As Professor Membrane prepares to give the world free energy, Dib is confronted by someone claiming to be himself from the near-future, having failed to stop Zim from interfering with Membrane's demonstration. However, this turns out to be a trap, as the other Dib is actually a robot sent by Zim to get Dib out of the way while he uses it to hijack Membrane's invention to destroy the world. Now Dib has to escape and stop Zim before it's too late.
Tropes
- Disproportionate Retribution: Membrane's reaction to the Dib robot's eye landing on his stage, mistaking it for a prank by the audience, is to decide that the world doesn't deserve limitless power.
- Foreshadowing: The Dib robot keeps talking like Zim and complimenting Zim's intellect, which gives away that it's not really Dib. Also why would he call his dad "Membrane".
- Fun with Acronyms: Professor Membrane's Perpetual Energy Generator, otherwise known as the PEG.
- Graceful Loser: Zim, for once. When his robot is destroyed before it can accomplish its mission, he gives a Big "NO!" only to then say "oh well" and shrug it off. It helps that he has a consolation prize, watch the monkey beat up Dib.
- Lured into a Trap: Using a robotic duplicate of Dib pretending to be from the future, Zim tricks Dib into going to an Abandoned Warehouse, where he's locked in a cage.
- Parental Neglect: Zig-Zagged. Professor Membrane asks Dib and Gaz to be with him when he unveils his new invention, and refuses to do so until they're there. He also sends someone to give them the invites who calls them his "roommates" and at the end of the episode, fails to notice Gaz has replaced her brother with a more obedient robot.
- Robot Me: Zim builds a robot Dib in order to lure him into a trap and then infiltrate the PEG.
- Snap Back: The episode ends with Dib still locked in the cage with the monkey. Naturally, by the next episode he's free again.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Gaz's only reaction to realizing the Dib she's with is a robot duplicate is to lightly note the fact, and then turn it into her maid.
- World-Wrecking Wave: What might happen when the PEG turns on. Zim intends to make sure it happens.
