Soundcheck
Airdates: November 26, 2014 note , November 30, 2014 note , January 10, 2015 note
Olive and Otto must figure out how and why things are disappearing around town when all Otto wants to do is listen to a song by his favorite band, Soundcheck.
Tropes:
- Animated Music Video: "Gonna Add One" and "Take Away Four", as well as the latter's extended cut, all fall under this, using various stock backgrounds and CGI effects.
- Ascended Fanboy: Upon Danny T quitting the group, Otto steps up in his place and gets to perform with the band.
- AutoTune: Employed in both "Take Away Four" and "Gonna Add One".
- Awesome, but Impractical: The Un-Cheesy-Curl-inator is implied to be treated this way by Olive.
- Bait-and-Switch: Otto begins singing the chorus to "Take Away Four" in the Mathroom, but suddenly stops, remarking how Olive isn't interrupting him. She replies with this:Olive: [enraged as she walks over to him menacingly] I won't, because...[Beat]Olive: [calmer] You're absolutely right.
- At the end of the episode, she also praises him with this in the form of a double subversion:
Olive: You know how I said Soundcheck was... [mumbles in disgust]Otto: Yeah?[Beat]Olive: I feel the exact same way.[pause]Olive: But good job. - The Band Minus the Face: Danny T ends up quitting the band when he refuses to change the "Take Away Four" song. It's stated that this isn't the first time this has happened, but luckily, Otto is qualified and more than willing to take Danny's place.
- Behind a Stick: Played with. Circle Sue hides under a small pyramid structure hanging from her ceiling; however, the structure only hides half of her head and not the rest of her body, making her easily visible.
- Big "NO!": Olive gives one at the end when Ms. O puts on a remix combining "Take Away Four" and "Gonna Add One". Doubles as a Skyward Scream subversion.
- Big "WHY?!": Downplayed. When Otto, the town baker, and a client with a car tire problem begin singing the chorus of Take Away Four, Olive asks in response:Olive: Why is this my life?
- Binary Suns: One of the effects the "Gonna Add One" song is having on the world includes, among other things, four more suns appearing in the sky.
- Boy Band: Soundcheck most definitely qualifies as a parody of one; more specifically, it's a parody of One Direction.
- Brick Joke: At the beginning of the episode, Olive describes Soundcheck with a mumbling "yee" noise to show her disgust. After seeing the "Gonna Add One" video, she makes the same noise.
- Cheerful Child: For how scary Ms. O can be, she's adorable while gushing over Soundcheck.
- Continuity Nod: Ronnie and Donnie's home is filled with Burly Bears merchandise, which Olive notices. Furthermore, they're also watching a Bears game on TV.
- Dance Party Ending: The episode ends with Ms. O and Otto dancing to the "Take Away Four" and "Gonna Add One" mashup remix, while Olive despairingly crawls away from the scene to avoid being tortured further.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: In going from loving circles to loving triangles, Circle Sue has her hair styled in a triangle shape, matching her outfit and her home decor.
- Fangirl: There's a brief second of Olive gushing over the Burly Bears with Ronnie and Donnie after Otto disappears into the tubes.
- I Told You So: In the Cold Open, while dealing with two clients (one of whom has turned into a cheese curl), Olive assures them that the problem can be fixed using the Un-Cheesy-Curl-inator. Otto's response?Otto: And you said we'd never use it.[Olive promptly shoots him a Death Glare]
- Lampshade Hanging: When Otto begins singing the chorus of "Take Away Four" in the Mathroom, he suddenly stops and remarks how Olive isn't stopping him.
- While Otto is performing a comedic Thousand-Yard Stare, Olive asks him what he's staring at. His response is a simple yet wistful "Music."
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Parodied and played for laughs. When Soundcheck (bar Danny T) and Olive look at a smiling Otto as a replacement for their missing bandmate, he takes two bottles of hair gel and squirts some on his head while uttering the band name.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: A subversion. While "Take Away Four" is playing on Circle Sue's radio, and she and Otto are dancing, Sue lets out a scream. However, the music continues in the background until she manually turns the radio off.
- Long Song, Short Scene: Played straight for "Take Away Four", but averted for "Gonna Add One". The original "Take Away Four" song is nearly 3 minutes long, but scenes only feature up to a minute of the song. On the other hand, "Gonna Add One" is a minute and a half long, and plays in full near the end of the episode.
