Fridge Brilliance
- The Bugg Brothers' maggot/pancake-related plans don't always make sense, until you realize that with the food they provide the insects they control, they could easily make an army of bugs. This also delves into Fridge Horror once you realize how many illnesses an army of bugs could bring, not to mention they would be able to get their hands on nuclear weapons (other than the desert they came from) and stay unaffected, like Clancy in the original series planned to...
- Billy isn't completely obsessed with outshining Ben in this continuity and mostly fights him because they want the same things. It's a bit of a downgrade from his goal in Omniverse until you remember they only met during this summer and Ben got to actually acknowledge him before becoming a hero known across the country, letting Billy get mad at him for other reasons than fame since they may not even attend the same school in this universe.
- Billy also doesn't get sent to another dimension, so aside from lost occasions to show off his riches, Billy really has no reason to hold a grudge against Ben if not a bit of envy towards Ben's close bond with his family.
- The Omnitrix glitching, mostly in season 1, makes sense if you assume it's still just a prototype. Even if Ben can make good use of those mistransformations, his watch itself is faulty.
- Cash and JT appear in Ben's flashbacks and keep the same appearance despite Ben himself growing up. Reused models? Probably, but it also shows they haven't grown anything beyond being Ben's lousy bullies, a point that was made in their AF debut.
- Ben's "jealousy" towards Lucky Girl is notably absent here, not only because it's just Gwen cosplaying a cartoon hero, but because since Gwen isn't as willing to rub it in his face as in the original series, he only brushes off the idea of "luck" powers as not being real and doesn't mind her input when she does help him against Hex's magic.
- Tim Buktu's entire design revolves around Gaston, a character from the Beauty and the Beast. And just like Gaston, while he shows off and calls himself a strong hero, it all falls apart when it's revealed he has no true regard for heroic morals, such as attacking people he knows are innocent just to make himself look good afterward.
- Morningstar's entire schtick as a movie star seems kind of random, but then you realize that since Ben and Gwen are kids on a road trip again, he can't just be known locally. Gwen needs to know about him somehow, and being a popular kid at school doesn't mean much when the kids are on summer vacation away from where Michael could be.
- Gwen doesn't appear in the flashbacks where Ben keeps stopping Frightwig. Assuming she never met her in person, it's not hard for her not to realize Frieda is actually a supervillain at first glance, as she wouldn't know how she looks like beyond Ben's bragging.
- Animo's inventions being inspired by the Omnitrix explains why he always has loony ideas and plans that fit in a sci-fi universe: he's literally taking inspiration from what drives the show's supernatural side, unaware that by basing himself on alien technology, it brings out his Mad Scientist colors.
- It's no wonder why, despite modern technology and advanced ways of research, the Forgeti is still a mystery people rarely believe in. As soon as anyone would find proof about him, he'd make them faint and forget they ever saw him (or were looking for him to begin with). Should anyone take a picture of him, they would do so as his fog settles, allowing him to get rid of the evidence before it even happens (or break any device that could've recorded his presence).
- The whole "Scared Silly" episode has a classic plot of Ben seeing something, Gwen and Max not believing his stories about ghosts then them trapping it before unmasking the supervillain. The whole episode is a reference to the usual Scooby Doo formula, with Ben even saying 'Zoinks!' at one point. Of course, since this is also a show about aliens, it inevitably ends up with supernatural beings fighting.
- Ben's last transformations in season 1 revolve around him getting out of Vilgax's ship. His first season 2 transformations instead have him getting inside the ship Vilgax is attempting to steal.
- "Battle at Biggie Box" has Billy scream in anguish again as he fails to get the toy he wanted, but unlike the previous two times, Ben doesn't join him in doing it. It's a sign that thanks to Simon, Ben is actually growing out of his bratty, insensitive mindset, recognizing relationships with other people meant more than a toy.
- "Mayhem in Mascot" has Gwen complain Ben ruins Gwen's plans of getting a shirt every year. With the implication they go on a roadtrip every summer, it makes sense as to why they're on much better terms in this universe than the original: thanks to hanging out together at a young age, Ben and Gwen actually got to know one another better and befriend each other, to the point that they have fun together rather than being annoyed by each other's presence.
- Considering Melvin and Tevin, the two hipsters that own a hidden restaurant, have all sorts of unusual meals, it makes sense for a doctor, such as a dentist, to be nearby should the clients ever eat something the wrong way. Ben breaking a tooth after eating a burger in rock candy is just one example among many, especially since that kind of meals is directly on the kids' menu.
