Hilda joins the Sparrow Scouts, and befriends Frida and David. Together, they try to clean up a park. However, in the process of cleaning up the park, they end up bothering a very annoyed Vittra, who gives the trio no end of trouble.
Tropes:
- Accidental Truth: Early in the episode, Frida and Hilda tease David with stories about trolls that could be just outside the city wall of Trolberg right now. Later, Hilda finds out there is indeed a (now thankfully petrified) troll just outside the wall.
- "Before" and "After" Pictures: Frida makes these for their gardening project so they can later show the work they've done. Sadly, no work gets done due to the situation with the Vittra, so the pictures are identical.
- Beneath the Earth: When a Vittra steals her sash, Frida follows him into the Vittra’s underground tunnels, later followed by Hilda.
- Bunny Ears Picture Prank: Hilda does this to David on the picture Frida takes near the end of the episode.
- Cold Open: A comedic one from Hilda and her mum. As Hilda prepares for her first Sparrow Scout meeting, she tries to look for her sweater without realizing she's wearing it.Johanna: (After realizing Hilda is wearing the sweater the whole time) Hey! I knitted you that sweater.
- Control Freak: Frida has shades of this, having made a tight schedule for the cleaning of the park. It makes Hilda wonder if Frida was perhaps raised by elves.
- Conveyor Belt of Doom: The Big Chipper. The Vittra’s that Frida, Hilda and David dropped off at the mulching center end up on it and have to be rescued before they get mulched.
- Divided for Adaptation: The scene of Hilda joining the Sparrow Scouts is adapted from "Hilda and the Black Hound", but the rest of that graphic novel is not adapted until episodes 12 and 13.
- Dodgeball Is Hell: Averted; the Sparrow Scouts initiate every new member with a game of dodgeball, but it’s clear everybody enjoys the game, and those who get hit don’t suffer any kind of injuries.
- Establishing Character Moment: For David when Hilda wants him to guard the rope she and Frida will need to get out of the hole, but he is quickly distracted by a rock.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Twig is the first to notice the danger when Hilda, Frida and David find all their work from the day before ruined.
- Heavy Sleeper: When they’re hibernating, there is hardly anything that can wake up a Vittra. As such, the Vittra’s sleep through the entire ordeal of almost being mulched. Lampshaded by David.
- Help, I'm Stuck!: While chasing the Vittra that stole her sash, Frida gets stuck in an old rabbit hole she mistook for a vittra tunnel.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Done by David (complete with covering his eyes) as Hilda slips and ends up hanging from the side of the Big Chipper, high above the ground. Frida immediately snaps him out of it.
- Initiation Ceremony: Hilda is put through one when she joins the Sparrow Scouts. It ends with a game of stingball. It's unofficial, but it's a lot of fun.
- Merit Badges for Everything: The episode focusses on the scouts trying to get their first badge for the year; friends of the park badge. Frida is also trying to get her Level Three Friendly and Helpful badge, which is why she choses Hilda for her team.
- Averted near the end; when Frida and David successfully rescue Hilda and the last Vittra from Big Chipper, Frida cheers that this must be worth a 100 points for the ‘Catch A Falling Friend’ badge…only to admit that there isn’t really such a badge (Hilda thinks there should be one though). Hilda also suggests they deserve a friend of the Vittra’s badge, which doesn’t exist either.
- Mole Men: The Vittra live underground, only coming up once a year to hibernate and catch some sunlight.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Justified; Hilda, Frida and David had no idea the weed they pulled out of the ground and brought to the mulch center were actually living, intelligent creatures called Vittra.
- Noodle Incident: The main Vittra calls Frida a "typical above-grounder", implying that Hilda, Frida, and David aren't the first humans he dealt with.
- Sequel Hook: The episode ends with the rock David found earlier and took home suddenly starting to move and make noises. This will be followed up upon in the next episode.
- Spit Take: The Vittra spits out the plant juice he was drinking when Hilda informs him his friends are scheduled for mulching.
- Trail of Bread Crumbs: Hilda makes a trail with pieces from her sandwich while searching for Frida in the underground passages. Naturally, they get eaten.
