Arbor Day
It’s Arbor Day, and Manny receives a call from Jackie Greenway- a cherry tree in the park is inexplicably losing its leaves. After determining the problem is due to a lack of sunlight, Manny decides to move the tree to a sunnier spot- but moving a firmly-rooted tree is far from an easy task.
Tropes in “Arbor Day” include:
- Brick Joke: Squeeze is subjected to a Water Hose Rodeo once in the beginning of the episode while trying to water Manny’s potted ficus tree, and again at the end while trying to water two trees in the park.
- Fun with Homophones: When Manny suggests they get a “dolly” (rolling cart) to move a tree in the park, Pat misinterprets him and asks how a “dolly” (doll) could possibly help.
- Holiday Episode: It’s Arbor Day, and Manny ends up “celebrating” it by helping Jackie Greenway move a cherry tree to a less shady spot in the park.
- Mondegreen Gag: At one point, Squeeze mishears Mr. Lopart saying “topiaries” as him saying “toads and berries”.
- Water Hose Rodeo: This happens to Squeeze when she tries to water Manny’s potted ficus tree at the beginning of the episode… and again at the end when she tries to water the two dogwood trees Abuelito brought to replace the cherry tree Manny moved.
Flicker Speaks English
One day in Manny’s shop, Flicker announces that he wants to learn English; that same day, Mr. Kumar’s key breaks off in its lock and he has Manny come replace it. Unfortunately, the replacement door lock falls out of Manny’s motorbike somewhere between Kelly’s hardware store and Mr. Kumar’s china shop, and it was the last one Kelly had in stock…
”Flicker Speaks English” provides examples of the following:
- Artsy Beret: Mr. Lopart wears one while attempting to paint a portrait of himself on his shop’s window.
- Audible Gleam: Mr. Kumar’s new door lock emits one after Manny installs it.
- Blatant Lies: Mr. Lopart attempts to claim that the paint smear that results when his palette hits his shop’s window very definitely looks almost exactly like him.
- Character Action Title: Describes Flicker trying to learn English, and eventually saying his first English word, “lock”.
- Continuity Nod: Kelly’s Spanish flashcards make a return, and she even suggests that Manny make a set of flashcards to teach Flicker English.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: One happens when the tools all wish Mr. Kumar goodbye, and Flicker, after a second, says “Bye-bye!” in English.
- Flashback Effects: A ripple effect begins Manny’s flashback to hitting a pothole while on his motorcycle, which happens when he realizes that the bump from the pothole could have knocked the new door lock out of his motorbike.
- Funny Photo Phrase: While taking a picture of Flicker, Felipe tells him to say “queso”, the Spanish word for “cheese”.
- Last-Second Photo Failure: This happens when the tools are trying to take a picture of Flicker; the first one is messed up when Turner moves the camera sideways, resulting in Flicker being only partially in frame; the second attempt has Felipe accidentally knock the camera over, creating a crazy sort-of Dutch Angle shot.
- Not Now, Kiddo: A variation occurs when Flicker says his first English word, “Lock!”- the other tools are impressed that he’s said something in English and then brush him off, failing to realize that he’s saying “Lock!” because he found the lock they were looking for.
- Simple Solution Won't Work: The door lock Manny gets from Kelly’s is the last one in stock, so Manny can’t just go back to her and buy another one when it disappears.
- Slippery Skid: This happens to Mr. Lopart when he steps on a dropped tube of paint (he was trying to paint an image of himself on his shop’s window); while slipping, he lets go of his palette and it goes flying… and smacks right into his shop’s window.
- Snap Back: The “painting” of himself (read: a face, glasses, and hair drawn on a roughly Mr. Lopart-colored smear of paint) Mr. Lopart makes on his shop’s window disappears sometime between this episode and the next.
- Third Time's The Charm: At the beginning of the episode, the tools are trying to take a picture of Flicker to add to their photo album; the first two photos (taken by Turner and Felipe, respectively) are subject to Last Second Photo Failures, while the third one (taken by Manny) produces a nice picture.