- Upgrade was switched out for Shock Rock, an alien who gave all his other aliens upgrades.
- It seems weird that it took a good number of episodes for Gwen and Max to note about the Omni-Enhancements, but then you remember that they know nothing of the watch. They didn't know how Overflow or Gax being unlocked was possible, they didn't understand the alien-jumping and the beeps either, so they might not have much to say about the Omni-Enhancements until it's been a while and they're certain it's not another one-time occurrence.
- "Creature Feature" has Ben criticize the old formulas of horror movies, citing many examples and even using them during his fight against 'That'. The entire episode in itself is a jab at monster movies and 'creature gone out of control' plots. Just as Gwen points out, rather than feeding the monster until it blew up (which only made things worse actually) but sending Hex to it so he'd fuel himself back, Ben effectively changed the ending and brought something new to those old plots: the villain and the hero combining forces to stop the threat before letting the villain go.
- This is eventually how the season ends: Ben and Vilgax team up against a common threat started by a machine the hero, Ben, built from what Vilgax, the villain, made.
- Ben states hating pancakes and liking waffles instead, while it's the opposite for Gwen. Pancakes and waffles are made in different ways, but with the same ingredients, lampshading the similarities between Ben and Gwen while acknowledging they got different outlooks.
- Gwen mentions liking waffles in an earlier episode, meaning that while she prefers pancakes, she can sometimes like waffles. In parallel, while she mostly goes with her smarts and wits, she's not above following Ben sometimes.
- Grey Matter plays in the satellite in "That's The Stuff" by pretending Vilgax is attacking. Technically, as Ben doesn't know of the Bounty Hunters' real motives, Vilgax is the only alien villain he actually knows and hasn't faced any other alien threat that he knows of.
- Why is Tetrax suddenly as amoral and greedy as SixSix and Kraab? The Alien Worlds shorts reveal that his home planet, while at war, is still standing and exists. Meaning he didn't cause its destruction by working with Vilgax, but also that he never went through the Character Development that came with the trauma of causing his species' extinction. Since he wasn't shown the consequences his greedy actions can have, he thus has no reason to pull a Heel–Face Turn before meeting Ben.
- Charmcaster's young self in her flashback has her look like a studying girl, a basic nerd with glasses. Aside from resembling a gender-flipped version of Harry Potter, she also has a few similarities with Gwen's Omniverse self, further highlighting the similarities between the two of them.
- Vilgax working with Zombozo despite stating he wouldn't do the mistake of working with a human again makes sense once you realize he really has no one else to turn to. All of Ben's other enemies have made temporary truces with him or don't seem like they would agree to help Vilgax (or would be competent enough to do so), so the only one he could ask help from was the only villain who ruined himself over losing his henchmen.
- It makes sense why the Weatherheads actively shut down their emotions. They lose reason when angry, and lose both energy and control over their bodies when happy. Not having emotions isn't just an annoying gag, it's literally what makes them functional to begin with.
- A bit of Fridge Tearjerker: Gwen manages to halt Animo by giving him a chance to talk about his insecurities and psychoanalyze him. It's hilarious, but there's also the implication he never got psychological support for never getting the approval, attention and help he needed before choosing to become a mad scientist. It shows that, if the main characters were willing to try helping the villains instead, they could stop their villainous acts altogether, which the Tennysons occasionally pick up on in later episodes.
- "Past Aliens Present" is practically an homage to "Framed", as Ben is framed because of fake versions of his aliens causing trouble. The first alien he fights? A steam-powered version of Cannonbolt, Ben's 11th alien in the original continuity.
- Grey Matter's steam-powered copy being a giant makes sense considering Smythe couldn't have possibly used nanotechnology as it's too advanced for him to approve of. He just decided to make it the most absurdly different alien from the original by making him almost as big as Humungousaur.
- Ben reveals he's aware of Upgrade's disappearance but gets brushed off whenever he mentions it. Even if Upgrade being missing is an issue, Ben has other things to do, he can't always focus on one thing at a time. As far as he's concerned, it could be another case of the watch acting up before bringing Upgrade back.
- It took season 2 for Ben to get famous. It's not as unrealistic as it sounds, as in modern day, photoshopped images, edited footage and Internet stunts (which Ben does by publishing videos of his aliens online) are very common. It'd take a good amount of time for some people to realize Ben is the real deal, and even then, not everyone might believe it. The main concept of the show is so crazy it couldn't be believed if told about in real life.
