Written & storyboarded by Jason Dwyer & Angel Lorenzana
In order to obtain one of Kenneth's cubes, Craig has to challenge the Stare Master into a staring contest.
Tropes:
- Animal Motifs: The Stare Master's physical appearance resembles an owl.
- Beam-O-War: The Stare Master and Craig shoot lasers out of their eyes during the final phase of the Staring Contest.
- Boring Broadcaster: Craig's final training challenge is to watch a video of his brother giving a boring debate on whether Debate Club is boring or not.
- Brick Joke: The many things that don't have anything to do with the Staring Contest all come together to create some very supernatural Funny Background Event unseen to Craig (and the viewers).
- But Now I Must Go: To Craig's despair, Mr. Punches decides to leave the Creek and travel the world using his superpowers to help others.
- Chekhov's Gun: All the seemingly random things shown in the first half of the episode — the Science Kids' slime experiment, J.P.'s pet salamander Mr. Punches, the invisible kid — come in full force during the climax.
- Disappointed in You: The Stare Master taunts Kelsey into surrendering by claiming that her ancestors are looking down on her with disappointment. The owl girl would later lament that the young warrior didn't even make it past the first hour.
- Feathered Fiend: Before Craig challenges the Stare Master, Kelsey mentions that she was stalled because of a creepy crow. During the staring contest, the crow would return and wreak vengeance on the Stump Kids with a murder of comrades.
- Funny Background Event: Basically all the stuff involving mutant slime, the growing Mr. Punches the salamander, and the crows. But the viewers don't see it by much because the focus is on Craig's stare. However, we do see the invisible kid wandering behind the Stare Master.
- Missing the Good Stuff: Just as Craig begins the staring contest, an epic battle involving mutated slime and J.P.'s salamander Mr. Punches turning into a super hero ensues just behind him. No matter what, Craig resists the urge to turn away to look at it. By the time the staring contest is over, the battle is over and everything's back to normal without Craig having seen any of it. (With how the show tends to be filtered through a kid's sense of imagination, though, that's probably all it was.)
- Radiation-Induced Superpowers: Mr. Punches ends up drenched in the mutant slime that the Science Kids accidentally release which digi-volves the amphibious pet into a muscular, superhero who can talk and kick butt.
- Real After All: As the episode begins, J.P. is talking about encountering an invisible kid, with Craig arguing that he just saw a shirt blowing in the wind. Later, at the height of the staring contest, Craig sees the invisible kid as a set of floating clothes from the corner of his eyes. As he mentions it, Stare Master turns around to see him, only for the kid to be gone; thus Craig wins the contest.
- Staring Contest: As usual in the Creek, this simple children's game takes on epic proportions. Craig is challenged to a staring contest by the Stare Master, who has incredibly intense eyes that take down Kelsey when she attempts it. During the climactic stare contest, both their eyes are glowing and shooting beams at each other.
- Stylistic Self-Parody: J.P. declines the Stare Master's challenge because his eyes aren't fully formed yet, by which he means having no eye whites. He laughs before adding he's colorblind because of it.
- Totally Radical: Mr. Punches the Salamander speaks like a Surfer Dude after undergoing evolution.
- Training Montage: Craig puts himself through this so his eyes can be strong enough to defeat the Stare Master.
