Storyboarded by Jacob Winkler & Jessie Wong
Cleaning jelly beans off themselves with the help of her Swiss Army knife, Tulip, One-One, and Atticus enter the next train car, which turns out to be a world of reflective chrome. The group has some brief fun sliding around in this mirrored land, but discover that the door is locked upon trying to exit. As Tulip is about to reminisce about a previous puzzle door, she looks down and discovers that her reflection is now sentient. Her reflection states that the only way to exit is for them to switch places, which Tulip agrees to do. However, just as they open the door, the reflection admits that she has absolutely no plans on switching back; she's lived her entire life just mirroring Tulip's existence and has grown to loathe it, now wishing to experience life on her own terms, right down to rejecting the name "Tulip".
Tulip asks One-One and Atticus' mirror versions for help in returning to her world, with the former assuring her that he has already called "reflection enforcement" to handle the issue. With Tulip's reflection now deemed a "sliver", the officers plan to not only capture her but also kill her if she refuses to serve her original purpose, to Tulip's shock. Tulip goes off to look for her reflection while One-One and Atticus stall the enforcers. Finding her back at the car's entrance, Tulip once again asks to switch back, but the reflection still refuses and tries to leave, only to learn that she's unable to exit the car since there are no mirrored surfaces outside.
Tulip tries to comfort her now-morose reflection, only for her mirror double to call her a hypocrite and point out how often Tulip has rejected help from friends and family. Tulip admits the truth of this but points out that gives her even more credence, stating that she has a plan that can allow them to both exist in the real world if they switch back. Tulip's mirror self agrees to switch back and, while the duo runs to the exit and from the reflection enforcement officers that are in close pursuit, Tulip uses the mirror in her Swiss Army knife to give Mirror Tulip her own personal reflection that she can use to enter the real world. Tulip, Mirror Tulip, One-One, and Atticus all exit the car, escaping the police. In the next car, the reflection thanks Tulip for her help and advises her that she's in control of her own life, saying she should stop stressing about the number. Parting ways, Tulip removes the glove that she's been wearing to hide her number since "The Cat's Car" and discovers that it has gone all the way down to 3.
Tropes:
- Chekhov's Gun: When Tulip takes out her Swiss Army knife to remove a jelly bean from Atticus' fur, she passes over two tools that will serve her later: the pick, which she uses to escape the Mirror Police van; and the mirror, which she gives to Mirror Tulip to let her leave the car.
- Close-Call Haircut: Mirror Tulip has her hair shaved short by one of the officers' grinders just before Tulip yanks her into the real world.
- The Glasses Gotta Go: Along with Letting Her Hair Down, one of the first things that Tulip's reflection does when she emerges into the real world is take off her version of Tulip's glasses and crush them.
- Innocuously Important Episode: This episode has big ramifications for the following season.
- Kryptonite-Proof Suit: The Mirror Police have human suits that allow them to pass into the Prime world to chase down rogue reflections.
- Letting Her Hair Down: One of the first things Mirror Tulip does after declaring her freedom is to shake her hair loose, differentiating herself from Prime Tulip.
- The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Tulip becomes alarmed when her reflection first stops doing what she does, then starts talking to her.
- Mirror Self: Tulip's reflection is everything she's not, due to being tired of always reflecting Tulip.
- Never Given a Name: Tulip's reflection laments that she's never had her own name. Tulip indicates it's something she'll have to come up with herself later.
- Small Role, Big Impact: One-One's reflection called the Mirror Police to chase after Mirror Tulip, unintentionally creating the plot of Book 2.
- Stealth Pun: In this episode, Tulip reflects upon herself.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: To the Mirror Police, a rogue reflection is not a person, and thus they have no problem with grinding them into dust.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Tulip's reflection calls her out for rejecting help from her friends and family.
