Airdates: December 8, 2014 note , December 28, 2014 note , February 28, 2015 note
When Otto accidentally releases 100 small furry creatures called Centigurps in headquarters, he asks Oscar to help get them back before Ms. O finds out.
Tropes:
- 30-Second Blackout: Oscar cuts the power to headquarters for a brief moment by taking the cantaloupe out of the back of a Security unit, allowing Otto to grab the Centigurp attached to it.
- Angry Collar Grab: Oscar does this to Otto after the latter Comically Misses the Point, backing him up into a table to boot.
- Bigger on the Inside: The Storage Room doesn't have anything in it but a table, a desk, and one Agent Octavia. It's lampshaded by Otto, who asks where items are stored in the room, exactly, but Octavia is quick to Hand Wave it with "It's complicated."
- Call-Back: Otto lamenting about being assigned unimportant tasks? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.
- From the same episode, Otto also deals with a container which looks like the same container he takes down to the Storage Room.
- Character Development: If Olive's words at the end of the episode are any indication, Otto shows promise to Ms. O, which is the reason why she gave him the task of sending a Centigurp container to storage long before she gave the same task to Olive — the Shell-Shocked Veteran.Olive: Ms. O had you deliver a Centigurp box?Otto: Yeah. Why?Olive: I was here for years and years before Ms. O gave me a job like that. She must really trust you.Otto: Cool.
- Characterization Marches On: Orchid is depicted as a stubborn, not-so-easily-impressed agent who refuses to give up the Centigurp she has to Otto and Oscar. Back in "Picture Day", she was shown to be more benevolent towards Otto and more willing to do something on his behalf.
- Chekhov's Gun: Olive's ability to switch to "water travel mode" — in which she pulls two straps on her suit to inflate it — is later used by Otto to lure the last Centigurp to him and Oscar.
- Explosive Breeder: Much like the creatures it's inspired by, the Centigurps can go from one to one-hundred if exposed to light.
- Frantic Object Concealment: Upon seeing Ms. O descend to the Breakroom to get some gum, Oscar moves to hide the gumball machine full of Centigurps and distracts her by giving her some chocolate instead. It actually ends up working.Ms. O: I will say this... ![musical sting]Ms. O: You know how I like my chocolate.
- Here We Go Again!: Octavia, who is sitting in the Storage Room, takes the container off of Otto's hands, but once he leaves, she opens it up, causing the one lone Centigurp to multiply into 100 again.
- Homage: The title, plot, and titular creatures all serve as one to the Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".
- I Can't Hear You: Oscar gathers boxes to hold the Centigurps in and informs Otto what they can do to count how many there are. Otto, being inside a quarantine room with 100 loud, chirping Centigurps, has this response:Otto: [muffled] I can't hear what you're saying! But okay!!
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Otto asks Oscar if he's ever made a mistake. Oscar starts to say "no", but is cut off as he remembers a bad haircut he had, shown in a Flashback Cut.Oscar: Oh yeah. Heh, that haircut was a pretty big mistake.
- I've Heard of That — What Is It?: A gag variant.Oscar: I tend to think better with gum. [pulls out a gumball]Otto: You do!Oscar: I do?Otto: You do!Oscar: I do!! Heh, what are we talking about?
- Lost Food Grievance: Ultimately subverted — when Oscar throws Ms. O's lunch of spaghetti and meatballs down into the bullpen so Otto can obtain the last two Centigurps, she becomes upset and asks Oscar if he just threw her lunch away. Oscar defends himself by reminding her of his bad haircut, claiming that he makes mistakes sometimes. Ms. O understands completely and the situation is dropped.
- Makes Just as Much Sense in Context: Oscar suggests that they inform Ms. O about the escaped Centigurps, only for Otto to plead with him not to, because if she finds out, she'll never let him battle a giant goldfish. Cue confused look from Oscar.
- Man Hug: Defied by Oscar when he refuses Otto's offer to bump chests — the reason being that Otto's suit is still in its water travel mode.
- Meaningful Echo: When Otto first walks down the hallway to the Storage Room to deliver the container, he appears unhappy that he is forced to do a menial task. At the end of the episode, he walks down the same hallway to the same place with the same container, only this time he's more happy about it.