- "Ben Again and Again" doesn't just serve as a quick way to shrug the origin story of the show. It also establishes the concept of time travel in this continuity, as well as revealing a key location in the original continuity: Mt. Rushmore, where Ben's family went camping this summer and where the Omnitrix landed.
- We also get to see a whole other side of Billy, showing that despite his bratty child attitude, he can be a real threat, hence why Ben takes him so seriously at times.
- A case of Fridge Heartwarming: Ben in the new timeline has another reason to trust Gwen's word whenever he needs her help: she's the entire reason he could even become a hero, as if it weren't for her involvement, he wouldn't have gotten the Omnitrix from his time displaced self and never fulfilled his destiny as savior of the universe.
- "Innervasion Part 1: Message in a Boxcar" shows that when Ben looks for Upgrade, there's a blank icon that glitches out once he switches the dial. It explains why Ben doesn't believe Upgrade was replaced by Shock Rock: Upgrade's spot is still there separate from Shock Rock's icon, so while he has 10 aliens available, he has 11 spots with one malfunctioning, effectively making him think Upgrade is there but "offline".
- "Innervasion Part 2: Call The Dream Police" shows the need for Plumbers. With a bad guy like Vilgax but no space police to capture him, the Tennysons are left with an alien threat they can't get rid of or hand over to the authorities.
- In "Innervasion Part 5: High Override", the titular High Override states that "Entire galaxies bow before me, and you will be no exception." But they are not entire galaxies, why would they bow to him?
- It's notable that beyond the second season, Ben doesn't use the Omni-Enhancements anymore. As they were caused by Shock Rock's pod absorbing too much energy, once the Omnitrix was rebooted again, his pod is back to normal, meaning he can't go super-charged anymore even if he wanted to.
- Ben freaking out over being locked out of using the Omnitrix isn't just a case of him picking a temper tantrum, he's justifiedly worried about not being available if there's a threat. On the other hand, as it's not the first time he was restricted from using the watch, it's no surprise Gwen brushes it off. Ben tends to mess with the new stuff he gets, it might do him some good not to use his new Omnitrix.
- It's normal that Ben finds Rath's silhouette familiar, as Animo turned into Rath before he did.
- In Kevin's debut, he doesn't attack Ben while he's timed out in front of him and talking to Gwen. Chances are that, since Gwen didn't know him before, he didn't know her either and was busy falling for her before Ben decides to get out, snapping Kevin out of it.
- The Fogg somehow appearing in other countries makes sense as it's just water vapor. The particles of water making it could travel across the world through the winds, it just so happened to crave the Tennysons' vehicles more than once.
- "King of the Castle" just goes to show that despite their somewhat unusual concepts (a plant with feet, a waterfilter and a brainiac frog), Wildvine, Overflow and Grey Matter are essential to Ben's arsenal, otherwise he's limited to strength and his own wits.
- Why does Forever Knight taunt Ben until Ben hits him away from battle? He's not just using it as a manner of escaping, he's testing Ben's patience and insecurities to make sure when the time comes, Ben will do what he wants him to.
- Simon is chosen at the end of "Bridge Out" when Ben, the one Forever Knight observes most of the time, is already there, ready to stop him in case things go hectic. It's likely that he was observing Ben's behavior first, expecting him to use his aliens to get rid of traffic until he noticed Simon and his mech suit.
- Why does Gwen get more points than Ben during their small transformation sequence contest? They're in Japan, where the Magical Girl genre is far, far more popular than Godzilla in the domain of transformation sequences, it's normal that the clerks find her transformation to be more in theme than Ben going Humungousaur.
- It's shown that Vin got pictures of LaGrange and the other illegal racers from their debuts in his car, as well as pictures of himself and LaGrange as toddlers. It's no wonder he's still willing to help him despite not being a real bad guy, Vin's sense of morals mostly relies on those he considers family. Had LaGrange not been a villain, Vin wouldn't be one either and might've been on Ben's side much earlier.
- Charmcaster in the original was much better at pretending to be Gwen, but she has trouble in the reboot. Aside from Gwen being notably less abrasive than Charmcaster in this continuity, Charmcaster also used to be a socially awkward nerdy girl in the past. Thinking Gwen is one of those girls who got a 'perfect life' and being faced with the things Gwen does (fixing a complicated radio, laughing to Max's sometimes awkward jokes) totally destabilizes her as it's neither what she's used to, nor what she was expecting.
