iSaved Your Life is the 9th episode in Season 3 of iCarly. It originally aired on January 18, 2010, at 8:00 PM EST on Nickelodeon, garnering a whopping grand total of 13.88 million viewers followed by the debut of Big Time Rush, which aired at the 8:30PM timeslot. This episode became the highest-rated, most viewed and popular episode of any live-action sitcom TV in Nickelodeon history with massively successful ratings, bringing upon their biggest
viewership audience ever, even surpassing the premiere of Big Time Rush, which aired shortly afterward. It is the second most-watched premiere in Nickelodeon history, beaten by the Rugrats episode "All Growed Up".
When Freddie risks his life to save Carly in a road accident and gravely injures himself as a result, she kisses him, symbolizing the start of a new relationship. Freddie finally has the girl of his dreams enamored with him, but he contemplates a difficult question: Is this really how he wanted Carly's affections? Meanwhile, Sam and Spencer engage in a cutthroat no-holds-barred paintball war that gets out of hand.
Tropes:
- Battered Bouquet: When Carly and Spencer visit Freddie after he gets home from the hospital, Carly brings get-well flowers. Mrs. Benson is furious with Carly since Freddie got hit protecting her so she takes the flowers, soaks them in bleach, and pounds them with a mallet.
- The Big Damn Kiss: After suffering from an unrequited crush towards her for the first 2 seasons, Carly finally gives Freddie the romantic kiss he has always wanted. What makes it even more powerful is how long he has been craving for this moment, and when Carly kisses Freddie (and several times too!) after she commends him for his heroism, he is rendered speechless.
- Bittersweet Ending: The episode ends with Freddie gently breaking up with Carly because he is nervously unsure if her affections for him are genuine, but they agree to remain as friends. Freddie also leaves the door open for them to get back together in the future once he is fully healed up and his heroism blows over/fades away. If Carly still wants to date him, he would look forward to it.
- Butt-Monkey: Spencer is this to Sam due to them horsing around in their paintball competition.
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Creator's Favorite Episode: In an interview, Miranda has cited this as her favorite episode. - Deadpan Snarker: When Sam encounters Carly and Freddie at the school corridor, she mocks them over their relationship, even referring to them as a married couple.
- Downer Ending: On his way home, Freddie feels miserable and has second thoughts about dumping the girl of his dreams, who he was enamored with for so long. In the elevator, he questions his actions and in the extended version, heartbreakingly screams it in anguish.
- First Kiss: Carly and Freddie share their first kiss on-screen.
- A Friend in Need: Freddie to Carly. He is extremely selfless and willing to sacrifice his desires and potentially his life for his childhood love interest.
- It's All My Fault: A bone of contention in this episode is Carly blaming herself for "causing" Freddie to become gravely injured and crippled (which Marissa harshly berates her for), even though Freddie himself voluntarily jumped out in the middle of the intersection and shoved Carly to save her from getting run over by a food truck.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Quite an unusual example, as Freddie backs out of his and Carly's budding romance in order to ensure she would be happy, rather than potentially taking advantage of a situation where Carly might not really like him as a person, but thinks she does. Coming from Freddie (who has been pining after Carly for years), that's pretty selfless.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Halfway through the episode, Sam plants a seed of doubt in Freddie's mind by telling him to savor Carly crushing on him because it won't last; she warns Freddie that his heroic actions are the real object of Carly's affections and she isn't in love with him personally. Freddie ultimately decides Sam might be right and thus ends his relationship with Carly at the end.
- Let's Just Be Friends: Freddie to Carly at the end.
- Love Confession: When Freddie calls off their relationship at the end, Carly gives one to him before he interjects.
- Love Epiphany: Carly to Freddie, after helping him out of the shower to his bed. Smitten with her savior, she leans in and passionately kisses him on the lips for half an hour.
- Make-Out Kids: The episode (filmed in the spring of 2009) featured several heavy make-out scenes between Carly and Fred. According to an interview article in Tiger Beat, Miranda Cosgrove and Nathan Kress were completely unaware that they would be kissing each other on-screen until they read the script, just before filming began. They were shocked. In the interview, Miranda stated, "Since we're friends, it's not uncomfortable!"
- My God, What Have I Done?: After ending things with Carly, Freddie remorsefully doubts and questions his actions to himself on the elevator ride home.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: You know Freddie is in a bad way when Sam of all people is clearly concerned about him.
- Paintball Episode: The episode's subplot revolves around Sam and Spencer doing this.
- Post-Kiss Catatonia: Freddie in the extended version after Carly kisses him for the first time. He wonders if he is dreaming and even stuns himself with a taser before she resumes kissing him for several seconds.
- Relationship Upgrade: Carly begins a temporary relationship with Freddie following his rescue of. They date for three days in canon before mutually breaking up at the end.
- Rescue Romance: The main theme of this special episode regarding Carly and Freddie. They begin dating shortly after Freddie pushed Carly out of the way of an oncoming food truck, getting severely injured in the process. This prompts Carly to develop feelings for him. However, Freddie soon feels (due in part to Sam's advice, for what that may be worth) that Carly might not really like him for anything other than how he just risked his own life to rescue her, and explains to her that while he hopes they will get back together someday in the future, for the time being, they should end their relationship and stay friends.Carly: You know, everyone at school's saying you're a hero.
Freddie: That's dumb.
Carly: You are!
Freddie: I'm not a hero.
Carly: You almost got killed saving my life! That makes you a hero.
Freddie: I don't feel like a hero.
Carly: Well, you are one. [Sits on Freddie's bed] To me. [She leans in and kisses him] - Ship Tease: This is one of the most major Creddie episodes in Season 3 (and probably the biggest romance adventure they embark on in the series), although it wasn't the first one.
- Shipping Torpedo:
- Considering how little Marissa tries to hide how much she blames Carly for her son's injuries, she is not supportive of them dating at all, screaming when walking in on Carly kissing Freddie and chasing her out.
- Zigzagged with Sam. She mocks Freddie and Carly for acting like a married couple and even agrees when Freddie accuses her of not liking them being together. However, Sam does raise some valid points when explaining why she doesn't approve of Carly being in a relationship with him.
- Shout-Out: Sam shooting Gibby in the head with her paintball gun is a reference to a scene in The Wire where Michael kills Snoop.
- Sickeningly Sweethearts: How Sam views Freddie and Carly as a couple, feeling grossed out by seeing them being romantic at school to the point of wanting to "puke up blood".
- Taking the Bullet: Carly almost got hit by a taco truck, but Freddie pushed her out of the way and took the blow.
- Tonight, Someone Kisses: The official trailer (which aired in November 2009) strongly implied a Carly/Freddie romance. In fact, this episode's promo didn't even bother teasing a romantic journey, showing the two actually kissing on-screen.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo: In the first 2 seasons, Freddie struggled with a one-sided crush on Carly, who turned him down because she only saw him as a friend. Here, their roles are reversed; Carly has developed romantic feelings for Freddie, whose heroics win her heart, but now he is dubious of the whole thing.
- Wham Line: Spencer receives a package from the plaza delivery man; given the circumstances, he's rather suspicious, but it turns out to just be a lollipop. Then, the mailman says this:Mailman: 'Cept where I come from, we don't call it a lollipop.
Spencer: Oh, well, what do you call it?
Mailman: A sucker.- This reveals the mailman was in cahoots with Sam, and he whacks Spencer with the lollipop, giving Sam enough time to shoot Spencer point-blank in the face, and thus win their game.
- You Should Have Died Instead: Freddie's mom Marissa says a non-lethal version of this to Carly a few times.Marissa: (Whispers to Carly) It should've been you.
