An experiment with the power of hypnosis falls into the hands of Gantu and Hämsterviel plans to use it to turn the viewers of a popular TV show into slaves.
A surfer is coasting some waves at the beach when he wipes out. The wave of water washes onto an experiment pod lying in the sand, and 383 appears before the surfer. The experiment's eyes turn into swirls as the surfer is put into a hypnotic trance. Meanwhile, another surfer is encouraging him to "visualize the waves and surf like Kelly Slater
." The surfer breaks out of his trance, gets back on his board, and suddenly exhibits an impressive level of surfing skill.Meanwhile, on Gantu's ship, his computer warns about an activated experiment, and Hämsterviel commands Gantu to capture immediately. However, he is busy watching a marathon of his favorite show, Look at This, which showcases "freaks" and their talents on live TV. After getting chewed out for laziness by his employer, he reluctantly leaves the ship to capture 383.
Mertle and her friends discuss that the reality show Look at This is doing an episode in Kauai. Keoni reveals exciting news that he pulled a few strings, and all the hula girls will be able to dance on the show as part of a cut to commercial. Lilo, having just arrived with Stitch, expresses disgust at the show because of its tendency to humiliate contestants just for being different. She refuses Keoni's offer and turns to leave on her tricycle, but Mertle implies that Lilo is too scared to perform on TV and calls her a "big chicken." Unfortunately, the Ice Cream Man happens to be staring at 383 nearby and is hypnotized into acting like a big chicken. Stitch uses his infrared vision and spots his cousin in the bushes, and the duo run off to chase 383.
Gantu interferes and captures 383 himself, picking up a tree and throwing it at Stitch as he makes his escape. However, Stitch takes a beehive from the tree and throws it back at Gantu. As Gantu is swarmed by the angry bees, Lilo and Stitch put 383 in a backpack and head home.
Pleakley is practicing a juggling act to audition for Look at This, and Lilo chastises him for liking the show and "sounding just like Mertle." She heads into the kitchen to show the newly-captured 383 to Jumba, who reveals its power to be the ability to hypnotize people into following the first command they are given. Evidently, 383 was invented to be great at parties by entertaining guests who aren't hypnotized. Lilo christens 383 "Swirly" because of "the eye thing", but Jumba says that the only way to avoid getting hypnotized is to wear special goggles that are immune to 383's powers. The only problem is that there's no such thing.
- Jumba: Under no circumstances to be looking at 383 without wearing protective hypnosis-proof goggles.
Lilo: Where are you going?
Jumba: To invent protective hypnosis-proof goggles.
Nani comes home and Lilo and Stitch quickly try to find a place to hide 383 for the time being. Stitch takes the backpack containing 383 and climbs up the ceiling to hide. However, 383 falls out of the backpack and puts Lilo into a trance just as Nani walks in to meet her. Nani tries to get her attention, but Lilo simply stands still, staring forward. Nani asks if she is okay, and Pleakley interjects saying that Lilo is not okay because she cannot appreciate that Look at This is quality television. He then says that Lilo "should be more like Mertle," which snaps her out of her trance. She suddenly says she has to go get changed so she can go dance with all the other girls on Look at This.
Pleakley raids Nani's closet for a "disguise" to wear for his juggling audition on the show. Stitch, who is hiding under Nani's bed, realizes that his backpack is empty and 383 has escaped. Lilo enters the room donning Mertle's hairdo and outfit, complete with glasses. note Stitch looks around the room for 383 as Lilo raves about how awesome Look at This is. She says "You just gotta love that show!" just as Stitch spots 383 and is hypnotized to love the show.
As 383 wanders away, Nani finds Stitch under her bed and orders everyone out of her room, exasperated. 383 is captured by Gantu, but neither Lilo nor Stitch notice or care because they are both too busy obsessing over the show and heading for the filming sight for Lilo's dance. She meets up with Mertle at the rehearsal and proceeds to out-Mertle Mertle with her snotty behavior. Meanwhile, Stitch is so in love with Look at This that he is kissing and slobbering all over the television. This prompts Lilo (yes, Lilo) to insult Stitch and call him a disconfigured dog. Mertle reluctantly allows Lilo to rehearse with the rest of the girls.
