Verne, irritated with his family and life in general, decides to take a joyride in the DeLorean; unfortunately, due to the voice-activated time circuits picking up nearby sounds, he ends up in Civil-War era Tennessee. Finding him in a photo of a massacred Confederate troop, Doc, Marty, and Jules go back in time to retrieve him.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Child Soldier: Doc Brown's sons Jules and Verne go to the The American Civil War and find themselves recruited by the Union and Confederate armies. As Verne is being trained by drummer boy Jimmy, he is told that they are positioned in the front lines and the soldiers often aim at them:Verne: But we're just kids!Jimmy: [Bleakly] War makes you grow up fast.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: At the end, Doc uses Mr. Fusion to create a powerful electromagnet. A little too powerful, as he finds out...Doc Brown: It's attracting every metal object in the vicinity! Paper clips... this silverware... why, even the camera! (Beat) AAAH!! THE CAMERA!!!!(camera is pulled toward the magnet. Static, then darkness)Doc Brown: Hopefully, I'll have this thing fixed by my next broadcast. See you in the future!
- Impossibly-Compact Folding: Doc Brown builds a car that can fold itself into a briefcase, just like George Jetson's. However, it's still a car, and requires a crane to lift, as Marty discovers when he tries to move it by hand.
- Living Crashpad: Verne, sulking, decides to fly his helicopter hat until it runs out of fuel, which happens immediately thereafter, sending him plummeting towards the ground. However, he lands unharmed by accidentally falling on top of Marty, who was practicing his guitar playing below.
- Security Cling: Trapped between two onrushing armies, Jules and Verne grab one another for comfort and scream in sheer terror. Fortunately, the troops experience Cuteness Proximity from the hug, allowing enough of a truce for the boys to get out of the time period and back to safety.
- Standing Between the Enemies: Jules and Verne (who have been recruited by the Union and Confederate armies) end up stuck between the two front lines, hugging one another as they wait for the attack. Luckily, the troops think it's sweet. This creates enough of a pause for Doc and Marty to finish the job.
- Take a Third Option: The episode starts with the boys fighting over the computer. Jules (who told Verne he could have it at a certain time) wants to complete his scientific research (which Doc, of course, supports) and Verne wants to play a video game (which Doc approves of since it means developing hand-eye coordination). Unable to choose between them, Doc says they should go play outside.
- Time and Relative Dimensions in Space: Unlike the films, the DeLorean and time train can now travel through space as well as time, meaning they are no longer confined to Hill Valley.
