!- Third time:
Hater: Why don't we have awesome stuff like this?!! This is your fault, isn't it?!Peepers: We could've had all this. But someone needed a hot tub, and an arcade, and an entire research team to develop new barbecue sauces for the food court! A food court, by the way, we built instead of an atom smasher, WHICH THIS GUY ALSO HAS!!- Wander delivers a rather angry one to Dominator considering the fact he's unable to make friends with him/her:
Wander: I have had enough. I will have you know, I gave you a gift, I complimented your ship, I even played you a song! All in the name of friendship! And you can't even be neighborly and make some small talk like "Wow, thanks for the fruit basket... Wander, is it? That's an interesting name!" And I'd be all like, "Well, yeah. I guess. Funny story, that's not really my-" But, that's not important! What is important is, I'd like to believe that an enemy is a friend you haven't made yet. But after your rude and inconsiderate behavior today, I'm not sure I want. To be. Your friend! And I must admit, though it hurts to say it, I have to tell you, that I don't think you DESERVE (slow-mo) AAAAAA FRUUUUUUIT BAAAAAASKEEEEEEET!!! - Recycled Animation: The shot of Wander picking up his banjo prior to singing to Dominator was reused from "The Egg".
- Repeat Cut: The drill of Dominator's ship coming down into the planet and startling the main four is repeated six times in a row before the title appears.
- Running Gag: "Fruit Basket!"
- Samus Is a Girl: Lord Dominator is actually a woman in a mech suit.
- Silent Antagonist: Lord Dominator doesn't speak a single word, until the very last scene, where he's revealed to be a woman.
- Stock Footage: When Wander is about to sing to Dominator the animation of him taking out his banjo is recycled from "The Egg".
- Story Arc: This is the beginning of the "Lord Dominator" story arc for the season.
- Suddenly Speaking: Dominator in the very last scene, after spending most of the episode silent.
- Tempting Fate: After his boss gets distracted by Wander and Sylvia starts beating up the Watchdogs, again, Peepers laments "nothing ever changes"... and then Lord Dominator's ship shows up.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: Wander pulls out the "big guns" to befriend Dominator - his banjo.
- Took a Level in Badass: Commander Peepers gathers the courage to criticize Hater right to his face. He also destroys Lord Dominator's control panel.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The season trailer from San Diego Comic Con spoiled Dominator's Gender Reveal before the episode aired proper.
- Tron Lines: Lord Dominator's ship and tech have glowing red lines, likely the magma flowing through them.
- Unexpectedly Dark Episode: Though appearing comedic, this is actually the darkest episode in the series to date.
- The Unreveal: During Wander's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Dominator, it appears he is about to mention that "Wander" is not really his name, but quickly changes the subject right before he says it.
- Viler New Villain: Lord Hater is an evil Galactic Conqueror, but Lord Dominator terrifies him. She is seemingly wholly focused on war, without the side interests that humanize Hater. Lord Hater conquers and takes because he wants things; Lord Dominator conquers because it's fun.
- Villain Decay: Discussed when Peepers accuses Lord Hater of losing his standing as a villain because of his obsession with beating Wander, falling from Number One in the galaxy to somewhere around twenty-ninth.
- Wham Episode: It seems that Lord Hater isn't the greatest as he thought.
- Wham Line: "That... Was... Amazing!"
- Wham Shot: Dominator's massive ship slowly rising over the planet Wander and Hater are chasing each other on, immediately after Peepers says that nothing ever changes.
- "You!" Exclamation: After Sylvia and Wander literally bump into Lord Hater and Commander Peepers.Sylvia: You?
Hater: You?!
Wander: Me!
Peepers: (points to the army of magma-bots) THEM!!