- Montage: Otto and Oscar seeking out Centigurps around headquarters is presented in this way.
- Rich Genius: Oscar apparently is one, always keeping a bag of quarters on him and having a briefcase full of cash in his possession. May be a case of Shown Their Work, as police officers and government officials often have high pay.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Centigurps, naturally. If you take away their creepy-looking eyes, that is...
- Sequel Episode: Inverted — according to the Facebook page for the show, this episode is a precursor to "Worst First Day Ever", which has a similar storyline albeit with a different inexperienced agent.
- Shout-Out: One of the books on Ms. O's coffee table is The Second-to-Last Unicorn, which is a clear reference to The Last Unicorn.
- Hypnotic Creature: The Centigurp can lure agents into opening the container it's stored in by purring and cooing — which is how it gets Otto to open it.
- Traumatic Haircut: Oscar is revealed to have had an afro in a Flashback Cut, which he immediately regrets and considers a mistake.
- Written-In Absence: Olive is absent for a majority of the episode due to being assigned to the ocean to fight a large goldfish. She doesn't appear up until the end, where she gets a few seconds of screentime.
Who's ready to go to The '80s?
Totally Odd SquadAirdates: December 8, 2014 note , December 28, 2014 note , February 28, 2015 note
In a flashback episode, Ms. O tells the story of how she defeated a villain called the "Patternista" back when she was an agent.
Tropes:
- The '80s: The time period where the majority of the episode takes place. Specifically, it takes place on April 9th, 1983, according to the movie World Turned Odd.
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode opens with Olive saying that she, Otto and Oscar are facing a big challenge. Pan down to reveal that the challenge is who gets the last jellybean in the jar.
- Batman Gambit: The Patternista steals a ball of gum from the town museum and hides it at the train station, knowing full well that Oprah and O'Donahue will retrieve it on their boss's orders. However, it ends up being a trick, and she (presumably) kidnaps said boss while Oprah and O'Donahue are distracted. Despite receiving instructions from '80s Ms. O on how to find her, O'Donahue quits the Squad, leaving Oprah to find her boss on her own. Once she's found, it's eventually revealed that the Patternista was a false alias made up by her, and the entire thing was a test to see if Oprah was ready to take her boss's place, as she was planning on retiring. O'Donahue reveals himself to be a Spanner in the Works; his resignation was false and was meant to get Oprah to rescue the precinct's boss of her own accord.
- Blind Shoulder Toss: Oscar throws the tissue he has over his shoulder when telling Ms. O to continue her story.
- Brick Joke: It's suggested by O'Donahue that his boss relax and get a fish to calm herself. She replies that she doesn't have time to take care of a fish. As it turns out, she actually does have a fish as a pet, and walks off with it after promoting Oprah.
- Call-Back: Once again, a ball of gum from the town museum has been vandalized.
- Continuity Nod: A purple glow is seen surrounding both Oprah and O'Donahue as they enter and exit the Mathroom, much like how Oscar had a green glow surrounding him when he entered the Mathroom in "Blob on the Job".
- From the same episode: we see exactly how Oprah and the Mathroom know each other, which supports the former's claim of her and the latter going "way back."
- Cool Shades: The jackalope in the Odd Squad logo — both on the floor of the bullpen back in 1983, and in transitions — wears a pair of sunglasses.
- Earn Your Title: Zig-zagged. "Ms. O" is generally the title given to any female Director of a precinct. However, this episode treats "Ms. O" more like a name a Director has, rather than it being the title that other employees in the precinct are to refer to their Director as.
- Faked Kidnapping: The Patternista kidnaps Oprah's boss, but it's revealed that said boss faked her own kidnapping, as she ends up being the one behind the Patternista's existence.
- Foreshadowing: It's subtle, but both 80's Ms. O's "I'm getting too young for this" comment and Oprah's glow being purple upon entering and exiting the Mathroom are hints that the latter is going to be the next Director of the precinct.
- Friendly Address Privileges: The Mathroom allows Oprah to refer to her as Carol.