- Billy's lack of friends and social issues explains his behavior in past episodes: he shares Ben's tastes like any other kid, but he can't be bothered to share or show kindness to others without being contracted to. His parents ground him for not defeating a hero on a helicopter after causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the car, the Rustbucket and many other things, he's never had anyone to teach him the right thing to do since all he was ever taught was that he had to get what he wants and it doesn't matter what should stop him because he's rich.
- Billy himself says he can't make friends who don't want him for his money. Considering his already bad social skills, it's no wonder he hates Ben for his bonds with his family and Simon. Ben, a commoner, has what Billy could never get with money and doesn't know how to ask for without picking a tantrum: real friends, people who don't work for him but care about him. And he would have if it weren't for the Forgeti.
- Ben accidentally brings together Solar and Polar while causing an argument between himself and Gwen. Surely enough, by the end of the season, he does bring his enemies together towards a single goal while ditching his family due to another argument.
- Tetrax's bad humor makes sense since, as he didn't get to be a better person in this universe, he never specifically reached out to other people and doesn't know how to make a joke with someone from another planet who barely knows him.
- Animo's only reappearance this season coincides with an episode revolving around Ben (inadvertently) making everyone think the Chupacabra looks like Rath. Animo turned into Rath during the previous season, so Ben's fake description of the monster attacking the goats wasn't completely inaccurate if only a bit outdated.
- It's revealed Kevin sabotaged Ben's attempts at a friendship while they were at school. It explains why Ben sees himself as a loner and appreciates being alone at times, as since Kevin kept ruining his attempts to make friends, Ben eventually had to get used to being alone and became socially inept as a result.
- Gwen doesn't have the mind control eyes as Pirouette, probably a hint she was never under Zombozo's control to begin with.
- The episode title "Beware The Scare-Crow" has two meanings: avoiding the scarecrow, and avoiding the "scare-crow", who's really Aristocrow scaring other people by pretending to be a scarecrow.
- How come Ben and Xingo switch place when during the previous times, either one went in or out? Gwen mentions her tablet is full of apps and Ben attempted to use Shock Rock on it to boost it. It's likely that when he used Shock Rock, the glitch that downloaded Ben inside the app forced the tablet to get rid of something to save up space, resulting in Xingo being ejected out. It's also what brings Ben back: by having Xingo download himself back into the app, it had to get rid of Ben to do so.
- "The Night Ben Tennyson Came to Town" as a title has many meanings:
- The night, Ben Tennyson came to town: Ben arrives at day, but the consequences of his actions culminate when he comes out of the hotel at night.
- The night Ben Tennyson came to town: In the span of a day, Ben caused the episode's entire events. Once the night ends and it's back at day, the damage is already done: Ben doesn't trust his family anymore.
- "Night" and "Knight" also sound the same. Phonetically, the title could be read "The Knight, Ben Tennyson, Came to Town", which can either mean two things:
- Forever Knight is in town, which is exactly what Ben was trying to tell Gwen and Max before they brushed him off, or...
- Ben himself is the Knight in question. Considering what Forever Knight came for and how Ben ends up joining him, this kind of homonymy was probably intentional as a way to foreshadow Ben's change of alignment.
- Minor detail in "Speed of Sound": inside XLR8's helmet after the rocket boost you can see a display that reads '1000%'. 100% means one whole. 1000% means 10.
- Why, of all aliens for the older alternate Bens to use, did they go with just Chromastone, Big Chill, Amphibian, and Bloxx? Well given the power of Alien X you'd want aliens that could either avoid being hit (the flexible body of Amphibian and intagibility of Big Chill), absorb energy attacks (Chromastone), take a beating (Chromastone's durability and Bloxx' regeneration), etc etc. With the rest of their playlists being unknown they may have been the best choices.
- In the classic continuity there was a disagreement among the head writers about the Omnitrix symbol placement. Dwayne had the symbol be on the chest in virtually all forms for ease of access under the idea that it some species would not have the ability to reach their symbols easily and that the random placement in previous series was a glitch. In Omniverse Wyatt had that singular placement be the glitch and had the symbols appear in more locations again. Then comes Slapback whose symbol is on his back and he can't reach it, meaning he needs help to do things like go Omni-Kix or, theoretically, change forms mid-battle. Perhaps the writers remembered the disagreement and gave it a bit of validation.
- Another reason Alien X is stealing Omnitrixes? If one times out, then another can pick up its slack again and again until all of them are recharged.
- Unlike the last time the two franchises crossed over, the special episode Ben Gen 10 puts both Ben 10 and Generator Rex into the same universe. This means that every character in the reboot is at risk of becoming an EVO at any point.
