Never mess with a Cougar Scout armed with bear spray.
Production Code: 112
Jonathan takes Jake, Trixie, and Spud on a camping trip, where Jake must protect a village of sprites from the Jersey Devil. Meanwhile, Susan and Haley's plans to go on a weekend spa go awry when they accidentally wind up in boot camp instead.
Tropes
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Jake's flashbacks to prior family vacations indicate the extent of Jonathan's foibles.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Trixie lists all the great activities she and Spud did with Jonathan. Spud even brings up that he taught them how to deal with forest fires. ...But then realizes he's talking about Smokey the Bear.
- Badass Normal: Jonathan proves to be this when he takes down the Jersey Devil.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Jonathan demonstrates how capable he is in survival mode during the climactic battle with the Jersey Devil while Jake is struggling despite prior goofiness (both this and other episodes). Overlaps with Papa Wolf (entry below).
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Jake ends up getting snared by the trap he set up to catch the Jersey Devil.
- It's All My Fault: During their subsequent breakout, Haley innocently tries to take the blame for where they are now. Seeing this, Susan shoulders the blame for how she was the one who got them on the wrong bus and then some. It's Played for Laughs, considering it's a somewhat long list of transgressions on her part.
- It's Personal: Said by Jake when Jake realizes the Jersey Devil is heading towards the campsite.
- Mundane Utility: Jake and Haley use Dragon's fire to accomplish individuals goals (starting a campfire and melting the lock to the refrigerator at the Spartan Boot Camp). Haley also uses her Dragon's wings to fly her and her mother out of the camp.
- No-Sell: Haley tries to charm the drill sergeant with her adorable face so they reason with her. Instead, she has Haley and her mother do stomach crunches.Haley: That woman has ice in her veins.
- Not So Above It All: It's one thing when Susan is in a position where she and her daughter Haley accidentally got on the bus for Military Boot Camp. It's another thing when the two of them are hungry from the meager boot camp meal they had for dinner. When faced with access to the locked fridge full of sumptuous food (which is only one dragon's fire breath away from unlocking), Haley shows some real restraint from temptation. Her mother? Not so much.
- Papa Wolf: Jonathan not only knows his way around the woods, but if he sees what he believes to be a bear about to harm his son, he proves himself a warrior capable of taking down the beast single-handed!
- Parents as People: While Jonathan is rather embarrassing and somewhat childlike in his mannerisms, his love for his family and respect for nature is always at the forefront of his mind. Trixie and Spud both call out Jake for avoiding spending time with his father, as it's clear that half of the reason he's even bothering to help the sprites is to just find an excuse to get away from him.
- Potty Dance: Trixie does this after learning that there isn’t a bathroom at their campsite, and decides to hold it rather than do the alternative Jake tells her.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: Jonathan, Spud, and Trixie's rendition of "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmit" prompts Jake to comment that Public Domain songs make him naseous.
- Toilet Humor: When Jake says he needs alone time, Jonathan says that if that's the case, he's going to need toilet paper and a small spade. Jake corrects him "Not that kind of alone time!". Later, when digging a deep hole for trapping the monster that's been terrorizing the pixies, Jake asks them if they could lend him some help. The pixies drop down a roll of toilet paper and Jake responds "Not that kind of help!"
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The main plot focuses on Jake trying to protect a spite village from the Jersey Devil while also bonding with his father, and the secondary plot centers around Susan and Haley trying to escape a military boot camp they accidentally joined.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Trixie makes a point to Jake about how it's important he should spend time with his dad, rather than duck out on father-son bonding just because he thinks Jonathan is embarrassing.
- Who's on First?: Trixie mistakes Spud being excited to roast s'mores
with him literally saying he wants "s'more" of something.