- Idiot Ball: Oscar practically gets whacked in the face with it at one point after hearing about O'Donahue quitting the Squad. Olive's reaction to his idiocy speaks volumes.Oscar: It's just so sad. I mean what if Odd Squad goes out of business forever?Olive: That doesn't happen.Oscar: How do you know?Olive: Because we're here today!
- Innocuously Important Episode: The events of the episode get a bit of a twist in World Turned Odd — it's shown what would have happened had Oprah not exposed the Patternista and gotten promoted to Director. And let's just say...the outcome is not pretty.
- Named After Somebody Famous: It's revealed that Ms. O's actual name is Oprah — something that Oscar lampshades.Oscar: Wait a second. Your first name is Oprah?Oprah: Anybody have a problem with that?!(Olive, Otto and Oscar fall silent)
- Likewise, O'Donahue is named after Phil Donahue, someone who worked closely with Oprah.
- Reference Overdosed: This episode has a lot of references and Homages to 80s-era media. In no particular order:
- O'Donahue's Hawaiian shirt, which he wears under his suit, is a reference to the titular character of Magnum, P.I., who frequently wears Hawaiian shirts.
- A recurring BGM track in the episode is "Axel F", which is the main instrumental theme of Beverly Hills Cop.
- When O'Donahue presumably leaves the Squad, he leaves by punching a fist into the air and holding the pose — an Homage to the ending of The Breakfast Club. '80s Ms. O does the same pose upon exiting the warehouse after promoting Oprah.
- The instrumental BGM track that plays during O'Donahue's departure is a suspiciously similar version of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", which was also featured in The Breakfast Club.
- The end of the episode shows scenes of O'Donahue and Oprah drawn in the style of the music video for "Take On Me".
- The Patternista serves as a parody of Max Headroom, right down to the trippy backgrounds.
- Running Gag: This episode introduces a season-long one of Otto asking Oprah how old she is, only for her to Hand Wave the question and/or get upset over it.Oprah: The year was 1983...Otto: Wait, how old are you?Oprah: Do you want to hear the story or not?Otto, Olive and Oscar: Story.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: All of the Main 4 engage in a game of this in order to determine who gets the last jellybean. Ms. O ends up beating Olive, Oscar and Otto single-handedly, and takes the final jellybean at the end of her story. Funny enough, Ms. O ends up revealing in another episode that Olive is the best player of the game in the precinct.
- Secret Test of Character: When Oprah and O'Donahue get wind that the Patternista has kidnapped their precinct's boss, O'Donahue immediately quits on the spot. However, instead of quitting, Oprah keeps going and manages to find the Patternista, who reveals herself as Oprah's boss. She explains that the entire ordeal was a test, as she was set to resign from her position as Director and wanted to make sure Oprah was ready to step up in her place.
- The Strategist: Oprah is able to beat the rest of the Main 4 in Rock–Paper–Scissors easily by watching them play, studying their movements, and predicting what they're going to throw next.Otto: [regarding his "always play Paper" strategy] It's my secret move!Olive: Not anymore!
- Tender Tears: A male version — Oscar cries when hearing about Oprah's boss's abduction and O'Donahue's resignation.
- Totally Radical: O'Donahue, Oprah, and 80's Ms. O all speak in this manner, typical of the era. The latter even speaks the trope verbatim at one point when describing how well Oprah did on her test.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Much like Oprah, '80s Ms. O has a thing for jellybeans.
- Two Aliases, One Character: '80s Ms. O and the Patternista are revealed to be the same person, much to the surprise of Oprah (and the rest of the Main 4).
- Valley Girl: O'Donahue speaks like this at a few points, even quoting the Like Gag Me With A Spoon line.
- Oscar, Otto and Olive also talk like this at the end of the episode while staring at the empty jellybean jar.
- Wham Episode: This episode reveals Ms. O's actual name, Oprah, and reveals how she got promoted to Director.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The episode focuses on Ms. O, who explains in flashback how she defeated a villain and got promoted to Director.
- "Will Return" Caption: Oprah (as an agent) ends the episode by Breaking the Fourth Wall to inform the audience that "Oprah and O'Donahue will be back. Oh yeah!"
