Mrs. Clusky is explaining what an "inventor" is, while T.D. imagines what it would be like if the events were a movie. Mrs. Clusky then reveals that they will be studying inventors that week, and after the lesson ends, Helen, T.D., and Alice discuss their assignment, which as to cosplay as an inventor and give an oral report about their invention. T.D. then reveals that he thinks he was assigned to study Thomas, the son of a guy named Eddie, but it turns out to actually be Thomas Edison.
At the Lorraine house, the girls explain to T.D. who Edison is, but T.D. doesn't seem to be taking his assignment seriously. While he and Helen play fetch with Martha and Skits, Alice researches Edison and tells T.D. that he was referred to as a wizard and said that genius was 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. She and Helen try using that quote to convince T.D. he needs to work hard, but he doesn't seem convinced.
Later, Helen tells Alice that she's been researching her inventor Samuel Morris and the girls start joking about his beard. Then, they see T.D. apparently studying and go over to him (with Martha tagging along). Helen offers to give him Edison's biography from the library, but T.D. runs in saying, "Uh-oh; it's already started!", and drops his book. Helen picks it up, and finds out that it was the TV schedule, so she goes into his house followed by Alice and Martha and asks him about it.
He's watching movies about a Harry Potter parody, so Alice asks him why he isn't doing his homework. T.D. claims that this is homework — Edison was described as a wizard, and he's watching wizard movies. The next day, however, he shows up at Helen's doorstep begging for help. Alice shows up, and the three of them talk, but then T.D. gets an idea to make a movie about Edison. However, he still doesn't know any of Edison's inventions but Martha knows that he invented lightbulbs.
The next day at school, Alice does her project on Eli Whitney, two kids on firefighters, Helen (with Alice helping) on Samuel Morris, and then T.D. with his movie. It shows Edison (played by T.D.) as a literal wizard, mixing his own sweat and a test tube of "inspiration" in a cauldron. This ends up with the advent of the lightbulb, but then a villain shows up called the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness (also played by T.D.) who wants to stop the lightbulb from being invented. He turns Edison into a talking dog (played, naturally, by Martha) and summons his alien friends (played by Alice and Helen). After a skirmish, Edison ties the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness up and the lightbulb gets invented. Mrs. Clusky is impressed with the creativity, but she doesn't grade T.D. and gives him more books so he can read up on Edison.
This episode provides examples of
- Acting for Two: In-Universe, T.D. plays both Edison and the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness.
- Argument of Contradictions: In the movie, Edison and the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness argue by shouting, "Light!" and "Darkness!".
- Artistic License – History: In-Universe, T.D.'s movie claims that Edison created the lightbulb from a magic potion, then was turned into a talking dog by a guy named the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness, who had Martian friends.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- T.D. first raises his hand twice to ask what words mean, so when he raises it for the third time, it seems like he'll ask for the meaning of another word, but he instead asks to go to the bathroom.
- T.D. appears to be studying, but he's just looking at the TV schedule.
- Bittersweet Ending: T.D.'s movie ends with the lightbulb invented and the villains defeated, but Edison still stuck as a dog. Averted for the actual episode though.
- Character Name and the Noun Phrase:
- The character is T.D. and the (rather unusual) noun phrase is "lightbulb of doom".
- T.D.'s movie is called Thomas Edison and the Lightbulb of Doom.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- When Helen tries to explain to T.D. that Mrs. Clusky said, "Edison", not "Eddie's son", she says, "There is no Eddie's son!". T.D. responds, "What happened to him?".
- When T.D. hears the "99% perspiration" quote, he thinks that means Edison was sweaty.
- Dark Is Evil: The villain in Thomas Edison and the Lightbulb of Doom is called the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness, wears a black cloak, and wants the world to be dark.
- Daydream Surprise: The first scene turns out to be in T.D.'s imagination.
- Department of Redundancy Department: The villain of Thomas Edison and the Lightbulb of Doom is called the Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness.
- Doomy Dooms of Doom: The episode's title ends in "of Doom", as does the title of T.D.'s movie.
- The End... Or Is It?: T.D. ends his movie with "The End?".
- "Eureka!" Moment: When T.D. laments having watched a movie instead of doing actual research, he's then inspired to make a movie about Edison.
- Facepalm:
- Alice and Helen facepalm when they learn that T.D. misheard Mrs. Clusky.
- Helen facepalms when T.D. wants to play catch instead of do his homework.
- Alice facepalms again at the end when T.D. thinks no one told him that Edison invented sound recordings.
- Fantasy Sequence: When T.D. decides to make an Edison movie, he imagines what it'd be like.
- Forced Transformation: In the movie, Edison gets turned into a talking dog.
- Hidden Depths: Martha is revealed to know that Edison invented the lightbulb.
- Insubstantial Ingredients: In T.D.'s movie, Edison uses inspiration as an ingredient in his potion.
- Insult Backfire: When Alice jokes that T.D.'s initials could stand for "Total Disaster", he agrees.
- Literal-Minded: When T.D. hears that Edison was known as a "wizard", he thinks watching the Harry Plotter movies counts as research.
- Mistaken for Profound: Mrs. Clusky thinks T.D. made a movie because Thomas Edison helped invent movies, but that was just a coincidence.
- Mondegreen Gag: When Mrs. Clusky told T.D. that he was assigned to study Edison, he misheard it as "Eddie's son".
- Never My Fault: T.D. neglects his studies, but then blames Alice for calling Edison a wizard and causing him to take it literally.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: T.D. is so Book Dumb that Martha asks if he's okay when he's apparently studying.
- Potty Dance: T.D. hops from foot to foot when he has to go to the bathroom.
- Potty Emergency: Implied. T.D. looks nervous when asking Mrs. Clusky if he can use the bathroom, as though he fears he wouldn't be able to wait if she said no.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness has red eyes.
- Say My Name: Alice and Helen say, "T.D.!" when they find out he doesn't know any of Edison's inventions.
- Self-Deprecation: Martha thinks it's "pathetic" that she knows more about Edison than T.D.
- Shout-Out: T.D. watches a movie marathon that's a parody of Harry Potter called Harry Plotter.
- Speak in Unison: The girls say, "T.D.!" when they find out he doesn't know what Edison invented.
- Spell My Name with a "The": T.D.'s antagonist of his movie is named The Dark Lord of Really Dark Darkness.
- Vocal Dissonance: Due to T.D. playing Edison in his human form, but Martha playing him in his dog form, Edison ends up with a kid's voice despite being meant to be a grown man initially, then a woman's voice as a dog.