- Musicalis Interruptus: Olive is watching the music video for "Take Away Four" on Otto's computer. After a while, she decides that she's had enough and abruptly pauses the music video, while also interrupting Otto's singing along to the song.
- Not So Above It All: Like Otto, Ms. O loves Soundcheck's music and gushes over it.
- Overly Long Gag: Circle Sue hiding in her "safe space".
- Overly Long Scream: Circle Sue gives one upon finding out that four of her triangle chairs have disappeared.
- Performance Video: Both songs' videos fall under this. There is hardly a shot in either video that doesn't feature a member of the band.
- Refusing the Call: Tony D glances at Olive when remarking that the band needs a fourth member. She's quick to shoot him a shocked look and shift her gaze to Ringo.
- Say My Name: Parodied.Otto: You guys are crazy-town, yo! Tony D, Danny T, Ringo, Johnny J. I know all your names! [whispered] My name's Otto. Big fan.
- Spiky Hair: Otto's hair is styled like this during the "Gonna Add One" performance.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: Circle Sue's wardrobe consists mainly of triangles.
- Tempting Fate: Not a second passes between Olive doing this and Otto confirming her worst suspicions.Otto: You'll never believe what band just came out with a brand-new song!Olive: Don't say Soundcheck...Otto: Soundcheck!
- The Snack Is More Interesting: True to his Big Eater tendencies, Otto munches on a chip from Circle Sue's bowl while he and Olive are visiting her, much to his partner's chagrin as she rolls her eyes at him.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Played for Laughs when Otto stares off into the distance upon realizing that music is the answer.
- Torture Chamber Episode: While the episode mainly revolves around Otto's love for Soundcheck, it also makes a point to showcase Olive being consistently tortured by the "Take Away Four" song. By the end of the episode, she still hasn't come to terms with the song.
Double Trouble
Airdates: November 26, 2014 note , November 30, 2014 note , January 10, 2015 note
Debbie from Debbie's Pizzeria has doubled...not once, but twice, creating four Debbies. When one of the four Debbies goes missing, Olive and Otto need to find her.
Tropes:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Delivery Debbie and Delivery Doug.
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: Lampshaded by Otto when Ms. O tells him a story about a baby bird who attempted to fly out of his nest and wound up going back in time due to his inexperience. It ultimately ends up being a Bait-and-Switch Sentiment.Otto: Wait. Are you trying to tell me I'm the baby bird?Ms. O: Nope. Just wanted to tell you a story, which I did.
- Arch-Enemy: Delivery Doug serves as one to Delivery Debbie.
- Babysitting Episode: While Olive is off with the original Debbie attempting to find her clone in the town, Otto is forced to keep an eye on the other two Debbies. He doesn't do a very good job at it, and outright tells the clones to leave him alone at one point.
- Bad News, Irrelevant News: Both Ms. O and Oscar engage in this.Ms. O: And now for the really bad news.[scene transition]Ms. O: One of the doubles is missing!Oscar: Hey guys. Now for the really, really bad news.[swelling suspenseful music]Oscar: My watch stopped working. [taps it twice as Ms. O gives him a Disapproving Look]
- Bland-Name Product: The "Shmumber Beat" magazines that Otto throws onto the desk is a clear parody of the Tiger Beat magazines. Also counts as a Stereotype Flip, since Tiger Beat is primarily marketed to girls, not boys.
- Call-Forward: While Olive is off on a separate mission, Otto is forced to watch over the other two clones, lamenting about doing menial tasks due to his inexperience. "The Trouble With Centigurps" would have a similar setup, with the sole difference being that in this episode, Otto is taking a container out of the Storage Room, while in that episode, Otto is bringing a container down to the Storage Room.
- The Chase: As Otto gets some work done around headquarters, the two Debbie clones keep relentlessly chasing him to the point that he asks them to leave him alone...that is, before he realizes that they love to do paperwork.
- Clone Angst: Inverted; the original Debbie is terrified to have three identical doubles of her and is worried about them ruining her business.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Otto protests that the clones should be kept due to their efficiency. Olive realizes that he has a point and explains that if he can get them to help with his work, then they can help the original Debbie at the pizzeria. The clones end up starring in a commercial with the original Debbie.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The scene where Oscar is preparing to zap the Debbie clones back into the original Debbie, followed by Otto asking him to have a minute and giving Last Words to each of the clones while Ms. O informs him that he needs to let them go, bears a striking resemblance to a child giving parting words to their loved one while they are on their deathbed.
