iSpy a Mean Teacher is the 8th episode in the first season of iCarly.
Inspired by their awful teacher Ms. Briggs, Carly and Freddie decide to do a skit which shows what mean teachers do when not at school, and spy on her.
Meanwhile, Spencer decides to make a sculpture and has Sam be his model.
Tropes:
- Blatant Lies: When Ms. Briggs suspiciously asks a hiding Sam on the phone how she could have possibly known where in her refrigerator her cottage cheese was, Sam replies that she's a professional.
- Brick Joke: When they are in Ms. Briggs' closet full of idol memorabilia of Randy Jackson, Carly tells Freddie not to take the merchandised perfume. At the end of the episode, Ms. Briggs compliments Freddie on his new smell. When Carly asks him if he actually took the perfume and that the smell is from that, Freddie confirms it is.
- Celebration Miscalculation: When Carly and Freddie are caught trying to sneak to the front door, they immediately try to act as if they were planning a surprise party for her, and singing "Jolly Good Fellow". Ms. Briggs is not fooled at all, and says that it's not her birthday.
- Chekhov's Gun: The green screen that Freddie shows to Carly and Sam is eventually used to humor up the situation of Ms. Briggs playing bagpipes on the air.
- Gave Up Too Soon: Carly and Freddie stop using the pie camera upon seeing Ms. Briggs vacuum her house for hours but that was when she started doing outlandish hobbies such as exercising and playing the bagpipes, something Carly and Freddie witness when hiding in her closet.
- Hypocritical Humor: While hiding in Ms. Briggs' closet, Freddie munches on a cereal called "Randy-Yo's". Carly tells him to stop eating it... then she starts wolfing them down herself.
- Incredibly Obvious Bug: When Freddie decides to spy on Ms. Briggs, he uses a noticeably plastic slice of pie with a very large lens on the side. Carly and Sam immediately start laughing their heads off upon seeing the ridiculous thing, and even more so when they see that it even came with a giant fork.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: While distracting Ms. Briggs on the phone, Sam asks Ms. Briggs if she can look at the cottage cheese on the top shelf. Ms. Briggs begins to do so, until she gets suspicious, wondering how a woman over the phone could know where her cottage cheese was.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Mrs. Briggs may be a mean teacher, but she was still rightfully upset at the iCarly trio for breaking into her home, damaging her bagpipes, and impersonating a dairy agent.
- Sadistic Choice: After busting Carly, Sam, and Freddie for trespassing and spying on her property, Ms. Briggs makes a deal to them. She can either call the police on them and press charges, or she can go on their webshow, iCarly, and let her show off her bagpipes skills. The trio reluctantly choose the latter.
- Series Continuity Error: Sam is shocked to see Ms. Briggs playing bagpipes, even though she saw her doing so in "iDream of Dance". This is because this episode is anachronistic order, filmed earlier than the latter episode.
- So Much for Stealth: When Ms. Briggs is at her patio door having caught Sam, Carly and Freddie try to sneak from the closet and out of the house while her back is turned. However, Freddie accidentally steps on the set of bagpipes that Ms. Briggs left on the floor, which sounded out and alerted her.
- Stalker Shrine: Ms. Briggs is revealed in this episode to have an entire CLOSET full of Randy Jackson memorabilia. These include Randy Jackson photos, Randy Jackson cereal, Randy Jackson beauty products, and even a Randy Jackson cut out that plays voice clips of him.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: When Sam calls Ms. Briggs claiming to be from the “Federal Bureau of Milk”, she asks if that means "FBM". Sam replies, "Uh, yeah, sure."
- Ungrateful Bitch: In the beginning, a kind student gives Ms. Briggs a freshly plucked orange from his tree. She looks at it, then tells him that she hates citrus fruit. She then throws it on the ground, stomps on it, and yells at him through her bullhorn to get to class.
- We Need a Distraction: When Carly and Freddie are trapped in Ms. Briggs' house after breaking in, they call Sam and ask her to distract Ms. Briggs and get away from the living room so they can get out of the house. Sam does so by calling her, pretending to be a caller for the Federal Bureau of Milk, asking her to check through her refrigerator to look for contaminated dairy products.
