Sprig and classical education- not a great combination.
Sprig is offered a spot at Newtopia University, but he might not be ready for the pressures of college life. Full Recap
TBA...
Tropes:
- All There in the Script: The female professor teaching Sprig's first class is named "Professor Scalini" in the credits, never introducing herself in the episode properly.
- Angry Guard Dog: Giant weevils are used as security animals at Newtopia University. They even bark and growl like dogs, which Anne lampshades.
- Artistic License – Biology: This episode reveals that in Amphibia, tadpole tails drop off as they mature into frogs, whereas the tails are reabsorbed into the body in real life.
- Call-Back:
- Sprig knows how to defeat a mantis, a nod to the one he and Anne fought in the first episode.
- The same portrait of Mycroft Newtback from "Trip to the Archives" is shown in the Newtopia University library where Sprig is stacking books.
- Character Development: When Sprig is offered a spot at the Newtopian University, Hop Pop is slightly reluctant, clearly having learned his lesson about pressuring his grandkids from "Fiddle Me This".
- Continuity Nod: Hop Pop mentions cutting back on beetle burgers, having eaten a thousand of them in "Scavenger Hunt".
- Deus Exit Machina: This is the first episode in the Newtopia arc where Marcy doesn't appear.
- Evil Laugh: Anne and Polly's mischievous laughter turns into over-the-top evil laughter when they plot to sneak into Newtopia University and hang out with Sprig.
- Extremely Short Timespan: Sprig impresses the school so much, they moved his acceptance from next semester to the next day.
- Fish out of Water: The montage of Sprig's first day at Newtopia Prep shows him getting everything at school hilariously wrong.
- Fully-Clothed Nudity: Sprig has a brief freakout when his hat is taken away.
- Help, I'm Stuck!: Hop Pop freaks out when he sees the school go into lockdown, and he tries to rush to Sprig's rescue... only to get stuck between the bars of the gate.Hop Pop: Guess I gotta cut down on those bug burgers... Hang in there, Sprig!
- Inelegant Blubbering: Hop Pop bursts into big, wet tears while reminiscing on Sprig growing up and is overcome by nostalgia.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: When Polly says Sprig doesn't have the attention span for Newtopia University, Sprig insists he does. He's immediately distracted by Anne offering to throw her fris-beetle.
- Lockdown: Newtopia Prep goes into full lockdown at night, complete with metal barricades, guard towers, and guard weevils. Sprig thinks he's being held hostage, but it turns out that they're just really diligent about keeping their students safe at night.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Prof. Herringbone is impressed by Sprig's knowledge and skills, letting him try being at Newtopia University for a day, and even says he's going to let Sprig attend full-time despite how much trouble he caused on the first day. When Sprig admits that he doesn't care much for Newtopia University (but that he might be open to trying again in a few years), Herringbone accepts his withdrawal with an open invitation to come back when he's ready.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Sprig tries to leave the campus when the pressure of school gets to be too much for him, but he finds out the hard way the dorms go into high-security lockdown at night.
- Spoof Aesop: The episode ends with Sprig deciding Newtopia University isn't for him, and a mock-inspirational jingle singing "Ultimately, college ain't for everyone!"
- Stock Scream: When Sprig is tackled by football players, a stock scream plays that might be familiar to anyone who's played Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Sprig comes up with a desperate plan to escape college upon realizing how much he hates it. After picking the lock to his door and evading spotlights, guard weevils and security forces he finally escapes by...quitting. After all, they can't make him stay.
- Widely-Spaced Jail Bars: Zigzagged. The gates to Newtopia University are indeed wide enough for Hop Pop to jump through, except that he gets stuck halfway through. He does get unstuck, but only by squeezing through the bars to the other side.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Everything Anne knows about college she learned from Wacky Frat Boy Hijinx movies, which are nothing like the stodgy confines of Newtopia University. Subverted in that Prof. Herringbone claims to be heading back to a crazy party.