- Double-Meaning Title: "Double Trouble" can refer to both Otto's inability to keep an eye on the two doubles he's stuck with, and the missing double nearly ruining the original Debbie's pizzeria business.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Hopkins, an adult employee of an unnamed office, makes an appearance in this episode.
- Expendable Clone: The three Debbie clones are seen as this to everyone except Otto, and they certainly act like it, being identical to the original Debbie and being only able to say a few words. However, they do seem to have emotions, breaking into tears when Otto is forced to say goodbye to them.
- Flashback Cut: One is used to show what happened to Debbie to have doubles created from her.
- Foreshadowing/Freeze-Frame Bonus: The number 43 can be seen briefly on Otto's desk before he sets his paperwork on it.
- Happiness in Slavery: The clones fall into the Beloved Servant type. They are more than happy to be doing paperwork for both Otto and his partner, as well as cleaning his desk.
- Incredibly Long Note: Ms. O isn't amused at Olive and Otto singing Delivery Debbie's Jingle. Once they finish the first half, she asks if they're done, only for them to finish the song.
- Jingle: "Delivery Debbie, the best pizza you'll find! Call Debbie, she's one of a kind! Order today!" It was later revised to "we're four of a kind" due to the inclusion of the three clones.
- Let Me Tell You a Story: Ms. O tells Otto a story of a baby bird who attempted to fly out of his nest, got sucked into a black hole, went back in time, and ran a hot dog stand in Alberquerque, New Mexico. Without permission. The entire point of the story is that Otto is too inexperienced for the mission of locating Debbie's missing double.
- Me's a Crowd: Debbie becomes so overworked at her pizzeria that she wishes that she had more of her to go around. She ends up getting her wish.
- Never Say "Die": The clones are referred to as being "zapped back inside" the original Debbie, while Otto asks why they have to "get rid of" the clones.
- One-Word Vocabulary: Subverted. The Debbie clones are only able to say "hi". However, two manage to say "right" twice, while one utters a tearful "thank you" to Otto upon receiving parting words from him. By the end of the episode, all three clones are able to sing the pizzeria's Jingle.
- Overly Long Scream: Debbie and her clones all give one in flashback, complete with Eat the Camera.
- Paperworkaholic: As it turns out, the two Debbie clones back at Odd Squad love doing paperwork, which is what gives Otto the idea to have them do not only his paperwork, but his partner's as well.
- Parody Commercial: The end of the episode has one of these, with the three Debbie clones and the original Debbie perform an advertising jingle for their pizzeria. Olive and Otto also join in to sing the final notes after having recited the jingle earlier.
- Rhyming Title: "Double Trouble".
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: Otto suggests that he and Olive do this in the Cold Open when deciding what gadget to use on a donut shop owner with a missing body. They start to do a "best out of 5" game, but the owner quickly interrupts them and tells them to use both gadgets.
- Shout-Out: Fittingly, Delivery Doug's phone has the classic 1994 Nokia ringtone. Keep in mind that this is in a show that shows its organization's agents wearing and using flip phones as the primary form of distant communication.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Debbie's clones are masters at the art, appearing wherever Otto happens to be and managing to startle him each time. It's exploited by Otto the fourth time around.
- There Are No Police: Played with. It's implied that the only authority figures in the town who are even close to serving as the police are Odd Squad agents. However, when a man comes up to Olive and the real Debbie and demands that the latter be arrested, the former points out that they don't do anything like that. While Odd Squad as an organization performs interrogations quite often on villains (and even their own co-workers), and function similar to a police force, they don't do anything as extreme as arresting people because it's often not needed; most villains know when to give up and aren't super-persistent. On top of that, adults are portrayed as idiotic in this universe, and Olive wouldn't have arrested Debbie anyway even if she were asked to.
- Tongue Twister: Ms. O tells Otto to "keep the other two doubles out of trouble". He dares her to "try saying that ten times fast." She ends up taking that quite literally, saying the phrase ten times with a sped-up voice, which leaves Otto stunned.Oscar: She is one impressive lady!
- Zombie Advocate: After realizing that the Debbie clones are efficient and kindhearted, Otto attempts to persuade the other Main 4 to keep them. It ends up working.