Meanwhile, Gantu returns to his ship with 383 in hand. However, he is quickly put into a trance and Reuben decides to have a little fun with him, making Gantu to a variety of humiliating things while hypnotized. Hämsterviel calls the ship and immediately recognizes 383's effect on Gantu ("I remember him, big fun at parties") and joins in with Reuben giving orders. Gantu eventually juggles while balancing on a rolling pin with a cake on his head, until he falls over and Hämsterviel snaps his fingers to snap Gantu out of hypnosis. Hämsterviel hatches a plan for Gantu to take 383 to the Look at This show (which apparently broadcasts on an intergalactic level) and hypnotizes every viewer to become his slaves.
Pleakley performs his juggling act in front of the show's producer, who lets him onto the show not as a juggler (which was terrible), but as a contortionist (because Pleakley is boneless and therefore very flexible). Stitch auditions for the show and makes it in due to his ability to lift up the entire stage effortlessly. Gantu, with 383 in tow, also tries to audition but the producer says that he had already selected his two contestants. 383 hypnotizes the producer into letting Gantu onto the show, causing Pleakley's act to be canceled (much to his chagrin).
Meanwhile, back at the house, Jumba has finally invented a pair of protective hypnosis-proof goggles and looks for Lilo and Stitch around the house. He instead sees Look at This playing on the TV as it introduces a certain "real freaky dog" as its first contestant. Jumba sits down to watch his experiment perform live on TV as Stitch performs acrobatics, does tricks, and lifts heavy objects. Meanwhile, Lilo is still offstage acting like Mertle, rubbing the fact that Stitch is on TV into the real Mertle's face (and being a real jerk about it too). Jumba, still watching from home, sees Gantu with 383 offstage and rushes toward the film site.
Stitch's act continues to the point where he is holding a giant piece of construction equipment over his head, but Gantu secretly puts extra weight on it so that it is too heavy for Stitch to hold. Stitch is crushed by the equipment and his act is effectively over, allowing Gantu to begin his act, which is, of course, to hypnotize every viewer into becoming Hämsterviel's slave. However, Jumba arrives in time to snap his fingers and break both Lilo and Stitch out of their trances, returning them to normal. They come to their senses and realize they need to stop Gantu before it's too late.
Just as Gantu is about to hypnotize everyone, the TV signal cuts out because Stitch unplugged all the power cables. He swings down, snatches 383, then plugs all the cables back in. As Lilo and Stitch make their getaway with the experiment, Gantu is now stuck on live television with no way to complete his mission. On the air with no way out, he eventually resorts to performing an act himself — a juggling act. Pleakley, obviously, is not thrilled with the situation. Neither is Hämsterviel, but he is willing to take the loss in exchange for seeing Gantu humiliate himself on live TV.
The next day, a party is thrown in Lilo's front yard, because it was the grand prize for Stitch winning the contest. Lilo apologizes to Stitch for mistreating him while hypnotized. Even if she didn't want Stitch on the show, she's glad he at least won. Stitch is really just happy to have a party all to himself. And it turns out that 383 (now named Swirly) has found his one true place. It turns out he really is great at parties.
Experiments who appeared or were mentioned in this episode:
- Swirly (X-383): This episode's Monster of the Week; a small turquoise (green in this episode) koala-like experiment with a big head and big eyes. He is designed to hypnotize others into obeying the next command they hear. Snapping one's fingers undoes the effect. He's great at parties.
- Cannonball (X-520): Seen sliding into a wading pool at the end of the episode.
- Reuben (X-625)
This episode contains examples of:
- Aliens Steal Cable: Downplayed; the alien society in the franchise is already highly-developed and very culturally Earth-like. Still, Hämsterviel reveals that Look at This is popular off-Earth as its broadcast signal gets picked up intergalactically.
- An Aesop: Don't make fun of other people for being weird or different, and don't mistreat your friends.
- Chekhov's Gun: Swirly is mentioned to be "great at parties" by Jumba and Hämsterviel. His "one true place" involves using his abilities to entertain people at, you guessed it, parties.
- Hypnotic Eyes: How Swirly performs his hypnosis. Lilo decides to give Swirly his name because of that fact.
- I've Heard of That — What Is It?: Inverted example. Jumba tells Pleakley that looking at Swirly would be impossible without hypnosis-proof goggles, only to admit that he just made up the concept right then and the goggles don't actually exist yet.
- Mind-Control Eyes: Everyone who falls victim to Swirly has these, but the effect fades once they receive an order or suggestion.
- Show Within a Show: Look at This is a popular talent show in the Lilo & Stitch universe.
